La Junta tribune., 1899-12-02
THE LAST OF A TRIBE
CUSTOM OF IOWA INDIANS.
Lifs of Ease on Their Rsssrvstass h Ok
lAhoma - Squsw Trsdisg Coonoa =
Chlldrsu shan school

Most OF the seventy eight remnants
OF the once powerful lowGs live on
their allotmenk near Perkins, Okla
homa Territory. They are not men
with the hoe, as most OF their choice
lands are eniher uncultivated or else
titled by whites. They employ their
time in eating. sleeping, dancing. grunt-
Ing, visiting and worshipping. They
consider all the various doings-includ-
Ing horse racing and trading sQuaws-
as religious ceremonies.
Their religion il n grotesque mixture
Of paganism and Christianity. They
are ardent un-worshippcrs, calling
often upon Jesus. who they say In In
the glorious orb OF day. They believe
in spiritual horses, dogs and even green
prairies where no troublesome white
man or bad Indian can molest them.
Bill Dole. a very unctnous old limb Of
the expiring tribe. said: Il have eleven
eIuaws and pappooscs up there, and
lots OF spotted ponies eating grass up
there Oh the ever green prairies. l
ran see them on every cloudless day"
Bill. however. got married again last
week 10 four. times widow. Mos, OF
their wigwams are adorned with gor-
ceonsly cuIorcd pictures of scriptural
scenes
They still persist. In spite OF having
been notified repeatedly not TO do 80.
in deposi,ing their dead ON the surface
OF the earth. The graveyard In the
old, deserted iowa Indian village on
Bear creek. Lincoln county. IL dis
gustIng. sickening boncyard. Glut'on-
ous turkey buzzards and irreverent
hogs fight over the remains.
Dan Tohee. a llneal descendant OF
tl.. .-,ral 'Inlax. family
officiates as chief OF the little tribe. He
looks very digniiied. never gets drunk
nor trades wives and Is not much Of
liar. His brother Dave. however
seems To be the black sheep OF the To
hec family. His sixth sluaw died last
spring. and after bowling seven nights
around her dead house he put IA 81.
marble cross near her resting place and
began preparations for Il union with
squaw No. :.
The Iowas delight to drink n slightly
Intoxicating concoction made OF fer
menie-i and boiled corn. sumach Der
rles, sugar and Wild onions, After gulp
Ing down copious draugh;s of the bev.
crage they get exceedingly happy and
talk about the good times coming
when only good lowas win inhabit the
whole OF oklahoma.
Getting some Of the white mans edu
cation is one OF their greatest hard
ships. The young fowas. like snails
crawl TO school," They play sick. and
sometimes even dead. to keep from Mt
tending. The older ones consider the
younger ones martyrs during school
hours and often help them to evade thu
task. Two years ago they induced the
Indian department To allow them ts
have school right nt home. They had
costly building erected and several
teachers were hired. but. alas! only
about six Juvenile redskins attended
the school
The Iowas hate working on the road
even worse than amy other Kind Of II
bor. Eight Of them stnrted on n pro
trncted visit TO Nebraska last summer
simply to escape from working thret
days on the roads which they trave
more than any white man.
They regard all physical and othe
ailments as the work Of .'imps within
and take strong emetics and vomit thu
evil spirits through the knot holes int
hollow trees. Perhaps. through som,
sort OF faith.cure process, this Away
seems to make them feel all right fos
awhile.