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Show REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. 167 Mr. DYER. To save time, I hope Mr. Welsh will undertake to make a report for our boc iety, as he is more familiar with the subject than I. W MI-.' WF. LSH. The work to which my attention lias been specially called, is that which was commenced quite a number of years ago among the Indians. Three years since we had the supervision of three agencies; a little more than one, year ago we had the supervision of seven. Two years since, the wild Indians of the Sionx or Dakota nation in the region of Devil's Lake and those in the vicinity of Lake, Traverse were almost in a starving condition. Many of them were committing acts of the most sav-age cruelty. Dr. Daniels was the agent at Lake Traverse. The agency at Devil's Lake is now in charge of the Roman Catholic Church. At Devil's Lake the change has been marvelous. Men who a short time ago, comparatively speaking, were com-mitting acts of the most savage, cruelty, are now settled on the reservation, and some of them have developed into skillful farmers. The Christian policy pursued toward the Indians by the agents have been eminently judicious. They have shown the In-dians how to work, and in no case have they given them help unless the Indians were willing to work, and consequently they are nearly all industrious people. They dress in citizens' clothes. Those who three years ago were engaged in scalping and commit-ting other acts of violence and outrage are now industrious. The agent testified to me that his worst Indians are now as skillful and industrious as any they have on the reservation. I agree with gentlemen here as to the beneficial results of inducing wo-men to go among the Indians. I persuaded the mother of one of our agents to go among them. She has been there but a little while; she has gone into their houses, taught them knitting and sewing, and how to make their own garments, so that they now need only the material. These are the Poneas. Their schools are in a prosperous condition and the Indians are advancing on the road to civilization. The women have commenced a mothers' meeting, and on Sunday they attend religious worship. There is a teacher there, a very excellent man, from Lawrence, and he co- operates with our agent and with the missionary in the work. The other agencies are the Sioux or Da-kota, except one given to the church among the Cheyennes. Of that I have no knowledge. Dr. Dyer has a letter on the subject and can have it read. The mission, to which our brother of the Society of Friends referred, among the Santee Sioux, is one we have had tor eleven years. They lived in log- houses when I was there last this time last year. They have been very much embarrassed because implements of agriculture have not been furnished them and lands have not been given to them in severally, and that caused the breaking up of the band that was referred to by Dr. Treat. One of the chiefs with his whole band determined they would be men. To do this they had to give up all their rights to property in the tribe, their annuities in fact, they left the tribe without a farthing to commence on. By hard work and perse-verance they have succeeded. The rest of the tribe the Santee Sioux are to a great extent Christian men and women. They are industrious and respectable people. The head chief was. at one time, the fiercest of the tribe, but now I do not know a more sagacious man among all the tribes that have come under my notice. The tribe next to this that we have the appointment of an agent, is one where the Presbyterians have a man. We have a man with them, and I shall speak only of our operations. The mission has three houses, a church, and a school- house. On each end of the reserva-tion there is a church with a mission- house. The Indians have assisted in the building of houses, doing the rough work. The change for the better among these Indians has been marvelous. Instead of being lazy, and compelling the women to do their work, they are industrious and are opening farms, building houses, and going on with the work of civilization very rapidly. The lands have been sur-veyed, but have not yet been given to the Indians in severalty. Three of the chiefs have been baptized ; they are men I know very well, who are industrious and are leading the entire band to civilization. This tribe of Yankton Sioux are now progressing very rapidly, and with the aid of the Government they will con-tinue to improve, beyond all question. There is a difficulty that has existed, and one for which we have not, as yet, found a remedy that of feeding the Indians indiscrimi-nately, whether they were idle or industrious. The Sionx above this tribe are not thoroughly located yet, but they are progressing toward civilization, and have been behaving in a very proper manner. The next agency on the same side of the river is the Upper Missouri, or Crow Creek. The Indians I have seen there are very quiet, re-spectable people, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and long for schools. 1 was up to the month of the Cheyenne River. There the Indians seemed very anx-ious to have schools also. Beyond this there is a very large hand living. They come in to see and watch what advantage there is to be obtained by this civilization, and seem very deeply impressed. If we, can give them lands in severalty, and agricultural implements and cattle to stock their farms, I have no doubt they would all come in, for the Indians realize the importance of this matter of civilization. Beyond these is a band of Indians we must treat with before the Northern Pacific, Railroad gets there. They have a great abhorrence for a surveyor. I asked some of them to let us go out and survey the laud. They said they had seen men doing that kind of business along |