Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-09-22
SITTING BULLS MESSAGE,
A Verbatim Report OF the Sioux
Chiefs Message to the "Great
E,tbar

Chiefs Message to the "Great
Father"
New York Tribune
The following speech was written
down, at the dictatiOn of Sitting Bull,
by William Selwyn, full bloOded Da-
kota Indian, who is employed by the
government in taking the census of the
Indian tribes in Dakota. 1t was writ
ten out by him in the Dakota language,
and then translated by him, and as he
is a well educated young man, and IN
esteemed member of one of the Dakota
Indian missionary bodies, his words
are to be relied upon.
TILE MESSAGE.
81 am the son of the He-rOpa (FOur
Horns, late chief of the Uncapapas)
and it is said that he was one of your
relatives; so, then, you are Il younger
brother to me (sunkachive). You are
a full blooded Dakota, but you adopt
the ways of the whites, and hear you
have been employed by the Great Faith
er.
"FOr the last few years have been
in the North, where there are plenty of
buffalo: for the buffalo were the means
of living. God made me to live on the
flesh of the buffalo; so | thought !
would stay out there as long as there
were buffalo enough for us. But the
Great Father sent for me,seyeral times,
and although | did not know why he
wanted me to come down, at last con-
sented to do so. never, myself, made
war against the children Of the Great
Father, and | never sought fight with
them. While | was looking for bulIa-
10, they would attack and shoot at me
and of course had 10 defend myself,
or else | should die. But all the blame
is put on me. have always Thought
that the Dalotas were all one body;
and | wanted to make an agreement
with them to come and settle down.
While have been in the North, here
and there, Il good many little things
have happened, and | have been
blamed for them; but | know that
am innocent. Those men who have
made the trouble ought to be blamed.
Everybody knows that | was not going
TO stay at the North any longer, hut
that when the buffalo Disappeared |
should make up my mind to come
down.
although you are Dakota you
are employed by the Great Father;
therefore / want you to let him hear
my words. When first came down,
white men came TO me almost every
day to get some wOrls out of me, but |
said: no. When | settle down shall
say some words to the Great Father
| know that some white rascals have
dealt with the DakOtas, and by their
foolish ways have ruined them, As
for myself do not want any one to
do mischievously or dcCeittuIil So |
do not want any ordinary man 10 hear
my words. | tell the whites that my
words are worth something; and even
if they were willing to pay me for Il,
| never made any reply, But as soon
as saw you was well pleased. Al
though you are Il Dakota, yoH have
gathered up many good words and put
them into my ears. To-day | was
wishing that some one would come in
and advise me, us you have done, So it
pleases me very All this people
here belong to me, and | hope that the
Great Father will treat them kindly.
| always thought that when we cmc
back, and any Of my relatives came to
me with good words | would reply
Yes, yes In the future | hope |
shall have some good, honest, reliable
men with me. Interpreters have come
to me often, following me up, and /
have said, no. am not child; If /
want anything | shall take time to
think it over 1t is said Spotted Tail
was killed by being MIXED up with
bad men. Oftentmes 4 man has been
killed by being mixed up with bad
N eli. But | wish that my people may
be treated well, so that they may do
rightly. | am the last one that has
come in Prom the North. and yet
want to surpass the old agency Dako.
tas in what is right, and | wish that
the Great Father would furnish me
with farming implements, sothat | an
till the ground.
"My brother, l wish you would send
this message to the Great Father right
away, so that he will help mc. Now [
have confidence in you thatyou will be
able TO send off my message. am
glad you came to see me. 1t is a good
thing for relatives to see each other,
l have Lo objections to your number
ing the people. SITTING BULL.