• REPORT OF THE AGENT 

OF THE 

Passama~uoUUy Tri~e of InUians, 

l<'OR THE YEAR 

~1884*-

AUGUSTA: 

8PHAGCE & SON, PllINTERS TO THE :!TATE. 

18 R 5. 
STATE OF MAINE. 

IN COUNCIL, December 30, 1884. 

Recel.ved and ordered that 500 copies be printed. 

Attest: ,JOSEPH O. 81\U'fH, Sec1·etary of State. 

REPORT. 

1'o tlze Honorable Governor and Council of Maine: 

I herewith present my report as Agent of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians for the year ending X ovember 30th, 

1884. 

The approprfations made for years 1883 and 1884 by the 

Legislature, were as follows, viz: 

For May dividends ..•................ 

N ovem her dividends ............. . 

bounty on crops ...........•...... 

distressed poor .......•..•....... 

ploughing ....................... . 

salnry of Governor ............... . 

salary of Lieut. Governor ........ . 

wood ..•..•.................. · · · 

contingent purposes ............... . 

educational purposes ............. . 

salary of Priests ................ . 

dressing for land ................ . 

salary of Agent ................. . 

contingent poor ................. . 

agricultural purposes ..•..•........ 

The expenditures were as follows, viz : 

For May dividends .................. . 

November dividends .........•.... 

distressed and contingent poor ..... . 

agricultural purposes .....•.•.....• 

bounty on crops ................. . 

ploughing ..•.....•..••....•....• 

salaries of Governors ............. . 

$400 00 

300 00 

300 00 

2,000 00 

150 00 

100 00 

40 00 

200 00 

100 00 

600 00 

100 00 

100 00 

200 00 

500 00 

600 00 

$5,690 00 

$361 20 

335 40 

2,685 55 

513 00 

164 85 

136 50 

100 00 
4 PASSA~IAQUODDY INDIANS. 

For salaries of Lieut. Governors ...... . 

-wood ........................... . 

contingent purposes .............. . 

educational purposes ............. . 

salaries of Priests ............... . 

dressing for laud ................. . 

salary of Agent ................ . 

RECEIPTS. 

$40 00 

199 50 

126 44 

600 00 

100 00 

138 73 

200 00 

$5,701 17 

1883. Dec. 28, balance due Indians on settlement, $11 17 

1884. ],eby. 14, warrant on State Treasurer ...... 2,000 00 

April 21, " " " 1,500 00 

Aug. 12, " .. " 1,200 00 

Sept. 12, " " " 990 00 

----

$5, 701 17 

The population of the tribe~ Nov. 1st, was .... 540 

The number of deaths during the year was twenty, of 

which fifteen were young children. 

The excessive mortality among the young is attributed to 

the prevalent use of pork, and the frequent cases of scrofula 

iu the tribe are probably largely due to the same causes. 

Pork is used to a great extent as an article of food, and, :ts 

a consequence, many fall victims to ignorance of the most 

simple rules of diet on the part of their parents. 

AGRICULTlTRAL. 

The crop for the year was as follows, viz : 

Potatoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 1,650 bushels 

Oats.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 390 ''" 

Beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • ..•..... 92 .. Peas ........................... . 42 " 

Wheat ................... · · · · · · · 40 " 

Turnips .....•• , ................ . 150 " 

Other vegetables ................ . 50 " 

2,414 

AGENT'S REPORT. 

It will he seen that morn attention has been paid to farming 

this year than during the year previous, and I am in hopes 

that the next crop will show a sti11 greater increase. 

Being unable to keep ~my stock on their farrm~, with two or 

three exceptions, the Indians are wholly dependent upon the 

State for their dressing, and the appropriation of one hundred 

dollars for dressing for land is quite insufficient for the 

attempt to make farmers of over five hundred Indians, or one 

hundred and seventy-five families. 

The number of horses owned in the tribe is six. Five cows 

are supposed to furnish all the milk used, and only one or two 

families keep hens, while but. few are too poor to own a dog. 

EDUCATIONAL, 

The school at Pleasant Point numbers from ninety to one 

hundred pupils. This school is held for nine months of the 

year, while that atPeter Dana's Point, numberingthirtypupils, 

is in session but three months, from September till December. 

The pupils attend quite regularly, and show a steadily increasing degree of proficiency. Sister Clare is again at her post, 

and she and Sister Stanislaus are untiring in their devotion to 

the effort of educating and elevating the tribe. 

At the election held in September, Lewy 1',rancis was 

elected Governor, and Pierpole Sebattis Lieut. Governor of 

Pleasant Point, for a term of two years. The first election of 

Representative to the Legislature having resulted in a tie vote, 

a new election was called in October, by which Mitchell Lewy 

of Peter Dana's Point was chosen. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The Penobscot tribe of Indians have had appropriation"! 

from the State for the past year or more, of eight thousand 

four hundred and nine dollars ($8,409). They number 

about four hundred and forty. They have had the advantages 

of efficient schools for years, and are situated in a favorable 

location for remunerative labor. Quite a number of them, I 
PASSAMAQUODDY INDIANS. 

am told, by their perseverance and frugality have become 

quite comfortable in their homes and surroundings. The 

Passamaquoddy tribe, with a population of five hundred 

and forty, are situated more remote from centres of business 

and labor, have not the advantages of education to such a 

degree, and, as a consequence, have not attained to such a state 

of thrift as have the Penobscots. The State appropriation in 

their favor the past year year was but five thousand six hundred and ninety dollars ($5,690). 

The islands in the St. Croix river, originally granted to this 

tribe, were taken from them because of a prior grant made by 

:Massachusetts, and they have never received any compensa- · 

tion therefor, hut I cannot see why they should be given less 

aid than the Penobscots receive, simply because the latter 

were protected in their treaty rights, while the Passamaquoddys were deprived of theirs. Nor can I conceive why 

there should be any difference in the aid given the two tribes. 

If the lands belonging to the Passamaquoddys were taken from 

them by force, while those of the Penobscots were procured 

by purchase, it certainly should make no difference in the 

moral obligation of the State toward the Passamaquoddy 

tribe. 

The appropriations made for the tribe, while quite sufficient 

for their wants many years ago, are inadequate for their 

present needs. Their means of subsistence have been in a 

measure cut off. Game and fish have become scarce, and they 

are not now allowed by law to hunt and fish during the season 

they most require those means of subsistence. During 

seasons of depression in trade, their business of basket making 

and selling will not sustain them, and in many cases they 

must suffer. The appropriation for distressed poor, of twentyfive hundred dollars ($2500.00) may, at first sight, appear 

sufficient, but when it is considered that fifteen hundred 

dollars ($1500.00) are expended in pensions to the widows, 

aged and infirm, who are wholly or partially unable to provide 

for themselves, leaving but one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) 

to be expended among five hundred and forty Indians, all of 

.t AGENT'S REPORT. 

them poor. for aid in sickness, for food. wood, clothing, medicine, physicians' services, burial expenses, etc., etc., it will 

give us some idea of the insufficiency of the amount appropriated. The priests, who are really the only persons who 

have any degree of influence over them, in the faithful discharge of their duty, actually expend more than their salaries 

in travelling expenses. 

Rev. Father O'Dowd, who has charge of the church at 

Pleasant Point, lives in Eastport, five miles away, and visits 

the Indians twice a week, regularly. In his zeal for the welfare of his flock, he has paid out more than the amount of his 

salary for materials necessary for the comfort of the Sisters 

of Mercy, and used in the house occupied by them. Rev. 

Father Conlon, living at Calais, who has charge of the church 

at Peter Dana's Point, twenty-five miles distant, visits the 

Indians at some seasons of the year once a week, and it costs 

him more than the amount of his salary for travelling expenses alone. Besides this, he has repaired the house at that 

place at his own expense, in order to make it habitable for 

the Sisters while there teaching, at an expense of one hundred and twenty-five dollars, for which there has ~een no 

appropriation made. These facts furnish conclusive evidence 

of the need of increased appropriations, if the State wishes 

to deal justly with those who are giving their best efforts to 

improve the condition of the tribe. 

In view of these facts alluded to, I respectfully recommend 

the following appropriatioi1s : 

For May dividends ..•..•..•........•• 

November dividends ............. . 

distressed and contingent poor ..... . 

bounty on crops ...•.............. 

ploughing ..•.................... 

salary of Governor .............. . 

salary of Lieut. Governor ........ . 

wood ..........•••.•............ 

centingent purposes ......•....••• 

$700 00 

700 00 

3,500 00 

300 00 

150 00 

100 00 

40 00 

300 00 

200 00 
8 PASSAMAQUODDY INDIANS. 

For salaries of Priests. . . . . . . . . . . . . • . $300 00 

dressing for land. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 00 

agricultural purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 00 

educational purposes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900 00 

salary of Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 00 

$8,340 00 

It will be seen that the total appropriations recommended 

are less than the sum paid to the Penobscot Indians last year, 

although the latter, as I have here stated, are considerably 

the smaller of the two tribes in number, and are much less 

needy. I have always supposed that the State desires to 

promote the welfare of the Indians, and this can be done 

only by such aid as will enable them to help themselves. 

That the pres.ent aid is not sufficient, can be clearly seen by a 

little reflection as to the number to be aided and the sums 

appropriated. 

The family ties among the Indians are now as strong as 

among the whites. A little incident showing this came under 

my observation only a few days since. I saw a poor Indian 

who had walked twenty-five miles after a coffin for his dead 

boy. He had lost a wife and child hardly six mouths previously. As he started on his return to his desolate home, 

the mercury ten degrees below zero and night coming on, 

with the silent reminder of his bereavement strapped to his 

sled, I thought that the efforts pnt forth to educate and civilize a people showing such devotion to their dead, could not 

be considered hopeless. 

Incidents of similar nature occur frequently, tending to the 

same conclusion, and affording the best of reasons why our 

efforts should be continued and increased. 

Respectfully submitted. 

C. H. POI~TER, 

Agent Passamaquoddy Indians. 

CALAIS, December 27th, 1884.