The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1926, Page 99

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER. 99

tered in twenty-two States of the Union. The total
number of Indians living in our country to-day is
about 345,000.

TRIBES.

One of the most interesting features of Indian
life is the tribal organization. ‘The origin of this
tribal division is not known. Tach tribe had its
own laws and customs. A sachem was at the head
of a tribe. To-day there are fifty-eight family
groups of Indians in our country, which are divided
into 280 separate tribes. Some divide all our In-

communicate with one another, though they could
not understand each other’s spoken speech. It is
said that members of different tribes thus at times
conversed with one another for hours without utter-
ing an audible word. From a missionary stand-
point this great diversity of languages among the
Indians greatly increases the difficulties of working
among them. Missionaries again and again have
called attention to this great difficulty, for it makes
necessary the use of interpreters for a long time,
an arrangement that is never very satisfactory.

David Zeisberger Preaching to the Indians.

dians into six stocks: The Algonkians, found
mostly in the neighborhood of the Great Lakes,
the Muskogians in Oklahoma, the Siouans in the
Missouri and Upper Mississippi basins, the Atha-
bascans, found mostly in Arizona and New Mexico,
the Iroquoians in Oklahoma, ‘and the Shoshonians
along the west coast.

Inpran LANGUAGE.

Contrary to general belief one cannot strictly
speak of an “Indian language,” since there are
spoken among them no less than fifty to sixty dis-
tinct tongues. Out of this babel there was developed
among the tribes which formerly lived between the
Missouri and the Rockies a language of signs. By
means of this sign-language the tribes were able to

INDIAN CHARACTERISTICS.
The Indian has many characteristics that make

a strong appeal. He is physically and mentally of
a high type. Tall, lithe, and yet robust and strong,
the Indian “brave” presented a fine example of
physical prowess. Only a few tribes lived in towns
and permanent houses; tents and wigwams made
of bark or skins were the homes of most families.
They raised Indian corn and tobacco. Hunting and -
fishing occupied the males, who left the cultivation
of the crops to the women. They dressed in skins
before the white man introduced the blanket among
them. Before the bringing- of firearms their
weapons were wooden clubs, stone axes, wooden
bows, and arrows with stone tips. ‘

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