The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-05-17
YAKIMA INDIAN POMPOM
White People Admitted 10 The Weird,
Mystic Circle.
RED MEN WORSHIP MOTHER EARTH
Bernice Il. Newell Gives Her Inn
pressions OF tbe Red Men ana
Their Fertile valley, In the TIA.
coma "Union.-

| A"o nuuufeu anu nlty miles riding in
a carriage is pretty good record, is it
not, when it Is taken in thirty or forty
mile stretches? For the past two weeks
| might have been seen literally securing
the broad region that lies so snugly shell
tered by the mountains, watered by
splendid streams, a veritsble garden spot
in waiting, where the fourteen tribes that
form the Yakima agency have their law
iul and undisputed abode. Fourteen
tribes ! said, though there are but the
remains of each, nor are the remnants
distinct at present, save those who still
are wild and refuse TO receive aid OF
Uncle Sam, or to mingle with the semi
civilized Indians. The Yakima tribe
proper are of the mobile red man" order
and loftily ignore all efforts to better their
condition or to educate their children.
The reservation Is probably the finest
body Of land in the state. 1t lies east of
the town of North Yakima, the splendid
Yakima river forming its southern
boundary and furnishing water for irri-
CATION whenever the fields adjacent to it
shall be improved. At present this most
beautiful portion of the reservation is the
home of about 200 wild Yakimas. They
refuse to take their land by allotment,
but have marked off line beyond which.
II a white man ventures, he is met with
an air which plainly init mates that 10
considers it an intrusion. More than one
government official has been requested to
retire in language Enthusiastically plain,
however imperfect the speech.
They have never accepted blankets,
rations or any help from the government.
and live by doing the smallest possible
amount of wild farming, selling little
hay to the townspeople and fishing in the
mountain streams. These Indians hold
to their ancient forms of religion, and re-
we're the earth as their mother. They
say that, as when infants they drew their
life from their mothers breast, so now
the earth becomes the mother of the red
man, and from her breast he gets his
| life; he must not hurt her, must not al
low her to be SCARED and bruised. He
will not drag heavy chains across her,
and his necessary :illing is done in the
lightest manner to make smaller wounds
in the bosom OF his mother.
They are sun worshipers, and hold
great religious festivals in the immense
tepee Of DIR. Billy, the leading man of the
tribe. Some of these ceremonies are
quite simple in character, and others are
wild and savage enough to justify any
terrors that have been associated with
the thoughts OF the red man. II is death
to white man to witness certain dances,
il the Indians are aware of his presence.
Last week was the great root feast, and
on Sunday, with a company from Fort
Simcoe, attended the "pompom" in DR..
Billy's tepee. / shall never forget the
sight. As we drew near the premises
seemed to be occupied with full camping
outfits, wagons full of goods, cayuses
packed right and left with merchandise,
groups Of braves standing about or lying
in lazy comfort on the ground showed
that the assembly was :here TO stay.
Not entirely aware OF how we would be
received, our party began to put careful
inquiries, which were received with an
impressive, though inexpensive, silence
AT last we succeeded in arousing "Yak-
ina Charlie" who assured us we might
enter the tepee from which the sounds OF
revelry were issuing. An ancient Indian,
his blanket about him, his face as old as
the everlasting hills, and his hair gray as
the mists OF morning, met us at the door
and struck a chill to our hearts, for
whether be was glad to see us or not we
could not conjecture. Not that it mat.
tered, for we had come to the "pompom,"
and it did not signify whether he was
glad at all, only provided he was not
angry-but We entered. We began to
take it in. We ttok it in with our eyes
and we took it in with ears. We took it
in through our noses, s=d even at our
very pores. The music ceased. The
dancers sat down in sulen row and
looked at US. The Founders of the POM
pom laid down their instruments,
stretched themselves on their blankets
and looked at us. We felt uncomforta-
BILE We thought perhaps we had not
meant to come. We wanted to apollo
gize, in fact. as that awful silence went
on. At length stalwart Indian near us
rose and indicated with naughty yes
ture tnat We might be seated We sank
upon the bundle OF rags and bedding with
our most unassuming and inofFensive air.
The mighty red man then inquired as to
our trip, when We should return, and
how long We wanted to stay, all of
which Mr.. Banks, the clerk at the
agency, hale and robust man OF fully
200 pounds weight, answered in the
most respectful, not to say abject man
ner. Encouraged at his success, our
spokesman ventnred in mild and silvery
accents: "Have they stopped because we
are here?" No answer. Again, per-
suasively, gently: do they want us to
go?" "No," was the reply deigned, and
we settled down, trying not to conjecture
what manner OF life those piles of goods
might be teeming with.
AT length the withered old squaw be-
gan to speak. She exhorted in firm and
unvarying tones, and was seconded by
prolonged amen from the assembly.
Then our interlocutor took up the strain.
He discoursed upon the tyee tagent)
and told bis people not to be Influenced
ny anything he might say or do. We
learned that he is known IS "wild Man,"
| and IL lnnlrad I,ranra a.. :. L. l. 1