THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Petition from M. de La Salle
to the Governor of Quebec
5th of October, 1682
In Bibliotheque Nationale, fonds Clairambault 1016, fol. 148
and in Margry, microfilm, vol. II, pp. 287-301.
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(page 313) ...We reached the sea on the tenth (sic) of April,
and I set up the arms of the King there on the ninth.
Near this place I found the Chouanon, Chakpe and Oabano, who came with the man Pepamanit, an Indian, whom I had sent to invite them to give up trading with the Spaniards and come and settle near here. They lived in nine or ten villages there, which they have quitted in order to become French. So faithful have they been in keeping the promise they gave me that, notwithstanding the flight of the Miamy and the Illinois, who have changed their quarters out of fear of the Iroquois, they have obeyed me as to all the movements I have wished them to make, and are now settling near to the fort Saint Louis which I am about to have built, a hundred and fifty leagues from here. This post I had begun in order to keep these Indians therein; but the fear that I should be charged with profiting by furs which ought to go down to Montreal, has caused me to remove it to a greater distance, in order to deprive those who are jealous of me of every kind of pretense for slandering me. The King has granted to me all the forts I build on the route of my exploration by his letters patent, a copy of which I take the liberty of sending you, on the same conditions as Fort Frontenac; and binds me in his grant of the latter fort., to give a share (page 314) of the lands which depend upon it to Frenchmen and Indians. I am consequently pledged to do the same at Fort Saint Louis, and give settlers permission to occupy them. I have fulfilled this obligation, in part, by placing the Chaouenon, Chaskpe and Ouabano there; and I am leaving immediately to go 400 leagues from here, towards the south-south-west, to nine villages of the Cicaca to invite them to follow the example of their allies. All that remained was to settle some Frenchmen there, which I have done by making grants to several persons who have asked for them; but as some of them must go down to fetch what they need, they feared they might be detained there, as if coming to trade contrary to the King's orders. . .
(page 316) Second letter from Cavelier de la Salle to M. de la Barre, written at "The portage of Checagou, 4th of June, 1683."
(page 317)...Two of my settlers dwelling at this fort, where they built a house of timber last winter, are now going to fetch the ammunition necessary for us to defend ourselves against two powerful enemies, the Iroquois and the Panimaha. I hope you will be good enough to grant them permission to come up again with their load, and also such men as Cauchois may find disposed to accompany them.
We have received news of the march of the Iroquois, who killed a Miamy twelve days ago by stabbing him when the Miamys were already on their way, moving their camping grounds in search of a refuge which they hope to find near to the French. They had fled previous to this, last autumn, alarmed by what Alemioua told them,- an Indian belonging to a tribe allied to theirs,- on his return from Montreal where he had gone down to trade, who frightened them so much that they left behind all their corn so that they might not be hampered by it in their retreat. During the winter, on hearing the news of my return, they took courage again and came back to their villages; and the Illinois, on their example, came near fort Saint Louis, which I have built on their river. This murder, occurring towards the end of the snows, frightened them again, for they had lost ten whole households, destroyed by the Iroquois. Nevertheless as I feared that their flight might be followed by that of the Illinois, Chaouenon, and Cisca, whom I had brought together near here with considerable difficulty, and might prevent the (page 318) Emisourites and Matchinkoa from coming to join us, which they would do in a short time if they did not turn back through fear. I came to the Miamy with the intention of putting courage in to them, and I pressed them to hold out until I should receive the news I was expecting by the men last autumn, upon which I should have made arrangements for coming down myself to give you an account of all that was passing. But they were very late, and I thought that some obstacle must have placed in the way of their journey; and I foresaw, what has now occurred, that some attack would be made by the Iroquois upon the Miamy, who would be sure to believe that I had deceived them in order to cause their destruction as almost all Hurons, Kiskakons and Frenchmen up here tell all these tribes with impunity. I therefore called together the old men and told them that, as I had not received your orders, I was unable to give them any assurance, since I had not the management of affairs, which rested with you alone; that I should be sorry, since they were trusting to my presence, if the Iroquois should take advantage of that trust and massacre them before my eyes when I had no means of avenging them; that they must therefore make up their minds, themselves; so that they might not lay upon me the blame for what happened, if it should be unfavourable; that, if they considered they would be safer near my fort, by joining with the Islinois and the others who were settled there, they would be received there as brothers, and we would defend them at the risk of our own lives; that I was going to ask you for assistance for them and for us; and that in case I received news of the approach of the Iroquois, I would hasten to come and rejoin them. Their decision was soon made, and their (page 319) resolve to retire was carried into effect the next day. I went down the river and was stopped for four days at its out fall by bad weather. On the fourth day, in the evening, some Kiskakons who had come to trade with the Miamy and had followed them on their march, brought us news that the latter tribe had discovered a broad path over which an Iroquois army had certainly passed; that they had apparently made a fort near there; and that four of them, three of whom had arrows only and the other a gun, had mortally wounded a Miamy who has hunting roebucks away from the camp; that his dog had put the Iroquois in fear of being discovered, because of his extraordinary barking, and they retired on the main body; that the Miamy braves followed up the trails of their enemies and traced them as far as this wide beaten path, on meeting which they went back because their numbers were not sufficient for attacking that army. They were, in fact, divided into three bands: the Ouiatenon were the nearest to the Iroquois; the Peipikokia occupied the middle place, with a party of Tohatchaking; the rest, with a few Kilatika were a long way off, keeping along the shore of the Lake of the Islinois in their retreat. This occurrence caused them all to join the last named party and pursue one and the same route; for they preferred to take the risk of provisions running short as a result of this junction, rather than that of becoming the food of the Iroquois by marching separately. . . .
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