LEAFLETS OF THE WOMEN'S NATIONAL INDIAN ASSOCIATION. THE OMAHA MISSION. Marc/i, 1888. The twelve hundred Omaha Indians of Nebraska are now citizens of the United States, occupying their own farms, are self-supporting, indus- trious, and making progress in civilization. As is usual in Indian tribes, there are two parties among these Indians, the conservatives and the progressives, yet even the former recognize, and in some degree rejoice in the great change in their legal and political status. Their situation, therefore, is one to encourage Christian endeavor among them, while successful work among these will also be an incentive and inspiration to such efforts in other tribes. With the approval of the Presbyterian Board of Missions, which has an Indian Girls' School upon the Omaha reservation, the Missionary Committee of The Women's National Indian Association, opened a Mission, November. 1887, miles away from the above-named school, the missionaries being Dr. and Mrs. L. M. Hensel, who had been pre- viously engaged m Indian work in Oregon. The importance of the mission was at once recognized by various Auxiliaries of the Association, and these have already generously provided for the station, progress towards its support having been more rapid even than was hoped. The new Kentucky Auxiliary pledges the salary of Mrs. Hensel, and the Branches in Massachusetts furnish that of Dr. H. The Branch in Mor- ristown. New Jersey, has contributed funds for building a permanent missionary cottage, while the other associations in New Jersey will provide the furniture, and may erect or add to a school building which can be used also as a chapel. The State Association of Maine and its Branches, have pledged means for a wing for needy ones, while the Massachusetts and Washington societies aid the hospital work. As the mission was opened in November, too late for building this season, the missionaries at present occupy the old agency quarters upon the reservation, and there a night-school has been opened which is progressing with great interest. Some extracts from the letters of the missionaries will best present the condition of the work. Under date of December 21st, 1887, Dr. H. writes : " The first year will of course be the hardest and certain expenditures must be made in the near future to enable us to work efficiently. A pair of horses must be purchased, and facilities for school-work are needed. Then, we must have domestic help in order that Mrs. H. may devote her time to the cause. The harvest is ripe. The people are very needy as to in- struction and are anxious to receive it. We have recently attended a large council of the tribe, in my judgment the most important ever held here. Both factions have made a fair coalition, and, I might say, a third one with them. They were sorely afraid regarding the " Citizen " question and as they had had so much advice pro and con, and more threats than advice, of course many were in great perplexity. Some even of the progressive ones doubtless fear that citizenship will have placed shackles upon them, yet they have accepted it, and I think grandly too. They seem to me the finest specimens of the race on the continent. I shall open our next meeting with prayer in the Omaha tongue, as I have already about two hundred words in my vocabulary, and will also make a short address inj;he language, assisted, if need be, by an interpreter in giving religious instruction, and I shall give a brief lecture on civil government. Fortunately for me my university course gave me to some extent Greek exegesis which will here be an assistance. The work is a pleasure and I thank God for it. I hope we can have the Government school-house if needed, in which to call people together for instruction. Mrs. Hensel, I suppose, must now go out among the women. We have already a good many calls from them, and they sit a long time, as if to take us in by absorption. We mean to work in harmony with all here engaged in Christian effort, and there is need of a little skill in this direction. The thermometer is far below zero at present." Jan. 2d, 1888. — " Things wore a gloomy aspect for a time, as we could have but one room for our home at first and suffered in it like martyrs without sharing their glory. In the one room we cooked, toiled, rested, slept, entertained, examined the sick, and dispensed medicines; yet it was the very best that could be done under the circumstances. The rent of the whole house is $So per annum, and we are now in possession of the whole, re-renting our upper rooms to the former trader. The night school has opened with eight bright faces; three married couples and two children. I am gaining in medical practice every day, and the Indians say that my medicines are the best yet brought on the reserva- tion. I charge them very little of course, only enough to cover the cost of the medicine. Their Indian doctors are intolerably ignorant and cruel. Barbarous manipulation with a flat-iron to cure nausea, often results in peritonitis. You have no idea what we have to contend against, and bad men take advantage of circumstances to array the Indians against the government and the missionaries. I apply the latter term in a general way to all who are working to alleviate the condition of this people. It I do not understand the language well, the words of which I am now master give me great help in knowing what is going on. " Any day, at this time of year, we are subject to blizzards and a stranger or fellow-missionary dropping in, and consigned to the floor (had we no second bed) would simply freeze to death. The thermometer has several times been twenty degrees below zero since our arrival and that with the wind blowing at a furious rate also. Persons have been frozen to death in their own door-yards, and farmers have had to tie a rope to the house, fastening the other end to the barn, so as to find the way back after care of stock. We feel that we must make every sacrifice necessary to make ourselves felt in this work. Help is expensive, being $10 a. month. While we were living in one room, we were caught out in a blizzard, and could not return for two days. Reaching home, we found every apple and potato frozen, jars bursted and King Frost reign- ing supreme. We shall not have a potato to eat for six weeks to come. With our open floors and the violent winds, a carpet is absolutely neces- sary on every floor in use." A letter from Mrs. Hensel, dated Jan. 5th, says: " You can hardly imagine what a relief it is to have more than one room ; to have the bed a little farther from the cook-stove and the dining table, and, much more important, we can now let the Indians in, and they seemed as anxious 3 as we felt for that time to come. We feared they might think our com- ing was only a flourish of trumpets. The "doctoring," no doubt, held them while we waited for room. The evening after we got possession of the whole house, the night-school increased, and there are one or two additions every night. Your intention is, I believe, that we should re- ceive only those who cannot have the advantages of the government- s' :hool or of the Mission-School here ; but we have not had to refuse any yet, as we can instruct easily all who have come thus far. The doctor has bought boxes from the store, and constructed rude tables and benches as our chairs would not go around. We borrowed books and slates from the government-school, and we have provided calico and yarn for sew- ing and knitting. We will willingly make any changes you suggest. We always,: as you requested, consult Mrs. Wade, whose wisdom, exper- ience, and goodness make her so wise a counsellor in the work. We shall be sorry if the expense of our house-keeping outfit exceeds the thought of the Committee, though we do not see how any one could keep house with fewer things. As it is, the cupboard, sink, medicine-chest and school-room furniture, are all made out of pine boxes, as lumber can hardly be had. " It was a very pleasant surprise at Christmas, to receive from Boston a number of beautiful Christmas cards. It was so unexpected and pleas- ant to be thus remembered." Again, Jan. 14th, we have the following : " We cannot help telling you that we rejoice greatly over our work. We came into possession of the whole house, January 2d, since when we use the large front room, which is about seventeen feet square, for the school-room. I never saw so much interest manifested on the part of teachers and scholars. We have excellent help in the house so that Mrs. H. gives all her ener- gies to the work. She, Susie, and myself, all take hold in the school- room, and not fifteen minutes pass without every pupil reciting. They came even in the stormiest weather and we have had school every night excepting Sundays. We have now 22 pupils. One young man walked four miles even with the thermometer 16 degrees below zero. Our joy scarcely knows bounds sometimes at their demonstrations of interest. There seems to be a great awakening. The Great Father help us ! The sick are brought in, and helplessly laid upon my floor in blankets. If I could only keep them here and administer to their necessities until they could be helped upon their feet! People forget that these poor ones, many of whom have not comfortable quarters for the well, much less for the sick, are taking care of their infirm, sick, lame, blind, deaf and dumb and insane, without an approach to a hospital or asylum. Nor is there a poorhouse or poor farm here, and yet they religiously take care of their poor. Where are the reapers for this work ? Where are those who will give "a cup of cold water" to these fever consumed and suffering ones, and make soft the bed of the dying in the name of a disciple? God help us. Numbers of these people are suffering for the bare necesi- ties of life, and this through no fault of their own. Many are now out in the snow and storm, chopping wood to get a little money with which to buy flour for bread for little ones, wives and helpless aged parents, when it is so cold that I fear they will never get back to their own scanty fires. And yet if these people could but have what is due them from Government, there would be not a pauper among them. I never saw 4 Indians strive so hard to make a living as do these. I have been here two months, and but two men have asked me for a loan. One wanted a dollar and the other ten cents. This is all the money I have standing out among Indians. I have had no call for bread excepting in one case, and once an apple was asked for a sick child. They have too much spirit to beg except in the greatest extremity. We are told that the Government-school here is carried on by funds due to the Omahas. If this is true, the Indians will probably petition for its discontinuance. Could not the Government be induced to give this old agency building to your Association for the work ? The location is central and accessible, and, as things turn out, just where it should be at present. The Government school is full now and they can take no more. The Mission-school is also full. The old night-school was unfortunately located, and therefore, though in excellent hands, is not a success. We are well and our patients are doing well. None of my patients yet has died. " I am not suffering nor discouraged in the least, but am most hopeful I cannot see why all should not be greatly interested in this mission as it is certainly in one of the most important fields. The work must be done. The Master calls for it, and shall we not obey His voice, saying in such tender tones, "Save my poor lost ones?" The Indian is naturally monotheistic. We give plain Bible truths, and teach them much of God's love and light. The Indian does not fear suffering, he is trained to it ; and he trains himself not to " give in " under it. They have only one word for God, none for Preserver, Sanctifier, Redeemer, pardon, etc. I try to teach them that man's suffering is from sin, ignorance, or mis- takes and that man is his own destroyer. The Indian knows no master but God, political, civil, or ecclesiastic. " January 22d — We are able to keep at our work, although it is a strug- gle to get sufficient fuel, and I have had to lend to the government school some of my wood, or there would have been real suffering. Many persons have perished in the late storms. Our work and influence seem widening and deepening. We have been providentially set right down where we are, and I assure you we have been working. We have now more pupils than we can well take care of ; thirty-one or thirty-two, and more are coming. I shall have to divide the school and take the older ones into the kitchen and teach them myself. It is surprising what progress the Indians make under object-teaching and by the word- method. One boy has already learned to read. We even had our school that bitter night when so many froze. Oh, I thank God for the awakening among the Omahas. Let good people rally and help us to make here a conquest. We have yet but poor tools for our work ; so little furniture and no chance to buy a plank, or money with which to pay for it. But we will not stop effort. Do not become discouraged at the furniture bill, though it does not cover even necessities. You told us to get what was needed for comfort. I hope your Association can get control of the educational work here, for there is a good work to be h done, and I am sure Commissioner Atkins will aid you in it. > " I find that the Government-school here is supported by Omaha funds'' , The Presbyterian school and mission are about four and six miles distant and can not serve those who attend this mission.