The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-03-20

of our enemies. Last SUMMER at Long
Prairie, you said 'sthis is yobr country
it is yours, although it is 4 poor coun-
try for hunting and full Of marshes. B"
Don't you recollect it? Some time ago,
I talked myself with the Great Father
at Washington, as ! now DO with you.
He said that my speech entered his
ears. l tell the truth. My tongue
is single; my hearing is Eingie. The
tribe hear me. They believe me.
The Great Father said heiw was glad to
see us. He said we shoulp have $50,
900, every year in cash and the same
amount in goods. These promises have
mostly failed. Others heard these prom
Uses; not alone. l do not understand
why we should be taken from a good
country and placed in a bad one. l
have said what had to say. We have
not had as much given us hs that (ma-
king gesture 10 signify handfuD this
winter.
AS said this morning; some have
sold their blankets for food. We are
out of food. You are my Father; l
speak plainly to you. We were going
to hunt this winter do not know wheth-
er on Sioux grounds or not. The Sioux
stopped us. Lately the Chippewas
stopped us from hunting. We are a lit
tie band, hemmed in, and have no where
to hunt. | am very old-unable to hunt.
| thought l would come down and see if
you and Gen. Fletcher would not send
me up train load Of provisions. Since
last fall, have had nothing to live on.
1t is fact. These young men know it.
! told you was coming to see you last
fall, but winter came OH and it was too
cold to come. tell you the truth. This
is all have to say.
Winn;shik. Question to Gen. Fletch-
err. Were there not Is Winnebagoes
who did not receive their last July annu-
tiles? There is one of the number
pointing to an Indian. You said
those who could not 60 to the payment,
should be paid afterward. They have
not been paid. These and some Half
Breeds, whose pay amounts in all, to
Sl5O, 90, have not been paid, my wife in
the number. Why is this? (To the
Governor We counselled with you
last summer and were pleased with you
We suppose our Great Father sent you
here to take care of us as we'll as of the
Whites. We expect you to do all you
can for US, in our naked condition.
have done.
Governor Ramsey replied: Gin sub
stance.) lam happy to meet as respect
able men of the tribe, as YOU Dekora,
Winnishik and the rest of you. l re-
member and | repeat to you what said
last summer. Your Great Father wishes
to do all he can for you; but much de-
ponds upon yourselves. Hd has so ma
ny Red children, he cannot always
feed you ALL You must ;know that
game is disappearing every where; and
that unless you do something for liv-
ing beside hunting, you must starve
The Pottowatomies, the Dacotas, all the
tribes, make the same complaint you do
about the scarcity of game.
Your Great Father, knowing what
your necessities would soon be, has sent
among you farmers, and tlacksmiths,
to learn you how to work for your living
Your Father is sorry, that while game is
yearly growing scarcer and''you grow
ing poorer, that you do not raise more
corn.
You see how many Whites are here
and how much better their condition is
than yours, because they work. have
seen yonr country; it is not good for
game; but if you 60 to wotk you can
live well. These things ard not pleas
ant for your young men to- hear; but
your old Chiefs know it is true. Your
Great Father complains much of your
people wandering away dow: n the river.
learn that several hundred have gone
down since last fall l am afraid your
Great Father will be displ passed with
you, OH account Of these things. Your
Great Father has instructed the agent
here, not to pay annuities to those who
do not remain in their own country. Let
your people below know this, so that
they may return and not lose theis an
nuities.
Genl. Fletcher said to the Indians
that he did not expect to see them there
That he was sorry that they had come
That it was unnecessary for them to
come there. That the Governor had
told them that he would inform them
what their Great Father and the De-
partments should say respecting the
word they send him. He told them that
the fact of the Indians coming to ST..
Paul, and their conduct there was dis
approved Of He said that he told the
Indians last fall that they had better
stay in their own country, that if they
went among the Sioux they would be
likely to get into difficulty, and that he
was sorry to find that they had got into
difficulty. He told them that'it was true
that he had not sent provisions to them
since they left their own conntry-that
he was forbid to do so. He told them
that while they remained AZ home he
fed them, and that he had sdme provis-
ions for them at the agency; and adj
vised them to 60 home to their own coun-
try and make sugar and prepare to
plant.
Genl. Fsaid to Winnishik; that all the
Indians that were in their own country
at the time of their payment received
their share Of the annuity and that all
others were excluded. He told Win
n;chik that he (the aUenf\ Mid IN him