Los Angeles Herald, Volume 37, Number 122, 31 January 1910 — LAST OF SERRANOS FIGHTING FOR LIFE [ARTICLE]
LAST OF SERRANOS FIGHTING FOR LIFE
LITTLE BAND IS ON BARREN RESERVATION ONCE OWNED ENTIRE SAN BER. NARDINO VALLEY Ranks Thinned by Endless Struggle, and the Aged Are Waiting for Death to End Their Sufferings
1 Special to 'i'lu- Herald.] SAN BERNARDINO, Jan. Battling for a pitiful existence on a barren, desolate plot of ground, a little band of Indians, the last of th.' Serrano tribe, which was once the proud, undisputed owner of the entire San Bernardino valley, is facing starvation. Given as a. reservation a piece or land, a section in extent, that a white man would almost scorn as a gift it he was expected to make his livelihood by tilling the soil, the tribe, struggling In poverty, has battled against starvation and disease in vain. Their ranks have been so thinned by -this endless struggle that now less than threescore are left of the tribe which a century ago, when the first Spanish solders and missionaries entered the valley, numbered many hundred. The establishing of the San Manuel reservation, located a short distance from Highland along the base of the San Bernardino range, is practically the only provision ever made by th" government for the keeping ot its charges. The ground given over to the Ind Ins is on a steep, barren hillside and is almost without water, Two dwindling .springs, flowing little more than enough tor domestic purposes, furnish the only water on the reservation It is necessary to carry what is used for irrigation. The little farming that can be done on this desolate unfertile land must be done without water. Condition Is Pitiful Condition Is Pitiful
Left with this worthless land as the only means of securing a livelihood, the few remaining Indians of the once • ,". tribe are in a pitiable condition. No supplies are furnished by the government and they have no money with which be erect suitable build ngii o shelter them. Many of the Indians are waiting tor death to relieve their BUT^e B are able work among the orange groves Cor a portion of the year , but the old and disabled members of the tribe, with the women, have no wav of supporting themselves. Among the fifty-four Indians now on the resetv.tion there are a number so aged that they are helpless, and without children to support them they are now almost starving to death in their huts on the hillside. These Indians, between (6 and ,00 years old, saw the first settlers come to the valley, and the ground on which is now situated the three cities of San Bernardino, Redlands and Rlm islde was their hunting ground. L. From their little reservation on the mountain side they tan look ''""" and out noon the wide valley from will li they were forced step by sop. and over which they and their fathers on, < roamed unrestricted. -,„. On of the oldest of the Indians. known as Old Pinto, Is in most pitiful circumstances. Crippled by hard work, his hands and face are turning white, li,. la powerless to support himself. Assistance from Highland Were It not for the people of Highland the old members of the tribe won , starve to death. Provision are carried up to the reservation by these people for the Indians who are unable to work. Through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs", B. J Yokam, who take a deep Interest in the welfare of the survivors of the tribe, th.- county has from time to time assisted in providing for them. Appeals to the government are fruitless. With little expense water could be deeloped on the reservation, but this had been steadily refused. Several years ago the government, however, purchased a small tract of land with water, suitable for the growing of oranges. This is aside from the reservation and little has been done with It. The buildings on the reservation are mostly shacks and here, exposed to the weather, summer and winter alike, It is Impossible to check diseases that are fast thinning the ranks of. the little band. Old Charlie, said to he 100 or more years of age his body wt ikened by lack of food, perished a few weeks ago from pneumonia, as the result of a. storm sweeping over the reservation. I ■
'In some eases the sick, with the aged members of the tribe and children, are huddled together In one room.. Water developed some years ago by private individuals on the reservation Is piped through a tunnel onto other lands. The government has allowed the water to be carried away without protest or effort to turn it. onto the lands of the Indians. . The people of Highland say that unless the government cornea to the aid of the Indians and ■ makes radical changes In the present method of providing for them, the Serrano tribe, represented now by the little band on the San Manuel reservation, will soon pass out of existence.