Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-03-12
THE PUEBLO INDIANS.
Their Manner of Liy;ng-Peace and Pros
perity-An Example for Indian
Agents.


Republican as.to the condition of the
Indians under his care said:
THE Indians who belong to nv
agency are the Pueblos, and they are
doing very well. They are about nine
thousand in number, and they live in
separate pueblos or villages. There
are nineteen of these villages. the prin-
cipal of which are Zuni, in the western
part of the territory; Laguna, on the
line of the Atlantic and Pacific railway:
Isleta, on the Rio Grande below Albu-
querque: Acoma, Toas, Jemez, and San
Juan. Zuni has about 1900 inhab-
itants, Laguna about LOO, and Isleta
something over 1000.
Which one OF the pueblos do you
think is in the best condition?''
''Laguna is decidedly the best. The
Indians there are more advanced. The
rooms in their houses are furnished
after the style of civilized people, They
have beds and chairs and stoves, such
as you see in white mans house, and
they show a disposition to adopt many
Of the customs of white people This
is largely due, think, to the good in
fiuence the Marmon brothers and their
partner, Mr.. Pratt, have had over the
Indians. They live among them, and
have taught them many useful things"
'sAre the Pueblo Indians self-support-
ing?"
Yes, sir. They have their own
farms, and they raise corn, wheat,
BEANS and melons They get very lit
tie from the government, except the
education of the children and few
plows, spades, and other agricultural
Implements. They are beginning to
use these implements now, and have
ploWs at the agency which are to be
given to the Indians"
How about the education of the
children?"
They are doing very well. 1t is
surprising how bright and apt to learn
they are. [ have now about 100 BOYS
and girls from these pueblos at Carlisle
school, in Pennsylvania, and about 100
at the school in Albuquerque. They
are taught English and how to read
and write, and also the simpler rules of
arithmetic. You would be surprised to
see how good letter some of the boys
at Carlisle can write. They are learn
ing very well at the Albuquerque school
also. think the girls learn about as
readily as the boys do. In addition to
these schools there are also schools at
several Of the pueblos. But [ don't
think as we'll of them as [ do of the
schools at Albuquerque and Carlisle.
The children should be removed en-
tirely from the pueblos if the object is
to teach them civilization. As long as
they remain under the influence of the
| other Indians at the pueblo they will
make but very little progress. The
boys and girls, however, who are sent
| away from home to school acquire
new ideas and different habits as we'll
as an education. When they return,
at the end of three years, to their
homes they will carry these new habits
with them, and they will necessarily
have a good effect upon their tribes"
what language do these Indians
speak?"
They almost all speak Spanish, be-
sides the language of the pueblo to
which they belong"
The native language of the different
pueblos is not the same in all cases?'
''Oh, no! The Zunis have alanguage
Of their own, and an Indian from the
Pueblo OF Laguna couldnot understand
Zuni. The same thing is true of Isle
ia, Tais, and a number Of other pueb-
los. This is very strange, for the Pu-
eblO Indians have lived In that country
since before the Spaniards conquered
it. But Of all these differences, the
strangest, | think, is between the pueb-
los of Sandia and Santa Ana, which are
only ten miles apart, yet the inhabit-
| ants speak entirely distinct languages,
and they can understand each other
only by conyerSing in Spanish.
''What is the prospect of the Pueblos
becoming citizens?"
Il think they are not fitted for that,
and they will not be until they acquire
more education. People have tried to
induce them to vote, and they show
that they do not care anything about
it."
They will continue to need the care
of an agent. will they not?"
Certainly they will. They are not
| able to care for themselves in business
transactions This was shown in the
case of the Acomas. They made
lease to certain white men, thinking
that it was a lease of three thousand
acres for three years. In fact, howev-
er, il was q lease of all their land, and
it was for thirty years. When l dis
covered it I saw at once that it was
fraud which had been worked upon
them, and [ refused to let the Indians
be bound by it. The matter is now
| pending in the courts.
The pueblo of Acoma is on a high
| rock, ism it?"
Eyes, sir, but I am going to have them
move The rock is very steep, being
six hundred feet high, and to get to the
top of it from the river, the Indians
have to walk about two miles. They
| carry all their wood and Waterup there,
and it is altogether too hard a task. !
have persuaded them to move their
village down to near the river bank. ]
| expect to move them during the COM
ing spring, and have already planned
their new village for them. It will be
| built round a square, or plaza, and