The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-04-27
INDIANS AT THE CENTENNIAL.
Fffty-three Tribes 20 be Represented
The whole Routine OF Indian Life VIII
be Exhibited Upon the Exposition
From the Philadelphia Press. |

NIcOIOC AuQCIcOn1 IL NAAo Nll1 OAA
Saturday with fifteen Indians, who will
remain here during the Centennial.
They have since been joined by thirty
more members of different tribes, in
charge of Anderson's "pardner," Jack
Wharton, and others will rapidly fol-
low until over 800 aborigines, repre-
senting fifty-three tribes, will have pitch
ed their tents on the Centennial Grounds.
II is intended to have all of the princi-
pal tribes represented by from four to
eight persons of different ages and both
sexes, and in order that the original in
habitants of America may appear at
their best, only the very best families of
the various tribes are to be selected for
the Exhibition. Many of the visitors
from the frontier are the chiefs of tribes
and their families, while almost all the
others are persons distinguished for
deeds of daring, perfection of form and
feature, or the possession of other rare
gifts or attaihments. The red-skinned
guests will, in other words, be the creme
de la creme of Indian society, and if the
heroes of Fenimore Cooper's creation
do not appear it will be because they
have vanished before the march of civ
ilization, or because their counterparts
never existed. A number of lodges,
utensils, weapons of warfare, imple-
ments of agriculture and manufacture
were brought by the Indians who have
already arrived, and four more car
loads, including two carloads of ponies
and dogs, are daily expected. The In
dams will erect their lodges on a reser-
walton in the Centennial Grounds near
the Japanese buildings, and they will
there carry on their various occupations,
including the weaving of blankets and
belts, the method of dressing buffalo
and other skins, the manufacture of pot
terry, construction of stone implements,
and the making of moccasins, baskets,
ornaments, etc.
Among those who have already ar
rived are the Warm Spring braves
Charlie, a half-brother of Scar-faced
Charlie; Clamtaskina, chief of the
tribe, and his daughter, Jennie, aged
II; Aska, a Comanche brave; Running
Water, Pawnee brave; leila (Spring),
chief Of the Kiowas, and his daughter
Kotella Budding SPRING.; Tontouqua,
Pawnee brave; Walking Water Bill,
Pawnee, one of the very few full
blooded Indians who can wear NOUS
tache and beard; Buffalo Hump, chief
of the Comanches; Fire-Water Jim, the
Comanche brave who prevented gen
eral massacre between Brownsville and
Eagle Place by carrying the news to
Fort Sill, and several others from the
Arrapahoe, Piute, and Apache tribes.
The two princesses who accompany the
party are pretty, modest, Intelligent,
and in these respects evidence the vast
difference which exists between women
of the higher and lower grades of In
dams of the present. On Saturday af-
ternoon the party, escorted by Mr.. An
derson, made visit to the Centennial
Buildings, but unlike all other behold
ers, they expressed neither amazement,
admiration, nor disappointment. They
walked quietly through the magnificent
structures, seemingly noting every de-
tail at a glance, but showing not by
word or sign the effect which the strange
scenes produced upon their minds, and
strolled calmly along through the long,
winding streets of the universal city, the
observed but apparently the most I'M
observing of al observers. When,
however, the space on which
they are to camp for the
summer was shown them
they surveyed it critically or a few
moments and pronounced it "GoOd!"
As three hundred representatives of the
largest tribes will be encamped in the
same enclosure, and as each family will
be supplied with all the necessities and
luXuries known to Indian life, including
one hundred ponies and numberless
dogs, the scene will at once become OF
the greatest interest, not only to Euro
pean but to American visitors. All the
expenses of transportation, subsistence,
guides, ETC., are, of course, paid by the
Government, and it is hoped that suffi-
Gent appropriation will be made to per-
| nit the presentation to the Centennial
visitors of many more tribes, including
those of Northern Alaska and the PaSsa-
maquoddy Indians of Maine. The Tex
an scout, George Anderson, who ar
rived with the first delegation, will have
under his care representatives of the
Comanche, Pawnee, Kiowa, ArrapahOe,
Piute, and Apache tribes, the Ian
guages of which he speaks, and has,
under orders from the Government,
donned his buckskin suit, and is ready
for work. He received his directions
last December from John q. Smith,
| Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and
since that time has been busily engaged
in getting together fitting representa-
tives of the tribes assigned to him. Fort
Sill was assigned as the general rendez-
vous, and to this point were gathered
the Apaches from Arizona, the Piutes
from the Rocky Mountains, the Pawnees
from Platte Valley, and the Arrapa-
hoes from the North Fork of the
Canadian River, in the Indian
Territory. The Kiowas and Comanches
are near Fort Sill. The party now here
started about six weeks ago from Sher-
man, Texas, and went to New Orleans
by way of San Antonio and Galveston.
Thence they proceeded direct to
Washington, where they arrived
during the early part of last
week. Several days were spent
at the Capital, and one evening dur
ing their stay several of the Indians, in
Guiding Clamtaskina, Chief of the Warm
Springs, were taken to the Theater
Comique, where, for the first time, they
beheld that peculiar entertainment
called the ballet. As usual, the red
skinned guests expressed neither pleas
ure nor dissatisfaction. The next morn
ing, accompanied by their guide, Mr..
Anderson, they called upon President
Grant, and when the "Great Father
mildly expostulated with them on their
evident determination to remain unciv-
ilized, the Chief of the Warm Springs,
Clamtaskina, made answer, "Why do
you call us uncivilized? At the theater
last evening l saw your pretticst women
come out on the stage with no blankets
on-no nothing. If an Indian girl
should do that we would not let her live.
We are civilized, not you" On Thurs
day the party bid farewell to Washing
ton, and after brief sojourn at Balti-
more, concluded their trip at the Cen
tennial City.
A few words concerning the peculiar
history of their guide and Interpreter,