1802-93.] SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE BLACKFOOT INDIANS. 259 



had ninety acres of oats, producing one thousand three hundred and fifty- 

 six bushels; three acres of wheat with fifty-six bushels, and over twenty- 

 five acres of garden produce, which did well. The number of employees 

 on the reserve was the agent, farm instructor, clerk, interpreter, issuer 

 and assistant issuer, cook, and three white men as labourers to teach the 

 Indians farming. A medical man visited them regularly to attend to the 

 sick. During the busy season of the year, say from March till November, 

 four Indians were employed by the Government and received pay, all 

 the rest of the Indians doing their own work. 



In October, 1891, the writer paid a special visit to the reserve, and he 

 found the Indians building better houses, growing larger crops, getting 

 out hay contracts for the mounted police, and understanding more clearly 

 their relations to the white settlers. At that time the average daily 

 ration per capita was one and a quarter pounds of beef without shrinkage 

 and .42 of a pound of flour. This would not be sufficient for supporting 

 an adult, but when we note the fact that a child one day old receives the 

 same, it can be easily seen that where there is a large family of children 

 there will be sufficient. It is not the intention of the Government to 

 feed them without doing something to support themselves, as that would 

 beget and maintain a system of pauperization, but to keep them from 

 being in want and at the same time encourage them to toil. The Indians 

 receive their rations at the Lower Agency twice per week, and the same 

 number of times at the Upper Agency. The reason for issuing at the 

 two agencies is the distance of the bands from each other, the Indian 

 camps being located for more than thirty miles along the Belly River. 



It costs the Government about fifty dollars per head for supporting 

 the Blood Indians. The Blood Indians consume over five thousand 

 dollars' worth of beef per month. Five or six year^ ago they consumed 

 over six thousand dollars' worth per month. The beef is furnished by 

 contractors, who are paid eight and a half cents per pound. They must 

 give the whole animal with the offal, but they are only paid by the 

 weight of the four quarters, the head and offal being delivered, for which 

 they receive not any compensation. All the hides which are not needed 

 by the Indian Department for the use of the Indians are taken by the 

 contractors at two dollars each. There are between seventy and eighty 

 hides per month, of which the Indians use about thirty-five, the contrac- 

 tors paying two dollars each for the rest, the price being deducted from 

 the amount paid for the beef. 



From October, 1889, to October, i8qo, there were born twenty-four 

 boys and thirty-five girls, and there died twenty-two boys, thirty-one 

 girls and fifty-five adults. The estimated population of the Blackfoot 



