Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-03-26
LAND OPEN TO
MINERAL ENTRY
Navajo Reserva-
ton at Last Avail
able
INDIANS GET ROYALTIES
Something About This Inter.
esting and Self Supporting
Tribe.

A treaty has just been signed with
the Navajo Indians through the ef-
forts of special agent Of the Indian
office whereby their reservation in the
northwestern part of New Mexico
will be thrown open to mineral entry.
In consequence there will probably be
rush of prospectors to the mine de-
posts in THE Cariso Mountains
which are located about sixty miles
west of Pennington.
According to the reported stipula-
tions of the treaty the mineral entries
will be confined to gold, petroleum
and natural gas and the Indians will
receive a certain percentage Of the
proceeds In the form of royalties. The
Cariso Mountains are said to be rich
In gold deposits which have been
jealously guarded heretofore by the
Indians who were chary of invasion
by the palefaces. There is a story
that several prospectors in years gone
by went into the Cariso Mountains
and were carrying off gold nuggets by
the can full when waylaid and killed
by the Indians.
The Navajo Indians as a tribe are
quite civilized and yet they have no
tribal organization When the pres.
ent treaty negotiations We're begun
eleven Of the best educated and rep
resentative Indians were selected to
act for the tribe. The advantages to
be derived from having the resour-
ces OF the reservation developed were
pointed out To the Indians ana they
finally consented to allow the filing of
mineral entries under the laws laid
down by Uncle Sam.
Indians Are Industrious and Wealthy.
Navajo Indians are for the most
part industrious and self-supporting.
They are the only tribe which the
government has not supplied with ra-
tions and other necessities of life
such as are granted to other Indians,
and 1t is probably the best thing that
could have happened to them. Many
OF them are engaged In ranching and
stock raising and have large herds
OF cattle and sheep. Some Of the
more thrifty have amassed fortunes
well up into the thousands of dollars
and live in substantial houses and
"hogans."
Navajo blankets which find ready
market and have brought the tribe
into prominence In the commercial
world are woven by the women and
the work is done entirely bv hand
Practically all Of the wool from which
the yarn is made is sheared from ma
tive sheep and the fleece spun on the
reservation.
The Navajos are also silversmiths
OF no mean ability and their silver
trinkets and kindred wares are as
eagerly sought by curio dealers as The
Justly famed blankets. The Swastika
design which eastern manufacturing
jewelers. are now using so extensively
is distinctive Of the Navajos and is
supposed to be an emblem of good
luck It appears on nearly all Of the
blankets and many articles made by
them and the manufacture Of which
has grown into profitable industry
Silver coins are used almost eXclll-
sively In the making of the silver or
naments and trinkets. They are ham
mered out In stone dies and shaped.
Mexican money is pressed into ser
vice for this purpose.
How Missionary Secured Convert.
Attorney A. M. Edwards, Of Farm
ington, who has been in the city sew
eral days on legal business, has Wis
tied the Navajo reservation number
Of times and he says that within It's
borders are some OF the richest agri-
cultural land In New Mexico. Mr..
Edwards tells an interesting little
story showing the shrewdness Of the
Navajos.
missionaries have been trying for
years to convert them without sue
cess. a Baptist missionary OF my ac-
quaintance lived among them for two
years and during that time had only
one convert to his credit. He would
not have converted even that one II
1t wasn't that the Indian saw chance
to profit by protesting conversion TO
the Baptist faith
THE Indian had learned that the
minister was going to locate at a GER
tain settlement and intended buying
home. The Indian happened to have
some land there and became converted
n with the result that the unsuspecting
missionary purchased the property
from him."
The Original Stamping Ground.
The Navajo reservation covers a
Wide area, q great deal Of It being Ia
New Mexico. It takes In the entire
western half Of San Juan County and