El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-12

NNETTE ISLAND, Alaska, Feb-
"A 12.-I have come to Annette Is
L n land TO visit Metlakantia- This
is the seat of the indian colony brought
here from British Columbia by father
Duncan. now almost 80 years ago
Every one has heard of Father Dun
cams wonderful work with the indians.
He il now 81 years OF age and is still
strong and full of vigOr- He IS some
times called the apostle of Alaska, and
his work with these indians gives MIN
A right to the title. Mr. duncan be
can life as a commercial traveller IN
England and at q he was well on his
way toward a salary of $4,000 year
He was naturally religious. and he de-
cided to give up his work and become
a missionary He went to college eX-
Meeting to be sent out to India, but in
stead he was ordered to go to the west
ern coast of British Columbia to work
with a tribe of indians. known as the
Tsimpsean
These Tsimpsean indians were then
among the most barbarous OF any on
the North American continent They
believed in witch doctors and were
given over to cannibalism. They were
hunters and fishers and clothed them
selves in the skins of bears and wolves
They had weird dances, during which
thew wore the skulls OF bears on Jhelr
heads. They had medicine men who
I,,ora masks and who tried to brighten
off disease with hideous noises II the
demon of disease did not leave, the
witch doctors would hack away the
sore DIaces on the body of the patient
with their knives. or suck or burn away
the ailing flesh. They pointed out child
rem and others as possessed OF evil
spirits and as being witches, and IN
such cases the tribe felt they must
kill those so afflicted.
The indians had also curious GUS
toms regarding the treatment Of their
women. Young girls approaching wom-
anhood were confined far away in iso-
LATED cabins, and when brought back
were supposed to have dropped down
from the moon and to be ready for
marriage. On such occasions there was
great feasting, and the youths of the
tribes were Initiated into dog eating,
cannibalism and devil dancing. the
indians believed in spirits. and they had
certain theories as to the tranSmlgra-
fion of souls On the whole. they were
on a very low scale Of civilization.
Warned He Would Be Killed.
When Father Duncan arrived in Vic
toria on his way to this work he was
told that if he went on to the indians
he would surely be killed. The man
who gave him the warning was the
head OF the Hudson's Bay company.
who when Duncan still insisted. said:
Well my good man. if you are to be
killed and eaten ] suppose you are the
one most interested, and we shall
have to let you do as you wish
With this permission, Father Duncan
was allowed to go to Fort Simpson.
not far from Prince Rupert, and he
there began work. The story of how
he narrowly escaped being murdered
and how no gradually worked his way
into the confidence OF the savages I
shall tell later as he gave it to me dur
ing my stay.
It is enough heer to say that ne con-
verted eight Of nine of these tribes to
the Christian religion and made them
about the most law-abiding and civil
lied people OF the Indian race They
had their own council and they gov
erned themselves, They had their own
boats and they established canning
factory and put up salmon for ship
ment They learned to make ropes ana
brushes, to weave and to spin MI
Duncan went to England and brought
back musical instruments and they es-
tablished a brass band. They had
schoolhouse and a church with an or
gan, which they were able to play They
had their market house, their shops.
their carpenters, timers, coOpers and
other mechanics. They kept the Sab
bath and led moral lives. What has
taken ages to accomplish with other .
peoples these indians, under Father
Duncan, accomplished in less than 80
years.
II was at this time that the Church OF
England began to NEEDLE with Father Dun
cans experiments. sending over a bishop to
rule over him and the indians. Father Dun
can found that his work was being undones
and he then asked the United States TO al
low his indians to settle our territory.
That was in 1887. The matter was much
agitated in the United States. Father Dun
can was supported by Henry Ward Beecher.
Phillips Brooks and others. and through
their efforts a territory was allotted to him
and his indians on the northwestern side OF