Omaha daily bee., July 05, 1903, Image 24

About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922

Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE

                
A Woman's Work Among Red Men
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MIFS KSTKLLri KKliL OF WfOMINO. t.X'EUINTi:T.KNT OF INDIAN SCHOOL.
O NE of tho bravest and belt work
ers for the civilizing of the Ir
dlans on tho reservations Im a
white woman. Her name In ICa
telle Reel, she IuiIIh trom Wyom
ing and she holds the Important position
of superintendent of Indian schools for the
United States.
Miss Heel is a young woman of attractive
personality and great ccrurage. She travel!
alone among the Indians In the remotest
and wildest parts of the country. The
fiercest-looking has no power to frighten
tier, and her dauntless pluck has naturally
Won the Indians' respect und esteem a!
nothing else would have done.
The young Huperlnlendent Is performing
lier work in a manner whleh reflects credit
on womanhood. Ax a result, a marked Im
provement Is noticeable In the education of
tho Indians all over the country. Kach
year Miss Heel travels from coast to coast
to study the various needs of the reserva
tion schools und compare their results with
other schools In more settled districts. Dur
ing her llrst year of otllce Bhe traveled,
even months, becoming acquainted with
the various tribes and the methods used In
civilizing them. Much of the distance was
covered by stage and wagon. It Is largely
due to her personal observation that the
schools show greater efficiency than at any
other time during their history.
Congress has a faculty of appropriating
money for Indian schools without a definite
Idea of where they are to be located. The
congressman In Washington knows little or
nothing of the wilds of Arizona. Another
reason for the Inaccessibility of the school!
Is that they are frequently established
near reservations for which the Indians
purposely chose remote locations. Miss
Heel often travels through parts of the
country where there is not even a wagon
road.
Her most perilous Journey Is up the Colo
rado river. Bhe Is obliged to board a barge
and take a two days' Journey on the river,
accompanied only by two Indians. Teach
ers who have come a long distance from
the east protest that they cannot go on
when they get this far, but Miss Reel Is
confident the Indians are her friends and
nover feels the slightest fear of them.
I olatlon fro-n raliioads make Mis Reel's
Visit an event In any Indian school, espe
cially as she carries with her a whole phar
macopla of medicine. This Is Intended for
the teachers and scholars, to whom she Is
doctor and nurse.
and crying while her lord and master, a
Many features of Indian life seem pa
thetic to Miss Reel the hard work the
squaws are obliged to do, and the way In
which they stand waiting until their brave.i
have eaten their fill.
"Once," said Miss Ree', "I saw a poor
Squaw with a baby In her e. rms, looking on
tall, flno looking brave, devoured every
particle of food. I had no Interpreter, but
feeling it was because she was hungry, I
sent her next day some presents which
would please her."
Tho children who attend the Indian
schools are gradually learning civilized
ways. They cook their food differently
from their parents and are cleanly In eat
Ing.
In spite of popular opinion to the con
trary, Miss Reel contends that contagious
diseases spread rapidly among the red
men. "At one reservation which I visited,
she says. "I asked to see the chief braves.
After being kept a long time I was In
formed the 'ielay In appearing was due to
their mak'ng their toilets. On their ap
pearing In state later I saw that their
usual queer appearance was enhanced by
the application of red paint, put on to con
ceal pock marks."
One of the alms of Miss Reel and others
Interested In similar work is to bring the
handicrafts of the Indian to the front.
This Is already being done. In a personal
Investigation which she has made of the
Bales of three of the principal stores that
handle curios In New York, she found that
at present more Indian goods are sold than
Orlntal; rich families like the Vanderbilts
frequently buying $1,000 worth at a time
to decorate an Indian room. The time for
getting these curios cheaply Is rapidly
pnssing, for the Indian is learning that
good prices can be obtained. Just as he is
learning the secrets of aniline dyes and
ordinary Germantown wool for rugs, in
stead of vegetable dyes. Miss Reel regrets
this and urges that the Indians be taught
to do their original work and not Imita
tions. "Not long ago," said Miss Reel when dis
cussing this subject, "I saw an old squaw
working on a basket. 3he took a bottle
of red Ink and began painting It. I Immedi
ately went to her, told her it would not
do, and took the Ink away. Then I turned
and bought from her an old basket that I
knew had been made of native grasses
and stained with vegetable dyes, In order
to show her that we really wanted work
done In the old manner."
As a preliminary step toward solving
this problem Miss Reel has Issued a circu
lar to the Indian schools asking for the
names of basket makers who will teach
the children original Indian handicraft and
designs which symbolize the history of thu
tribes. She wishes to arouse the pride of
the Indians and make them feel that the
work of their ancestors must not be al
lowed to die out. This will not Interfere
with the present aim of the Indian schools
to make young Indians practical citizens.
All kinds of industrial work are taught In
these schools, including blacksmlthlng, car
pentry and Bewing.
Lived in the Hidden and Forbidden City of Lhassa
UD T,ialnn vn1or.r KvltlkofY hui
i I Just returned trom Thibet, where
I Via rnut.liwl for r vnur in the can-
ttal, Lhassa. He delivered a lec
ture before the Russian Imperial
Geographical society In 8t. Petersburg. Zyb
IkofT Is real!' a lturiut and lluddhist In
language and religion, and can scarcely be
distinguished from the Thibetans them
selves. H penetrated Thibet as a lama
with a caravan of pilgrims who were going
to pay veneration to the Dalai, or Great
Ocean lama, the pope of the lluddhist
world. In his lecture he said that the es
timate of the population of Thibet Is un
doubtedly exaggerated. In Thibet proper
there are not more than a million people.
and the population is decreasing, owing to
the ravages of smnl'pox and the large
number of pri.vits who are pledged to cel
ibacy. The Chinese inhabitants arc al
most all merchants. The soldiers only re
main a few years and ure then relieved.
During their stay they take native girls
as concubines. Male children are consid
ered as Chinese and fcmalo children as
Thibetans.
Many skillful workmen from Nepaul are
employed as sculptors and Jewellers In
the temples. Almost the whole of central
Thibet belongs to the Dalai lama, who Is
extending his proprietorship more and
more every day. Thibetan cooking la not
very appetizing. Tho principal dishes are
unbooked meats, curded milk, vegetables,
butter, soups made of barley meal and
pounded bones. A spirit extracted from
wheat costs less than half a penny a pint.
Tho morality among the Thibetans Is low,
nnd polyandry and polygamy flourish. The
peoplo spend their money lavishly on fine
clothes. The wealthy residents resemble
walking jewellers' shops. Labor Is paid
a little more than a penny a day. A priest
will say his best prayers a wholo day In
your behalf for sixpence.
The population of Lhassa Is 10,000, but
pilgrims, merchants and workers are con
stantly passing through the town, which
has a circumference of about seven miles.
In tho center stands a celebrated temple
containing a gigantic bronze statue of
Buddha, with a gold crown decorated with
precious stones. Round the statue lamps
fed with melted butter are always burn
ing. Near the temple Is a large court
yard, in which thousands of lamas as
semble twice a year to pray for the Dalai
lama and the emperor of China.
The Dalal's palace Is on a hill three-quarters
of a mile from Lhassa. Close by are
the treasury, the high school of theology
and medicine and the residence of 1.200
court functionaries and 600 monks. Tho
state prison officials are corrupt to the
last degree. The army is worthless and is
armed with old-fashioned muskets and
bows and arrpwsk New York Sun.
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CLASS OF 1103 OF TUH HTV SCHOOL AT SCiTL TLX. Kek.