Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-13
THE INDIAN MAN
The Buck is Proud and the
Squaw Must Work.
WANTS TO BE CHIEF
EVEN THE COLLEGE BRED LIKE
THE TEPEE BEST.
While They Do Not Know How to
Invest Money, They Make
Shrewd Bargains.

Many years ago in little town of north
" estern Nebraska | saw an Old INDIAN
drive his two-horse wagon up before
dry goods store. He asked the storekeepst
If he might have an empty box that WAS
out in front. He was told yes. He turned
to his souaw, who sat beside him on the
wagon. and said a few words. She got
down and started to put the box in the
wagon.
Hold up there, you lazy old devil" said
the storekeeper IF you can't get down
yourself and load in box after I've given
it to YOU. YOU can't have it. You get back
up on the wagon" said the merchant to
the squaw.
The Indian drove away and left the box.
This WAS like the Indian. The MANTLE
bucks proud. He makes the sauaw do
the drudge work The buck feels that his
sole OCCUPATION is the warpath. Between
this and hunting or else in getting ready
for battle or for the chase, the lnd1an
spends his time. The squaw may make his
rloccasins but the brave is his own tailor
and the maker OF his ornaments. lie used
to nut in much of his time chipping out
finn arroUheads and stone tona hawks, or
in making his bows, but even in IN" DAYS
OF the flintlock gun he quit all of this in
the east In the west, though, the Indian
laid aside the bow and arrow for the long
shoot only fifty years ago Now nowhere
does the Indian do a great deal. In some
places he farms a little and raises stock
There are no more battles for him to fight.
His hunting grounds are cut by the white
mans plow. About all that is left for him
10 do is to make his war bonnet and once
in a while paint himself for mock pow
WOW.
Love the Power.
Every brave in the old days tried to do
h. l..
chief. For the most part the chieftaincy
went from father to son, but sometimes all
Of the heirs to the throne were killed off
IN one battle, and the tribe had to md
leader in some other family. The reason
nerhaps that every brave wants to be
chief Is because that office gives him
power. The word of the chief must be
obeyed If he says, xiii that man." that
man must die.
The medicine man Is a very great man in
every tribe. / asked an Old medicine man
once how he cured his patients.
..No bottle, JUS hand" he said. Il say:
You die you die; / say: You get well.
YOU get we'll j no make man well, he no
give me money
mo cure, no pay. is it?" sad I.
Eyes. that right. l no cure him. he no
pay"
The Indian medicine men, like the old
negro "yarb doctors" down south, are
thought by many whites to have great
1
friend If he ever treated any whites. he
said to me:
81 doctor some white man Weston close.
He be sick one year. One year poor, M
meat-all same bone. White doctor nc
cure him. doctor him one hour, one day
whole week. Now he see me, he shake
my hand
The Medicine Man.
Since the days of the priest and the mis-
sionary among the Indians the medicine
man has lost some of his grasp. The In
dams now nearly all profess the Christian
religion and there are many native pre- ach-
ers among them who are looked up to quite
as much as the medicine men.
Scouting too is what the Indian likes
War with him is simply hunting big game.
He is built just right for this business. His
eye Is keen and his foot is swift. He will
dare the devil.
But even to be an ordinary Indian is
thought a great blessing by the brave.
When 1t is in the blood 1t is hard to ger
out Most of the young fellows who leave
the Indian colleges when they get back to
their western homes. take to their old
habits again. There is something comfort
able about the blanket. and there Is a free
dom in the tepee. Contentment 10 in the
life of the Indian. One O'Clock with him is