Forty Years Among the Indians: A true yet thrilling narrative of the author's experiences among the nativesJones, Daniel W. (Daniel Webster)
History
Forty Years Among the Indians: A true yet thrilling narrative of the author's experiences among the natives
Jones, Daniel W. (Daniel Webster)
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America; Latter Day Saint pioneers -- Biography
They believe that they once had more power with God than they now have,
and acknowledged that they had done wrong in killing their own people;
saying that for that reason their prayers were not heard and answered
as formerly. They say that Americans do not honor God, but throw His
name at their mules and cattle the same as they do clods or rocks, and
that it is their duty to destroy the wicked blasphemers from off the
earth; that none have a right to live unless they honor their Father's
name.
They reckon that by killing white men at the ratio they have been that
eventually they will exterminate the white race. This was their belief
a few years since Possibly they are beginning to think differently by
this time.
They say that the cause of their fighting with the Catholic Mexicans
is that when Mexico was conquered by the priests, they wanted the
natives of Mexico to cease to worship the real Father God, and worship
gods made of wood and stone. Most of the natives submitted to this,
but the Apaches refused and went into the mountains away from the
priests; After a while the Indians that commenced to worship the wood
and stone gods made war on them by order of the priests, and drove them
to bloodshed. After a while they agreed to submit and made a treaty to
listen to the priests, but they soon found they were bad men and had
been enemies ever since.
Now for a little history, partly written and partly traditionary.
Some two hundred miles in a westerly direction from the city of
Chihuahua, among the Sierra Madre mountains, there is a beautiful
valley of about fifty thousand acres of land, well watered and
surrounded with timbered mountains. The Mexicans call this Paradise, or
Garden of Eden.
About eighty years ago the Jesuits planted a mission among the Apaches
in this beautiful valley. Everything went on happily for a season. The
head priest had considerable influence with the natives, using his
power for his own convenience.
In connection with many other selfish customs, the priests required of
the Indians one of their handsomest daughters to live at the mission,
making them believe that there was some religious ceremony, essential
to their welfare, that required the presence of this maiden. A daughter
of the chief was selected.
The priests had told the Indians that they lived pure lives before God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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