Cañon City record., 1897-12-09
POISONING FISH
Annual Practice Of the Cherokee
Indians.
The Meet This Year !. ef More Than
Usual Inportance-Prebah In-
terferenee of Government
AathOrfties.

in the Cherokee nation, only a short
distance from Sloan Springs, and will
continue perhaps until late in the fall.
The destruction of fish by the Indian
secret process of poisoning is enormous
and will result in the almost complete
annibilation Of the last years growth.
The great tribal fish meet has oc-
CURED annually from time immemorial;
but this year it has been made an oc-
casion .of more than usual Importance
and the festivities attending il have
been of the gayest order. Thousands
Of Chcrokees have been in attendance,
and il has been the meeting place Of all
the chiefs and the captBins Of the two
regularly organized political parties.
who, according to tribal customs. gath
cred together 10 talk over matters per-
taiping to the continued perpefpation
of their present political rights and the
continued peace, prosperity and haPpi-
ness Of the Cherokee people In gem
eral.
Before their removal west a little
more than two-thirds of century ago,
and for hundred years previo ~ there
10. the Cherokees and other tribes held
undispafed possession of a vast AREA
of country extending over portions Of
what is now Georgia. tie Cnroliuas. Ten
uessee and Alabama. a glance 81 q map
of those states will discover many
names OF rivers of purely Cherokee
origin. Upon all those streams the
Cherokees. In the long ngo. beId annual
high carnival. and not few Of the old
timers present on the Illinois river now
were present then. for somr Of them are
more than 100 years old. and cannot
unto this day. epeak word OF English.
Extensive preparations are made IL.
advance. All the members OF the tribf
within a region extending sometime
for many miles are notified by the cisI
captains OF the date when the fes;iva.
Will begin. The cherokees are divided
up into clans. as the Bird clan. the Tiger
clan. and half dozen other clans. and
certain ones are chosen 10 lead in thes
annual gatherings. Several days be
fore the different clans come togethe-
the poison is placed in the river. IL
dispensers are captains, selected from
the various clans, who look upon their
official positions as places of great
honor.
The efec, OF the poison IL not iusian-
taneous. nor is ii fatal. This fish read
lily swallow IL. and when the effects be
gin TO be felt, they dart about In a semi
crazed manner. shooting up and out Ct
the water very often. or seeking the
surface around old driftwood. where
they often lie as II pausing for hneath-
II IN not uncommon 10 see large. red
eyed trout. big catfish or a i5-pcund
buffalo or red.horse lying so helpless
,hat II is no trick at al 10 step mp and
Zip him out of the wafer upon the
bank The poison sometimes para
ives the fish 80 that they turn over on
their backs and float as IL dead. The
poison soon leaves them. however. and II
they do not take another dose Of il
they regain their senses and activity.
II 10 not part of The programme TO
allow any FISH 20 recover IL Il ,an be
prevented. When the poison sstsrs hold
sufficiently TO craze or benumb the fish.
the Indian is ready to commenre the
deadly work with his spear or bo.v.
Bows and arrows are also used, cspe-
elsliy BY the women. and there is'senrce-
Iy a child who cannot use them with
deadly effect.
Sometimes whole boa,londs are
speared during an outing Of a few
hours. When enough Ash for feas,
have been slaughtered. huge leg heaps
are prepared and set on fire. When re-
duced to Goals and ashes the fish fry
ing begins. Preceding the ceremonies,
which are sor, of tribal religious woE-
ship. In which the Indians bow and pat
with their feet, and moan and Crsn;
ec,rfully. the fish are wrapped singiy
In heavy brown paper and thrown into
the hot ashes, where they are allowed TO
remain until the religious part Of the
feast is completed. When iatea out
the fish are very palaiable. the aesh
readily separating from the boues. max
ing a most delicious dish \ ,aI ge cir
Gle is then formed. and all Ell; dawn and
are served with the fish withnri d'sAV
of any kind. the only aeconpJryiE.
food being plain bread. called kec-aut
chic, composed of equal parts Of ID
goodies of hickory nuts and wa,Euss
and Indian corn or maize. crushed lse
tween two heavy stones. This eioscs m
festivities for the day. the same Pre-
gramme being carried out the next dag
aud continued in the same manner as
long as the fish holds out.
II is more than probable, howeyer.
that this practice, like nearly all ths
other fimc-honored customs of ,ny
Cherokees, will sink into oblivion and
so out of use altogether, and II is moi
pt all certain that the Cherokees W
ever indulge in another iish-po'sonin.
expedition. The attention Of Judge
Thomas. of the United States court n;
Tshlepunh. having been called to the
open violation of the Arkansas game
laws, which apply to the Indian conn
try, he has brought the matter before
the federal grand jury and instructed
that body 10 indici all those who may
engage In the Wholesale slaughter OF
FISH In any manner. The action Of the
Judge is approved generally by the
hnlf-breeds and the whites, but the full
bioods, being ignorant of the real in
tention OF such course cannot under
stand why they should be deprived of
their annual sport. and announce their
intention TO contest the matter.--Ksn-
kas City Star.
THE VIII waves WORK.