OCR Text |
Show INDIANS WKST OP TDK ROCKY MOUNTAINS. u hundred tribes of them altogether, of from forty to throe hundred persons in each tribe. Each tribe or band is attached to the laud from which it derives its name. The whole region of country was originally parceled out or divided among the Indians of these tribes; the bound-ary- linos. wore, designated by natural objects, and each tribe took the name of the. land to which it belonged. 'Thus the name of the land was tlie-namoof the tribe, and each tribe, had its own chief, and its political organization was complete within itself, owing no other allegiance except for offensive or defensive war. The CilAIilMAN. Is that remark .applicable to all tho Indians of tho country t Major.PowELL. That is my opinion ; I know it to be true among these Indians. Tho land was all divided among tho tribes, and over ono hundred ami twenty governments thus exist, and to treat with these Intimitis it is necessary to treat with as many organizations, or to deal with one hundred and twenty chiefs. Their condition is'somethiug like this: They have been whipped pretty thoroughly, and they do not desire to comeintoconllict with the Coveniment, and fully appreciate the neces1 sity for them to cultivate the soil. The greater part of that country, except the. western portion of Colorado, is almost destitute of game. Nevada and Western Utah are as thickly settled (and also apart of Oregon) .as Ohio, Indiana, or Illinois, in proportion to their agricultural capacities- perhaps more so. The game is destroyed. All these Indians south of the line of Oregon and Idaho, are already cultivating the soil to a limited extent; they gather some seeds, dig roots, beg some, pilfer a. little, and live in that way. The Indians of Idaho and Oregon are better ' mounted than the Indians below, and slid hunt ami fish. It is a good fishing country in the north. They are more-nomadic in their habits, having tents and moving about the country much of the time. Tho greater number of the southern Indians move about but little, and have a desire to cultivate the soil, and are constantly begging for land. While the commission was among these Indians this past summer thi* question was presented to i t : Is it possible to give' these Indians lands within the territory now occupied by them I On investigation it was found that nearly all the land in Nevada was occupied and could not be procured without purchasing the same of the whites, in a country where liay is from 625 to SI00 per ton, and grain from 3 to 10 cents per pound, every bit of land which can be tilled is.of value, or rather it should be ' saitl that it, is the water-rights,which are valuable and expensive. In looking over the matter fully, it Mas found to be-iinpraeticable to secure the Indians in possession of lands within the several districts of country which they now occupy, and it would be much cheaper to collect thorn at a few points where the Government still holds the lands. All of the Pi-Utes of Southern Nevada, Southeastern California, Northwestern Arizona, and Southern Utah speak one language or dialect so closely allied that they can understand each other. These number 2,350. They have all agreed to go on the reservation in Southern Nevada known as the Moapa reservation. On this reservation there are ],Sol),000 acres of land. The country is composed chiclly of barren •mountains and deserts of sand. There are, however, ten or twelve thousand acres lit for agricultural purposes on the .Moapa, (or Muddy;) all the rest is desolate. This valley is at alow altitude and in a southern latitude, ami the fruits and grain of sub-tropical climates can be raised successfully. These, lands can only be made valuable, for agricultural purposes by artificial irrigation, and this by the use of the waters of the Moapa, a creek that Hows through the reservation. V ..-.., -r^"-*- |