The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-01-02

each day according to tradition. and
il appeared as though every man, NO
man and child Of the tribe must fall
before the ravages Of the disease.
Catawba Indian doctors treated all
diseases in the same manner ana
their method was to administer
corn sweat The mode of giving this
sweat was to boil ears of corn, slip
shucked, take them steaming out OIL
the pot and pack them closely around
the patient, and as soon as 1t pro-
duced a profuse sweat the patients
were taken up and thrown into the
Catawba river. It was more ire
quently a dead Indian than a living
one that was taken out of the stream.
Experience proved no teacher to Ca
tawba Indian physicians, and often as
many as twenty-five dead bodies were
taken from the stream each day dur
ing the prevalence of the scourge.
A Disastrous Move.
The older Indians of the tribal rem
nant still tell the story told them by
their parents Of the time when the
fathers of the tribe agreed to the
proposition of the State Of South
Carolina to sell them what little lands
they had left and join the Cherokee
nation in the vicinity Of Haywood.
North Carolina. 1t was seventy yesre
of more ago that the State persuaded
them to sell their lands and move.
Most Of the Indians were opposed to
the step, but through various forms
of intimidation and other means they
were at last persuaded to move out.
, 1t was q sad day among them when
they went to join the Cherokees.
When they arrived there North Caro-
lima refused to let them stay. They
were in a terrible plight since they
had nowhere to go. Finally they
wandered back to their former haunts
and there they have since remained
on the few acres allowed them; the
women engaged in the manufacture
of crude pottery, pans and pipes which
they peddle throughout York and ad-
joining counties for provisions and
old clothes, and the men, most OF
whom are too proud and worthless to
work, living in worthless dignity up
on the mere pittance appropriated by
the State, and from wages paid for
doing odd jobs when they are abso-
lutely compelled to work.
A striking characteristic OF this
fast dying tribe is their contempt for
and adherence of negroes. Even back
before the war they are said to have
held the negroes in disdain and the
privations and changes in their condi-
ton during recent years have not
changed their feeling of antipathy for
the blacks. Most of the white people,
in fact all of them. living in the vi
cinity of the CataWba reservation
consider the Indians their interiors
socially and otherwise. ard have as
little to do with them as possible 'ex.
cept in a business way. Since, there
fore, the whites will have little to do
with them and they refuse to mingle
with the negroes, they are forced to
live almost wholly unto themselves.
Education and Religion.
Most of the Catawbas can read and
write, several of them have been stu
dents in the Carlisle Indian school,
and all of the young Indians attend
the school which is conducted on the
reservation several months each year.
Up until the past few years most of
them have been members of the Nor
mon church and until short while
ago they practiced polygamy. A
Baptist church has recently been built
on the reservation, and quite num-
Der of the Indians have connected
themselves with it.
The Rev. F. T. Cox, pastor Of sew
eral Baptist churches in Rock Hill,
is largely responsible for the erection
of the church on the reservation, and
it is largely due to his influence and
teaching that the Baptist denomina-
tion has gained foothold among the
Catawbas. Up until short while be-
fore the war between the sections not
a single Catawba had ever professed
conversion and become connected
with a Christian church, although
missionaries Of all denominations had
faithfully preached the Word OF God
among them for many years prior to
that time.
Sad, indeed, is a contemplation Of
the present atate Of this miserable
remnant of once powerful and noble
tribe who were possessed OF all the
characteristics Of the primitive red
man E}yan fha Fal opca their Dr0Y
and sport in tho stream which bears
their name, have nearly all departed.
and it can be only faw yeara until
the CataBhe Indians. too. Will aATe
become e9tiaet.
JANR& D, 9RIT.