THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. . 225 



The Presbyterian Mission, Cliilder's Prairie. 

 Episcopalian School, Prairie City. 

 Others of which I have no adequate data. 



A large per cent, of the teachers are natives, and the schools are taught in English, 

 though iu full-blood settlements the teachers generally speak both languages, a very 

 necessary accomplishment in teaching to those who speak only the Indian language. 



CITIZENSHIP. 



The citizens of the nation are composed of many classes and grades. The Cherokee 

 Nation will illustrate the other nations. Her citizens are full-blood Cheroke^s; 



half-blood Cherokees to one sixty-fourth Cherokees and white stock; Cherokee 



crossed on Creek, on Choctaw, on Chickasaw, &c., and on the African stock ; adopted 

 citizens of the Cherokee Nation — full-blood Shawnees, full-blood Delawares, full- 

 blood Creeks, full-blood white men, full-blood African, and the same stock vari- 

 ously blended with Cherokees and with other races, iucluding Creeks, Choctaws, 

 Osages, Chickasaws. The much larger jiart of the nation is of the Cherokee blood, 

 about 8,000 full-blood and 8,000 mixed-blood Cherokees, and about 5,000 of the other 

 races mentioned. 



The other nations are not mixed so much with other races as the Cherokees, but 

 resemble it in degree. 



There is a large class of citizens of these nations needing attention badly at the 

 hands of the Government — those claiming to be citizenlS of the Indian nations but 

 denied by the nations. This class is not subject to United States law, because they 

 .submit affidavits that they are Indians. The Indian courts refuse to take cognizance 

 of them, because they declare them to be citizens of the United States who are pre- 

 tending fraudulently to be Indians in order to use and enjoy Indian land, timber, 

 grass, &e., without paying tax. I have been informed that affidavits were manu- 

 factured by some of these over names as widely known as those of John Smith and 

 George Washington, either as forgeries of tljese names or by parties claiming those 

 names, and subsequently not to be found. Some of these claims are undoubtedly 

 fraudulent and others are just and deserving of respect. 



This class, however, is a serious annoyance to all parties, as they are amenable to 

 no law, and when they complain to the agent for civil redress against an Indian citi- 

 zen there is no method but to suggest compromises, arbitration, and gracefully evade 

 all responsibilityj as iu view of the treaties it would seem unwarranted and arbitrary 

 in the agent to sit as a judge in a civil case between two i)arties the Government 

 views as Indian citizens, and where the treaty confers exclusive jurisdiction to local 

 courts. Where civil cases arise between an Indian and United States citizen, and the 

 United States citizen refuses to keep his contracts, he may be put across the line, 

 where he may be subject to the civil law; but if the Indian is at fault the white 

 man is advised that he has no right to make a contract with the Indian citizen, and 

 if he does so, does it at his risk. This seems to be a serious chasm in the operation 

 of law. Moreover, an Indian may go into the States and get large credits, bring the 

 jnerchandise into the country, and then pay or not, as he chooses. When United 

 States citizens have married Indians, they, at least, it seems to me, ought not to be 

 allowed such dishonorable privilege. Civil jurisdiction ought to be placed some- 

 where, that all parties might at least have the privilege of being heard. This priv- 

 ilege of refusing to pny honest debts brings discredit on the Indian country, and se- 

 riously retards and interferes with a healthy intercourse, which, of all causes, would 

 operate most strongly to the development of its people. 



The most important matter to these nations, however, is the settlement of the cases 

 of disputed citizenshij), as they arc not only a fruitful source of trouble, but are in- 

 creasing iu a manner alarming to the Indian people. Active and continuous effort 

 should be made to decide as speedily as possible upon some jjlan, acceptable to the 

 (government and the Indian nations, to definitely determine the rights of cases now 

 (i744— — 15 



