El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-06-05

TAYENrA, Ariz., June with the
n influenza abated IN Arizona and
hundreds CT Indians its victims, the
survivors are busy these days riding
lover the reservation scattering corn
pollen and sacred meal in prayer over
their stone affairs on every high point
10 prevent the plague from returning
The total deaths among the Ma
vaiOs from influenza was heavy
While it Is doubtful Il IL reached the
total Of 200Q, as given in a dispatch
from Phoenix, IL was heavy
As an introductory word. the Ma
.vai0 country contains 25.I25 square
miles, an area larger than New Hamp-
shire. Rhode Island. Mass2chuse5 ts
and Connecticut combined For the
purpose Of administration. IL IS d.
vided into the following reservations:
Hopi, western Navajo Navajo ENten-
sion. Navajo (Fort Defiancel. san
Juan fShiprOckl and Pueblo Bonlto-
The population as per estimate in 1879
was Sass Indians and 81 whites IN
the account here penned- the whole
! Navajo country viii be considered.
The "flu" broke out at the boarding
school at Tuba City, western Navajo
{ all OF the employees were down and So
7 boys and 99 girls were ~ at the
Indians Fear Death.
I After something like q week. en-
.ployes began to convalesce- In the
meantime two Of the girls died, both
at nisht. and on account Of the Na-
ivajOs fear OF death and the dead we
carried them out OF the dormitory as
soon as dead, with lights darkened so
the other pupils could not see what
I we were doing We also made the
collins and buried the pupils in the
same reason the indian cnlidren
never knew that there had been a
death among them TIL after they had
tconvalesced- No Indian boy died AT
THE school at the time. but one John
Navajo has died since from eompll-
/ cations due to the -flu-" Three white
people died in Tuba and vicinity.
The Hupi village OF Moencopi, two
miles southeast OF Tuba. has approx
mately 500 Inhabitants. OF these Isl
were sick at one time. There were
whole families chat had not had q bite
Of cooked food for five OF six days
One family OF six had eaten half
melon in five days.
Mostly an IN the village had con
valesced- OF the 500 sick only l6
died
difficult He has never been under
very. severe discipline OF the govern
ment. he is nomad in the tuh sense
OF the word
As soon as the people Of 1oencopi
began 10 conTalesces Dr.. n o. ReT-
and went to find the Nava10s. as We
had learned that the disease had eZl-
tended TO the reservation in general
Reaching the settlement known as the
il abandoned We then followed them
as far as Moa Ave, where the mission
ary told US they had fled toward
Navajo mountain and SLACK Mesa Wltn
their flocks at the breaking out Of the
disease in their camp.
HIEHw ErrTTn- the AE.-
Fajos. they lied from the places where
It appeared often abandoning every
thing in the panic, even their sheep
in some Instances One Indian man
is alleged 70 have abandoned his SICK
wife and several children 70 die OF
starvation. Several families are also
alleged 20 have abandoned sick mem
hers Of their family IN their panic
The fatality OF the disease was as
founding whole. families were wiped
out leaving their sheep wandering
about over the hills at the mercy OF
the coyotes. Several related families
living together al oieo, but one y
gear old boy who was found herdinE
the combined flocks Of sheep and now.
Il is alleged. that the agent at ship
rock. under whose jurisdiction he be-
IonEed. is making efforts 10 have this
boy inherit the combined flocks ne
saved from the wolves
Whole Family Dies
AT another place e family OF elgnI
were picking pinyou nuts when the
disease overlook them When found
later tfiey were all Wing dead around
their wagon A Piute woman dleo
ana the father and five children
crossed the san Juan river into the
Navajo country and their sneep- Wne1
they were overtaken by the disease
and died, one by one along the trail
only one little boy surviving. so snls-ll
that he could not tel what his pa
rents name were
The wife Of an Indian gave birth
10 a baby girl while sick with the
"flu." Five days later il became eFl-
dent that she would die from the el-
fects of his disease and from Dlool
poisoning As soon as i was seen that
she would die, she ana the baby were
abandoned. Later the baby was found
hv the agency party and It and moth
err who was sril alive, were taken
to the hospital Il the school, but the
mother died that evening, and the
Ifffie one had been so starved that il
succumbed two days later. though u
was not sick with the lu-
Woman Wins Here.
Among the NaVa1os II the mO-Ael
dies the children are virtually or
phans. though the father, survives
as they are not considered his chill
dren, but the children OF the clan 20
which the mother belonged More
over, ne Innerlts none OF Us ~
CT his children's property in case OF
their death. same divertlng 70 the
elan Of the wife
During the i'flu" epidemic many
dead we're abandoned and left IN
buried Others were left where they
died in the hogan and were simply
covered over with a few shovels luli
OF dirt, where they died The writer
found such burial Ia several hogans
and one in the only real constructed
house Of a Navajo he has seen on the
reservation
on November 5 We slirted the east
side Of Black Mesa for sick people
We buried three people. two OF them
were abandoned dead that we found
Nuraios Make Sick Eat.
When sick. the Navajos think one
should be fed nuch-at least much
meat If he cannot eat. e is expected
he VIII die Stuffing in sickness is
common and often IS the cause OF
much trouble and not q few deaths
AR Greene. who had charge OF the
medical work at Kalbito during the
'flu" epidemic, told me that he knew
cases where the sick one was TOO
weak and sick 20 eat and the wen
ones made meat balls about the size
OF ones thumb and forced them down
the patient until he was full up TO
the chin" such stuffed patients
usually died when sick. the Indians
also often give the patient the juice
Of the Arizona ffruuEou- This makes