Omaha daily bee., 1888-07-12
ADAY AT PINE RIDGE AGENCY
The Indian of Romance and of
..". Reality.
HE SEMl-MoNTHLY BEEF ISSUE.
A Strange Scene on the Sioux Rcserva'
tion--Thc Chiefs and Braves in
all the Glory of Feathers
and Filthiness. ..,


fourth Wednesday of any month and
drive thirty-five miles north of Rush
Vile to the valley of the White Clay
river in the Sioux Indian reservation,
three miles above the Pine Ridge
agency, you will witness a scene not
easily forgotten in your future wander
ings. Eastward stretches dimly away
the winding, sedgy valley of the lovely
ripping stream whose source is the
bubbling crystal springs in the Pine
Ridge hills. Westward, and the valley
is lost to sight by encroaching hills. as
its channel winds on its course to its
mother stream, the White river. As
far as the eye can reach, and all around
you, are the active CAMPS and tepces OF
the squaw man, and original iuhabi-
tants Of the plains. Dotted along the
river banks for miles, these sodden,
smoke stained domiciles of these wild
people OF the forest appear in endless
profusion. When one comes in sight Of
this grand panorama of primitive habi-
tution ,as he desccnds the northern slope
into the valley, he can but contemplate
the romance of the occasion. 1t is the
day of the big issue when four thousand
bucks, sQuaws and papooses congregated
at the government corral are to receive
their monthly becves. and rations. On
wagons drawn by broncho ponies waits
the female part Of the family together
with the youn ger element whose youth
fulness drprives them of riding on
horseback, and around every vehicle is
the pack of sncaking, .snarling. barking
esses. On horseback painted in all the
gaudy eOlors known TO the Indian art,
are the young men. and old warriors,
each armed with an implement of ware
| fare of some description. cantering up
| and down the field as though there were
preparations being made for Il desperate
| battle, all the hideousness of which
| their savage minds is capable of con-
| ceiving, is displayed on every
| feature. Contortionate expressions
| of countenauce. signs and sig
mails known only to tribal NOM
enclature, paint and feathers. brass
and bone rings for ornaments, dangling
from the ears. or suspended by their
| matted, jet black hair, are some of the
| features of action aud dress to which the
| strangers attention is first attracted.
| One will observe among thcm those who
| think themselves much above their
| associates, and my attention was called
particularly to one gaunt and greasy son
of the wilderness, who believes himself
to be the glass of fashion and
the mould of form. He came
! up to me and asked for ''towak"
tobacco, apparently as unconscious of
his odors as though redolent of
patchouly and white rose. He was
truly unwashed. aud nearly naked, save
in the respect of paint and feathers and
the scanty government blanket thrown
! over his shoulders, and if the impolite
truth be told he was swarming with
that enterprising insect. to which the
l. Poet Burns wrote an apostrophe. Yet
| he maintained the hauteur and personal
pride of his Importance and stood with
folded arms and defiant looks desiring
to Impress me with the idea that he is
indeed heap big lnjur."
| Promptly at 9 IL. m. the issue is eX-
pected to take place, and while we have
all hour to wait we put in the time in
studying the habits and customs of these
wards of Uncle Sam. There have been
many pen-picturcs drawn of the Amer
lean Indians elevating their character
the picture from n romantic view Of the
case has been very beautiful; but in
truth, when confronted with the actual
hero, have been without foundation.
Cooper's beautiful lines become ridicu-
lous when he makes these sons of the
forest, whose descendants now linger
upon coveted reservations, in unhappy
/; squalOr, filthy, brutal, cunning and
treacherous, thievish and marauding
| appcaras lovely, content. retcent, clo
quent, brave, faithful, magnanimou'
: aud truthful-every sentiment OF
| beauty fades like mist he
fore the MONDAY Osun when yol
: compare their magnanimity and truth
fulness with the actual man. To one
, who has been on the frontier for mum
: ! Der of years the ordinary reservation
a Indian is not "A curiosity. The greasy
, red blanket, the shanky legs, tue bras!
| iewelry, the lazy, shutting gait ant
=, pigeon toos. the encrusted rancidity
r are poor material out of which toman
4 | ulacturc hero or form a romance. Al
# missionary and philanthropic effort
q made in his behalf lave thus far faile,
!. to amend his life or change his morals
q Always prominent in the history of tn,
c country, ever to tho fore in philan
thropic literature and spread cagl
oratoiy," always the impedimcnt to b
). removed, and afterward the depcndcn
l. to be supported molliticd by scmi-annua
C. gifts, and oiled and pacifed by pcriot
< ical talks about the "Great Father" Z
n Washington, aud blarney about broth
" ers" through campaigns, council:
d treaties and tribal relations, he is tinall
" approaching the last years Of his career
IF with only one redeeming fact upon hi
le | record, that he has never been tame(
N nor never been Il servant.
The common instincts of savager
from Red Jacket oithe present time,
burning in their untamed breasts and
q illustrated in their mode of slaughter
re as witnessed in these beef issue
le | In the corral are some $50 wild Tex;
r. steers, very rough looking animals,
ID be called beeves-but anything wit
is horns, huof and hide is II beef with q
in Indian---which the herders are bran'
b. ing as they drive them through I'll
re 'chute." This brand is put on the
or the day of issue and is for the purpo
I'd of detecting stolen hide among thcr
to 1t is simple triangle in shape, and I
a Indian can sell hide to the post-trad'
ne that has not this brand upon
yh Through the kindness of Mr.. Harl
ee Clark, chief clerk, we occupied a pos
ds tion in the lookout or call stand, durir
es tie progress Of the issue.
III Upon the 1arrival of the agent al
4. II IL. ;,t tb 10