This day has been celebrated with as much regularity as the Fourth of
July, but the former remains yet as our affair, while the latter has
passed into their hands. They have no building large enough to contain
much of a celebration of the day. The church is at the agency, and is
the most suitable building for the purpose, and the exercises naturally
center around the school, so the older Indians come to us on Christmas,
and we go to them on the Fourth.
Usually there have been some speeches made, and presents from the
government, school-supplies to the Indian school-children. Private
presents have been made among the whites, but it has only been during
the last two or three years that the outside Indians have taken much
interest in this custom of ours. Indeed, during the first few years
generally but few of them were present. It was far from their homes, the
nights were dark, the roads muddy, so that they did not take much
interest in it, but as the first school-children have grown up they have
kept up the idea they received in school, and imparted it to others, and
of late years a good share of them have been present. On Christmas 1882
and 1883 they made quite a number of private presents; more on the last
one than ever before. Usually nuts and candy have been provided from
contributions by the whites, and apples which are raised at the agency
for the older Indians. A Santa Claus Christmas-tree, or something of the
kind, has been the usual way for distributing the presents. The report
of the Sabbath-school for the year has been a central item in the
exercises, showing the attendance, the number of times each has been on
the roll of honor, with the distribution of some extra present to those
who have been highest on this roll.
In 1878 quite an exhibition was made by the school, consisting of pieces
spoken, dialogues, compositions, tableaux, and the like. In 1879 I
arranged so that about twenty of the aged Indians, who had neither land
nor good houses, came to the agency and had a dinner of rice, beans,
bread, and tea. This was new to them, they generally being the neglected
ones, but I thought it to be according to the principles of the New
Testament.
The celebration for 1883 suited me better than any previous one in many
respects. The first part of the exercises were more of a religious
service than usual--more of a celebration of Christ’s birth. This idea
suited also the minds of the Indians better than to have it mainly
consist of sport. The Indian girls did nearly all the singing and
playing, six of them playing each one piece on the organ. The year
before three of them had done so, but this year it was still better.
Then five of the older Indians made speeches, including two of the
chiefs and two of the young men who had been in school. This was new for
them on this day. More of the Indians also made private presents than
ever before. Thus they took up the work, as the whites who previously
had done it had been discharged, and it is better for them to do so.
The people at Jamestown for several years have had a celebration of
their own, consisting often of a Christmas-tree, and they have borne the
whole expense. I have never been present, but they have always been
spoken of as enjoyable affairs, a good number of the surrounding whites
feeling that it was a pleasant place for them to spend the evening.