Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-08-16
NEW YORK INDIANS.
REMNANTs or TIE DREADED
IROQUOiS NATION.
About 5000 OF Thorn OH Their
Iscservatiou-I'hcyA Arc Civilized,
but Retnin Their Tribal
Characteristics.

w ohtirely hhe WHO men, ana nj
though they further incur the dislike
of some of their neighbors by doclin.
ing to got off of tho rich lands which
remain theirs by treaty, they arc n re-
markably good lot, rs Indians go, and
would be accounted as good as the
average of humanity If they were only
white.
These Indians arc tho remains, in
the United States, of the once dreaded
lroquois Nation, and they are very
proud OF their ancestry. Although
they wear civilized clothing instead
of blankets, live in houses MS good as
those OF ordinary white farmers, and
get their modest living by working
for it, thoy adhere iealously to their
old tribal distinctions, and to the
ancient custom of having full forco
OF war Chiefs and Council chiefs"
aud tho various tribes, or nations, ms
they call themselves, combine to
maintain still higher order of digni
turies, called eachems.
One OF these sachems, who is very
proud of tho distinction, is Colonel
and Brevet Brigadior- General Ely
Parker. at present IN attacho of the
Police Department of this city, but
who was an esteemed civil engineer in
Illinois before tho late war between
tho North and South. and was ono of
tho first stuff officers of General Grant,
who retained him throughout the war,
and lator made him Indian Commits
sioner.
About tho goodness of these Indians
some people differ, but their worst
enemies cannot deny that nowhere in
tho United States is the life, person
mud property of n white man safer
than III or near tho reservations. They
arc respectors of women, too. Most
of tho teachers of tho schools on tho
Indian reservations of this Stnto nre
young whito women, and they agree
in testiIying TINT thoy never are sub
jccted to any of tho annoyances which
bofall schoolma' ANS in many other
districts.
These Indians aro philosophers.
after n fashion, aud one result of it
troubles some of their white neighbors
greatly. Their wants are few and
simple. and, as they havo not yet
acquired tho virtuc-or vicc-of
accumulation, they generally regard
"enough is rs good as feast." A few
of them AFRO ambitious, work hard and
save money, but The majority live on
tho hand-to-mouth principle. All do
littlo planting, rs their ancestors
did before them from timo i'm
memorial. and some of Thorn work for
{ wages us loggers, berry-pickers, etc. :;
but when there is no Immediate need
for effort they take to "sport" of
some kind, and enjoy it as heartily as
n lot of schoolboya. They are great
ball players, foot racers, swimmers
and dart-throwers, and such of them
ms have horses delight in racing, no
matter how poor tho animals or how
slow tho timo that can DO got out of
them.
Their most important diversion,
however, is the dance, of which there
are several each year ut stated periods.
Some of the music for tho dance is as
odd MS any ever described by African
travellers. One OF the instruments is
tho Indian drum, which resembles II
tnmbourine; another is turtle skin,
dried and distended, and containing n
few shot pebbles or peas Using this
rs rattle, tho turtles hoad being the
handle, the leader, who is generally
the medicine man" of tho tribe,
"shnkes time" for the dancers, occa-
sionally giving special emphasis with
the drum, which he holds in the other
hand. This medicine man, by the
way, is most hidcously picturesque
character. lie wears gown, but the
most striking article of his costume is
q mask, carved from wood aud con-
taining two small holes for tho eyes.
AS tho mask entirely covers the fen.
lures, is much larger than the human
iacc, and of course has unchanging
features, which are framed wildly in
long hair, it is something to be
dreamed about for days by the small
white boys, who never lose an oppor-
tunity to behold the Ounces.
Unlike similar festivities among
white people, there are no stimulants
! served at II dance given by tho New
York Indians Tho law of the State
and the United States forbids tho sell-
ing OF liquor to an Indian, and, nj
though there are some trnnsgressors
and II drunken Indian III about MS
drunk man rs any policeman would
like to avoid, there is very little drunk.
enness.
Among the various tribes is "the
Mohawk Temperance League" IN or.
ganization containing 400 or 500 nom
berg, which is about rs largo nm aver
ago of pledged abstainors as any white
community can show.
These Indians are as proud MS they
arc simple. Although they never
thrust themselves forward, no chance
visitor ever has an excuse to complain
of their hospitality, and their affec.
tionate regard for any white man who
does them any favor is touching in the
extreme. Many of them pretend NOT
to understand the English language,
but the few white men who have
gained their confidence say thai thew
never have met ono of Thorn who
could not converse fairly we'll in Eng
, lish.
One of the tribes, and tho largest,
hA