Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-06-30
THE LAND OF HIS FATHERS.
Indian Dick" wants His Race to Re
gain the Territory it Lost.

and no white man living in this section
can tell when the Indians first came
there. 1t is visited occasionally bJ
whites in search of Indian curios and
by cruisers, hunters and others having
business in the woods. Its inhabitants
for the most part do their trading in
Hatley or Wittenberg, but occasionally
few come to Wausau About a week
ago two squaws from there were in
this city peddling baskets. During the
blackberry season they do thriving
business, and again in the fall when
the cranberry picking season is al
hand, they 60 down onto the marshes
in Wood county and hire out to tbe
cranberry growers. Some of their chill.
dren attend the government school ia
Tomah and few are receiving instrrc-
ton in the Wittenberg Indian school,!
The older ones live the life of theiz
fathers.
These Indians belong TO the Winnie
bago tribe-once apowerful nation,
but now dwindled down to the proper
ton of the stalwart wing of the republi-
can party. Their numbers are thin.
ming with each passing year, and it is
only question of time when there will
be nothing left to mark their journey
on earth but few legends.
There is as much difference between
the Winnebago, or any other Indian of
today, and his ancestor as there is be-
tween a bandana handkerchief and a
Smyrna rug. The Injun of today is
like the chaff blown from the threshef
the screenings of something better.
he has lost the notes of the war song
and no longer attends social frnctions,
insisting upon wearing white brother s
skull covering dangling at his side.
When Christopher Columbus paid
his first visit to this country he ascer-
tanned that its inhabitants didn't wear
enough clothes to flag hand car
They dress different now and some of
ii. l.. Mumm's band appear in as many
colors as can be seen in rainbow, and
the squaws have since aquired the habit
OF chewing tobacco-indeed they are
proficient in this art, if we are allowed
to use that term. There is another
popularity about the Indian of today
he treats monetary affairs with levity.
He will trade S. bill for a bottle of
lightning rod whiskey ana never feel
that he got the bad end of the bargain.
He will part with his canoe for 1Oc
cat of navy tobacco and never make a
wry face. An Indian buys these two
commodities just as his white brother
buys relics-at any price, Another
popularity is that you will never see
one with the top of his head sticking
through mis- hair-they have no use for
"Herpicide, hair in every drop"
This pecullarity is secret with them
which they jealously guard.
Among the population of the town of
Norrie village is one known as "Old
Indian Dick" He CLAIMS to be nearly
100 years old, and he looks it. Although
dried up, wrinkled and grey, his eye re-
tains that falchion- like keenness of
gaze characteristic OF his race, and he
moves about more sprightly than many
of his white brothers fifty years his
junior. He can still outwalk the aver
age young man. Old Dick is known to
most every one living in that section.
He is a sort of sage or seer among
his people and weather prophet
among the whites. He speaks English
somewhat brokenly, but gets along
well among the whites, who see that he
is never in want for anything to eat or
wear.
The land question, the same problem
that bothered the chief King Philip, the
orator Tecumseh and the warrior Black
Hawk, is one which troubles the mind
of old Dick.
One cold winter, some years ago, the
writer had occasion to visit that section
of the county in company with well
known lauI cruiser, and our tent was
pitched not far from spring where
the Indians secured their supply of
water. A few of them visited our
camp nightly and would sit by the camp
fire and carry on conversation. One
of them, john Crow, spoke good Eng
lish and was fairly intelligent Indian.
He lived in Kentucky prior to the civil
war and one of the stories he related
whichinterested us more than another
was his explanation of the workings of
tie underground railroad" in that
state, as he witnessed them. He saw
hundreds of slaves safely landed on
the north bank of the Ohio river.
One night with the aid of John we
persuaded old Dick to talk, and at once
he took up the land question. His talk
ran something like this: "Why don't
you help US get back our old lands?
You white men should not have the
whole co untry. The Indian once had
this whole land We come into posses
sion of it thousands of years ago. Now
what have we? We want to live
White man wants all the land" Here
old Dick sighed deeply and gazing up
into the branches of the frost-coated
naples above, his frame trembling. his
lips quivering, he made few myster-
ious passes with his hand and resumed
The Great Chief up there owns all of
this world. He holds this world in his
arms Cllustrating) as father holds his
papoose. he intended we should have
some of it. Long time ago the Great
Father, who lives in the East, called q
council at Prairie du Chen. Lots of
Indians came to council and lands were
divided. My tribe got land in Ne
braska. Land no good. We came
back to Wisconsin. Pretty scou one
white man came. Another came.
More came. We asked, What are you
doing herey' 7 buy land of Great
Father Indian move. Soon no land
for Indian.n
Dick having concluded his spaech he