THE DAKOTA MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
Its annual meeting was held in connection with the Dakota Conference, at the Santee Agency and in the dining-room of the Normal and Training School. There were two hundred Indian sisters present, besides the white lady teachers. They represented six mission stations and twice as many churches, each church having a wide awake woman's missionary society. After a hymn, the President, Mrs. Tasinasawin, led in prayer and read the first three verses of the 21st chapter of Luke, following it with a few words about that widow's mite, saying that it was not the amount given, but the spirit in which it was given. That was the important thing. The Indian women are able to give but little, but if they give willingly, as to the Lord, He will bless it. The minutes were then read, and a new president and secretary elected. Two candidates were put in nomination for each office. As the roll was called each woman arose and voted viva voce. Mrs. Brascaw was elected president, and Miss Mary C. Collins, secretary. I was delighted to see the cheery way in which these sisters-in-red did their voting. There were several sallies of laughter.
Then the delegates made each a report of the work done in their societies and how much money had been raised. One woman from the Brown Earth Colony said: "We are poor, but we are interested in the work and have done what we could. Mr. Williamson taught me to read, and when I was young he taught many others to read. Now I am nearly blind but still I have done what I could."
Another said: When the pastor's wife was well she had helped them very much and had taught them many things, but now she was sick and could not attend many of their meetings, but they worked on and did the best they could.
Another said: "The gospel was sent to us when we were in darkness, and now though we are few and scattered far apart, yet we are anxious to send the same gospel to those who have not yet heard of it, and to help those around us to love our Saviour and to love each other, and we give gladly of the little that we have. It is not in our own strength that we do this, but it is in God who helps us."
It was found that the women had raised this year over five hundred dollars. This goes into the treasury of the Dakota Society to help to sustain four native preachers, who are also teachers, out among the wild Indians. One of the services of the Sabbath, the great day of the feast, was to hear from those their own missionaries to the heathen. At that meeting I counted five hundred and thirty Christian Indians, who also partook of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. To help their treasury the women had a Fair for the sale of articles of handiwork. The most noted one was a quilt which had been made and sent in by Caroline To-tee-doo-ta-win (Scarlet House), of Brown Earth, now in her 97th year. She was one of the first three converts who were organized into a church in 1834, at Lac-qui-parle, Minn. Her husband had two wives, and she was the second. Finding upon conversion that polygamy was contrary to the ordinance of God she at once proposed to be put away. She had been a member of the Order of the Sacred Dance, but this she renounced, throwing away her "medicine sack," which by the medicine men was regarded as a high crime. This subjected her to divers persecutions, which she bore patiently. There were times when all were forbidden to attend worship at the mission. Then she took joyfully to the spoiling of her goods, the cutting up of her blanket, she received the Sabbath as God's day, and more than once remained behind her company when they travelled on that day, making it up on Monday. She learned from missionaries to spin and knit, and weave garments for herself and husband. At forty-five years of age she learned to read her Dakota Bible, and of her children she sent one to Ohio to learn the ways of Christian white people. She has adhered to the faith for these fifty-four years. With her quilt she sent the message that it was the last one she could make. It was bought by Miss N. Hunter, a teacher at the Yankton Agency, for four dollars, to be presented to Rev. Dr. Arthur Mitchell of the Presbyterian Board. It was this Miss Hunter who interpreted for me the addresses of the woman's meeting. Surely the Apostle Paul would say of these, "Help those women who labored with me in the Gospel." He who was so fond of naming the Christians who were "the first fruits of Achaia," would be very loving to this aged disciple, the first fruits of Dakota.
JOSEPH E. ROY.