Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1880 — REPORT OF THE INDIAN BUREAU. [ARTICLE]

REPORT OF THE INDIAN BUREAU.

The annual report of the Indian Bureau for 1880 exhibits a continued steady advancement toward civilization on the part of nearly all the Indian tribes, and a very remarkable progress in many instances, especially among the Ogalallas and Brule Sioux. In Dakota and the Pacific coast the Indiana oollected at the Yakima Agency. The demands upon the bureau by the Indians of a large majority of the agencies for implement# with which to enable them to perform manual labor are far beyond the means at the disposal of the department for that purpose. The desire of the Indians to labor is steadily growing, and a large number are willing and anxious to engage in civilized pursuits, and the improvement in their manner of putting in and caring for the crops raised shows that the efforts of the past few years are gradually bringing them to a self-supporting condition. The number of Indians in tne United States, exclusive of Alaska, is reported at 265,938, all of whom, except about 18,000, are more or less under direct control of agencies of the Government. The civilized Indians now in the Territory number 60,560, and the uncivilized 17,750. There are, in round numbers, 25,000 Indians in Dakota, 23,000 in New Mexioo, 21,000 in Montana, 17,000 in Arizona, and 14,000 in Washington Territory. It appears there are upward of 6.000 Indians in New York State, and more than 10,000 in the State of Michigan. The following table shows the substantial results of Indian labor during the year by Indians, exclusive of five civilized tribes of the Indian Territory: Number of acres broken by Indian* 27,283 Number of acres cultivated 170,847 Number of bushel* of wheat raised. 415,777 Number of bushel* of corn raised 600,430 Nulhber of bushel* of oats and barley raised 222,439 N umi>er of bushels of vegetables raised.... 376,145 Number of tons of hay cut 56,527 Number of cattle owned 78,812 Number of sheep owned 864,137 liy Five Civilized Tribee. Number of acres cultivated... ... ....... 814,398 Number of bushels of wheat raised 836,424 Number of bushels of corn raised 2,346,042 Number of bushels of oats and barley raised. 124,568 Number of bushels of vegetables raised. .. 695,000 Number of bales of cotton raised. 1,600 Number of tons of hay cut 14,000 Number of cattle owned 297,040 Number of swine owned 400,280 During the year sixty boarding and 110 day schools have been in operation among the different Indian tribes, exclusive of the five civilized tribes in the Indian Territory, which have been attended by over 7,000 children and taught by 316 teachers. The educational work of the bureau could have been enlarged to a much greater extent but for the inadequate appropriations made by Congress for the support of the schools. Fifty thousand Indians at seventeen agencies have no treaty school funds whatever, and educational facilities must depend entirely on general appropriation for education. Among those tribes there are at least 7,000 children of school age. Reports from the schools on the various reservations are full of encouragement, showing increased and more regular attendance of pupils, and growing interest in education on the part of parents. In compliance with the appeals from neglected agencies, the bureau has made arrangements for erecting eleven boarding-school buddings during the coming season, and for the establishment of thirteen new boarding schools 1 These will be the first schools of any kind ever provided for the 8,000 San Carlos Apaches and Western Shoshones, and the first boarding schools opened for the 25,000 Indians at the nine other agencies. 7he day-schools have hitherto met with indifferent success arid made little impression on the tribes among whom they were located. The condition of the Poncas in the Indian Territory continues to be prosperous. They have now seventy-nine houses, and, since the Ist of January last, over seventy families have moved into houses. Meddlesome persons are still endeavoring to induce the Poncas to abandon their present location and return to Dakota, but the leading men of the tribe have frequently assured the Agent that they are satisfied and do not desire to return.