The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-06-14
Rotarians Entertain Old Timers at RoGckmg Dinner Party
INDIANS ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE

| a
;. Camas Prairies for their annual
root. The party consisted. of Mrs
Minnie Willie, wife of Captain Willie
of the ShoshOne tribe; her sister,
Mrs. Agnes Camas Jackson, wife of
T-Bone Jackson, aud their aunt,
Mrs. Lena Weiser, all residents of
= the Gibson community between Fort
D Hall and Blackfoot.
3 They have heretofore been accom-
panied on these trips by one or more
r male companions, but the men are
buster than usual this year with
| their farming, and wanted to stay
and keep it we'll In hand, SO the
: women decided to make the trip
! alone this year. 1t Is about two
hundred miles each way, going out
via Arco and the Valley of the Moon,
Picabo ((Peek-a-boo) across Wood
: river valley and westward on the
high plateau.
There used to be large areas grow
ing camas root, but in the early
seventies some white people settled
on the prairies and went to grazing
hogs on the tracts. The Indians OBJ
! jected and insisted that 1t was a part
of their reservation, which 1t was
according to the agreement, but the
treaty was, by mistake of the Sec
rotary, written ito include parts of
the Kansas Prairies," and as 1t
could not be reconciled, the Indian,
as usual lost. Forty-six years ago
this June, band of about thirty
from the FIT. Hall reservation went
there we'll armed and tried to gov
ern the situation, but the Nez Perez
war broke out and these Indians,
determined to keep faith with the
government, returned home for the
summer and thought they would fix
up their claim to the land after the
restoration of peace. The Nez Perez
leader and his army were overcome
on Milk river in Montana in the fall
of 1877, and in the spring of 1878
the Indians from Fl. Hall went again
to try to get their crops of camas
restored to them. They found droves
of hogs. horses and cattle roaming
over the camas fields. and three
white men In charge OF the bands
of horses, George Nesbet, Lou Ken
sler and William Silvey, gave them
between them and resulted in Nesbet
q u
wounds, and they all made their
settlements along Snake river and
hostilities followed.
Ever since that time, 1t has been
conceded that 1t was the intention
of the treaty of McCammon to give
the Indians the Camas prairies, but
that the white men had the choicest
parts Of it, and no department of
the government ever felt called upon
to deliver 1t over to the Indians. The
treaty said Kansas Prairies," and
does yet, and how should the In
dams who signed the treaty discover
the difference II the white secretary
himself did not?
The Indians have put up with what
they could get and preserve of the
camas fields ever since, and Mrs.
Willie informs us that they have set
some small fields or coves with camas
root and return to that each year.
They dig out the roots very much
as we do horseradish, and dry 1t for
use throughout the year. 1t is boiled
in water as people cook potatoes with
among the Indians. The Mesdames
bring back supplies of It for their
own households. and will try to get
back in time for the annual Fourth
Of July celebration. When the In
dams have had banquets at their
they have usually had
some camas root to serve, enough at
least for the old folks who are 30
fond of 1t. Since the fields were
by the hogs of the white
settlers there never has been enough
Of 1t to make It a common article of
diet as before.
Mrs. Willie and her companions
travel with team and wagon, and
1t is long journey by that means.
Each year when they are ready to
start they call at the Republican
Office for a letter of credentials or
to serve as a passport
with people who show a disposition
to question their right to be there
Or to be off the reservation. 1t is
their country by birthright, by occu-
patton, by treaty and by equity, and
t seems too much humiliation to
lave to go to some member of the
INVADERS people to get passport to
ravel in their own country and to
harvest the crops in their own fields.
f the Germans has won the World
Var and put us under tribute, and
We had to go to Lieut.. Fritz Won
schmidt to get pass to our dry
arm in the canyon and then when
ye got there found a German had
enced in the spring and all the
reek, and put up signs saying
Verbotin," and we had to go back
nd camp at the lower end of the
ence and content ourselves with
pring water that was muddy from
he long run thru the pasture, we
ave correct picture of what the
indians have been suffering at our
ands in regard to their fields in the
ne pece of climate that produces
ne camas in Idaho, $500 feet above
ca level. An evidence of the super
,rity of the soil and climate was
evealed at the Lewis and Clark Ex-
oofffOn Of Portland In 1o0R whan