The times., 1901-05-19


Axtees In Mexico Compared to
That of the Red Men of the United
states-Tradition of the NardanIxos.
/ An Indian agent has opportunities eth
er fs- sacrificing the Indians to his IN
terests. or of sacrificing his own profit
and pleasure to the welfare Of the red
man. An agent OF the latter class re-
Gently visited the City of Mexico. unofh-
ciaily. for the purpose Of making some
investigatins relating t. the land titles of
the Kickapoo tribe which occupies res
ervation under the Mexican Government.
The agent, in speaking of his Journey to
the land of the Montezumas. said:
II was in the City of Mexico for about
two weeks. and had an opportunity to
learn a good deal about the descendants
of the Aztecs. There are thousands OF
fuIl-blooded Aztec Indians yet in the Re
public of Mexico. and their condition IS
not as good as that of the negro slaves
in this country before the civil war. The
millions of Indian population in Mexico
are in a condition of beggary and moral
degradation deserving the attention of all
who are interested in the original inhabi-
tants of this continent. The Indians in
the United States are a mere drop in the
CO.
The matter of greatest interest learn
ed In relation 10 the Kickapoo tribe is
that twenty-five years ago there were but
IT'S of the tribe in the Republic of Mex
ico, and that January l, 1899. they had In
creased to 363; while the400 KIckapoos who
were removed by the military from Mex
leo to the United States twenty-five years
ago have now diminished to 1873 individ-
uals
1T cannot be denied that, after sn ex-
penditure by our Government Of more
than $4,000 in an endeavor TO civiIize
them, the North American Indians who
have been allotted lands in severalty with
the surrounding lands open to white set
tIement will, within limited time. be-
come extinct. either by absorption or by
the terrible death rate caused by their
constant aggravation by the white pOpu-
lation surrounding them While, as an
Indian agent l have used and still use the
best energy of my life TO carry out the
policy of this Government toward the In
diaus the only reward and promise that
is now visible for my efforts is the gradu-
al extinction Of the beings 1 am trying to
benefit, and, in the light of my six years
experience. must say frankly that unless
the Indians can be located in some re-
mote region where they can live apart
from the white man. the entire race in
North America viii become, in a few
years hence practically extinct. As evil
dence Of this assertion l cite She fact be-
fore referred to concerning the history OF
the Kickapoos in Mexico and the United
States
Ii is learned, from authentic sources.
that the present condition of many In
dian tribes in this country is truly pitt
able The Mohawlts. for instance, who in
habit the Colorado River reservation. are
entirely dependent on the annual over
flowing of the river and the efficiency Of
their irrigation system, for the success of
their crops. 1t lately happened that the
river failed to make its annual overflow.
and the experimental irrigation pumps
erected some years ago broke down. re-
sulting in the ruin Of all unmatured crops.
and leaving the Indians without opportu-
nifty for self-support on the reservation
AS the agent is only furnished rations TO
supply one-third of the population, many
of the Indians were compelled to leave
the reservation to escape starvation. a
recent report from the Fort Apache Agen-
cy was TO the effect that the Indians OF
that locality were in a starving cOndf-
ton 1t appears that this state of affairs
was Drought ABOUT liEOuSH the QESlA
tion of the crops by floods. and failure
on the part Of the Indians to secure as
large a wood contract as usual from Fort
Apache military post
Teachers in Indian schools are said to
be experiencing great difficulty in persuad-
ing their pupils to become educated The
intelligence of many of the tribes Is SAID
to be of a high order. but the educational
system employed in Government schools
is reported to be antaSonistic to the lndt-
an nature.
The agent above referred to tells an
interesting story which he heard during
his Southern trip 1t appears that be-
tween the NardarkO and Algonquin
tribes. albeit they inhabit the same strip
of country extending from the Rio Grande
along the north coast of the Gulf Of Mex
leo to the mouth of the Mississippi, there
exists a marked difference, in personal
appearance. language, habits. and tradi-
tions The intercourse between the two
tribes is, nevertheless, very close and
friendly.
from the South and that their home at
some remote period was DESTROYED by a
mighty convulsion of nature accompanied
by a terrible trembling OF the earth. AT
this remote period, says their tradition.
hey were possessed of fields enclosed Dy
walls of hewed rock and lived in houses
Of beautiful carved stone After the
trembling of the earth and the sinking of
the land their ancestors removed further
north, according TO their story many gen
erations old, into "a region which they re-
yarded as more secure.
This tradition of the NardarkOs is we'll
known to their brother tribe. the Algon-
luins. The latter are celebrated as great
travellers. many of them making journeys
through Mexico and Central and South
America. In one of these excursions re-
Gently a party of AlgonQuins claimed to
have found. in Guatemala, the ancient
nome of the NariarkOs, which the latter
had described to them They knew the
place they said, when they came upon it
IN some remote wilds, because of the re-
mains of the cut stone houses. the fields
by granite walls, and they cited
many other details which tailed with the
description given them by their brothers.
So far as known the locality in Guatemala
in which the AlGonquins made the dis
covery has never been visited By white
man.