Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-11-27
LIVED WITH INDIANS
BISHOP MRAK. FORMERLY AN AUS
TRIAN
Resided for n Quarter of II Century
Among the Ottawa Indians.
Adopting Their Customs
and Teaching Them.
rrnrn the netrnit InurnaL

8IdIEh- WHO dt IOII StCft anu l'n dNdllS
with placid faith the last This
old man, whose gentle features attract the
confidence and respect of all who APP
proach him, Is Bishop Mrak. the oldest
living mission; ry TO the American Indians.
whose work was begun among the aoor-
igines of Michigan early in the century and
brought TO a close only by his elevation
10 the %bishopric of the Catholic diocese
at Marquette.
The venerable priest resigned the bish-
opric OF Marquette nearly twenty years
ego. owing to advancing age, and is now
iitUlar bishop of Antinoe. in part!bus in
century at the little village of Poliana III
tarniola. Austria. he cary entered the
priesthood and for ten years remained as
II hard working parish priest in mis- native
province. Father Frederick BaraSa, later
made Bishop Baraga. was from the same
district which. by the wal. has furnished
Catholic episcopacy of America, notable
among whom are Bishop Baraga, for many
Years dead: Bishop Nertin OF Marquette,
bishop Trobec of st. Cloud, Bishop Mrak,
Niscar General Buh of Duluth. and a scoie
of others who have made their mark IN
the annals of the Catholic church in the
American Northwest.
EmuIous of the noble example Of Bara-
"a, Father Mrak applied for a mission
and was sent to Michigan, locating at
Cross Village, on the eastern shore of
Lake Michigan. where for a quarter of Il
century of more he resided among the OF
lava Indians. the name of which tribe,
by the way, should be pronounced Ot-ta-
wa, with the accent OF. the second sylla-
bic. not on the first. as is usually done.
Among the ottawas he was known as
mMa-ko-te-no Wah.e-nay," or Black
Robe" from his black cassock. The
whites were known TO the ottawas as
nkitchi Makamam" literally "Men-with-
on the unsuspecting red men by the whites
was of the worst SORT. Inc Indians We're
led TO drink; and when drunk We're cheat
ed numerically by the rascally traders.
a number OF pitiful instances of Indians
lack of suspicion and white duplicity were
related by the venerable missionary.
Bishop Mrak bears high witness to the
truthfulness and high sense of honor
possessed by the untutored savages. To
many of them he lent money or supplies.
and never did the borrowers fail to repay
despised of all the tribe, and few We're the
number whose word could not be relied
daily and the hospitality of wigwam and
food freely offered. In too many cases this
friendship was repaid by the most rascaliy
acquainted with the whites and suffered so
teveraly and SO often at their hands, they
became suspicious of all whites except
those who had been tested and found true,
Yet never We're the true friends among the
whites held accountable for the wicked
ress of those who had betrayed the red
mems confidence.
Indian CustOms.
The missionary, when he took up his
home with the Ottawas, more than half a
century ago. became TO all intents an In
dian: and in this. let it be remarked in
passing, lies much of the strength of the
Catholic church 1t Is their aim to Sc
cure and retain the full confidence of their
untutored charges by becoming one of
them. living With them. teaching. leading
and directing, not as one of n superior
race, but as a friend and brother capable
of feeling all their sorrows and rejoicing
with their Sladness- The missionary re-
tanned the black robe. which is the Sarb.
Of a priest of his church the world over,
but In other matters he conformed to the
Indian standards of living. He wa al
ways supplied with n pony by the Indians
and this pony he rode as they did without
saddle or birdie, directing the beast more
by words than by force. The ponies were
half wild. hard TO catch and remarkably
active with their heels. but once mounted
seemed to take the rider as Il matter of
docile beasts of burden until such time as
their rider dismounted, after which there
was usually a struggle before the seat was
again secured.
The pastor of this flock of %redskinnad
children, in the forest primeval, early i'm
pressed upon his congregation the neces-
ttty of his being paid u salary. 1t was
cheerfully paid. ard consisted of fish and
maple sugar-fish for the missionary's
table and sugar every spring-sometimes
but twenty pounds, another season a hun
dred. The sugar was sod for cash OF
supplies. usually the latter. and upon the
sale of his sugar the good priest depended
for many years to secure the few things
which his simple mode OF living required
beyond the fish from the lakes and rivers
and the vegetables from his garden.
How Women Were Treated.
The old missionary denied. with consid-
cradle indignation, the popular opinion thai
The Indian women We're beasts OF burden
and were treated cavalierly by their lords
and masters. The hunting and fishing
were done by the men, and gardening by
the women. The fashioning and the making
OF the garments was also n task of thu
women and the decoration of moccasins
with ~porcupine quilts and later with col
ored glass beads took the place of the
crocheting and fancy work enjoyed by the
white sisters. Much of the quill and bead
work was truly beautiful. showing the
savages to he possessed of an artistic eye,
The blanket work of the Indians was also
remarkable for handsome designs and dur
ability, strips of elm and other suitable
woods. handsomely colored with vegeta.
BILE dyes. affording the materials.
Although Father Mrak reached the OF
tawa settlement at Grand Traverse bay ig
norant of the first word of their language
he soon mastered it sufficiently to meet his
requirements and later compiled a yery
complete vocabulary and grammar. He
was not content TO remain a spiritual adj
wiser only, but saw. with the wisdom OF
me true missionary; that it was his duty
looked up to him, with aid temporal as
well as spiritual. He speedily became
teacher. farmer and mechanic. as well as
preacher Bringing to bear all his native
ingenuity, he repaired the few guns pos
sessed by the men of the village. bull
wagons and laborod diligently at what.
ever his hand found to do that worked for
the moral or material advancement of his
"harges.
Taught Them Mechanical Trades.
The Ottawas were In receipt of an an.
nual stipend from the government. in lieu
of a big tract which they had coded to the
Great Father mt Washington. the cessior
having been secured in much the SAM
manner as other c~esSions had been gotten
until the aboriginal inhabitant WAS crowd.
cd into the far West and odd corners In
the Central Western states. This money
when paid. the first season after the mis-.
sion.rys arrival. was brought 10 his loe
house 10y the chief, attended by the hon,
men of the tribe. 1t was turned over 4,
him with the request that he do with il
what he thought was best for his children
Deeply touched by this mark of trust, tho
good priest expended the money in tools
seed, and wagon wheels, teaching the In.
dams how to make the wagon bodies 4,
lit the wheels. he feeling doubtful of hi,
ability to turn WheelwriRht succcssfuIIy
Under his direction several of the Indian:
speedily developed into good mechanics
doing blacksmithing. carpenter work an,
building boats which mpa favora hi,
with those of the white settlers. who wer.
scattered thiuiy through the northern par
of the state.
Father Mrak also furnished potatoes I,
Indians of Beaver island. forty miles OF
the mainland. In Lake Michigan, who In,
depended almost solely on fish for food
after which the conditions of the islam,
Indians was much bettered. as their nota
10 crop thrived wonderfully and assure,
them an abundance of food for the winter
something which had formerly been tn.