--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Jorgensen, Enoch collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 16 number: 6 published: 1913-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Jorgensen, Enoch, "Customs and Legends of Utah Indians I," *Improvement Era* 16, no. 6 (April 1913): 625–630.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1606unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1606unse start_page: 625 end_page: 630 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1913-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1606unse publication_year: 1913 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1913, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Customs and Legends of Utah Indians I Customs and Legends of Utahilndians BY ENOCH JORGENSEN, PRINCIPAL JORDAN HIGH SCHOOI I- Utah's Policy in Dealing with Indians Some one has said, "The only good Indians are the dead ones," and ignorance has so often repeated this falsehood that the uninformed are apt to regard it as a truism. One might with as much truth say that 'The only true Christians, in the world's history, are those that have been burned at the stake ;" but even John Huss on the funeral pyre exhibited no more cour- age than the Amerind who willingly laid down his life in defense of right as he under- stood it, and the world will yet acknowledge that "Poor Lo" was fully as nojla as his merciless conqueror. Dallen- baugh says : "He possessed a high quality of intellect, and he differed from his white antagonist more in ex- ternal complexion than in any other particular, except his social organization. * * * * But the Amerind ha'd the same emotions. He loved his home, his family and A TYPE OF WESTERN INDIAN his people. As to honesty and dishonesty, the balance was not far from even On the whole he was not worse than the European who brought him degradation. * * * * Love of home and defense of country are ever extolled as of the highest merit in the White race; in the American native they were, and are still, usually looked upon as crimes." And what Dallenbaugh says of the western Indian in general may with as much truth be said of the intermountain tribes, even of the despised Utes and Pai Utes, or Piutes, as they are often called. Tribes and Peoples All tribes of Utah Indians, except those of the extreme southeastern part of the state, are sub-tribes of the great division called 626 IMPROVEMENT ERA Shoshones but within the present confines of Utah, the Utes and ; Piutes wore the principal tribes. Tooelas, Timpanogas, Uintas, Sanpitches, Kanoshones, and some other clans, belonged to the Utahs, or Utes, while the tribes further south, except those of the San Juan country, are usually classed with the Piutes. The Navajos of the southeastern part of the state, with together the Mokis and other peoples of the Colorado plateau region, are classed in the great division Puebloan, the term in this case being used not to designate people with a similar language, but with similar culture and social organization. The two general divisions in Utah were so closely allied that in any war with the settlers they would lte Indians unite under one chief, After Contact with Civilization, as frequently if need be, and they seen in the Salt Lake Valley and upper frequently intermar- Valleys of Utah ried. As is the case with most primitive peoples, the local Indians were clannish, and the children belonged to the mother's clan. Adoptions were common, and between Utes and Piutes lines were not so strictly drawn. Slavery Slavery was practiced in early days by all local natives, and by Spanish traders who made it a regular business to encourage one tribe to capture children and young women from other tribes. The Spaniards would take the captives they purchased from the Utes to Mexico or southern California, and trade them for horses or other chattel, and these together with slaves they could buy from southern tribes they would take north and dispose of to the Shoshones. Thus one could frequently meet Navajo or Apache house-servants among the white settlers, because the purchasers TYPICAL ARAPAHOE CAMP would frequently tire of the care of these slaves, and either give them to the Whites or sell them cheap, and a slave's being purchased by a "Mormon" virtually meant his freedom, as the "Mormons" were uncompromisingly opposed to slavery. Brigham Young s Policy and How he Stopped Slavery It was the policy of Brigham Young, and of the "Mormon" people in general, to deal fairly with the natives,to teach them thrift and industry, and to encourage their already well-grounded ; — (,2S IMPROVEMENT ERA belief in the "Great Spirit," and if possible to substitute the teachings of Christ for the doctrines of their forefathers which, like the old Mosaic law, embodied "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth ;" love for friends, but revenge, merciless revenge, for wrong done yon. It was further agreed by the Utah settlers that "It is cheaper to feed the Indian than to fight him." Thus considerable of the turned in by the "Mortithes mon" people to their Church was used to satisfy the requests for help made by the Indians. It was no uncommon thing to see a band of natives camped in the tithing yards of our settlements, for days or even months at a time, and the bishop was instructed to provide food and fodder, as well as articles of clothing; and from the Redman's viewpoint he was no beggar, for had not the settlers appropriated his all— lands, game, etc? President Young advised the people to build in towns and to fence their lands, and above all to be kind to the Indians and then, if trouble came, their battles were half fought be- WESTERN INDIAN fore they began, for the native is ever mindful of those who befriend him. "Many will say, and with some truthfulness, that Indians visit revenge upon Whites indiscriminately yet if one treats them so as to get their real ; friendship, they are not apt to harm him." Lever. Slave Traffic Must Stop But in spite of all efforts of the Utah settlers to stop certain practices of the natives, slavery persisted, because the Utes, poor as they were before, found themselves hemmed in by the settlements, and making a raid on Cheyenne or Shoshone, where it proved a success, was an easy way of stocking up with horses and ammunition, for were not the Spanish traders eager to buy slaves? But Brigham had advised and urged in the strongest way that the traffic cease. Wakara, chief of the Utes, (or Walker as he is commonly called), was angry, and war broke out in 1853. The immediate cause was that a White man struck an Indian with a gun at Springville, and a few days later Arropine or Seignerouch, CUSTOMS AND LEGENDS OF UTAH INDIANS 629 as he is called by his people, killed Alex. Keele, at Payson, (July 18, 1853), and this was the signal for a general outbreak; but Joshua Terry, Mosiah Behunin, and other pioneer interpreters say the real underlying cause zvas the refusal of the "Mormons" to countenance the slave trade, which Spaniards from the Southwest had so long encouraged. It was a bloody struggle and not all one sided. The settlers feltthe need of getting together and heeding President Young's advice. Young said "The people seem readier to obey Brother : Walker's invitation to live together than they do to heed my counsel." He always gave Wakara great credit "for helping to build up Zion." When peace was agreed upon, the Spanish trader was gone for a while, and Wakara sulked in his tent. He made a raid on some northern tribe, and brought to the settlements a number of captive children. Joe Arropine, Wakara's brother, took a number of these to Manti, and when the settlers refused to buy the slaves, before a crowd assembled, he grabbed a ten-year-old boy by the heels and dashed his brains out on a rock, then turning to the Whites he berated them for the murder, saying it was their fault, as they refused to buy the slaves. A few years more and slavery ' was no longer lawful in the United States. Now President Young took a firm stand, and gave Spaniard and Indian to understand that "traffic in human souls" must cease he did it largely ; by moral suasion, backed, of course, by the law and the government. SANDY, UTAH ["Joshua Terry's Story," as related to the author in December, 1912, by that old scout and pioneer, treating of personal experiences with the Indians, will be the subject of the next chapter, with illustrations of Jim Bridger and Joshua Terry.] T. Tracy Wright, president of the Knoxville branch, Southern States mis- sion, January 18: "We are holding many well-attended meetings in Knoxville, and our labors in the distribution of litera- ture are successful. The elders are en- thusiastic in their work, and are trying to make 1913 a banner year for East Tennessee. Elders in the photo, from the top: T. Tracy Wright, conference president, Calder's Station; O. W. Lance, Moab; J. G. Hansen, Deweyville, Utah." Conditions in Turkey BY DR. JOSEPH M. TANNER The complete breakdown of Turkish resistance has caused no surpi ise to many thousands of people who expected the little Turks to give a better account of themselves. Turkey has never before been so demoralized as at the present time. From the moment of the revolution that put the young Turks in power that demoralization began. The state of affairs in the empire were so confused, through subsequent years, that it was most difficult to guess even what the results of the changes would be. The Turkish government was in fact in a tottering condition. It needed only the touch of a revolution to make confusion more confused. If any real reformation were accomplished in Turkey, it must be by a new order of things completely unlike what had theretofore existed. Confusion had to be worse confused, weaknesses weakened, troubles become more troublesome, before there was really political ground for a new start in the government's life. Rapid interchanging conditions took place. They were far-reaching in their effect upon the empire, and the internal conditions that existed after the revolution were not easily comprehended by those on the outside. Loyalty was undermined. Strong and lasting enmities were engendered, and differences were perhaps never before so great in matters of policies to be pursued. The empire was poor the army was disorganized. Generals were at variance ; with one another, and there seemed little or no likelihood that the Turks could ever be brought together in a harmonious effort toward a common good. If distracted Turkey were to be brought together, and a new and strong administration built up, it must be by outside pressure that would unite the Turks in a contention against the common foe. In the midst of such discussions, the Italians declared war and seized Tripoli. That war was in far off Africa. It created a little patriotism, but the great mass of Turks were wholly indifferent to its consequences. The leaders of the country became more violently discordant. They shouldered the blame upon one another for their misfortunes with Italy. It was the psychological moment, therefore, for the Balkan states to strike. The years of discord in Turkey had demoralized its army its revolutions had ; depleted its treasury, and political strife had destroyed in a large measure the patriotism and loyalty of the people.