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New York Yearly Meeting Committee on Indian Concerns Scrapbook

NYYM_scrapbook_207

overcoming these prejudices in conseguence of the ill treatment they had in too many instances recieved from them. There is at this time no school nor religious institution in this Tribe. A few of them profess the Christian relig- ion and have joined themselves to some of the dif- ferent religious sects, the greater part of them yet adhere to thier former views and superstitious worship. Nearly all of them are engaged in agricultural pursuits in a small way, and keep va- rious kinds of domestic animals. We did not learn that any of this small Tribe keep sheep or manu- facture cloth of any kind. Thier principal food is pork, and deer, wild fowl, corn bread, potatoes and other vegetables. Some of them have laid aside the blanket as an article of dress, but the greater part attire themselves in the Indian style; and in no important particular differ from the other Tribes that have been removed from the East. They are said to be very immoral in thier conduct among the neighboring whites; they are unwilling to recieve white men among them as teachers, but would not object to having thier children instructed in english by persons of thier own cast is those suitably qualified could be pro- cured. They are located upon a small tract of land west of the State of Missouri, on the Ne- osho River bordering on the Cherokee nation; and numbered at the time of thier removal Five hundred and fifty one, but have since diminished The Cherokee Indians. This Tribe is settled on lands laying west of the State of Arkansaas, bordering on the Arkansas River and numbered about Twenty Thousand souls, it is thought they have diminished in number since thier removal west. The history of this nation is generally known to the public, therefore it may not be expected to be so particular in our account of them. We entered upon the north east corner or thier lands, and travelled south to thier lands bordering on the west line of Arkansas, are hilly and well watered and timbered, but not well adap- ted to agriculture: in other parts it is level and fertile. The Cherookees live principally by farming, they raise neat cattle, horses and other domestic animals, and keep an abundance of poultry. Some of the Nation are extensive farmers and planters; Cotton is grown in the southern part of the nation, where all who are able keep slaves to cultivate the land, and do the work in thier houses &;. The manner and customs of this portion of thier community, as well as thier style of dress and mode of living does not differ materially from the white planters in the south west. A few of the Cherokees are large slave holders. Thier laws for the government of thier slaves are similar to those of the Slave States. The slaves frequently desert thier masters and run away. Some cotton and woolen goods are manufactured for domestic use. We saw a number of good dwelling houses as we passed through thier country, but the most of them reside in small log cabins. They have more generally adopted the manners of the whites than any other Tribe we have met with While passing along we frequently saw white men who were married to Indian women, and in some instances an Indian man was connected by marriage to a white woman. There is less similarity in the general appearance of the Cherokees than in that of any other Tribe. They are divided into three distanct classes. First. Those who are pretty well civilized and appear intelligent, Second, Those who may be reckoned among the half civilized or apprentices in civili- zation. Third, Those who have made but little improvement in thier dress and manners--this class is much the most numerous. They are cultivators of the soil, and have generally given up hunting, but are dissipated. They have a number of Missionaries and native preachers amongst them; and about Two Hundred profess the Christian religion, and have joined them- selves either to the Presbyterian, Baptist, or Methodist Societies. They have thirteen schools in the Nation