TH E C H E M A W A
A M E R IC A N
3
IN D IA N EXHIBITS
M A R K S N E W A G R IC U L T U R A L E R A
T O Sells, Com m issioner of In d ian Affairs, is co
o perating w ith the M itchell Corn Palace officials this
year in th e big In d ian ex h ib it. H e has a two-fold
object, the first of w hich is to assist th e Corn Palace,
and th e second is to d em onstrate graphically the
k ind of w ork th a t the progressive In d ian s of South
D akota are doing, and b rin g to th e atten tio n of
visitors th is work; also the fact th a t th ere are classes am ong the Indians,
the same as am ong other races of people.
Before M r. Sells adopted th is m ethod of show ing th e fruits of the
In d ia n s’ labors, about the only idea th a t m any people had of In d ian s
was obtained from visits to “ W ild W e st” show s, w here the n o n p ro
gressive class, in paint and feathers, gave fake dances, according to
th e directions of th eir em ployers, at so much per day. Such e x h ib i
tions have passed, and agricultural and com mercial products by Indians
have taken th eir plac s.
T housands of acres of South D akota land is owned and being farm ed
by progre sive In d ian s on the different reservations, and M r. Sells, as
head of the Indian d epartm ent for the Federal G overnm ent, is insisting
on m ore and better farm ing.
Some idea of the ex ten t of this w ork can be gathered from the size
of the reservations represented in th e ex h ib its in th e Corn Palace.
T he P ine Ridge A gency has about 7,000 Indians. Y ankton agency
has about 1 ,8 0 0 In d ian s, and the C heyenne River agency has nearly
4.000 Indian s. T h e balance of the ex h ib it is taken from the different
Indian schools and agencies in the state, and represents about 2 0 ,0 0 0
Indians, exclusive of those nam ed.
R. R. S p u rrier assembled and placed th e Pine Ridge exhibit; E . E.
M cN eilly, the Y ankton agency display; and C. L. Johnson, the C h e y
enne River A gency ex h ib it. A cting under orders from Com m issioner
Sells, S uperin ten d en t F. E . B randon, of Lower Brule, who had o rg an
ized the work in O klahom a and South D akota, for the federal govern
m ent, is com pleting th is y e a r’s w ork here. H e has placed sim ilar e x
hibits at the South D akota S tate F air, O klahom a S tate F air, In te r
national Dry F arm ing Congress, M itchell Corn Palace, and others of
im portance.
T here is no financial gain in p rep airin g these exhibits, w hich are
purely educational and illustrative of th e work being done for th e In
dians, in helping them to help them selves. T hey show the progress