| Note |
PICTOU, N.S., 1st September, 1892,
The Honourable
The Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs, Ottawa.
SIR, - With the tabular statement I submit the following report on matters relative to Indian affairs in my district for the year ended 30th June, 1892.
The health of the Indians is comparatively good. There is no contagious disease among them. Up to the 31st August there were two deaths in excess of births. The prevailing sickness among them is lung disease contracted from ill- usage rather than from inheritance. This ill-usage arises frequently from deficiency of clothing during cold weather.
Sobriety is fast becoming a virtue with them. I believe there are fewer cases of drunkenness among them now than formerly. They seem to realize every day the injury and danger of the habit of drinking. They show a great deal of energy at times to make up a sum of money, but scatter it equally fast. They lack perseverance. Many of the young men of the tribe are very industrious and have adopted the methods of living of white people. Several of them are employed at the iron works of Eureka and Bridgeville; while others are engaged loading and unloading vessels. Farming is not congenial to them. It is difficult to impress them with the importance of farming. It Inquiries too much attention. The little attention they pay the crop when it is placed in the ground, shows necessarily poor results.
The whole tribe this year, as usual, gathered to the Indian Island to celebrate the festival of Ste. Anne their patron saint. They have shown a great deal of sincere piety. It is their great desire to have their beautiful little church entirely finished. They have already spent on it and the house for the priest, in the vicinity of two thousand dollars, the most of which was paid by themselves. The benefit of gathering to this island once every year is not to be viewed alone from a religious stand-point. The priest or agent can confer with them as a body on matters affecting their temporal welfare, and impress upon them the advantage of adopting the improved methods in their various avocations.
The gathering of the tribe this year on Indian Island was specially interesting on account of the election of a new chief to replace the late Paul Paul. The name of the new chief is Noel Paul, a near relative of the late chief. The Paul family have held the crown with few interruptions for many years. For the first three years the newly elected chief is only on trial, and if at the end of that time he proves himself worthy, he is confirmed in office for life. Noel Paul, the present chief, is of good disposition and of fair intelligence, and seems to have a great deal of influence among them.
I have the honour to be, sir, Your obedient servant, |
| Note |
Rev. Roderick MacDonald, Indian Agent, to Edgar Dewdney, Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, September 1st 1892, Annual Report of the Department of Indian Affairs for the Year Ended 31st December 1892 (Ottawa: Dominion of Canada, 1893), 112. |