The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-10-20

W v. ' AtfNff.
Eleven and . hslf ser-. y, ws~,bury. l. I. 9th
. zen rccrn hours. stable snd ou,bundlnss, 'c'un'
SOs TH CAROLsNa INDIANS.
sssss n rNem wsrmsss -suppevsed ~ Inc
state. They tive Indecent lsves.
On an old rocky hill In the northeastern
section 81 York county live tho
~ the once powerful tribe ~ Cstawba
Indians. Thu reservation. as " h offcislly
known. fronts On Catawhs River. and here
In this space ~ about, am acres these
Indians now make their home. Once roam
ing At will all I'VE the section ~ country
now comprising the counties ~ York.
Lancaster. Chester. Fairfield and Union.
the present condition and hsbitation Of
thcse Indians In only another Instance 81
the result wherever the white man and the
Indian have come in contact.
The Catawbas live now much like their
fathers lived in days past. writes a Chester.
8. c.. correspondent Of the Charleston Ne,rs
and Courier. II Ia true that they have
adopted the dress OF civilization. but the
conditions about their reservation re-
mind one very much Of the home life Of
the Indisns as described in history. Living
III v bb'r Y u VI toTU,
cotton, and possibly a few other crops.
one almost imaeines that he has stepped
into America along with Raleigh. John smith
or any Of the heroes Of old. The work 10
done mostly by women. the men spending
their time in fishing, hunting or loaing.
Here and there you will see a cabin with a
mar at work in the fields and where that
is the case you can easily see signs of thrift
and energy in the way the buildings and
crops appear. But the work is done for
the greater part by the women.
Where a man cuts down the trees and
builds a cabin that is his so long as he lives
there. No one win encroach on his right
and the nation recognizes him as the owner
OF that particular spot, The Indians have a
system whereby one party can sell his house
to another and usually money is the medium
OF exchange. OF course this does not give
the purchaser title TO the land as recognized
by the laws OF South Carolina. but the purely
local customs that prevail among the In
dians allow this and recognize the purchaser
as the owner. The patches that are worked
in connection with the home are also the
property Of the one who has the house.
The reservation is we'll watered Being
30 close TO the river there are numerous
branches and steep hills. 1t has the APP
pearanoe OF foothills closer to the 'moun-
tains You will find a cabin or one hill.
then a branch and after climbing another
hill you will possibly find several residences
in q group. One thing that will strike the
visitor 10 the dense underground that 10
found all over the nation The whole
tract. with the exception Of the little patches.
iscovered with a thick underground that rem
ders objects invisible until they are close at
hand. The cattle run at large and il is a
matter OF catching them IL one is bought
and the buyer wants il at once.
Entering further into the reservation by
what 10 known as indian Ferry road, there
being a Terry on the river at the nation.
the first thing that attracts the attention
OF the visitor Is a small cabin setting a little
to the right OF the road and surrounded by
dense underground. On coming closer
the cabin is found to be a dwelling place for
an Indian and his family. It is a common
under the trees in chairs or on benches.
the children playing. the men whiting
away at a stick or working with a gun and
the women making pottery The Indian
women are skilful with their hands and
can make pottery that brings a good
price. They make pipes, bowls and all
such articles out Of clay.
Continuing on this same road and not far
from the first cabin stands the s~choolhouse
as the next object that will attract the at
tention Of the visitor. The sc~hooIhouse
is q one room structure with a bell tower,
and IL built like the s~choolhouses usually
found in the rural districts OF South Caro-
lima. Here the little Indians are taught
white teacher paid by the State Of South
Carolina. $500 being appropriated for this
purpose every year and placed in the hands
OF the Indian Commissioner.
Passing the schoolhouse the visitor
comes to the church, that is about the same
size and fashion Of the schoolhouse. Here
the Indians hold their religious exercises
after the fashion Of the Mormons. the ma
jority OF them protesting that faith. There
are among the Indians forty-five Mormons.
seven Preebyterians n one Methodist.
| The Mormons hold their meetings every
Sunday. n at stated times every year
some Mormon elders will visit the reserva-
| ton and hold q meeting.
ment on the reservation fashioned on demo-
cratic principles. There is a head chief,
q second chief n two other members of
the council. These are elected at stated
intervals by the Indians. The duties Of
these local officials are merely theoretical
and hence the honor 10 almost an empty
one. The real head man OF the Indians
is the commissioner appointed by the
Governor. He handles the money that
10 appropriated each year by the Legisla-
hire for the support OF the Indians and
divides IL among them.
The Indians receive an annual appro-
priation from the State. this money being
in the hands OF a commissioner appointed
by the Governor. The money is divided
by giving zach one the same amount.
This makes a larger family get more Than
u smaller one, and 50 the father of a larger
family ID richer han one OF the smaller
family. Tho State Is bound to support
the Indians according TO a treaty made
between them and the officials OF the State
about the year 184O. At that time the In
dian reservation contained forty-hve square
miles and the indian are now pressing
tho State for q final settlement. That 10,
they want the State to pay them 90 much
and than no mora apDrODriafion would