The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-02-16

The earth is our mother. From
her breasts have we drawn life. The
earth is a woman. Deprive woman of
rights given to men? Oh. no; we
have never done that"
1t was in these words that one Of
the wise old men of her clan an
swered Laura Cornelius Kellogg a
year or so ago. when she asked him
what he thought of the present day
agitation for woman suffrage. and II
is these words that Mrs. Kellogg. the
prominent Indian woman who is now
in Washington working at her own
expense in behalf of her people, quotes
when you ask her what is her atti-
tude, an Indian woman, on this
much mooted question.
We Indian women have always had
equal suffrage" she says proudly. and
those magnetic, dark eyes OF hers
seemed filled with new light and en-
thusiasm as she says II. The matron
in the Indian tribe had equal rights
in the council with the men. Next to
the chieftain, no one in the tribe had
so much power as the matron, for II
was through her that descent was
traced. Among white folk, of course,
kinship is counted through the man
You take your name from the male
Indians the name and bond of kinship
is taken through the female head of
the family. All the members of one
clan are descended from the same an
cestress. and this mother of the clan
is respected with the greatest rever-
ence by her descendants.
The Indian girl is trained to the
same sports as her brothers. AS a
child I practiced archery with my
~
an arrow as they. / rode with the
best of them, and I thought nothing
of taking a trip of 500 miles across
hills and mountains. That is how I
travel now, too. Others go in the
agents automobile when visiting the
Indian reservations. But / am real
Indian woman. so l go horseback.
The idea that the Indian woman was
nothing but a beast of burden. a slave
of her husband, is, like good many
other ideas in circulation about the In
dams. a mere fiction. The word squaw
was not known till the white traders
came among us. 1t is not a pure Indian
word but a corruption of some provincial
expression. The idea that many white
people have of the Indian woman being
a slave to her husband. who waits on
him hand and foot. and acts as his hunt
ing dog to fetch the game that he has
shot down is no more true to the facts
than it would be to assume that all you
American women were kitchen drudges.
just because a few of you do have to
spend your lives in hopeless maze of
housework.
More than once the Indians have
fought out long feuds because the white
settlers dared to call our women
.souaws' We women have always had
equal civil powers with the men. And
1t is cause of establishment to us
that you white women are only now, in
this twentieth century, claiming what
has been the Indian woman's privilege
as far back as history traces"
Laura Cornelius Kellogg. or Mrs. o. J.
Kellogg. passed her girlhood on the
Oneida reservation. in Wisconsin. AS a
she early shared in the feeling of re-
sponsibility for her people that her an
cestors had always assumed. 1t was her
girlhood dream to do something to help
her people whom she saw more and more
msrepresented and misunderstood.
1T was from the old men of the tribe
that I got my earliest inspiration.
talked to them and / studied what they
told me. They taught ME the old ira
ditions and the old wisdom of the days
before the white man had come. As q
child I never went TO the government
schools and ] am glad i didn't for in
learnin gfrom the old Indians l had
an opportunity to absorb all that true
spirit of the Indian that our young peo-
pie educated away from their tribe can
never know. am confident that I
learned as much from these untutored
Indian men as ! ever learned from all
the universities which attended in this
country or in Europe"
As part of her preparation of her work
for her people Miss Cornelius graduated
from Radcliffe College and spent several
years in European universities study
ing anthropology. sociology, and law.
and whatever she felt could aid her
in her undertaking. There were no
halfway measures in the way that she
to bring about her dream.
Mrs. kellogg Is now in Washington
with her husband. and together they
are working cut their dream. With
his help. Mrs. kellogg has now had
more influence In legislation toward In
dian reform thaa any other person WHO