The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-07-31
WHEN INDIANS LAUGH.
A Custom That IL Strictly Observed Among
the Redskins of the West.

A Custom That IL Strictly Observed Among
the Redskins of the West.
Some Indian school-boys found their
teacher had very great aversion to
frogs. To them It was continual
source of amusement to see her run
away from them. One day boy caught
one. and shut 1t up in the table drawer.
The teacher entered the room. All were
in order; butwhen sheopencd the drawer
the frog, glad to gain its liberty, leaped
out upon the table. and the teacher
made great ado. One of the boys, in
gcntlcmanly way, took up the frog,
carried it to the door and threw it out.
No sign of enjoyment could be discerned
IN their faces. They remained through
school hours retaining their Salcmn dig
nifty. Afterward, as they told it, they
laughed until the tears came, laughed
over and over again as they remem-
bered the dismaJ of the teacher. Why
did they not laugh at firstp They had
not yet come into the ways of white
men enough to realize that we would
excuse rudeness in our pupils, even un-
der these circumstances and they con-
slider it rude to laugh aloud. or to laugh
at the expense of another in the others
presence.
An old woman who owned a poor old
pony which was almost dead from starva-
ton and hard work, had brought the
pony in and tied him to the fence. He
was literally "skin and bones" While
/ was in the house heard the woman
making great outcry, and ran to the
door just in time to see an immense
flock of crows fly away. said: "What
is the mattcr?' She replied that the
crows had come to pick her poor old
pony's bones while he still lived.
She saw the funny side of it as well as 1,
and laughed very heartily. When one
of the young lady missionaries asked an
Indian woman for her "Wakan sica
tanka," instead of her "Waksica tanka,"
no one laughed till the teacher was
gone. When | inquired why the dish
pan was not given. the reply was she
did not ask for the dish-pan, she asked
for "the great evil spirit (the deviD,
and / assure you no Indian woman
lily. Another teacher meaning to ask
for tub asked for a young man, and,
though to her face they did not laugh. L
have seen whole sewing school con-
vulsed with laughter over the mis-
take several times since. When
one of the ministers from the
east attending one of our meet
ings went up to a group of Indians who
could not speak or understand Il word
of English and tried to enter into con-
vcrsation of course there was no re-
sponse. He said to me as / came up:
''Why do they look so solemn"
simply interpreted what he said to the
Indians, and all laughed and said:
1--WE did not know what he said; why
should we laugh?' 1t does not seem to
occur to those asking the question why
they do not laugh that they have but
little to laugh at in the presence of white
men. They can not understand us or
our ways. Indian children are in the
house quiet and orderly; they sit and
listen to hear older people talk, and if
anything is said that is very amusing.
so much so that they feel that they can
not contro. themselves, they put their
hands on their mouths and run outside
to laugh. Men will laugh gently and
quietly, and now and then you may hear
an old woman laugh long and loud; if
so. some relative will say aside: "Hear
how she laughs, Ike Il white man; she
is unwomanly. They are very social
people, and around the campfire one
may hear many legends and fables, hear
many old war songs and nursery
rhymes american Missionary.