Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1894-09-12
surAIINn1AN YILLAar
An Indian Tribe who Live la tho Re- cesses uf the Earth, IIemnod In by
 immeRse waIis or Rock.
[BY THE EtIroRl

tnmenso Naiis Uf Rock.
 BY THE EtIToR
 Our trip to the Supai village was made on tho warmest of wa-m days. The deeper we descended iuto the rock-walled canyons the more pitt less seemed the rays of the sun. The heat not only reached us directly from the sun, but was reflected from the walls ol the eanyol in concsn- trated form. The trail leading to the village was fatiguing and dan gerous, and yet We folt amply TO. paid for it all 1t is locate in Cat aract canyon; it is hemmed in on either side by perpendIeular walls of rock from 40O to 2,0O0 feet high. The feItile portion of tho valley is about four or five miles long and from one quarter Co one-half mile in width.
 At the upper end a stream, said to contain 2,0OO inches of water, rises out of the dry and parched bottom ol the canyon. From this the In- dians obtain their supply of water for irrigating, in a crude way, their land. The land IS divided up into individual holdings of small tracts, each having his own. Their princi- pal crops are peaches, corn, melons, beans and sunhowers. The seeds of the latter, when ripe, arc gathered and ground and made into bread. During the peach season, when green corn and melons are also plentiful, the Indians live on these articles of diet. A large amount of peaches are dried each year for winters use. They are scattered around among the rocks, and by the time the drying process is com pleted they are filled with sand.
 The government of recent years has been making appropriations to pay a farmer to teach the Indians how to farm. No evidence what ever was seen of any instruction having ever been imparted to them. The implements used in farming are of the very crudest kind, and the only knowledge they have of irriga- ton was taught them years ago by John D. Lee. A stone school house, costing $500 or $500, has been erect ed, and the farmers wife is paid a salary for teaching the children. But the children, like the grown-up Indians, are untaught, and during such brief times as the farmer and his wife live there, they are said to occupy the school house as a resi- dence. The farmer, though, has a residence in Williams, which he oc- cupies most of the time, on account of 1t being more accessible to mail and telegraph facilities, we pre- sume. The writer cOnveTsed with a number of Indians who spoke and seemed to understand English fairly we'll, and was told that the present appointee had only been there two weeks since his appointment last October. If he spent longer time there he left no evidence of his pres ence behind. At the time of our visit there be was in Williams, and residents of that place said he had been there for weeks. The law pre- sumes that he shall spend his time among the Indians, particularly during the spring and summer months, when he can give instruc- tions in farming and his wife can teach the children, but this pre- sumption seems violent one, so far as the farmers inclination IS con- cerned.
 His predecessor seems to have been equally negligent of the du- ties of his position.
 Near the head of the canyos where the trail starts down into its lower depths the remains of an old camp ing place, consisting of stone fire place and cross poles, was noticed. | Our guide being asked what it had been, stated that 1t was formerly | used by Farmer Gaddis as a resi- dence. He could come out there and live and no one would be the wiser for it, as the place is seldom visited. Chief Ves-na told us that We had been the first white visitors they had had for a year, except the brief visit of Farmer Pleasant and his wife.
 A small patch of alfalfa, less than one-quarter of an acre in extent, might probably be included in the results accomplished by the white farmer. have been told that when the report of this alfalfa patch reached Washington, however, that it amounted to three acres. If this be so, an alfalfa report can grow rapidly in transit.
 In the fall of each year the h. diaps cache their food and come up op the plans to hunt and barter during the winter, as they have no feed for their ponies in the valley. They suffer greatly from cold dur ing this period, as they are imper- fectly clad. They are very imita- tive, and could readily be taught to raise and save their crops, SO that the women and children and old men could remain there comforta- ble the entire year, and the young and healthy bucks could make their annual hunting expeditions. A yer itable garden of Eden could be made of the little valley where they are located.
 The young could be taught the branches of an educs- ton, too. During our brief stay of one day and two nights with them, some of the party taught them 8 stanzs or so each of two or three 'ongs, and it was remarkable how apt they vera and hoY readily they taught both woFds and tune, Just IS we were leaving two or three of , hem joined in singing Q verse of 'Ta-ra-ra-boom de-ay," something ,ona of our nartv had suro, share