“It was the Indian’s nature to be cruel, and many of the conflicts between him and the Whites of the Plains were caused by the Whites’ retaliatory measures for some atrocity born of Indian cruelty. On the other hand, as has already been hinted, many Indian cruelties arose from needless, petty cruelties and indignities, inflicted upon the latter by the Whites and afterwards avenged. These relations of hostility existed between the Indians and all classes of Whites on the Plains, excepting, possibly, the cowboy. He and the Indian had little to do with each other, therefore they had few encounters.
BETTER CLASS OF FULL-BLOOD PLAINS INDIANS OF THIRTY YEARS AGO
“It is often asked—since the United States had so much trouble with her western Indians, why has Canada had no trouble with hers? There are several good reasons. First, Canada, from the start, had a better method of dealing with the Indians. She was firm with them, and never deviated in the least from this course. They were awed by the Canadian police, and it is a well-known fact that this mounted police really protected Canada’s frontier. Whiskey peddlers, as well as fugitive criminals, knew this, and knew how firm and just these police were, and the Indians entertained the same feeling toward them. Second, the Canadian Government always strictly kept its word with the Indians and never broke its agreements with them. It invited and warranted their confidence. Moreover, the Indians claimed no land over in Canada, as they did in the United States, and their best reason for keeping peace with the former when at war with the latter, was that they might have a refuge at hand, to which to fly in times of need. When they crossed the Canadian line, they knew they were safe from hostile pursuit. It was a healthy country, well watered by clear, cold streams; mountainous, where Indians could easily hide when hard pressed. It had plenty of game to sustain them, and beautiful, warm valleys, full of nutritious grasses and plenty of wood, where they could winter comfortably and feel in safety and at home. In summer it was an equally ideal place to live. It was also a place where they found a ready market for stolen horses and sold them to advantage. One may ask why they could not have selected Texas for like purposes. Well, for just the opposite reasons from those which led them to select Canada. Texas was much more unhealthy; they had always been at war with Texas, and besides, it was a glorious country upon which to forage. There they raided the frontier and not only got all the stock they wanted, but many other things that were useful to them.
“One should consider the natural propensities of the American Indian, and be convinced that he was better off in his original state than at the present time, with all the so-called advantages civilization has brought him. This was especially true of the Plains Indian. By nature he was a nomad, a warrior, a hunter, living in the open air. Under conditions favoring this nature, he was a healthy, hardy, happy individual, like any product of natural growth; under the absolute reversal from this to conditions imposed upon him by civilization, he became diseased, debilitated, and inferior; as might be expected from any unnatural growth.”
The Plains Indians of Today
Desiring to present a contrast between the past and present, in all its details, I wrote to numbers of missionaries among Indians, selecting those who had served for a long time. One of the missionaries on a large reservation where are located thousands of Sioux, answered me at length, and I present some of his recommendations. He speaks Sioux fluently. I have taken the liberty of changing a few expressions. His suggestions are brief, but contain much sound common sense. His letter was written in 1909, and some of the reforms he advocates have been inaugurated, but they have not been made general. This worthy missionary presents an accurate picture of conditions among the larger bands of Plains Indians (with some exceptions) at the present time. These Indians were entirely self-supporting forty years ago, and for their present deplorable condition, we, rather than they, are responsible.
“What strikes one most of all is the great poverty of these people. The majority suffer very much from hunger, because they do not know how to make a living. But they could make a good living for themselves, we believe, if they would but plant a couple of acres, say one acre corn, one acre potatoes. However, most of them will never do so unless they are held down to it. It is useless to treat with them as with white adults. They are nothing but grown-up children, not knowing what they want, and above all not knowing what is good for them. For this reason we ought to have more farmers who would see to it that these things are done.
“The Indian is a great traveller. Sometimes he does so for work, most generally for pleasure. Of what use is it to go to the railroad and work there for a few weeks, come back with little, find all his hay devoured by other people’s stock, his own cattle and horses scattered over the country, and several head missing?