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THE delusion of the coming of the Messiah among the
Indians of the Northwest, with the resulting ceremony
known as the ghost dance, is indicative of greater
danger of an Indian war in that region than has existed
since 1876. Never before have diverse Indian tribes been
so generally united upon a single idea. The conspiracy
of Pontiac and the arrayment of savage forces by
Tecumseh are insignificant by comparison. The conditions
do not exist that ordinarily have led to wars upon the
Western frontier. The peril of the situation lies in the
fanaticism which may carry the superstitious and
excitable Indian to the point of hostilities in defiance
of all hope of ultimate success; and the uncertainty of
this element baffles the judgment of the oldest
frontiersman, in the effort to determine the extent of
the danger. A single spark in the tinder of excited
religious gatherings may precipitate an Indian war more
sanguinary than any similar war that has ever occurred.
The hope of peace lies in the judicious display of
force, united with conciliation, by the United States
authorities, helped by the coming of severely cold
weather, which would make an outbreak obviously
hopeless, and allow time for the delusion to dissipate.
In the present state of affairs the
noted Sioux chief Sitting Bull, who has already been the
source of so much trouble in the course of Indian
affairs, appears once more as a prominent figure. This
time he does not have the fair pretext under which he
incited the war in 1876, which led to the defeat and
massacre of General Custer's command on Little Big Horn
River, and terminated with the escape of Sitting Bull
and his immediate followers into British territory.
Since his surrender through the mediation of the
Dominion officials in 1880, and his return to the
Standing Rock Reservation in 1883, he has found his
authority greatly diminished among the Dakota Sioux.
This authority he has endeavored to regain by
identifying himself with every element of hostility to
the whites and opposition to the innovations of
civilization, and has been so far successful that at the
conference at Standing Rock, Dakota, in July and August,
1888, he influenced his tribe to refuse to relinquish
their lands by purchase.
Contrary to the general estimate
concerning him, this famous chief is a man of mediocre
ability, not noted for bravery as a warrior, and
inferior as a commander and an intelligence to some of
his lieutenants. Sheer obstinacy, stubborn tenacity of
purpose, and low cunning, with an aptitude for
theatrical effect and for working on the superstitions
of his people, are the attributes by which he has
acquired and retained influence among the Northwest
tribes. Personally he is pompous, vain, boastful,
licentious, and untrustworthy. He has constantly been a
disturbing element at the agency since his return from
confinement as a military prisoner seven years ago, and
has grown worse in this respect as he has felt his
authority and importance departing.
The dangerous elements that this
chief has called around him do not represent the most
noted Indians who fought under his leadership in the
Sioux war fourteen years ago and followed him in his
exile across the British frontier. Those warriors have
realized the futility of warfare with the whites, and
are sincerely desirous not to incur its evils again. The
Indians of whom Sitting Bull is the representative
comprise the irreconcilables -- warriors who adhere to
the old aboriginal usages and chiefs jealous of their
authority, which wanes in proportion as their followers
advance in civilization. This small but dangerous
faction are ready at any time for war. In sympathy with
their desire are many young men ambitious for a chance
to distinguish themselves as warriors.
The chiefs of the greatest
influence among the majority of the Indians are men of
strong will and good sense, who have accepted the
situation, and are willing to adapt themselves to the
new condition of things. They could control their people
by their own influence unaided if the scene of the
gatherings was not so near exposed settlements, which
tempt lawless Indians to make trouble in hope of booty.
The present excitement is fanned to some extent by
unscrupulous white persons desirous of a war with the
hope that it shall bring them emolument, and end in
throwing open the reservation lands for settlement.
Foremost among the Indians who have
taken the side of peace and safety, and have made every
effort to break up the delusion which finds expression
in the ghost dances, are chiefs Gall and John Grass,
both warriors held in great respect for wisdom and
bravery, who took a prominent part as followers of
Sitting Bull in the war that brought about the massacre
at the Little Big Horn. The change in them in the
fourteen years since both these chiefs were on the
war-path in the equipments of savagery -- the war
bonnets, the braided hair pieced out with buffalo tails,
and the array of weapons -- is remarkable. The
difference between the good and the bad Indian is
indicated in the countenance even more obviously than
among the civilized whites. The strong faces of these
two chiefs indicate their character, which, unlike that
of Sitting Bull, is fearless, upright, bright, and
progressive.
The foremost leader among the Sioux
is Chief Gall, who stands above all other chiefs in
their estimation. Many persons familiar with the
situation say that he planned the campaign of 1876,
which made Sitting Bull famous as a commander and
strategist, and affirm that no serious outbreak among
the Northwest tribes will occur so long as he remains
friendly to the government.
This famous war chief is one of the
best farmers at the Standing Rock Agency. His family are
all members of the Episcopalian Church. He takes no part
in the ghost dance, nor does he lend his sanction to it.
He feels that the Indians fail to appreciate the
benefits of their present surroundings, and want old
times, which have been magnified in their imagination by
tradition, to return. "I think it better," he
said, at the conclusion of a conference he and John
Grass had with Major James McLaughlin, the United States
agent at Standing Rock, "for us to live as we are
living rather than create trouble, not knowing how it
will end."
An element of great value in the
preservation of order upon the reservation, and
conspicuously useful in the present disturbed condition
of affairs at the agency, is the Indian police. At
Standing Rock the force is thirty in number, commanded
by a captain and a lieutenant. For the adjudication of
affairs occurring upon the reservation an Indian court
has been established at the agency. Two of the judges
are members of the police force, and the third one is
John Grass, who speaks English. The impartiality and
excellent judgment displayed in the conduct of this
court have been noteworthy, and its decisions have
almost invariably been accepted without complaint.
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