St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-31
INDIANS HAVE SLAVES
An Old Custom in Alaska Sill Pol
lowed.
CANNIBALISM IN THE PAST
Remote Indian Settlements Which Have
Not Yet Been Reached by
ri Civilization.


toned for twenty-five years to the boast
that human slavery has been wiped
from American soil, to insist that it is
still an Institution in this portion of the
United States, or rather in this United
States annex. 1t is the fact, however.
Thirty years ago two unpleasant social
customs, which long since disappeared
from the habits OF the Indians east Of
the Rocky mountains. flourished in all
their original barbarism and cruelty.
These were cannibalism and slavery.
William Duncan, Scotch lay mission
airy who came out into the territories Of
the Hudson's Bay company, now eHi-
braced by the province of British Col
umbia. and who is the successful found
er of the tiOurishing civilized settlement
of natives at Metlakahtla. about sixty
miles north of Portland canal and the
British boundary, has just given me q
few OF his experiences upon first COM
ing into the country and making his
first attempts at civilization and Chris
tlaniZlng.
Mr.. Duncan reached Vancouver ISL
and in a Hunson's Bay vessel. on a
years voyage around Cape Horn. His
design was to go right into the woods
among the Indians and begin his work.
Sir James Douglass, the governor of the
company, warned him against such a
hazardous attempt, stating that canni-
baliSm was an institution among the ma
tiveS OF the upper coast, and his fate
would be to be eaten by them if he fell
into their hands. He persisted, and
was taken to Fort Simpson, which is
now near the American boundary OH
this side. Here he found heavy tim
Der fort, with baStiOnS and palisades,
and every other defensive appliance and
device necessary to such a frontier stu
alton. More than thousand SavageS,
hideOuSly painted, were holding their
orgies about the fort, drinking deeply of
the whisky received for the exchange of
their pelts and furS. ana at times, in their
wild and crazy moods, threatening total
destruction to the fort and trading post.
SO cautious were the cOmpany's
servants that the approach to the trad
ing window i'll the palSade could only
be made along narrow alleyway, con-
structed of upright timbers, just wide
enough for the passage of single In
dian at a time. 1t is notorious that
even yet. when the native Is CLOSED
over with kind of civilization, he will,
WITCH SClo WHISKY, DC IlAClS "
murder his nearest friend as his most
bitter foe.
A few days after Mr.. Duncan arrived
at Fort Simpson he was walking along
the gallery which surrounded the inside
OF the stOckade. before he attempted to
communicate with the SavageS in any
way, and witnessed a sight which maize
his blood run cold and almost destroyed
all hope of being able to do anything
toward retaining them from Savagcry.
In the drunken orgie which was in
progress one chief had murdered the
slave of one of the men in his own band.
The dead body was dragged out into
the street of the village. the head Of the
corpse severed OH a block with an AK,
and the body diSsected, to be boiled and
eaten, which was done the same day.
Mr.. Dunran'S first effort was to Sc
cure a knowledge of the nine tribes
who made Fort Simpson their trading
hta quarters. BY using signs and gest-
ureS lie induced an Indian by the name
OF Clan to come inside of the fort, and,
with the aid of this savage, began to
study the native language, the trading
language of the post being the Chinook
jArgon in use along the entire coast, but
wholly unSulted to his purpose. He
made written language of the TSim-
Sneau. The style OF native speech en-
Moyed hy these nine tribes or bands on
that part of the cOaSt,by writing out the
words phonetieally. BY and by he went
outside of the fort, and by various
means partially gained the confidence
and won the attention of the savage
brutes he came to attempt to tame. he
found Z settled and regular system OF
slavery existing as permanent and
perry aiding Institution among them.
The basis of it was captives in
war, and it was hereditary, the objects
or it being chattclS and property, as far
as the Indians We're then able to com
prehend the rights of properly. lie
found people gray-haired who had been
slaves from childhood, when captured,
with children and grandchildren in the
same state of Servitude as Inheritance
of degradation. Women were mostly
spared for slavery, while men taken as
captiveS were reserved for the martial
feasts in honor of tribal victories. Par
entS frequently sold their daughters as
slaves. exchanging them for blankets,
and in the neighbcIaOOd of the trading
posts it was no uncommon thing for Il
native to hire out some one OF his wives
OF slaves to the white men there. There
are quite number of half-breedS Ill
Alaska, who are children of Indian
slaves, whose origin is due to the lnfa-
nous practices that have only been OBJ
liberated within the past twenty years.
No recent instance OF canniballsm Is
known. 1t has totally disappeared from
among the coast natives, but slavery
among them is not entirely wiped out
Intertri0a wars have ceased. and there
is nothing like them. except when re-
mote tribe at its village or where the
people of several villages join in a ca
rouse, and GlondsheG follows. Wher-
ever the influence of the missionary or
of the government officials has gone
slavery has been eXterminated. In
some of the almost inaccessible villages
several hundred miles northeast OF this
the Indians hold on to the institution
with tenacious grasp. Some OF the
slaves there have come down to them
bv inheritance and others by purchase
from each other They all realize
that the custom is prohibited, and
make all possible effort to conceal
the facts. They resort to all kinds
of excuses for holding on TO
this species of property. Cruel and III
human treatment to those held as slaves
often becomes the means of revealing
where it exists. The attention of the
civil authorities is. for the first time.
drawn to the particular case, and, while
the natives will even perjure themselves
; TO shield each other, the truth often
leaks out in spite of that.
During the past few years many help
less natives in such bondage have been
released. have reason to believe that
slavery still exists in many localities,
bu, the difficulty of getting at each case
bv proof has already been limited at. |
know of instances where in investiga-
lions of this kind the claimants of such
iIlhuman property have deliberately
and openly avowed such ownership and
fhe right to il, according to native ira
titlon and usage. 1t will take a few