4
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
Our agriculture, too, has been touched by the beneficent influence
emanating from the Indian. For, he has taught our farmers the use of
fishmaniire, the burning over of fields as a preparation for planting, the
planting of corn on hills, and many other important methods. One need
not necessarily be a farmer to appreciate the value of these agricultural
innovations. The fisherman of today, in following his occupation, still
resorts to a number of devices that originated with the Indian. Thus, he
is indebted to him, among other things, for the use of the fishweir, for the
method of catching fish by means of narcotic poisons and for the practice
of catching eels and salmon by torchlight. In like manner, the hunter re
ceived his share from the primitive American, learning from him the
application of the blow-gun, so as not to injure the skin of the
animal, and the method of trailing and capturing larger animals and
wild beasts.
It has been remarked that we Americans could not live without re
creation. Has it ever occurred to us how much we owe to the Indian
in this particular respect? We love to go "canoeing" in the summer,
we devote ourselves to "tobogganing" and "snow-shoeing" when our
streets and hills are covered with snow, our sons in college bend their
energies upon winning a "lacrosse championship" for their Alma Mater;
our South American neighbors spend a great deal of their time in playing
"raquette"; but few of us know that these pastimes have been handed
down to us by the Indian. Even our comforts and luxuries are not free
from this all-comprising influence. "Panama hats" , "Navajo blankets",
"hammocks", "moss-bags", "moccasins", "snow-goggles", "dog
sleds", "mimac-grass" , all these are gifts of the Aborigines. And "to
bacco", this curse and blessing of our civilization, does it not come from
the Indian? Even if we have to admit that tobacco is doing an enor
mous damage to our communities are we to blame the Indian for it?
The fact remains that its cultivation has become the basis of prosperity
in a number of our states and other countries.
If the above-mentioned gifts have entitled the Indian to our everlast
ing gratitude, his contributions to our supply of food have made him
the real benefactor not only of our own country, but also of the whole
world as well. By teaching the early settler the planting of potatoes and
maize he has changed, as if by a magic touch, hitherto bare and unculti
vated regions into thrifty, prosperous states. Suffice ii to say, that with
out the cultivation of potatoes and corn Ireland, Northern Germany,
Roumania, and a number of our wealthiest states would be nothing but
wild, unoccupied regions. And the generosity of the Indian did not
stop here. There is a vast amount of items in our daily food that we re
ceived through the director indirect mediation of the Indian. Tomatoes,
squash, hominy , pumpkin, lima-beans, pineapple, custard-apple, persim-