OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF SUPEBINTENDENT OF INDIAN SCHOOLS. 421 children. The old chiefs also agreed that as soon as the new building iserected all children of school age shall be prom tly enrolled. The Hnalapai Reservation is supposed to exten! ove r an area about 50 by 75 miles, but, unfortunately, has never been surveyed. Most of this is grazing land and is occupied b stockmen, who are trespass- ing, and as there is no definite boun $ary h.ne, n o revenue can be derived from the leasing of this land. As soon au the survey is com-pleted this land can, no doubt, be leased for a considerable sum, and the amount accruing in this way would make the 500 Hnalapais comfortable. Ringmaw day school, Arizona.-I consider this, also, one of the best day schools. There were in attendance 45 of as bright children as I have met, their association with the white eople of the town having much to do with their advanced condition. 54 any of the women do work for the town residenk, and the men do considerable garden-ing. The portion of the Hualapai tribe near Kingman is making decided pro ress. The work carried on here is of a very practical nature, and5 venture to say that the children who attend this school any length of time will become useful citizens. Hmmpai dhy school.-These Indians, abont 250 in number, are located in an almost inaccessible canyon, to reach which requires most arduous and di5cult climbing. I reached Supai, after traveling 76 miles bv waron and another 8 miles on horseback. on a burro. and on fuot.' it IJGI!i~rn posaihlc to ride osrr a ortion of the trail. ' ' r l~rl Ix\ . t t>n~li~t.~(,i a long a .*tre:~mcn llcd %l o? N'ater. at~(hl ilrr a h o ~ ~ t 350 acres of land, a very small portion of which is udder cultivation. I saw abont twenty gardens, all in poor condition, as the Indians have no idea of irrigation. They plant their wheat in handfuls in little holes and their corn in the same way. These Indians farm as they did hundreds of years ago and live in as primitive a condition as then. Their houses are built of willows, and many superstitions still remain, such as refusing to cultivate the land of deceased Indians for three years. The land in this canyon is quite fertile and can easily he watered from thcstreams. The Indians nowhave many fruit trees loaded with fruit, but as the trees have not been pruned the fruit is small and of oor quality. A considerable quantity of wheat can be raised if the fudians are made to irrigate at the pro er time. Old Manakaga, chief of the Hava Supais, stated to me that l! e would try tocultivatea better 'crop next year, and specially requested that plowshares be allowed them. ' ~ - The Government school buildin is ood and abont 65 children were attending this dav school. whic% has %e en> in. session several vears. Literary traiGng in an almost inaccessible canyon, where the children do not come in contact with white people, and who. after leaving the schoolroom, have no further occasioin to speak the English Iangnaie, is of little value. The Havasupais, who are cousins to the Hnalapais and speak their langnage, frequently visit them at Hackberry. Theagent, who has lived among them many years and has their confidence, can, I believe, induce the parents of these children to allow them to be placed in the Hackberry school and board among their cousins, and 1 recommend that he he instructed to brine as manv of the children as c:su be a(.ro1n111011atcthd is year from Supai Cnn.y& and place them in t l ~ eH arkherry school when completed. |