RESERVATIONS, INDIAN. 



ing. If an Indian will go upon an allotment and 

 work to improve it, the Government assists him in 

 building a house, gives him a team, agricultural 

 implements, wire for fencing and grain for seed- 



: ing, and the supervision and counsel of a prac- 

 tical farmer to aid him in the cultivation of 

 his crops. For the pay of such farmers $70,000 

 were expended in 1895. Field matrons are also 

 employed, whose duties are to instruct Indian 

 women in matters of the household, to assist and 



i encourage them in bettering their homes and tak- 

 ing proper care of their children, and to incite 

 among Indians generally aspirations for improve- 

 ment in their life morally, intellectually, socially, 

 and religiously. The appropriation for field ma- 

 trons has increased from $5,000 in 1892 to $15,000 

 in 1896. Exclusive of the Five Civilized Tribes, 

 Indians on reservations in 1895 cultivated 369,974 

 acres of land, 37,899 acres were broken during the 

 year, and 1,168,839 acres were under fence, while 

 561,681 rods of fence were built during the year 

 and 8,366 families were actually living upon and 

 cultivating land in severalty. The crops raised 

 were 1,016,754 bushels of wheat, 875,349 bushels of 

 oats and barley, 2,266,944 bushels of corn, 476,272 

 bushels of vegetables, 10,410 bushels of flax, and 

 216,096 tons of hay ; 100,082 pounds of butter were 

 made, 5,953,000 feet of lumber were sawed, and 48,- 

 931,000 feet of timber marketed, while 80,568 cords 

 of wood were cut. The value of products of In- 

 dian labor sold by the Indians to the Government 

 during the year was $371,324, and the amount of 

 those sold to other customers $581.006. Indians 

 with their own teams transported 23.061,000 pounds 

 of freight, the amount earned by such freighting 

 being $103,725. As far as practicable, remunera- 

 tive work is given to Indians by the Government, 

 and, in addition to moneys paid them for mis- 

 cellaneous work and for supplies raised by them- 

 selves, $400,000 was paid in salaries to Indian em- 

 ployees in 1896. In addition to hauling goods and 

 the sale of grain and other farm produce raised by 

 themselves (one enterprising Indian having recently 

 obtained the contract to furnish corn for two Gov- 

 ernment schools), other sources for self-support 

 among the Indians are the cutting of hay, working 

 on irrigating ditches, raising of beef cattle, logging, 

 cutting of cord wood, digging of ginseng root, 

 sheep shearing, laboring as ranchmen, carrying hod, 

 labor in construction of railroads in Arizona, the 

 sale of fish, berries, wild rice, maple sugar, and 

 (lately in Wisconsin) frogs' legs. Too considerable, 

 as well as too easy, a source of revenue is the leas- 

 ing of land. On several reservations the making 

 of " real " pillow lace has been taught to Indian 

 women, who have shown themselves to be apt 

 learners, dexterous workers, and tasteful designers. 

 The income of the Indians from their native manu- 

 factures, such as bead work, gloves, moccasins, pot- 

 tery, pipes, baskets, and blankets, is still consider- 

 able, but is probably diminishing. A unique 

 industry recently introduced on the Flathead reser- 

 vation in Montana was that of the herding of buffa- 

 loes with cattle, by which the fur or hair of the 

 cattle is improved, being much longer and much 

 finer in texture than that of the pure buffaloes. A 

 herd of 150 buffaloes is now ranging upon the reser- 

 vation, and the owner derives a comfortable income 

 from the sale of the cattle, which are shipped to 

 Chicago. As far as possible the outing system is 

 being extended in Indian schools, by which the 

 pupils are enabled to earn money on neighboring 

 farms during vacation. Several Indians are traders, 

 and Indians are frequently employed as clerks in 

 stores. A good many mechanics support themselves 

 at their trades. There are a few physicians, trained 

 nurses, clergymen, and engineers. The rights of 



Indians on their reservations are " those only of a 

 tenant for life on the lands of a remainderman, and 

 no more." 



Leases. The leasing of Indian lands, allotted 

 and unallotted, for farming, grazing, and mining is 

 permissible, subject to the approval of the Secretary 

 of the Interior, but the indiscriminate leasing of 

 allotments is not allowed. No allottee is allowed to 

 lease his lands unless by age, disability, or inability 

 he can not personally improve it. The period of 

 leases for farming and grazing has been extended 

 from three to five years, and the term for mining 

 or business is placed at ten years. Originally, leases 

 of lands by Indians were permitted by the Interior 

 Department ; subsequently they were allowed only 

 under authority of Congress, and cattle were ordered 

 from the Cherokee Strip by proclamation of Presi- 

 dent Harrison, Feb. 17, 1890, the Five Civilized 

 Tribes having, in the opinion of the Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, no right to make contracts for leasing these 

 lands. The present authority for leasing Indian 

 lands is the act of Feb. 28, 1891, amended by the 

 act of Aug. 15. 1894. The sale of dead and fallen 

 timber is allowed to Indians on reservations, but 

 the Five Civilized Tribes and holders of allotments 

 may cut and sell timber at will. 



Railroads are run through Indian lands only after 

 conference and agreement (sanctioned by Congress) 

 and compensation paid, the sum usually being de- 

 posited in the United States Treasury as a trust 

 fund for the benefit of the Indians. 



Legal Status. As regards the legal status of 

 Indians on reservations prior to March 3, 1885, 

 offenses of Indians against Indians were left to 

 tribal jurisdiction. From that date specified crimes 

 have been punished by Federal authority, and the 

 provisions of the allotment act look to the exten- 

 sion of the law over the race. On March 1, 1889, a 

 United States court was established in Indian Ter- 

 ritory, having civil as well as criminal jurisdiction, 

 the authority of which was enlarged in 1890 and 

 made also to include extradition of criminals. For 

 suppression of barbarous and demoralizing prac- 

 tices, courts of Indian offenses were established by 

 the Indian Office in 1882, each court to consist of 

 three judges appointed by that office for one year 

 and subject to removal by the commissioner. These 

 courts were afterward recognized by Congress, and 

 appropriations are made for their maintenance. 

 They are now known simply as Indian courts. Of- 

 fenses cognizable and punishable by these courts 

 are " sun," " scalp," and tl war " dances, plural mar- 

 riages, practices of medicine men, sales of women, 

 stealing and abuse of property, and sale and use of 

 liquor. Indian police have been organized since 

 May 27, 1878. and the cost in 1895 was $125.000. 

 The force is regarded by the Indian Office as an in- 

 dispensable one in the maintenance of order and 

 suppression of crime. 



Trade with Indians on reservations, restricted 

 since 1786 to licensed traders, is losing its distinc- 

 tive characteristics, and among the civilized tribes 

 restriction and supervision of trade by the Indian 

 Office has long been merely nominal. The most 

 important question under this head is therefore 

 that of the sale of intoxicating liquors. The act of 

 Feb. 13, 1862, modified in 1873, but restored to its 

 original force Feb. 27, 1877, made it a crime, punish- 

 able by line or imprisonment, to sell liquor to In- 

 dians under care of an agent, on or off reservations: 

 and on Feb. 14, 1890, the British Government sig- 

 nified a desire for the extension of the law to em- 

 brace Canadian Indians temporarily within the 

 United States. Since the opening of Oklahoma 

 especial difficulty has been experienced in preventing 

 sale of liquor on adjacent reservations, and large 

 quantities have been destroyed by the Indian police. 



