Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-07-08
MANY INDIAN
WOMEN \ BELONG
TO RED CROSS
Great Amount Of Work Be
ing Done by squaws of
Indian Soldiers.

Washington, July S.-The deeds of
Indians who have enlisted in large
numbers In the military services are
hardly more inspiring than those Of
the women M children left behind.
This is q partial account OF the
answer made by the people on the
reservations when the Great White
tribes Inc races inhabiting this land
of freedom to rise in it's defense.
Reports received by. Cato Sells,
commissioners of Indian affairs. from
about one>third of the Indian reser-
vations, indicate a total Red Cross
membership of close to 2 900, con-
tributions in money amounting to
more than $4,000 and further dona-
tons Of thousands Of hospital gar
ments and knitted articles. That is
not a full measure of the Red mans
generosity, however, for the reserva-
tons do not house many Indians. in
Guiding the more wealthy, whose
charitable activities are listed with
the general population.
Resorting to methods of the white
man to raise money, the Omaha tribe
recently held an auction for the Red
Cross which netted $4,000, including
$500 for a prize goat.
The boys of a school in the north
west gathered 1000 pounds of
Sphagnum moss for surgical alb
sorbent pads. Some 400 Christmas
boxes were reported, which is incom-
plete. as nearly all of the 100 board
ing schools have service flags with
stars ranging in number from a few
to 200, and the pupils Of these schools
are very mindful Of their soldier rep
resentatives. One of the larger
schools reported a Students Friend
ship Wal Fund, with $3.50 on hand
and twelve war savings societies. This
school in four weeks bought 1000
thrift stamps and IA baby bonds.
On a small reservation far north,
where the winters are long and severe
and the Indian must struggle for the
n~ecessaries Of life, more than one dol
lar per capita for every adult was
paid in cash for the Red Cross and
other war relief purposes. In the
southwest where the parched desert
gives scant returns and sheep raising
is he chief means of support, many
of the Indians have each promised a
fleece Of wool for the Red Cross and
ment of spinning this wool and knit
ting 1t into socks. sweaters, ETC., by
h Indian women
In a Montana district where the IN
dams are nearly all full-bloods they
voluntarily held meetings and each
one who has a growing wheat crop
promised to donate one sack Of wheat
for war relief work. On another
reservation where the Indians are
very poor and have little ready
money, they donated an abundance of
handsome bead work and other curios
to be sold for the Red Gross.
One OF the smaller schools in Okla
homa reported a Junior Red Cross
membership of 176 members, being
the total enrolment of the school.
The superintendent of one of the
boarding schools for girls of the five
civilized tribes in Oklahoma declared
the girls are deeply interested in all
war work and respond readily to re-
4 quests for additional garments. The
very small girls knit up the scraps Of
yarn into refugee caps, afghan
squares. etc. Also they utilize the
scraps from the hospital garments
making quilt blocks. Larger scraps
aroused for small .undershirts for the
refugee Gun wipers have been cut
by the hundred.
From a northern Minnesota reser-
J vation, where 1t is believed the first
lndlan Red Cross auxiliary was start
ed in the spring of 1917, the presi-
dent Of the auxiliary writes:
The auxiliary numbers 4S and this
rom a community Of less than a hun
dred adults. Some of these women
have walked to the weekly meeting
place across the ice from Old Agency
when the temperature was twenty de-
grees below zero. They have sewed
on hospital shirts and. socks and
learned to knit the various garments
Just as their white sisters Of the cities
have done.
"one evening recently an Indian
and his wife, living seventeen miles
away, came to the home of the treas
ure and inquired about the work be-
ding done. the woman bringing her
dollar for membership, saying: I
try"
Commissioner Sells believes that the
national spirit which President Will
son and other statesmen foresee as a
result Of the war will be splendidlv
exemp1ided nv the Indian ~