Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-01-01
|ENoBSCOT INDIANS.
ribe Have Felt 1EReols Of
Business Depression.
scholars TAX. Profit and Pleasure
from Intending tie School.
Fire Water Getting In III Work Among III
Poor lndlins. 4

The report for 1896 d the agent of the
Penobs@t tribe of Indians. Mr.. George
II. Hut, was submitted the Governor
end Cdncil. THURSDAY. showing the
Following:
Theappropriations were $sol9.70 and
receipts $s4ls.3O; expenditures, $S41s.3o.
Tt leases of few Of the island
shoes expire January /, and are to be
soil by auction, in April.
1he tribe numbers 1892, as recorded by
tn experimenting school committee
q Old Town in January, 1896. an in
Tease of two over last year. 1t will be
remembered that the Legislature of
1885. upon petitions of the tribe, passed
a law regulating the adoption Of MEM
bers. BY it's provisions. tribal COM
mittee of twenty. chosen annually. ten
from the new party. and ten from the
old party, and holding Office one year.
are final authority on membership,
the essential conditions being Indian
descent, residence on the reservation,
for at least one year prior to, adoption,
steady habits, etc. 1t was opposed in
the Legislature that this would result
in increasing the numbers. The effect
has been directly the opposite. serv-
ing to decrease the numbers.
The farming Operations have. been
about the same as usual, with a ten
dency somewhat. noticeable of late to
raise only such crops as can properly
be attended to.
The following shows on what bOun-
ties. have been paid this season: 2S35
bushels of potatoes; 1405 of beans; 63 of
peas; 235 of oats; 236 of root crops.
At the biennial election held Novem-
Der 3, Sebattis NJ. Francis was elected
governor: Peter w. Rance, lieutenant
governor, and Horace Nicholas. repre-
sentative to the Legislature.
The schools are apparently of as much
necessity to the Indians as to his white
brother, and quite as much pleasure
The attendance at school during the
year has been remarkably good, 50 be-
ing registered, with an average atten-
dance of As. The age of pupils range
from to 16 years, respectively. The
attendance of the younger children has
been much more satisfactory than thai
of the older ones. Some of the boys
occasionally like to pass the day, row
ing through the woods, with their guns
while many of the older girls are Offer
obliged to aid their parents at baske
making. They study reading, spelling
grammar, arithmetic. geography. Uni
| led STATE, history. bookkeeping, draw
ing and penmanship.
The tribe forms an industrial com
nunity and are very largely self sup
| porting, the amounts specially appro
! ,riated for them by the State FORMING
| ! small par. -ctt the living expenses
rhe recent business depression ha
,een severely fen, but they are lookin
| for better times, when they can work
and save.
The tribe has lost by death 10 dur
ng the last year, eight adults and tw
children, not an unusual number.
An ever present and all fmportan
I
problem among the Indians is how I
materially lessen, if not entirely d
away with drunkenness, among then
rhe past year has shown an increase c
his trouble, because at Old Town an
yicinity intoxicating drinks have bee
! SOl0