The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-03

~ 1.-TWO thousand pagan INDIANS
in Western New York are greatly agi-
tated. The annual strawberry thanks
giving festival is being celebrated at
all the pagan centers in the Tonawan-
da, Cattaraugus and Allegany reserva-
tons; and at this feast, perhaps the
last of it's kind, the pagans are lament
ing their condition.
For hundreds of years pagan preach
ers have been promulgating the doc
| trines of the Great Spirit, his messen-
ger Hiawatha and his prophet Goneo-
| diu, and although the Christian mis-
sionaries up to 1850 made many con-
versions among the New York Iroquois,
at that time the so-called pagans made
a stubborn resistance and succeeded in
preventing any further PROSECUTING.
! Now, however, missions have been
established in the very midst of the
pagan strongholds, and one by one the
Indians are joining the churches of
the white men. Chief Cornplanter,
the last and only remaining priest Of
1 the ancient Iroquois religion, has been
won over to Christianity by Bishop
| Walker, of the Buffalo diocese of the
Episcopal church. Chief Cornplanter
was the officiating Indian priest at the
funeral Of Mrs. Harriet Maxwell Con-
verse last November.
During the preliminary session of the
! strawberry feast the preacher chief
! arose in the ancient council hall and
proclaimed himself no longer follow
| er Of the Great Spirit of the Indian.
but convert to the God of the white
man. AT this announcement the In
dams present were astounded
! Then ho ont
| en- and children burst into tears They
had lost the last and only preacher of
the old time way, the only living man
that knew by heart the traditions,
laws, ritual and mysteries of the Great
Spirit. Excitement ran high in the
council hall, and at last pagan ora
tor arose and cried:
(H1aWatha), of Handsome Lake. Of Red
Jacket and of Garangula, is our god!
we understand his laws and have lived
| by them for years-for centuries We
do not understand the white mans
way.
Then let us abide firm in the old
faith! Let US be Indians, Senecas, for
ever!"
A mighty shout of "Nyuh!" rent the
air of the ceremonial lodge, and the
presiding chief started the sacred
praise dance, leading the people with
slow solemn step around the lodge
ana singing the old spirit song of his
Long ago ancestors. With every step
the pagans resolved anew to cling fast
to the ways of the great Nature Father
and live as his prophets had taught.
| chief Kettle Immediately dispatched
a message to Chief Gyantwana. in
which he said: MY people! Ny peo-
pie! SO many-they journeying
| church way!"
In all the pagan districts families are
divided. 1t is brother against brother.
Husband is at enmity with wife, Rela-
tlVes are estranged and little children
are confused, for part Of the household
cllngs tenaciously to the faith of their
1athers and the other half has embrace
ed the religion of the Missionaries.
4 The 1roquois reservations, of which
there are six in the state, have been
fields of great labor on the part of the
missionaries for many years, and
through their efforts the St Regis Mo-
hawks and the Tuscaroras have been
entirely ChriStianiZed, the former by
| the Roman Catholic and Methodist
churches, and the latter by the Bap-
lists.
+ The Tuscarora reservation is at
Lewiston, Niagara county, just below
Niagara Falls, and it. is said by some
that their choice of faith is due en-
| tirely to their proximity to so much
water. The Tuscaroras to a child are
all Baptists.
On the other reservations the condi-
lions are different. For fifty years half
the Onondagas, whose reservation is at
| Onondaga Castle, seven miles from Sy-
racuse, have been Christians and the
other half pagans, or followers of the
old-time teachings of the messengers
of the Great Spirit. This same condi-
ton prevails on all the other reServa-
TONS
Each element has chosen a separate
portion of the reservation, and
| through years of separation the diff
ferent factions have come to regard
each other with no small degree of
hostility. The Christian Indian regards
| the pagan as a semi savage creature
and disgrace to his people and age.
| On the other hand, the pagan regards
the Christian Indian as the plaything
of scheming land grabbers. as a man
ashamed of his ancestry and a traitor
| to his race.
The opinion Of the neighboring
whites of these conflicting parties is
| that while the pagan is more unpro-
gressive he is also the more honest
Many of the Christian Indians ac-
knowledge this also.
William Brown. the storekeeper al
| Versailles, village on the border of
4
] credited with the following story: A
Seneca Indian, mud despatched and
clad in overalls, entered his store and
asked to see a pair of shoes. Brown
Immediately pulled down cheap pair
of farm shoes and showed them to the
Indian.
mo, no." said the red man, "I want
good Shoes
An expensive pair was taken from
the shelf and fitted to the Indian, who
was greatly pleased with them
| Good, good" he exclaimed, It'll take
| the Shoes
Brown wrapped them up while his
customer was getting back into his
old boots. Then to the establishment
of the dealer, the Indian picked up his
purchase and started off without a
word.
Hey, there. come back!" yelled
Brown. You haven't settled yetl''
How much?" was the reply.
six dollars" answered Brown.
"All right" said the Indian as he
stalked on.
Again the excited storekeeper cried
Hey! You haven't settled, I TOLD
you'll"
/ Angrily the Indian turned and ex-
claimed:
What! Do you think that I an
dishonest? You don't know my name