* * * * *
=Howlin' Wolf=: "What is this 'Lo Business' engaged in by Recbe-Brown of
the Forked Tongue? he whose 'medicine' started with a sudden blaze; he
who can rob the 'Nation's Wards' without hindrance; he who takes from
the widow and orphan their last wampum bead, their last bite of grub; he
who clouds the head of the Injun with fire water and then steals his
only blanket and shirt, leaving him naked before his tribe.
"Who is this Miller of the Wampum Lodge? this Miller who grinds the
ignorant Injun instead of grain for bread; he who once tallied at the
Agency but now counts wampum for a Banker of his own kind.
"Who is this Ain't Worthy, the Oily? he who sells his chu-chu wagon,
Double Price to the foolish Yakimas. Who are these men without shame or
honor?"
* * * * *
=Growlin' Bear=: "This Lo(est) Business engaged in by he of the Forked
Tongue and he of the Wampum Lodge, is cheatin' the Injun, stealin' his
land and water. They are the =Lal-a-wish=: the wolves tearin' and rendin',
robbin' and thievin' despoilin' unhindered alike the ignorant, drunken
brave and the toil-worn widow, takin' the last piece of jerk from the
orphaned papoose. Want and misery! hunger and nakedness stalks the trail
of their making.
"Ain't-Worth-a-Dam, the Oily, is a coyote from the trap-pen sneakin' in
the wake of Forked Tongue and Grindin' Miller, watchin' their signalin'
to jump the last bone left their victim Lo.
"How this done? Growlin' Bear don't know; Injun don't know.
Maybe Injun Bureau know, Maybe Agency know! Maybe Deacon Lawyer
the Dirty of Yakima can tell. Blind talk-wire from Washington, D.
C.--Yakima--Toppenish--everywhere. =Christian Shooyahpo= too crooked-smart
for Pagan Injun. Ugh! the smell is bad."
* * * * *
A certain Deacon Attorney who is making it possible for an unscrupulous
sales agent to collect from the ignorant, childish minded Yakimas the
robber commission of $500 above the regular set price of an automobile,
should have been a chemist. He is such a good "mixer;" prayin' and
thievin', thievin' and prayin'; stirrin' all in the same bowl. Thankful
to Providence for providin' this easy channel of wealth wherein the
shekels may be garnered, this forked tongued double talented Deacon, who
like a buckwheat grain presents a face from whatever angle viewed, pays
to the Lord a regular tithe. Doubtless this is perfectly legitimate and
right, else it would not be tolerated by the Church, but it occurs to
some of the worldly minded that it is not accordin' to the traditional
narrow and straight path. "Growlin' Bear" is of the opinion that if the
white man's God is partner to such a deal, He had better keep His own
books and be on the lookout in the final roundup, or the Deacon Lawyer
will sure "slick ear" on Him. But then "Growlin' Bear," primitive and
uneducated, still sticks to his breech clout and moccasins. He is not
supposed to understand the higher civilization. What is an Injun for if
not to be skinned by the "superior" race?
* * * * *
Last winter three young girls deserted from the Yakima Agency school.
Two of them reached home, the other one, whose parents resided in a
distant part of the Reservation, died near White Swan from cold and
exposure. No adequate attempt, it is alleged, was made by the Agency to
locate the runaways, and the parents of the missing child supposed her
to be at the school. Two weeks later her body was found with eyes picked
out by the magpies. Was there an investigation?--an inquest? If so who
ever heard of it? The story leaked out through Indian channels alone.
Indian Agency efficiency and care! Indian Bureauism! One dead Injun
child and the carrion birds the fatter for their feast.
* * * * *
If the "incompetent" Indian has it tough in this life where he is so
well cared (?) for by the Bureau, can his condition be imagined in the
Happy Beyond?--a land void of both Injun Agents and fleas.
* * * * *
An interesting, though pathetic scene was enacted in the Superior Court
in Yakima recently. Sahpamequick Twatentush, a young Indian was on trial
for his life for killing Sheowit a "bad" medicine man who had cast a
death spell over his infant boy. Advised by two medicine women, who had
been summoned to treat the child, that they could render no aid unless
the man remove his evil spell, the distressed father rode twenty miles
horseback to entreat Sheowit to come to the rescue. The medicine man
refused, and according to the testimony of an eye witness, and that of
the accused himself, he mocked at the sorrow of the father, stating that
he had sent an evil spirit into his child's body and that it would die.
He angrily exclaimed: "I am a strong man! I want to kill somebody all
the time! I have killed your child and I will kill you!" With this he
drew a hatchet from beneath his blanket and made an attempt to strike
the young man; who dodged and backed away. The enraged medicine man
followed him, striking once or twice with the hatchet. It was then that
the Indian drew his pistol and killed his assailant. The medicine man
was of bad repute, having killed two or more men. For one of the crimes
he had served a term in the penitentiary. During the trial, many
interesting points concerning the philosophy of the Yakimas were brought
to light. It is needless to say that the sympathy of the public was with
the defendant, who sat stoical during the trial in full tribal costume.
It took the jury but ten minutes to bring in a verdict of not guilty.
Barring self defense, the young man in taking the life of Sheowit, had
but followed an ancient law of his tribe. It was suggested, by one who
attended the trial, that it might serve a good purpose could this
unwritten Yakima tamanwit be enforced against some of the quack M. D.s
among the whites.
* * * * *
As a side light on the prevailing belief in the powers of the medicine
man, the following communication is given.
Mr. L. V. McWhorter, July 10, 1920.
My White Brother:
In God's will I was to live on this earth for a short time and I
am about to lose my nice little son, Senator Leo. He is having
awful time talking, repeating the words of the Indian Doctors
and this matter nearly set me crazy, and if it was not for my
religion I would take my gun and kill the bad Indian Doctors,
but my Great God is on my side and he shall save my little boy's
soul, but of course, the body will be buried to rot and decay
and that my religion tell me this: Thou shall not kill, and I
tried my best to save him, but white man doctor can not cure the
boy because the boy had Indian doctor sick to which white man
has no belief, but this is true as you understand Indian ways.
Old Man Tom is a bad one. He killed my mother-in-law and one
little child for me. I can not do no further to reach a cure for
my little dear son. I had Priest there yesterday giving the
little boy blessing and extreme unctions so the boy will die
holy. The Indian doctors are killing us right and left this day.
This is no lie and I do not know how long the little son live
and he will go. He get some times unconscious and this is all my
brother.
The sick child died four days later.
* * * * *
The curse of =Shakerism= on the Yakima Reservation is well illustrated in
the following. A young married woman stricken in confinement, was, for
three days and nights "doctored" by one of the "priests", or "preachers"
by noisy incantations and ringing of bells, assisted by many "helpers".
At the end of that period the poor sufferer was released by death. Think
of this and lend your moral and financial aid to the Mission now being
established at White Swan.
* * * * *
The Tepee Association is a body of its own, entirely distinct and
separate from the =Mission= being established on the Yakima Reservation.
The =Tepee= will work in unison with the Mission and kindred organizations
for the uplift of the Indian and for a more liberal recognition of his
rights. Not only must the coming Indian be prepared by education for a
higher plane in life, but the public must also be enlightened to his
needs and to the fact that the Indian can =never be= a man until delivered
from the unreasonable trammelings of the Indian Bureau. That body must
be reformed or dethroned.
NOTE--Will the =Tepee= return to its original declared principal of
battling for a better recognition of the rights of its people?; or is it
to follow the less rugged trail of mediocre so recently determined on?
The true warrior never shows his heels at the first sound of the enemy
guns.
* * * * *
The Tipi Order of America opened a new Council in Tacoma (Tahoma) during
the Planting Moon. It started with 30 charter members, many of them
identified with the I. O. R. M.
* * * * *
"LET MY PEOPLE GO!" Wassaja.
* * * * *
The Yakima Council of Tipi Order is planning for a big pow-wow and
shoot. Buffalo Ben is Chief of the Council's Gun-warriors, and has
scored some high marks in clay pigeon shooting. From a humane point of
view, it is regrettable that the clay bird is not substituted for the
living victim in all sports.
* * * * *
What is the TIPI ORDER OF AMERICA?
* * * * *
The American Commercial Bank of Wapato, Wash., is a red hot nail in the
oft repeated assertion that the Indian is void of business qualities.
Humane work for the first time in history, has reached the Yakimas
through the efforts of the Yakima County Humane Society. Recently two of
its officers attended a round-up of wild range horses at the "Ten Cent
Corral" near the Agency where they found some of the animals being
"broke" by the usual method of keeping them tethered for three or four
days without food or water. It was explained to the Indians that this
could not be allowed, that under no circumstances must an animal be so
confined for more than 24 hours. With but one or two exceptions the
warning was received kindly, many of the Indians expressing their
approbation. The brutality of the branding corral, where the young colts
are trampled and maimed, ofttimes killed outright, was also supervised.
This part of the work fell to Mr. Simon Goudy, a half-blood Volunteer
Officer. Here there was some friction, and it is said, a delegation of
Indians laid complaint before their Superintendent, with what result is
not known further than that the Humane Society received no official
notice of action by the Agency. Later, in reply to a communication from
the society setting forth its desire to promote humane education among
the Yakimas, Supt. Carr expressed his unqualified approval and pledged
to lend his support to the movement within the resources at his command.
Thus the way is paved and if properly handled, many of the ghastly
features of the Yakima roundup will be eliminated.
* * * * *
The Yakima Humane Society has in its ranks two Indian Volunteer Officers
helping to enforce humane laws on the Yakima Reservation, and
instructing their people in the ways of kindness to animals. The first
of their race to enter this field in the northwest, their action is
bound to have a salutary influence among their own tribesmen. Look
elsewhere for the "savage" than the Yakima.
* * * * *
Mrs. Jennie R. Nichols, of Tacoma, Wash., Field Worker of the American
Humane Society, attended the National Parent-Teachers' Association at
Madison, Wisconsin, during Rose Moon. The result of Mrs. Nichols' ten
days effort with that body may be summarized thus: A speech before the
Assembly which aroused intense interest. Getting through a resolution
placing this great body of 100,000 educators solidly back of humane
education. A Board of Managers in this Department of Education, Mrs.
Nichols, chairman. The newly elected President of the Association
pledged her support of this new Departure, realizing that such education
means the elimination of much crime and all around better citizenship.
Mrs. Nichols' accreditation as the most active field humane worker in
the United States is borne out by the success of her indefatigable
efforts at the great Madison Convention, was loyally supported by Mrs.
C. A. Varney, President of the Washington State Parent-Teachers'
Association.
Since Indian children are more in attendance at our public schools each
succeeding year, this new feature of humane education is bound to have
telling effect on the minds of the youth of the First Americans.
* * * * *
Out on a rock crowned desert mountain in the Okanogan country, far from
water lies the shriveled form of a coyote with one foot clamped in the
rusted jaws of a Government trap. The chain, with its triple flukes
anchored to a sage brush, is taut and twisted, attesting the awful
strugglings of the animal before death came to its release. Trapped in
mid-summer, the agony of that coyote can not be imagined, as day after
day passed with the scorching rays of a hell-sizzling sun beating down
upon it. Obviously a war of extermination against certain predatory
animals is justifiable, but there is nothing more brutal than the modern
methods of trapping. Notwithstanding, we have the amazing spectacle of
Dr. William T. Hornaday, naturalist, advocating that this brutalizing
pursuit be taken up by the Boy Scouts; and the suggestion is sanctioned
by the executive board of that fine organization. God created man and
all kinds of animal life, but he did not create the steel trap.
* * * * *
The catch of salmon at Top-tut, now known as Prosser, on the Yakima
river this year was unusually heavy. Under the Treaty of 1855, it would
appear that the right to take fish at this, their ancient fishing
grounds, is assured the Indians, but a State law interferes and the
authorities tacitly permitted the Yakimas a certain number of days in
which to catch and cure a winter's supply of this, their favorite food.
The fish is both dried and salted. It is hoped that the next legislature
will restore to the Yakimas their right to fish at Top-tut, built
especially for them in the beginning by Speelyi.
The State Federation of Women's Clubs, meeting in convention at
Wenatchee, Wash., June 1920, unanimously passed resolutions requesting
the coming legislature to enact some measure which will permit the
Yakimas to take fish hereafter unmolested at Top-tut during the salmon
season.
* * * * *
Pursuant to a recent ordinance passed by the City Commission of Yakima,
no dog is to bark, no cow to moo nor rooster to crow within the
corporate limits after night fall, under penalty of a fine not to exceed
$100 with possible imprisonment. The next sane move is to enact a
tamanawit against the cooing of babies and the early carol of robin red
breast. The dulcet yodel of the tom cat, the musical purr of the open
muffler and the rhythmical chime of the flat car wheel is symphony
plenty a-nuff for the city denizens.
* * * * *