| OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 55 the habits a.nd cust,on~so f civilized life. 'Declining to relnore to and locate 1)ermauently upou the reservation set apart for the Utes in Col-orado, they receive no annuities aud p;~rt,ioipatein none of tile benefits provided in the treaties of 1863 and 1868 with the several baaucls of Ute Indians referred to uuder the head of colorad ado." Pueblos.-The .Pueblos, so nan~ed beoeuse they live in villages, n~uu-ber 7,683. They hare 439,GG4 acres of land confirmed to t.bem by act of Congress of Ilece~uber-0 2, 1S.58, the same consisting of approved cl;&ims under olcl Spauish grants. They hareno treaty with the United States and receive but little aid from the Governmeut. During the past two years e81)rts have been made, and are still beiug contirlued, to secure the establisllmeut, of schools in all the rillihges of the Pueblos, for the instrnetion of their children in theEnglishliiuguage. Firesuch schools are now being coudncted for their beuefit. The history of the Pueblo8 is au interesting one. They are the re-mains of a ouce powerfill people and iu habits nut1 modes of life-are still clearly distinguished f?om ail other aborigines of the conti~~ent. The Spanish iuvatlers found them li17i11gg ene~.allgin towns :1111l cities. They are so described by Spanish historians as far back as 1.540. They early revolted, ttlough ,without success, against Spanish rule, aud in the struggle many of their towns were burned aud ~nuchlo ss of life and property oceasioued. It mould seem, however, that, in addition to the villagers, there were others,.at that time living, dispersed, wl~ose reduc-tion to Pueblos was tleterulnrd upon and 11ia1le the subject of a. decree by Charles V of Spaiu, in 1546, in ~r t l e rc hiefly, as declaretl, to their being iuatructed ill the Catholic faith. Under the Spanish governrneut scl~oolsI rere establishe~la t the villages, tlre Ol~ristianre ligion rras intro-duced aud i~epresseclu pon the pcol~le,a nd the rights of property thor-oughlx yrotecte<l. By ill1 these means a high degree of civi1iz;ltiou was secured, which was u~ail~taineudn til after the establishrne~o~f t Jlrsicau i~~dependencwt>h,e n, from vant of goverulnerlt care and support, decay followed, u~idt he Pueblos measuritbly deteriorated, down to tile time when the authority of the Uuited States was exteucled over t11;tt coun-try; still they area reln~rlrablep eople, noted for their sobriety, illdustry, and docility. They have few wants, aud are simple ill their habits and. moral in their lives. They are, indeed, scarcely to be cousiilared In-dians in the sense tratlitioually attacbed to that \rord, aud,but for their resiclel~cen von reservatious oatented to tl~t?.sbea nds in yonfirn~atiouo f - has a distinct orgar~ized goverumcnt, wit,h its governor aud othir officers, all of whom are elected aunnallg by the people, except the cacique, a sort of high priest, who holds his ofiae during life. Though nominally &.tholics in religion, it is thonglxt that their real belief's are those of their anctestorsin the days of .Wontcei~ma. A nroch-vexed ques-tion affectiug the peace aud prosperity of this people remaiua to be settled, and, it is ltoped, will be determined without liunecessary delay, nan~elyw, hether they are citizens of the Uuited States, or I~ldiaus,t o whom the law of 1834, respectiug trade and iuteroonrse xith Indian tribes, is applicable. Chief Justice Slougl~o, f the Guited States first judicial district of the Territory of New Mexico, gecided, iu 186i, that their status was that of citizens. This decisiou wlll he found contail~ed in Doen~nentN o. 59, accon~panyi~t~heg anuual report of this Office for 1887, page 217. |
