Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-07-18
First Nebraska Missionaries

First NeDfaSka NL1SSlOuaIlSS
After the explorer and the fur trader
the missionary came to Nebraska. Rev,
Moses Merrill and his wife. Eliza VIII
cox. were the first to come. They were
sent out in 1888 to the Otoe indiana by
the Baptist Missionary union. At that
time the Otoe tribe lived along the Platte
as far west as the mouth OF the Elk
horn. Their largest village was in saun-
ders county, about ten miles north Of the
place where Ashland now is. They
hunted south and west along Salt creek
Weeping Water and the Nemaha.
Mr.. Merrill and his wife drove an OK
team from Missouri 10 Bellevue. Here
was an Indian trading post, where the
otoe, Omaha and Pawnee Indians came
to trade furs and skins FOR white mans
goods.
At first very few Indians attended the
missionary meetings, and those who came
begged for corn, potatoes and whisky.
Mr.. Merrill began to study the Otoe Ian
guage in order that he might talk to
the Indians without an interpreter and
translate the Bible and hymns into their
tongue. In this way he spent the first
winter
The next spring Mr.. Merrill rode on
horseback, fording two rivers. to the
Otoe village on the south bank OF the
Platte, near Ashland. He was received
by Itan, the great chief OF the Otoes, in
one OF his lodges. which was made by
setting large trunks of trees in the
ground laying poles on them and cover
Ing the whole with grass and dirt. This
lodge of Itan was circular in form and
measured 10 feet in circumference.
Itan gave Mr. Merrill a feast OF boiled
buffalo meat served in wooden bowl.
II was to be eaten with the fingers, the
guest eating first All the rest waited
until he had finished. Itan was a great
chief. He had five wives and four houses
for them to live in. The town OF Yutan
in Saunders county is named for him.
1t is only three miles from where hts
lodge stood
| On Sunday. the next day, Mr.. Merrill
was invited out to eat four times before
noon. He went, and after eating, read
to the Indians part OF his translation OF
the Bible. He showed the children some
pictures and began to teach them how
to sing the scale. The children were
deeply interested and tried hard to sound
the notes as the white man did. At the
end of a week two Of the children could
sing the scale correctly and knew twenty
two letters Of the alphabet.
One day MIR. Merrill learned that fifty
Otoes had gone to the white trading post
with fifty beaver skins. worth $500. 70
trade for whisky Chief Itan spoke In
strong words to the missionary against
the curse Of the white mans strons
water. on the very next day he and
another chief were drunk and talked
very loud against whisky. saying that It
was bad. the Indians did not make 81.
the white man was to blame Mr.. Merrill
kept on trying to teach them better,
reading verses from the Bible and pray
ing for them.
One Indian was sick and the Otoe medi-
cine men came 10 cure him. The sick
man was stretched out naked In his
lodge. The medicine men beat their
drums. shook their rattles and danced
around him. each stopping to take a
mouthful OF water from time % time
and TO squirt II on the sick mans head.
IL is 20 he hoped that he survived this
treatment.
Then the Otoes went away for their
summer hunt. When they came back in
the fall they brought skins and began 20
trade them for whisky. Mr. Merrill wrote
from a trading post where whisky was
sold as follows: This r. not the house
OF God. nor the gate Of heaven. II il