Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-03-09
WEALTHY INDIANS.
"e Thst Has Seven Mui,cr p.,
Bearing Good Tnta.... D"hafs


'aat mas Seven Million nor,...
hearing Good Interest.
a visitor to the Usage Reservat,o,
ihaian Territory. if he has mind -
eaa's Inc human race under VARYING
.onuitiohs, iinds much OF interest He
re- r. '".er primos among the aristocrats
Ane Usage Indians are about the only
example now left in the United states
OF real aristoeracy. They do NJ.
uepend upon Government rations %
10 the Cheyennes and others. At all
pu. nave enough of their own und;s,
puted property to make them Tho
weai.hiest community in the conntrv
besides the land of the reservation
which belongs to them by title hard
70 assail, they have about 81. 600 ono
bearing live per cent. interest in tb..
hands OF the Government. They ora
Paia about s25o,ooo year in cash
ne en1ire tribe numbers only 600
SO mat they are actually the richest
body of people we have.
Inc osages have all the attributes Of
an aristocracy. They own the land
10 absolutely no work, have plenty ot
money Know nothing of barter and
sale' and therefore not much of N.
meanness which characterizes ALI com.
mercial classes. They envy nobody
ana are satisfied with themselves and
their customs. With the virtues ~
aristocracy they have its vices. with
generosity they have shiftlessness and
iaziness in perfection. Though mao
innocent pastures lie before them for
mics, few OF them take the trouble IN
own cattle, the majority preferrinp to
buy beef cattle already Slaughtered
and cat up from the traders. They.
are not even hunters and fishers. Their
iiVes are spent in lying Ground under
tents ana shanties, eating to repletion
and filling their blood with impurities
which they do not take exercise enouob
to get rid Of Bad habits have brought
on bronchial and scrofuIous diseases
which are helping to still further re-.
auce Their number. They have no
faith in white physicians, and their
own medicine-men have as much intlu-
ence as one hundred years ago.
Each member of the tribe, includino
women and children, receives about
one hundred dollars year. The
more wives and children an Usage has.
therefore, the richer he is. In spite of
this encouragement the tribe is de-
creasing. A white physician at the
agency estimates that the rate of de.
crease is not less than two per cent. a
year among the full bloods. The half
bioods are increasing. 1t can be at
once reckoned that in another half GEN.
fury the full-bloods will have gone.
and the splendid inheritance will be in
the possession of white men and their
children, even if no new policy is
adopted by the Government to hasten
the catastrophe.
The full-bloods are nearly all honest
and manly in their way. They have an
idea that every thing on the reservation
belongs to them, and they go behind the
counters and among the goods of the
post-traders as freely as though they
were proprietors. Up to certain point
they understand busness-debit and
credit-but not much beyond the sim
plest forms. As might be expected.
they are chemically in debt. They
want to buy every thing they see, and
think little of prices, and give away as
readily as they buy. Other tribes not
so well provided with worldly goods
are fond of visiting the Osages. and on
these occasions the custom of ..smok-
ing" presents works to the disadvan-
tage of the weather.. Several hundred
ponies and large amounts of various
property have thus been given to the
kaws and other poorer tribes within
few years.
Can the Osages be civilized Of
course they can. They are not civil
lied. to be sure. They speak little
English, and wear the blanket and
breech-clout; they allow their women
to die by scores and compel them to do
all the work; they are too lazy to raise
cattle when pasture and feed cost
neither money nor work; they keep up
the dances and paints, and cut their
hair in helmet fashion. All these things
they do, but they could be easily taught
to adopt the customs of civilization.
Five years of education scientifically
applied would make them equal to the
Cherokees in civilization and superior
to them in force of character.
City Times