T H E CHEMAWA AMERICAN
PAGE 4
W IN EM A, THE WOMAN CHIEF OF THE MODOCS
(Sontinued from page 1)
Frank began throwing stones at it. The cub raised a
cry, much to Frank’s encouragement. At that mo
ment he heard the mother bear and began to run.
The bear gained, and Frank thought he would not
make it, when Winema ran between him and the bear
waving her skirts and shouting in Modoc. The bear
turned and went back to her cub. Bears never attack
women.
At the time of Winema’s marriage the tribes in
Southern Oregon were at war. Winema had taken
up her residence in Yreka, California, the only town
of any importance in that part of the country. Winema
acted as mediator between her people and the whites.
Through her the Indian tribes were induced to meet
in a council at Yreka, California, and a treaty of peace
was made, which was never broken. She was now
universally known as “ the woman chief.” In the
Klamath council in 1865 she again demonstrated her
power for good by securing the attendance of Captain
Jack, who had refused to come.
The Pitt River Indians were not parties to the treaty
at Yreka. They and the Modocs were bitter enemies.
The Pitt Rivers made a successful raid on the Modocs.
Winema ’ s horse was one of those stolen. A pursuit was
formed and Winema was one of them. She lead the
braves when they would have turned back. The Pitt
Rivers fled and the horses were recovered. One of
the braves said that the woman chief could whip any
man.
In the autum of 1867 Winema and Frank took up a
ranch a tew miles from Yreka. A hearty welcome
was always given any stranger who might pass. Frank
was never known to accept pay for his hospitality.
In the spring Frank met with an accident that dis
abled him for months. Winema plowed the ground
and planted the barley, and with little assistance har
vested the crop, sold it, and saved the money. One
day a Yankee who called indicated that Frank had
been unmanly in the matter. Winema pitched into
the man until Frank made her stop, and the man
yelled for mercy. She afterward asked him to stay for
dinner which he did. He told his friend that his
horse had dragged him through the sage brush, which
they believed. The man was later one of their best
friends.
Winema died a few years ago at Yainax, at an ad
vanced age, surrounded by her children, grand
children and great-grand-children.
BEST A N D HEALTH
The Oregon State Board of Health, in a recent
circular just sent us, says:
Rest and good food are necessary to maintain the
body in good health. Almost all living things require
rest in order to perform the ordinary processes of life.
Sleep is an essential health habit in which there is the
greatest violation today. There never has been a-
time when so many young people were being deprived
of their normal health for lack of sleep. In the search
for recreation and entertainment, night has been turned
into day. Tuberculosis is still an increasing cause of
death in young women. Something must be done to
provide some form of recreation that will not deprive
the youth of today of the regular hours of sleep.
The capacity for sleep varies with the individual.
As a rule individuals who are well-nourished need
less sleep. People who are under-nourished need
more rest and longer sleeping hours. Some young
women have found that cutting out sleep is an easy
way to reduce weight.
Sleep cannot be sacrificed without having serious
penalties. You cannot continue to enjoy good health
by depriving yourself of the necessary hours of rest.
The well-nourished normal adult works better and
keeps in better health with at least eight hours sleep
and three meals a day.
,
A substantial breakfast before starting to work is
just as essential as sufficient sleep. Digestion and
nutrition are markedly affected when these essentials
are neglected. No person can consistently get along
without breakfast.
One who starts to work with a cup of coffee and no
breakfast is simply adding another health hazard. If
you start to work on an empty stomach you are losing
one of your best assets of good digestion. Your di
gestive powers are best in the morning. If you have
no appetite in the morning it is probably due to the
fact that you have misused your digestion the night
before. To eat a hearty meal when you are most tired
is the surest way of having no appetite for breakfast.
In order to grow strong and healthy, it is important
that we eat properly and secure sufficient rest.
THE BLACKFEET
Once in the days of long ago the Piegans and Sioux
were very bitter enemies. Both tribes were powerful
and warlike.
One day as the Piegans were pursuing the Sioux
across a wide expanse of prairie, the Sioux, becoming
afraid that the Piegans would overtake them, set fire
to the tall prairie grass and delayed the Piegans’ ad
vance.
The Piegans were proud and particular and did not
want their, beautiful moccasins to get black, so they
took them off and went barefooted across the burnt
prairie.
As it was just freshly burned,, the Piegans in cross
ing got their feet and ankles very black. When they
overtook the Sioux they exclaimed, “ Took at the
Blackfeet!” and from that day to this they have gone
by the name of Blackfeet, while their re al. name has
almost been forgotten.—S usie G rounds .