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Show A Paiute Chief Gave a Prophetic Speech I h THE MIDWINTER OF 1910, perhaps on the occasion of the New Year's Eve celebration, an Indian entered a dance hall in Escalante, Garfield County, and remonstrated with the Mormons gathered thereone of their group had needlessly shot an eagle. The Indian's name was not recorded, but he was a Paiute chief whose band spent its winters in the Escalante area and its summers near Koosharem, close to the Sevier- Piute county line. Now his people were destitute, their traditional hunting and watering lands usurped in both places by white settlers. In 1928 the federal government would add a small Koosharem resewation to three other Paiute reservations. Since all of the resemes consisted of poor acreage they would guarantee subsistence living for the Paiutes long into the future. In 1910, however, the when the chief made his memorable appearance in Escalante, the Paiutes were living in shanty towns outside Mormon villages and surviving on sporadic jobs as household servants and farm laborers. Apparently the wanton killing of an eagle was the last straw for the chief, because he gave the memymakers a sermon. Probably most paid him small attention. But at least one dancer listened, recording the Indian's words and gestures: ' My friends it is right for white man to have celebration, to talk about land-- white man land- white man flag- big United States. White man money-- dollar- has eagle on one side. White man like eagle, big bird. Today I find eagle, white boy shoot- holds up eagle-- dead now- maybe so last one, last eagle, no more eagle. One time many eagle ( pointing toward cliffs). Too much shoot. Indian shoot little bit. White man shoot too much. Eagle all gone. ' Maybe so pretty soon, Indian all gone. One time many Indian. Many papoose. Now Indian die. Papoose die. Sleep in cave minting to hills). Indian sleep, Little bit food. One time much rabbit, much fish, much deer. Now little bit. White man give Indian bread. Indian beg. Squaw beg ' Give bread.' No good. Indian no like beg. ' Me Indian chief ( gestures to indicate head dress with feathers, then to pull it off.) Now me no chief. No good! No good! Papoose too much die. Eagle all gone. Pretty soon Indian all gone." The diarist did not record the dancers' reactions. But eventually this story made its way into a published history of Escalante. Perhaps it was read by one or even several school children of the 1960s and 70s, persuading them of the need to respect the environment and appreciate other cultures. Sixty years after the Paiute chiefs sermon the white man is beginning to listen. THE HISTORY BLAZER ATEtVS OF UTAH'S PAST FROM THE Utah State Historical Society 300 Rio Grande Salt Lake Citv, VT 84101 ( 801) 533- 3500 FAX ( 801) 533- 3303 ( more) Source: Netheila Woolmy, 27ze Escalante Story ( Springville: Art City Publishing, 1964); Ronald L. Holt, Beneath lhese Red Ch*: An Ethnohistory of the Utah Paiutes ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1992). THE BLAZER is produced by the Utah State Historical Society and firnded in part by a grant from the Utah Statehood Centemid Commission. For more information about the Historical Society telephone 533- 3500. 960814 ( BB) |
