The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-01-24
ON THE GROW RESERVATION.
An Indian Race that Is Fortunately
Fast Dying Out.

An Indian Race tnut Is FOrtI1atcIy
Fast Dying Out.
Our ride from the fort to the field
was through the pretty valley of the
Little Big Horn. We passed one large
Crow village and at one point Witnessed
Il picturesque Sight-to wit. about Il
hundred Crow Indians engaged in ac-
tual manual labor. Capt. Watson. the
military officer in charge of the Grow
agency. has established here an eX-
perimenatl farm. the Indians perform
Ing the bulk of the work. He had them
engaged in chopping down sag grass
on tho bottom as we passed. These
Crow Indians are the richest Migrants
in the world. They own the land com
posing the vast reservation. they have
free food and ammunition in abund-
ance. and they only number about
200 all told. If they had their hold
ings in severalty they would have Il
small fortune per capita.
AS we came upon the Sagc-bruSh
slnitcrS the landscape was full of color.
The handsome ponies. with gay blan-
ketS and rich saddles. We're tethered
VIZ nv IisRili. NV iiN IVY SAiiFNi'iiit
was gliding their trappings with au-
tumnal elfulgence. The bucks wore
broad white sombrcros and were clad
in variegated blanket coats and trous-
crS. while the SQuaWs could have given
Il June rainbow cards and spades. so
To speak. in them matter of color Though
they really had hoes. and I'can truth
fIllIk 81 1lnnf i ntr, Slt ~ GIrsh 81 or
midable. fOrceful array and so little
achievement. The men We're for the
most part sitting around, smoking Gig
arettes OF %lounging half asleep. while
the papOoses rolled in the sun. and the
squawS alone swung the glittering
hoe.
These Crow Indians. | take it. says
Col. Cockerill. in the New York Herald.
bear about the same relation TO virile
Indians of the Sioux stamp that the
genus corvuS bears in ORTHODOXY to
the w~hite-headcd eagle. When one of
these Indians takes up Il bit of land
and sets up as Il granger the govern
ment builds him Il nice frame house.
AS soon as the house becomes pedicul-
Gus the aboriginal farmer sets up Il
tepce on his front lawn. moves his fam
lily ana his penatcs into it. and turns
the government mansion over to his
ponies. | saw Il number Of instances
in Which the corvinc son of Agricola
had thus returned. hog like. TO his wal
low.
ON ration day at the Grow agency
these genial wards of the nation flock
there to Il nan and woman for Il frolic.
Each gang is allotted Il certain number
of cattle. and they do their w slaugh-
1cring. This is Il gala occasion for the
Indian and his dog. When Il steer is
stricken down he is Immediately evils
ceratcd. and the leading man seizcs the
kidneys as Il bon bOuchc. These are
eaten warn and raw. AMI if the buck
is in high feather he smears his face
with blood. The liver and heart of the
steer are eaten by tradesmcn of lesser
degree. While the squaws squeeze out
the iutestines and proceed to dcvour
them with gusto, cleaning by water
eve being dispensed with.
Engaged i'll this sort of barbaric
guStatOry paStime will be found In
dams who have been schoolcd at Carl
isle and elsewhere. and who ought to
know better. And right here, under the
shadow of the h~andsomcSt. best equip
ed agency in the West. and under the
eye of the finest cavalry barracks out
side of San Antonio, Tex. these In
dams dispose Of their dead by hanging
them up in tree tops. | saw within
five miles of the fort Il Crow corpse in
Il trec-a very becoming place for Il
crow-and could but regret the scare
ity of trees and similar ornamental
lions. 1t is somewhat satisfying to
know that these IndianSe who cling so
tenaciously to the skirts of barbarism
are not fructifying. Their census
shows an annual decrease of from
fifty to n hundred. Their general
wOrthlessness and the vices and dis
eases kindly translated to them by the
whites may be depended OF TO do the
business. and the Crow Indian, like the
Irish wolf dog, will soon be Il reminiS-
ccnce.
1T WAS THE HIGH r.