OCR Text |
Show life, finding their snbsiste~lcec hiefly in game hunted by them; in the rice gathered in its wild state, and in the fish afforded by waters convenientlynear. Comparatively little is done in the way of cultivating the soil. Certain bands have of late been greatly demoralized by con-tact with persons employed in the construction of the Northern Pacific Ra,ilroad, the line of which runs near our. (the Fond du Lac) of their reservations. Portions of this people, however, especially those situa-ted at the Bad River reservation, have begun to evince an ea.rnest desire for self-improvement. Their a,gent says of them that "no people ever responded more readily to efforts on their behalf than the Uhippewas of-Lake Su~eriort o i b e noble Christian aolicv of the Government." I ' 3lal1y lire in l ~ o ~ ~osf erusd e coltdtruction, a d r aine small crops of ga in 3ud vegetables; others lahor I I I ~ O I I Kth e whites, nod a nuullter fit~tle m-nlovmei~ ti n cutting rails. fence-uosfs. and saw-loes for the Government. in i rg~~rtrol t he erihrts lbade t; iusrkuct the chiiilren in letters, i t &ar br. said that, wi th~~uhte ing alto~c-thefrr uitless, tile results hare beeu thus far meager and somewhat discouraging.' The majority of the parents profess to wish to have their children educated, and ask for schools, but, when the means are provided and the work undertaken, the difficulties in the mav of success to anv considerable extent an.n. ear in the ~nutliseiyline(cl ha;:actel.ol'thr. schol:;rs, whivl~h a.1 to be ovrrrowe by rllc! te:lt'httr althollt p~rental en-oi>rr;itiou, and ill the grt.;lt il.regll- Parits of atteudnoca at school. esuettiall~0 11 the wart of tllusr who ;ire obliged to accompany their to thi ricg-eids, the sugar-camps, or the fishing-grounds. A few ye:rrs ago the Au~erican Mission Board established a tnission and boarding-school amoug the "Bad River" b a~~d sw,h ich gave promise of future good. quite a number of the Indians became converted to the Christian rhigiou; but the Board, in consequence of the ul~friendlya ttitude of the Govertlment agent, with-drew from the field, the Christiau band of Indians became scattered, and the children of the school returned to their homes. Since t.hen the property of the mission has passed into the possession of the Presbyte-rian Board of Missions aud the school has been, nuder a coutra,ct with the Department of the Interior, re-established, xith more encouragiug prospects. The Menomol~ees number thirteen hundred and sixty-two, and are located on a reservation of 230,400 acres in the zrortheavtern part of Wisconsin. They formerly owned most of the eastern portion of tile State, and, by treaty entered into with the Govert~menot n the 18thOcto-ber, 1848 ceded the sa.me for a home in Minnesota upon lands that ha.d been obthed by the United States from the Chippewas; but, becoming dissatisfied with the arraogement, as not having accorded them what they claimed to be rightfully due, subsequently protested, and wani-fested great nowillingness to remove. In view of this coudition of , . affairs, they were, b~ the President, permitted to remain iu Wisconsin, and temporarily located upon the lands they now occupy, which were secured to them by a subsequent treaty made with the tribeon the 12th May, 1854. This reservation is well watered by lakes and streams, t,he latter affording excellent nower and facilities for movin-s lo~w- ~au tl lum- ~~ ~~ - ller to iltnrkrt: the most of ll~eirc ouutry altouncling with valuablel)i~~a timber. 11 co~~sidemltpleo rtion 01' tho Jfenomonees hare made reail aud substantial adv&ncemeni in civilization : numbers of them are enearred in agriculture; others find remul~erativLemployment io the ~ u m r e & ~ camp established upon their reservatiou, nuder the management of the Government agent,-while a few still return, at times, totheir old pur-' soits of l ~ u n t i ~an~dg f ishing. Under the p1;an adopted by the Department iu ISil, iu regard to c:it. I |