The Yale expositor., 1910-12-09
WIT OF THE INDIAN
The Dignifled Red Man has a
Keen Sense of humor.
STORIES OF STANDING BEAR.
The Race the Old Chief Was Willing
to Run Against a Government At
torney-A Gallant Brave and His
Mirror-An Invisible Bridge.

The impression prevails widely that
the Indian lacks the saving sense of
humor-"that most Characteristic ~
all American qualities. 70 The ere
ating and the spreading of this i'm
preston many Recognizable traits OF
Indian character have mdiSpIinbly
CONFERENCE.-The ancestral pride, his
eXcluslveness, his gravity of face and
dignity Of manner in public.
Nevertheless an injustice is done
him, for among no primitive peoples
is the sense OF humOr kccner or more
spontaneous and kindly
Years ago ] was convers ing with q
group OF children OF the Omaha tribe.
They were on their way to reserya-
ton school, and directly in their path
lay swamp an eighth OF mile
wide, and straight through this they
were required TO wade twice Il day.
''It is too bad" / remarked Can
you not go around the swamp? Your
feet will be wet, and you will he un-
comfortable and possibly ill.,
"Oh," cried a girl Of about twelve
years, her dark eyes dancing with
merriment 1--WE walk over the $1,000
bridge"
They all laughed at this What
could it mean?, 1 saw no bridge; there
was no bridge to be seen 1t made
them merry to see me mystified, and
/ heard them laughing and chatting
as they went through the water and
mud. Afterward l discovered the hui
NOR i'm the remark. Some years pre-
vious TO that time the government had
appropriated $1,000 to build bridge
over this swamp. but somehow the
money had vanished into somebody's
pocket and the work was not done
One evening | saw a gallant young
brave making his way swiftly over
the prairies OF the Omaha reserve.
He was dressed I'm all his finery, and
at his side dangled small mirror.
Manifestly he was an ardent lover.
This i should have Surmised from his
dress and eager haste, even if | had
not known him. AS nc was q friend
OF mine, / had inside information Of
his hopes and purposes; also ven
tured TO stop him for a moment. pre-
cious as l knew him time 10 be.
THAT mirror at your side" l re-
marked, "ls to give opportunity for
Prairie Flower to discover how lovely
she is, is il nOt?" He considered
moment, and then, with twinkling
eye, he replied:
mo. Maybe so she will talk too
much to me. and then / will look into
my mirror TO see how tired am
This certainly was the humor Of alb
surdity.
Examples Of Standing Bears humor
/ could give almost without number
During the trial of his case before
Judge Dundy the contention OF the
government attorney was that an In
dian is not a person within the mean
ing of the law. This puzzled the old
chief greatly. 1t also amused him.
One day ut my table he was vigor-
ously plying a knife and fork when
suddenly he paused in his eating, lift
ed up his hands, and, humorous
smile lighting up his noble. storm
SCARED face, he remarked: "The attor-
neys say l am not n person. But
can use knife and fork. Does bear
do that? II he, the attorney, is n per-
son am one also. We both eat with
knives and forks. Indeed, think
can use them faster than he can. II
he wants TO race me eating l am
ready" We all laughed at this. When
we were quiet Standing Bear added,
"That is, will run an eating race
with the attorney If he will pay for
the beefsteak."
The first public address Standing
Bear ever made was given in my
church. In the course of IL while he
was pleading for assistance he address
ed various classes of people present
the men, the women, the clergy, the
business men, the children. When lie
was pleading with the women he said:
81 appear to you because you are brave
and patient. Whenever you have any
thing hard to do you never rest until
it is done" This was gallant senti-
ment worthy OF n chief. But Frank
La Flesche, who was interpreting, rem
dered the sentence thus: "You women
are patient. When there is anything
hard TO be done we men let you do It."
This was SO true to Indian custom
that the audience laughed.
Standing Bear was puzzled. As he
stood silent moment wondering what
mistake he had made Bright Eyes, the
beautiful Omaha maiden, stepped for
ward AMI said, MY brother Frank
has made mistake I'm interpreting the
chiefs thought" Then she gave the
proper rendering.
The Chicago papers took liberties
with standing Bears name. one OF
them referring 10 him constantly rs
Upright Bruin. When this was ex-
planned 10 the chief he took the matter
with great good nature.
What does II mattcr?" he remarked,
his face beamlng. IL am MI tied up
With names am like a pony tangled
in his lariat Father Hamilton, the
Presbyterian. calls me elder. The
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