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About The Willamina times. (Willamina, Yamhill County, Oregon) 1909-1972 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1931)
Thursday, May 21, 1031 TIMES, WILLAMINA. OBEGON Patre 2 OREGON STATE NEWS OF GENERALINTEREST §%<? Indians' ® Principal Events of the W eek Assembled for Inform ation of Our Readers. T H E M A RK ETS Portland Wheat — Big Bend bluestera, hard white, soft white and western white, 69c; hard winter, northern spring and western red, 66c. Hay—Buying price, f. o. b. Portland: Alfalfa, >14015; valley timothy >150 15.60; eastern Oregon timothy. >17; clover, >11; oat hay. >12; oats aud vetch, >12. B u tte rta t— 17O20c. Eggs—Ranch, 12tfl4c. Cattle --Steers, good, >7.6008.00. Hogs—Good to choice, >6.75©>7.75. Lambs—Good to choice, >808.60. 8eattls By E D IT H A Wheat—Soft white, western white, bluostem, 69Mic; western red, north ern spring, hard winter, 67c, Eggs—Ranch, 13020c. Cattle—Choice steers, >7.5008. Hogs—Good to choice. >7.60 0 8.10. Lambs—Choice, >7.60 0 8.80. U. W ATSON HE little town of Ignacio, on the Ute reservation in southern Colorado. Is astir. It is May 24, the anniver sary of the burial of Ou ray. Beneath a simple cement headstone, made by the hands of the In dians themselves lies their last great chief. Ever since his body was removed to his grave In 1925, Utes from all the lands in Colorado and Utah have gath ered yearly to honor him with memo- lal rites. It Is hard to tell whether this is a ustom patterned after the white man's Memorial day or not. It is true that inly six days later, we who read hese lines will pay tribute to our lead. There will be parades and peeches, and flowers and flags will leek the resting places of our soldier md sailor departed, while elsewhere n the cemeteries wreaths and bou- luets will symbolize our tender recol- ectlons of kinfolk and close friends. There are few communities in our :ountry which have no sort of serv- ves. On this day, from coast to coast, he American people give special bought to those who have entered upon he Great Adventure. But If the :hosts of those other folk who lived lere before us look back and see us, hey understand what we are doing, or once, long ago, the red-skinned teople held their day of remembrance, oo. It was not always on the same late, across all the country. Some- imes It was twice a year; sometimes oany years elapsed between the days et apart for the dead, according to he tribes which observed the custom. Jut none the less the Indinns before is. In their own way, which was some- Imes very much like ours, honored heir beloved dead. The Pueblos call them “Those-who- »ave-gone-before." To their minds the lext world Is very much like this, >ut the departed are closer to Those Ibove, and may Intercede for the llv- ng. They come back, also, not In the uminous robes and with the trumpets tnd slates of seance-spirits, but In the jersons of certain living tribesmen rho, when they have donned the gro- ;esque masks of their ancertor-worshlp ■ites, seem to acquire something of he power of those whom they are •epresentlng. They come back, also, n the quiet hours when their children ire immersed In thought, and give idvlce and counsel. It Is only fitting, then, that the Hopl hould hold ceremonies in their honor, rhen their representations walk hrough the villages nnd hear the sup- illcatlons of their living children. It s a queer sort of Memorial day, true, >ut It Is conducted with real reverence ind love, and who can ask more? Vhat a beautiful faith this Is, which loes not admit of death separating the ivlng and the dead, and which holds hese symbolic “family reunions” in oken of thnt faith. Even with this belief, however. It s Impossible for loving hearts not o grieve at the loss of dear ones. Phus we hear Hopl wailing on the inniversary of a death, and If there ins been an epidemic which took a lumber of the tribe, an official annl- ersary Is fixed, and observed with orrow year after year. So, too, the New Fire ceremony sees he Zunl matron, dressed as if to meet eloved friends, weeping softly to her elf as she casts food Into the tire n her hearth. This food Is for the ncestors nnd for those who died In ie past year, but If we could see Into er heart we would surely find some eloved one enshrined there, of whom ie thinks especially as she mnkes her fferlrig. The first anniversary of a death was ie one most widely observed. Then Spokane Cattle—8teers. good. >7 0 7.60. Hogs—Good to choice, >7.35. Lambs Medium to good, >7.76®8.25 the widow could put off her mourning, and the bereaved family could take up every-day life again. The ofticlaj time of sorrow was passed at the end of this year. But who, be he Indian or white, can say to the mourner, “Bo not weep longer; do not grieve fur ther"? The sorrow of death makes a lasting Impression on the heart, which cannot be erased at the end of a year. Anniversaries come as naturally us the 8« sons themselves. Fall comes, and those who are left behind remem ber that at the Green Corn feasts their loved ones were merry. Thus, the Tunica guardians of the cemeteries reminded those who had corn and beans that the time had come to offer them, and the people gladly gathered parts of their harvest and placed them on the graves. If, as the Indians believed, the next world Is so much like this, why should not the departed spirits return on these anniversaries to partake of the spiritual essence of the food and min gle a little while with those beloved ones who had not yet Joined them? I’ere Sebastien Basies, who wrote an account of the Illinois tribe long ago, spoke of their holding dancps that were "a token of their sadness at the death of the most Important men of their tribe. It Is by these dances that they profess to honor the deceased, and to wipe away the tears of his relatives.” During these dances. It was thought, the spirits of the de parted ones came and danced also, enjoying themselves as they had once done In the flesh. Here we find again the great un likeness of thought between white man and Indian. Standing between the graves, placing flowers on them, listen ing to the prayers and speeches which seek to recall the dead to us, we would shudder at the Idea that they stood by us, admiring the flowers and hearing with appreciation their eulogies! Vet the Illinlwak found only pleasure In this thought, as If some dmrljr-loved ones had returned from a Journey to be among them, and the fact that they were Invisible did not make them fear some or less welcome to the feast In their honor. Another memorial observance which corresponds slightly to our custom of erecting headstones over the dead, was that described by Adair as fol lows: ‘‘To perpetuate the memory of any remarkable warriors killed in the woods, I must here observe that every Indian traveler us he passes thut way throws a stone on the place. , . . In the woods we often see Innumerable heaps of small stones In those places, where, according to tradition, some of their disgruntled people were either killed or burled.” No discussion of Indian memorial observances would be complete with out a description of the strange cus toms of the Asslnlboin, Mandan, and some other tribes: These people did not Inter their dead, but plnced them on scaffolds or In trees. In time the bones of the deceased were all that was left, and these, perhaps, fell on the ground ns the scaffolds or platforms, weather beaten and old, gave way. The rela tives gathered and burled the bones, all but the skulls, and these they placed “In a circle In the pluln,” says Father De Smet, speaking of the Aa^ slnlboln, “with the faces turned toward the center. They preserve these with care. . . . The Indians call the cemetery the villuge of the dead. They visit It at certain seasons of the year, to converse affectionately with their deceased- relatives and friends.” Muny travelers of the early days have observed and commented on these circles of skulls, and we are given pictures of them In many of the old volumes. It Is only natural that such n strange custom should he mis understood. Some of those early ob servers did not realize what reul af fection prompted the preservation of these relics of the dead, and hence we read the scornful note thnt "sev eral skulls were kicking about on the ground.” Catlin observed this some custom among the Mandan, and goes on to tell us that each skull was placed on a bunch of wild sage, which was re newed as often as necessary. “There Is scarcely an hour In a pleasant day, but more or less of these women mny be seen sitting' or laying by the skull of their child or husband, talk Ing to It In the most pleasant and en dearing language that ¿hey can use (as they were wont to do In former days) nnd seemingly getting an an swer back." This custom may seem a revolting one to us, but to the Indians It was a natural and common observance. In deed, to the white men who knew these people well, their strange Ideas grew lest, fantastic, and ( atlin re marked, ns he noted the Mandan wom en “visiting” with the skulls of their loved ones, “There Is something ex ceedingly Interesting and Impressive in these scenes.” Indeed, they recnll to us the famous vault under the Capuchin convent, where the bones of monks who have died are used to mnke patterns on the walls, and the skulls stand In rows. Travelers have remarked thnt the monks who showed them these strange designs appeared to know many of the skulls, nnd could relate their nnines and something of their histories. So It Is with the Indians Not all of them, of course, regarded death without dread, but surely those of whom we have been reading did not recoil at the unavoidable step. True to theli beliefs, they went out brnve- ly. The “Happy Hunting Grounds” of the Plains people beckoned; the Un derworld of the Pueblos wnlted for their return. And they believed with Arm conviction thnt they would know about the memorial ceremonies, nnd be able to share, with the beloved liv- Ing. In the rites. Whether we agree with them or not. It was a pleasant sort of faith. And although our own beliefs have gone In a far different direction from theirs, sometimes, still we unite once a yenr to recnll the virtues nnd to honor the memories of Those-who have-gone-be- fore. (ffi by Wentern Newspaper Union.) Fire destroyed a garage and seven automobiles four miles from Powers. The loss was >6000. Mr. and Mra. John Kugelman of the Sunnyside district, near Oregon City, celebrated their 60th wedding anni versary recently. Loss of between >10,000 and >15,000 la reported by the owners of the Cres well Lumber company mill which was destroyed by fire recently. Thursday was not exactly a “red letter day” in the Monroe Union high school, but 26 pupils came down with measles that day, while at school. Paving Pacific avpnue, Glendale's main business street, will be done thia summer If the city cpunctl can make the >1600 available defray the cost. The movement of certified seed po tatoes out of tho Weston district is practically over, according to Waller A. Holt, Umatilla county agriculturist. Deputy Game Warden Stellmacher of Linn county la offering an >18 fish ing rod and reel to the boy or girl under 18 years who catches the largest bass before July 1. Manufacture of cut lumber, called four-square lumber, started at the Klamath Falls Weyerhaeuser plant re cently with installation of new equip ment and machinery. Deposits of the North Plains Com mercial bank have been taken over by the Commercial National bank of Hills boro, State Bank Superintendent A. A. Schramm announced. Hall as large as hickory nuts fell at Ashland one day last week, with a downpour of rain following. Reports were that the hall had not damaged pears, cherries or other fruit. The most effective control found so far for the spit beetle Is an applica tion of nicotine dust, as shown by experiments that have been carried on near Woodburn. Dehydrated lime dust Is fairly effective, also. Berke brothers, contractors of Port land, have a large crew of men at work clearing the right of way of the Roosevelt highway from Otis to the Siletz river In preparation for regrad ing and widening of the road. The San Diego Fruit & Produce com pany has tractors turning over 300 acres of rich silt bottom land In the angle between Catching Inlet and Coos river, near Marshfield, where It will plant the entire area to peas. Through the co-operation of the county, residents of Joseph and own ers of property at the head of Wallowa lake, the road around the lake has been graded and smoothed until it Is almost equal to a state highway. A system whereby Roseburg labor ers and craftsmen will be given prefer ence In construction work Is to be started In Douglas county soon. It Is expected that the next few months will see a great deal of work stated. Klamath county's thousands of dairy cows are free of tuberculosis, not one reactor to the tests being found the last two years, It was reported by the county agent. Only one reactor was found "mong beef cattle tested last year. Largs catches of sturgeon are being brought Into The Dalles by Columbia river fishermen along with their sal mon. The new co-operative creamery at Aermlston haa been oversubscribed, according to offlulale of the concern. It waa hoped to algn up 1000 dairy cows, but that mark haa been passed. Permanent directors will be named at a meeting In Hormlaton May >0. A state highway oiling crew started work on the oiled stretch of the Fre mont highway between Lakeview and the Oregon-California line. Four miles of oiling will also be done on the first four miles west from I^ikevlew on the Klamath Fulls Lakeview highway. One million feet of yellow pine bftwn down between South Twin and North Twin lakes by the recent high winds has been sold by the Deschutes nationul forest to Mrs. Myrtle M. l)en- nlit of the Deunls mill, weal of l ’lno. The logs wilt be hauled by truck 19 miles. From 3.000,000 to 6,000,000 feet of timber Is down In the Ochoco national forest ns u result of the recent wind storm, according to Supervisor llurrl- man, which creates uu additional fire hazurd, along with the financial losa. Only a small percentage of the timber can he worked up to advantage. The acreage of pens In western Ore gon Is estimated at 1200 to 1300 acres for fresh shipment, about double the area producing Inst year. Weather conditions so far have been favorable for the crop. In some sections the pods are already well formed, hut there will be no heavy production until early In June. 1. B. Brown Sr., president of the Pio neer Association of Baker county, baa announced tentative plans tor the third annual meeting of the pioneers* association to be held In conjunction with the July 4 celebration to he held In Baker. A basket lunch will he served In the city park, to be followed by an elaborate program. ' Summer fallow wheat land planted to peas thia year has brought the total acreage In the higher district about Weston and Athena up to 2000, a con siderable Increase over the acreage of lost year. The legumea are reported for the most part as doing well, al though faulty Inoculation of the soil has held back some plots. Asparagus acreage of the Hood River, Mosier, Bingen and The Dalles district will bring growers near ly >100,000 net thia year, predicts the manager of the Stadelman Fruit com pany of The Dalles. The total output of the district will be In the neighbor hood of 40 cars, part of which will be shipped to eastern markets. Planting of Klamath’s greatest crop of potatoes Is well under way and the bulk of the crop will be In the ground by the end of this week. Some grow ers started seeding May 1. The in crease estimated this year will exceed 30 per cent. 1-ast year's acreage was about 7000, and this year there will be about 9000 acres In potatoes. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Nornach of Red mond are owners of the registered Hol stein herd which topped the Central Oregon Herd Improvement association for the year Just closed, the average buttertat production for the herd be ing 426.4 pounds for 13 cows. The Mornach average wak Increased 78.4 pounds per cow over the previous year. Unusual numbers of tent caterpillar eggs have been reported from differ ent sections of Benton county to County Agent C. R. Biggs, Indicating severe ^attacks on fruit t/eea later on. Many orchard owners report that egg deposits are thick In their or chords. A limb was brought to the county agent’s office completely cov ered with egg deposits for at least three feet of Its length. A total of 70,682 acres In the Modoo national forest has been desigflated by the federal government as a primitive area. This tract adjoins the Oregon state line Just east of New Pine creek. The southern edge Is traversed by the old Immigration road, which the Ap plegates blazed from Fort Hall to the Rogue River valley In the '40s. The reserved area Includes many glacial lakes and several mountain peaks. Thirty cents an hour, with an al lowance of 35 cents a meal where men board themselves, Is the wage for common labor while fighting fires, as fixed by the various forest protection agencies of the state at a meeting held recently In the offices of the state forester In Salem. Those who have adopted this wage scale In Ore gon Include tho state board of forestry, United States forest patrol and all the patrol associations. V < »> f
