Waukesha High School - Megaphone Yearbook (Waukesha, WI)

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material values. He wove his Gods into his mats and blankets. His legends he put into his basketry and bead Work, there to become a part of his daily life and, at last, a part of him and his heritage. It was thus that the Indian became innately an artist. His paintings, his designs, his songs, were all a part of his life, and it was as unnatural to use an undecorated piece of pottery as to use none at all. He sang at Work. He had a song for corn planting, and a song to bring the deer down from the moutain. His houses were dedicated in song, and his own soul de- ft, parted in the midst of it. That the White man was able to plant corn, and THE Moouf PRAYER PoR not sing, that the white man could enjoy his songs and RAIN still not share their meaning was a disconcerting dis- The Returning of the Snakes. a . . . . bronze Smuem, dgng by Humon covery by the Indian. In his songs and stories, his A' MACNQH' 3 Contemporary Amen' basketry and blankets, his pottery and his Water-colors later, lie the greatest and most lasting of Indian contri- butions to our civilization. Still. in these periods of speculation and doubt as to the stability and Wis- dom of our economic structure, perhaps the Indian can afford us a great contribu- tion in the form of his social organization of the small community. Of more than historical interest is this organization, for in the survivals of community, arts, village industry, and Wholesome rural life, we may find the saving force for the mass living of our American industrialism. Perhaps here. in this long successful experiment of community living, We can find that something is needed in our civilization. Our task is to develop this talent, to discover and draw out the best from the Indian. More Widespread education is the best means of doing this. The Indian is capable of this education: it should be afforded him. When this is done, he will fill a larger and better place in our civilization than he now can possibly occupy. vvv TREES IN THE RAIN Trees in the rain Are like broken-hearted children crying Sobbing in the wind With dripping leaves. can sculptor born in 1866. They stand with drooping heads As if grieving for a long-lost friend. Lonely, disconsolate, Giving way to pent-up grief. Agnes Gerard. Page One Hundred Thirteen

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Special Capacities of the American Indian HUGH HLFLBERT All races seem to have distinguishing features aside from speech or color. Just as there is a difference between German music and French music, so there is a difference between the white race and th: red race. We do not find this distinc- tion in the mental capacity of the two. The Indians of America have. on the average. the sam: degree of intelligence, the same I. as the average white person in America. Racial distinctions are no longer drawn on mental capacity, for the consensus of scientific opinion falls on th: side of equality in race intelligence. If we were to distinguish between the Indian and the white man, we could not do it here. Yet. the Indian has certain capacities and abilities which the white man does not possess. and it cannot be doubted that certain abilities well-developed in the white man are only primitively present in the Indian. The lndian's chief contri- bution to civilization must be along the line of his special abilities. If the Indian has made a lasting imprint of the culture of this world, if he is to make any worthwhile contribution to the great mass of civilization. such a contribution must lie along the line of his special abilities. The Indian is an artist by nature. I-Ie is born with a capacity for discipline and careful work. and a fine sense of line and rhythm. I-Iis artistic development, his forms and ideas. are peculiarly his own, evolved through many thousands of years of struggles and progress. His modes of expression are diHferent from any other nation. I-Iis pictures have often become conventionalized and symbolic, but their meaning is by no means lessened to him, or their artistic values lost to the outside world. Modern Indians, notably the Kiowas and Pueblos, have taken these old sym- bols and forms and reuiuvenated them. They have put them together in a union of material and technique both symbolic and intelligible. John Sloan and Oliver La Izarge in their Introduction to American Indian's Hut say: XVise young Indians have applied to the painting of their pictures the diszipline of line and color developed through many centuries of decorating every imaginable object of daily or sacred use with designs innately suited to the objects decorated and charged with traditional cultural concepts. The Indian was not accustomed to paint his picture on a canvas and hang it on the wall to grow dim with dust and niglect. I-Ie put his art where he could see and use it. I-Ie painted on his water jars and clay dishes. I-Iis pottery has long been noted for its artistic as well as This is another view of the Equestrian Statue. which is shown in the large picture on Page 50. Page One Hundred Twelve

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Sports of the Indian Boys BARBARA GREGORY The Indian believes that the Almighty gave each one of His Creations some particular grace and power, and these favors may be obtained from Him for each one, if he is studious in following his professor's habits. In learning the skills of his tribe the boys earnestly follow this belief. The first task of the Indian boy is that of learning to run. When only five years old they are taught by the older men of the tribe to follow the butterflies. On catching one they followed a quaint custom of the Indians by rubbing the wings over their hearts and asking them to lend them their swiftness. As swiftness is a necessity in war and hunting this skill was given first place in importance and much time was spent in its improvement. Although the boys enjoyed running. they thought swimming was more fun. In all seasons of the year the men were in the rivers or lakes before sunrise and would send the boys in to swim among the floating cakes of ice. They learned to dive in various ways and if they failed to follow instructions exactly, they were severely reprimanded and ducked several times as a punishment. Each boy was given a bow and arrow as soon as he was able to run about. To practice accuracy, a game was played with a buffalo chip as a target. Three out of five shots was the minimum and every boy marked his arrows so he could keep count of his score. The boys spent many hours during the day in playing this while the older men of the tribe stood around and eagerly watched for their own chil- dren to show the greatest skill. In all pursuits of this kind. the boys work- ed very hard. They were usually called the Magpies which meant. The mischievous ones. They never knew when they might be called by their teachers and whenever called, they must follow wherever he led. Sometimes he tossed a handful of sticks into the water thickly floating with ice cakes, to be brought back with an honor given to the one who had the most. There was never any shirking or waiting-the more difiiculties to be faced, the more the boys liked it because they were forced to use their heads as well as their muscles. Sometimes the boys were taken along on buffalo hunts to test their courage in the face of danger. As reward for extreme bravery the CROXV INDIAN Although dressed in white man's clothes he still has about him that air of disdain and inscrutable calmness which we always as- sociate with the American Indian. -, --4 1 W fgfg! .Hvr .-'xi-T., ,N 1 ' - if 'Ts 'I , 'swap' 9' ., , - tim U L1 .. S -'za i V, e 'lfkf ,,k'fi5?7-fl' Fi 35-135 Xffke.. ' ,'T?4T'i' '14fZxl5? .4'fqAi' ,u-avfia-I ff- ' 'xfxxdfi - -4 ,f '--' '- I ' 3 .- '---Q A ' ' f ,us ,f5v+si,. 4 l A. wil- .rgb ,. iw 'vs -- i -.f'-- - . - -4: L ti-eg ,, 'i,Q ,1 f ii Li? i Ir fi. '. WE, -.-' .-,u f 4- .,--,My j 1, pf 7 3: 3 ' -11.31 7:3 wf fi, Q.-I-151 . I - .I 4 T lv- 1-'rg '+L .1 S'-.-Q ' F' . -,..-4. . - qi -'. A- ,. 1:1 ' . ' si: . 4 1 I . ' ' '- -5 SEQ.. f .ras .Q X V39- Q - F. , V V W - .rig 1 1, . . rs-ef'.1' V . - ' X 5 - f . . 5? iv,.,4,. 5 .r .. . V Ms ,Y . .: .A+ ' 2' :,i5a--.3:1.4-431: 1 v . at ' i m f , . 21' . -mar:-: ,-.,. - e L . , , .tai 1' -Z .. . , . Page One Hundred Fourteen