Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-12-03

mountains and established municipal water
system. The same is true to some extent in
Metlakahtla, where the water is brought
from lake in the mountains
The Metlakahta Indians | have already
described. The proper name for them is
Tsimseans. They were converted from saw
ages to civilization by Father Duncan and
their village on Annette island has cottage
homes that would be considered comfortable
IN almost any town of the states Metla-
kahtla has plank sidewalks and its streets
are laid out in regular order Each house
has its garden. There is large general
store, sawml and isf-canning factory.
The people have the largest church in Alas
ka and also town hall and library. Many
OF them speak English. The government
school building recently erected is large
two-story building, fitted with all of the
modern school appliances The natives
dress just like the white, and were it not for
their complexion and features, you would
hardly know they were Indians.
Outside Annette island the work Of civil
cation among the Indians has been pro-
noted by the missionaries and school teach
ers. The missionaries came first They had
their schools, industrial and otherwise, and
they converted the Indians to Christianity
After the missionaries came the bureau
of education. 1t has taken charge of the ma
tlves OF Alaska. 1t began with the establish
ment of schools in all of the villages, and it
has added many kinds of uplifting activities.
The teachers are now instructing the adult
Indians in sanitation and civil government.
They are inducing them to establish stores,
and to engage in all possible self-sustaining
industries.
So far the most remarkable progress has
been among the Haidas, tribe of five or six
hundred Indians on Prince of Wales island.
The government has given them reserva-
ton, and they have town there called Hy-
daburg, which is perhaps the most advanced
Indian town of the world. The natives have
organized cooperative trading company
and are paying big dividends to their stock
holders. With only 81 900 invested within
the past three years they have paid dividends
of S800O Last year the directors declared a
dividend of so per cent, and the company has
SO increased its stock that it will undertake a
ish-canning and saw-milling business
AS it is now, nearly every family in Hy-
daburg has stock in this trading company
and the people are rapidly growing well-to-
do. Nearly everyone has his gasoline
launch and all have comfortable homes.
The town elects its own officers 1t has 4
mayor and councilmen and the business OF
the place is transacted in English. One of
the first cooperative works was the build
ing of sidewalk. There was no money in
the village treasury but the young men
brought in the proceeds of their season
fishing, and the Indian girls had a basket
social at which the food was charged for,
the proceeds to go to the sidewalk. At that
social 5000 was realized. This bought the
lumber and the men gave their labor with
out charge. That sidewalk is the best in
southeastern Alaska. 1t is ten feet wide
and more than half mile long.
Since then the citizens have erected a
municipal dock, which is 40 feet long, with
a front OF s. feet. The cooperative store
has created a hunger for business training,
and business methods are taught IN the
school. The village has town meetings, at
which all matters of public interest are dis
cussed and the popular vote determines
what shall be done.
The Haidas are not Thlingits. They be-
long to different Indian family and for a
long time their only home seems to have
Dr;+
Columbia. Later some of them moved to
the west coast and about 200 years ago, ac-
cording to their traditions, they drove the