Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-07-01
SO that they are being assisted by great sums
OF money for their advancement

SO that they are being assisted by great sums
OF money for their advancement,
l, an OJibway, though friendly with the great
father, am assisted but little. Whoever is the
friend sof the great father, he is the one who
should be treated fairly and assisted. Now
he shuts me up (refers to datns,) and wishes
to take those things which support an Indian.
Where will those Indians living on other reser.
vations go? Must they starve?
we are in fear. Our rights are disregarded.
we have not had sufficient seed this spring,
though our agent has done what he could.
but he has received instructions from the
Indian commissioner not to assist US, or that
v we must depend on ourselves,
sos fns sssas Of An our dss d' ma as
De given time, and fully prepared to become
sen supporting, You know, and our agent
knows, that he receives instructions to keep
Inc INDIANS on their reservations. Does the
great iather intend to Imake US starve? And
II our crops fail where shall we go? We shall
expect TO go TO our big warehouses, ti. e., the
lakes on which dams are being built We the
Mississippi Chippewas, will go there. Wecan.
not starve where fish are plenty. And, there
fore, when we hear of other bands OF our
tribe, the Ojibways, beng robbed of their
lands, we are afraid for the sake of our chll-
dren, knowing the question of the building of
the dams is not settled.
and am surprised that the great father should
accept the award as made by the commission,
and send the money. | was told that one cent
an acre was to be paid for cur lands. l am
poor, but not SO poor as to accept that amount,
and II urged to take it would only do so to
throw it aside.
We have friends in st. Paul who know our
standing with the great father, and on whom
we depend, those who never tell an Indian
lie. AS an Indian, am weak and powerless,
and am thought to have bandage over my
eyes. Being poor, cannot defend myself, but
do think the white people will think twice
before they act. Those of my children, the
mixed blood persons, who tread the ground as
do, (means owning rghts), have they not a
right TO say something when ANYTHING of i'm
portance affects our interests The mixed
blood Is not blind, and if l see nothing, is it
not right for me to ask him about 1t, and is it
wrong for him to tell me? II saw that those
children OF mine looked at anything in a.
wrong light, should tell them to sit down.
They are my children, and / have right to
do so.
Tell the governor that we wish no trouble.
say this for the Mississippi chiefs. do not
speak for the Pillagers. They have their own
minds. We know what we say.
was very much surprised to ar that .se
agent had received money to pay the awards
after us rot giving consent. / had a person
to write my words. The commission had one
also. l said that their writings should be
compared SO that proper representations
would be made. The commissioners promised
to represent everything. 1t would be sur
piising that those who have good hearts
would not do as they said, and none but bad
travelling men, who wander from city to city,
lhe means tramps) would fail to do as they
promised, and are not the men to do right.
We have two churches, where we are told
of the Good Spirit who gives us reason or un-
derstanding, from which follow friendship
and good win. and the Bad Spirit creates thicv
ing, robbery, dishonesty, murder and blood
shed. From him we receive all that Is bad
We do not wish that and shall put it aside. We
will take up good will and friendship, and
hold to that, but we are afraid and look snx-
iously for good work and fair settlement of
the questions that disturb us.
l am Mississippi Ojibway Indian, and talk
as such about the land guaranteed by the
great father to us. l wish that the money
should not be paid to any one until an
understanding is arrived at. l wish
this understood, and until then would sug-
gest that the work on the dam be temporarily
stopped.
l say to you again that do not wish trou-
BILE, and no young men of tine reservation shall
create any, but ask and shall expect justice.
When say how ignorant am thought, l
say SO, because am awarded a cent an acre
for our land. The commissioners thought
themselves liberal In the appraisal of its
value. 1t is singular that land is so cheap
this year, and worth cent an acre, as shown
by the awards read to us by the agent.
wish it would remain at that price. II tho
great father will take cent an acre, we
would like to invest our remaining annuties
in re-purchasing the lands we sold. We
would get back over half of Minnesota aud
Wisconsin.
This Is all l have TO say. | am glad
you came to know our thoughts, aad to
learn that we wish the work at the dams to
stop until steps are taken for an understand
ing. Ask the governor to use hislinhuence.
wish it understood that any person re-
ceiving annunities, full or mixed blood, shall
have right to talk on this reservation when
ever anything affects their interests, and we
wish the counsel of white men related to us
by marriage. They also should have right
to speak.
If a commission should come here it should
be composed OF good men, and vested with
power, and not of the kind who came here
last fall, who appeared blind. We
wish good men selected, those of
understanding, and knowing the Indian char
acter. We will meet them anywhere in the
Ojibway country, SO that all can hear, and
everything be smothered that disheartens
them. Should any part of our understanding
be left open, if necessary delegation could
visit the great father next winter. if it meet
with approval. This is all. Other chiefs
may have something to say"
MINNETowAUB's SPEECH.
"My friend, who has just spoken, has said
everything, but have few words to add.
He has covered the ground. Our hearts are
heavy. 1t is very surprising
that the great father should
take our properly. have thought all winter,
If he wished it, he would send for me and
make money arrangements. | ksow the
boundaries OF our reservations, and what the
great father will take will harm me. know
It's value and what the damage will be, though
they think me blind. do nothing In hasty
manner. l have made my calculations. If |
do anything haphazlrdly, will iDjure myself,
as all persons do who attend to their affairs in
this manner. AS an Indian, do not wish to
show my teeth. and do not wish the white
man to show his. / wish to settle in friend
ship, and wish you to tell the governor this
THIS is all I have to say"
need not add that the Chippewa Indians
are fully conscious Of the fatality of hostile
demonstration against the government, nor
that they feel a great injury is being done
them in this matter which they are powerless
to redress. They feel injured and wronged and
think if they remain inactive and silent their
conduct Will be construed not only as acquies.
cence IN but approval OF the acts of which
they complain.
From what have said your excellency will
readily perceive the remedy for the evils oil
which they complain from their standpoint
viz: the appointment of proper persons on the