Newspaper Page Text
Just toe and Fair Dealing for every Indian who desires to come a good Citizen. THE TOMAHAWK. Official Organ of the Minnesota Chippewas. 6US H. BEAULIEU, Founder. Edited by THE TOMAHAWK PUB. CO, White Earth Agency, Minnesota. Entered at the Postofflce at White Earth, Minn., aa mail matter ot the second class. SUBSCRIPTION: $1.50 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE Wisconsin Pottawatomies HavingTroublesof Their Own. SEND PETITION TO WASHINGTON. The following petition and com munication were received by us the first of the week from Simon Kahquados. member of the Wis consin band of Pottawatomie In dians, of Wausukee, Wis with the request that we publish them: "Depaitment of Indian Affairs Washington, D. To the Hon. Commissioner: We, the undersigned pottawa tmie Indians, belonging to the Wisconsin tribe of Pottawatomie Indians and also to the Michigan tribe of Pottawatomie Indians, do hereby petition you, Honorable Commissioner of Indian Affairs, that you make a careful investiga tion of the actions of your local Indian agents in dealing with the undersigned Indians, and that you fully investigate and satisfy your self as to their means and methods used in carrying out your orders and in carrying out the laws of the United States in their dealings with said Indians. "We also hereby protest and remonstrate against said disburs ing agents, and among many other grievances which we have against said local Indian agents we desire to call your honorable attention to the following facts, showing the utter neglect and refusal of said local agents to perform their duties in their dealings with said Iudians:First, we desire to call your attention to the fact that there are many old, blind, sick and impotent Indians belonging to said tribes who are unable to work and who are unable to provide them selves with the necessaries of life that many of said Indians are in destitute circumstanceg and in need of care, subsistance and attomi tention, and in many-cases medical attention that said impotent In dians, in mJrny" cases, do not re ceive any attention whatever from your local agents that they are often left in that condition until they die and are uncermonously buried in a rough box and without a coffin, that in many instances your local Indian agents attention is called to the existing circum stances and to particular cases and no attention whatever is paid to said cases, that again and again the attention of said local agent has been called to such cases but with no result whatever that in cases where neighbors and rela tives of said impotent Indians have called at the office of your local agent and asked for something to eat or that some care be provided for said impotent Indians or that some provisions be sent to them, that in most cases said petition and applications receive a deaf ear from said local agent. "Your honorable attention is also calied to the fact that no perlief capita payment is made to said In dians according to the provisions set forth in (House Document No. 830, sixteth Congress, first session) which document provides that a per capita payment of $40 may be made said Indians out of the funds therein provided. We further wish to call your attention to the fact that in several cases where some of the said Indians have certain inheritance due them from some deceased relative the same is persistently kept from the bene ficiaries, even after many efforts and petitions have been made to get same, and that said refusals are made by the local agent with out giving any reason whatever for such refusals. We want an investigation made of the existing circumstances and the gross evils which now exist by reason of the utter neglect of your local agent in carrying out his duties toward said Indians and we stand ready at all times to go on and testify to the foregoing facts, and many others not herein set forth, before any officer or commission which you may see fit to appoint to make^ the necessary investigation. We especially wish to call your atten tion to the circumstances as they now exist in Forest and Marinette counties in the state of Wisconsin, as well as to other counties both in Wisconsin and Michigan, it is our earnest hope that you do not delay in making a thorough investigation in such manner and according to such rules as you may see fit, but we also earnestly ask that you give us an opportunity to be heard. Dated this 18th day of Decem ber, 1919.Signed by Pottawato mies of Wisconsin and Michigan." The Pottiwatomie Indians evi dently enlisted the aid of Mr. Thomas G. Bishop, of Washing ton, D. Secretary and Treas urer of the Society of American Indians, who took the matter up with the Indian Bureau, but as usual got little satisfaction from that department as the following communication from the Commis sioner to Mr. Bishop will disclose: "Department of the Interior Office of Indian Affairs Washington March 20, 1920. Mr. Thomas G. Bishop, Secretary-Treasurer, Society of American Indians, 711 20th Street, N. W., Washington, D. O. My dear Mr. Bishop: This will refer to your letter of February 16th, quoting from sev eral letters addressed to you by Simon Kahquados, of Wausaukee, Wisconsin, relative to the affairs of the Wisconsin band of Pottawa Indians, and also transmitting copy of a petition from this band taking up various matters. "Mr. Kahquados says that "the local Jndian Agent at Laona, Wis consin, is very arbitrary in his treatment with our Indian people." This Office can take no notice of such a general complamt as this. A recent complaint of a similar nature has been investigated by an Inspector, who found that the evidence submitted did not show any misconduct or mistreatment of the Indians on the part of the Superintendent, Mr. Bennett, but, to the contrary, that he is handling their affairs apparently to their best advantage. Sincerely yours, CATO SELLS, Commissioner." Judging from the above our Pottawatomi friends in Wisconsin and Michigan are up against the same proposition that is confront ing every Indian tribe in the United States, that of seeking re- &&&&*&!&*&& t^as^^^Wa^Ci^ife.- Vol. XVIII. White Earth, Becker County, Minnesota, Thursday, August 19, 1920. THE TOMAHAWK. OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE MINNESOTA CHIPPEWAS. 'Truth before* Favor." from existing conditions from the Indian Bureau, and have had about as much luck that direc- tion as is generally experienced by other tribes. We are not conversant with the situation among the Pottawatomi Indians in Wisconsin and Michi gad nor with their treaties with the United States Government, therefore we are not prepared to discuss them at any length. Re garding the grievances set out inof the foregoing petition and especi ally as regards the request of the Pottawatomies for fiiancial aid and subsistence we have this to say however, that their requests are very contrary to the demands of the Minnesota Chippewas who, instead of asking any aid of any kiqd from the Indian Bureau are demanding that they be forever freed from all supervision of that bureau and the government in general and given what belongs to them in money and property and allowed to live their lives and sup port themselves without any aidfull*bloods or supervision whatever from the federal government. And this demand, so far as the Minnesota Chippewas are concerned, is a just one, for we have always contended that at least ninety per cent of theor Minnesota Chippewas are at pres ent self-supporting and would get along a great deal better without any government supervision what ever. There are very few old In dians among the Chippewas, or we believe among any other tribe of Indians, who have not got funds enough to to their credit in the agency offices to afford them more genuine aid if it were paid out to them than they are receiving or will ever receive from the federal government, in most cases these old Indians either have money or allotments of land of their own which, if the lands were sold and the proceeds de posited with some responsible per son to be paid out to them at the rate of so much per month it would be ample to keep them in subsistence for the balance of their lives. But this method of course would bo contrary to Indian Bureau ethics, as it would lessen the work to be done in the several agency offices where the bulk of the work now consists of carrying these accounts and which necessi tates the employment of an army of employees for that purpose. STRANGE, BUT THE TRUTH IS THERE. When we pause and think, does it not look strange that at this hour of the world calendar that the sons and daughters of the Indians, who were here before Columbus, should seek their rights from the United States? They fought for their independence and their rights,and why withhold the same from the Indian peo ple.Ex. A sram. Mrs. Noel"My husband has had Jyspepsia dieadfully lately." Mrs. Nock"I am so sorry, but I had dea you were without a cook." no Blames It on Teeth. According to a Paris physician, pre mature baldness is due to some trouble srith the teeth Auto Bus and Livery Bus meets all Trains Day and Night Service. CareiuJ Drivers. OFFJCEr-at The Cash Grocery. James Sweet, Prop. White Garth Minnesota }& 1.1.3 No Difference. To THE TOMAHAMK: "1 notice that there has been a great deal of controversy over the question as to who could rightful ly be classed as full-blood Indians and who are only entitled to the distinction of being termed mixed bloods, and it seems to have-- given rise to hard feelings on the part |ome full-bloods who were erroneously called mixed bloods and some mixed bloods who were called full bloods, neither side seeming the least bit complimented over their nick names. "Now, my dear Chippewas, it matters not so much what the degree of Indian blood you mayhour have or not it matters not whether your cheeks are a very dark brown or only a good tan color, but it distinctly DOES matter whether you are progressive Indians or non-progressives and why notfor call yourselves such instead of and mixed-bloods? Why not forget about the pro-knowing pagative end of it and think only of the heads that are on your shoulders, and the backbones you have and the "go" that is in you, not in you By Aunt Gracious Mee! Make th Mast of Pleasure. Few young people make as much n they should of small pleasures. For many years the stnnd.uds of enjoy ment have been undergoing a change and there Is a tendency to think that we Cannot have a good time that does not cost money. A girl's education is far from complete till she has learned to enjoy herself simply and without any money expense.Pennsylvania Grit," ^Manva ^i. SA. ,V *&r Sale of Lands to October. *******mmi**tmBtimM0m0m00mt*m0m***m***mw*t0mw*0m'*i A big sale of Sioux Indian land, including some of the choicest land in the Standing Rock reserva tion, will be held in October, ac cording to an announcement by Superintendent Kitch of the Standing Rock agency. Standing Rock Indians already have more than $360,000 to their credit de rived from the sale of such lands. Series of Choosing. Life Is one long series ot choosings. This way or that? Shall we do or leave undone? The questions fill every of every day, and by our wise or foolish answets we write our his tory. The Fault Is Yours. Never complain that your confidence has been betrajed. The fault is yours pouring unsafe talk into a leaky mind. You do not blame a leaky pall for leaking. Blame yourself for not it leaked.Life. Cactus Candy. Louisiana has a new product. It is cactus candy. The cactus is peeled, lipped in hot sirup or molasses and coated with powdered sugar. Catarrhal Deafness Cannot Be Cured by local applications, aa they cannot reach the diseased portion of the car There is only one way to cure catarrhal deafness, and that Is by a constitutional remedy Catarrhal Deafness Is caused by an In named condition of the mucous lining of the Eustachian Tube When., this tube 1B Inflamed you have a rumbling sound or Im perfect hearing, and when it is entirely closed, Deafness Is the result Unless the inflammation can bo reduced and this tube restored to its normal condition, hearing will be destroyed forever Many caxes of deafness are caused by catarrh, which is an Inflamed condition of the mucous sur faces Hall's Catarrh Medicine acts thru the blood on the mucous surfaces of the system "We will give One Hundred Dollars for any case of Catarrhal Deafness tbat cannot be cured by Hall's Catarrh Medicine Cir culars free. All Druggists. 75c. F. J. CHENEY. CO., Toledo, O. When you want the best In Grocories, Dry Goods, Winter Clothing, Footwear, etc., call on us. We're right here every day in the year (except Sunday) to supply you with any and everything you may need in THE BEST AND PUREST GROCERIES IN THE MARKET. The B. L. FAIRBANKS COMPANY. White Earth, flinnesota. Published in behalf of, and to secure the welfare of the Indians of the United States. Indian be Held in ISo. 18 The Society or. \M ERIC AN INDIANS?. A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION oil AMBUICANSS Organized at Ohio State University." APRIL, 1911. MEMBERSHIP ActiveIncluding Magazine, $2 annually. Junior ActiveIndians under 21 years of ago. Including Maga zine, $1.50 annually. Without Magazine, 50c annually. Application for membership should be made to the Secretary-Treasur er, Society of American Indians, 707 20th Street, Washington, D. O. Information regarding the Society will be cheerfully furnish ed upon inquiry to the Secretary^ Treasurer, Washington, D. C. THOMAS L. SLOAN, President, 322 Mass. Bldg. Sioux City, Iowa. When Visiting Faigo EAT AT Pearl's Lunch 527 BROADWAY. Jutst 4 doors noitli of Fold Building. Fargo, N. D. Now is the time to pay that subscription. Wljl^#lftr^rViiJJrVi*W '*&&&&? ri*4 *'&, &.-*-AV**a 'r Jlki