The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-15
WllEllfsi 5gle
CIVILIZING TIE YUMAS.
NOBLE WORK OF CATHOLIC MIS-
SIONARlES AMONG THE INDIANS.

= Quiet and Indolent Tribe That Has
Been Almost OverIooked-Being Lifted
Up Through the Efforts of a Band of
Good Women-The Boarding School.
There is little in this small city of 500 in
habitants TO attract attention except the
extreme heat, which varies with the sea
sons, but is always oppressive Fort Yuma
is conspicuous for its industrial boarding
school, maintained by the Indian DEPART
ment. The Indians here belong principally
TO the Yuma tribe, though there are a few
remnants of other tribes to be found. The
total number on the reservation is l, 1876 by
actual count. Their reservation consists
of $1,000 acres of arid land, almost wholly
worthless without irrigation The only
crops they raise are grown upon the over
flow landSS-sZt to the Colorado river, where
very little very primitive farming is at
tempted
The river usually overfiows in June The
mesquite bean and river fish are the steady
diet of the Indians varied only as they are
successful or unsuccessful in growing
few vegetables and cereals. They are with
out implements and without the knowl-
edge or means TO irrigatc their reservation.
ABoDEs OF THE YUMAs.
The abode of well to do Indian brave is
parallelogram, about ten by twelve feet,
Enclosed by four poles, with willow brush
tied or nailed to the sides and across the
top. Arrowwood matching closes up the
interstices and a dirt roof shelters the in
mates from the occasional winter showers
and the beating southern sun. In the
summer domicile the thatching on the sides
Is omitted. A blanket, a yard or two of
cotton cloth or a cowskin answers for a
door. Several inches Of sand is piled into
the apartment, which answers for beds,
tables and chairs for the household, and
when this be&synes intolerably filthy, and
not before, the women carry it out in their
skirts and replace it with fresh sand A
few of the tribe have mud or adobe huts a
trifle less primitive, but no less dirty.
The government, the philanthropist and
all concerned have neglected these Indians
Being neither quarrelsome nor peevish,
they have given their white neighbors no
trouble and therefore have attracted TO
themselves no attention Although a mil
itary post was established at this point in
1865, and the Southern Pacific road was
complated to Yuma fully ten years ago,
little was attempted on behalf of these peo-
pie until the government abandoned the
military post and turned over the building
and grounds to the interior department
Desultory and ineffective efforts were made
to establish some form of instruction and
very little missionary effort was put forth
by the Catholics. The Protestants have
never attempted to do anything here. The
facilitating climate, its extreme, continu-
Gus and empowering heat and the want
of resources to build up settlement have
kept Yuma for thirty-f1ve years a mere
outpost of civilization, with more Mexican
than American citizens and no material in
terests except a railroad eating house,
steamboat landing from which Colorado
river steamer embarks once in three months
for the north and the territorial peniten-
tiary. The indian agent lives at Cotton,
Colo, and his visits are as infrequent as
those of the river steamer There has
therefore been very little sympathy and a
great deal less money expended for the
benefit Of these Indians.
n THEIR SAVAGE STATE.
Four years ago Miss Mary O'NeiIl and a
band of devoted Catholic sisters from St.
Louis accepted the proposition of the In
dian ciIlce To undertake The conduct of
boarding school at Fort Yuma in the
buildings abandoned by the military,
which were fitted up for school purposes
When they reached the reservation they
found 5heir wards and patrons the most
primitive Indians in the United States.
The full summer dress Of the stalwart
Yuma brave consisted Of long black hair,
all Of his head except his eyes,
nose and mouth, and breech clOut. That
of his wife and grown up sister was skirt
woven with bark, extending from the waist
toward the knees Their hair was tied
back, showing their faces. The little Yu- |
mas up to = years OF age were stark naked. |
In the winter few garments were worn. |
No hats, no shawls, no shoes, no trousers,
no coats, no dress skirts were known. The |
adherence of the males for work of any |
kind was evidenced by the stipulation of |
the chiefs that if their boys entered school |
they were rot to be taught any useful en-
ployment
The ladies found the Yuma Indians vile, |
filthy, pagan, superStitious and very low |
in the scale Of intellect. Their work had |
10 begia at the worst sort of beginning, |
and Miss ONeiil tells me that she was very |
much discouraged at the outlook The peo-
lion and depravity of the Indians, gave the |
good women very little encouragement |
They were kind and courteous, but skep |
.ical
NSTRUCTTNG THE YOUNG.
The Indians first permitted a few boys to
90 TO school, more because they were to be
led without cost than for anything else.
They broke out ell the window panes, stole
-he bedding and table linen, carried OFF
kitchen utensils and destroyed anything
hat it occurred To them 10 put out Of the
way. They resented the trousers, shirt,
shoes and fine tooth comb, and revolJed
outright at soap and water. The sister
was compelled TO promise
lot to cut their HAIR unless the boys con
,ented. and agreed also uoo 10 infiiCt cor
)oraI punishment. The Indians never pun
sh their child Oao day boy caught
n the act of hu.Lng a pebble through
window pane was GeRtly chided by sis
err He escaped that night, and before
morning twenty windows were converted
nto ventilGtors. The boys were inCorTi-
yibie 80 -.' ~---~~s s1s.
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