Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-14
AMONG MAINE INDIANS.
,,.,, the Oldtown Nuns Teach the Little
Redskins Their A b C's.

~ ,r.,g the OldDOWn " Jus a S@Sh 1AS A''NtA~
Redskins Their A b C's.
gr,oos tho Lsaotston Journal.
A. Oldtown [ called on the nuns, who
~ soven wears have been stationed among
& ~, ponobscot on Indian island. There
Ave OF them, under the charge OF
go Frances, a most intelligent and
tie lady, with an ideal face. The
$50 are the Indians teachers. They
slsat me little redskins their A B C's and
Foetanetic. and are the religious instruc-
are If Tie young and old Indians. Ihey
3 now the squaws how TO COOK
and now TO sew ihey 20
ANY, the cottages daily and do large
mint Of work of a very practical ma
An5 which cannot be pleasant, Their
tuarence on the tribe has been very bene-
la They have improved their ideas in
.e5ord to marriage very much Plump
il,no squaws are scarce on the Island.
,sare is q surplus Of males. Inc cOnse-
# ouence was that as soon as an lnulah glrl
Ri lame 10 or IA years OLD she was married.
ID"nlIns have put an end TO this custom.
- rha sduaN $ 40 not marry till they
Nv 1f or II wears Old. They remain in
ocbool until they are taken to wife usually.
wpddjng'o on Indian island is conduct
al diferently from the nuptlals OF pale
fscqd couple; and indeed IL is not Ike
The customary wedding III any 0tner IN
Jon tribe The marriage ceremony itself
us'rsrformed bv a Roman Catholic priest,
and is not singular, of course; but after
Inc knot is tied the couple separate ana
~, not see each other again till the mar
isgo dance. and here comes in tie Indian
-srf of the wedding. This may not take
Mace until q week alter the marriage
nronar. but during this time the bride is
81 tent In seclusiOn, and the groom is not
L her They
ere not considered duly and sOlemnly
married. until they and their neiGhbors
nave duly and solemnly danced.
Jhis dance is a festival for the whole
island. The Indians VINO are able to sup
mort 50 much style have gaudY costumes
ior these events. The men and women
wear curious garments Of red broadcloth
and red flannel, embroidered heavily and
quantity with beads. On their heads
n ,bev wear beaded bands with long feath-
ers sucking out OF them. Then the
wealthier women put on strings and
brooches. These brooches are made Of sill
yer. and are as large as dessert plates.
III which they resemble in shape. They
are hammered out Of melted
coin and have much value. Only few OF
the Indian women on the Island can at
ford to wear them. With a string Of these
n brooches running down the front of her
robe a sQuaw shines like an animated
locomotive reflector. The ornaments are
relics OF the ancient barbaric magnih-
ii cpnee OF the PenObscOt tribe. The cos
Times become the swarthY wearers.
Sockabesin Swassain, in his red broad
cloth and beads and feathers and mecca
SINS. looks every inch a chieftain. The
widow Polls is credited with having the
largest assortment OF brooches on the
island
4 The Indian danes is stately and not de-
void Of grace, but not musical. -Four men
face four squaWs, and they 90 through
series of apparently irregu lar movements.
Il The orchestra is a man with cows horn
n flied with shot. His instrument is ba-
hy's rattle on a large scale. He shakes
his horn turiOusly, and the dancers try to
keep time with him. but do not succeed
n very well. After the ceremony the Yam
81 kee dance" as they call it, begins. This
10 the ordinary quadrille or contra dance,
in which all join with much vivacity. A
feast, which sometimes lasts several
days, follows.
In the houses Of the sick and dying the
nuns are always present and welcome.
There is no class of people having more
reverence for their religion than the
Indians. Their cottages are full of
T0saries and objects Of adOratiOn; and IN
their grayevards the almost universal
monument is the cross. After they filed
they could be induced to start another, on
account Of some superstition; but they
kept piling IN the bodies until the burying
Ground became a dangerous source OF in
lection. The most persistent persuasion
was necessary before they would place
nelr dead In any other place. The mOnu-
nents at the head Of the graves are made
Of wood, nearly all Of them Out OF
several hundred in the old cemetery there
are, perhaps, a dozen of stone, and these
are over the graves Of the dignitaries and
their wives The average monument Is a
pine cross about two feet high, having the
name and age OF the deceased carved or
IL with lack-knite. Some OF these crosses
are larger and some smaller. over the
grave OF child you find little whitfield
cross notm0re than ten inches high, with
Inc enildis name written in pencil there
Oh. some OF the larger G oSses are quite
cao9lately carved. This one has hand
pointing heaYenward and that one dove
% TOP OF IT.. Another form Of this wooden
monument is a triple cross.
In the garden Of the nuns, in front OF
Inelr neat, large, white house, is an object
when the Indians regard with much ven-
efation. II is the iron cross which Origi-
haly nnished the TOD of the Father Rasle
monument on old Indian Point at Madi-
son, on the edge OF NorridgewOck. The
OIoss was broken of the granite shaft, in
some unknown way, and the selectmen
Madison gave 1t to the sisters on Indian
sland, who erected it in their garden. 1t
Ts' an appropriate disposal of the relic.
lne Indians almost invariably uncover
"len lhey approach it. They well know
rs history.
4le sisters say they feel amply repaid
w tnef services to the Indians by the
ldhF acts OF kindness which they do in
urn. They have nice way of doing
a77e little kindnesses,v said Sister
'1Aces' and we appreciate them all the
more on that account. They come 20 our
AVE uoor and leave their little gifts OF
seldbles without a word. We find the
I'm ana potatoes, etc, lying there. Then
y 81" and split our wood in the same
"aN never saying anything about it,"
STORIES OF TELEGRAPHING.