A few men were building their log houses and plastering the crevices with earth; some were at work in their fields, and many sat with their friends smoking and telling entertaining stories.
The religious influences at these homes are foreign to ours, of course, but there is an influence. The Dakotas worship all nature. They pray to the spirits of heaven and earth; to the winds, the sun, the moon, the stones, and for fear something should be left out—it is summed up in the great mystery—the Great Spirit. All trouble and even sickness comes from evil spirits, hence the young never want to care for the sick, and do not dare for fear they shall be visited with disease too. Near the tipi of one of the women we noticed a large new tent; and we asked, “Whose is this?” “My tipi wakan,” (holy house) she replied. “May we enter?” “Oh, no, we do not allow white people there.” “But,” says my companion, Miss Collins, “they always allow me.” “Do they? well, come.” She led the way inside and told us the following incident:
Her son, a boy of thirteen, had died; and during his sickness all the relatives had promised to make a certain number of gifts, to be finished at a set time after his death. The tent was very large, and half way around on the inside were several rows of Indian travelling cases, which held the gifts. The mother opened one of these and showed us her offerings: moccasins, leggins, tobacco pouches, pipes and many articles for which I knew no name. All of them were beautifully embroidered, and she had handled them so carefully that the deerskin of which they were made was spotlessly clean. This poor sorrowing mother had worked so diligently that her wrist was very lame, but she was being doctored by one of their medicine men, and hoped soon to finish all she had promised. “My son has counted every one of these gifts,” she said, “and when the time comes we will call a feast, and our sacred men will say prayers, and we shall give these gifts away. This will please my son and he will pray for us.” So she hoped to merit blessings for herself and others. Do we not hope that the dear Lord may soon grant this faithful woman a revelation of Himself?
Before leaving this view of Indian life, let me give you a glimpse of our other station, Fort Berthold, through a recent letter from Mrs. Hall, formerly Miss Webb, of Santee. She writes: “You have no idea, and I cannot begin to realize, the depths of heathenism and degradation which surround us. It is only a little walk to the village, and strange sounds come from there all through the nights. There is dancing and all sorts of wickedness going on. I wish our Agent would use his power to put a stop to such things. I have had my first women’s meeting. My plan is this: to have a circle composed of the mothers of our boys and girls, or, if they have no mothers, the woman nearest to them. My first meeting consisted of five. One of them could speak Dakota so I was able to reach her a little. She was an interesting, bright woman, but oh! so dirty! I was wonderfully drawn to her and also to one of her little girls. Here was an opportunity to use my Dakota Bible, which I was so glad to improve. Now I am surrounded by Rees and Gros Ventres, I feel the barrier of language exceedingly. The Rees are around us mostly. The Gros Ventres have taken their farms twenty, thirty, or forty miles away. Here will be such a field for some of our boys. Who will be the devoted, consecrated worker? I feel all we can do now is to pray; and I am sure God will hear and answer.”
Having tried to picture to you our people in their own homes, in parts of the Oahe and Fort Berthold fields, turn with me now to our Santee school, and the record of its boys and girls. Some of these not long since came from similar homes; others are the children of Christian parents and grandparents, and do not know of the native beliefs and customs, except as they are told. We have representatives from ten different tribes, five tribes (and the larger part) belonging to the Sioux or Dakota Nation, the remaining five belonging to the Rees, Mandans, Gros Ventres, Arapahoes and Poncas. The whole number of different pupils last year was 210. This shows a steady increase. They have continued in larger numbers through the year, and those from a distance have enjoyed attending the summer sessions of school. There has been marked progress in their studies and deportment; especially in deportment, for those who used to be so painfully shy, and their voices so faint one must strain the ear to listen, can now, with their acquired knowledge of spoken English, look you confidently in the face and respond with distinct voices. The brightening of the eye and whole countenance makes you sure of the bond of friendship established between teacher and pupil, which gives always a promise of success. In the homes, in the shops (of which there are three—blacksmith, carpenter and shoe shop), on the farm and at school, many through the year have given very satisfactory service. While I would not claim for any, perfection of conduct, yet in simple justice to their efforts I do say, they have tried faithfully to do well what they have attempted, and have succeeded, and so have won the esteem of their teachers in the several departments.
The studies are as yet mostly elementary. The Bible in Dakota and in English has always had a prominent place, in order that the young men and women may be fitted for religious work among their people. We would never lose sight of the fact that the first and highest aim is to form a Christian character that shall go with its influence into their homes and be felt. It is no plan of Santee to isolate the child from the parent, but rather through the child to influence the parent and all home life. Where there is such strong family affection, there is a proportionately strong hope that the greater and larger good can be accomplished in this way. Through the past year there has been an awakening to the claims of their own people upon our pupils as never before. They express desires such as these: “I want to help my people.” “I go alone on the hill and cry to God to bless and save my people.” “Pray for my people that they may all be Christians.” Surely God’s spirit is with them.
During our summer vacation we receive letters from those at home, which give a little insight into their life when they return to old surroundings. One young girl writes, “There are some new Indians here. They have their old ways yet, and I am afraid of them and very careful with them. No Sunday-school, no church and no prayer to-day is just dreadful to me. Remember us in your prayers that we may be able to resist temptation.” Quoting from a letter from one of the young men, “The people here asked me to go to grass dance, but I said ‘I don’t know how to dance now.’ They have dance every Sunday. And the white man, he always took some picture on Sunday. You think he doing right? I think they don’t know how to walk to the church. I know what makes those white men not want to go to church. They didn’t like to hear the truth and doing in the right way that Jesus wants all people to do.” Do not such words as these show that the good seed is taking deep root?
Our organized Christian work embraces three missionary societies and a Y. M. C. A.
The Society of Native Women holds weekly meetings for prayer and sewing. Their homes are far apart and but few can attend at once; yet some one is always ready to welcome the Society and prepare herself to lead the prayer-meeting. They have raised during the year $74.25. The girls of the Dakota Home organized a separate society, October, 1885, with an average attendance of thirty. They raised from September to July about $12. This was done by small weekly offerings, and by the sale of useful and fancy articles at the close of school. The little girls of the Birds’ Nest have also had their society of seventeen members, varying in age from six to twelve years. By little services they have earned $1.20, and a gift of $2 from a gentleman has enabled them to report $3.20 at the Annual Dakota Meeting in September. The Secretary of the Y. M. C. A. handed me his report, from which I quote as follows: