CHEMAWA fl AMERICAN
Printed at Chemawa, Oregon, and Devoted to the Interests of Indian Education
Vol. XXXII
Wednesday, Apr. 8, 1931
GOING BACK TO THE BLANKET
About the most disappointing thing a Chemawa stu
dent can do is go back to the blanket. Now the wear
ing of the blanket is not itself seriously objectionable.
Some of the best Indians I have known wore blankets.
Some of the best friends I have today among the old
Indians, whose friendship I prize highly, still wear
long hair and blankets. But these are old men. They
never had the advantages of schools. They were ed
ucated to follow the pursuits of the chase and to live
the lives of hunter-sportsmen. They were not trained
in the uses of the modern implements of civilization.
We cannot expect the old Indian greatly to change his
habits of living, nor are we going seriously to object
if he continues to wear long hair and a blanket.
But the blanket, as we use the term, is the emblem
of bondage—of savage pomp and circumstance of bar
barity. The Indian who wears a blanket and long
hair and paints his face is usually regarded as non
progressive. Old men do so largely from force of habit.
Young men do so through ignorance and fear. There
is no bigger coward in the world than an Indian young
man or woman on whom the Government has expend
ed a thousand dollars or more in giving training and
education who deliberately returns to the reservation
and goes back to the blanket. Physically they may
be brave but morally they are rank cowards. We pity
them, but are unable to work ourselves up to the point
of shedding copious, gushing tears of pity.
The Indian young man who has not availed himself
of the opportunity to get an education and grows up
under the bondage of the blanket is more to be pitied
than is the educated one. His mind is closed and he is
living in fear begotten of ignorance. In his own way
and after the custom of his people he may lead a re
spectable and unselfish life. Of the two he is the bet
ter man. Education is power. Directed aright, it is
a power for good. Wrongly directed, it is a power
for evil. Unused it atrophies and dies, leaving its pos
sessor burdened with useless junk.
Educated Indians are not the only people who go
back to the blanket. Nor do all Indians who return
to the blankets do so literally. Many of the present
day tribes have never worn blankets and know noth
ing of the custom. Others have largely discontinued
the habit and have adopted the garb of civilized Amer
icans. But sometimes these go back to the blanket
figuratively speaking, but none the less truly.
No. 30
I am frequently asked if our Indian boys and girls
ever go back to the blanket after spending several years
in our schools. And I reply, “Yes, and so do many
white boys and girls go back to the blanket.” And
this is true. I have seen well educated white men,
some of
graduates of the big universities, turn
out to be common loafers and drunkards. So have you.
Almost every Indian reservation has a few of them and
they are usually the most troublesome bootleggers and
grafters on the reservation. No, educated Indians are
not the only persons who go back to the blanket. It
is a pity that any of them do, but the percentage of
successes among those who remain in school until they
fully complete some course will compare favorably with
the products of our white schools of similar grade.
The point I wish to make is the great importance
of staying in school until you have thoroughly com
pleted some definite course. You may develop initiative
and responsibility. Take advantage of every oppor
tunity to become responsible for some specific perform
ance or duty. When you are placed in charge of a
particular job or duty take hold with all the zeal,
energy and skill you possess and stick with it until
the job is completed. Remember that Abe Martin says,
“Some folks have a way o’ doin’ nothin’ that can
hardly be distinguished from work.” Don’tbeoneof
that kind. Do your work so promptly and so thor
oughly that it will recommend you and do you honor.
Get the work habit and keep it. If you do these things
there will be little danger of your going back to the
blanket either literally or figuratively.—O. H. L.
“A LUCKY BREAK”
All of Chemawa had “A Lucky Break” last Satur
day evening when they attended a play by that name
that was put on by a cast made up of seniors and directed
by Miss White. It was a three-act comedy and between
acts two and three Harold Masten and Robert Thomas
played most acceptably a clarinet duet, and an octette of
our girls sang between acts one and two. There was a
large crowd, and a well-entertained one, too, and
many nice things were said of the entertainment in its
entirety. So in summing up we congratulate Miss
White and the cast on the excellence of their produc
tion. We cannot close without reporting the suspic
ion» of our chum on observing Asst. Supt. Ryan
carrying something in a large basket back stage after
the show. Chum was certain that basket contained a
treat for the cast, and we believe it.