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United States. Office of Indian Affairs / Annual report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, for the year 1879
([1879])
Reports of agents in Nebraska, pp. 101-109
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Page 101
REPORTS OF AGENTS IN NEBRASKA. 1@co GREAT NEMAHA AGENCYy Nohart, Nebr., August 18, 1879. SIR: Thisagency is composed of two small tribes, viz, Iowa and Sac and Fox of ae Mis- souri, located upot contiguous reservations situated in Northeastern Kansas ad South- eatern: Nebraska, containing some of the finest farming and grazing lands in the two States. IOWAS. These Indians live in houses, which are furnished with the conveniences usually found in the houses of the ordinary white settlers. Five families own and operate sew- ing-machines purchased by themselves, Several families also have carpets in theiT houses, the rags for which were made by themselves. A lmost every family has. A fenced field or farm ; five Indians have from 50 to 160 acres each under fence,' and mostly under cultivation. They have planted within the las6t three years 1,600 fruit-trees and 300 grape-vines. Almost every house has its flour- ishing little orchard of fruit-trees; a number of families have wells near their doors; two have good-sized barns with basement stables, and granary above, constructed at- ihdividual expense, except the carpenter-work. The equivalent of one log and three frame houses. has been built during the year; tVo of the frame houses being additions, 14 by 16 feet, one and a half stories high, to- one-room log houses. For these new buildings individual Indians furnish from $18 to $25 each in cash, and cart all lumber. For the log house they prepared the log5 and raieed the house to the "square." The log house, was erected in lieu of an old one an- tenantable. One good house was destroyed by fire and a new one erected in its stead. This gives the actual number of houses same as last year, but the quality muech im- proved. The Iowas are practicaly self-supporting, there being much more produce raised upon the reservation than they could possibly consume or their own support. They receive no gratuitous pecuniary assistance from the government in the form of special appropriations, their only aid arising from interest on stocks, bonds, &c., held by the: government, which was formerly paid to them largely as cash annuity, but within the last few years has been partly diverted for the purchase of implements of husbandry and raising the grade of the houses occupied by them. Their crop of corn the present year will be larger than ever before raised. It has been well cultivated, and will abundantly reward the owner for his labor. Their Wheat crop is also larger than has been raised for a number of years. In fact, in the way of agriculture there seems to be nothing but encouragement for them. Notwith- standing several families have removed to the Indian Territory to settle within the year, others have extended their farming and cultivate the land left vacant by them. Several good houses are tenantless, made so by reason of the "exodus." One Indian apprentice to the blacksmith and wheelwright was secured about April 1, wid seems to be making satisfactory progress. It is of the utmost importance to the lowas to have their reservation surveyed with- out delay, as those who desire to remain upon it as their permanent home should have some means of designating the boundaries of their respective claims, which could not be encroached upon by any action on the part of that faction of the: tribe which has seen fit to remove to the Indian Territory. Several families have expressed a desire to take allotments, but this is impossible until a survey is made. Too much import- ance cannot be attached to this subject. IOWA INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL. Oae industrial or manual labor school has been successfully conducted for the lowas supported from the funds of the tribe. All children of school-going ages have been in school during some portion of the year; the average monthly attendance for ten and one-half months of continuous school being 371 out of a school population of 46. The authority granted by the department-to withhold the annuity of all children who were of proper age and did not attend school has had a salutary effect, there being but one payment when it was necessary to enforce the authority ; that-being sufficient-to cause the Indians to understand it was a fact. Eighty acres of land are cultivated for school purposes, producing all the wheat, corn, pork, and vegetables, and in about one year more will produce all the beef neces- sary for the support of the school. An Iowa Indian woman has been employed as seamstress for the school, and has given general satisfaction. By comparing the annual reports for several years past it will be observed that the average school attendance hM increased each year. In January of the present year the industrial school building was destroyed by fire, since which t1he children have attended school from their own homes, some walking from three to four miles daily. As an incentive- t- reg-ls atteadane- the rR~itm at-
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