Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-09-20
THE PIMA INDIANS.
TRIBE THAT IS ALMOST SELF
 SUPPORTING.
School House and DormitOry on the Res ervatiOn and Many of the Young
 Now Attending School.
Corr. PbeniX Republican

Corr. PheniX Republican.
 SACATON, September l3-The Pimas. Maricopas and Papago tribes of Indians have set apart for their use four reserva- tions, containing in the aggregate about 500000 acres, about 50.000 of which are under cultivation. The reservations are the Salt River near Mesa City, the Gila Bend, the Papago, near Tucson and the Pima. The last named is the largest and most important; it extends from the june ton of Cfila and Salt rivers. up the former stream distance of seventy miles and is about fourteen miles in width The In dians on this reservation support them selves by agriculture: their crop of grain last year although not so large as the year before, owing to the scarcity of wa ter, exceeded four million pounds.
 The Pima agency is pleasantly located on the south bank of the Gila, fifteen miles north of the Southern Pacific rail road station at Casa Grande. The prinCi pal Government buildings at the agency are the agent and employees dwelling; offices of the agent, clerk and physician; dormitory and school house. The last two have been erected during the past year under the supervision of Agent c. W. Grouse. The dormitory is two stories in height, 150 feet in length, twenty-four feet in width; 1t contains dormitories, kitchen and dining room for 100 Indian school children; also rooms for the assistant matron, the seamstress, and the office Of the Superintendent. The school house contains three rooms and will accommo- date l30 pupils. There are four teachers, including the Superintendent. The primary teacher IS an educated Indian The school began September 8 with an attendance of tifty-one. At the present rate of increase the number will be seven ty-tiye by the end of the second week. Agent Grouse, himself an experienced teacher, IS working earnestly for the sue cess of the school, as he believes that ed ucatiOn Is the solution of the Indian prob lem. He has authority to increase the accommodations in the dormitory from 100 to l50, and he is very confident that pupils will be secured to fill the school, notwithstanding many of the more ad- vanced have been sent to school at Albu- querque and Tucson.
 The Pima's character is amiable Pimas are not vain. They are not schemers or metaphysicians. An agent who would do more for them for one year than had been done in the ten years preceding would not De appreciated Dy them. They would not understand his diplomatic tact" or feel the force of his logic. They would be surprised if he did not work for his salary; they could see no particular crime ill reading Cooper'a works if he would al so study orthography and English gram mar; he would utterly fail to convince them that because a man had not lived in 1 Arizona q number of years he would out 1rofr they would claim that the Apaches, con. trary to their ideas of right, formerly operated on that theory to the permanent disadvantage of some 'tenderfeet" of i've olden time" and would be unwilling tc coneede that the Apaches held highly civilized views at that time.
 The Pimas are fairly industrious and will therefore, sooner than many other tribes. cease to need the assistance of the 1 Government "a consummation deyoutly to be wished