The American Missionary — Volume 43, No. 10, October, 1889Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 43, No. 10, October, 1889
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
During the recent measles epidemic a large number of children died on
the Agency. At this village, a little child had been conjured until they
thought it was dying, and then they sent for me. I found the poor little
one all bruised with the hands of the conjurer. I showed the mother how
to bathe it, and I poulticed the throat and sent Josephine over again to
change the poultice, and she reported the child as breathing quietly.
The next morning the swelling had gone down and the baby seemed much
better; all day it continued to improve, and the next day sat up and ate
rice soup which I carried it. The mother said, "She is well now!" I
said, "O, no, she is not; keep her in the house three days and I will
visit her, then she will be well perhaps." If an Indian is not in a
dying condition, they do not consider anything the matter. So, after I
left, she took her child out and walked about two miles. The child
caught cold, and that afternoon grew worse. They had an Indian to
conjure it, and it died immediately. They sent for me to come and pray
with them. Josephine went for Elias, and we went to the desolate home.
The baby had been dead an hour and was closed up in a box, the
grandfather singing a mourning song, the mother wailing, "O my daughter,
my daughter, I loved her and she has left me." Over and over again she
cried out in her sorrow. The grandmother had cut her flesh, and the
streams of blood running down from her hair over her face only made all
seem more desolate, and more weird and terrible. They were trying to be
Indians, and yet they had asked for me to come. I suppose it was to give
the child the full benefit of both religions, so that there should be no
mistake in the future world.
My Bible class now numbers ten; six of them are candidates for church
membership. One of them spoke very nicely at our last prayer meeting.
Among other things he said: "No man can kill God's Word. It will live
and his church will grow. We have tried to kill it in this village, but
look at it now. It has taken hold of us, and we who have fought against
it are now its followers. No man can kill God, because he alone is the
creator of life, and it is only foolish to try to stand upon his word
and keep it down. The Indian customs fall before the Word of God
wherever the Bible has gone. My friends, stop fighting against God,
believe on him and rejoice." This is Wakutemani (Walking Hunter) whom I
named Huntington Wolcott for Mr. Wolcott of Boston. Because he said he
wanted a long name and the name of a good man, I combined the two. He is
now ambitious to become a teacher. He will be ready for an out-station
whenever you are able to build one. He says they have already asked him
to come up on Oak Creek to teach them, and I gave him a Bible and hymn
books and primer, and he goes about reading and singing and praying for
Christ. May he be indeed the Walking Hunter, going about seeking souls.
God be with him to the end.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
The American Missionary — Volume 43, No. 10, October, 1889 — John Shaqi
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