Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Government relations; Indians of North America -- Legal status, laws, etc.
_Kiowas, Comanches, and Apaches._--These tribes, confederated under
present treaty stipulations, formerly ranged over an extensive country
lying between the Rio Grande and the Red River. As nearly as can be
ascertained, they number as follows: Kiowas, 1,930; Comanches, 3,180;
and Apaches, 380. They are now located upon a reservation secured to
them by treaty made in 1867, comprising 3,549,440 acres in the
south-western part of the Indian Territory, west of and adjoining the
Chickasaw country. Wild and intractable, these Indians, even the best of
them, have given small signs of improvement in the arts of life; and,
substantially, the whole dealing of the government with them, thus far,
has been in the way of supplying their necessities for food and
clothing, with a view to keeping them upon their reservation, and
preventing their raiding into Texas, with the citizens of which State
they were for many years before their present establishment on terms of
mutual hatred and injury. Some individuals and bands have remained quiet
and peaceable upon their reservation, evincing a disposition to learn
the arts of life, to engage in agriculture, and to have their children
instructed in letters. To these every inducement is being held out to
take up land, and actively commence tilling it. Thus far they have under
cultivation but 100 acres, which have produced the past year a good crop
of corn and potatoes. The wealth of these tribes consists in horses and
mules, of which they own to the number, as reported by their agent, of
16,500, a great proportion of the animals notoriously having been stolen
in Texas.
However, it may be said, in a word, of these Indians, that their
civilization must follow their submission to the government, and that
the first necessity in respect to them is a wholesome example, which
shall inspire fear and command obedience. So long as four-fifths of
these tribes take turns at raiding into Texas, openly and boastfully
bringing back scalps and spoils to their reservation, efforts to inspire
very high ideas of social and industrial life among the communities of
which the raiders form so large a part will presumably result in
failure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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