The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-15
WITH THE
W!CHITAS
Judge MuseIIer Writss Very
Entertainingly
ABOUT TRIBAL PROGRESS
SIoWeSt of All the Indians of
the Plains.
IGNORANT OF HISTORY
Have No Memory of Early
Tribal Events,
IGNORANT OF HISTORY

The following very interesting and welt
written sketch of the Wichita Indians
has been contributed to the Eagle by
Judge A. r. Museller of Perry, Oklahoma.
formerly a judicial officer OF this city.
Judge AIuseller spent many months with
the Wicnitas during the year as allot-
ing agent for the government, and had
/ excellent opportunities Of studying the
Wichita, his mode of living, his charac-
teristics and his adaptability 10 the new
conditions imposed upon him. The arti-
Gle will be read with interest and profit
( by students of ethnology.
The Wichita and affiliated tribes of
I Indians have never been known in either
history, song or story. They are humble
| humble. They have no folk lore and no
historical knowledge OF their own past.
To them, beyond 1859 is as mysterious
as the future is to the most enlightened.
They only say: Here on these plains
and hard by in the Granite Mountains
bearing our tribal name. our ancestors
have roaTned and hunted and planted fer
untold ages. Our forefathers gave their
names to these streams, hills and val
leys. and later, to the towns and forts
for the most part within and near our
own territory.
| They point to the mountains of granite
where new cities are being builded by
the restless white man and say: From
the beginning of time these gigantic hills
have been our hunting grounds, and have
been known as the Wichita Mountains.
From out those rocks our ancestors
sprung" They point to the water courses
and say: I'VE named them before the
| foot of white man trod upon our soil"
kThey point TO the towns and cities with
! in their borders and even there they can
say: You have stolen the euphony of
our lowly language and dignified these
self same centers of population with our
names" But they cannot trace their
windngs and travels back beyond the
present generation. With a graceful
sweep of the hand around the horizon
! they tell the white man that this has
always been their country and there they
/ rest. If contentment be a jewel, then that
! priceless gem glitters resplendently upon
! the expressionless brow of the Indian. II
! 1t is the lodestone that draws him to
quiet groves and sylvan shades beside
murmuring streams. where with rest and
peace and folded hands he whites ne
time away. That is what time is for to
! him. In the beginning this tired feeling
prevented him from becoming a slave
and at last it may prove his undoing.
BY the sweat of thy brow thou shalt
earn thy bread viii from now on ap-
/ ply to the Indian. And, yet. no one has
ever visited the Indian in his native home
where his daily walk and habits could
be closely observed, without having
feeling profound and deep for this mys-
FERROUS being so apparently fresh and
unsullied from the land of nature. An
earthquake shock together with a gen
! eral crumbling of the granite hills of his
! ancestors would scarcely occasion grunt
of surprise from his expressionless lips.
| The Indians ways are not as the white
: mans ways, nor, indeed. viii they ever
be. The absolute lack of curiosity, and
satisfied humdrum of his daily life The
utter lack of desire TO excel or to even
| know, are all only part of the wide diver
/ gence between him and the white man,
1 From the earliest history down to the
present moment these Indians have been
known as inferior Indians as indians
| so. The only proWess ever attributed 10
! the Indian. skill on hunting and zeal in
! his method of warfare. cannot be credited
/ to the Wichitas. From the earliest time
/ of their known history down to the pres
1 ent moment, they have ever been COM
! mon Indians. hewers of wood. drawers
+ OF water and tillers Of the field. With
/ them since 1879 have been affiliated the
! Caddos, a tribe much like them in appear
ance, not only, but in mental and moral
( chara cteristics. as well. From time to
4 time, for the last fifty years they have
4 by action of the council. adopted into
/ their tribe few Indians from other
tribes and also n few white men. They
! have ever been ready to increase their
/ number in this manner. the only requisite
and good works among them for a FEW
years. Altogether they number little
more than one thousand souls. divided as
I follows.
The WIchitas proper number about 10.
/ The Towackonies about $50 The Wacoes
about lS5. The Keeches about 20. The
/ Delawares about 95. The above number
are now all Wichftas proper and speak
I the Wichita language. aud long before
our government had a care OF them they
affiliated together Since 1879 the Caddo
Indians, numbering about 80 souls, in
Guiding the Ionines which they have abb
sorbed. were placed in the Wichita Reser-
alton with the Wichitas proper. with
whom they have ever since dyed in peace
and amity
There IS a vague tradition. based upo-
! am anonymous work published Ia France
+ in 1857. that one, Henry de Tonti, corr
( panion Of la sale. met several wichita
+ chiefs az Natchiotchcs on the Red river IN
! q mighty council. such as tire Indians stil
I love There were mutual expressions ~
good wiz and de- Tonti proceeded onward
in his tolr az Investigation. and the
( wichita cniefs 10 the pople in the nerth-
west After this date the French made
many explorations over the country new
composing parts of Arkansas Louisiana,
: Texas and Oklahoma aHl the Indian Ter-
risorIes. -sn examination ~ the counties
and rivers ~ that section VIII show macy
names stBl fans.liar n tire Wichita afsi5-
ated tribes In -ha year i-aa the French
government Sent BlcuviEe On q voyage
/ or inspection M the mississippi and Rsd
! rivers. when hc reached rolat lear
where the parish II Texas and louisiana
I Is now situated 81 the former stream. p.
struck across ts.s rvsulng sv gal1 Fc-
sson IN q westerly direction Ter Natrf-
itoches on the Rcd river on the rrst
far Oct he u.ts . aarET of uaice.sf
( ,N1chital indians Min several cancfs -
SAT-. gosag sn an sas,sriy dsreesisa. ThiE
VAS . most unusual slshs AID sloNs skat