The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-05

belongings and set! out in their canoes !
to commence all over again-and yet
not where they started under Father
Duncans guidance, f n they could not
be robbed of their religion or the adj
Vancement they had made in civiliza-
ton.
I is pathetic story which recounts
i the sacrifices they made for their
religious and communal liberty.
The Pilgrim fathers in their migration
to new world for conscience sake
were scarcely more. heroic in spirit
The work Of thirty years Of toilsome
and patient struggle up the long and
weary pathway which they had
climbed from a state Of savagery to
the condition Of an orderly, law
abiding and self-governing Christian
community-all theys had achieved as
represented in a neat and well-built
village, which compelled the admira-
ton of travellers from Europe and
America, was left behind ITO begin
again in the wilderness.
| This migration took place in 1887,
and no people have been more deeply
interested; and none so vitality con-
over the Alaskan boundary, which
might have left. them in British ter
ritory and raised again the question of
| their title to their homes, and their
church and schools and factories.
Father Duncan's theory of eleva-
| ton of the Indian was not to teach
him religion alone, but to instruct him
in crafts and occupations which
should make him, a self-supportiEg
and self-respectings 5nan. This was
undertaken long before the migration
Of 1887. In 1870 Father Duncan went
back to- England tosacquire knowl-
edge Of several simple trades that he
might instruct his people, and to pur-
chase such tools and machinery as his
Well-conceived plans made necessary.
At Yarmouth he learned rope-making
( and twine-spinning, at another place
blacksfnithing and brush-making; he
learned how to build and operate a
sawmill, and with a breadth Of view
which explains in part his wonderful
success, he learned 1.-THE gamut of each
| of twenty band Instruments.
! New Metlakahtla, which we visited
on the upward passage from Seattle to
/ SkagWay, is to-day H. village of 500 in
haplCanlS. Inc IigSt Conspicuous on
ject is the church, a. fine looking frame
structure capable Of seating practically
the whole village This house was
built entirely by the Indians. 1t
1 would compare favorably both in in
1 terror and exterior finish with the
average church building in western
towns Of 5000 people. There is a
schoolhouse, "a girls boarding school
a town hall, several stores, a saw mill
run by water power, a system of
waterWO rks, a cannery where 10000
cases of salmon can be packed in one
season, two steam vessels, dock and
warehouses, sidewalks and comfort
able looking cottages of one or two
stories with small flower and vegetable
gardens. About. this saw mill Father
Duncan tells an interesting story
When he told his people that he was
going to make water saw wood, they
were very skeptical, Notwithstanding
: their great faith in him: One old mar
who had survived 1.-THE days of canni-
. balism, said he would never believe
it. Wait" said Father Duncan, "anc
7 you will*see.'' When the mill ha6
been !. completed, and the < wate1
I neighboring hill and turned on the
) wheel and the saw had cut it's wa.
. thru the log from one end to- the
: other. the 4 old chief, who sat anc
) watched the operation in silence, nod
ded his head solemnly and said
IT have seen water saw WOOD; now
, de- why do you want to dle?'' n
was asked. Il have seen water saw
wood; now I die and take the new!
. to the chiefs who have died
THIS community has an organiza
i ton comprising a council OF th1r
ty members, with presiding OF
ficer. Twenty constables constitute
the police department, but their serv
ices are seldom needed. Village take
are levied for public Improvement
and for the maintenance Of the school
Land hospital. The land belongs to tn
community, but individuals may &C
quire title from the community t
land on which. to build their houses
Business is done on a business basis
The cannery and the saWmlii oelon
to companies In which individual In
dams have stock on which they hav
received dividends, and the employe
are paid regular wages OF from LIB
to 81 a day. The people are we
clothed and the general appearance
Of things is that Of comfort and cor
tent.
One Of the features Of the villag
is a band of tWenty-one pieces, Whic
other travellers have said plays we
the national airs and other simp
i music. It was q matter of keen RI
greet to the leader that nearly all h
members were away fishing when "
called-he would have been glad
give us a serenade. The children an
many OF the adults speak English, tn
some Of them smash it up a GOO
) deal in the effort. Father Dunca
met these people. first on the grour
! of their own language, and did NJ
insist on trying to teach them En-
a lish; $, but the later generation h;
n made some progress in that directio
OF This is only the outline of the hi
st tory OF this remarkable communtt
Sc and it is introduced here not becau
m it is altogether new to newspaper rea'
o. ers, but because 1t illustrates what h;
NJ been done by one devoted man worl
M ing all alone and contending. at time
ed not only with the ignorance and supe
IN stition and native savagery Of the
n people, but with narrow and stup
ne ecclesiasticisn1, and proves what CT
w be done for the Indians OF Alaska
ty well directed effort. s.s IS
.ir 8
at r DO NOT wish to be understood
nd j assuming that Father. Duncan
by the only one who has labor
ed zealously for the uplifting OF t
ey Alaska Indian. 7 have already, lin
p- previous chapter, described the wo