The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-12
CTvlIIzTNG THE YUMAS.
NOBLE WORK OF CATHOLIC MIS-
sIoNARlES AMONG THE INDIANS.
A Quiet and IndoIens Tribe That Hfs
Been Almost Ovsriookcd-bcins Lifted
I'm Through Tin. Efforts of "a Band Of
Good Women--Thc boarding school.

oxtncme heat. which varies with the sea
sons hut Is always oppressive. Fort Yuma
IL consplcuous for its industrial boarding
school. maintained by the Indian depart
ment The Indians here belong principally
TO the Yuma tribe. though there are few
remnants Of other tribes 10 be found. The
total number on the reservation is l,l2G by
actual count. Their reservation consists
of 5000 acres Of arid land. almost wholly
worthless without irrigation. The only
crops they raise are grown upon the over
flow lands next to the Colorado river. where
n very little very primitive farming is Mt
tempted.
The river usually overflows in June. The
mesquite bean and river fish are the steady
diet Of the Indians, varied only rs they are
successful or unsuccessful in growing n
few vegetables and cereals. They are with
out implements and without the knowl-
edge or means to irrigate their reservation.
ABoDEs OF THE YUMAs.
The abode Of we'll to do Indian brave IS
n parallelogram, about ten 10y twelve feet,
inclosed by four poles. with willow brush
tied or nailed TO the sides and across the
TON Arrowwood matching closes up the
intersticos and dirt roof shelters the in
mates from the occasional winter showers
and tine beating southern sun. In the
summer domicle the matching on the sides
IS omitted. \ blanket, 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 becomes iutolcrah!y filthy, and
not before. the women carry IL out in their
skirts and replace it with fresh sand. y
few of the tribe have mud or adobe huts, a
triae less primitive, but no less dirty.
The government, the philanthropist and
all concerned have neglected these Indians.
Being neither quarrelsome nor peeyish,
they have given their white ncighbOrs no
trouble and therefore have attracted to
themselves no attention. Although n mil
itary post was established at this point in
1855. and the Southern Pacific road was
complated TO Yuma fully ten years ago,
little YVES attempted on behalf Of these poo
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 4
very little missionary effort was put forth
bv the Catholics. The Protestants have
never attempted to do anything here. The
facilitating climate, its extreme, cOntinu-
ous and overpOwering heat and the want
of resources to build up a settlement have
kent Yuma for t.irty-fye years n mere
OUTPOST Of civilization, with more Mexican
than American citizens and 10 material in
/ a It.f q
steamboat landing from which Colorado
Observation-Disclosures once in three months
for the north and the territorial pcniten.
tiary The Indian agent lives at Cotton,
| Colo, and his visits are as infrcqucn5 as
| those of the river steamer. There ma,
therefore been very little sympathy and a
great deal less money expended for the
benefit of these Indians.
Is THEIR SAVAGE STATE.
-Four years ago Miss Mary O'Neill and n
band Of devoted Catholic sisters from 81.
| Louis accepted the proposition Of the In
! dian Office 70 undertake the conduct of n
boarding school at Fort Yuma in the
| buildings abandoned by the military
Which were fitted up for school purposes.
| When they reached the reservation the:
| found their 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,
| concealing all OF his head except his eyes,
| nose and mouth and breech clOut That
OF his wife and grown up sister was a skirt
woven with bark, extending from the waist
toward the knees. Their hair was tied
| back. showing their faces. The little Nu-
| mas up to l. years Of age were stark naked
| I'm 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 not TO be taught any useful en-
ployment.
The ladies found the Yuma Indians vile,
! filthy. pagan, superstitiOus and very low
in tie scale of intellect. Their work had
10 begin ut the worst sort Of beginning,
and Miss O'Ncill tells me that She was very
much discouraged at the outlook. The peo-
pie Of Yuma, accustomed to the degrade
ton and dcpravity of the Indians, gave the
good women very little encouragement.
They were kind and courteous, but skcp-
teal
INsTRUCTING THE YOUNG.
The Indians first permitted q few boys 10
20 to school, more because they were TO be
fed without cost than for anything else.
They broke out all the window panes, stole
the bedding and table linen, carried of
kitchen utensils and destroyed anything
that it occurred to them to put out Of the
way. They resented the trousers, shirt,
shoes and fine tooth comb, and reyolted
outright ut soap and water The sister
superintendent was compelled 10 promise
not to cut their hair unless the boys con
sented and agreed also not 20 iniiict cor
poral punishment. The Indians never pun
ishrheir children. One day q boy caught
in the act of hurting a pebble through a
window pane was gently chided by SIS
ter. He escaped that night, and before
morning twenty windows were converted
into ventilators. The boys were incorri-
gible. the girls shy and the parents sus-
picious. The condition could hardly have
been less favorable, except that there was
no danger to life or person.
Patiently the devoted nuns went about
their work. They reached the parents by
visits to their novels, by presents Of gaudy
! trinkets and Of sweetmeats. The school
physician banished their fever and saved
some Of the little ones after the medicine
man had given them up. They finally
overcame the shyucss Of the little girls,
won the respect of the boys and the alice
ton of the fathers and mothers. To-day
they have eighty-four boys and forty-eight
girls in the school. Many OF the boys have
short hair, aud all are neatly dressed,
clearly and interested, though their prog
ress is slow. The boys no longer steal or
destroy the school property, and this year,
for the first time, girls verging on woman
hood have been held in school or reclaimed
from the streets of the adjacent village.
After four years of hard work, OF almost
infinite patience, and of continual discour'
agements the sisters see light breaking
Fort Yuma Cor St louis Globe-Demo
crat.
WALKING a TRACK FOR A LIVING.
It's Useful Though Not Pleasant Oc-
patton, as Many Men Know.