OITics of Indian Affaire» INDIANS, NORTH AMERICAN * Bulletin 6.(1920) In the region north of Mexico, to which this article is confined, the Indians are no longer war-like nor to any extent resistant of the white man's methods for their civilization# The United States assumes that health, education, and industry are essential to the Indian's self-support and citizenship* Accordingly, the settled policy is to hasten his advancement in these acquirements andi meanwhile to protect his personal and property rights* Under the administration of the Bureau of Indian Affairs there are provided in the States health supervisors, school and agency physicians. Held muttons, nurses, and traveling dentists whose duties definitely pertain to the physical welfare of the Indians, and hospitalization is widely main¬ tained against all forms of disease, but with special reference to the care of infants, and the treatment of tube rculo sis and trachoma* For education, the Government conducts 184 day schools, 61 reserva¬ tion and 29 non-reservation boarding schools with an attendance of over 25,000 pupils, and has recently introduced a course of study which combines academic and industrial training well adapted to Indian needs and temperament* The aim is to prepare girls to become good housewives and mothers in their home communities, and to fit boys for practical faming, or to give them such elementary knowledge and practice in mechanics as will lead to skilled work¬ manship* At seven of the larger schools vocational training extends through the tenth grade and at one of them is provided a thorough commercial course* In 1920, these advanced schools enrolled 5,300 students and their graduates readily find remunerative employment in agriculture, the trades, and business pursuits# In all Federal,schools prominence is given to hygiene, to moral conduct, to religious culture through privileges extended equally to all Christian denominations, and to the practice of thrift. State public schools are now accessible to and enroll more than 30,000 Indian children# Over 5,000 are cared for in mission and private schools. lo promote reservation industries there are maintained 8 demon..tra tion and 4 experimentation farms, and several hundred farmers, stockmen, ana . assistants are employed who live near Indian communities for purposes o oractical oversight and instruction in modern methods of agriculture, an the upbreeding and handling of live stock. In recent years loans have been made to energetic Indians from tribal or Government funds as in Ca P 1 a for beginning their self-support, and have generally been succeoo u * Special attention has been given to the reclamation of arid an oemi ari Indian lands resulting thus far in the irrigation oi about 350, v acreo with nearly 1,000,000 acres more under project, the annual increase in c values being nearly equal to all previous cost of sucn deve opmen . herds of sheep end cattle have been maintained on a number oj. res rva with financial profit, but chiefly to encourage individual ownership ana enterprise in live stock. The affairs of the Alaskan natives are supervised by the United States Bureau of Education* Sixty-seven schools are conducted with a field force of 6 superintendents, 9 physicians, 13 nurses, and 133 teachers. Five hospitals are maintained and native girls are taught nursing# The work is carried on in 67 villages scattered along the coast and on the great rivers. Imperfect transportation and climatic conditions render the service very, difficult much of the time, but the progress is substantial and encouraging* Despite the heavy mortality from influenza the population has slowly in¬ creased to 25,508* The Alaskans are a quiet, peaceful people" who have wel¬ comed the approach of civilization.' The teacher*s guidance is willingly accepted and the school becomes the center of community affairs* In 1911, was begun in southeastern Alaska the policy of encouraging cooperative enterprises, financed by native capital and conducted by the natives themselves, under the supervision of the teacher of the local United States public school* Such enterprises are now in successful operation in 9 villages in widely separated regions* In northwestern Alaska the reindeer industry is the basic industry, introduced to furnish a vocation that will guarantee food, clothing, and transportation. The teacher directs the reindeer development and the Alaskan Eskimo, youth' is thereby practically aided in be¬ coming an independent, respoftsible*citizen. Under the policies outlined, the North American Indians have made unusual progress during the last decade* Their population at its close is greater than at any time in the preceding half-century. They depend less upon "medicine men" and more upon medical science and sanitation* As compared with earlier periods, they are giving more attention to permanent homes; are less nomadic and superstitious* Their women are better housekeepers, and infant mortality is decreasing* The day of paint and feathers and blanket garb.is passing* Nearly two-thirds of their number wear citizen clothing. The younger school-trained element is creating a new leadership manifested in changing habits, customs, industrial pursuits, and-social life.- Marriage by tribal custom is giving way to legal rites, and crime is? diminishing* Approximately three-fourths of the Indian children of proper age and health are enrolled in some school, Federal, State, or missiong There has been a steady increase in the number of Indians who speak English as well as those who read and write this language, and a friendly Indian sentiment towards the schools generally prevails* Substantial advancement is noticeable in agricultural operations, and stack raising, the use of modern machinery and methbds, in the large gains to individual funds, and increasing citizenship through the acquirement of fee title to lands, as well as in the lively interest the Indians now show in "exhibits of all their industrial products at fairs in competition with one another and with the whites. The acceptance by the Indians of American principles of Government and civilization was in some striking sense disclosed by the World War. In thb United States, the number of Indians in military service was more than 10,000, three-fourths of whom were by enlistment. In Canada the number ex¬ ceeded 4,000, all of whom entered voluntarily, as they were specially exempted from the operation of the Military Service Act* The percentage of Indian male population of military age in the war was probably equal to that of the whites thus engaged and their proportion of volunteers even greater. They were mingled almost entirely with white organizations .and were highly commended by their officers for their intelligence, courage, discipline, and efficiency* The Indians ineligible for war duty were equally patriotic*. They were active in Red Cross and other relief work, and responded to emergency demands for all productive labor. In the United States they subscribed 125,000,000 for Liberty Bonds, and purchased upwards of $2,000,000 in War Savings Stamps, - 2 - 1 * COMPARATIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDIANS IN,THE UNITED -STATES, EXCLUSIVE OF ALASKA* POPULATION AND CITIZENSHIP. Population, 322,715 Indians who received allotments of land, 164,215 Indians who received patent in fee to their land,. 76,033 Indians who received trust patents to land, 88,182 Indian citizens of the United States, 179,830 1920 * .336,337 175„433 119,800 55,633 184,968 E DUCATIONAL AND VITAL CONDITIONS * Indian children eligible for school attendance, Indian children in Government schools, Indian children in public schools (state), Indian children in mission and private schools, Total Indian children in all schools, Capacity of all schools, Indians who could speak English, Indians who could read and- write English, Church-going Indians, Missionary workers among the Indians, Hospitals and sanatoria maintained. Capacity of hospitals and sanatoria, Indian patients treated, Indians given medical examination, Indians wearing citizens clothing, r— Indian families living in permanent homes, Indians arrested for drunkenness, Deputies employed for liquor suppression, Indian marriages by tribal custom,' Indian marriages by legal procedure, i 1911* 1920. 63,411 82,856 23,647 25,396 11,000 30,858 4,750 5,546 39,397 61,800 43,015 62,298 121,431 173,193 79,843 126,331 104,529 146,176 472 627 50 85 1,268- 2jl90 8,408 16,954 42,645 677,053 238,410 296,841 46,379 64,195 2,057 568 154 42 606 237 1,117 1,636 - 3 *- V INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES. 1911 * Indians engaged in faming, Number of acres cultivated, Value of crops raised, Irrigated acreage cultivated, Number of Indians benefited by irrigation, Value of crops on irrigated Indian lands, Value of home buildings, furniture, and farm implement s, Individual Indian funds in bank. Value of live stock sold, Value of all Indian live stock. Value of timber cut, Income from land sales and individual leases, Indians engaged in native industries, Indians employed by private parties, Indians employed by Indian Service (regular and irregular), Value of products from native industries, Earnings from private parties, Earnings from Indians Service, Income from minerals, chiefly oil, gas, and coal, Total value of individual and tribal property, Total income of Indians, Total revenue to Indians from minerals for ten years ended June 30, 1920, 24,489 383,025 $1,951,752 $11, •454,485 27,145 $3,008,338 $15, $10,029,184. $30 $10,735,723 $38 $.900,000 $4 $19,471,209 $35, $1,398,166 $2, $8,402,669 $11, 21,235 3,204 8,577 $847,456 $591,672 $1,269,958 $ 1 , $ 2 , $ 1 , 1920. 49,962 890,700 927,366 607,044 37,030 773,349 ,657,763 ,035,476 , 080,375 ,158,731 ,060,559 686,726 26,949 13,079 12,244 869,907 654,008 586,141 $1,406,001 $23,.838>.382 $623 ,‘134,254$ 7 61 $21,092,923 $72 ,725,329 ,696,431 $83,796,622 OFFICE OF INDIANA.AFFAIRS, 1921. *- 4 ~ 4621