The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-08-21
Fem tAs 81. louis Union, august ~.


The Late Sioux Treaties.
The accounts which reached US yesterday of the
late treaty negotiations the banks of the St. Pc
tiers, by which the different banda of the Dakotah
nation have ceded their extensive and valuable
lands in Northern Iowa 10 the United States are
not only replete with wild and romantic interest
almost equal to Cooper's delneations of Indian
life, but lead US TO congnHtulate with our fellow
citizens Of the great Northwest the conclusion
of bargain that will soon bring into market a
farming region of unrivaled fertility and trans
porting loneliness The transaction has been alike
favorable TO both parties. The region assigned
to the Sioux on the upper Minnesota ia regarded
as wise inferior in regard to richness of soil
and salubrity to that they have abandoned
large and liberal bonus in money has been added;
and their removal from immediate contact with
the whites, contact always demoralizing and dis
astrous cannot in itself be regarded otherwise than
as a gain. =.
The acquisition of the Dakotah lands cannot fail
to give an immense impetus to immigration TO the
West. Great as has been the influx of population
into Minnesota and Iowa during two or three
years past, it will bear proportion to the rush
we may look for in future; especially in view Of
the subsidence of the California mania, which for
while operated as check upon migration to the
inviting farming country of the valley of the Mis-
with the people of the upper Mississippi, of which
region St. Louis is, and must long continue to be,
the commercial focus and metropolis.
The scenes in council, as they described by
the editor of the Pioneer, remind of Cooper's last
efforts, or of some of the most vivid and exciting
passages.of Murrays Prairie Bird. They have, be-
sides, the merit of being images of actual fact,
which indeed they profess to be- Old "Sleepy
Eyes," title which proves to be no msnomer the
| Extending TAIL" or "Curly Head" drumming
Walker" and "Star Face, are the principal Sioux
orators and very readable sketches of their speeches
are given. After the bands assembled at the Ira
verse des Sioux had proposed terms of sale very
advantageous to Themselves, which had been in the
main accedcd to by the commissioners, the chiefs,
headmen, and warriors were requested to step up
to table and sign the treaty. Upon this the fool
ish old Sleepy Eyes starts up makes objections to
the proposed amount Of compensation, and names
the cum which the young men of the nation
pected TO get for the land. Greatly mortified and
crest fallen was the worthy Sleepy Eyes when he
was informed by Commissioner Lea that the remu-
neratisn he desired was actually much lower than
the representatives Of the Government had agreed
to give.
Just as the council was breaking up, Curly Head
came forward with his face BACKED, and naked ex-
cept his blanket, and, addressing Governor Ram
sey, said
s.Father: want you to tell me, if you can, who
has made me naked thus, and why | am in mourn
ing. IL is in consequence of listening to what you
have said. Some persons have treated me very
bady-knocked down and ill-treated my young
men--all In consequence OF listening to you,
Father"
The reply of Governor Ramsey seems to have
been home thrust, and efTectually stopped the
mouth Of the red republican. 1t was as follows
81 am sorry with you, that you under the
necessity OF backing your face. Ever since came
into this country as the agent of your Great
Father, have labored with all tribes of Indians to
induce them to desist from taking the lives of each
other, and especially of each others women and
children. j told them they both suffered and
neither gained by this warfare. That generally
the scaps were those of feeble women and helpless
children, who could hurt no one, and would not il
they could That they thus made the Great Spirit
above US angry, and their Great Father on earth
to feel badly; and that the latter had determined
that this evil thing must among his red chill
dren You will recollect that brought you Sioux
and Chippewas together in council last year, at
Fort Smelling and you recoectit was then agreed
that this thing should cease, and that in future you
would be in peace. But early last fall this agree
ment frat broken, by war party of Sees
toan Sioux from Lake Traverse, who went over and
killed four Chippewa children at Ottertail Lake;
and, in retaliation, the Chippewas, during the past
winter, destroyed between here and Lac-qui. Parle
lodge of Sioux; taking five scalps three OF whom
were children. This Is the way your face became
backened; your own people committed the first
wrong. If you had needed what told you, as
} well listened, you would not now be in
mourning"
We are not advised fully of the success which
has attended the efforts made to civilize the Dako
tab nation. We are that grammar and
lexicon of the language have been formed; but the
language itself, far different from the copious,
flexible, and still expanding Pottawattami, is poor
and rigid, and incapable, without vast importa-
ton of foreign words, of being the medium OF COM
muncation among civilized men.
a description of the Indian nations of the north
west which, besides being portraiture of their
habits and customs, should pay some regard to the
affinies ofIndian languages, their religious tradi
tons and their susceptibility of civilization, would
be book of commanding interest
In this age of book making, we wonder that some
of the scrbbling tribe have not rusticated for a
summer or two around st. Anthonys Falls and
the head waters of the Mississippi, in search Of
terial for saeabe book, which would, at the same
time be valuable contribution to our Indian lite
, nature. Such excursion would, to our fancy,
be worth hundred stupid seasons at the over
crowded watering places of the East; and such a
volume, as the result of it, would do more to build
up a solid literary fame than whole cart-load of
} of ephemeral productions.
The Treaty OF MENDoTA.-We have already
/, furnished our readers with full account of the
proceedings at the council at Traverse des Sioux.
The Minnesota Pioneer of August comes to us
with very interesting report of the deliberations
at Mendoza, at the mouth of the Minnesota river,
: which resulted in the conclusion Of second trca-
ty The editor of the Pioneer gives the following
, graphic narrative of his voyage down the Min
nesota
Traverse DEs SIOUX,
Arld all along the Minnesota River,
July a. 1881.
"Strike your tents and march away" was the
word this morning early. The oxen, corn, flour,
. and other provisions were turned over in bulk TO
the different bands of Indians; and our Durham
boat being at length completely loaded, about one
, O'Clock started from the landing below Ora
hams house, bidding farewell to the crowd of In
nm ,lnrl. To