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T H E H A L F - B R E E D S C R I P C O M M I S S I O N 69
A l l preliminaries having at last been settled, the taking cf
declarations and evidence began on the 23rd of June, and,
shortly afterwards, the issue of convertible scrip certificates,
or scrip certificates for land as required, took place to the
parties who had proved their title.
This was a slow process, involving i n every case a careful
search of the five elephant folios containing the records of
the bygone issues of scrip in Manitoba and the organized
Territories.
It was necessary i n order to prevent the issue of scrip
to parties who had already received i t elsewhere. But to the
credit of the Lesser Slave Lake community, few efforts we're
made to " come i n " again, not one i n fact which was a clear
attempt at fraud, or which could not be accounted for by
false agency. Indeed, a high tribute might well be paid
here to the honesty, not only of this but of all the communities,
both Indian and half- breed, throughout these remote
territories. We found valuable property exposed everywhere,
evidently without fear of theft. There was a looser
feeling regarding debts to traders, which we were told were
sometimes ignored, partly, perhaps, owing to the traders'
heavy profits, but mainly through failure i n the hunt and a
lack of means. But theft such as white men practice was a
puzzle to these people, amongst whom it was unknown.
The most noticeable feature of the scrip issue was the
never- ending stream of applicants, a surprising evidence of
the growth of population i n this remote wilderness. Its
most interesting feature lay i n the peculiarities and manners
of the people themselves. They were unquestionably
half- breeds, and had received Christian names, and most of
them had houses of their own, and, though hunters, fishermen
and trippers, their families lived comparatively settled
lives. Yet the glorious instinct of the Indian haunted them.
As a rule they had been born on the " pitehing- track," i n the
forest, or on the prairies— in all sorts of places, they could
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| Title | Page 80 |
| OCR | T H E H A L F - B R E E D S C R I P C O M M I S S I O N 69 A l l preliminaries having at last been settled, the taking cf declarations and evidence began on the 23rd of June, and, shortly afterwards, the issue of convertible scrip certificates, or scrip certificates for land as required, took place to the parties who had proved their title. This was a slow process, involving i n every case a careful search of the five elephant folios containing the records of the bygone issues of scrip in Manitoba and the organized Territories. It was necessary i n order to prevent the issue of scrip to parties who had already received i t elsewhere. But to the credit of the Lesser Slave Lake community, few efforts we're made to " come i n " again, not one i n fact which was a clear attempt at fraud, or which could not be accounted for by false agency. Indeed, a high tribute might well be paid here to the honesty, not only of this but of all the communities, both Indian and half- breed, throughout these remote territories. We found valuable property exposed everywhere, evidently without fear of theft. There was a looser feeling regarding debts to traders, which we were told were sometimes ignored, partly, perhaps, owing to the traders' heavy profits, but mainly through failure i n the hunt and a lack of means. But theft such as white men practice was a puzzle to these people, amongst whom it was unknown. The most noticeable feature of the scrip issue was the never- ending stream of applicants, a surprising evidence of the growth of population i n this remote wilderness. Its most interesting feature lay i n the peculiarities and manners of the people themselves. They were unquestionably half- breeds, and had received Christian names, and most of them had houses of their own, and, though hunters, fishermen and trippers, their families lived comparatively settled lives. Yet the glorious instinct of the Indian haunted them. As a rule they had been born on the " pitehing- track," i n the forest, or on the prairies— in all sorts of places, they could |
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