Arizona republican., 1902-08-10
The California Indians

\ hundred years ago fOrty-t1ur thousand Indians lived in California. dGISeI in and ou' of lhe bush and fed CT crushed aoorns. several kinds of desert shrubs. and every now and then chased down to the shore to lock fOr dead whales. Wien dead whale was seen floating fin they made fires on the tops of the hills and called hundreds Of their friends from all parts of the district to the feast. Then they gorged themselves with the raw flesh and went to sleep in the sand or under some convenient bush, and when they aWckt ! they went at the whale again.
 Indians never have regular meals in their wild state. But the Franciscan fathers came from Mexico and Spain and preached to these Wretches and they became wiling to dc what the priests told them. They thought very i likely that the fathers were little gods, l and obeyed them like little children. So man! cane and worred that the | good fathers made them b.gild great | missions. the ruins Of which now re- | main all over California and are nice for visitors to look at: and they will stay until some daE an earthquake comes and shakes them all down. | About two years ago an earthquake | came in the San Jacinto mountains ! ard killed four cd Indian squaws. but the Indians did not live in the mis- s.ons. clly the unmarried females. who were taught sewing and basKet making hE the farmers. Ali the married In diars and the single men slept every night in reed huts' ill the fields outside the mission. As the Indians never wash themselves their huts get veryi -i.srI- CTS burnt up their huts and made them set new ones. because fire cleans better. i than scap.
 You can picture to your mind the euiet and peaceful lie these good fath- CTS and happy Indians had every day 1 in those soCd old days in this beautiful climate where there is no thunder or l-t,1tninS and almost every day. except :. -e" days in December. when it rains th1 sun is shining and there are no { clouds. only little fog once in awhile It six o'clcCk in the morning the old | mission bell rang. for the fathers al-
 ways brought bells with them when 1 they set up q mission, to call the h. dians tn prayers. They all assembled ! perhaps tV e.Ve hundred. in the open place behind every mission enclosed by walls. and the fathers prayed and blessed them end chantsd Than thei Indians went t. the mission kitchen and were given quantities of y5ge- i tables and soun to last them for the day. Then they eat some of this ana went to work. At eleven o'clock d don key went around the fields 10 the In i Cians and was loaded with cans of wtetcncd water and vinegar: this they drank -At noon they had lunch cat in the fields and about five o'clock the ] bell rang out again tc call them to ! V0sl le.s-6VeninG prayer at the mission. For Wei king q year each Indian got q shirt and . pair of trousers They | had plenty to eat. lots of W.cfk and the ] blessing of the good fathers daily; ] what more did they want? But the 1 republic of Mexico. which d that time i owned California, looked on the riches i of the fathers. their fields and cattle. ] Of which one mission alone owned ] thirty thousand head, and desired ! then So this government told the l fathers 10 gi:a up their lands and the 1 Indians We're sent away to the Wilds of the forest again. They got idle and
 bad. drinking wine and doing many l things that shorten life and bring sick ! ness; many thousands of them died of smallpox. Alter the fathers let many 1 white people cane in and iii 1S46 the
 Caitcd States government LOOK posses
 sion Of California. The Indians went | back into the mountains and lived Ike
 trailpS, unul rCW instead of forty-four thousand there are only about three 1 thousand left and these work at bas- F2t weaving, sheep shealing and wood
 cutting, but they prefer not to worx
 and spend most Of their time i'll idle ] ness- Some of them come to Los An
 geles, large town in California, and
 walk about the streets selling rockin.;
 birds and little toy Indian bows and
 alloWs. They are all dressed now like
 the Americans. but in the time of the
 fathers they wore very little clothes.
 and before the fathers came tEey wore
 none a. all.
 The United States government has
 SiVe1 them some land not very god
 land, but enough to keep them aliva
 and to enable them to make mCney if
 thcy would only work upo;i it: but they
 tio not work any more than they have
 tc. and they rent this land l. white
 men, who sometimes give them work.
 such ts sbe2ring sheep and chOppinS
 ENoci. They used to have d custom O.
 burning up the houses of all Indians
 who died and all that belonged to
 them They do not do this so much
 now. but such behavior loads to their
 being very poor. for all they Go get
 together is burned when there is a
 death in the family. They are still
 quite lazy and somewhat happy. for
 they Keep up all the feasts Of the Cath
 olic church by getting very drunk.
 Tne.i they have some heathen holidays
 Of their own which keeps them frcm
 work. The children Of the Indians are
 being taught and Kept by the United
 States government, so it is hoped that
 in tilne t3 come the children will grow
 ID aEI be busy and good and not