I will go back to the old time. Then before the whites came we were a happy people. Since the whites came everything has drifted away from us. From the time we ceded the first land we have drifted to poverty, starvation and death. Poverty still follows us.
The name of Christian is powerful, and there is nothing our Great Father cannot do. You represent the Great Father, and we see in you all his strength. Compare yourself with me. You have intelligence and learning; what have I? Nothing except what I learn through my ears and eyes. When our Great Father gets us together we cede land all into his hands depending on him to find us our provisions and get us our annuities. From the ceding of lands poverty has been chasing us and is still chasing us.
I fear that when the Great Father has taken away everything, then he will chastise us and send us to the Bad Lands. This fear is a stumbling block in our way and we can go no further. When I look at the power of my Great Father and then look at our poverty and the poverty of our children, though the name of Christian is powerful, it seems as if the power of Religious Association could not drive it away.
Now you have come to see us as we are -- you have found what you wished. Many letters have been written, but it cannot be put in black and white as well as you can see with your eyes, how our funds have been expended. You have come just at the right time to see what must give us a living here after farming. We wish you to have positive proof and whatever we say we will point out the proofs
Mr. Warren was in Washington with us when stipulations were made as to carrying on the reservation. We' were told there would be $6,000 a year to help such a would work.
What you told us yesterday you had done among the Sioux is what we wanted here but could not get. $25,00( was received for allowing Otter Tail Indians upon our reservation. Have tried to advise about spending it. Have nave been allowed to counsel about expenditure. Last year received $25,000 for Pembina tract. We wanted voice in disposition of it, but were not listened to. Seeing how our young men were going to work we tried to have a fund of $5,000 set aside to help them or for an emergency. We wanted it put in the hands of the Bishop, but it was not allowed, and we have nothing now. There are many of our young men who have not adopted the white men's ways yet, and we wanted to advise with them, and asked for a council house to meet in, but could not get it. We want to start in agriculture.
We know what it is to be our own independence. They gave us small cattle and no plows and then told us to go to work. Last fall there was much grain sold. Our cattle were too small; the horses were disposed of, and when we wanted plowing done this spring, we got the same answer. I must have misunderstood in Washington because we cannot get the $6,000 set aside.
If they would listen to us it would be better; but they never take our advice but go ahead as they think proper.
When we saw we had no resources we asked help from our annuity. We are not at a loss to work. We know how to plow, and to drive and hoe. If more confidence was placed in us we could live better. No wonder I cannot turn my face to our friends because our progress is so slow. We have not the things to do with.
I have told you why our progress is so slow, and now another thing I want to mention. We wish to ask if any wheat raised here from agricultural fund does not belong to us. If so why should we take it to our credit? Our father went to buy flour -- here is a sample of flour. Our Father bought it below cost -- nine dollars -- some say not nine dollar flour. Have to pay $30 per barrel for pork. When we take from traders they sell cheaper. Perhaps Great Father wants to get rich sooner than trader.
We lay no blame, only state what is transpiring. We wish you to know exactly how we are. Generally our Great Father sends big men. They come up -- find condition of Indians. Make many papers for benefit of Indians. Then see agent, and he puts pieces of green paper in their eyes, and when they go back papers never come up.
The flour raised here was issued to us; our agent got flour to replace it. Whom does it belong to? Little while after we heard that the timber was sold we were keeping for our children. I alluded to our Great Father stripping us. When we heard our Great Father was taking the timber without asking us it frightened us; we are frightened yet. We fear he wishes us to be unruly so as to send us off. It is worth asking for if it is worth buying. It is right to ask us before selling anything that belongs to us. I never ceded land and tried to take it back.
The Great Father always has asked and should have done it this time. We have had talks with Pillagers to see if they have had talks about selling pine. None of them have ever sold the pine. That is what we feared. We are not pleased to have it sold without permission. We want to keep it as a fund for our young men. Now we wish you could see the Pillagers and hear them say just what we say here to-day.
Should you ever hear that the pine was sold with the consent of the Indians it was done in a corner, and not in open council. Think it was wrong for agent to have disposed of our horses. Have been trying to have done for us as you did for Sioux. If any encouragement was given to those who work all would work.
We know your time is precious, that you are in a hurry on account of your dinner; we are not anxious having no dinner. You know we have not the knowledge to read and write as white men. Be always lenient with us, because on account of our ignorance we can make no memorandums and are, therefore, liable to mistakes. I have asked about the $25,000 from Pembina, and the $25,000 from Otter Tail, $50,000 in all. The reason I ask about that money is that when inquiries are made by my people I cannot explain to them. When I have asked about that fund I did so because I wanted to help the Indians who have never known how much was left of it, or anything about it. What troubles us, we do not know how our affairs are managed, and cannot make amount of work done and money meet. We always feel thankful when our Great Father extends a helping hand to us, but we want to know how it is expended. We know our wants better than strangers.
If all the work has been done with the $6,000, then the $25,000 is yet unexpended. Perhaps it has gone back to the big box of the Great Father. We have signed many vouchers and will sign no more until we know about the $25,000. You have taught us to come to business, and business is business; when we touch the pen we must know what it is for. You see how blind we are. We thought the teams were to be fed from the harvest. Where did the oats go to ? About the $6,000, we know that it is a small matter. We wish to say to you that we were glad to hear that the beloved Bishop was to take charge of us. We will work hard and strive hard not to disappoint him in any way. You can see at yonder church what he has done for our spiritual welfare, and what progress we have made. Not satisfied with that he is now striving for our temporal welfare. Who can return what has been done for us by our beloved Bishop ? He has brought us from darkness to light. Our faults have never discouraged him. When hungry he has fed us, and when in trouble advised us, and no tongue can express what we feel for him. That in his being put over us, there has been some dispensation of Providence, none can question. His hand has always been stretched out for us. May the Great Spirit long spare him to us. You can see how he has helped us. Though we were trying to help ourselves he was not satisfied, but sent us plows, oxens cows, hoes, seeds and many necessary things. Who but a father would have done all this ? He built us a church and then a hospital. No one knows or can see the end, for his hand still keeps pushing us on. We are not blind to what is done for us. You will visit many places in your travels. Notice Leech Lake where the kindness of the Bishop has not reached. They have had many missionaries and much money, but nothing is done where he is not. They all say that when the Bishop's influence comes among them they will be as we are. The power of that saving influence has not reached many of them. Let the government be lenient until the same influence that has been with us has been with all. Pity our needs. Pity our kindred. To find fault with us will always be in place here, for we have been tried and have been given opportunities. Those that have not been tried do not judge too harshly. Pity them if they leave their reservation and get into trouble. They cannot subsist without game, and there is no game on their reservation; always bear in mind that they have had no such start as we. We are all sinking and dwindling away. From the time of first cession dates the loss of our chieftanship Then wasted from our hands all power. We ask now for pity, and aid to help the good desired. Can you question the respect we have for the Great Father and the whites? Do you know my idea and the ideas of those about me ? It is that the Great Father cannot be ignorant of these things, and we expect that he will help us to support our children. When cessions were made we used to have a consideration given us. We did not know the Master of Life, nor the many customs that we now do, but money was kept in trust for our benefit. In putting this money that was held in trust, in the hands of persons or agents to care for us, there have been many made rich by collusion and measures of dishonesty. From many getting rich on the mere pittance of $1,500 a year? we have been led to believe that we have been tampered with, and that unmercifully. When our Great Father found he could not obtain proper men for our agents, he made up his mind to try religious societies. You cannot imagine what feelings of surprise it caused us that after a clergyman was appointed our agent, we found our property being taken away without even our consent being asked. When the first agent of a religious society was sent to us we had an idea that something was wrong. The next was a minister. He found a great deal of help to begin with. $20,000, from Government. Same time he found $57,000 removal money. After the last amount named they found a band of Indians at Otter Tail Lake not included in Treaty who had no reservation, and no means of living except by fishing. To make a home for them on this reservation $25,000 was given us. We were then advancing a little toward our present life, and we thought by taking some of our lands for the Otter Tails and receiving a fund it would be for the greater benefit of all. But we wanted a voice in the expending of that money.
Some time after we were asked to allow the Pembina Indians a home on this reservation, and another sum of $25,000 was given. The first money received for the home of the Otter Tails had taught us a lesson. No voice had been allowed us in the expenditure of it, and we thought should ever a similar case come around we would remember it.
That same $50,000 of money has gone, and we cannot tell where it has gone to. That is exactly what we want to know, and we want to see all the papers in regard to it. You remember the last agent said he had expended but the $6,000; I am without prejudice, but make this demand to know how the money has been expended. I should be very much surprised to hear that this money had gone back into the Treasury.
Then again this matter of the pine sale. When we heard our pine had been sold without consulting us, I cried and prayed it might not be wrested from us without our consent. It is a great point with us. Let it go and what have we left us Chippewa Indians? Nothing. The pine sold is as much ours as this reservation; that is why we should have been consulted. When we came on this reservation we were told by the Great Father that when land belonged to us it could not be taken from us unless we were willing to part with it. We consider no bargain valid unless we have had a voice in the matter; not good unless we have consented.
We ask you to see that this matter is redressed for us. Will you blame me if I had the thought that a minister should be above fraud. Here stands the minister of God, says he comes here to take care of the Indians. Who is his God ? Is he a greenback ? That is what I am led to believe in my ignorance. Instead of worshipping God; worshipping a greenback. I know the man who has led us to life. When I look right I can see before me always the man who leads, and that man is the Bishop. He leads us to life. He has done all we think.
As for myself, as I look through that window, I see those white clouds; I am named White Cloud, and I pray God to keep my heart as white as those clouds to help those under me.
I pray that never may any temptation take me from the duty I owe my tribe and all men.
To return to the main narrative, click on the Back button.