St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-26
How the Beeves Are Killed
and Matters Looked After
by SquaWs.
The Lazy Bucks Won't Civil
ize, But Prefer the Tepee
= to a House.
How. Much Good Stuff Is
Wasted on Them at the
Distribution.


Twenty-odd fine Texas cattle are killed
at this agency each Saturday, and all
the Indians, big and little, try to be
present. Friday evening and early
Saturday morning they begin to arrive
from their homes at different parts of
the agency, and by Saturday noon
| nearly all are present, and the agency
presents lively and picturesque APP
pearance. The Indians, in their bright
celored blankets, and many of them in
| buckSkin and feathers, present pict-
ure that is decidedly interesting. A
| number of rather strengthening rigs
| Can be seen. but the larger
| portion of the Indians are provided
by liberal government with good
| wagons, and a few possess neat buggieS.
| The corral. where the killing of the cat
| tie takes place, is about one mile west of
the agency. One of the agency en-
| ployes, with Winchester, does the kill
| ing, the Indians in the meantime being
| crowded around the inclosure. When
the last of the steers has fallen the gates
of the corral are thrown open, and the
Indians rush in, their first move being to
| CUT THE TONGUES
| from the slaughtered animals, when the
| where the cutting up and SHINING takes
| place, the squaws doing the cutting
up, ETC., while the '.noble'' but
lazy bucks sit around and
| smoke. Many disgusting sights are
| witnessed when this. is taking place.
| In one instance your correspondent saw
! a squaw. who had just cut open one of
| the steers, extract the liver, cut Off
| piece while it was still warm and steam
ing. and eagerly devoured a portion,
passing the balance to her children,
who raven0usly finished it. The In
dians do not allow any part of a steer
to go to waste, and, Incredible as it
may seem, it is fact, nevertheless,
that they cart. away every portion, en-
trails and all, and devOur it. After
having equally divided the twenty odd
cattle among themselves, the whole
where they receive the balance of their
WEEKLY ALLOWANCE.
consisting of graduated sugar, coffee,
bacon, -four, tobacco, etc. The Indian,
as rule, is not very prOvident, and the
rationS that should last them for a week
are usually exhausted within two days.
and they go hungry until the next issue
day. 1t is not surprising that the race
is gradually dying out. Their mode of
living could not result otherwise. AL
though the government is building sub
stantial houses for each family as rapid
ly as possible, Che older element still
cling to the primitive tepee. In the,
dead OF winter they will desert their.
homes and erect their tepeee in somei
sheltered spot. NJ This mode of life 49, no
doubt, fascinating for them, but thei
exposure attending is rapidly ex4i
terminating the race. The smoke that
naturally fills tepee is causing large
percentage of blindness, the rate rune
ming nearly twenty to the thousand,
while the exposure is undermining the
constitution of the red man. causingi
consumption and other fatal diseases.
The reservation system is largely re-
spnsible for the dying out of the Indian
race. as it encourages them in idfeneSS
and Incidence. Here is people who
have been raised in the belief that to
labor is uhdignified and uiibeeoming to
a brave warrior, and while the reserva-
ton exists the chiefs and sub-ehiefS
will continue to rule, and this tends to
nurse and foster the spirit of their
ancestors. At the present rate of adj:
vancement it would take 100 years to
raise the Indians to that state of civiliza-
ton that all desire. The only manner
in which speedy civilization can be at
tanned is by the breaking up of the
RESERVATION SYSTEM,
and. if necessary, compel the Indians to
take land in severalty. For the first
few years they could be given rations.
but after that the supplies could be re-
duced gradually year by year. They
could then have schools that would be
more accessible. bringing the older ones
more under the eivilizing influences of
the schools, while they could watch the
daily progress of their children, and
would thereby become greatly inter-
ested. AS it now is, the children are
sent to the East for all education.
Everyone familiar with this question
can heartily support Indian Commits
sioner Oberly when he says:
1.-The tribal reservation system gives
to the individual no incentive to labor,
and puts premium upon idleneSS and
makes it fashionable. Under this sys-
TEN the LATEST man owns as much as
the most industrious man, and neither
can say of all the acres occupied by the
tribe, This is mine.' The Indian must.
therefore, be taught how to labor. and
that labor may be made necessary to
HIS WETL-BEING,
he must be taken out of the reservation
through the door of the general allot-
ment act. And he must he imbueG with
the exalting egetism OF American civih-
cation, so that he will say II instead of
we and this is mine instead of this
is ours But if he will not learn? if he
shall continue to persist in saying, Il am
content; let me aIone?' Then the guard
ian must act for the ward, and do for
him the good service he protests shall
not be dOne-the good service that he
denounces as a bad service. The gov
eminent must then, in duty to the pub
lie, compel the Indian to come ont of his
isolation into the civilized way that he
does not desire to enter-iltO citizen
ship-into assimilation with the masses
of the republic-into the path of national
duty; and in passing along that path he
will find not only pleasure in personal
/, independence and delight in individual
effort in his own interest, but also the
consummation of that patriotic enjoy
ment which is always to be found in the
exercise of the high privilege of con- 1
tributien to the general walfare."
Give the Indian farm, assist him in
building up a home. and let him taste
of the advantages that labor will brlng: !,
abolish the reservation system entirely, 4
scattering among the Indians hardy, in.
dustriouS frontier farmers. and it will.
take buta short space of time to solve
the Indian problem, and render the red
men useful citizens. ;.
THE RATlONS DEALT OUT. 5aI
Isl