The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 6, 1900, Page 2

(& THE SUNDAY CALL. Chickasaw Girls Object t0 2 MarrizGe License OF One Thousand Dollars. FULL BLooD CHICKASAW Lucy PUSHAMATA . R 4F JAR jown In the in- ry. It Is = e Stoux or the hes this time, « Chickasaws, N r asaw bucks who seek aw man. But five th w f that tribe are hot any man, who Latest reports the white men me d w t the price ¥ ’ market has wher r that - w law charging 100w for & enses went inte ot M matrimonial mar- ket dropped almost out of sight w par. with n r. The Chickasaw more w at Newy 3 th ts they often cre a Indian maldens con- sider ty to go on the war path to get redr White men who have $1000, ible to warned v Chickasaw girls. d the lawmaki this queer price for a rm jcense to wed a dark-skinned and spark- It ng-eved beauty, there hangs a ta pat he forma- . seer tale, too. Much - rriage act have an anc me f a dog. they jou adi- ny moons ago, rth, being pursued b; While crossirg the he dog was drowned iered aimlessly Mississ opl. tes authorities want- sissippi they drove the claiming that they lad ' The medicine men were t ¥ w W ! States paid the Chickasaws in $3.646.00 issippi and Georg ter many trials the Chickasaw their new home west of Here they title to land, known ion. This title They then ar- overnthent and business as a separ, Unite rm « class States agreed to sver. Terrttory wax then looked wiing wilderness and no up the The Ind white men we was givem to its improvement ! a._ nomadic life and not allowed to intrude hes, Chickasaws_began row congent in, thinking at last they were to be let alone. But this proved In a short wi upon them agains r a sad mistake te white hunt young squaws and most before the old people could re- ber their strong vows & lot of half- e the ers began to marry bre were growing up among the children, when they became of ed m white people aad quarter-bloods were créated. The darke =kinned people were gradually becoming a nonenity. This influx of white men was eating up the Chickasaws' identity. But it was remedied then. However, in 18 the Chickasaw Counci] in session at Tishomingo awoke to these facts. For days and weeks they wres- tied with the marriage problem. An at- tempt was made then to pass an act mak- ing a death penalty for any Chickasaw Indian who married out of the race. But They Find That the Men of Their Choice Are Not the Ones With the Money. the half-bloods bad gained much saw maiden. It meaus a right influence and they rejected that radica tribal trust funds to th 1 it meast “inally a bill wgreed upon. $10,000 and to take a pa ) It wa to the extent of 250 or mo s fus- “That all non-eitizens must reside in bands of these e the Chickasaw Nation for rlhod rivileges as vears before they can proc a g ta marry a Chick ni must be g 5 per of good moral charact 3 industrious s any ) ea habits; must be recommended by at least are sure — five responsible citizens of the county Chickasaw woman, but the $1000 and her wherein they reside; pay a 1 350, ense fee of consent must be ined and finally, all must be approved by Thepe is quite a choice assortment of e County Judge. This act confers the sixteer arter and half breeds right of tiz W v n itize more opr less beautiful, we who marry eit = shall wild tempered hese gir be forfeited in case aration by di: go ta school and have a 5 it voree. Persons found guilty of plural ,ng pienty of commor marriage must separate forever; adultery . There are abaut 100 1s punished by a fine of $0 and imprison- ment. This act pleased hotk sides and for five or six years wa tisfactory. Of course. the nation filled th wk who marrfed Chickasaw women, but these white men were of good added greatly to the devel ickasaw Nation. The fertile soil, under fndustrious touches, was made cotton, wheat and other grain a far beyond their fondest dreams But the full-bloods kept themselyes in the mountains and wooded land. They looked upon the influx of whites as their doom. Medicine men prophesied a de- married and or more full-blaad It is these you puble unless the C “atrocious act.” Some quarter. and sixteenth part ma penly declare they would rs waiting to women who s entirely men ir life for a white husband pmen live in a tepee one month with a ood. Says Miss Emma Pickney, a pretty half-breed I think I veice the sentiment all the ris of my race in saying this high mar- heme to keep us from marrying. We are good enough and can ands without o we don’t intend to let o lazy redskin of their own ns received revenues from their land license law is a rights be t pled upon. [ will marry a white man an struction of the whole race uniess the s.ce this outrageous law. My husband Indians arose and expelled the palefaces o . have to pay $1000 for a from their midst. Se in 1394 the full-blood iy element, numibpring some 70, held nu- o (0 L Sl b a high sehool girl merous meetings in the woods and meun- o “ Cu e & school for tain cav where it was determined 0 (pjckasaw girls, says: “We all wonder make another stand against the whites L\ o 0 "Wl ond Our sweeth, who sought to wed their daughters. The pull-back party was organized and there after figured prominently in where they alwavy remembered t the mixed breeds. have sudd pose it is on ace had a nice voung but he has gone, too. I suppos y deserted us and we sup- w. I setheart, nt of that new W for a sw we must die old maids now." The fight between these two parties was carrfed to \ashi and the President were that the Indian = to the greed@ of scheming whit married them, gained a headrigh then mistreated their wives. To some ex tent t but there were also many happy marria white men buiit their In It is well to note in this connection that since March 2 to the present time not a ge license has been applied for, but during the month of February, while the was pending, 1700 were ir- sued to white men. No wonder the Chick- Congress to ngle marri were being s asaw mald Connected with the enforcement of the was Hurrdreds here wer law ne homes around fan families, educated the happy pathetic Incidents. and eve h\l\n?. h and The Indian more squaws were trained in « and art. P P They grew more civilized under their hus- Lo s @ society i S . Mals tarabis village, was engaged to marry Will Mar But with an ear alway to Indi e ey sloods. Conse al ntly, to maw® story of a long political strusg e am: the Chickasaws sh N oneh and shrewd moves rt, when by su Miss Burns wa » fullbloods came to absolute control of the Counc fall her for hersec e had they passed a law charging $100 said as mu bee iage Hcenses to non-citizens ¥ married v and en marriage law was abolished altogether. £aRed in making thes President McKinley approved the act and When news reached tha it was put into full force and effect on Mmarriage hac $1000. March 2 last. The new law gave the When Martin heard s g news Chickasaw girl the privilege of eloping he resigned and quit the town t even Kansas or some other St and marry- Stopping te bid his flar arew s ing whomseoever she chose, but by so do- l!onely mow. For she has lost fa the ing she lost her headright whites and has no respect ” Now some men consider this headright Deople. e y important adjunct to the Chicka- The f e als nanimous in denc Three young women of Tishom mata, Rosa Wayne and Ida Wild are leading the crusade aga three of these| girls want to owboys to whom they are engagec who refuse to marry without the “head- right” or pay $1000 for a license. This is Indian warfare up to date. W. R. DRAPER. —_—— Tt is Interesting to note that the early Egyptian custom of paying gold in the form of rings has not entirely died out in Africa at the present day, and that En- glish merchants trading with the Kongo are quite aceustomed to receiving gold in the form of rings, frequently orna- mented with the signs of the zodiac in re= FULL BLOOD CHICKAS AW 1DA WILD HORSE