The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-03-23
TRAPPING ANTELOPES.
Methods of tho Navajo Indians in
Capturing the Tinid Animal
Pens in Which Hundreds of the wary
Creatures Are Corraled at Once-A
Cruel Practice That Should
Be Checked.

Few people In the west, anu Scdrcely
any in the east, have any idea of the
unique manner in which the Navajo
Indians have from time immemorial
caught antelopes, writes a correspond
ent at Helen. n. NJ Thousands of the
beautiful creatures still abound upon
the vast tablelands of this territory.
In the country just south of the Nava-
10 reservation, and between it and the
Atlantic & Pacific railroad, one fire.
quently comes upon long, straight
rows of the trunks of trees and the
branches of cedar and pine, stretching
for miles across these treeless PLAINS.
In many places, says the Chicago Jour
nal, they are nearly rotted away, and
only the larger limbs and trunks now
mark these lines. These are the ruins
of ancient antelope corrals or pens.
The large bands of antelopes have long
since been destroyed in this part Of the
country, and only small herds of from
five to ten can be seen. These are
mostly hunted down upon the Amer
lean or white mans plan. However,
directly south of Winslow. about fifty
miles,. distant, large bands Of these
graceful creatures still roam, and there
is in existence there a new corral that
is in running order at the present time.
1t is here that the old men of the tribe.
who believe in the ancient manner of
catching game, enjoy their annual
hunt.
This corral was built in 1890 by the
ri ~ IL
and his son, Many Horses. A place
was selected where a slight hill was
found upon the border of a wide prai
RE. Not even sagebush could be
seen, and trees for the corral had to be
brought from the cedar-cOvered hills
nearly ten miles away. They were cut
and dragged to the place by the men
and boys on horseback. A close pen Cir
cular in form, about one hundred feet
across, was first built against the steep
side Of the hill. SO that the tops of the
posts used could not be seen from the
opposite side. Two lines Of trees were
then dragged and laid loosely upon the
ground, but close enough to appear
like brush fence. These lines at the
pen are about twenty yards apart and
run almost parallel for one hundred
yards CT SO and then spread apart at an
angle of about thirty degrees and ex-
tend across the plains for four and
half or five miles.
When the party reaches the corral
for the annual hunt the chief first Sc
lects the officers. four to watch each
point Of the compass around the pen.
For each a pit is dug deep enough to
put him oat Of sight The less space
required the more the occupant is es-
teemed and considered. worthy Of pro-
motion later on. The chief and his as
sistant then take their places at the
right side of the entrance to the pen.
standing in hole dug for the pur-
pose. and just deep enough to hide all
except their heads. From five to eight
Indians on the feetest horses are set
out at daybreak to surround band of
antelopes and head them toward the
corral An antelope when startled
keeps as far as possible away from any
place where an enemy might be hiding,
hence they keep as far away from the
wing , Vi VIC COIFdl. WHICH are on either
side of them, as they can. After being
closed in upon they cannot turn back,
as the drivers are in hot pursuit. and
they make a dash for the top of the
hill, which to them appears to be the
only opening between the horrid lines
of brush fence. But, alas for them,
they find themselves inclosed in stout
pen, around which they run in circle,
never trying to jump over. The shouts
and yells of the Indians at length SO
completely terrify the poor animals
that they stand trembling and appar-
emily unconscious Of the Indians. who
now approach and kill them with clubs.
hatchets, stones or anything at hand.
AS many as two hundred and fifty have
been caught at one time in this man
ner, and for wholesale destruction of
game it surpasses any numbering proc
ess in vogue, and should be stopped en-
tirely,