FOSTJffi,. J0J4PH ft. INTaRVIiiW 7221

, - # .1 ' Form A-*(S-149). BIOGRAPHY FORM "

- •• ^WORKS KtOGRESS ADMINISTRATION ,- • • , • " 'Indian-Pioneer" History Project for Oklahoma $% «^»'4

* "rOST^R, JOSStfB, W. ' iNUSSmriM. 7221.

Jiel^-Worker's name

This report made on (date") July 31, 1937. 193.

1, Name . Joseph «

2. Post Office Address faplro,

3, Residence address (or location)

4. DATS OF BIRTH: Month mme'X Day *>' Year

5. Place of birth Iuka, Aansas.

6. Name of Father John u. Joster. Place of birth

Other information about father corn 1H58.

7. Name of Mother part a a. -rostgr. Place of birth> orawford uoiinty.

Other information about mother isorr. »arch l r 57.

Kotos or complete narrat ive by the f ie ld worker dealing v;ith the l i f s andstory of the person interviewed. Refer to Manual for suggested subjectsfind quest ions'. Continue on blank sheets if necessary and at tach firmly tothis form. Number of sheets attached 12 #

/ .

«. * •' ^-a-riL avis w. , 7 2 21/? *

uomar tfower, ,*ield Horker. , .July 31, 1937.

4 ' KO, interview with Joseph roster,;'• ' rototiu,' Oklahoma.

Josephs , roster was born near luk^, ivans^a, on August

* 5th, 1884, his parents being John o . , ind «ai*ia a. .Foster,

. who soon after the bir th of\Jos°ph «. , mov^d frori Aansas

to urawford oounty, Arkansas, wh?re they r«Fliftd un t i l 1891

and then coreo to the Andiin Iftrritory, se t t l ing a t nhitefieM

in idiat was then £>ans uois oounty, and now nasVpll oounty.

while residing at «hitf»fi<?l»i, h» attended th<» community^

schools which ne\re supported on the part of the whii » patrons

by the payment of a monthly tui t ion fe<% whil^ the tu i t ion of

the Indian pupils was provided from Tribal funds, 'ihe attend-

ance at th is school approximated from seventy-five to one

hundred pupils, uf th i s number about sixty percent were

Indians^ >

I t was^t this school that *«r. roster learned much con-

cerning! the child life of the Indians their general habits,

customs,, and sports, and joined with them on rainy occasions

in pl-iying i-ndian ball - the principal sport of the

boys.

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tfQSIKB, 4OSSPH W. IKOERViEW. ' 7221.

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Indian bdll ga.ass, as played on the achool ground, were

comparable to the adult gumes in the SJJUB proportion as town-

ball i s to a major, league baseball game. Yarn bal ls , with a

short piece of corncob as a core were us^d instead of the

hard rubber bal ls used in the major gaia?s, while the s t icks

would ?$?y often be made from a discardAd clapboard, l e t ,

regardless of the improvised equipment used in the schooli

playground, the enthusiasm of the part icipants in the g,-imes

was equal in u l l respe*cts to th.it shotm by our pr^s-nt-dayf

sand-lot addicts with cast-away or ten-cent baseballs und

bats, xhe highest ambition of the Indian boys part ic ipat ing

in those games was, no doubt, to prove thorns*lves ski l ful

enough to be regarded as worthy - when grown - to bp 3f»lect<->d

as aplayer in the major games in which the very beat pl-iyers

alone were permitted to play, just as i t i s the highest

aidbltion of our "freckles and n i s xriends" of today to

visualize theuiS«»lv^s a t some time in the future in the role ^

of .a Xy uobb, hogers fiornsby, or a iti.zzy M»ac, arrayed in

uniform and spiked shoes. JBB they.indi.n or white, boys\ *-

are boys the world around.

297F0ST8R, JOSEPH. W. INTERVIEW. . 7221.

In the major Indian bal l game there i s no l imi t to

the number of players which may be engaged except that the

number of the contestants on each side must be egual.

contests would be arranged in which the b«st players

in one community or one county would be arrayed against the

befit players in another comnninity or another county. Un

such occasions, a l l the friends and re la t ives of the con-

testants would attend the game and root for their home un i t s ,

very much as we do today, except that switches of effective

size would be used by the wives, s i s t e r s and sweethearts of

those engaged in the game lashing, on the bare skin, those

of their own contingents who did not measure up to the r e -

quired standard of a good player - a very effective way of

arousing heroic action on the part of a l i s t l e s s player.

All during the night preceding the day set for the con-

test , groups of players from various communities, would arrive

at the prearranged s i t e , mounted on the i r best and showiest

ponies, i t was^the custom of these groups to stop and re s t

their mounts for a time just before, they reached the play-

ground. Ihey would then remount, and for the l a s t one-half

mile would urge, their ponies to the utmost speed and would by '

29850STSR, JOSEPH* W. • ** INTERVIEW. ;, 7281.

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a combination of the*'use of one hand and the mouth, emit a

ser ie s of sounds resembling those o f \a steam c a l l i o p e , t h u s

annotating t h e i r arr iva l with a groat f lour i sh of equine

speed and pomp. Nonparticipants in the game would arrive in

a more quiet and d ign i f i ed manner.

ihese grounds would be s e l e c t e d on a p r a i r i e between two

be l t s of timber approximating one-^quarter mile a par t , ihese,

be l t s of timber provided shade and s h e l t e r for the part i c ipants

in the game and for the ir sponsors .

Before the a r r i v a l of the appointed hour for the game to .

begin, the young braves wouldv repair in to the timber, s t r i p

themselves of a l l c lothing save a breech-c lout , grease t h e i r

bodies and l imbs, and attach a t a i l o f some s o r t - usua l ly a

calf or deer t a i l to the scant waistband of the breech-c lout

at the back. (Then a l l was in read iness , each s ide would form

in l ine near t h e i r respect ive s h e l t e r s .and then march o u t , in

the most spectacular nanner, to the center of the playground

where the game' would begin .

xhe p layers , each equipped with a pair of Indian ba l l ,

s t i c k s , were placed fac ing , and c lose t o , the opposing group.

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JT0S1RH, 7221.

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At a given signal, the small hard rubber ball is thrown

straight up in tps air, and from this point on, the ball

must not be touched by the haatffbut must be handled en-

tirely by the sticks, *hes« sticks are about twenty inches

long, a small oval loop being made in the pnd by bending d

the etick into a- loop and tying it securely, then rawhide

or buckskin thongs aaw loosely lacod into one side of the

sticks, thus forming\a pocket or receptacle, of about three

inches in length and about two inches in width. With the

ball nestling securely, in this cup and which, in turn is

effectively closed by |he companion stick firmly h-»ld in

the two hands of the plkyer, it becomes difficult for the

opposing side to gain possession of the ball, in the mean-

time there is muoh pushiW and bumping goin£ on, the side in

possession oi the ball nuneuvering the player, in whose sticks

the goal post, preventing the

opposing side from approaching near enough to

that player to strike th< sticks holding the ball and there-

by dislodging the ball from the sticks with the possible re-

suit that it will fall into the possession of the opposing

side. Bumping and jostling of all sorts were permissible,

300F0ST5R, JOaSEfl W. INTERVIEW. 7221 .

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as nere striking sticks with st icks , but striking with the

hands was forbidden, "ihe greased skins of the contestants

reduced friction when they were engaged in those melees and

rendered i t easier for the players to worm their way-out of

a position which prevented them from assisting their own sides.

Two goal posts, set at a distance of about two hundred

yards apart, served as a target or^objective, ifce winning .

of a game was determined by the number of times either side

of the. contest #ould succeed in striking the goal post, with

the ball, thrown, in a l l cases., from the st icks , over the

resistance offered by the opposing dide. '.thus: the post a t .

the west end of the field was the objective of the side play-

ing from the east side of the center litif. and the ppat at the

east end of the field was the objective of the side .playing

from the west side of the center line and starting point*

These goal posts were of saplings not more than five

inches in diameter and, therefore, required a*marked degree' ' i

of ski l l in the use of tha ball sticks to throw the ball with

th» necessary accuracy to strike so small an object, Especially

was this true when the thrower was jostled on a l l el dee by

surging, howling and frantic mass of greased humanity intent

alone on thwarting his aim. • .

JfOSBR, JOSEPH W, INTERVIEW

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3017221,

I t appears that what was called the "Mississippi

Choc taws'* (who cams to the Indian te r r i tory in the eighteen-

nineties when .they were, aocorded land allotments on an equali ty

with the older c i t i zens , i f they registered as ci t izens within

a specified timej, were v*ry ski l ful in playing the game*

ihis adeptness had been ga

indulgence in the sport in

ned through uninterrupted years of

Mississippi wh<»re, owing to a fcore

dense Indian population, gines could be arranged as often as! i | \

desirable and with very l i t t l e effor t , which was not t)?e case\

in the new Indian, Territory^ *6r th is reason th** Mississippi

uhoctawe were eagerly sough^ as players when ganv»s we:i

arranged*

These exciting.scenec w6uld be witnessed by thousands of

interested and partisan, spectators ^nd more ^spe^gLally by*, the\ \

Indian maids. Aiany young, strapping, cuudaled and greasedVy

participants in the g ones were, urged to the i r utmost in the JLr

eagerness, to a t t r a c t the at tent ion of aome blushing maid in

the vast throng, and the foundation of many l i fe - long

was laid upon the prowess shown by the young braves in these

ball gamesJ Love, then as now,! ruled the world and spurred

men on <ind pn to tn»},iterf&rm<ancB. of deeds of daring and

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Spectacular In the extreme; so rough and death-defying

ae to make the modern football games comparable to an indoor

baseball game, the Indian ball gases afforded a welcome re-, A

l ie f from the monotony of the quiet peaceful l ives lpd by

the Indians of that period, occasionally a participant in

the games would be severely injured, but, with that stoicism

possessed only by the -Indian, the injured party would not

complain until thn gaioa was finished, t

weminiacencing further «r» roster brought back to mind

his association with a renowned hunter, a l ias *olsomt a ful l

biood ohoc taw -mdian who resided near white fie Id - a village

on the Canadian River with an unsurpassed hunting ground/ ' ^

surrounding i t . "

On their f irs t acquaintance, s l i a s was wont to go alone

on his hunting trips* out later, when the acquaintance had,

ripened into friendship, he would invite botia Mr* foster and

his father, John <>• .coster, to accompany him. rfiey gladly

availed themselves of the opportunity ot accompany such a

noted hunter and learned from him many secrets of the hunt,

un the f irst day in camp, fellas would .set out alone in the

•orning and make a round of the proposed hunting area. As

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fOSTSB, JOSSPH W. INTERVIEW. . ' 7281.

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would be gj>ne fro© the camp a l l day. On h i s return to the

oamp in the la te eTening he would t e l l the hunting party

Just how many dear them were in that area and just bow

they would go about the task of k i l l i n g thenumbor required*

In 8talking the prairie in quest of game he would step very

high and would walk as s i l e n t l y and s t e a l t h i l y as a cat* On

one occasion when « r . roster thought there was no one within.,,,

a mile of him. tflias, in a s p i r i t of fun, had quietly walked

up on him from the rear and tapped him on the shoulder almost

frightening him out of h i s skin* On another occasion, Mr.

Foster and h i s father, on returning to the camp, had passed

along near the foot of a bluff and after proceeding for spas

distance they heard a shot , not long afterward, " l i a s appe.ar-

ed at the camp with a large lynx and told them that he , too,

had come along the aama t r a i l behind them* u is k^n s ight ,

however, had noticed that some animal had a den near the

foot of the bluff and looking up into an over-hanging tree ,

he saw the tassel-eared lynx stretched out on a limb, the

color of h i s tawney coat blending so prefect ly with the sur-

rounding fol iage that detection had been too d i f f i c u l t for

the bnpracticed eyes of the « r . f o s t e r s , yet did not

the eagle-eye of a l i a s . $

304

JTOSTEB, JOSSPi^ «• IN1&RV1JSW. 7 2 2 1 .

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On approach ing a deer^£en^b\xEfily engaged i n n i b b l i n g

t h e t e n d e r grasfe, ^ l i a s woiiid watch> c l o s e l y fo r a wiggle of

the deer* 8 tail,1, I that being the reaction of a de^r t&sthe \

1remotest cause for alarm;. On perceiving the least movement,V

?:iias would stop!stock s t i l l , whil^ the de«sr would gaze at

t he e t rar ige b u t s|p>piningly inan imate o b j e c t f a r a t ime and

A ' I, ;djhen would rpsur^vits browsing, ify repevating this proce- /

dure as often as necessary he would be enabled to -ipproach the

deer to within gunshot distance where, with unerring aim, he

would bag his game;. Be never r« turned from the hunt empty

handed. . ) .V

I "

be would ridicule the white members pf a hunting party

for sitting around,the campfire exchanging stories instead oft

putting in the i r tiknfe studying how they could best m«»et thei ' '

problem of bagging jpom« game on the following day.i

H(B related to J^r. Foster tha t , before the Indians w»reprorided with guns apd ammunition, and it *as desired t^

a wild turkey, the runway of the flock of turkeys would be

located* if i t was f\ound that their path led across a fallen\j «... y

log. an Indian youth would lie prone behind th« log on: the

side opposite the direction from which the flock was traveling.

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When a turkey would hop up onto the log and stop for an

\

instant, the youth would quickly reach nd grasp his legs

to the utter astonishEen^o^*4fee* bewildered turkey.

After completing his studies in the community schools,

Itr» Foster attended the Henry fiendall college, now the Tulsa

University, and later graduated from a law school at Lebanon,

Tennessee. He was admitted to the bar at Poteau, Oklahoma,

in 1905, and began the practice of law at otigler, uklahoma.

Un the establishment of Haskell Oouaty in the new state

of Ulclahoma, he became i t s f i rs t Oounty Attorney and served

in that capacity for a period of three years and then resumed

private practice of law at <stigler, until 1917, when, owing

to impaired health,, he moved to Colorado and engaged in the

practice of law in that, state where he remained until 1928

then returned to Oklahoma and resumed his law practice.In- 1929, he was appointed Assistant Oounty Attorney of

Letflore County, serving three years in that office, when he

again resumed his private practice of law, ind has continued

i t up to the prespnt time*

Mr* Foster is a democrat of the progressive type and has

at rarious times rendered signal service to his party and has,

jrosm, w. INIERYIKW.

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7821.

in\ t u r n , been f requent ly honored by i t . tie organized the

f i r s t .Precinct itemoeratic Groups in each prec inc t in n a s k e l i

County.

-He i s an able and convincing speaker and during h i s

residency in Raske11 county, he has inv i t ed by th^ progressive

element of the par ty in LeFlore County, to addreso a democratic

gather ing a t op i ro , in LeFlore uounty. The b a t t l * l ine between

the progress ives and the conservatives was c lose ly drawn, but

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the eloquent and persuasive address del ivered by Mr. Fos t e r '

on the .occasion demoralized the conservat ives '\nd squelched

t h e i r , b e s t speakers . Among whom was Thomas i». Ainsworth,

whoso' only defense was tha t the youthful members of the pa r ty

should be guided in t h e i r de l ibe ra t ions by the advice of the

more aged. A s i t u a t i o n quite s imi l a r to tha t of today. No?

• At t h i s t ime, Mr. Foster i s enjoying a l uc ra t i ve law

p r a c t i c e , but i s never -too busy to respond to a ca/ll for' /

a s s i s t ance from h i s beloved democratic par ty and/takes keen

d e l i g h t in r e p e l l i n g an a t tack on the p a r t y , ya these l i n e s ,

he' i e open to a l l comeTS.