Duxbury High School - Partridge Yearbook (Duxbury, MA)

Page 24 text:

I-IONGR ESSAY The American Indian Before the coming of the paleface, the Indians of America had made little progress in a material way and were truly children of nature. No one knows where the Indian came from, but it is believed by many scientists that they came to this continent by crossing from Asia at Bering Strait or farther south by a passage which has now disapppeared. The straight, black hair, the broad face with high cheekbones, the aquiline nose, the slightly Chinese slant of the eye, and the scant beard are distinguishing features of the Indian. The basis of virtue with the Indian was self control. Each was re- quired to conceal his emotions and to stand torture without flinching. Theft and crime were so unknown to the Indians that there were no rules for punishment, and an Indian always kept a promise no matter what happ-ened. It is readily thought that th-e chieftain of the tribe controlled every- one's rights and ways, but that is not so. Each man governed himself with respect for the rights of his neighbors, and nothing was l-eft for the chief to do but to carry out the will of the tribe. Ceremonies featured by the smoking of the calumet, a stone pipe, marked the beginning and the end of a war. During wartime the warriors of battle daubed bright paint on their bodies and donned war bonnets of eagle feathers. When an Indian died, he was buried in a sitting position with his choice belongings beside him, for after leaving his prcscnt honie, the Indian believed his soul would move to a different and more prosperous on-e. Many peop.e think of the Indian as being merely a hunter, a fisher, and last of all a fighter. But the Indian had many sgorts and games which he enjoyed. One of these was gambling, which was considered exce-i.nt sport. Another is the game of LaCrosse which has been taken over by the whites. The Indian has many beautiful and weird legends. That of Hiawatha has a permanent place in literature. Many of the Indian traditions re- semble the o-d Bible stories, for the most part thos-e of Joseph. Other tal-es are of the anima.s building the world, or bringing iire to men or are tragic romances. The Indian had great skill in weaving textiles and baskets and in making stone weapons. But with the coming of the metal utensils and machine-woven c.oth, the skil-ed arts to which the children of nature were adapted, vanished. The breakdown of the native culture was inevitable once the white man had entrenched himself in the New World. Whole tribes were swept away and others reduced greatly by new diseases introduced into the country by the settlers. The introduction of alco-hol did its part to break down the pride and spirit of the Indian. i221

Page 23 text:

In order to raise the great amount of water, needed for irrigation, 208 feet into the Grand Coulee, ten pumps of enormous size will be installed at the dam. One of these pumps alone could supply New York City with enough water to take care of all its domestic needs. The water. which these pumps will raise into the Grand Coulee, will in the next twenty-five to fifty years, give new life to 1,200,000 acres of sagebrush and mirage. On this restored land, homes for 40,000 families will be provided. and about as many in towns in the irrigated areas. This project will be self-liquidating by the payments from the settlers for water rights and from the purchasers of electric power. Now that the United States is at war, the power generated by the Grand Coulee Dam will become a valuable asset towards the final attain- mint of compete victory over the Axis nations. KENNETH ROBERT BUNTEN, JR. lill

Page 25 text:

The American Indians have left many gifts to the world. Among the plants developed by them are maize, beans, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, which are now four of the leading foods of the world. In addition. the Indian was the discoverer of quinine, cocaine, tobacco, and rubber, which are also very useful in these modern times. Many of us have read how Squanto taught the settlers at Plymouth to raise corn, thus enabling the colony to be partly self-supporting. Without maize, both Jamestown and Plymouth would have almost certainly failed, and the settlements along the Atlantic would have been delayed many years. Today, the blood of the American Indian flows in the veins of many of our leading citizens. Indian contributions to civilization and mankind are encountered on every hand, but their story as a separate people now is a subject of history and a record of the past. DOROTHY ELDRIDGE l23l