Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-06-06
THE INDIAN IN. NEBRASKA.

much that Is of special interest to the
people of this state. The enumeration
of 1890 discloses total Indian popula-
ton in Nebraska of 6,43l. OF these
1886 were reservation Indians not tax
ed, and consequently not counted in
the general census, two reservation In
dians in prison and not otherwise emu
merated and 1888 Indians off the res
eryation, self-supporting and taxed.
The civilized Indians of Nebraska IN
clude ,4S0 males and lab females,
distributed in the different counties as
follows: Boyd, l07; Cunning, 80; Knox,
625; Thurston, 1898; other counties,
%.
The reservation Indians represent
five tribes-the Omaha, the Ponca of
Dakota, the Sac and Fox of Missouri,
the Santee Sioux, and the Winnebago.
The Omahas, we are told. were one of
the tribes noticed by Marquette in 1873
and by Carver in 1876, who found them
located on the st. Peter river. They
have been in Nebraska since the ear
Hest history of the country and settled
on the Omaha reservation in 1854. The
special agent who was sent to investi-
gate their condition reports them to be
both mentally and physically superior
to the average semi-civiliZed tribes.
The women are praised as frugal and
prudent. Since the allotment of the
land in severalty it has been the wo,
men that have had the chief burden
of providing the means of livelihood,
the men being more indolent and less
careful, losing much by improper cul-
tivatiOn of their crops or by failure to
secure them when matured. The
greatest drawback to the progress of
the industrious Omahas is their gener-
Gus disposition, which is taken advan-
tage of by worthless friends and rela-
tives who attempt to live upon them.
The lands of the Omahas are of the
best quality, we'll watered and fairly
ed-circumstances that account
in a measure for the eagerness of the
whites to get possession of them. The
Omahas in 1890 numbered 1,l5S.
The Winnebagos were first heard
from in central Illinois. They were
taken successfully to Iowa, Wisconsin,
South Dakota, and finally in 1865 to
their present reservation. In native
mental capacity these Indians are said
to be quite equal to white people in
like circumstances. Their physical
condition is fair, but they have great
difficulty in overcoming their natural
Incidence. Their domestic economy
is not of very high order. The thrifty
Winnebago, like the thrifty Omaha, is
Il victim of shiftless relatives. His
land is of the best quality, suitable in
about equal proportions to agriculture
and grazing. In numbers the Winnie
bagos lead all the tribes in Nebraska,
with membership of 1,215.
Both the Poncas and the Santee
Sioux are under the Santee agency.
There are 217 of the former and 500 of
the latter. The POncas have resided
on their reservation in Nebraska, for
merly Dakota, for upwards of 100
years, except two or three years spent
in the Indian territory. The Santee
Sioux were brought from Minnesota
in 1866. AS to the present status of
the Poncas, one sentence in the special
agents report tells the whole story.
"The Ponca Indians are mentally
bright, sound and improving in all re
spects." There are two parties among
them, but the party of progress is the
larger and controlling. They are self
sustaining and worthy representatives
of the Indian race. The Santees are
likewise commended as clever, happy
and cOntented and making steady adj
Vances in civilization. They are great
ly handicapped by the worthless char
acter of the lands on their reservation,
but yet have succeeded in becoming
practically self-sustaining.
OF the Sac and Fox Indians there
were in 1890 only seventy-seven located
in Nebraska and these are under a
Kansas agency. They have been on
their reservation since 1854 and are
quite civilized. The suggestion is even
made that the necessity for an agent
for this people has about passed away.
Viewing the reports of the different
tribes together, there is vein of en-
.couragement in them all. Some doubt
is expressed as to the efficiency of an
education secured by sending the boys
and girls to distant schools, but when
properly spurred on to. improve them
selves on their own reservations, they
seem to put forth some exertion and
to appreciate their opportunities. Yet
in the population of Nebraska the In
dian is becoming a relatively smaller
factor. BY the time the Indian lands
shall have all been allotted and their
owners become citizens subject to tax