The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-29
FROM THE INDIAN TERRITORY.
A North Carolina Girl Writes of Life Among
the Indians

To the Editor: Thinking few lines from
Tar Heel girl, now teaching school in
this country, might be of interest to some
Of your readers, / will, at the risk of it's
going to the waste basket attempt writ
ing them, although writing is not my
forte. This portion of the country is oc-
cupied by the full bloods, and, until the
last few years they had preserved, almost
intact, the manners and customs of their
ancestors, who formerly roamed amid the
mountains of Western North Carolina, but
Ichabod! their glory is departing, and
they are fast learning to accommodate
themselves to the ways of civilization
dished UP pale face style. No longer gor-
geous in war-paint and feathers does the
Cherokee brave with eagle eye guide the
feathered shaft in its flight to some I'M
suspecting quarry but in its stead guides
two steers and a pair of long cared mules
attached to number nine plow. In
place of welding the tomahawk. he now
yields the hoe, and the world is safe for
the change.
There is much to enlist our sympathy
in the past history of the Indian. In our
dealings with him, the Golden Rule was
generally ignored, and Rob Roys simple
plan, that 'sthey should take, who have
the power, and they should keep who can, >"
adopted in it's stead AS a result, poor
10 has lurking distrust of the pale
face, distrust engendered and fostered
by the treatment accorded his ancestors
in the past. The Indian possesses many
noble characteristics, and it can be said
of him as of the ancient Persian, that he
can ride, shoot and tell the truth. He
lives very close to nature, and many or
her pages that puzzle the white man, are
to him as an open book. He is versed in
weather signs. and wise in woodcraft
and understands the medicinal properties
of roots, banks and seeds, better than a
whole college of physicians.
His religious beliefs are dim, vague and
indefinite, and has only the mildest long
ing for the gold-paved streets and Jasper
walls of the Christian heaven. He be-
leves in Great Spirit, who has prepared
a happy hunting ground for him. where
he may wander at will through cool,
shady forests and lie down upon the
greensward and be lulled to sleep by the
musical murmur of some pulluted stream.
His religious rites and ceremonies are
frequent and remind one strongly of the
Jewish ceremonials. / have attended
their festivals, such as THE Feast OF
Green Corn and publication dances, and
been highly impressed by the air of SOL
emn earnestness pervading all. Their
Medicine Men are continual puzzle to
me- 1t is fact well known and acknowl-
edged here, that in the treatment of
many diseases, which try the patients
and battle the skill of the best white ply
sicians, the Medicine Man is almost in
fallible. / have watched them time and
again perform their lamentations and ad-
minister their portions. and the result
frequently appeared to me little less than
miraculous. Truth compels me to state
however, that when attending white pa
tients. they discard incantations and rely
entirely upon potions
This region. will some day be garden
spot. as the climate is good, the soil fer
tile and the, water good. At present,
however it offers no inducements 20 thA
emgrant DESTROYS of owning a homo, as
the lands are owned by the tribe in com
mon and can not be purchased by TIL.
pale face 1t is paradise for the settler
as the Indian is the easiest and most
ndulgent of landlords. The only say
open to the whites for securing land at
present is inter marriage with citizens
and many are so doing. The indian girl
is generally handsome and we'll educated,
and the young men fine looking. Many
a white girl might do worse than marry
a Cherokee or Choctaw. Tribal organiza-
lions are being fast broken w, and in
few years the Indian will become
full fledged citizen of the United States.
When the present treaty, now before
Congress is ratified, there will be fine
openings for teachers here. Wages are
good and the legal length of the school
term nine months.
ELLA LILLARD.
Cookson, Indian Territory