Wisconsin School for the Deaf - Tattler Yearbook (Delavan, WI)

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iho others danced. One night they made nn agreement to have a bigger feast than ufiunl. Each boy was to bring something. The plan which they mndo, their parent didn’t approve of. This made the children very end. However, one little boy took hi place on the mound and nan while the other arranged themselves around him and began to dance. A their disappointment left them, they grew lighter and lighter until they no longer touched the ground. Higher and higher they row till they reached thr very heaven , where they were changed into seven little star which formed the Pleiades. The palest Ktor of the seven i the little singer who became homesick for hi old p'ace on the So we cr that without lK oka an education was acquired by the Mohawk: enough to meet hi need as he roamed the forests. Though we have schools and books, let u» learn a lesson from the Indian boy and be more observing »o we can gain knowledge from what we see independent of our school and books. —22— T META T T L E R

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THE MOHAWK BOY’S EDUCATION By Esther WW-mnnn Ilcfor© the white man rattled in A-mt-rica. the Indian , who m ,mcd ut will ull over the land, didn’t have u no to choo) to iri't an education n w do today. Wr attend school so wo can (coin how to make a living and to- happy uiuj helpful; but Mother Nature seemed to a to the Mohawk boy, ■nd “I tow you my gentle red children. You do not need to work; I will give you civerything you wml ’’ Mother Suture wu a very kind t -ocher, they thought. .uni (die taught them many thing . The Mohawk hoy n wr naftf ed to 4udy hi IttMtW about the beautiful true and (lower nnd remembered well cuirnu uni t l'hor. Ii'urned, TUl wui hecau - he loved them. 'The Three 8i tcn» . corn, (Uuxh, and bcun . which the Indian used a- food, he knew how to plant and cultivate. Mother Nature i • very kind to mo. hv thought to him elf, she I the h el pci of the Great Spirit.” There was no Sunday School for him to leurn about the Grout Stdrit. In fact, he didn’t know what Sunday meant; yet hi mother taught him to give thank for the many wonderful thing which he receiv'd. VV hav - a Thant -giving l)ny once a year, hut the Mohuwkj hud one ix time in that length of time, for they thought one wn» not enough. The need of being grateful wax impressed upon them very early in life dust u we are taught to thank God for our hlcmiinjt . the Indian children ware told to give thunk to the Great Spirit for their . A part of hi education, too. Wn to learn to run font, o that some day hr could carry itte -•age from one village to another. On thi jour ney the mmeager, not only took in the heuuti-ful Bight , hut had an opportunity to make the acquaintance of other tribe . Ono of the duties of thi Mohawk runner wa» to coll many tribe from the Five troquoi» Nation to attend a council. At thi meeting won the Mohawk boy with hi parent . While there, btudde Irnrnlng a grout deal, he enjoyed letting hi« old friend , watching the beautiful dunce presented by th Indian , and hearing fine tong . Perhnp a new sachem, in place of the one who had recently died, win to lie appointed. The boy learned what u »iohem’« duty was; heard oil nhout the good deeds the sachem hud done; of hi bravery his love of truth and honesty; how he with wisdom had guided tho peoplo; how kind he had hhray been to the old and the young, and how willing to help all in difficulty. The Mohawk boj would say tu himself as he listened. I Hhnll try to be braver and more thoughtful than I have ever been before, I •hall not forget wluit I have heard . It wu» hi desire to be n chief whctl he grew up. 1 not thi thi? wuy that studying the live of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington ami ••tiler great 'talesmen, affect u»? itooks the Mohawk never read; however, (hey could record event by aiTnnging bend a certain way in belt of wampum. To remember what the different arrangement of the beud meant wo very difficult nnd took m great deal of practice. The message that were curried from place to place were on wampum belt . Athletics was not left out of their There were many games and portx. Foot race between men of the different tribe , trial of skill with bow and arrows, and gnnu j of bull for both old nnd young. The bail a a i mode ot wood nnd the bat which wax D ili hud a curved head. The javelin game wax '.he Mohawk' favorite. The javelin wu« a long • ick of maple or hickory sharpened at one end. It won thrown at a ring a it rolled on the ground. Some wore very skillful in playing this game which they thoroughly enjoyed. Learning to make ropes, tub und barrel out of bark, nnd arrow head of flint was also a pirn of th - Mohawk' education. In hi graceful canoe, which he made himself, he went to the places; where tho fish wore sure to be for he had learned where they wore, und hud achieved great okill in fishing. Hr knew, too. howto hunt bird , squirrels nnd other animal . The haunts and habltu of hi feathered friends und animals that ran wild in the forest ho knew from A to 7. During the gold winter month he and hi father wore obliged to hunt animal for food. With hi anowshoefe he could travel quite fast. He must be brave. Bravery was considered the mo t important thing for him to learn. If he muni gu hungry because he and hi father could not nccure enough food, it would not do for him to complain. It wo a disgruce for a Mohawk boy to bo cowardly and to whine. Numerous legends were told to him, many of which he knew perfectly. The one about the Pleiades he loved specially. Often when he would lie on the ground to study the earth, the sky. the beautiful moon und the atari , this legend would come to mind. It was us follows: Once the place in tlie haaven occupied by the Pleiades, the •even star together, waa empty. Then, down on the earth were raven little Indian boys, who were good friends und had many hnppv time together. After their fenst of com ami boon one of the children would stand on a mound nnd sing while —21— N 1 N E TEEN THIRTY- F I V E

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my CONCLUSION TO “THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS” By Lawrence La Favv The conclusion which J»m« Foni tnonf CflOjv.r has given us in hi Indian Util'. • no- Last of tt»» Mohicans” will and thwv lived happily over wf-l f : l.u ♦ In my opinion. tho ondliiR of this one i nl ogvther too tragic That my ronrlttrlon may he understood, It t uuilt Itece wry to briefly pi i • tit n few at thi loading episodic of the narrative. While England and Franco were lighting for lund wc-t of the Alleghenies, both the EngH h nnd the French huil to rtteMnbr the danger of hi foiyst liefore they could meet. The oidi'n related In The of the Mo him ns took place In 1757 between (he headwater of the Hudson and the adjacent lakes Fort William Henry, on the north i ho tv of bake George, was held by Munro. a Scotchman; while Fort Edward, at th« southern termination of ihe lfl p was in charge of Gtmernl Webb, an Englishman. Owlnr to a tumor that .Montcalm wiu moving toward Lake Chumplaln with a vast army. Munro sent an order lo Fort Kdwnrd. t-ome twenty mile distant, for speedy nnd powerful reinforce-menu. A- thi story opens, we And that a detachment of llfteen hundred men b slurting from Fori Kdwnrd to aid Munro. It h» followed by Fora nnd Alice Munro. on their wnv to join their father, under company of Major Heyward nnd guided by un Indian runner. Through the treachery of their guide Mngua, who i a Huron, they Ion- their way. Later they are led to a cuve by Hawkevn, n Scout, and hit Indian friend . Uocas and Chingach-g..ok. A bond of Huron i- directed thither by Mngua. While the friends are lleclng for help. Heyward and the girl are discovered nnd captured. Mngua Icadt them to the Huron camp and n«k« Corn, the older daughter, to become his wife in order to save tire live of the rest of the party. At her refusal preparation are made to burn them nt the stake. Ju«t in time to prevent thit. the Scout. Uncn and his fa ther, rhlngachgook. anive. Following a short buttb, we find only Magna of nil the enemy making hb escape. After spending the night in a block house, the patty rMurow It journey. Vi hlle going over the mountains, it unexpectedly meet Munro. Fori William Henry is soon under a siege and -'lortly surrender to Montcalm. iam Henry, the KhicUsh are obliged to p.i s through » narrow valley, where Megua with a great fore • of Huron attack th» m. A terrible ron- acre follow, v Fortutiutv’y Munro, Ilawk eye, L’nca ami Chingorhgook fall back to tho fort; by this they an raved. Cora, Alien and David Uwniui, a dnglng matter, a queer typo of individual, who httf. by chalice previously Iuined the party, nre recaptured by Magun. The next day M iruu . tiall-re closely .ought by Unc«. . and thi thcr three with him. After encountering many hardship-ind following numoroun blind troll , all of a udden tbvv run ncro- Gamut, from whom infornmtlon that the Ou ters Imvo been separated in obtained. At this, Heyward, who i deeply in love with Alice, dn r- an In- hy Gamut to the Huron rump In march of hii sweet heart, while tho other c«nt about, tinea is chining lined that H«lttd , cowardly Huron, he l» captured. That night he b con-detuned to die at the stake. After being : ouml front hand to fool, he it thrown into a ten , and left under guard. In the mi .tntime Hoy vurd, who U now. of course, •uppoaed to bo a medicine man. ha been fulled to euri n Huron ebb : r squaw. Disguising himself by donning a bear skin. HnwKeyo assists Heyward in rescuing Alt««-from the Huron camp. They are sure ful lit capturing Mngua and lyinw him up. With the aid of Gamut. Hnwkcyc free. Uucas; then iho three start for the Delaware camp do., by. Magun, who In the m aniline hns been -t free, follow them with a band of warrior . After consulting Tatttunend. tho groat Delaware chief, in regard to those concealed in hi» camp. Maquu cvpluin that they arc hi- prisoners and Inflate that they be returned to him. Again right then and then death at the sake is pronounced :or Unca . A hi shirt b torn otT. a tatoo on hi chest reveals tho fact that hf b long lost Delaware chief. But Mngua doe not lose out entirely; ho i allowed to take Corn, who was previously left at the camp by him when tc-parating the girls. According tn Indian custom he I given a certain length of time before they give him chase. After DnciJ is reinstated as u Delaware chief, he loads some of hi warrior n the chine. Even though lie succeed in forcing back the Huron . he doesn’t consider the victory complete —23— nineteen thirty-five