Читать книгу The Collected Works - Luther Standing Bear - Страница 21

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When my father arrived at Carlisle School, he had two presents for me—some silver dollars and a gold watch and chain. There was a little cross-piece in the center of the watch chain to fasten through my vest button. How proud I was to receive this watch! When any of the boys or girls looked at me, I always took out that watch and looked at it, imagining I could tell the time! At that day I did not know how to tell the time by looking at a watch or clock. And those silver dollars—how they did jingle in my pocket!

Then my father wanted me to go downtown with him, so Captain Pratt gave his permission. When we reached the town, my father asked if there was anything I wanted; if I did, just to say so. But I thought he had done pretty well by me already, and I told him there was nothing I wanted. However, he bought some fruits and candy, which we carried back to the school.

Captain Pratt was very kind to my father during his stay with me, and took him to Boston, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington. I did not go with him, but a mixed blood named Stephen Moran accompanied them as interpreter. My father was greatly pleased that he was given an opportunity to visit these great cities.

After he returned from the trip, he spoke to me in this wise: ‘My son, since I have seen all those cities, and the way the Long Knife people are doing, I begin to realize that our lands and our game are all gone. There is nothing but the Long Knives (or white people) everywhere I went, and they keep coming like flies. So we will have to learn their ways, in order that we may be able to live with them. You will have to learn all you can, and I will see that your brothers and sisters follow in the path that you are making for them.’

This was the first time my father had ever spoken to me regarding acquiring a white man’s education. He continued:

‘Some day I want to hear you speak like these Long Knife people, and work like them.’

This was spoken to me by my father in the Dakota tongue, but it meant so much to me. He was so serious in his conversation along this line that I felt quite ‘puffed up.’ I wanted to please him in everything—even to getting killed on the battle-field. Even that I was willing to endure.

But now he had seen so many white people, all working, that he knew the days of the old Indian life had passed. My father was a very bright man, although he never had a single day’s education, such as I was getting, in all his life; but he always tried to learn all he could wherever he was.

Just before returning to the West, he was invited into our Chapel to listen to the service. He asked me what it was, and I told him it was the white man’s religion which was discussed in that room. He came in and sat with us boys. During the preaching he sat very reverently and listened attentively to all that was said, although he could not understand a single word. His attention to the service pleased Captain Pratt exceedingly.

When my father was ready to depart, he was presented with a well-made top-buggy and a set of harness, all of which were made there at the school. I was delighted at seeing my father so well treated and recognized. Other chiefs had visited us, but my father was the first Indian to receive such courteous recognition and agreeable presents.

Doubtless they wished to convince him that I was a boy they were pleased to have in the school. The school people were glad to have had him with us, as he was so neat and clean, and conducted himself in such a gentlemanly manner, even if he was an Indian right off the reservation. I there learned that it paid to do whatever was asked of me, and to do it without grumbling; also that it pays to obey your parents in all things.

There was one boy in school whom Captain Pratt was anxious to have returned to the reservation, so he asked my father if he would take the boy along with him. Through the interpreter Father was told that none of the teachers in the school could do anything with the boy—he did not try to learn anything, nor seem inclined to want to. But Father said, ‘No, you brought him here to teach him. Why don’t you do it?’

‘That is true,’ replied Captain Pratt, ‘but we can do nothing with him. If you will take him home, we will pay you for your trouble.’

Finally Father agreed to do this. Captain Pratt gave permission to a few of us to accompany Father and the boy to the train, in the town of Carlisle. After they had departed, I came back to the school more determined than ever to learn all the white people’s ways, no matter how hard I had to study.

Toward the summer of 1881 we were doing splendidly in the school. Some of the boys were learning the tailoring trade, and they started to make uniforms for the pupils. The suits were of blue cloth, with two narrow stripes of red down the seams of the trousers. How proud we were when our uniforms were completed and we donned them. About that time our band was able to play a few pieces, and we marched to the bandstand in our new uniforms and made a splendid showing with our music.

After the school closed for the summer vacation, some of the boys and girls were placed out in farmers’ homes to work through the summer. They were scattered through two counties of the State—Bucks County and Columbia County. Two of our teachers were from those counties and knew the people who had taken in our boys and girls. Those who yet remained at school were sent into the mountains for a vacation trip. I was among this number.

When we reached our camping-place we pitched our tents like soldiers, all in a row. Captain Pratt brought along a lot of feathers and some sinew, and we made bows and arrows. Many white people came to visit the Indian camp, and seeing us shooting with the bow and arrow they would put nickels and dimes in a slot of wood and set them up for us to shoot at. If we knocked the money from the stick, it was ours. We enjoyed this sport very much, as it brought a real home thrill to us.

We were presented with straw hats such as the farmers in that section wore. Sometimes in the morning we would go out picking wild fruit—strawberries, cherries, and plums. After our stomachs were full, we would fill our hats and carry the fruit back to camp. We were always obliged to return to camp for meals. This was impressed upon us, but I do not recall that any boy was ever punished for being late at meal-time!

We each had a tin cup and plate, knife, fork, and spoon, which we were required individually to wash and care for. When the bell rang for meals, we quickly formed in line, each with his tin cup and plate. The cook ladled out each one’s portion, which was supposed to be all the helping we could expect. However, this did not exactly suit some of the boys—myself among them—who never seemed to get filled up. So we got together and did some scheming.

Robert American Horse, Julian Whistler, Clarence Three Stars, and I lined up one morning with the others. After we had received our portions from the cook, we ran to our tents. Here two of us emptied our plates into the plates of the others. Then we wiped off our plates and ran back to get in line again. After receiving a second helping without being detected, we hustled to the tent again, where we divided the six portions among the four of us! In that manner we got plenty to eat. All through the vacation we had a fine time. Many people called at our camp, at Captain Pratt’s invitation, to see how we were getting along. They were quite surprised to see how we were acquiring the white man’s ways.

After the vacation trip was over and we were again in school, we began studying hard. When we came to take up geography, it was a great puzzle to us all. We had been taught to believe that the earth was flat, with four corners. Our teacher, however, told us it was round, and that it did not stand still, but was moving all the time, which was the reason we had day and night, as well as the four seasons. She brought a ball into the schoolroom. It was painted in several colors, and with it she explained how the earth revolved.

After this lesson was over, we boys got together for a talk. We could not exactly believe this story that the earth revolved on an axis, and turned upside down. How could we stick to the ground like flies if we were standing on our heads!

One day an astronomer came to the school and gave us a talk. He explained that there would be an eclipse of the moon the following Wednesday night at twelve o’clock. We laughed and laughed over this, not believing a word of it. When the day arrived, we were filled with a wonderful curiosity to see if the man spoke the truth. We were allowed to remain up to view the eclipse. Sure enough, it happened! The moon was eclipsed, and after that, we readily believed everything our teacher told us about geography and astronomy.

When we really had settled down with a determination to master the white man’s language, several of us had an idea that some morning we would awaken and discover that we could talk English as readily as we could our own. As for myself, I thought if I could only be permitted to sleep in a white man’s home, I would wake up some morning with a full knowledge of the English language. We did not realize that we must learn one word at a time.

We slept in large dormitories. Each boy had a black enameled bed, a chair, and a wooden box, the latter serving as a trunk. The rooms were now kept very clean by the boys. The beds were fastened together by two catches attached to the legs, which clamped to the sides of the bed to hold them in position. When these catches were loosened, the bed did not drop down quickly unless one sat on it.

Paul Black Bear discovered this arrangement of the beds. One night when the boys were all downstairs, he sneaked up into the dormitory and unfastened several of the catches. When the boys occupying them crawled into bed, there was a grand crash! Paul thought this was a great joke on us, but we soon learned to examine our beds before getting into them. However, this boy was so full of jokes that he would even wait until we were asleep and then go around and unfasten the catches, and as soon as the occupant turned over, down would go the bed again.

One day we were told that we were to have night shirts to sleep in. We wondered why they gave us so many clothes to take care of. Upon our first arrival we had only the clothes on our backs—leggins, moccasins, thin shirt, and blanket. Now we had full suits, red flannel underwear, shoes, hats—and now it was going to be night shirts to sleep in!

We were curious as to what they would look like. When they arrived, we discovered that they were long—just like a woman’s dress! We had already been advised that we must not go out on the grass after the dew fell or we might catch cold and die. But the night we got those night shirts we felt like angels. So most of the boys skipped out from the dormitory after the bugle had blown for ‘lights out.’ They ran around through the grass until some one heard the office door open. Then everybody knew that Captain Pratt was coming, and a grand rush was made for the dormitory, not even stopping to wipe one’s feet! We expected a scolding the following morning, but the incident was never mentioned.

Shortly thereafter, Chief Spotted Tail came to visit the school. He had three sons, one daughter, and a granddaughter there. When he arrived he did not get such a reception as had been accorded my father. He was shown all around, but he did not like the school, and told Captain Pratt that he was going to take all his children back to the reservation with him.

Spotted Tail was accompanied by an interpreter from the reservation, and the Captain told the chief that he was at liberty to take his own children home, but that he must leave his granddaughter. So Spotted Tail got his children together, including the granddaughter, and went to the depot, arriving just as the train was pulling in. When the train started, the chief took the granddaughter aboard into the car with him, and the agent was obliged to take her along.

During the early part of 1881, while we were still in school, news came that Chief Spotted Tail had been assassinated. Of course we imagined he had been killed by the white people, and we began to think of war again. The big boys told us, ‘If the Indians go on the war-path now, we will all be killed at this school.’ However, this suited me, as I was willing to die right there, just as I had promised when leaving home.

But we soon were advised that Spotted Tail had been shot and killed by an Indian named Crow Dog. The occurrence was as follows: You will recall that I have stated, in Chapter X, that Spotted Tail had received a nice team of horses and a top-buggy for himself and family; how the Government had furnished him an extra team to haul his gifts home. And he had also been given a fine two-story frame house, and then allowed credit at each of the trading stores. At that time everybody wondered why he received such favors which nobody else enjoyed. But it was soon learned that he had sold a strip of land in northern Nebraska without the knowledge or consent of the other chiefs. The land was not his, but was the hunting-ground of all the Sioux.

When this knavery was discovered, several of the chiefs wanted to shoot Spotted Tail immediately, but my father interceded. One night one of the men was all prepared to kill him, but after my father had cautioned him and advised against it, he cooled down. When Spotted Tail saw that nobody took any action against him, he doubtless began to imagine that all the Sioux tribe was afraid to do anything to him, and he began to get too smart. He got the agent to come to Carlisle School with him, and then took all his children home. After that he induced the wife of a crippled Indian to live with him. This was going a bit too far, so the chiefs held a council. They all knew this crippled man needed his wife, so one man was chosen to go to Spotted Tail and tell him he must return the woman to the lodge of the cripple.

But Spotted Tail only replied, ‘I will not return the woman, and you can tell those other chiefs that I will do as I please. The Government is behind me, and is my friend.’

The messenger returned and told the chiefs what Spotted Tail had said. The other chiefs decided that he could not do as he pleased, even if he did think so. A council to send some delegates to Washington was called shortly after, and Spotted Tail was expected to be present. Several men were waiting for the chance to kill him.

But Crow Dog was too swift for the others. He lay in wait for Spotted Tail on the road that led to the council hall. When the chief came driving along, with one of his old wives, Crow Dog stood up, threw off his blanket, and shot Spotted Tail right out of the seat of the wagon, killing him instantly.

The crippled man received his wife back. Swift justice had overtaken the man who had sold the land of his people without their consent or knowledge—a man who wanted to keep friendly to the whites himself, and yet keep his people in ignorance of his duplicity. Spotted Tail played a wrong game. Dishonesty never paid any one yet.

One day one of the schoolboys named Wica-karpa, or Knocked-It-Off, complained that he did not want to go to school. He was the son of White Thunder. He said he preferred to stay at home and do some drawing. He did not make any complaint, but was allowed to stay out. The next day he complained that he felt sick, and he was again allowed to remain away from school. The following day he died.

Of course his father, Chief White Thunder, was very angry that he had not been notified that his son was even sick, and he stopped off at the school, en route to Washington, where he was going with the expectation of being appointed head chief at Rosebud Agency. White Thunder said he wanted the body of his son sent home, but if the school authorities would not do that, they might at least place a headstone over his grave. Neither request was ever granted.

That was one of the hard things about our education—we had to get used to so many things we had never known before that it worked on our nerves to such an extent that it told on our bodies. When this boy became sick, nobody knew anything about it. He had merely said that he did not feel like going to school that day. Nobody expected he would die within two days’ time. His father could not believe such a thing possible, as at home the boy had always been so strong and well.

When White Thunder returned to Dakota from his Washington trip, he told the Sioux that he had been selected by the Great Father to be head chief at Rosebud Agency. When the son of Spotted Tail heard this, he became very angry, as he had expected to take his father’s place. Taking two of his friends, Thunder Hawk and Long Pumpkin, he went to the tipi of White Thunder when he was not at home and took his wife away. When White Thunder discovered this, he plotted for revenge.

He went over to Spotted Tail’s place, got his wife, and then appropriated several of Spotted Tail’s best horses. He took the animals home and staked them out in front of his tipi. According to Indian custom this was an open challenge for the son of Spotted Tail to come and get the horses, if he was man enough.

Early the following morning Spotted Tail’s son and his two friends went up to the camp of White Thunder. Hiding in the brush near by, they waited until White Thunder came out of his tipi with his blanket still around him, when they shot him down and ran away.

The youngest brother of White Thunder, who was in the lodge, heard the shooting and came running out with his gun. He gave chase and shot Long Pumpkin in the leg. The other two men made their escape. Long Pumpkin is yet alive, but he walks lame.

That was the end of our ‘head chiefs,’ and we have had none since.

We heard all this news while we were at school, even though it was a long time getting to us. Sometimes we felt that we were in a very tight place, miles away from our homes, and among white people, where we felt that at the least show of trouble we would all be killed; but we were always ready.

Gen. and Mrs. Pratt

For Luther S. Bear with the kindest regards of his “Old School Father,” and mother, taken on their 50th anniversary, April 12th 1914.