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Status Report
of the Condition of the Navajos
STATUS REPORT Navajo Agency Fort Sumner N.M. Lieut. General W. T. Sherman In pursuance to your request I have the honor to submit a report as to the condition of the Navajo Indians at the Bosque Redondo reservation under my charge and express my views in relation to their removal; their requirements and their present reservation. On the 1st day of Nov. 1867, the Commanding Officer at Fort Sumner N. M. Maj. C. J. Whiting 3rd U. S. Cavalry transferred to my charge 7111 Navajo Indians, Viz.
The number of acres of land cultivated at the Bosque Redondo reservation
in the years 1865 & 1866 was about 3800 acres, 2800 of which was cultivated
as a government farm & the balance 1000 acres was cultivated and worked
in patches exclusively by the Indians. The amount of produce raised on the Government farm during said years
according to the books of the Indian Commissary Department at Fort Sumner
N. M. is as follows,
The number of animals owned by the Navajos as counted by myself June
30th 1867 was as follows:
The number of families on the reservation is about 1850. Since I have
been Agent (nearly three years) I have found that a majority of them living
on the reservation are peaceable and well disposed. Some thieving ones
have occasionally committed depredations by stealing stock from citizens.
In many cases however the stock has been recovered and delivered to owners.
Their ideas upon agriculture are few and simple but in their way they
manage to raise very fair crops. They are acquainted with the principles of irrigation and are quite skillful
in making acequias, adobes, blankets, bridles, bits and baskets and many
other articles. Until this year they have always worked well on the government farm in
plowing, hoeing corn, digging acequias, etc. Large numbers of them have
been employed by the Military Dept., sutlers and ranchmen in making and
laying adobes and other work. They usually get from 30 to 50 cents per
day for their labor and also rations. Nearly every family living in the Reservation have attempted to cultivate
patches of their own, planting corn, pumpkins, melons, etc. but have never
succeeded in raising very good crops. The Indians attribute their failure
to the unproductiveness of the soil. I am of the opinion that about half
of the land cultivated at the Bosque Redondo is productive with proper
management and irrigation; the other half I consider unproductive in consequence
of containing a large amount of alkaline matter. The most serious objection
to the Bosque Redondo reservation is the scarcity of timber & fuel.
Timber for building purposes is hauled a distance of about 100 miles from
Fort Sumner and wood for the use of the Garrison is hauled from 25 to
35 miles. Mesquite roots is the principal wood used by the Indians which
they dig and carry on their backs from 6 to 12 miles and it is not very
abundant at that distance. There was much suffering among the Indians
last winter for want of fuel. For nearly two years the Navajos have been very much dissatisfied with
their reservation at the Bosque Redondo, and they state that their discontent
is in consequence of frequent raids being made upon them by Comanche and
other Indians. The scarcity of fuel, unproductiveness of the soil, bad
water and unhealthyness. During the past year they have been constantly
begging me to endeavor to have them removed to their old country where
they say the soil is more productive, where there is an abundance of timber,
where mescal, mesquite, beans, wild potatoes & fruits are found in
abundance and where they would be far removed from their old enemies The
Comanches, Kiowa and other Indians. I am satisfied that the Navajos will never be contented to remain on
this or any other reservation except one located west of the Rio Grande
and I am also of the opinion that if they are not permitted to return
to their old country that many will stealthily return and in doing so
commit depredations upon the people of N.M. and thus keep up a state of
insecurity. I therefore believe that it would be better for the Indians and the people
of N.M. and a saving to the Government & in the end more likely to
succeed in civilizing and making them self-sustaining to locate them upon
a good reservation west of the Rio Grande. With regard to the precise
location proper for these Indians, I am not prepared to give an opinion
but would respectfully suggest the appointment of a joint commission for
that purpose to examine carefully the country and make the selection so
as to include lands suitable with water, wood and other resources to insure
a permanent reservation. Not being acquainted with Southern N.M. and northern Arizona in the vicinity
of Canon de Chelly & Tuni Cha mountains, I am not prepared to say
whether a suitable reservation can be selected in that portion of the
Country or not, but I am acquainted with a portion of the valley of the
Rio San Juan and its northern tributaries and am satisfied that a good
reservation can be selected in that locality with good lands and abundant
timber, water and other resources. In my judgement a reservation should be selected for these people where
there is a sufficient arable land and other resources to enable them to
settle as near each other as possible in order that their agent can keep
an eye upon them and their acts and provide for their necessities. If
they are scattered over a large tract of country it would be almost impossible
to punish the thieves, In my judgement a military post and agency should
be established near their settlement. It must be bourne in mind that about
one third of the Navajos are a lazy, indolent & thieving people who
will have to be watched constantly and if they commit depredations, punished. Wherever these people are located it will be necessary for the Government
to subsist them until they can plant and gather their crops, otherwise
they will depredate upon the flocks of the Inhabitants of the Rio Grande
and other localities. It cannot be expected that 7000 Indians who have
been comparatively nothing and have been fed by the Government for four
years and who have subsisted partly by agriculture for several centuries
can live without extreme suffering, when their only subsistence will be
game and the wild fruit of the country. It is now so late in the season that they will not be able to reach their
country in time to plant this year. Therefore in my judgement the Government
ought to feed them until they can gather their crops next year, say until
Sept. 1869. With this assistance and an annual appropriation of 100,000 dollars for
a few years properly managed they will be able in my opinion to maintain
themselves. The Navajos is no doubt the best material in the country for rapid progress
in agriculture as history proves that for several centuries they have
been engaged in planting and they are far in advance of other tribes in
manufacturing blankets, bridles, saddles and other articles, yet they
are Savages and extremely superstitious. The Utah Indians have been enemies of the Navajos for many years. It
is very important that a treaty of peace be made between these tribes,
otherwise the Utah Indians will constantly be making raids upon the settlements
of the Navajos, stealing their children and stock. At a Council I recently held with the head men of the Navajo tribe they
stated they are willing and anxious to make peace with them. I would suggest
that some of the principal men of the Navajos and Utahs meet at Santa
Fe or some other point and arrange a treaty of peace at an early date. I would recommend that the Navajos be furnished at least with 40,000
head of sheep and goats. I would also recommend that one physician, one
blacksmith and one carpenter be employed at an early day and shops erected
and provided with new tools, timbers, etc. All of which is respectfully
submitted. Very Respectfully Your Obdt. Servant |
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