Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-09-10
\ Remarkable Indian Tribe.

sdtiOU III lLt uOllHNtSL anu uOftnGaSt
portions of New Mexico aud Arizona.
They are an aboriginal race, quite diff
iert ut, In many physical characteristics,
from the ordinary red man of the cen.
trail portions Of this continent. The
Navajo il man of athletic form, fine
presence, and Of a light bro, n, rather
than copper, compl. xion. He is by no
means II nomad. But whether or not
! OF the original stock tuat once held the
/ southwest from TIE San Juan in Colo
ratio, to the twentieth degree If lati
tnie south toward the city of Mexico.
and finally destroyed in the eleventh
century the town builders and village
daeliers of New Mrxi'o, Arizona,
Southwest Colorado aud portion OF
Cbihuahua and Sonora in Old Mexico.
1t is quite certain that the Nav ,es
have retained some ut least of the
peaceful arts which are stamped upvn
, ana yet linger about the RIO Grande,
/lni and MoIui Pueblos, or which are
4 found lii broken fragments, like the
lie thai they represent, IN the dead
and prehistoric towns and villages OF
the region Indicated. Tie Navajo is ii
/ rails of sheep, and the wool he deals
in has always had a notable value. His
1 women weave Il blanket of remarkable
quality, and color 1t in IL way that Is
/ une4ualed Tor simple harmony. The
loom they use is snch' as can be found
in scriptural lands, aud there are
many traits and characteristics which
| give to these an Oriental picturesque,
ness. They wear their blanket III IA
/ ~ fLnt 4 A..
Arab burnous, and, like the other In
dams of the Arid Il me, they often
/ bear turban on their heads. The
/ spears or lLEces they used to carry u
score of years ago tended to add to the
illusion. Ii the Araches have been
/ the Syrian Bedouins. the Navajoes
must be regarded us approaching to
the North African or Algerian Arabs.
The old pottery, with Its nuie forms
I anl geometrical OruamentatiOn, is still
made by the Navajo women.
Formerly thls tribe occupied con
siderable portion OF what is now
! S,uthern Colorado. Fort Garland was
! located to enable the authorities to re-
sist or control them. Up to 1868 there
WAS unrelentiug and continued hos
2
and the Nav joes. Eacn made slaves
ot the others women and children.
! When war was hot open such robbery
WAS continuous. Lieut.. Col. 5. L.
/ lappan, an old autl-siavcry tighter OF
HE Kansas days, was with u portion of
his regiment III command at Fort Gar
! land i'll 1868 4. He set to work to
make u permanent peace in that section.
! FIRST defeating tho Naval pes, he then
competed both them anu the Mexicans
/ to mutually restore their captiyes.
/ Inc Navhlues were finally induced to
. retire irolu Colorado. There has been
no recurrence of such troubles. Al
that lime and Slice the utes and
NaVsJ0es were not considered fIends.
In New M4Xico the California voiuu-
teens, under Ii II. Carleton, who dur.
, inS the second year Of the war marched
across the Colorado desert in southern
California, through ARR Ia, drove oat
ruDtl huerliIa bands from Texas, de-
lodtlnS the uuqut ucnuDie Apache
mArduders, ehtered the region Of the
Rio Grande and Messilla, and waged "A
sharp war against the Navajoes, finally
bringing them to what has been mp to
date II continued peace, while reducing
the Apaches to something like terms
Tor he time being. We desire to say
in passing that, swallowed up in tue
majestic magnitude OF the civil war
Itself, the greater portion OF the Ameri-
can people have no Idea Ut the remark
able SERVICES rendered during those
years by the volunteers of California,
New Mexico, Colorado, and in part
also those OF Kansas and Minnesota. in
checking un extended dlsatiection
throughout the great mountain are q
of the west, and III keeping down and
finally defeating the most extended
series OF Indian outbreaks that for
nei riy two generations lad harassed
the country. GeA. Conuor kept the
Mormogs and Utes quiet, marching
500 miles over mountains and aikaIl
plateaus. Gen. Carleton marched with
his brigade, at least, l 900 miles over
arid sand ana eraselly III, sa OF noun N
plains, literally conquerius nature and
fighting the savages. Tue Colorado
troops kept the rebel element IN order,
and helped TO check other confederate
plots. They drove Slbley and his
Texans from the Valley OF the RIO
Grande, and 30 prevented the turning
OF our extreme flank i'll that direction.
In Minnesota the Sioux war took IA
larger force than that usei against the
oeminoies; while several Thousand
troors were necessarily employed in
the center, keeping down the Chey-
euucs ami others, ami holding open our
/ lines VI overland communication. In
1851 there were no. less than II 600
troops actually engaged IL warfare with
toe Indians. Halt as many more were
employed III protecting posts. frontier
ilueS, ana tue roads that held the viii
dcrneAs oSethor. IL VIII DC seen that
!le Aavulurs ana ltes VIII DC 40 meln
foes, ana though defeated they will Ue
sure 10 cause great trouble. An Indian
war that eau DE checked or prevented
dt the outset ls ii crime. The one now
threatened III the southwest can be but
owing to the malicious ignorance OF
WORST Of those who control Congress-
This does not seem likely to lie tue
CASE. Should there be confederated
! outbreak, great disaster will follow. -
". I. Mai.
Spurgeon, the eminent LONDON