The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-08-27
.GLUTTONOUS SIOUX.
The Once Great TI1be Reduced to =
Remnant and Very Largely
Through Inordinate
Appetite.


II Thomas A. Edison referred 10
'the American Indians when he SAID
that people were eating themselves %
death. he could find plenty OF cor
roboration OF his theory on the reser-
vations. 0vereating is doing more to
bring about the extinction of the Sioux
and fankton Indians than race SUI
eide. fre water and all the diseases
which hann he wiewan o. The req
man.
The great tribe Of Sioux Indians il
disappearing. The members. il is de-
clared. are literally eating themselves
to death on account Of the plenty
about them
With the new railroad being built
through the White river valley the
Indians viii be enabled TO secure sup
plies with greater ease. They are
likely to become greater feeders than
they are now, and thus to hasten the
time OF their disappearance from lbe
reservations in South Dakota.
II oorroboratiye evidence was not
easily obtained, It would scarcely be-
accepted as true that In the course
OF night OF feasting, dancing ana
story telling the average Indian viii
consume from 10 to Is pounds OF meat.
and II he has an abundance OF foo0
and can make his own selection or
the parts 20 be eaten he win swallow
without inocnyenience not less than
20 pounds Of meat in a single night
Carloads of canned meats are CONF
sumed by the overfed Sioux Indians.
and some canned goods have become
almost as sacred dish with the red
men as the fat dog stew Of old. for
which the Sioux tribe is famous
Among the varieties of canned goods
eaten to excess. the oyster holds first
place. A hungry Indian will eat half
dozen cans and drink the liquor
Besides the harm cone by eating ex-
cesslve amounts Of food, the fact that
II is not properly prepared makes ~
the more injurious. There is no va
riety or style about Sioux Indian
cookery, no French methods, no ne
cesslty for titillating appetites already
over keen.
A rot full Of meat and water Is put
on the fire by the sGuaw and allowed
to heat but there is no definite TIM.
for the meal TO cook and no point IN
the cooking process when Il is done
The dinner is ready whenever her lord-
comes in and grunts about being
hungry
If the Indian is especially hungry
he may begin on the contents OF the
kettle by the time the meat is fairly
warm. There is never any fault-find-
ing about the way In which the food
is prepared. and whether 1t is halt
raw or done TO rags. no objection is
made by the head Of the family
The Indians know the choicest I'D
bits of every animal, and how 50
cook them. The hunt at this time of
the year gives the Sioux Indian the
fullest enjoyment Of his appetite, and
during the next three months the
average buck win devour enough meat
to satisfy -four ordinary men.
Condiments are in great demand by
the Indians, and the Sioux Indians
probably consume more black and
red Pepper per capita than any other
people in the United States Their
former favorite condiment was the
sall OF an elk.
The Sioux Indians are responsible
for the reputation which nearly all
tribes have Of eating dog meat, bat
there are few other tribes which ever
served dog meat, even at the feast
Of important ceremonies The Chey-
ennes, Shoshones and Arapahoes never
touch dog meat.