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Show REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF INDIAN SCHOOLS. 395 and mother, oontaining half an acre, to be planted and cultivated by the girls and small bo s under the supervision of the school-teaohem. iiggs Institute, South Dakofa.-We shall take u individual gardeningaud instruction as prt of the class-room work urider the direction o?the teachers. Window boxes witb less sides have already been smanged, so that the pupils can watch the development ofthe plant from the seed, ctnd as soon as the weather mI1 permit outside work will be commenced. The endeavor has been made to im ress upon superintendents and teachers the necessity of having tKeir pupils become familiar with every branch of a cultural activity, with special i.eference to the localities in whic r they live, including dairying, stock and oultry raising, fencing, ditchin etc., and of having them "learn gy doing" all the practical wort of lowing, sowing and planting, harrowing, cultivating, harvesting, an$ storing crops. The teachers have been requested to give daily talks on the inde-pendence of a farmer's life and the desirability of farming as an occupation and to encoura e their pupils to equip themselves fur-ther for becoming successfu? farmers by a cqumg such elementary knowledge of the mechanical trades that the may be able, when wagon, and build a small house or barn. necessary, to shoe a horse, repair farm imp9 em ents or a broken The beneficial results of a icultural instruction in the schools are far-reaching. They go muc f beyond the training of the individual pupil and make of him a missionary as well as a farmer. He will be able not only to till his own land but his ex8 e rience and education will enable him to show the way to the other a ottees of the tribe, whqhave not had the advantages of a school training, and to assist them m getting from their land a comfortable living. NATIVE INDUSTRIES. With a view to preserving the native handicrafts of the Indian, efforts have been made to have them taught in the schools where-ever it was found that the children took delight in practicing the arts of their ancestors. It has been deemed s eciaUy important to emphasize the necessity of maintaining the i g h artistic standards whch have made the Indian work famous and have given to it its greatest value. This involves reserving the symbolic tribal designs and employing only those yes and materials which have stood the test of time and use. t In endeavoring to extend school instruction in native industries, it is given more prominence at schools where tribes are represented who are ade t in particular arts. For instance, in schools having a number of 1favaho or Moqui children it has been urged upon super-intendents that competent training in blanket weaving ou ht to be provided for them. After visiting the Albuquerque schoo f ,where I noticed in passing through the dormitories that a number of girls were utilizing chair legs as looms upon which they were weav-ing small blankets and imitatina their mother's work, a letter was sent to the superintendent of tgat school, from which the following extract is taken: As ou are &warn, the sale of blankets woven by the Navaho Indians constitute rs can- ~ider%e portion of their ineome, and it is believed that this industry should be encoup aged and perpetuated. Blmket weaving is being suoeesshrly taught in the Nsvaho School, and as there are a large numhr of Navaho ohildren at your school, the Office is desirous that they ahall mceive similar instruction and hopes you will dopt means to acoompbh this |
