Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-05
November s, 1899.

nails of Iowa, / visited the Musquakie In
dian reservation, located about four miles
southwest of Toledo, Tama county, Ia, my
object being to learn what l could Of the
home life and social and mental status OF
the Indian-his progress in civilization, his
hope and prospects If any he had, what had
been done for him by the government and
such other facts as might show either upon
the surface or be learned by inquiry on the
ground
While it is generally understood that
remnant Of the Sac and Fox tribe of Indians
is living on a small reservation in the very
heart of Iowa, little seems to be known
of this once strong, warlike and aggressive
tribe. 1t was this people who made the
name of Black Hawk a terror to the early
settler a fact that seems now almost in
credible, for their children Of today reverse
all the notions we have absorbed from our
early reading, wherein the savage virtues
lend charm to savage deeds.
Their tribal history, since they buried
!. the hatchet in 1888, has no parallel. Briefly
told, it is as follows In 1912 they ceded
their lands in Iowa to the United States,
z taking in payment a reservation in Kansas
md an annuity. Very soon thereafter, how
ever, certain families came back to their
old haunts on the Iowa river. Others fol-
owed, so that by 1855 800 had returned, all
Of whom were fully determined to remain.
AS they were as harmless as children, the
state of Iowa, in 1856, enacted law permit
ting them to remain so long as they were
peaceful The next year they made their
first purchase of land, eighty acres, which
phas now been increased to four and
half sections, all held in
rust for them, some by the governor of
owa and some by the local Indian agent.
rpl,, sod to
his Iowa scheme and tried to induce the
indians to return to their reservation by
putting off their annuities. This severe
discipline was continued for more than a
dozen years, and up to 1857. 1t failed to
move a single Indian. Then, during the
same year, the secretary of the interior
eeremptorily ordered them back. They
fatly refused. Later in the year congress
granted them the right to receive their an
nuity in Iowa and recognized them as a
separate tribe and appointed an agent to
look after them.
Their numbers vary but little from year
to year. keeping close to the 400 mark,
more or less, besides about thirty strag
glers from other tribes who have settled
with them in order to escape the burdens OF
civilization as found on the ordinary reser-
vation.
When l made my first visit the ther-
mometer marked three degrees below zero
pand the wind was blowing stiff breeze.
4 had letter to w. S. Stoops, a mission
eacher on the reservation, who showed
me the grounds and the people
and let me into their lives and their wicki-
ups to my perfect satisfaction.
The first wickiup we interviewed is typ
3 ical of all the rest and the home life, the
family circle, the family comforts are also
without shadow of change. We made NJ
halt as we reached the wickiup to announce
our coming, but lifted the dirty fragment
of blanket that hung over the opening
ducked our heads and went in. A couple
of feet from the door fire was burning ol
q the bare ground, the smoke Of which ros
straight up and escaped through an opening
= in the roof. On each of three sides of tn
fire was spread, upon the hard ground,
st-off blanket that showed little patche
of earth through it's unpatched rents
Suuatted upon one Of these blankets, tailo
fashion, were the lord of the wigwam an
his buXom squaw. Opposite them were wv
young squaws, aged about 20 years, seate
like the others, and we were motioned to as
sumo like attitude on the third blanke
our host observing: "Smoke eye make ey
sick" The advice good and we e.
!, down.
No Work. No Play.
In this manner nearly all Of them S
during the entire winter day, with no wol
of any kind and with nothing to relieve Il
mind; just sit and vacanty stare straig
ahead, occasionally pushing burnt-of sti'
q up into the fire, and waiting till anoth
q burns off and then repeating the operate
I, as need requires. At night they pull doV
the night blanket, unkink their legs, II
up and lie next to the fire, turning over oft
a to warm the cold side and push together t
embers. The winter tepee is constructed
wickerwork made of the broad leaves
s rushes cut about four feet long and stitch
III together SO that the edges just touch, a
n made into rolls. In building wicki
a these rolls are spread over framework
small willow bOughs, each roll being lapp
~ over another till the enclosure is compile
and the mansion is ready for its occupan
AS the zero air sifted through thousa
"A visible openings in this WickerWork 1t "