The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1909-09-30

Congressman l.. 3. Hanna, Assistant
Commissioner OF Indian Affairs Alb.
bot and others at the Fort Berthold
reservation Is kindly furnished by
Mr.. Hanna. =,
The Fort Berthold Indian reserva.
ii lies in the western part of the
state. partly in each OF Mclean, Ward
Mountrail and Mercer counties in
what is known as the Big Bend Of
the Missouri river. The Missouri
river cuts the reservation in two,
about three-afths Of it lying east and
north of the river and two-fifths south
and west.
There are on the reservation the
remnants Of three tribes of Indians,
the Mandan's, the Arikaree's and tle
eros Ventres. Each one Of these
tribes has a chief The Mandan chief
is an Indian known as Wounded Face,
he having been wounded in the face
a good many years ago in battle
between his tribe and the Sioux. 1t
was with the Mandan IndianS that
Lewis md Clark spent the winter
when they made their memorable trip
hundred years ago up the Missouri
Ever and on to the Pacific coast. The
right name for the Mandan Indians
is the word Newatana, meaning river
H.cn. The eros Ventres chief 10 an
Indian by the name of Old Dog, one
OF the largest and most fn,'y proper
toned Indians in the whole country.
The right name for the eros Ventre
Indians S the word Hidas+a, meaning
Willowmen. The Arikaree Indians
have two chiefs. Sitting Beer is real
ly their head chief, but some years
ago, they divided into two bands;
one O. the bands, under Drag Wolf,
going up near and settling about
Fort Buford out they were brought
hack +, the Berthold reservation
about fifteen years ago and settled
upon that part Of it which is called
Shell Creek. The right name for
tbs Ar.karee Indians is the word
6anis. tried to get the meaning Of
that word but it seemed hard for the
Indians to explain it In English. AS
near as ! could get at it, it means
that you see person a long way OF,
but, but you don know whom That
seems rather indefinite, hut is the
best solution that could arrive at.
The Arikaree commonly call them
selves Rees. They were a warlike
nation, and their hereditary enemies,
as we'll as the enemies Of the eros
Ventres and the .Mandans, were the
Sioux Indians. At the time Of the
Custer battle with Sitting Bull and
the Sioux warriors good many of
the Rec Indians were employed by
General Reno and General Custer as
scouts, and there are some six Rec
Indians now living on the reservation;
Cd men who served as scouts under
General Reno, and who have honor
able discharges from the army, as
scouts, and showing that they had
good records,
Many years ago these three tribes
OF Indians were almost annihilated by
the smallpox. For mutual protection
they Joined together in order to re-
serve themselves from annihilatiol
by the Sioux, and have lived together
in friendship, side by side, for more
than fifty years. There are only t.
ia men, women and children all told
in all three of the tribes, and yet in
spite of their small number and that
they have lived together for half a
century, they have kept their Ian
guage intact in each tribe and the lar
ger part OF them can only speak their
own language.
They have 965,000 acres in the res
-ervation which was set apart by exc
cutive order good many years ago.
They cultivate but little Of the land.
The whole reservation is fenced on
the outside and the Indians have
some cattle, but no where near as
many as they should have. They have
been leasing some of the reservation
to the white men for grazing purposes
and realized last year between $13,-
900 and $4,000 from lease money.
l introduced a bill in congress last
May for the purpose or o. ening that
part of the reservation which had
not been allotted to the Indians, ~
ing east and north Of the Missouri
river. Under terms made with the
Indians some years since, it was
agreed that the head of every fam
lily should receive 100 acres of land
and that every other man, woman
and child should receive eighty acres
of land. These allotments have been
steadily made for the past three or
-four years and are now practically
complete. It has taken some 100000
acres Of land to make these allot-
ments, including some which were
made to Indians who are now dead: :
At the time the Dill was intro
duced in congress, there was some
opposition on the part of the Indians
to the opening Of any part OF the
r,oorvotion and before ANYTHING fur