The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-08
SOAP AM, INDIANS.
Changes THAT Civilization IL Working
-..@- Among the KatIinen.

g@% Among the Nsdinen.
Soap aud Indians are contradictory terms,
yet the timc mas gone by when you cnn fool
mn Arapahoe buck into the belief thnt soap
suds Is vanilla soda water. There Ia q dim
tradition that chief once accepted cake
of soap from missionary, but that he
brought most Of IL back next morning.
with the remark that ho liked buffalo meat
better than white mans meat and thought
he would let the white man finish IL.
Other leRions hold that among some tribez
butts OF soap have been treasured az anu
lets or good medicine" in the Indian
meaning Of that term. But 1t is 4 fact that
as they come into rotation with white pep
pie the redmen occasionally wash.
The scattered tribes cast of the Missouri
no longer fly in terror at the sight of
wash basin, and even on the plains or in tho
Rocky mountains one frequently meets saw
ages who ahoW the color Of their skins.
They use less paint on their faces than they
used to. Who're "sqnaw men," ~ white
settlers nre called who take Indian wives,
raise families they now and then indootri-
nate them with respect for water and
teach thsn how to change their shirts but
tribal sanction and are often looked
upon suspiciously. More than by the
use Of soap and rum the advance
Of civilization is denoted by the in
oreasinR substitution Of cloth for leather in
Indian Rarb. The Indian nowadays W ho
goes about in panoply Of skins, fur, beads
and plumessls an exception. @ .e
Even when he has tho lsggins, moccasins
and jacket. with necklaces, medals and
geWgaws that he is so fond of, he is almost
sure to spoil the ensemble by wearing a
plug Int of and ago and seediness hardly to
be realized in the east. Daniel Webster or
Daniel Pratt may have owned it. The top
is usually of and the prairie breezea sport
with his scalplock, while the sides resemble
collapsed accordion and the brim is
adorned with moth holes. Among the
400 trowsers are growing in favor, because
they arc easier to keep on than the breeoh-
clout and leRginRa, and Rosalie the Prairie
Flower in pair Of oyeralls and an agency
blanket is n cure or Il cause for sore eyes.
When the blithesome lady has added pair
of gum shoes-No. 8--some brass beads and
paper collar her JOY and her wardrobe are
complete and she can afford to be kittenish
in her behavior toward ths young men Of
her village. a.5. >@
Perhaps the thing that best illustrates the
changes that are taking place in the life of
the Indian now that the paleface is blowing
up his hunting grounds is the use of canvas
for his house. This means that game is get
ting scarce and that he must look to civili-
zation for his supplies. Until within q few
years the habitation of the Indian, known
in oratory as his wigwam and in fact as
his wckeeup or tepee, was made of dressed
skins of deer, elk or what not: soft. firm
and weather proof Now it is made Of can
vas and as it is easier ont west to get can
vas made up in tent form than in sheets he
is falling into the way of living in tents.
This may boa slight change economically,
but from a sanitary point Of view it is i'm
portant for this reason. The common form
of the tepes is cone, the skin being drawn
over cluster Of poles that are punched
together at the top, while their feet make a
circle ten or twelve feet in diameter. The
@ Being left M as @ Chimney ] t. to 70 carry Of SMOKE
from the fire that burns on the floor of the
tepee. That is why old tepees are always
discolofed and blackaned- at the Sop.
This chimney is also d ventilator,
but the modern tents are so closely sewed
and woven that there is no provision for
fire or air. When cold weather sets in
the redman closes the flaps Of his tent and,
sitting inside, breathes an air 30 foul that
he soon acquires consumption or else gets
into sweat and catches pneumonia when
he sets off on the hunt or the WarnRth.