New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-06
POPULAR DISSERTATIONS.
THE SOUTHERN UTES.
TESTIMONY OF NEIGHB9R AS TO THEIR
CHARACTER AND THE CHARACTER OF

! ,rdians and their removal These Indians have
hccn nv near ncighbors for number of years.
have camped. hunted and messed with them. Their
evening camphrcs in sight in all directions from
my cabin I'm the mountains Of southwestern Colorado
| T am quite familiar with their everyday habits ana
customs nave attehdcu u'eF srdnu Po""o"''
their weird dances and numerous supcrstitouS rites
| and ceremonies. believe understand pretty thor
ouchIy their faults and their virtues, and perhaps
can add something Of interest to what has already
! heen said Remarks upon this Indian question IN
variabIy call ont comment, and he who writes upon
II Is usually looked upon either as theorzing dio'
| or as ono who is slyly grinding an axe am
in the ranch and cattle business. Now, the remarks
! NJ cattlcmcn are I fully aware looked upon
with special dlsrust by certain classes, and 1t Is
generally charged that cattcmcn and cowboys are
sworn enemies Of the Indian, and the other mana
is charged in this case, that the cattcmen arc III
lnagllc with certain Of the Indians TO prevent TINS
| proposed removal &c this as It may, shall SAY
what believe he true In regard to these Indians
| and their reservation.
| The tribe OF southern Etc Indians numbers sbout
! , 900 souls They arc divided into three can'-tEe
| Candies the Wnncmutchas and the Cmmarons-all
under the leadership OF Chief lenacio, an lhdah OIL
commanding presence and rare ana a''ihi cNecu'Nc
ability in his way. The build and features "i u'c
Ito Indian are distnctvely his own. The NAVAJO
IN, Apachc and the Pueblo arc thin and spare; the
r-te full faced and lat Their whole lives are prac-
ticallv spent I'm tho tepcc and saddle. ines arc
seldom found walking even on the shortest OF efria'
Many Of tho Utcs own - to 100 ponies
each Their present reservation lies west OF the
continental divide the Pacific slope of the Rockies,
and (, 10 miles in length by II in width. 1t, south
ern boundary forming the northern boundary line %
NcwMcxico. T. distinctive features OF this section
are: First adobe soil; second, sage brush mcSas
third pnon knobs: fourth, canons and arroyas ana
cottonwood river bottoms NTH praigiedoS towns
The eastern end reaches an altitude where pine
timber can be found. lie who has ever Travelled
west can Judge from the above Just the character
~ mi, reservation. six different rivers flow from
north 10 south across this belt. each tributary u
the san Juan which following westerly course aolti
Of tho reservation. Joins the Big Colombo these
streams take their rise in those great snow-cad ranges
that skirt the reservation on the north They are
comparativelv small streams fordahlc AZ many points,
vet during the heated and rainy season the melting
snow swclls them swift. raging mountain torrents
scarcely safe for man or beast = attempt crossing
The only land The whole reservation now a'aila3'
for agricultural purposes lies along these river b't
toms and tai, varc, in width from one quarter
mile down to nothing. for In scores of places horse
back trails and roadway, must follow the river bed.
and II course can only be used during the oWw ttcr
season. All river, 10 ms country canon up more
or les, and certain points solid rock wall, tower
prccpitou-y hundreds 81 feet on either side II the
stream. You must understand t,at agriculture Gnu.
no, be- carried on BE-. without irrigation. TIE bot
tom land along the RIVER, can he irrigated AZ small
expense but the hsh mesa, or t1al" Lands can only
BE- reached Ly large canal, taken ont Al points !tr
ND the river. Toar Year, a-p Government agents
tried 10 induce these Indian, 10 take mp land m scv
| crafty. The dca d.,ia,teu q them but AZ last
some SIX or eight selected 100 acre, each aious the
river bottoms rAar claims wogc fenced. small
house, and grauarcs built lrr.e,t.us bitches taken
ont and certain number % acre. ploUgaed aad
sowcd 80 grain Oh each claim. All thi, Ma done a.
Government expense While tie Indian lopici ON and
smoked the pipe - coItcntmcnt 100 tle shaded door
way ~ DIS wi-r,am. and ~ night Dee oorrtllcd his
! ponies in the h0u-c erected FOR tie family homo.
Farming bad no charm, for HIN. but the second yea
| The OrcI,crr Mexican Of tie san Juan appeared
upon the sccnc Offering 10 work IA" claim ON -har"s
| the Mexican doing tho work and the Indian furnish
| NIX the land. old severe, the head medicine man Of
tie t-ilc. thus let his land. lie spent the SIMMER
| hunting and horse racing. a usual. but when th"
| golden grain va, gathered Ia the ertgary he al
pcarcd 20 the Mexican with Winchester At full cock
aud said: "Namus POGO tempe which l. cq''a
lent r. the United states phrase. lou get OFT ~
hctc T.. D. O. The Mexican u course complied
with the request leaving all II the grain for severe,
share. The whole .oulci. generous nature ~ a Mem
can J., quite apt To- lie dormant unless brought ont by
some touching appeal Of this kind but that summers
| experience taught him wisdom. and the following
year more binding agreements made.
| AZ the present time some twenty five Indians have
taken up claim, OF 100 acre, each These, in all bu
| two three Instances, are Wurkrl on SHARES bN
| Ncx.cau,. the Indian taking no pat interest ~
| them except to receive his share Of the harvest
| Now. this Mexican influence is bad. The native
| Mexican 81 today 100 Northern New Mexico Is. son
| orally ,pciting lazy and ,hiftc,-. he is the ont
| como of the commuslius 81 race, from IN" time 81
tho Cortcz conquest % the present. and j, = mixture
II spanish. Aztec. Apache. navajo and Pueblo INDIAN
blood with the Castilian. except in a Few Instances
nearly cradcntc His trend Is backward rather than
forward in al matters Of civilization and ii, Kindred
developments. His Influence upon the Indian j, perni
ci0us In the extreme. lie bring, the deadly Mexican
| fire WATER he teaches tricks IN prcyarl,ation and
stealing far In advance Of the tie methods, but l-
| teachings In agriculture and domestic matters ar,
| the teachings Of centuries pact and long the
Government allows him 10 take possession Of thc,c
| farms the Indian will grow strong in devry and
weak in virtue. lie should bc made to work hN
| own land though the harvest be small
Civilization is distastcful 20 all indians. but | be
lcvc it Is more to tho Ute than almost any
| other tribe the continent. Their whole live, have
| been spent here IN these beautiful mountain, OF Col
orado, In the finest and most health preserving eli
| mate under the sun. Wood water and gra,, IN
abundance upon every hand. all the mountain range
| swarmng with deer. bear, elk and smaller game
every stream stocked with mountain trout. a perfect
| paradise for the ramadic existence Of the Indian
| Md white men to-day, leaving the comforts and
uxurlc, Of civilization, 90 up into these mountains
and spend week, and months Initiating the lie OF
| the savage, ana ciJON >uth HtNth, freedom from
care. and perfect happiness, no town or cts can
| provide l. II ans wonder, Then, that the | L.
indian. born with nomndlc Instincts ana whose Whole
| lie ha, a round OF pleasure. with every thing
nocdiu at hand and 40 care for the morrow, >hoGll
look with leilOu, dotruot upon civilization and IT.
| accompanying cares and responsibilities They say
! " What do we want OF civilization aud education
| Look at the struggling white settler borders
aborins hard year Ia and year ont for scluty sub
| sistcnce. which carcworn faces TIL Us Is but little
enjoyed But thee Indians are now confronted
| with a condition ana no, theory. Game and fish
ar, getting scarce. The present reservation contains
| but little game. In summer they must hInt IN the
mountains north of the rc-crNatlOu and IN In" winter
| In the warm canons and broken mesa, south of It
| Indians like white men, COOL bad and lndlncr
| and while hunting IN tho Monniain, nUOlt Us
| they coa-Onally make game Of fat steer or eat
| Thl, j. done slyly that they seldom detected
| Whenever set Of this kind /, committed watchers
are stationed On the high points of the mountain, and
the Indian code OF ,mOhc signals gives timely warning
of the movements, Of the white In the valleys