The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-07-08
Annual Festivities of the PottaWatO-
mics.

/
A correspondent of the st. Louis Re
! publican writes as follows from Leaven-
worth, KS, June IS: Receiving a kind
invitation from Agent Miles OF the above
named tribe to be present at their feStivi-
ties on Wednesday and Thursday last,
your correspondent thought best TO avail
himself of the opportunity and ''see sights
never seen beiOre.o | left LeaVenwOrth
| for the Z jttawatOme Mission on WedneS-
day last, via the Missouri Pacific to Atchi-
son, thence over the Central branch ofthe
| Union Pacific to Netawakd. At Netawa-
ka | found a wagon in readiness to con-
vey me to the Mission. eightniles distant
across the Prairie. The ride was much
enjoyed by the undersigned, and shortly
after eight o'clock we alighted at the
agents house. This house has a history
which if written up would i'll a book, it
being at the time of overland stages sta
ton on the route between st. Joe and
Denver. The building still bears the
marks of its former habitantS, and is rather
worse for wear.
The ceremony of which | am about to
speak occurs only once year, and is
called by the Indians (and rightly named)
adoption" The ceremony commenced
about o'clock.
During the past year one of the warri-
Ors of the tribe lost his sister by death,
and it is an established rite among them
that whOsOever loses a sister or brother
shall, if he sees fit, adopt into his family
as sister or brother any man or woman Of
the tribe that consents to fill their places.
This young man who had lost sister,
after mourning for a sufficient length of
| time. found ''dusky daughter of the
! forest'' who was willing to fill the place
of the lost one, and after some parley be-
| tween the o d folks they consented to
give up their offspring to the young man.
! The ceremony took place on Wednesday
night about two miles from the agency
house. The old men formed circle
around fire and commenced chant, ac-
companied by sundry notes on drum of
their own construction, which consisted of
a piece of deerskin being drawn across
two hoops. After a chant or two had
been rendered, the person who was about
to be adopted entered the circle accompa-
MED by another daughter of the tribe. The
Indians commenced to chant again, and
this child of adoption " was led slowly
around the circle by her attendant. The
Indians believe that if she tripped herself
in her walk her death would ensue in less
than year, and she was handled as care
fully as glass clock. After walking
around the circle three times the young
man who was to adopt her was called
forth, and, after blessing being pro-
nounced upon them by the medicine man,
she was declared his sister. Then came
the feast. Three large pots had been filled,
early in the evening, with fat steer, and
at the close of the ceremony it was suffi-
GENTLY well-cooked to crafty the tastes of
the Indians, and they at once fell to-"
and thirty minutes afterward not YES
! tige of the steer remained. The dance
was then in order, and the tribe broke
forth with one accord in series of yells
that would do credit to fog-whistle, and
they commenced to jump up and down at
a furious rate. Your correspondent not
knowing the " step" concluded to with
| draw, and so left them whooping and yell
ing and bobbing up and down like so
many ''jumpingjacks."
| The next morning | was invited by
Agent Miles to attend the school and
did so. Hound thirty scholars hard at
work an1 seeming TO take as much inter-
est in their Studies as white children. |
also heard them recite, from the primary
grades to the higher classes, and am con-
! tident that no school in the country can
| equal them, when it is taken into consid-
Grafton that but short time ago they
were wandering about the country beg
ging and stealing. This great change in
| their habits is mainly due to the unceas-
ing efforts of Mr.. and Mrs. Miles and
their efficient teacher, Mrs. Cox. We
We're surprised to find that all of them can
talk plain English" and to hear those
Indian children recite lessons in arithme,
tic that would make many white child
| stumble is trulV gurnrisinp
Mr.. Miles has resigned the office OF
agent, and will retire to his farm next
week. No one as yet has been appointed
to fill his place. sc 80