T he CHEMAWA AMERICAN
P age 4
# About Lo
Friends «
second picture is a slander upon a race that is honest
ly trying to adjust itself to the civilization of the aliens
now the lords and masters of this continent.
—I—
The longevity of Indians is usually accepted as a settled and
indubitable fact by most people and it is true that certain in
dividuals have grown to great age but we suspect that the ven
erable “Old Chepo’’ of the Mono tribe in California exaggerated
a little when upon being asked his age he replied: “You
see that mountain? When that mountain little hill, me small
boy.”
* * *
The Haskell Institute football players on their way to a game
in Philadelphia against Pop Warner’s Temple university eleven
stopped off at Carlisle and practiced on the old Indian school
football field. Old citizens of Carlisle, having so often heard
of the wizardry of the old-time Carlisle teams must have had
visions of ghostly Thorpes, Exendines, Mountpleasants, etc.,
as there suddenly broke upon their ears the sound of shouting
young voices and the thump of boot meeting pigskin on the
old field.
* * *
A community of American Indians in Detroit, Michigan, de
serve the praise and admiration of all their fellows. They
have deliberately cast themselves adrift from the comparative
security of reservations and invaded and conquered the big
city. These people are becoming home owners and are active
in the religious, social and political life of the city. Most of
them are common school products but a few are college grad
uates. They represent many tribes and come from all parts
of the country. They are skilled workers in their trades and
professions, send their children to public schools and are re
spected and worthy citizens of the commonwealth.
* * *
Interior Secretary Ickes has put into effect for the national
parks a new policy which deserves three snappy cheers. He
has ruled that all Indian-made articles offered for sale to tour
ists in the parks must, henceforth actually be of Indian man
ufacture. Previously, it seems, vast quantities of “Indian”
handicraft, which had really been made in New Jersey factories,
were unloaded upon national park tourists. In the future these
must be bona-fide goods, made by Indians in the traditional way.
The tourist gets a break, in that he is protected from a lot of
shoddy imitations; and the Indian, relieved of competition in
his efforts to turn an honest penny by selling the product of
his craftmanship, gets an even bigger one.— Indian Leader.
* ♦ *
The following item appeared in the Metronome this summer
under the caption, “Shaveless Artists.” The Frank Verigun
referred to once trod the boards here as a student actor in a
stupendous production called, “Evangaline.”
Shunatona
passed through here a couple of seasons ago with his famous
band. WINS is located in New York City: It may be hard
to believe, at first, but two of [radio station] WINS’ outstand
ing performers haven’t shaved in over thirty years—and al
though they gloat over their freedom from the scrape of razors
against cheeks, neither has the slightest vestige of a beard.
The answer to this anomoly is that Frank Verigun and Joe
Shunatona, the gentlemen in question, are both full-blooded
Indians and, of course, Indians are practically beardless, the
few hairs growing on their faces being plucked out as they
appear,
BEING INDIAN, SERIOUS BUSINESS
Being an Indian is a serious business. I’ll tell you
why. The white men has two mental pictures. Look
ing into the past, he sees a painted brave clothed in a
breech-clout and a headdress of feathers. Coming in
to the present, he sees a red vagabond sunning him
self on the station platform of a little railway station
built in the sagebrush or among the cacti. The first
picture may be true to nature but it is obsolete. The
The Indian is a worker, instinctively, the habit be
ing formed, of course, by necessity. He had to live,
and he hunted assiduously. He had to defend his
property and he fought persistently. If he sat down
he starved or fell into the slavery of his enemies. So
he was always up and always doing. He suffered
many hardships. He tracked his foes day and night.
No one has a right to say he was lazy.
There are good Indians and bad ones just as there
are good and bad white men. Some Indians are
thrifty and some are improvident; some are industrious
and some are not; some are smart and some are dull.
An Indian is a human being, and that is all I claim
for him, capable of remarkable development. Sam
uel Ely Parker—he was no relation of mine, by the
way—was a full-blooded Seneca. He studied civil
engineering and successfully practiced his profession
at Gelena, Illinois. Grant knew him and made him
a member of his staff and his secretary. After the
Civil War he was an officer in the regular army.
The Southwest today is filled with successful Indian
businessmen, lawyers, preachers, physicians and teach
ers. They helped to write the constitution of Okla
homa, and in all modesty let me add that I wras among
their number.
The Indian has traveled up and down the road of
human experiences in business and self-government.
Primitively, he is a communist. White men are still
practicing his abandoned experiment. Then became
to see the sound philosophy of private property. His
weapons were his own. He made them and used them,
for himself as a hunter and for his tribe as a patriotic
member.
In the social principles of his life he was the equal
of the white man. And that is the seed of my argu
ment. Give the Indian a chance.—G abe E. P arker .
LINFIELD TO BE FIRST OPPONENT
Although the boys are practicing faithfully and
keeping in trim, there are no games definitely sched
uled yet.
ChemawTa has decided that it would be best not to
join the high school league as it would result in the
loss of too many men. The rules of the league would
cause many of the boys who are now playing to be
ineligible so they have agreed to remain as they are
and play with teams who are not in this league.
It is reported that there is to be a game in the near
future w’ith Linfield college reserves but we do not
know7 the details at this time. Other games will be
arranged as the season progresses.