The CHEM AWA AMERICAN
Page 2
CHEM AWA^AMERIC AN
Published Weekly at the LT. S. Indian School, Chemawa
Oregon. Address all communications to
Ruthyn Turney, Manager
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LAW AND ORDER ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS
(Continued from page 1)
lation can be secured and the necessary machinery set
up to handle the court business arising on Indian res
ervations in the same way as outside the reservation,
we believe the Office should revise the old Law and
Order regulations so as to inform the Indians and su
perintendents what actions of Indians shall be proscrib
ed and what punishments provided for violations. At
present, the superintendents are expected to maintain
law and order on their reservations, but the existing
regulations are antiquated and impracticable and the
force of officers employed are inadequate and power
less, In this connection, we also recommend that as
far as practicable, our farmers and other educational
or industrial employees be relieved from law enforce
ment duties and competent specialists along that line
be employed. In so doing, we believe that not only
will better law and order conditions be secured, but
more progress can be obtained along the educational
and industrial lines.
Indian Marriages and Divorces
We desire to call to your attention the necessity of
bringing about the requiring of Indians to conform to
the state laws in the matter of marriage and divorce.
The present practice of recognizing as valid, what is
known as “Indian Custom Marriages” and “Indian
Custom Divorces” is working havoc in efforts to con
trol the relations between the sexes on the reservations.
Very loose relations are recognized as valad “Indian
Custom Marriages” and the desertion of one consort or
the going to live with another is recognized as an ‘ ‘ Indi
an Custom Divorce,” notwithstanding and in spite of
the loyalty or wishes of the other side of the marriage
broken by such divorce. The result is that when the
superintendent advises his Indians to comply with the
state law in the matter of marriage and divorce, he is
frequently told the Indians don’t have to, and the de
cisions of the Department are pointed to as authority.
While some of the Indians intending a bona fide
marriage comply with his request and obtain a license
and marry in due form, those inclined to licentiousness
defy the superintendent and “marry” and “divorce”
as often as suits their individual desires, and in many
cases the worst offenders leave a trail of wronged
“wives” and children. Again we are told that
legislation is needed to correct this state of affairsand
we therefore urge that steps be taken to obtain legis
lation which will abolish the recognition of “Indian
Custom Marriage” or “Indian Custom Divorce” as far
as concerns conduct of Indians taking place after
passage of the act. This would not interfere with
justice being done in past conduct, but would provide
a criterion for the future. This would not interfere
with the recognition of “Common Law Marriages” in
those states which recognize that class of marriages and
it need not interfere with any bona fide Indian ceremo
ny of marriage the Indians of any tribe desired to hold.
It is almost useless to educate boys and girls and send
them back to a life of debauchery on the reservation.
In fact, in many cases the very education promotes or
facilitates debauchery in those so inclined. Therefore,
the cause of educational advancement of the Indian re
quires a correction of this great evil.
A NEW ORDER OF THINGS
The Student Activities Association of Chemawa
is likely to prove its worth in more ways than any
one can imagine. We cannot spare the space necess
ary to print the constitution, but we are going to pub
lish the names of the officers. The Superintendent and
Faculty Advisory Committee are ex-officio members
of the Association, but do not vote.
The present
active student officers are:
James McKay, president; vice-president, Cecile Pep-
ion; secretary, Julian Smith; treasurer, Alex Gouley.
Battalion officers, gills, Matilda French, major;
Lottie Kipp, adjutant; Edna Audrey, adjutant; Cecile
Pepion, adjutant. The captains are Frances Tanner,
Mary Lohnes, Margaret Bedard, Armenia Pluffe, Lil
lian Hayden, Virginia Knight, Emily Selatsee.
First lieutenants, Winona Hall, Agnes Scott, Nellie
Hughes, Edna French.
Second lieutenants, same
dormitory, Emma Ella Reynolds, Bessie Scott. First
lieutenants, McBride Hall, Amelia Olin, Blanche Vas
sar, Rose Pumpkinseed, Irene Diaz; second lieutenants,
Serena Twiggs, Ida Pelican, Jane Henry, Hazel Pete,
Lois Godowa.
Boys’ battalion officers: McNary Hall, James Mc
Kay, William Ball, Alex Gouley, Julian Smith, Louis
Pariseau, Benny Charlie, Dowd Franklin, Louis Orr.
At Brewer Hall, Daniel Lemery, Phillip Baker, Wil
liam Brown, Benjamin Ward, John Davis, William C.
Govern, Clarence Weaver. At Mitchel} Hall, Clyde
Cooley, Frank Johnson and Paul Eagle.
We are informed that Peter Rassmussen, one of our
graduates of 1927, is now at Monmouth, Oregon, at
tending the State Normal School. We are very glad
to hear this.