The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-29
APPEAL or 7HE ByyrUs.
They Ask the President for Justice They
Wish to live LAKE, White Men.

WAsHINGToN, June 2l-To.day the Hon. r.
Y. GreenhalGe. Representative OF the Eighth
Congress district of Massachusetts, presented
to President Harrison Mr. Jeremiah Curtin OF
the Bureau OF Ethnology. Smithsonian lnsttu-
ton. who delivered to the President petition
from tho Wintu and Yana Indians OF Sacra-
mento valley. California. Tho President, while
receiving this petition. promised to use tho
means In his power to obtain justice for tho
Indians. He listened then 10 some OK piHnatory
statements concerning the territory formerly
occupied by the two tribes, and followed with
special interest the account OF the massacre Of
the Yana which took place in 1864 and of tho
attacks on the Wintu, by which they we're re-
duced to the small remnant which they form
Mt present In conclusion the President gave
renewed assurances OF his desire to SEQ justice
done the surviving memhers Of these two tribes
The Wintus' petition was as follows:
To our Great Cet BENJAMIN Rdrrtson, President or n,
SIR; We the undersigned representatives Of
the Wintu and Yann peoples have met together
at RediinG. Shasta county Cal. on this Ith
day Of Novemb er 1889 and after duo delibera-
tion have reso lved to send you the following
statement and petitions:
-, The Wintu people, before whites came into
the land Of our fathers. owned and inhabited
the country extending from Mount Shasta on
the The north to CarG9ines Straits on the south.
mountain range west Of the sacramento valley.
eXcopt IN the region between North Yallo BnllY
west OF he range, and the Wintu occupied one.
half OF the present county Trinity
The eastern boundary beginning Mt the south
was the Sacramento River to Tehama. From
that point northwatd the Wintu had a strin Of
Eo Da en i.. of the Saoramento following tho
triangle Of land between lit River Cow treeE
and the Sacramento. North o! vt Iiver it eX-
the McCloud River Within the above limits
no other people but the Wntu lived. For I'M
tod generations, from the time tho lnraitu
lelt the earth, they owned all the Sullav
right bank OF the Sacramento with tho foot
Nils and northern uplands, as well as the east
The Yana. known by lie whites ms Nosas.
though Yana is their own name for themsely,s,
held and inhabited from the first that country
lying between the Wintu land and that range
running north and south from Lassens Butto
country was Round Mountain ard ' the Sc 9ou is
ern Deer Crock at or near Nna the great
estate OF Senator stanford.
When white men raE.e the Wintu and Yana
owned three-fourths OF the who!s Sacramento
valley from Mount Shasta to the waters Of
beautiful. and valuable land in the state Of
Ca California. "A, A! this land has been taken from
any value Tor it-nOt q single dollar. not even
How did we lose our land with its fisheries.
its hunting grounds. its acorn forests, its Eel 8
ofclover. the blossoms OF which were pleasant
TO describe this to you. our Great Chief. we
will use the, words OF one Of our Oldest and
wisest men. reiprtus; who was in years of
tiers came lie says: we thonghI the be-" Wits
men were Tho lapatu. the ancient people tho
spirits OF our religion who lived IN this world
before the Wintu came into it. some of ,ne.e
aaraitu we're turned into tie animals birds;
the rest won't far away beyond the edge OF the
world. vhere they lived happily
We thought that the white men were the
lapaltU who had come back: We called them
lapaltn. and call them by that name yet from
habit, though We have learned to our cost that
they are different people.
BelieNllE the new DrDiIe to he Nnnaitu,
said T. ourselves at first, There wilt be q bet
ter life now. more justice ana happiness In tho
numerous and strong they took our women,
our children. took our land, killed our men.
l8patu. but with men who had no respect for
us. they wished to band together and defend
their wives. children. and land.
White men came 70 me and said: II your
peopte raise hand net one o. them will live;
NO Will kilithem all" told my people; Don't
this big country" l was mistaken. We agreed
10 leave the whites in reace. but the whites
to be ours, since 1t belonged 10 our !athers, and
IN Justice, it is ours yet, for no man has bought
, No matter where We built a house q white
man came after while and sad. This is my
land" II We answered. No. this is our land,
YOU don't III shoot you: toGshf tits iahd |
cot this land from Washington" Then We had
ii whts men w T Iii Us. G 20 We w had to
cave in silence and 20 to another place. with
heart II must be that washington told the
white, people when you 20 to California kick
& IL WP Pa f%Gf a ai the MP#}q htS drive tho
lousgs We .Iyod tA,ra while. then another
ou Dgg.rs - th I. = NV Iaad." and after th1t
w wore ,!lV"u from pigce to place till now in
ne and vi 1arT mere Is no place 30 barren
IRON ,hs ,ino thet white men began to take
ur GUurLrg 't"I killed a great number of u.s.
4 " -, III lQOtlar AnOtleF
no IIJ zen no.
l,gae Of - at, this timo s:nnl7 Mt n fence
10 you .oo ~, at, YOU Indan' be III. Don't
n nl< t I.Hri here ERE II our women 60 to
- M Those are NV acorns. Don't YOU
- nose hro'Ls want Thorn tor my hogs"
nuoer strong, happy. rich, We have Leen
armed into a reople u few hundred in number.
loney, without education, Without credit,
oked down ugnn ly mon who slew our k.A-
rcd aud po~~'., on" ancient homo.
Such arc the Wlutu people to-day.
W hat Is ITO .uub'lun OF tho ana or NOsaS,
The YanI "Grn 1000 IN number at the lowest
luocour. who dl TO plrm 10 the white,. were
laSsac," IA l.1l, - that OF tho 1000 there
ou.u not 10 lllyn had II not been for tho
umnne efforts ut iIr oliver OF Redding ana
Ir. Nube {, ~ 10 nd Mountain, who secreted
piuN ami wVrnNl uin"r. q escape.
The dr-lru tion yl Oh" ana was wrought by
10 Daul,u. m,u WHO hound Themselves, by
,nt tA,ir' ".Ih ra,y i nshtorrd litis cniI-
rem. taey scared neither Youth nor middle
go r9s IN" IT- 'H",p" y6 GGSt tee nMs
mi wa 'ar and I.' on" i"r-on Of the race.
, Jar - t'eT knew was .'., M .',h ,,,.
80 Nj. 1oIomlaG Curtin g" Tho Smithsonian
ls'it,'lon. WHO has r.l"et"I the details II
pu and ~Hn mas been ,lup powered by us ont
oar hellI. At Washing ur, Will give iIgi."r
should /. be your Sooa piea,groto