The L'Anse sentinel., 1922-08-18
Continued from Last Week.

continued from Last week.
Assinins is village OF perhaps
thirty dwellings not including the
converts scattered without place or
regularity over perhaps as many ac-
res. The land rises from a sandy
beach, traversed by a railroad track
to a moderate height. The county
road from Houghton to Baraga pass
es through the village. When Father
Baraga lin constituting its only
street in 1843, established this mis-
sion, he built the log houses all in a
row along the sand beach as close as
safety permitted yet far enough
apart to leave room for a garden be-
tween each house. These structures
have long since been removed, frame
houses have been erected instead fur
ther back on the top of the hill, where
there is more room and better soil.
The population at that time was
about $50 souls, mostly full-blooded
Indians. There were several white
settlers outside the village proper
within radius of mile or more who
were married to squaws. Counting
these with their children the number
of souls under the missionary's
charge may reach 200. This is about
the present population with this diff
ference-50 years ago more than half
the inhabitants were full-blooded In
dians while today only six may be
found with never drop CT white
blood, and one hundred years hence,
the nearest approach TO an Indian,
in the United States, will be, we pre-
dict, the man, woman or child one
quarter Indian, but before that day
arrives, they will be in spite of what
blood may pulsate in their veins, no
more Indians, the race with the ex-
tinction of it's language haring
ceased to exist Mingo, yes the most
of the new generation vii, think and
dream entirely in the English ver-
nacular and with the language adopt
the life and manners of the nation
the associate with and even change
may take place--yes, will take place
in their physical appearance, if their
mother has weaned them forward.
Let this truth be fixed in your mind.
No man may claim fellowship with
a nation who has become literally
dead to him. We repeat, the Indian
or N ,aca ;u Jonp,aJ
Meanwhile, we may still look at
or describe the Indian from sacred
angle. He is unproductive and i'm
provident as to the future. Many of
the L'Anse Indians who held valuable
allotments on their reservation dis
posed of them for good price, went
through their little fortunes in
year or two and will be left beggars
or end in the poorhouse. Still, there
are more now than ever before who
have Become wise through expert
ences and live economically. They
arc using their earnings for improve
ments on their houses. Certainly,
some once were inveterate drunk
ards, nuisance to society, but who,
through necessity, turned sober, in
dustrious and God-fearing men, which
may serve as an example to others.
OF the first settlers, about 80 in
number counting the adults only and
of course excepting the half dozen or
so Of French Canadians married to
"squaws," only four survive and they
are women of mixed blood, all octo-
.genarians. Their number has been
supplanted by two generations. Most
Of the first settlers had already been
baptized by missionaries in lower
parts Of the state and come from var
ious parts of the country, the 500,
Lac Vieux Desert, Fond du Lac, Lake
Vermillion and were anxious to find
permanent settlement under the
guidance Of black robe who could
speak their language, the Ojibwa.
But few of them had any knowledge
of English, while others spoke few
words Of execrable French. Their
French masters excelled in worse In
dian, but they all managed to get
along bv mixing these three langu-
ages. OF course, when It came to a
question Of some Importance. the mis-
sionary being conversant with these