University of Virginia Library

"DON'T KNOW."

A funny little incident is reported from the Apache reservation in Arizona. An Indian policeman rode up to the government school and delivered a little boy to the superintendent. "What's his name?" inquired the superintendent. "Des-to-dah," replied the Indian in Federal blue, as he rode away. "Destodah," mused the superintendent. "Queer name, ain't it? 'Max' will fit him very nicely for a 'first name.'" So the little fellow

was duly christened "Max Destodah." It turned out, however, that des-to-dah was the Indian word for "don't know." The policeman had simply said he didn't know what the boy's name was. It further turned out that Max was one of four brothers in the same school, no two of whom had the same surname. One finds many cases here and there where a name is not carried through the family. On the Chehalis reservation dwells Tenas Pete. He has two sons, Same Pete and Joe Peterson. Two brothers went from this reservation to non-reservation schools. Bruce Jack to Chemawa, Ore., Robert Jackson to Carlisle, Pa. If asked why I did not correct these names, my answer is that in the case of Tenas Pete and his sons their names are now fixed in the patents to their homesteads. Jack and Jackson were not under my control.

Translations of Indian names, as a rule, have been unsatisfactory, though there are exceptions. The case is reported from the Pawnee reservation, Oklahoma, of an Indian name Coo-rux ruh-rah-ruk-koo. He was commonly called Afraid-of-a-bear. The literal interpretation of his name, as given to me, is "fearing a bear that is wild." With this interpretation the agent proceeded to call the Indian Fearing B. Wilde; not a bad arrangement, if he had made a success of it. But he did not, for the allotment was finally made to the Indian's native name. But such names as Flying eagle, Pipe-chief, Crazy-horse, Yellow bonnet, Afraid-of-his-enemy, Walk-in-the-water, Rain-in-the-face, Bull-all-the-time, Keeps-his-head-above-water, No-hair-on-his-tail, Bob-tail-wolf-No. 3, Kills the-one-with-the-blue-mark-in-the-centre-of-the-chin, are ridiculous and should not be perpetuated. Such names are uncouth, un-American, and uncivilized.

As the Indian child grows he commits acts from time to time each of which gives him a new name. For example, he may see a bear and run screaming to the tepee. The folks all laugh at him, and call him Runs-from-a-bear. Later on he may become the possessor of an unruly pony which he fears to ride, and becomes known as Afraid-of-his-horse. Or, he may mount a horse from which another Indian has been thrown, and he then is spoken of as Rides-the-horse. Further on he becomes a great hunter and kills five bears, and they call him Five-bears, and when he slays another his name changes to Six-bears. He may perform a valiant deed in battle and ride his horse through the camp of the enemy, for which he is dubbed Charges-through-the-camp. During the conflict he may kill one of the enemy. If his victim is the only one slain he is called Kills-the-enemy. But if others fall the one he has killed must be described, as Kills-the-one-with-the-big-knee. If he braids in his hair a yellow feather which he has plucked from the tail of an eagle he may be called Eagle-tail, Eagle-feather, Yellow-tail, or Yellow-feather. If he gives it to his friend he will be named Gives-feather, but if he refuses to part with it his name will change to Keeps-his-feather. Or he may obtain his name from some other object. If he is accustomed to ride what is commonly known as a "calico" horse he may be called Spotted-horse, but if his horse has a short tail he will be known as Bob-tail-horse. The chances are that he will be known by all the foregoing names. His enemies in the tribe will continue to speak of him as Long-ears,

Runs-from-a-bear, or Afraid-of-his-horse, while his friends will call him Rides-the-horse, Six-bears, or Kills-the-enemy. For this reason it occurs that if you speak of the Indian in the presence of certain members of the tribe and call him Six-bears they will laugh at you and say: "That not his name; his name Runs-from-a-bear." But if you speak of him to certain others as Runs-from-a-bear they will scowl and say: "That not his name; his name Kills-the-enemy."

Hence it will be seen that the Indian names are nothing, a delusion, and a snare, and the practice of converting them into English appears eminently unwise. It is certain that the name on the rolls at the agency is the interpretation of only one of the Indian's several "names." A short Indian name in their own vernacular, or a syllable or two of a long one, if euphoneous and pronounceable, as they

usually are, will answer quite well for a family name, but the translations are never satisfactory, and cannot be too strongly condemned.

Following is the complete roll of pupils at the Crow Agency Boarding School, Mont., reported by my predecessor for the quarter ended June 30, 1896:

BOYS.

• Homer Bull-tongue.
• Edson Fire-bear.
• John Adams.
• Frank Hairy-wolf.
• George Washington.
• Lafayette Corner-of-the-mouth
• Tommie Gardner.
• Jimmie Shell-on-the-neck.
• Hartford Bear-claw.
• Hugh Ten-bears.
• Robert Picket.
• Barkley On-the-other-side.
• Percy Stops.
• Walter Young-jack-rabbit.
• Eric Likes-the-horse.
• Eugene Long-ear.
• Antoine No-hair-on-his-tail.
• Moses Comes-in-the-day.
• Joe Kills-with-his-brother.
• Barney One-goose.
• Herbert Old bear.
• Blake White-bear.
• Otto Rides-the-horse.
• Prescott Comes-in-a-day.
• Mortimer Dreamer.
• Albert Chief-child.
• Clinton Fire-bear.
• Harry White-bear.
• Irvie Comes-out-of-fog.
• James G. Blaine Buffalo.
• Levi Yellow-mule.
• Charlie Robbinson.
• Arthur Bay-wolf.
• Henry No-shin-bone.
• Morris Shaffer.
• Howard Yellow-weasel.
• Fletcher Bird-shirt.
• Willie Bends.
• Elmer Takes-a-wrinkle.
• Benamin Hillside.
• Norman Record.
• Portus Keeps-his-feather.
• Lee One-blue-bead.
• Frank Gardner.
• Guy Bad-boy.
• Robert Yellow-tail.
• Charley Record.
• Max Big-man.
• Victor Three-irons.

GIRLS.

• Fannie Plenty-butterflies.
• Kittie Medicine-tail.
• Alice Shoots-as-he-goes.
• Maggie Broken-ankle.
• Louisa Three-wolves.
• Helen Comes-out-of-fog.
• Mabel Hunts.
• Mamie Reid.
• Lillian Hunts.
• Louise Enemy-hunter.
• Agnes He-says.
• Ruth Bear-in-the-middle.
• Floy Hairy-wolf.
• Bertha Full-mouth.
• Eva New-bear.
• Lottie Grandmother's-knife.
• Rosa La Forge.
• Jessie Flat-head-woman.
• Sarah Three-irons.
• Anna Wesley.
• Carrie Wallace.
• Mary Old-jack-rabbit.
• Clara Spotted-horse.
• Ida Wrinkle-face.
• Minnie Nods-at-bear.
• Lucy Hawk.
• Anna Medicine-pipe.
• Nellie Shell-on-the-neck.
• Olive Young-heifer.
• Edith Long-ear.
• Susie Leider.
• Isabel Lunch.
• Bessie Crooked-arm.
• Irene Mountain.
• Stella Wolf-house.
• Jennie Wesley.
• Hattie Wallace.
• Esther Knows-his-gun.
• Lena Old-bear.
• Ada Sees-with-his-ear.
• Martha Long-neck.

Said one of the teachers to whom I spoke of the preposterous names in this list: "We speak only their Christian names; they seem to be ashamed of their other names." Ashamed of them? I hope, indeed, that they have sense and decency enough to be ashamed of such names!

Kittie Medicine-tail will not be a pupil during the current year, for on July 4, 1896, she entered the holy bonds of matrimony with Bear-goes-to-the-other-ground. On the following day Nellie Shell-on-the-neck was united to Bird Bear-in-the-middle, and Fannie Plenty-butterflies married Charlie Ten-bears.

Bob-tail-wolf-No.-3, Creeping-bear, and Standing-in-water are policemen at the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Agency, Oklahoma. Wounds-the-enemy, Joseph Black-spotted-horse, Thomas White-horse, Elizabeth Burnt-thigh, James-in-the-camp, are employees at the Cheyenne River Agency, South Dakota, and Joshua [illustration omitted] Scares-the-hawk, The-man-No.-2, John Makes-it-long, Puts-on-his-shoes, Dennis Brings-the-horses, belong to the police force at the same agency. In the list of attaches of the Fort Belknap Agency, Montana, we find such names as these: Hailstone, Thunder-pipe, Gone-high, Otter-robe, Wetan, Lame chicken, No bear, Skunk, Lizard, The Bull, Shaking-bird, Three-white-cows, etc.

Some Indian names, on the other hand, are too long and unpronounceable for practical use. At the Devil's Lake Agency, North Dakota, they are trying to perpetuate such names as these:

• Sunka ho waste.
• Waanatan.
• Ecanajinka.
• Tiowaste.
• Wiyakamaza.
• Iyayuhamani.
• Wakauhotanina.
• Tunkawwayagnani.
• Wasineasuwmani.
• Eyaupahamani.

No Christian names are given. And at the Colville Agency, Washington, such names as these:

• Grant On hi.
• Jim Chel quen le.
• Mack Chil sit sa. Tom e o.
• Lot Whist le po som.
• Alex Sin ha sa lock.

The plan resorted to in some quarters of discarding the Indian names altogether and fitting the Indians out with names that are purely English has not worked well, for those selected in many cases are names illustrious in American history, and this has caused the Indians to become the butt of many a vulgar joke. William Penn, Fitzhugh Lee, David B. Hill and William Shakespeare are policemen at the Shoshone Agency, Wyoming. Only a short while ago it was reported that on an Indian reservation in New Mexico William Breckenridge arrested

John G. Carlisle for being drunken and disorderly. It would no doubt surprise the reader, and no less so our Honorable Secretary of the Navy, should I say that I have seen George Washington, John Quincy Adams, Franklin Pierce, Rip Van Winkle, Allen G. Thurman

and Hillary Herbert engaged together in a game of shinney. Yet this interesting spectacle I have gazed upon; and I have been the enforced witness to a severe spanking administered to James G. Blaine.