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Show 34 COMMISSIONER INDIAN AFFAIRS. DEVELOFXENTS OUTSIDE OF OKLAEOIUA. Hopes are entertained thit oil and gas in paying quantities will yet be discovered on the Shoshone Reservation in Wyoming and the Quinaielt Reservation in Washington. Several leases have been approved covering Quinaielt lands, aggregating about 16,000 acres, and the leasees are active in their preparations to begin work. On account of the very rough character of country and its inaccessibility development work in this section will be extremely expensive. NATIVE INDUSTRIES. The Indians on the various reservations derive a considerable in-come from products of native industries, such as blanket weaving, basketry, pottery, lace making, and beadwork. NAVAJO BLANKETS. Undoubtedly the Navajo blanket industry continues to be the most important and remunerative of the native industries in which the Indians are engaged. The Navajo Indians derive from this source about $700,000 a year. The work is done by the women usually during their spare times. With a view to avoiding the production of large quantities of low-grade blankets, known to the trade as sad-dle blankets, and to guard against imitations and to satisfy the public of the genuineness of the blankets offered for sale as Indian-made goods and at the same time increase the profits to the Indian workers, a plan has been devised whereby a linen tag and lead seal is being attached to blankets purchased direct from the Navajo In-dians as s guaranty of their genuineness. The Indians receive for these blankets $8 or more in cash or its equivalent. The tagging sys-tem is being tried out at Mqui, Western Navajo, and San Juan Reservations, and if it proves successful at those places, the system will be extended to the other Navajo reservations. In order to assist and encourage these Indians to weave high-grade blankets and to obtain suitable blanks for exhibition at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, authority was granted for the expendi-ture of $375 in the purchase of the five best blankets shown at a contest held in conjunction with the San Juan Indian Fair. This contest was duly held as contemplated. About 700 blankets were displayed from the various Navajo reservations, a number from points 125 miles distant. The first prize ($100) was won by Mrs. Yabbiny Begay Camp, an Indian without education hut noted for the extra-fine quality of her blankets. The second prize ($90) was won by Miss Susie Bainbridge, a former schoolgirl, of Two Gray Hills, N. Mex. The three remaining prizes were limited to Indians under the jurisdiction of the Fort Defiance agency. |