The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-06-17
MISSION INDIANS.

)nIy q Remnant Left of he Once
FIourishtnR Mesa Grandc Tribe.
The Mesa Grande Indians Of Califor-
Tia have dwindied from a fairly N
nervous tribe Of the old mission days
70 about 200 souls, says a writer, and
chelr present state, religious, social
and moral, Is such az would certainly
shock the soul of good Father Junipero
Sierra were he able to pay them a per
sonal visit to-day.
They are found settled In small
groups and families all over the mesas
| and along the canons, dwelling In mean
little huts, or shacks, and breathing a
general atmosphere Of squalor and
degradation, along with CALIFORNIA;
bracing mountain air. They own and
cu1tivate little plot. Of ground around
! their dwellings, while some own cattle
and horses. Others engage In fruit
raising. while many 60 out az day
laborers on the ranches back In the
mountains. Some older Indians earn a
p~recarious living az wood gatherers.
They are not all permanently settled,
for many are wanderers, camping here
and there as Of old. Many Of the In
dian girls leave home to work 40 serv-
ants in n~eighboring towns and villages,
and quito q number Of the children are
sent away to boarding schools Bus-
tained by the Roman Catholic Church.
such as those ut San Diego and Ban
ming. Most Of these mission Indians
are processing Christians Of the Roman
Catholic type, and wore It not for this
religious heritage handed down from
the days Of Sierra, their state to-day
W ,uld doubtless be d~eplorable. Some
ar, indeed, both pious and intelligent
In the faith, and these exert a whole
some influence over the others.
When tho priest is absent some Of
them meet together In the little chapel
TO say the rosary together, led by n
Of their number. These sad relics Of
the padres days are the victims Of bad
usage on the part Of their white broth
ers. Their doom q sealed when the
Mexican republic secularized the mis-
sions In the first half Of the nineteenth
century, since when they have been on
the descending scale in every way. The
practical things taught them by the
mission fathers have been long forgot
ten, but in these latter days the Fed
eral government 10 trying to undo some
Of the mischief and injustice Of the past
along industrial and other educational
lireA
Ihe management Of the government
school ut Mesa Grande 10 one Of the
most excellent in the United States.
The present superintendent was for
merly at the Carlisle Indian School,
and fully understands the Indian char
actsr and it's needs. Beyond the class
room education, the Indian children are
taught to care for the surrounding
grounds and buildings, while the prac.
teal use of all kinds OF tools, and close
attention to gardenings, are among the
educational requirements at Mesa
Grande. Along culinary lines, the
young people r taught to cook whole
some meals, and are compelled to pre-
pare the midday dinner as a regular,
everyday, practical duty.
Yet wiz all this government and pri-
vate missionary help, much remains to
be done to develop the Indian charac-
te'. Physically ara morally 1t needs
uplifting, not TO speak Of his higher
religious requirements. Like other In
dams, the Mesa Grandes are but unde-
veloped children, with many character,
istics that W Of paganism quite as
much as Of Christianity and c~iviliza-
ton.