The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-05-01
RALEIGH, N. c., TUEDAY. MAY /. 1900.
FROM TIE INDIAN TERRITORY.
A North Carolina Girl Writes of Life Among
the Indians.

To the Editor: Thinking few lines from
a Tar Heel girl, now teaching school in
this country might be Of interest to some
of your readers, / viii, at the risk Of its
going TO the waste basket, attempt writ
ing them, although writing is not my
forte. This portion of the country is Oc-
cuped 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,
dshed 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 un
suspecting quarry, but in its stead guides
| Two steers and pair of long cared mules
attached to a number nine piOW. In
place Of welding the tomahawI, he now
Wieds 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 ier red, and Rob Roys simple
plan. that they should take. who have
the power, and they should keep who can,
adopted in its stead. AS q result, poor
Lo has a 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 of
her pages that puzzle the white man, are
to him open book. He is versed in
weather signs. and wise in woodcraft,
and understands the medicinal properties
of roots, barks and seeds better than
whole college of physicians.
His religious beliefs are dim vague and
indefinite, and has only the mildest long
ing for the gold-p paved streets and Jasper
walls of the Christian heaven. He be-
lieyeS IN q 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.
Ills 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
emn earnestness /peryading all. Their
Medicine Men are a continual puzzle to
me II is a fact we'll known and achnOWl-
edged here. that in the treatment of
many diseases. which try the patients
and battle the skill Of the best white ply
sicans. the Medicine Man is almost in
fallible. | have watched them time and
again perform their incantations 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
tents they discard incantations and re, !
entirely upon potions.
This region. Will some dag be a garden
! spot, as the climate is good, the soil fer
| tile and the water good At present,
| however, it offers no inducements 20 thA
emigrant desirous of owning homo, a.
the lands are owned by the tribe in COM
mon and can not be purchased hy the
pale-face. 1t is a paradise for the settler
as the Indian is the easiest and most
indulgent Of landlords. The only ta~
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
white girl might do worse than marry
a Cheroke or Choctaw. Tribal Organiza-
tions are being fast broken W. and in
d few years the Indian will become
| full -fedged citizen Of tho United States
When the present treaty, now before
Congress IS ratified there Will be fn,
openings for teachers here. Wages are
good and the legal langh OF the school
term nine months
ELLA LIL-ARD