The New York herald., 1922-07-09
INDIANS OPERATE
COMMUNAL FARM
Menominee Tribe Making Sue
cess of Government Test in
Wisconsin.

MESoMINEE INDIAN RESERVATION
KEsHENA, Wis. July (Associated
Press) Tho Fish Trail from Chicago
to northern Wisconsin. one Of the first
automobile trails blazed by wealthy
sportsmen when the automobile was a
luxury. runs through this reservation.
This summer a Menominee Indian
hearing that an automobile camper be-
side the trail had been caught in the
rain with inadequate shelter, removed
the tarpaulin from his threshing ma
chine and offered it to the camper. No
tips were involved: 1t was simply an act
Of courtesy.
Word Always Good.
These are the Menominees of to-day.
whose historical character was described
In a Washington Indian Service report
thus:
"A woods Indian, the Menominee was
a striking figure. generally six feet and
over in height,-a giant In strength: few
In number compared with other great
tribes. their bravery and fighting quail
ties enabled them to hold their own
with surrounding tribes. Their word
once given could be relied upon
The Federal Government is working
out an experiment with these modern
Menominees by trying to develop them
through the tribal. that is. the communal
land holding system, now rarity In
most countries. Among most American
Indian tribes communal land holding
has been abolished through acts Of Con-
gress alloting the lands.
The work among the Menominees Is
under the. direction of Superintendent
Edgar A. Allen of Keshena. The reser-
walton in northeastern Wisconsin covers
an area approximately 1S<by "a miles
and has population Of about $500 In
dams whose communal holdings total
timber.
War Veterans in Tribe.
Superintendent Aliens days are full
of variety. One opened recently with
request by an Indian for a carriage
harness.
You do not need carriage harness"
replied Mr. Allen. You are operating
a farm and I am not going to give you
a requisition for something to take you
away from it"
but can't farm without harness" !"
You can have a harness. but you
cannot use q carriage harness for
ploughins."
Later Mr.. Allen led decoration day
parade The Menominees still have
nine living civil war veterans and twen-
ty volunteer veterans of the great
war. Later in the same week Mr.. Allen
took George Vaux Of Philadelphia. one
OF the Indian Commissioners. to inspect
the farm OF a Menominee who has put
100 acres under cultivation, and has
more than a dozen men working for
him. including few whites. This
Menominee is the most successful
farmer on the reservation, the outstand-
ing example of what the government is
trying to do. For those who would
succeed the tribal system of land hold
ing is potential discouragement, be-
cause when the lands are allotted there
is no assurance that an Indian will
receive that which he has developed. or
even as much. This communal system
members OF the tribe who are helpless,
or so unskillful as to be unable to
support themselves. Each Indian re-
ceives all the profits of what his own
enterprise produces but the forest
lands produce a community fund. This
usually Is small, the last allotment from
it having been $40 a head a year.
After the inspection trip Mr.. vaux
and Mr.. Allen attended play given
by Indian school children.
Automobiles usually have been the
start Of hard times for Menominees
who have purchased them. There are
about twenty machines on the reserva-
tion.
Along with the courtesy Of these
Menominees goes a marked degree Of
neatness and order about their farms.
Disorder and dogs are no more appar-
ent than in other communities. but
there are a few dogs with traditional
habits as night providers.
To all outward appearances the res
ervation Indians lead about the -ame
lives as other rural Americans. There
are an experimental farm. a Govern.
ment loggi-s industry and houses that
for ss~der and quiet. good taste and
upkeep are to be highly commended.
These are the Governments examples.
either self-supporting or inexensive. to
show the Indians what industry will do.
In an ice cream parlor one evening
this summer several women were chat
ting. most OF them apparently from
families Of small but adequate means.
The topic of conversation was how
they could find their way in the woods,