The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-01-04
JaCKLAWfON REMINISCES
Arapaho Bee Editor Writes
an Interesting Story Of
Navajo Indians

Enid. Okla. Jain. Editor Law
ton Of the Arapaho Bee. while IN a
reminiscent mood, wrote descrip-
tive story Of the Navaios with whom
he spent three years as cowboy in
New Mexico. He says
The trouble OF late that Bylillie the
Ute chief has been giving our United
States soldiers, recalls to my memo
~ the days when the writer was a
cowboy on the Acana reservation.
near the continental divide in New
Mexico. Our cattle range lay along
side the Navajo reservation. The
Nayaios often made social calls on
US az our camp and were exceeding
'ly social and friendly, their sociabil-
ity and friendlmess being always
regulated by their hunger and appe-
tite. which was usually fierce.
Our cattle often crossed the Nav
ajo reservation lines, and that was
Cur limit. for many q cowboy ven-
tured too far and never returned. we
had orders not to cross the fatal line
when alone. and ! for one never dis.
regarded that injunction. for I well
knew that the penalty would be the
delivery Of my much priced and appre-
ciated scalp
The Navaios were once an unruly
and warlike tribe. and INDUCED in
many wars with the Acamas. Zanas.
and Pueblos, but in the early '70's
the government gave them few cat.
tie and many goats and sheep In
the early 's0's there was an unpleas-
antncss between the Navajos and the
Apacaes. but when the Navajos held
their council Of war. the wise medi
cine men decided that owing to their
great wealth that had grown from
the small nocka the Great Father at
Washington had given them, they
conM not AFFORD TO go TO war. lest
they should lose their liocls
The Navajo is rather dark short OF
stature. fun chest and broad shoul-
ders. and physically he is Il giant,
and can endure hardship and severe
weather equal TO the beasts
Late one evening two Navajo hurt
ers came TO our camp up in the
mountains and asked to stop o9er
night. We consented Both were
riding burros, Mexican style. without
brides, which they unsaddled and
hobbled out to grass. We gave them
their supper, and looked ON and
doubted # their old hides would hold
any more My partner and | retired
to our downy couch of pine leaves
and went under seven pairs of blan-
kets. we being at an altitude Of near
5000 feet, the weather severe and
the thermometer below zero One OF
oar guests. with y single blanket
wrapped around him, lay down on
the cold sand, and the other ono
coiled up on a spring at OF the wag-
on, with two empty -four sacks for
pants. and one OF them ripped from
his knee to his body. And yet he
lay there on the fat OF his back,
with Eaked knees upturned in the
breeze as though II were hot sum
ner time and both OF them had ex
ira blankets on their saddles that
they did not use
Econopy has always been my hob
! By. but the Navajos are the limit.
They would come while we were
butchering beef or mutton, and
with the greediness of that many
pigs, make a rush for the entrails,
cutting them in lengths OF three to
four feet. pass them between their
thumb and finger, and proceed No dine
with as little concern as an Al'apaho
J boy would chew tany (rom the stick
The Navajo blankets are famous
] fol their real value These blankets
are made from the raw and uncarded
wool The squaw. or housewife, 4
you please to call her, loosens tbs
wool with her fingers and then spins
IL into thread with a stick She ther
stekes the woof on the ground, or IN
~ frame, and proceeds TO weave in
the filling with her fingers. The
y thread is very coarse, but they weave
so closely that when completed II Wili