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Show LASTING FRIENDSHIP 7 :..ca historic generations of friend-..i-iip between the Shoshone Indians and th Lnion Pacific System are to be continued to the "end of time" and muJe i.-to an everlasting allegiance according to ancient tribal customs of the Shoshones. On March 31 two personal per-sonal representatives of President Carl R. Gray of the ;Union Pacific system, and Chief Tendoy III, of the Shoshones with his interpreter, Geo! Lavalta, met on the Forth Hall Indian In-dian reservation north of Pocatello to complete the ceremony which will make it everlasting. The first chapter in this remarkable remark-able eproceeding was. written in Poca lello on March 31, 1926, when Chief Tendoy took the first step. On that date he sent an emissary to President Presi-dent Gray, who was in Pocatello, with gifts from the Shoshone nation to the man at the reins of all of the "iron horses." These gifts consisted of a Shoshone war-bow and four arrows, the arrows being tipped with four of the first iron nails ever taken into the State of Idaho; and two eagle -feathers. The eagle feathers were the deeply significant signi-ficant part of the gift. In proffering these feathers, Chief Tendoy followed a tribal custom which is older than the residence of the white race in America, and one of the Indian's most ancient traditions. tradi-tions. This custom is that in giving two eagle feathers, the giver offers the recipient everlasting friendship i aid allegiance. One year, or twelve moons later, as Chief Tendoy, and all of his forefathers have counted time, the recipient of the two eagle feathers must return one of the to the giyer, as an indication on his part that he also desires everlasting friendship. When the feather has been returned to the hand of him who save it, friendship and allegiance are established forever, and the returned leather becomes the property of the chiefs of the tribe, where it is held in as high esteem as a treaty. The year has elapsed, and President Gray, recognizing the ancient Indian custom in the presentation of the Eagle feathers, is sending one of them back to Chief Tendoy. Vincent H. Hunter of Omaha, has been delegated by President Gray to carry back the eagle feather to A. C. Hinckley, of Pocatello, who in turn will place it in the hands of Chief Tendoy, President Presi-dent Gray has placed the second feather, fea-ther, which is his "copy" of the friendship agreement in the Union Pacific museum, where it will remain as the mark of the allegiance of the Shoshones. History holds the key to the rea son for the ceremony between President Presi-dent Gray's representatives and Chief Tendoy III, and it goes back a long way. When the infant Union Pacific was being built, not the least of its difficulties was overcoming the resistance re-sistance of the Indians, some of whom resented the invasion of the railroad with its iron horse and attendant "talking wire" (the telegraph line) into their hunting grounds. Host of the Indians were bitterly hostile, but the Shoshones, under Chief Tendoy I, grandsire of the present Chief Ten- doy, were extremely friendly. They for engineering parties, they scouted out and reported hostile Indians, and when such attacks occured they turned turn-ed to and helped the white meen fight 'them off. As a further mark of their friendship, friend-ship, Chief Tendoy III, presented President Gray with the piece-pipe smoked in all the councils by himself, and his father, who was Tendoy II. This pipe plays no part in the present ceremonial. It was given to President Gray as a gift from the Shoshone nation na-tion to the Union Pacific museum. . |