Montana oil and mining journal., 1943-01-02

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TO the Flatheads. who had been some
what prepared for its reception by
Catholic Iroquois living with the Flat
heads. and who had urgently re-
quested that the Black Robes" bt
sent to them. The Flatheads had the
reputation, also. Of being friendly tc
the whites. Not so the Blackfeet. who
were dreaded more by the whites than
any other tribe in the northwest
Father DeSmet was himself anxious
TO avoid meeting them while crossing
i the plains.
While 1t is true that the Blackfeet-
or some of them-had asked that a
mission be established among them
the motives actuating the petitioners
were open to question, according to
the reports Of the missionaries, who
said the Indians believed baptism
acted as q charm, to protect them in
times of peace, and render them vic
torious over their enemies It was a
new kind of medicine" they thought
more efficacious than any they had
formerly employed.
| Father Point, who was extremely
conscientious, refused to baptize all
who desired to have the rite admin
istered, as he did not consider they
fully grasped the significance of the
ceremony including its obligations. He
! said of their regarding baptism as a
mascot, This explains why some of
these wretches. who seek only the lives
of their neighbors, were the first to
petition for baptism" The Blacdeet
looked upon the sign Of the cross with
the same veneration they felt in re-
spect to baptism, and it is claimed
Protestants knowing this, saved their
lives in a few instances, by crossing
themselves. Like all primitive people,
the Indians we're impressed by forms,
and the less they understood them,
the more they we're impressed.
Did Foundation Work
It was Father Point who laid the
foundation for mission work among
the Rlackfeet in 1876, but he remained
with them only a few months. 1t was
not until 1859 the Jesuits sought to
establish a permanent mission.
1t was through the request of the
Indian agent, Major Vaughn, that
Father Hoecken was sent to the Black
feet in the spring Of 1859. That sum-
mer his labors we're confined to the
Indian camps, which he followed from
place TO place in their migrations,
studying the Blacldeet language and
customs, and trying to find site for
his permanent location. He decided
this should be near the present town
of Choteau, and here he and an ac-
companying brother put up three log
cabins. Later he was joined by Father
Imoda. Due to some unexplained rea-
son this site was abandoned for the
banks Of the Sun river, where two log
cabins were erected.
There was q suspension of opera
tipns in 1861, but the next year Father
Glorda and Father Imoda were or
dered to take up the work. They were
to spend the winter in Fort Benton,
teaching the Indians in the vicinity,
and selecting another mission site.
During this time Of preparation,
Father Giorda started out with an in
terpreter to visit the Gros Ventres.
On the way there he had an adventure
which Father Palladino apprecia-
lively describes:
HE fell in with band of warriors
of Bull Dogs camp, one Of the chiefs
of the tribe, and ne and his companion
were both made prisoners. The latter
however, managed to escape. The
marauders not only took away from
the missionary, horses and provisions,
but stripped him Of everything he had
on his person to his undergarments.
No sooner had the savages taken from
him the cassock, than the red flannel
undershirt he had on caught their
fancy, and this last piece of his ward
robe the Father had also to surrender
to his captors. The one, however, to
whom fell the red tunis, was con-
siderate enough before putting it on
himself, to give the missionary In ex-
change part of his own habiliment.
whose wealth was in its scantiness and
the nature of which could hardly be
described" In 40 degrees below zero
weather the naked clerical managed to 1
reach the lodge of the chief, who
learning he was q Jesuit gave him a
buffalo robe, and finally secured the
return of his effects, including his
cassock and a pair OF blankets. Un-
discouraged by this experience, Father
Giorda again set out for the Gros
Ventres, and at length reached them
unhindered.
Indians Dissatisfied
The first site chosen for the mission |
under the new management, was on
the Marias, but the Indians were dis
satisfied with it, preferring to have 1t
located near the Missouri. 1t being
desirable to comply with their wishes
the Fathers again set out TO look over
the country, and find, IL possible, a
location which would be mutually |
satisfactory. This was at length dis
covered on Sun river at Fort Shaw.
Again some log houses were built, and
the Indians began to take up land
there.
While the teaching of religion ac-
cording to the Catholic concept was
the main purpose Of missionary work
by the Jesllits among the Indians, they
recognized the importance Of instruct /
ing them along other lines. which
would fit them for the inevitable-the
of their nomadic man
ner of life, If they were to survive, or
their destruction. From the very first,
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