INDIAN CHILDREN RULE THE HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18786, 15 June 1929, Page 23 (Supplement)

INDIAN CHILDREN RULE THE HOME.

Stern Code of Morals.

Written for the * ‘ Star ” by

H. & A. SCOTT.

school at Hazelton was originally founded by the Church Mission, but has since been taken over by the Cana dian Government, and is in the charge of a white woman. She told us that the scholars were fond of music and handwork, and would copy or draw everything they saw. They had won a number of drawing prizes at Prince Rupert against competition from the schools of the white children. In Indian life, the child rules the home, consequently they are not amenable to discipline; in fact, after they reach the age of ten or eleven years they have so absorbed the instincts of their forbears that they cannot be made to sit Still and stud}’. The greatest difficulty is to get them to speak English, though they have good memories. We visited this school several times, spending many happy hours watching the children at work, listening to -the song-s they tried to sing in English, and telling them about New Zealand and its people. One day we happened to praise the drawing of a motor-car, and the next day all the drawings were motorcars. After this they drew or modelled many things they thought, would please us. Queer things in plasticine, such as coiling snakes, caricatured men, strange looking animals. Outside the school were some ancient totem poles, and on inquiry if the children ever did any

• of this work, the teacher said, “No, but Li I shall get them to do some.” A few - days later we saw some of them, sitting : on the school "steps, copying in plasti : cine these old totem poles, with their [ carvings of human figures and animals. i the work of their ancestors. We were i invited to inspect the results and de- ; cide which was the best. The success- : ful one, after spending many hours per fecting it, came to our house and proud ; ly presented his masterpiece. This plasticine totem pole is one of the trear sured mementoes of our visit. ; The Indians have their own code of f morals. Those belonging to the same j crest, such as the Wolf family or the - Bear family, are regarded as brothers , and sisters, and are not allowed to marry. , Here is a legend which is told in j every village. 5 A Wolf did marry a Wolf, and when 1 he returned home with his bride, both ; were treated as outcasts and driven j from the village. They wandered from j one place to another, but were always - driven on. At last they fled to the l mountains, and no more was heard of j them. t s On the top of a high mountain, overj looking Hazelton, are two rocks repre--1 senting two wolves. These are pointed l out as the two who married, turned to r stone.