The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-08
Tather Prando's Good Work at St.
Xavier Mission on tho
Reservation.
Education for the Young, Reli-
gion for Those Of All
Ages
p,entvcoues Selects His Happy Hunting
n~round.-A Big Chiefs short His
tory Of the World

Indians three years ago, is in Helena, the
,r.at ~ Rishop Brondell. Father Prando
comes here for treatment at the hospital.
having contracted q severe cold while srav-
cling q distance Of over thirty miles through
snov storm and with the thermometer
twenty-five degrees below zero, to admins
tar the sacrament TO a dying lndlan wo-
man. The greater part of Father
life as a priest has been spent among the
Indians. first with the Flatheads, then with
the Piepans, then the Cheyennes md lat
terly among the Grows. He is thoroughly
familiar with their sign language and their
dialect and takes great interest IN their
welfare.
ST. Xavier mission was established on the
RIG Horn river on the Grow reservation. IN
the early part of 1887. 1t was located
seventeen miles from where Custer was
killed, and was not a pretentious analr AZ
the time. It consisted of a tent when was
given by John Sweeny, of Helena. inns
was pitched among the February. SHOWS,
and the nearest natural protection from the
storms and winds were the bushes. Yet for
eight months Father Prando, with hev.
Peter Bandini and Edward Dillon, OF bel
ana. lived in this primitive abode, dolnS
their own cooking and other householo
work. ~
In the summer Of 1887 a school house 40 by
GO feet was erected and the sisters who were
10 assist in the work of instructlng the
vouno Indians were sent for. Before they
could reach the mission the Grow war broke
out, and the little cluster OF buildings were
not only beyond the protecting lines OF tne
troops, but beyond the encampment
Of the hostile Indians on the
hills. The wife of the agent advised
the sisters not to undertake the
iourney at that time on account OF the evil
dent danger. They decided to go. never
theless, and after shaking with the
officers and soldiers in the camp. began
their ascent OF the hill on top of which the
hostiles could be seen fitting about. Arriving
there thew were treated with great respect
by the Indians and not only allowed to pass
safely through the lines, but given q hearty
handshake and God-speed by the BUCKS.
Thev arrived at the mission without further
incident and were soon engaged in teach
ING some fifty Indian children. The fol-
lowing year an addition, "a by 100 feet, was
made to the school, a church 81 by 70 feet
erected, and the attendance of Indian pu-
I pills had increased to 40, most OF whom
hoard at the mission. This necessitated an
increase in the number of sisters and
teachers. Next spring a large brick school
building will be erected for the use OF the
boy pupils, and the present quarters used
exclusively by the girls.
Father Prando says the work among the
indian children is showing good results
The children are bright and intelligent and
are Glad to learn. They are being instructed
in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography
and history. The boys are also taugnt nsefu
trades and the girls housekeeping and sew
ing. There are, at the mission, eight sisters
three priests, two SCHOLARSHIPS, one Drotne
and one hired teacher. .
The church established on the mission i
doing good work also. The best of the In
dams take quite an interest in religion
matters now. So far there have been 1,O6'
baptisms, and l7o Indians nave been con
frmed by Bishop Brondeli. .Sixty-fou
marriages have been solemnized according
to the rites of the church. About thre
weeks ago a mission was started for tn
purpose of instructing the Indians IN tn
old and new testaments. The older book!
of the Bible especially met With great ia
vor, and the verdict of the Indians, as ex
pressed to Father Prando, wa
est esa' medi CHEFS man. they had eve
heard of. 1t also caused the indians
to rise at five in the morning, instead Q
lying abed till ten, and travel from thel1
tepees to the church in a twenty-five beloy
temperature, One Indian, after receiving
the sacrament, threw away his knife afte
receiving a blow from another brave, an
SO removed the temptation to kill his assail
ant. A sodality has been established
among the Indians: Ihe women wear tn
black mantle and the men the red gown
Instead of castigating or denying them
selves when asking the Great Spirit for any
Trims as they formerly did, the Indian
now pray direct as other people do, an
generally expect to get just what they want
'Let our cows be of many calves and GU
watermelons big, and keep away from U
the, thunder, the lightning, and the small
pox:"
Plentycoues, the chief of the Crows, his
not yet surrendered to the work of th
missionaries. though very friendly wit
them. When told that the Indians who bt
came Christians would go to Heaven an
the bad ones to hell. he naturally wante
to know what had become of the good II
dams who had died before they knew tt
missionaries. Father Prando was MOI
plussed for a moment. Then he drew tv
small circles, one of which he called Heave
and the other hell, and a larger circle
represent purgatory. Pointing to the SINE
circle representing Heaven, he said the got
ones who had died as Christians were thel
But the greater part of good Indians, vi
had died as heather, were "there"-poir
ing to the larger circle.
"That's where l want to 90" said Plent
coues, ''where most of my people are" ]
promised, however, that when the last
Crows had been baptised, to allow tn
ceremony to be performed on himself.
One of the most interesting characte
among GQe CTOW lnQ1hub ID Culol Iron Du
who, it will be remembered, too part in t
ceremony of driving the last spike on t
Northern Pacific railroad, and made gu:
q fine speech on that occasion. his hlsto
of the world, as given to Father Prando,
the shorteet in existence.
"Lopg ago the earth was small-so biz
he said, making a circle with his arms a
hands. "All around it was water. The c
WOLF" as the Indians call the Great Spir
twas sitting 3d." resting his elbows on
knees and his chin upon his hands. ~
old WOLF" he continued, took some dirt a
threw it into the water, and the first Or
Indian came up. His eyes we're closed a
his mouth was shut. The Great Spi
opened his eyes and he beg
to see; Then he opened
bird and the bird came. He threw the b
into the water and it sank. When it Ca
back it had and in its beak. The CIR
Spirit took the sand and blew it from
hand and made the earth bigger. Then
made the buffalo, and the elk, and the
telope to give the man something to
Afterwards he threw more dirt into
water, and there came up other Grow
dians, men and women. They were lv
far from the white man. They hunted
were happy. They had but one trout
They had no fire. They had to put a st
between pieces of dry wood and work
around till it caught fire: 1t was hard W
and made them tired. They had no c
knives and had to sharpen stones. I
Sioux, the Piegans, the Sna
MD %ha Auoirohairoo orI