St. Landry democrat., 1886-03-20
lSRAEL'S LOST TRIBE.
Hi-Wanda's Version of the History of the
White River Utes.

! river Ute tribe named Hl-W anda was
once being twtted by party of men
with the ruthless sayageness of his peo-
Pile and their utter ignorance of their
ancestors. The Indian bore it for
awhile with the usual stoicism of his
race; but on becoming nettled by some
of the remarks made, he told the fol-
lowing: My people were never treated
fairly, either in the past or the present
time. Every body stands ready to con-
denim their slightest misdcmeanor,
whether they are Justified in doing what
they did or not, but just because they
were Indians, and nobody is more to
blame than the ancestors of the people
who now condemn them. And as to
their ancestry, they have their genoa
logical tree as well as the white people,
only in different manner. The In
dians have their progenitors by tradi-
tons which have been handed down
from one generation to another for cen
turtles And although there are dozens
of different tribes in this country, they
are nearly all governed by the same
tradition. | have studied this tradition
for many years, and have come to the
conclusion that our fore-fathers were
the lost tribe of Israel. My first reason
for thinking SO is this: Although |
speak and understand seven diff
ferent languages, none was easier
for me to comprehend than
Hebrew and Arabic. which l at
tribute to its similarity to my native
tongue. My second reason is our ira
dition. Once upon time my people
We're not divided up into the different
tribes as they are now, but all lived to-
gether in peace, happiness and plenty,
in a land far from this. They were re-
garded by all other nations as thrifty
and industrious people. Some of them
were of dark reddish color, and the
others of a pure white complexion. But
they, like all other people, had their
enemies, who, envying them in their
prosperity and coveting their well-tilled
lands, attacked them, took those of the
light complexion into captivity, and
drove the others into the wilderness,
with the remark that they bore the
hereditary mark of the curse bestowed
upon Cain. After being turned out of
their happy homes, the outcasts tool up
their Journey toward the sea in order to
find an asylum. But during that jour
ney they were constantly coming in
contact with the barbarians, who al
lowed them no rest, but drove them
from one place to another. BY the
time they reached the sea their continu-
al chain of misfortunes and their con-
slant intercourse with the savagcs had
changed them from a once happy and
civilized people into a soured and re-
vengeful race. Seeing that they could
find no refuge where they were, they
resolved to cross the water, which
they did, and found a coun.
try far more productive and luxu-
RANT than their own. They at once
took possession of their find, and sup
posed it to be a gift in their misfortune
from the Great Spirit, whose favored
people they were. But no sooner had
they once happily settled their new pos
session than their enemies again APP
peared, this time coming across the
water in big boats, and in spite of their
resistance, again took possession of
their homes. And from that time until
the present day they have been harass-
ed and driven, until they now occupy
but one corner of the country they once
discovered as their own. Now, gen
tlemen.' continued the narrator ''vou
have the the tradition; draw 1t from
whatever inference you like. Your,people
say that the Indians are heathenish and
superstitious, but tell you this much:
Go where you will and pick up an In
dian, and you will find that he has more
religion in his little finger than great
many of the whites have in their whole
body. The Indians do not believe in
everlasting punishment, because they
believe that every thing they do is prop
er. But they know that they have a
supreme being to worship. will now
explain some of their religious obser-
vances which, if you saw, you would
call superstitions, but they are not.
1t is their religion. If one of their num-
Der is about to die, you would notice
two squaws and two old men
of the tribe dancing around his bedside,
beating on their toni-toms and making
the most hideous noise possible. This
is done to scare away the evil spirits in
his last moments, so as to make his Jour
ney to the happy hunting-grounds a
PHEASANT one. announcer one OF their eX-
ercises in death is this: When war
rior dies his horse is killed and buried
with him, as are all his arms and
blankets; then two doves are killed and
placed on the grave, after which a fire
is lighted and kept burning six days.
Their explanation for doing so is this:
The journey to the happy hunting
grounds.is supposed to be a long one;
therefore, his horse is sent to carry him
there; his weapons are to protect him
from the evil spirits who are supposed
to hn1zn1. on, tho r.oad 70, Ill