Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-06
OPEN LETTER.
SHosHoNE RESERVATION, NEVADA

Dear Friends.-I am away up in the
mountains of Nevada, in as wild and
desolate q country as YOU ever saw.
The sky looks down with its one great
eye by day, with its thousands eyes by
night on mountains, sage brush and
rocky defles, and almost hidden among
them all a little cluster of government
houses. A large, square, white painted
school building in which pupils and
teachers board, a hospital where the
doctor lives alone with an Indian
servant, but which is rarely used for
the purpose planned, the agents house,
the out-buildings, laundry, storehouse,
shops, and few Indian cabins. These
are the government buildings and
constitute our little village. An Indian
boy brings the tri-.weekly mail from
White Rocks miles away. He also
brings us butter, eggs, ETC., which we
have to send away for, paying 60 cents
for roll of one and three quarter
pounds of butter, and 80 cents dozen
for eggs.
We are situated near the head waters
of the Owyhee river, branch of the
Columbia, salmon run up here IN
spawning time. We are at an elevation
of 5000 feet. The Paradise mountains,
$50 miles away, are plainly seen. Idaho
lies north of lis and the foothills of the
Rockies stretch away to the north far
as the eye can reach. The weather SO
far is beautiful, clear and bracing; the
air pure and fragrant with frost touched
sage brush, the water clear as crystal
soft and healthful. Silver abounds in
all of the hills and mines big and little
lie idle all over the state. Times are
hard and money scarce, yet the people
are not growing. In our school we
have fifty pupils and one teacher,
besides the Superintendent who teaches
q number Of classes. The school ranks
less than second grade. All of the
studies are primary. The pupils are
bright and apt, but undisciplined. The
lack of mental discipline is most sadly
apparent and adds greatly to the work
of the teachers. The old saw that IAN
Indian never sings" is proven false
every hour of the day. The children
are like a flock Of birds singing from
early morn till night, before they are
out of bed they begin singing or Groom
ing some school song, and all day long
you hear their unframed voices making
melodiouS discords, or "discordant
melodies" Some Of the children show
decided talent for drawing. A black
board is one Of the furnishings in the
dOrmitorY there is no other play room)
and usually the matron has to call the
little white robed Indian maidens from
their black board picture making to
dress for breakfast. One of the most
pronounced characteristics of the race
observed in the children is their pro-
pensity to skulk. They will hide as
easily as a flock of quails. You will
often observe little band of fifteen or
twenty playing together in apparently
childish abandon. Let teacher or
stranger appear in sight and in almost a
twinkling the crowd will disappear be-
hind rocks and in hollows that seem
hardly large enough to hide a cat.
Then if it chance to be the matron, a
teacher, or house employee they will
laugh gleefully to see the mystifcation
they have brought. The Shoshones
were originally of the Snake race.
Washington Irving writes of them as
''The more spirited part of that race -
whom he describes as 'dirty, degraded
fish-eating savages, friendly to the
whites and Of a kindly disposition -
They have comelv features and the
blacklist Of black hair, and mild black
eyes. Their ideas of marriage are
exceedingly broad, few have a
plurality of wives, however that is the
exception. In feminine vanity they
are not behind our modern boarding
school girl. However dirty they are,
they pay great attention to their shiny
black hair; wet it and comb it dozens OF
times day, standing before the mirror.
The boys also have their little vanities
and wear the colors of their sweetheart
with as much show of devotion as any
Lancelot of the Round Table" |
noticed one in his Sunday attire a few
days ago-around each arm just above
the elbow he had tied ribbons-one
blue, one red, each had evidently done
duty as hair ribbons. A beaded neck
lace was around his neck, a token OF
some sweetheart, worn with AS much
Chivalry as inspired the Knights of
the Round Table in the days of Lance
lot when "my lady's favor inspired
men to deeds heroic While Americans
have been traducing the despised, down
trodden black race for years, and
lavishing sentimental pity and substan-
tial gifts on Poor Lo' the comparisons
between the characteristics of the two
races is UNNECESSARILY in favor of the
black race. The blacks are kind
obedient, loyal, devoted servants,
grateful for favors shown; capable of an
affection that will make infinite sacri-
fees. The Indian knows no gratitude
and feels no obligations for favors.
They are fault finding and take gifts of
food, money or clothes as a right. If
they have anything to sell they expect
ny h OrbItant r1rirnr fpr II n tba ma tor