The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-11-24
Reservation Statistics

Reservation Statistics
The Shoshone and Bannock Indian
reservation is bounded on the south
by the Portneuf, on the northwest
and north and part way on the east
Z by the Snake river and the Blackfoot
river. For some distance connect
ing the headwaters Of the Portneuf
and the Blackfoot, the boundary line
does not follow any stream, but cuts
across the mountains in north and
south direction. '
Capital Of the Reservation
= The government Of the reserva-
ton is administered from the agency
at Fort Hall, a railway station mid
way between Blackfoot and Poca-
tello. The reservation government is
svestSd in the Indian agency acting
under the department Of Indian at
fairs. Indian Agent Ashmeyer is
assisted by Chief Clerk Hardy and
then there is the police department
with it's chief and assistants, the
agricultural department with it's
chief and assistants, the department
Of livestock and the department of
irrigation, the latter under the recla-
nation service. There is also the
department of education carried out
thru an institution known as the
Manual Training school, situated just
south of Fort Hail. Thre is also a
public school on the reservation at
Fort Hall carried on like other pub
lie schools as a part of the county
unit.
Department of Government
The police department is manned
chiefly by Indians acting under a
chief of police. The livestock de-
partment provides for the leasing Of
a great deal of the grazing lands on
the reservation, either to Indians or
white men who will pay the price.
All the livestock owned by the
Indians is held individually excepting
what is known as the tribal herd of
cattle. 1t is cared for and the bust
ness administered thru the agency
by employing both Indians and white
men. Irrigation is maintained by the
use of an extensive canal system fed
with waters from the Blackfoot
reservoir high up in the mountains
on the head of the Blackfoot
Water masters and ditch riders con-
troll the flow of the water according
to the established right of the in
dividuals and the purchasers of the
system. -.
Indians possessing agricultural
lands and not caring to farm them,
can lease them to anyone thru the
agency. There are certain agricul-
Eural lands scattered over the reser-
walton that are placed upon the
market for sale at intervals. These
can be bid in either by Indians or
white men. These lands are sold on
the installment plan on ten-year
payment basis. .
The work of education is carried
on chiefly by white men and women,
but Indians are given the preference
when they can qualify. After the
Indian student has finished the in
dustrial school or the public schools
or both, if they wish to take advant-
age of higher education they are sent
away at government expense to such
schools as Carlisle, Sherman Insti-
tute and Chemewa. Carlisle is in
1 Pennsylvania, Sherman Institute at
Riverside, Calf, and Chemewa is in
Oregon, south of Portland.
Helping Develop People
The government does what it can
to encourage agriculture and stock
raising among the Indians and the
leaders among the Indians teach
their people thrift and the better
}, ways of agriculture and stockraising,
thus encouraging them as much as
they can to adopt the white mans
ways of making living. They have
some difficulty in preserving the
original costume and to teach the
Young to continue manufacture by
the hand methods and at the same
, time to adopt the white mans ways
and white mans method of dress.
All students at schools adopt the
white mans Dress but on returning
to their people and mingling with
, those who have not been much in
school and who are seeking to re-
tain. their primitive costume, the
.yuV@nts are usually ridiculed if they
do not return to the native garb. 1t
is easier for the male Indians to
adopt the white mans garb than for
the women. An Indian woman who
discards the native garb and wears
dresses is usually ostracized socially,
and not until she returns to it, is she
received and treated as one of them.
This holds true with the older ones
more than it does with the younger
set When persons of mixed blood
. marry into white families, they are
likely to be ostracized by the whites,
but when they marry into Indian
families they are accepted on social
equality with the Indians.
just How Many Indians
On June 80, 1920 there were 1865