Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-11-30
THEL LAST OF A TRIBE
CUSTOM OF IOWA INDIANS.
Life of Ease on Their Reservation IN "a
lahoms sauaw Trading Common
Chiidrsn shun school

Most Of the seyenty.eishr remnants
OF the once powerful lowas live on
their aIlotments near Perkins, okla
homa Territory. They ART not men
with the hoe, as most OF their choice
lands are eniher uncultiyaIcd or else
TILED by whites. They employ their
time In eating. sleeping, dancing sruht-
ing. visiting and worshippins. Ihey
consider all the various doinss-lnciuu-
| Ing horse-racins and trading squaws-
/ as religious ceremonies.
Their religion il IA grotesque mixture
OF paganism and Christianity. They
are ardent sun-worshippcFs, calling
often upon Jesus, who they say IL In
the glorious orb OF day. They believe
In spiritual horses. dogs and even green
prairles where no troublesome while
man or bad Indian can mOlcst them.
Bill Dole. II very uncIuOus old limb OF
the expiring tribe. said: Il have eleven
sluaws aud pappooses up there. and
lots OF spotted ponies eating grass up
there on tile ever green prnlries- !
can see them on every cioudlcss day
Blil, however. got married again last
week To fOur-ilmcs widow. Most OF
their wigwnms arc adorned with cor.
.cousiy coiorri pictures OF scrIptural
scenes.
They still persist. In spite of having
been notified repeatedly not TO do 10.
In dcposlting their dead OH the surface
OF tho earth. The graveyard In I'll.
old. deserted Iowa Indian village on
Hear creek. Lincoln county. II dis
ersting. sickcnlnc boncynri. Gluiion'
Gus turkey buEEnr,is and iTrcVcrcni
hogs fight over the remains.
Dan Tohcc. lincni descendant of
III. 2.Onycar-oli royal TohC- family
oiiiclaicS us chief OF the little tribe. lie
looks very dIgnIiici. never gets drunk
nor trades wivc~ and IL not much Of o
liar. His broihcr Dave. however
seems to hc the black sheep Of the To
hcc family. His sixth sluaw died last
spring. and after bowling seven nights
around her dead hons. lie put n s..
marble cross near her resting place and
began preparations for n union with
suuaw No. ..
The fowas delight to drink sA.htiy
intoxicating concoction made Of fer
mcn;ei and boiled corn. sumach bcr
rics. sugar and Wild onions. After gulp
Ing down copioais drnuGhis Of the bcv
crngc they get exceedingly happy nne
talk about the good times coming
when only good towns will inhabi, the
whole OF Oklahoma.
Getting some OF the white mans cdu
cation Is ono OF their greatest hard
ships. The young 1owus. like snailx
crawl to school" They play sick. nnc
sometimes even dead. TO keep from at
tending. Tie older ones consider IN.
younger ones martyrs during schoo
hours ana often help them to cvade the
task. Two years ago they induced the
Indian department to allow them tt
have n school right at home. They hac
n costly building erected and scvcrn
teachers We're hired, but. alas! only
about six juvenile redskins a;tcndeS
the school.
The fowns hate working on the road
even worse than any other kind OF In
bor. Eight OF them started on pro
irnctcd visit TO Nebraska last summer
simply TO escape from working three
days on the roads which they travc
more than any white man.
They regard all physical and othci
| ailments rs the work OF ''imps within
and take strong emctics and vomit tn,
evil spirits through the kno, holes int
hollow trees. Perhaps. through som,
sort Of faith-curc process. this nlway,
seems TO make them feel all right foi
awhile.