American State Papers,
Indian Affairs,
March 3, 1789 to March 3, 1815.
vol. 1.
578 |
INDIAN AFFAIRS. |
[1795. |
deceive me, I have heard all the other nations give their assent to the general
boundary line, and to the reservations, generally; I, therefore, address you,
the Miamies:
You say that the general boundary line, as proposed by me, will take away some of your best hunting grounds; and propose to alter it, and run it from fort Recovery, through the centre of this place, and along the road to the Miami river, opposite fort Hamilton.
YOUNGER BROTHERS: This would be a very crooked, as well as a very difficult line to follow; because, there are several roads between this and fort Hamilton, some of them several miles apart, which might certainly be productive of unpleasant mistakes and differences; that which I propose will be free from all difficulty and uncertainty. you all know fort Recovery as well as the mouth of Kentucky river; a straight line, drawn from one to the other, will never vary; they are two points which will ever be remembered, not only by all present, but by our children's children, to the end of time; nor will this line prevent your hunters, or young men, in the smallest degree, from pursuing all the advantages which the chace affords; because, by the 7th article, the United States of America grant liberty to all the Indian tribes to hunt within the territory ceded to the United States, without hindrance or molestation, so long as they demean themselves peaceably, and offer no injury to the people of the United States.
I find there is some objection to the reservation at fort Wayne. The Little Turtle observes, he never heard of any cessions made at that place to the French. I have traced the lines of two forts at that point; one stood near the junction of the St. Josephs with the St. Mary's, and the other not far removed on the St. Mary's; and it is ever an established rule, among Europeans, to reserve as much ground around their forts, as their cannon can command; this is a rule as well known as any other fact.
Objection has also been made respecting the portage between fort Wayne and the Little river; and the reasons produced, are, that that road has been to the Miamies a source of wealth; that it has, heretofore, produced them one hundred dollars per day. It may be so; but let us inquire who, in fact, paid this heavy contribution. It is true the traders bore it in the first instance; but they laid it on their goods, and the Indians, of the Wabash, really and finally paid it; therefore, it is the Little Beaver, the Soldier, the Sun, and their tribes, who have actually been so highly taxed. The United States will always be their own carriers, to, and from, their different posts. Why should the United States pay the large sum of eight thousand dollars, annually, if they were not to enjoy the privilege of open roads to, and from, their reservations? And this sum of money the United States agree to pay for this and other considerations. And the share, which the Miamies will receive, of this annuity, shall be one thousand dollars.
I will then inquire, of all the nations present, whether the United States are not acting the part of a tender father, to them and their children, in thus providing for them, not only at present, but for ever?
The Miamies shall be at liberty, as usual, to employ themselves for private traders, whenever their assistance may be required; and those people, who have lived at that glorious gate, (the Miami villages,) may now rekindle their fires at that favorite spot; and, henceforth, as in their happiest days, be at full liberty to receive from, and send to, all quarters, the speeches of their chiefs as usual; and here is the road the Miamies will remember. [A road belt.]
Now, all ye chiefs and warriors, of every nation present, open your ears that you may clearly hear the articles of treaty, now in my hand, again read, and, a second time, explained to you, that we may proceed to have them engrossed on parchment, which may preserve them for ever.
[The articles of treaty were here a second time read, and explained by the General, who observed upon]
The article respecting hostages;-
I did not expect any objections to this particular, for I see no reason why you should hesitate at leaving ten of your people with me, until the return of our people from among you; the promise of mutual exchange of prisoners, made last winter, when we met at this place, you have not performed on your part; I have kept none of your flesh and blood; nor would General Washington, the Great Chief of the United States, suffer me so to do; the period will be short, and those who remain shall be kindly treated.
On the Ouiatanon reservation;-
The Little Beaver has asked for Captain Prior to reside, as a trader, at Ouiatanon; he shall reside at that place; but Captain Prior is a warrior, not a trader. He shall have a few warriors with him, to protect the trade and the Indians in that quarter.
On the reservation at Detroit;-
Masass has asked, what will become of the French? The United States consider the French and themselves as one people; and it is partly for them and their accommodation, this reservation is made, whenever they become citizens thereof, as well as for the people of the Fifteen Fires.
On the gift of the Isle de Bois Blanc;-
In addition to the cessions which the three fires have made with such cheerfulness, of the reservations in their country, Mash-i-pi-nash-i-wish has, in their name, made a voluntary gift to the United States of the Isle de Bois Blanc, in lake Michigan. The Fifteen Fires accept of this unasked for grant from the Ottawas, Chippewas, and Pattawatamies, according to their intentions; and will always view it as an unequivocal mark of their sincere friendship.
And on trade;-
The Little Turtle yesterday expressed a wish, that some of their former traders might be continued among them as a part of the number to be licensed by the United States. This is very fair and reasonable, and a certain number will be licensed accordingly, when properly recommended as good and honest men.
BROTHERS: All you nations now present, listen!
You now have had, a second time, the proposed articles of treaty read and explained to you. It is now time for the negotiation to draw to a conclusion.
I shall, therefore, ask each nation individually, if they approve of, and are prepared to sign, those articles, in their present form, that they may be immediately engrossed for that purpose. I shall begin with the Chippewas, who, with the others who approbate the measure, will signify their assent.
You, Chippewas, do you approve of these articles of treaty, and are you prepared to sign them? [A unanimous answer.] Yes.
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You, Ottawas, do you agree? |
[A unanimous answer.] |
Yes. |
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The treaty shall be engrossed; and as it will require two or three days to do it properly, on parchment, we will now part, to meet on the 2d of August; in the interim, we will eat, drink, and rejoice, and thank the Great Spirit for the happy stage this good work has arrived at.
Council adjourned.
July 31.- The Red Pole, with eighty-eight Shawanese, and Tey-yagh-taw, with seven Wyandots, nine of the Six Nations, and ten Delawares, arrived, from the vicinity of Detroit, and were received.
August 2.- In Council: Present as before, with the addition of the Shawanese, Wyandots, &c. who arrived on (? illeg. copy).
American State Papers,
Indian Affairs,
March 3, 1789 to March 3, 1815.
vol. 1.
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1795.] |
TREATY OF GREENVILLE. |
579 |
The Red Pole, a Shawanee chief, arose and spoke as follows:
I am very happy to see you all, my brothers, here assembled. I am come late, but I come with a good heart. I am well pleased to hear of the good work you have agreed upon, with our elder brother, the Fifteen Fires; and thank you for the pity you have shewn for our helpless women and children, whom we have left behind.
The General arose and spoke as follows:
YOUNGER BROTHERS:
I have received a letter from your ancient friends and brothers, the people called Quakers, with a message to all the nations here assembled. The Quakers are a people whom I much love and esteem, for their goodness of heart, and sincere love of peace with all nations; listen then to their voice, and let it sink deep into your hearts.
[Here the General read the address of the people called Quakers, and the invoice of their present.]
Their present, you perceive, is small, but being designed with the benevolent view of promoting the peace and happiness of mankind, it becomes of important value. They wish it to be considered merely as a token of their regard for you, and a testimony of their brotherly affection and kind remembrance of you.
YOUNGER BROTHERS: The articles of treaty are not yet completely engrossed; they will be ready by 8 o'clock to-morrow, when we will again meet here, read the treaty once more, and proceed to the act of mutually signing and exchanging it.
The Shawanese and Wyandots, who arrived the day before yesterday, will then hear what we have all agreed upon, and be equally convinced, with all the others, of the liberality of the articles.
Blue Jacket, a Shawanee chief, arose and spoke as follows:
ELDER BROTHER, and you my brothers present:
You see me now present myself as a war chief, to lay down that commission, and place myself in the rear of my village chiefs, who, for the future, will command me. Remember, brothers, you have all buried your war hatchets; you brothers the Shawanese, now do the same good act. We must think of war no more.
ELDER BROTHER: You now see that all the chiefs and warriors around you have joined in the good work of peace, which is now accomplished. We now request you to inform our elder brother, General Washington, of it; and of the cheerful unanimity which has marked their determinations. We wish you to inquire of him, if it would be agreeable that two chiefs, from each nation, should pay him a visit, and take him by the hand: for your younger brothers have a strong desire to see that great man, and to enjoy the pleasure of conversing with him.- [A blue string.]
The General thus replied:
BROTHERS THE SHAWANESE, and all you other nations:
I am confident the heart of the Great Chief, General Washington, will be rejoiced when he hears that you have unanimously joined in the good work of peace; and the instrument we will sign to-morrow, shall be an everlasting record of the good action; one part of which, I will immediately transmit to him. I will, with pleasure, make the inquiries you desire, and communicate the answer to you whenever I receive it.
Council adjourned.
August 3.- In Council: Present as before.
The General rose, and spoke as follows:
YOUNGER BROTHERS:
When this council fire was first kindled, my commissions and authority for holding this treaty were read and explained to all then present; but, as several chiefs had not at that time arrived, I shall now read them a second time, for the perfect satisfaction of all.
[The General here again exhibited and explained his powers.]
That I have strictly performed my duty in fulfilling those instructions, and that they were manifestly calculated to establish the peace and happiness of all the Indian nations now present, will appear by the engrossed articles of treaty, unanimously agreed to, and now before us. They shall now be read a third time, that all may be perfectly acquainted with them; therefore listen.
[The engrossed articles were here read; the signing commenced and finished; and the General thus proceeded:]
YOUNGER BROTHERS: Having completed the signing of this treaty, one part of it shall be delivered to the Wyandots, who will preserve it as a sacred pledge of the establishment of our future friendship; the other, or counterpart, I will send to the Great Chief, General Washington. In addition, one copy, on paper, shall be delivered to each nation, for their frequent and particular information. We will now proceed to apportion the goods designed to be given to you, and I hope to be prepared for their delivery in a day or two. Some assistance must be afforded to the Chippewas, and other remote tribes, to facilitate the transportation of their proportions. We will, for the present, retire, and we will have a little drink this evening.
Mash-i-pi-nash-i-wish, chief of the Chippewas, arose, and said:
ELDER BROTHER: I now see that all is settled. It affords us a great deal of pleasure. I hope you feel equally gratified. I repeat our entire satisfaction, that all present may know it. We, the three fires, have never done you any harm. With the same good heart I met you here, I will depart, and return home. You will find the truth of these words when you come and live among us. You must not believe ill of me.
ELDER BROTHER: I hope you will listen with attention to my words, and have pity on me. I have a request to make of you. You know I have come a great distance to assist in this good work, and, as it is now happily completed, I hope you will deliver to us our friend, whom you sent from hence into confinement. We would be grieved to leave him in durance behind us, for he has been friendly to us. This is the request of your brothers, the three fires.
Council adjourned.
August 7. In Council: Present as before.
The General arose, and spoke as follows:
BROTHERS, all nations now present: You have all smoked out of this calumet, when we first opened council at this place, except the Shawanese. I will, therefore, smoke with the Shawanese, and with some of the Wyandots who arrived late.
Listen, all you sachems, chiefs, and warriors! Lift up your eyes, and behold these instruments of writing, to which the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanese, Ottawas, Chippewas, Pattawatamies, Miamies, Eel Rivers, Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeshaws, and Kaskaskias, have se their hands and seals, that they may be handed down to your children's children, as a memorial of the happy peace thereby established. When your posterity shall hereafter view these records, they will be informed that you were the great people who accomplished this blessed work, to ensure to them peace and happiness forever. One of these I shall transmit to General Washington, the other I will deposite, agreeable to your own desires, with your uncles the Wyandots. A true copy, on paper, shall now be given to each nation. This large belt, and this seal, will accompany the original instrument, and will declare its sacred and important value.
The next business will be the distribution of the goods and presents promised by treaty. To-morrow the Wyandots shall receive their proportion; the other nations will be sent for, in order as they signed, as soon as we are
American State Papers,
Indian Affairs,
March 3, 1789 to March 3, 1815.
vol. 1.
580 |
INDIAN AFFAIRS. |
[1795. |
ready to deliver them. It will make no difference to any, who is first served,
or who last; all shall have their due proportion. I have only to recommend a
just and equal distribution among your respective nations.
Independent of this general delivery, and as a reward for the good disposition to peace of some chiefs and nations, early evinced, I shall make some further presents, which must be considered as private property to those who shall receive them, and as testimonies of particular regard. And, in return for the generous and unasked for present of the Chippewas, of the Isle de Bois Blanc, the Fifteen Fires will make them an acknowledgment, to shew that they will never be outdone in kindness.
I have to exhort you to take every measure to restrain your young men from the bad practice of stealing horses from those who are their friends. Some Frenchmen who accompanied you to this place, have complained to me of having had their horses stolen since their arrival. This is ungrateful and disgraceful.
Be all now attentive! This letter in my hand informs me, that some very bad Indians, indeed, regardless of the good work we have been engaged in, have barbarously surprised and murdered an innocent family, who thought themselves secure from harm whilst negotiations for peace engaged your attention. This grieves me very much. By an article of the agreement entered into last winter, we were mutually to inform each other of any harm intended, which should come to our knowledge, and do our utmost to prevent it. And it is expressly stipulated in this treaty, that similar conduct shall be pursued by both parties. That for injures done, no private or personal retaliation shall take place, but complaint shall be made by the party injured to the other, &c.
I do, accordingly, at this time, complain to you of the bad conduct of those bad people, and desire you who live nearest to them, to exert your powers to restrain their practices and correct their lives. I fear, if they are permitted to continue uncontrolled, much mischief will ensue. They are a small, lawless banditti, who insult your authority at the same time they injure the United States, by their savage and inhuman practices. Our people, roused and provoked by their depredations and cruelties, will follow them into their country, to punish them as they merit; and should the, in the pursuit, fall in with any of you or your people, who are our sincere friends, they might not be able to distinguish one from the other, and would probably wreak then vengeance on their innocent brothers, and hut them, when they meant to chastise those guilty aggressors only.
Tarke, chief of the Wyandots, arose, and spoke as follows:
BROTHERS, listen! and you also, brothers of the different nations present. The Great Spirit above has appointed this day for us to complete all the good work in which we have been engaged. You remember that, some time ago, our brother, the American, rose up and thanked the Great Spirit above for conducting the good work so far as it then was; and he desired of us to know whether we would acknowledge him, the fifteen United States, to be our father; but we have not yet returned him an answer. Now, this day, the good work is completed. I inform you all, brother Indians, that we do now, and will henceforth, acknowledge the fifteen United States of America to be our father, and you will all, for the future, look upon them as such; you must call them brothers no more. The Great Spirit has crowned them with success in all their undertakings.
FATHER: You see we all now acknowledge you to be our father. I take you by the hand, which I offer as a pledge of our sincerity, and of our happiness in becoming your children.
FATHER: Listen to your children, here assembled; be strong, now, and take care of all your little ones. See what a number you have suddenly acquired. Be careful of them, and do not suffer them to be imposed upon. Don't shew favor to one, to the injury of any. An impartial father equally regards all his children, as well as those who are ordinary, as those who may be more handsome; therefore, should any of your children come to you crying, and in distress, have pity on them, and relieve their wants.
Now, all my brothers present, you see that we have acknowledged and called on the United States as our father. Be strong, brothers, and obedient to our father; ever listen to him when he speaks to you, and follow his advice. I now deliver this wampum, in presence of you all, as a token of our being now the children of the Fifteen Fires. [A large string, blue and white.]
The General rose and said:
Listen! all you nations, to what your uncle, the Wyandot, has said. [Tarke's speech was here interpreted to each nation.]
Listen! all you nations present. I have hitherto addressed you as brothers. I now adopt you all, in the name of the President and the Fifteen great Fires of America, as their children, and you are so accordingly. The medals which I shall have the honor to deliver you, you will consider as presented by the hands of your father, the Fifteen Fires of America. These you will hand down to your children's children, in commemoration of this day- a day in which the United States of America gives peace to you and all your nations, and receives you and them under the protecting wings of her eagle. [Council adjourned.]
August 8th.- In council: Present as before.
The Sun, a Pattawatamy chief, arose, and said:
FATHER: I now speak to acquaint you and all present that I am perfectly satisfied with all that has been done in this council. You have told us to bring in our prisoners without delay. I have not one in my village. I never took any. You further told us, if any of your people injured us, you would punish them, and enjoined on us a similar conduct as it respected our offenders. Father, I have not the same authority over my people that you exercise over yours. They live dispersed, and it is difficult to reach them on all occasions. As you have now become our father, we are no longer objects of pity; as your children, we shall be happy whilst you continue to protect us. When the British adopted us as children, they made false promises, and left us to the mercy of the traders, who took advantage of, and much abused, our ignorance and weakness. You have promised to send traders among us, by whom we will not be abused, and we have promised to protect their lives and property. We are happy, father, and thank you for your kindness to your children. I now ask of you to send a trader to my village, which is a day's walk below the Wea towns on the Wabash. You said you would send one of your officers to command at those towns. We would wish you to send Captain Ouiatanon, (Prior) and should any meditated mischief come to my knowledge, I will immediately acquaint him of it, agreeable to our compact. All your children present have the articles of the treaty fully and indelibly impressed on their hearts, and should bad birds attempt to misconstrue or prevent them, we promise, sincerely, not to listen to their designing, artful songs.
FATHER: We, the Pattawatamies present, are in three classes. One from the river Huron, one from St Joseph's, and that to which I belong from the Wabash; and, as you intend to give the goods designed for us in bulk to that nation, I am afraid the division amongst ourselves will be attended with difficulty and discontent. I pray you, father, to make the division among us, and thus preserve proportion and harmony. [A belt.]
The New Corn, a Pattawatamy chief, spoke as follows:
My friend, when I first came here, I took you by the hand. You welcomed me, and asked me for my great war chief. I told you they were killed, and that none remained but me, who have the vanity to think myself a brave man, and a great warrior. The Great Spirit has made me a great chief, and endowed me with great powers. The heavens and earth are my heart, the rising sun my mouth, and thus favored, I propagate my own species! [This is the Nestor of the wilderness, possessed by all the garrulity of age.] I know the people who have made and violated former treaties. I am too honorable and too brave a man to be guilty of such unworthy conduct. I love and fear the Great Spirit. He now hears what I say. I dare not tell a lie.
Now, my friend, the Great Wind, do not deceive us in the manner that the French, the British, and Spaniards, have heretofore done. The English have abused us much; they have made us promises which they never fulfilled; they have proved to us how little they have ever had our happiness at heart; and we have severely suffered for placing
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