New-York tribune., 1874-01-01
AN INDIAN FETE.
p.ynAy AMONG THE porTAwATOMIEs.

WUlsKY-IIDW INDIANS GEI DRtNk AND "Ti
soBEH-THE PorTAwAToMIE AT HIS hArfih'i'
yaon AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRtBUSh'I
Topeka. Kansas, Dec. 15.-PeOple VINO nave
| dislike TO tho onvenence attending proiongeu
hsence from the realm Of thesters banks, gnsight.
soaudaI and panics and who yet would IKE 10 suuy
..rv tor AN hour ought To attend OF those dis.
bursemens of the funds which accrue to the aborigne
nobody knows precisely why or how known as M III
| dian "payInent" But no must avail hlmseiI OF the
opportnpIty very soon II at ALL because there VIII soon
bs M navments or Indians to make them TO. exem.
plaoauon of which truth, readily at hand. lies In the
fact tina, the last regular payment TO tho remnant OF he
| old and warlike tribe of Pottawatomics was made
| during last week, closing to-day.
The reader IL he has ever travelled westward on the
| Kansas Pacific Railway, may remember having been
awakened from angular nap In oar-seat by u mo
mentary pause monotonous Journey and the cry Of
Saint Mary'sw and have gone of mapping again,
vaguely wondering how name which had any suggestion
Of sacrednes ever crept into the geography OF Central
Kansas such has been the experience OF anybody he
may contemplate at his leisure tho fact that saint
Mary has been for quarter Of century captal-the
capital OF the Pottawatomie Nation. But tho duh little
town which one sees with its small white frame
buildings, It's rambling street. Its intcrminable
jungles OF rosinweod and imson, Its horSegnawed
fences and ts general and combined newness aud sleep
ue.s gives no idea whatever why tho name was given
or what the place in the ante-railway days OF
10 or 40 years ago. Saint Mary's was Jesuit
Mission and must always have presented to the untu-
tored mind" two opposing and contradictory elements
of pleasure tho other uf pam ooooue" hoo 'hoS
paid him his money, and here they tried to tcach MIN
something But tho newness OF the enterprise which
mas changed the Indian religious and pecuniary mead
quarters into tOwn-lot speculation, has not enrey
obterated ancient landmarks. Under the hill. at the
eastern end Of the village, still stands anna stuhteu
fruit trees cruciform wooden church. dilapidated to
| ,fa lupE Ia
little square befry away upon the gable end-a quiet
reminder of changed times. There, too, arc sui the
square caps and long gowns and dsmure VaS ana pae
faces which must alw avs have been In strong contrast
to dirty eggns red blankets, paint feathers, ana gen
eral rancdity.
And but little distance away ia the small stone house
with its fancfu wooden oornice. which was the
agency" Considered as Government building, IL
can hardly be supposed, even in its newness to have
IMPRESSED the aborgine with idea of the opuence
of that Great Father" Mt Washington. who has from
time immemoria figured in the blarney OF the Indian
agent Nevertheless here was supposed to reside, with
his family, that patorna appoinee who assumed the
duties guardian gnde and friend Of the red men for
81 800 per annIm Ths, jmson-gr0wn little yard, now
cur in twain by an iron track. has held many greasy
that crowded round the small door with
the assortment ot tie sticks which expressed numer
Gus family, illustrating in pantomme OF signs anu
runts and ruDiugs Of tho stomach the paerna anxiety
Tor the whcrewthal to buy beads, paint ana otner ne
cessities
But II was OF this payment. remarkable because the
last that started to write. LatteIy these festive aud
happy occasions have oeen few and far between.
large number Of the Pottawaomles abandoned In
name their tribal relations were assigned her seNefai
sections of land In fee simple, and immediately pro-
ceeded to sell 1t and enjoy the proceeds But having
taken these primary steps in civilization wheh II
Indians the doce beings they ara Imagined 10 Dc
by those who knew them BY Cooper's romantesf lhoy
could have attained long ago. they have gone no fur
ther. Tho motley crowd which assembled at SAINT
Marys during the past week presented great con-
trast to that which has always gathered there
similar occasions. know not oy what
system the Indians keep the run Of their credits with
tho Government, or how the last pcaninny and the
last wrnked of the tribe lind out that they ought
TO be hand certain day 10 draw sl25 apiece But
1t certain that tho only absences OF the traditional
good" e. the dead Indians All the live ones came.
About a. IN the opportunity comes for study Of Indian
character and eIupage, only equaled on cireus-day
Thirty OF contact with white men and with some
ought, one would think, to
have afforded the observer opportunity to
Improvement upon the standard established By Messr
Kicking Bird, Lone Wolf. &c. But tho display OF
shanks. moccasins, diugy leggns, red cloth,
blankets scrubby nags and all that, ia about
the same you would the Piute Res, walton.
These came fling INTO by all the usual means of
The squsws. girls. and children were mostly in wagons
which seemed always 10 have been second hand and
never new The young men dash gaily in on horses
much the worse for hard usage, many OF them the
valued wearers Of picbad hides calico" horses being
always an especial Pottawatomie fancy Very soon the
long street presents unwonted appearance OF min
ged habbness aud gayety and leaving the ponies to
stand hp-shot In the sum- asleep. glad OF rest those
OF the warriors OF Tppecanoe betake them
selves TO the little agency building
It's in the groups that wait and ioiter there that you
NAV seelall that is especially and trad0naly Indian
esque. They almost universally silent The chat
tering which ordinarily gets agong In crowds IS not
heard But II Ia not SO much stOcism as indifference
The aged leans against the fence, looking in utter
silence at space for hour at time. The squaw seats
herself upon tho ground and the young ones gather
themselves her. .ianrl all simply wait They come
from opposite sides Of territory larger than New
York county, and yet they get their money and get
drunk as we'll. and get them homo again, without any
inquiry into each others affairs upon the
mutations Of fe Here you may observe that the srti
Gle Of Christian manufacture which lies near
sst the savage heart Is not the Bible.
tracts, missionary influence 1t Is cotton
calico. Every Indian here on the plains
every where from Delaware 10 Digger male and femsle
has a specked shirt Here also are observable the va
rous degrees Of imitation Of which friend is capable
There good many hats. all decked in some extra
ordinary manner. There are many trowsers, all
hitched dangngy TO the hip bones. There is sprink
liug Of that primitive and convenient garment known
breech olout" the original fgleaf Of savagery. But
there lie never squaw with bonnet. and the shines
down upon straight black hair with painful suggestion
jof headache.
But the yard Is not occupied by Indians alone In
terested white men are by DOZENS attracted by
this last peounisry chance They stand groups and
discuss chances and near the paytabe claim share
large amount Of the large Of money paid finds
its way at once into the hands Of these upon one
shovtno or another Sometimes q sQuaw tabbers her