Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-01-26
HhVAAJOS HOLD
REALISTIC FAIR
oLD-FAsHIoNED PUMPKIN SHOW.
"ALL SAME LIKE WHITE
MANS.
FINE DISPLAY OF BLANKETS SILL
vERsMrTH WORK AND
BABIES.

ton. where a few thousand Indians
live in a kingdom that is larger than
all the New England states combined,
the natives are still talking OF Then
first annual fair, which was heffoct
20 and 81, says Denver correspond
ent of the New Orleans hires Demo
crat
/ The fair was "all same white
MANS" even TO displays of pumpkins.
Not even the baby show was over
| looked, and Lenna Oliver, who re-
ceived a prize of fifty pounds of -four
for exhibiting the cleanest baby, and
Lille She-Da-Zia, who received me
same sort of a reward for exhibiting
the prettiest papoose, are the proud
est squaws on the reservation. Big
| Charley, an Industrious Navajo, whose
| irrigated farm would be the envy OF
many a white rancher, won the prize
| for the biggest and best pumpkins,
his trophy being a shovel, while the
other prize pumpkin exhibitors, Sc
Lo-Wat-So-Gee, Car-Nan-Eze-Be-M and
Att-Cit-Y-Be-Ga carried OFF mattock,
grub hoe and garden hoe in the order
named.
The Navajos have been noted for
years as the most Industrious OF in
dams, but the fair at the Shiprock
agency was the first public exhibit
| ton of their handiwork. The tribe
became self-supporting many years
ago. Some of the Navajos have waxed
wealthy from the sale of blankets
and silverware trinkets. for not only
are they the greatest blanket weav-
ers in the world, but they are silver
smiths of the first class.
II Was a Regular County Fair.
Superintendent w. r. Shelton OF
the Shiprock agency came to the
conclusion that genuine county
| fair" on old fashioned lines would be
good thing to stimulate the inter-
est of the Indians in their farm work
and other industrial enterprises.
Word was sent out by the indian po-
lice, twelve of whom guard the des-
TIMES of the upper part of the great
| reservation, and, though the tribe
had only two weeks notice, the ex-
hibition hall was filed with very
creditable line of farm products, not
TO speak of display OF genuine Nav
ajo blankets and silversmith work
that would make the eyes OF dealer
sparkle with delight. The blankets
and silverworE exhibits were worth,
it is estimated, close to 500, 600.
The Navajos are great judges of val
uses in these lines and some of the
blankets were family heirlooms that
would not be parted with at any
price.
OF general exhibits at the Navajo
hibit numbered 1S5, the wheat exnfb-
its 70. oats Az. melons 80, squash
and pumpkins 100, potatoes 80. al
falfa "a. teams of work horses 90.
saddle horses 45, pretty babies 90,
native blankets 23o. Germantown
blankets 25 There were numerous
exhibits of sheep and goats, of which
| the Navajos have great herds
The sports consisted of foot races,
horse races and native games and
amusements and in the evening the
Indians gave their ceremonial and
sacred dances. which proved most in
teresting to the visitors. The long
est foot race was five and one-haIt
miles and so terrific was the pace
that only four out of thetwelve who
entered finished the race.
Exhibits Brought in Wagons.
Some of the exhibits were brought
nearly 100 miles in wagons. One lot
of fifty general exhibits from Sa-
Noos-Tee, in the vicinity of Noers
I trading post, far away in the desert,
deserved especial mention. This lot
contained the prize-winning assort-
ment of silver work None of the
products raised at Shiprock, under
the supervision of government EN-
ployes. was allowed to compete with
the products of the Indian rancfiers
1t was the idea of Superintendent
Shelton to make the fair something
that would demonstrate the actual
progress that is being made by the
tribe as a whole. The prizes wert
all useful and the Indians we're far
prouder over the gifts of farm i'm.
plements and household necessities
than they would have been over the
ribbons and gold medals.
For the best general display OF
farm products. Bar-Ber-Bit-Cilly won
| first prize, double harness. The
best general display of indian pro
ducts brought Gar+Na.Nezi-BeIH a
corn drill and for the best native
blanket, all wool, Kin-Le-Che-Ne re
ceived a cook stove. while for the
best Germantown blanket Non-Co-De-
Be-Tah received a washtub. The
melon exhibit was astounding ana
great piles of melons were placed ill
rows in the schoolhouse yard. to be
toasted upon at will by the visiting
Indians. De-BeBe-Tah was the prize
winner among the melon raisers, re-
eeiving shovel for his display.
Under New Type OF Indian Agent.
Shiprock agency. which is located
in San Juan county, New Mexico. Is
~RANYG~~ -