THE GEOEGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 71 



lu regard, however, to another class of offouscs I cannot speak so favorably. Their 

 morals and social hahits are abominable. While they acquiesce grudgingly and 

 under protest in the necessity of doing a certain amount of work and endeavoring to 

 provide by civilized methods for some sort of subsistence, when it comes to the regu- 

 lation of their social and domestic affairs they despise the white man and his ways. 

 lu these respects I doubt if they have advanced one iota in all the years during which 

 they have been under the training and tutelage of the superior race. They marry 

 and unmarry at pleasure. Their daughters are held as legitimate merchandise. Po- 

 lygamy, though not universally practiced, is considered perfectly proper and excites 

 no remark. It is, indeed, practiced to a greater extent than a superficial acquaint- 

 ance would lead one to suspect. The woman as a rule accepts the situation with the 

 apathy of the race. Occasionally, however, the first wife organizes a revolt against 

 the interloper and succeeds in driving her out ; but sometimes she is driven out her- 

 self, and compelled with her brood to find lodging and subsistence as she can. Some 

 of these are cases of extreme hardship. So long as this condition of things continues 

 they can make no real progress ; the emancipation of the woman is one of the first 

 steps in the civilization of any people. Moral influences and the example of the 

 whites have utterly failed to effect any change for the better in their domestic rela- 

 tions. I think it is" high time they were placed under the restraints of^ law just as 

 other people. I can see no reason why an Indian should not be sent to the peniten- 

 tiary for bigamy as well as a Mormon. One or two examples would do more to break 

 up the miserable practice than all that teachers and missionaries can do in a gen- 

 eration. 



Aside, however, from these and kindred matters which affect their moral rather 

 than their physical condition, these tribes have made perceptible progress in the 

 direction of independence and self-support. Of course it has been done under con- 

 stant urging. I do not believe there is any upward tendency in the Indian nation. 

 The very moderate advance these Indians have made in the twenty-five years or more 

 during which they have had teachers and helpers has been made under the constant 

 pressure of those around them ; if that pressure was withdrawn they would speedily 

 relapse into utter idleness and barbarism. But the hopeful aspect of the situation 

 is that they respond more readily and kindly to the efforts put forth in their behalf, 

 and they will no doubt continue to do so as their muscles become inured to labor and 

 they acquire the skill which practice alone can give in the methods and processes of 

 civilized industry. 



The Pawnees now number 1,045, showing a steady decrease in population from year 

 to year. The deaths largely outnumber the births, and it seems only a question of 

 time when the tribe will become extinct. 



The favorable change noticed last year in the gradual breaking up of the village 

 system has continued during the present year. Many who had previously taken al- 

 lotments, but were unable to occupy them by reason of their inability to make the 

 needed improvements, have managed to get some breaking and fencing done, and 

 will, as soon as they can secure some kind of dwelling, make their permanent resi- 

 dence on their individual farms. 



The Pawnees seem to be a more sprightly and enterprising race than most of the 

 Indians of this agency, and manifest a more genuine desire to adopt habits and cus- 

 toms of civilized life than any of the other tribes. This is due, in part at least, to the 

 fact that there are among them several mixed-blood families, who possess a reglly 

 respectable degree of cultivation and refinement. These have made for themselves 

 neat and comfortable homes, and surrounded them with shade trees and orchards, 

 some of which are already in bearing. They cultivate a variety of crops and live 

 very much as white people. Their influence and example have done much to stimu- 

 late the more intelligent and enterprising of the full-bloods to adopt a similar course 

 of life. On account of a partial failure of the corn crop last year many of the Paw- 

 nees were reduced to distressing straits to procure the means of subsistence. In their 

 sorest need, however, they never turned their eyes to the flesh pots of Egyi)t, nor ex- 



