Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-09
INDIAN TEACHERS
HEAR TALK ON ART
MISS ANGEL DE CORA MAKES
ADDRESS
Tells Her Audience That Indian Art
Is at Its Best When Untram-
meled by Caucasian
Influence

The fourth session or the department ol
Indian education was held yesterday
morning in the state normal school, ir
connection with the N. E. A. While the
session opened at $3.50 o'clock in anticipa-
ton of the event twenty bright-eyed little
Indian maidens left Riverside before
O'Clock in the morning in order to attend
the opening exercises. These girls formed
the mandolin club of the Sherman insti-
tute. They rendered several selections
and won repeated encores.
The session was opened by President
Hail. who spoke briefly on the great ben
efits to be derived from the convention.
He introduced Col. George r. Brown,
who gave several interesting reminis-
cences of his dealings with the Indians.
and told of the progress they had made
in self-support and civilization. Col.
Brown was for many years in charge of
5000 Sioux Indians on the Pine Ridge res
ervation South Dakota.
One of the interesting features of the
day was the address of Miss Angel de
Cora. instructor In native arts at Carlisle
school, Pennsylvania. Miss de Cora spoke
on THE Natural Artistic Talent of the
Indian" She is a member of the Winnie
roamed the plains of Nebraska. Miss de
Cora has evinced remarkable talent and
is very proud of her ancestry.
Miss de Cora spoke of the arts of the
Indians as understood by them. She said
in part:
Indians Are Artistic
Indians, like any other race in its
primitive state, are gifted in original
ideas of ornamentation. The pictorial tai
ent is common to all young Indians. The
method of educating the Indian in the
past was to attempt to transform him
into brown Caucasian within the space
of five years or little more. The educat-
ors made every effort to convince the In
dian that any custom or habit that was
not familiar to the white man showed
savagery and degrade ton. A general at
tempt was made to bring him up to date
THE Indian. who is bound up in trioa
laws and customs, knew not where to
make the distinction, nor what of his
natural instincts to discard, and the con-
sequence was that he either became SUI
perficial and arrogant and denied his race,
or he grew dispirited and silent
I'm exhibitions of Indian school work
the only trace of Indian one
sees are some of the signatures denoting
clannish names. In looking over my pu-
pills native design work / cannot help
calling to mind the Indian woman. un-
taught and unhampered by white mans
ideas of art, making beautiful and intri-
cate designs on her pottery baskets and
beaded articles, which show the inborn
talent.
she sits in the open, drawing her in
spiration from the broad aspects of ma
ture. Her zigzag line indicates the line
Of the hills in the distance, and the blue
and white background so usual in the In
dian color scheme denotes the sky. Her
bold touches of green and red and yellow
she has learned from natures own use of
those colors in the green grass and flow
ers. and the soft tones that were the gen
eral tone of ground color in the days of
skin garments are to her as the parched
grass and the desert. She makes her
strong color contrasts under the glare of
the sun. whose brilliancy makes even her
bright tones seem softened into tints.'
Professor Phenix Speaks
Prof George P Phenix. superintendent
of the academic and normal departments
of the Hampton institute. Virginia. was
1.-The Essential Features of the Education
of the Child Race" Prof PheniX dis
cussed his subject on a broad basis and
said in part:
it must be the unit in all attempts at So
cial betterment of any race. Since the
most important thing for the family is
that all its members he healthy, we must
reEard training in health
full living as the first essential feature in
education.
"Our race problem is threefold one.
1t has to do with three races-the black
man, the red and the brown. These races
have some points of superb
ority to the white man. as they certainly
have some points of inferiority; but it is
quite possible that they may after ALL
without racial irtermingling, have some
important contribution to make to the
civilization of the future.
"NetX in Importance to health in the
home we must place efficiency in home
management; hence | would have as the
second essential such training of the chill
dren as shall tend to secure this end.
This is the opportunity of the school,
have in mind. however, not the prevailing
type of public school in the east.
"The ideal type of school has already
been evolved. ! refer of course to the In
dian day school. Indeed. | can conceive
OF no mora effective instrument of civil
ization than the day school at it's best.
There are enrolled in government hoard
ing schools over 10000 pupils many Of
whom are very young In the dav schools
there are less than 5000 pupils This pro-
portion is not as it should be.
DAY schools naturally differ consider
ably in equipment and inefficiency, but if
we visit one of the better sort we shall
find an efficient man with an efficient
wife in charge. The husband and wife
occupy a little cottage which they have
transformed into a model home. school
house is near by. and the necessary build
ings for housing such horses, cows and
chickens as the little farm may support.
There is enough land fenced in for gar
den and pasture. The whole place is neat
and we'll kept"
Luncheon Is Served
Following the session luncheon was
served to the officers and a few invited
guests at the normal school Indian girls
prepared cooked and served the elab-
crate menu. A local caterer was in charge
but was told that the girls would do all
the cooking and serving. She first met
her assistants at l0:30 o'clock, and at
o'clock the luncheon was served in an
elaborate manner, the girls having done
all the work The caterer remarked that
she never had more able corps of assist
ants.
Last night a reception was rendered
Francis e. Leupp. commissioner of Indian
off foir ha ha