Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-14
INDIAN, AGED l15,
DIES IN THIS CITY
MetoWir, Who Thrived in Glow of
Three Centuries, Passes to :
Happy Hunting Ground

Three centuries shed their glow on
MetoWir, an Indian of the koWakapl
tribe. who answered the call of the
chief to the happy hunting ground In
Los Angeles yesterday morning at the
age of 115 years.
Metowir died about daybreak at tne
home of his granddaughter, Mrs. Z. A.
Pachito. $40 South Prichard street.
Born In 1895 on what is now the
United States Indian reservation at
Mesa Grande, in San Diego county,
Metowir was a native son" of the hrst
water. He passed his entire lifetime
in California and saw the closing OF
the eighteenth century, the dawn ana
passing of the nineteenth and the mt
ting of the first cycle of the twentieth
century, the greatest to him OF
them all.
MetoWir was one of the most notable
of the surviving Indians who went
through the long and hard struggle
against the encroachments of the white
man and one Of the few who nave
passed the century mark living under
the<new civilization imposed by Uncle
Sam on the observations.
One of the aged Indians last acts
was to make a great bow and dozen
feathered arrows for his great grand
son, Philip Pachito. Z years old.
Hardly before the meridian of his
life had been passed, Metowir saw the
civilization of the Spaniards, VINO
brought Christianity and the missions,
give way to another race of whites,
who brought only a lust for gold.
SAW HALLEY's COMET TWICE
During the course of 115 years he
saw the greatest nation grow up on
what was formerly the red mems soil.
He saw Halley's comet twice, in 1888
and 1910.
He heard echoes of great struggle
between the whites of the north and
the south over a black race held in
servitude.
He saw his own race, at first the foe,
finally become the charge of the white
man, and saw it thrive and prosper
on the unique reservations"
Finally, as the crowning act of his
life, he saw a flying machine circle
over Los Angeles.
Metowir was living with the Kowa-
kapi tribe near San Diego when the
Spanish missionaries arrived early in
the nineteenth century. Already chris
tened by his tribe as Metowir. meaning
hard fighter" the Spaniards taught
him Christianity. translated Metowir
to Duro. the Spanish equivalent of
hard, and prefixing Antonio as Chris
tian name, thus equipped him for the
now civilization which they brought.
The Indian, however, was not con-
verted and built many a tepee fire to
celebrate a victory against the strange
new whites, who were flocking in from
the east in search of the yellow metal,
Mrs. Pachito says that he told her of
many scalp he had wrested from the
white invaders.
Three months ago Metowir came to
Los Angeles from the reservation at
San Diego to visit his granddaughter.
Up to a year ago the aged Indian did
active work every day al the reserVa-
tion and quit only because of an acct
dental cut he received on the leg with
AN AK while cutting wood. y
The funeral OF Metowir will be held
mt o'clock this morning from the
Sacred Heart church, the Rev. Father
Gay officiating. The Los Angeles I'M
dertaking company of Avenue Twenty
one and Pasadena avenue have charge
Of the funeral. Interment will be in
Calvary cemetery