The Portland daily press., 1882-10-04
4. B. c. Z. NJ.
[Continued from Supplement-

ASe s~e @H EEEa
Continued from supplenentl
ed by the Board, and taken charge by the
American Homo Missionary Society," The in
teresting missions in Oregon among the Nez-
perces, the Flatheads, aud the Kayuses were
broken up in 1S47 by the murder of some of
our missionaries. In 1858 the missions to the
Abenaquis in Canada was suspended, because
so few of the tribe remained, and for substan-
tally the same reason, in 1885, the mission
among the Maumee Indians; in 1886 the mis-
sion at Mackinaw, and in 1S4s, the mission
among the Stockbridge Indians. The Pawnee
mission was closed in 1916, because other de-
nominations had come in to occupy the ground
There remains ou' Dakota mission, of which
we will speak now more parcticularly.
THE DAKOTA MISSION
was commenced in 1885, The Dakotas. or
Sioux, the most numerous, ana tfen the most
warlike tribe in North America. were dwell
ing on the upper Mississippi and its affluents
Ihelr haunts were about st. Anthony's Falls
They rolmed over Minnesota and the country
westward to the Black Hills. Yielding to the
pressure OF the whites, they have been crowd
ed back, and now by treaty stipulations they
are gathered in reservations. chiefly in Dakota
A few bands are in Montana, while in Dakota
there are few Indians who are not Sioux
proper.
The total number of Dakota Indians is
and II 600 dress like whites; 26O0 can read
Their reservations include an area of more
than $1,000 square miles, or about 81 900 600
acres; nearly equal to all New England One
million acres are reported to be tillable, which
would make the proportion TO every Indian
family Of five, 1000 acres. In 1881, more than
900 acres were cultivated, and yielded 81
600 bushels of wheat, $4,000 of corn. and large
quantities of oats, barley, vegetables and hay
The Indians owned 12.00O horses aud 13 600
aattia apH apld aV1 fnrc y
OF $4,000. In addition the government APP
propriaton for supplies, clothing, medicines,
agricultural and other implements, houses,
schools, ETC., including expense of ageucies,
exceeded one and a half million dollars, OF
$250 for each family of five.
At ten out of the eleven Agencies the gov
ernment has industrial and ether boarding and
day schools. Three Protestant societies have
missions among the DaKotas Two Agen les
are allot ed to the Roman Catholics, though
other societies are not excluded. There is no
Agency which is not assigned to and claimed
by some society. AT some Agencesseveral So
cietieS have missions.
The Protestant missionaries number sixteen
white ministers, five white male aud twenty
six female teachers, with thirty-four Indian
ministers and teachers: total of seventy-opo
Protestant iabo ters. One hundred and twenty
Indian scholars were sent to Hampton and
Carlisel last year. Probably for every 900
Indians there are one white minister four
white teachers, and two Indian ministers or
teachers. They have thirty-three church build
ipes and the amount expended for education
in 1881 was S55 .6S6. The children of school
age number about $500.
The missionary force is not equally dstri-
buied, but is chiefly concentrated at six Agen.
cies, where the total number of Indians is lnly
about 10000 The missions of the American
Board are at four Agencies; the other Agen-
cies are occupied actually or constructively bv
other societies; indeed, other societies have
crowded into our stations.
In 1878 DIR. S. r. Riggs estimated the num-
Der OF Indians for whom the American Board
may be considered responsible at 4,607 Now
it may be set down at $500: namely, at San
tee, 3S4; at Sissiton, 1000; at fort Suly, 1900;
at Fort Berthold, 1850: at Devils Lake, 1, O66.
The children of school age under our charge,
counting half the number at Santee and Sully
two-thirds at Sissiton, and all at Fort Berthoid
and Devils Lake, are about 500.
For these $500 Indians our missionary force
has comprised four white ministers, four male
and fourteen female teachers, eight Indian
ministers and nine Indian teachers This gives
Tor every 1000 Indians one white aud two In
dian ministers, and for every one hundred
children two white teachers and one Indian
teacher.
THE sANTEE AGENCY STATION,
occupied since 1866, is in the northeastern edge
of Nebraska, on the southwest bank of the
Missouri river opposite Springfield Oak
direct railway communication between Spring.
field and Chicago The Indian reservation is
about twelve miles wide, and extends back 70
to IL miles according to the bends in the river;
II contains nearly ll5,0o0 acres, much of which
is bIuft land, unit for cultivation There are
several streams running through it on which
there is more or less good land and some tim
ber. The Indians are lot living ia villages,
but are scattered over the reservation, occupy
ing farms generally of about 100 acres. of
Ogh troF.n fvaT 10 F+Vyo ,l4;
walton. The Indians number, all told, 767
They occupy dwellings which compare fairly
with those OF their white neighbors
"a stranger travelling through the country
would hardly know that he was in an Indian
reservation" The Indians, as yet. have no
valid tile to their farms, but hold them under
allotments from the government. They are
surrounded on every side by white settlers
Doubtless their land will be secured to them in
due time, or its equivalent will be paid Them
The governmt mt already has in trust fund
belonging to the Indians at Santee aud Flan-
dreau, which a cunts to $S6,5S0. Four
sevenths, which is the proportion for the San
tees, allots to them $49,475. This more than
$500 to each family of five, is not to be paid in
money, but to be expended for assistance in
port. For many years the Santees
have been receiving weekly rations
which are gradually being withdrawn, that
they may learn TO provide for themselves If
Iuoy foCelNeu buo pIOpOrtiOu Oh 1OU uiSbfl-
buted in supplies to each Sioux Indian, the
Santees received from the government, 1881,
$3S, $50. They earned seventy per cent. of
their living by labor il civilized pursuits, five
per cent by fishing and hunting; twenty-five
per cent was from government rations. The
government buildings at the Agency, on the
southwest bank of the Missouri, opposite
Springfield, comprising industrial school
houses, dwelling-bouses, workshops, offices,
warehouses, niachine-house and saw mill. A
grist mill, with granaries, and dwelling
houses, are on another part Of the reservation
Carpenter and blacksmith shops are carried on
wholly by the Indians, who receive regular
wages, as do many clerks and other Indians
employed by the government. In 1881 the In
dians at Santee had 2.700 acres under cultiva-
ton, on which they raised 1000 bushels of
wheat, $4,000 of corn, $500 of oats and vege-
tables, 1,300 tons of hav they kept 430 horses,
and over 500 cattle. They have mostly gwen
up hunting; the value of robes aud furs sold in
1881 was $500. Such is the material condition
of the Santees at this mission station.
The educational and religious work is done
through the government schools and through
the Protestant Episcopal and American Board
missions
THE EDUCATIONAL WORK.
The main work at Santee is education AL
The total number of school children on the
reservation, including the Poncas, according to
the government report, is two hundred aud
is in charge of Rev. Mr.. Oak, a Methodist min
isier and religious instruction to some extent
is given by him. AT the time of the Commit
tees visit there were thirty-nine scholars;
twelve more--Poncas-had been present. but
had left few weeks previously There are ia
the several schools accommodations for 81
many more scholars than the reservation fur
nishes that the government agent asks that
scholars from other reservations be sent to fill
up the buildings In the Girls Boarding School
of St. Mary's Episcopal Mission there were
thirty-nine pupils There are also Episcopal
schools for boys. Our school comprised severn
ty-eight scholars thirty seven girls and forty
one boys. OF the boys, eighteen lived in the
Boys Cottage. and twenty III the Young Mems
Home OF The girls, seventeen lived in the
Dakota Home and fifteen in the Birds Nest.
The girls in the Home do housework and sew
ing; they are taught, to some extent, TO make
and mend their clothing. The boys also assist
in bousework, and in the care Of the land and
buildings.
The chapel is divided by folding-doors into
several rooms, which serve admirably for
school purposes. All the scholars are taught
in this building, partly in Dakota and partly in
English. They learn to read and write, and
to do ordinary sums in arithmetic; many are
quite proficient in geography. A few make
beginning in bookkeeping, in the history of
the United States, aud il Bible history. Some
elementary instruction is given in natural
philosophy and physiology. Singing is daily