The National tribune., 1908-12-03

| WHITE MOUNTAIN JACK, OF THE
| CIBECUL APACHE INDIANS.
dren should be, first, to educate them
in book learning; besides, they should
| be taught all branches of industry
| farming, horticulture, forestry and In
the various mechanical! arts. OF course
this is being done in some places, but
| in the education and industrial train
| ing, especially of the boys, their teach
er should be required to study the ma
ture of the pupils as to their adaptable
J ity to do certain lines of work. The
I same rule should be applied to Indian
| children that a thoughtful parent would
adopt in providing for the future well
/ fare of white children. If it is found
that an Indian boy is inclined to stock
raising and delights in the care of
horses, cattle. sheep and swine, then
he should be placed, after leaving
| school, where he could have a chance
| to put his talents and school training
| into practice. The same rule should
| apply to all other industries.
This plan, it Is true, would cost the
Government a considerable amount of
additional money, but would it not be q
saving in the end?
Require the English Language.
Indian school children should not be
allowed to talk Indian language; neith-
er should employees in the Indian
school service be allowed to talk Indian
| language. Our business should be to
teach civilization all along this line,
and our motto should be "One country,
one language and one flag"
| We of the Keams Canyon Training
| School can now readily see the good re-
suits attained by the enforcement of
| the rules adopted at the commence
ment of the school term just closed,
prohibiting Indian talk by the students.
| Previous to the introduction of that
order cur work in trying to train the
| Indian children seemed of slow prog
ress; in fact, somewhat discouraging;
Tor while the teachers during the
school hours used their utmost efforts
in trying to teach their pupils English.
yet at recess and during work hours
the children would persist in talking
and acting Indian, thus counterbalanc-
ing the earnest efforts of their teachers.
and 1t would seem to an outsider that
either the teachers were derelict in
their duties or that the Indian children
were very dull and not apt or did not
care to learn English ways. But since
| the Introduction of the rule to prohibit
Indian talk, both in and out of school.
we have been agreeably surprised ct the
results, for we find that the Hopi
children are not only apt to learn, but
we find that they know a great many
l u,
too, that heretofore we all thought
them ignorant of
Now that the rule has been enforced
| by all the employees, and since the In
| dian children have become accustomed
to 1t most of them seem to enjoy It, and
We notice there seems to be a rivalry
! amongst them as to who can talk the
most and plainest English.
We think other schools might profit
by the experience we have had in this
respect.
National Games.
! We also find that the introduction of
various National games, baseball, etc,
| wherein the employees take part with
the Indian children, has a tendency to
encourage as well as to aid the children
in speaking and acting English.
In conclusion, 1 will ask again: Is
not the time at hand when compulsory
| measures should be adopted in the
| United States Indian Service? Why
| not make 1t obligatory on the part of
the Indian parents to send their chill
dren to school the same as is required
or the whites or the negro race as near
ly every State in the Union has a strin-
gent compulsory law, with truant Off
GERS to see that the law Is enforced.
In reference to the obstacles in the
way OF the further advancement. or.
as 1 might more plainly state it, how
10 Keep the returned students, that J
have previously spoken of In this pa
per, from drifting back into the ways
OF their uncivilized ancestors, and liv-
ing in obscurity from the civilized
world, as great many of them do.
even after graduating in all the
branches taught in the advanced schools
OF our country, is problem I will not
attempt to solve, but leave 1t to the off,
Gals at the heads of the Departments
and to the law-making powers of our
country to devise the ways ard means
LOT the ultimate success in ciyiliZing
the Indian race in the United States of
America
That my old comrades of Wilder's
brigade, especially of the 18th Ind
M'fd Inf. may know something of NV
career since the close of the civil war. |
and OF my present whereabouts, ] will |
state that ! received my first appoint- |
ment under Gen. Harrisons Administra-
tion, and was assigned to duty on the |
Omaha and Winnebago Reservation
Aug. 13. 1889. A part of my duties
while there was to place the Winne-
bagoes onto their allotments and to
issue them their seeds, Implements
horses. harness. wagons, etc, and in,
struct them in the care of their stock.
tools and in farming. After the inaug-
urat;on of President Cleveland / re-
signed my position April /, 1893. and
returned to my home in Indiana. After
lhe election of President Mckinley
was reappointed Feb. 1, 1898, and as
signed to duty with the Navajoes (Nav-
ahoes) at Fort Defiance. Ariz. Since !
then have been with various tribes
among which are the Hopis, the Siouxs
assinniboins and Santees, on Fort Peck
reservation, In Montana, the San
carios Apaches, and at present the Ii
cibecue Apaches. on the Fort Apachei
Or White Mountain Reservation. Ari-
iona. The Cibecue Day School is To-
sated on Cibecue Creek and Valley,
mountains. interspersed with deep can