Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-09-06
INDIANSATH0ME.
ON THE COLORADO RIVER RISER
 NATION.
What Is Needed for Self support---How They Could be Placed in Position to Maintain Thcmseives---Future
 Existence.
Pheuix Republican.

PheuiX Republican
 There are, perhaps, but few people even in Arizona, who are familiar with the Colorado reservation and the manners aud customs of the Mohave Indians
 This reservation is situated, mostly, in Arizona on the Colorado river, POO miles above Yuma and 100 miles below the Needles.
 The reservation contains 12S,000 acres, 0O.O0O of which Is good arabic land, all Tn one body, lying along the river bottom. At presen 1t is covered with a thick growth of mesquite, screw-bean and ar row weed. The soil is rich and all that Is needed is water to irrigate with.
 About twenty years ago the Govern ment spent large sums of money con structing a ditch on the Colorado reser- vation. The ditch ran for several miles through succession of tunnels, which were timbered with CottonwOods, and soon caved in, so the ditch has been of no Use to the Indians or the Government.
 There is about nine miles of the canal that IS in good state of preservation aud could be utilized by putting in vacuum irrigating pumps.
 Owing to the topography of the country above water could be taken out from the
  pense. Col. George A. Allen, agent for the Mohaves, proposed to the govern ment to put in pumps that will throw POD barrels minute at small expense. The first cost of the plant would not be over S4000 and could be run at little cost. With reservoirs established along the ditch, such scheme would furnish water to irrigate land enough to support all the Mohaves, Chimehuevas, Hualapals and Iumas. Also the Apache Mohaves and Apache Numas could be removed there from San Carlos.
 All these tribes could live and prosper and become more civilized and entirely eelf-sustaining. They would be where they would not bother the whites nor the whites bother the Indians.
 Anything that will grow in the Salt river valley will grow on this long-neg- lected reservation. The soil aud climate are most admirably adapted to the culti- yatiug of all kinds of citrus fruits. It certainly looks us if there had been a great deal of bad management by the government in not concentrating larger expenditures in the right direction.
 There is no class of Indians more will tug to work than Mohaves. They have been the friend of the white man for years
 
 mystery.
 No doubt one reason k that the In terior Department has been sending out eastern men whose ideas about Indians were derived from FennimOre CUoper's works; the resent agent having had over twenty years experience in the Apache country, will, no doubt, If assisted by the government. bring these long neglected and totaly discouraged Mohaves to state of self-support. Agriculture is their only hope. During the overflow of the river they plant small patches along the banks but there Is nothing certain about this as the overflow only comes once m three or four years They occasionally sell a little wood to the steamboat company, but eke out a miserable existence generally. The Government Is doing very little for them, expecting them tO remain on the reserva- ton ana on the ragged edge of starva- ton, while by this small sum of few thousand dollars invested in an irrgating pump they could be soon made more than self-sustaining. While the Apaches and Pimas get nearly all they ask for, the poor Mohaves get virtually nothing. II should be the duty of the delegate II Congress from Arizona to make strong effort to get an appropriation to put II irrigating machinery on this reservation and all the Hualapais and Yumas placed thereon.
 The Hualapais are nuisance and { great source of annoyance to the settler 1 the country where they roam. Not be lug under the immediate eye of the Agen they commit many petty depredations and should be placed on the Colorad river reservation just as soon as mean for irrigatlng is provided.
 The Mohaves have quite decided opin ions of a future existence They bellev there is a God they call "Mat-o-we -lia, who was the Creutor of all things, an, that he had q son they call "Mas-tam -ho, and while Mat t-o-we-ha" continues conduct the movements of the sun, moo and stars. send rain, sunshine, etc, Mas tam-ho" has full charge of affairs i heaven, or White mountain as they ca it.
 They cremate their dead because the believe the spirit goes up to the Whit mountain in ascending smoke. The further believe that all the property the destroy when one dies will be housed wit Mas -tam-ho," on White mountain" fc the benefit of the dead Indian, where pol are constantly boiling with something eat. Laboring under this delusion they wi uDIots dlu bAutA 'ApSh anu DuAu tA household property of the dead Indial unless prevented by the strict orders the Agent The practice destroys amb tion for the accumulation of property an keeps the tribe in almost abject povert Under the present management they al strictly prohibited from burning any thiI of value, and shown the fallacy of suC wanton destruction of property.
 1t Is foolish policy on the part of tl government to keep these Indians in condition when they have such a fiji chance to entirely sustain themselves al with such little outlay on the part of Il government. The Delegate to Congre from Arizona should at least make { effort to have this fine body of land nj iized by the Indians or thrown open tue public settlement.
 Since Colonel Allen assumed char last April there has been more improv ments made on the Colorado river Test yation than has been made ill the last t years, without extra cost to the gover Inent, which goes to show that an Indil agent appointed under the home ru principle is more capable of managing agency than the tenderfOot who has interest in the Territory and knows not ing about the nature of an Indian, al only intends to remain as long as his sj ary is paid him.
 Tine Prison Library.