Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-12

A"e HiountallS OF the Mission range
nave many beautiful small lakes,
wherein hsh abound; the timber is thick,
and plenty of game is there. so that the
indians are well supplied with food, and
1t is only necessary for them to go to
the agency when they need blankets and
other clothing. On feast. days they go
to the mission for mass. 1t is a great
sight to see thine come troOping in,
most of them ON horseback, and occa-
sionally whole family in big wagon.
They bring their lodges and set them
up In the yards of friends or else along
the banks of the creek, the squaws
doing all the work while the men sit
around smoking and playing cards.
There is a marked contrast in the
different tribes of Indians. The Flat
heads and Pend d'Oreilles are much
cleaner in every way than the Crees
and kootenays. The Kootenays share
the Jocko reservation with the Pend
d'Oreilles and .Flatheads. while the
Crees are rowing bands of the same
tribe which camps near Butte at GER
tain times. We all know the condition
of the Crees. how shiftless and dirty
they are. The Kootenays are much the
same. Their lodges are black with
smoke and dust and full of patches,
and we'll taken care Of The children
who play around the lodges of the Fla
heads and Pend dOrelles look very
neat. their clothes are clean and in good
condition. while their hair is brushed
until it shines.
On St. Ignatius day, in 1898, the Koo-
tenay chief. Old Ignace. was at the mis-
sion with some of his people. There
were two lodges of them. One would
expect a fine looking camp for such a
noted member of the tribe but it was
a very miserable looking place. The
lodges We're old and ragged, and the oc
cupants certainly did not look like peo-
pie who held high position.
On these occasional visits to the mis-
sion the Indians renew old friendships,
spending the time, when not al service,
visiting and chatting with the families
in the other lodges. After the mass is
over they are off again to the woods.
The Indians on the Jocko reservation
are all Roman Catholics. Missionaries
of that church were sent out to them
from ST. Louis as early as 1870 The
Fathers and Sisters have labored
faithfully and successfully The Ursu-
line Nuns take the children when
very young, sometimes before they are
able to walk, both boys and girls. When
they are older the girls are sent to the
Sisters of the House of Providence and
the boys to the Brothers school There
they stay until they not only have re-
ceived a good common school education,
but are able to do the duties of their
future lves-the girls, Homework and
sewing, and the boys whatever trade
they mean to follow. The Sisters of
the House of Providence have two large
buildings, while the Ursuline nuns have
but one. There was at one time large
building occupied by the boys, but that
was burned down few years ago.
and they are now in rather cramped
quarters.
The singing in church is done by the
girls of the House of Providence. They
sing very well, some of them having
beautiful voices. Occasionally the chill
dren of the Ursuline convent sing the
mass; the children being younger, their
voices are still more beautiful, and it
is as great treat as hearing a fine
boy choir. The boys have a band and
even they are given part in the SER
vice. The Indians are all devoted to
church and the women on the other.
their church. They go to service regu-
larly. The men sit on one side of the
The school children, the half-breeds and
the few white people who live at the
mission have benches in the front part
of the church, While the full blooded
Indians kneel on the floor all during
service. Part of the service is said in
concert by all the Indians in the native
language. Another part is sung, the
music as we'll as the words being ma
tive.
The houses of the civilized Indians
are built of logs, the timber for which
is cut on the reservation and sawed at
the mills of Roman or Jocko. Many of
these houses are two story. The In
dams have not yet learned to enjoy the
white mans comforts. The furniture is
scarce and plain, and there are no car
pets or curtains, or any of the little
things which make a house comforta-
BILE. They have no money to fit "a house
in a comfortable way. even if they
knew how. Then, again, they are not
taught to make use of these things
during their school life. All the ways
of the white men, which they learn, are
taught by the Sisters and Fathers, who,
in their vows, have promised to abstain
from all things except the necessaries
of life. The schools are very plain, al
most bare, and, as the children do not
have those things at home, it is not
surprising that they are ignorant of
them.
The Indians usually have a lodge
standing in the yard. 1t is hard for
them to give up their old life, no mat
ter how comfortable house they may
have. The women do all the work about
the house, even to carrying the water
and chopping the wood. Almost every
Indian family has it's garden or patch
Of vegetables. This is not usually near
the house. but is often mile or more
away. where the soil is better The
women do all the work in these gar
dens, going there early in the morning
and staying all day. They do not go
every day, for the gardens are not
large, only an acre or two. In the
berrying season the women take two
or three days trip into the mountains
for huckleberries. They dry or pre-