Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-09-10
INDIAN FARMERS IN NORTH CARO-,

The Indian farmers in western North
Carolina are located in Swain county, fifty
miles from any railroad, and comprise one
Thousand eight hundred men, women aud
children. When the Cherokees wsre re-
moved to their new reservation, these In
dians, that is, the remnant, absolutely re-
fused to 90, and the Government finally
consented to their remaining. They are,
most of them, farmers. Their I" farms
run in sizs from one hundred acres down
to ten. They own their land, live pretty
well, and use the same implements as the
whites Thsy r@isS ccE93 wheat, snal
fruits and vegetables, making a speciality
of sweet potatoes. They plow generally
She year around, the winters are 80 mild.
Their farms present fair appearance, the
fields being inclosed with the Virginia rail
fence. They do their own horse shoeing,
and other work pertaining to the black
smith chop. As general thing they are
moral, and do not use intoxicating drinks.
They are under the leadership of Chief
Jarrett Smith. Chief Smith is about forty
years of age, straight as an arrow, and over
six feet high. He has a wife and eight
children. The children have been taught
English, and two of them are able TO teach
in any school in the country. The people
90 TO Chief Smith for advice, and obey
him. While they observe the legislative
enactments of North Carolina, they make
laws and regulations for themselves. They
talk the Cherokee language. They have
schools conducted by Quakers, of which
the General Superintendent is a man
named Brown. The children are taught
English. Their school.houses are built of
logs, and partially covered with shingles.
The Indiana are now constructing new
building for educational purposes. School
is kept up the year round. The children
are paid cent a day for attendance, and
at Christmas they receive new clothing
from the Quakers.
Suit Owl, the preacher of these Indian
farmers, is six feet two inches, and is about
so years old. He breaches with great
power, and his sermons are longer than
white people would care to listen to. Ere.
quently he will discourse for an hour and
:. IL hsiiff gt time, the listeners remaining
until the sermon is fi1ished end rot in
frequently after the Rev. Mr.. Owl has
closed his discourse another preacher takes
the rostrum and delivers a second sermon,
the people remaining and listening to the
finish. The Indians are mainly Methodists
and Baptists, and are coed citizens gener-
ally.
They display good deal of mechanical
ingenuity. A convenient lathe, invented
by one of their tribe, is generally used by
them in the manufacture of their household
goods, etc. Their corn mills are rude in
the extreme. The mill entire consists of
section of whiteoak, followed out, togeth-
er with double-ender peatle, very heavy
at both ends. A man or woman, as the
case may be, pounds the corn.
1t is noteworthy that wherever the half
civilized tribes of Indians are settled, they
compel the women to perform all the la-
Dor, but here the men do their share. The
Indian women are very ingenious at max
Ing baskets of all kinds, though not so
skiIlful in this line of labor as the Pagsa-
maquoddies of Maine. One of the interest.
ing characteristics among the females is
the Indian nurse. She wraps her child in
white sheet and carries it about upon
her back, instead of having the infant
strapped closely to her back in papoose
style. The settlement is about sixty
miles from Ashville, N. G. A new rail-
road, when completed will run within ten
miles of here.-[American Agriculturist.