The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-09-28
THE INDIAN'sLAMENT
HE MOURNS FOR THE VANISHED HAP
PlNeSS OF HIS RACE.

Whites Did the Indian Grievous Wrong.
The Paradise That Is Gone.
Before the white men came we We're
men, said u Chippewa friend. These
people look back upon their past as upon
lost paradise, in which there were
happiness and innocence. They repudi-
alto the descriptions of them written by
white historians as the work of enemies,
seeking to Justify cruelties and wrongs
Our fathers always did what was
right, and they punished bad men. They
were kind and truo to their friends and
terrible only to their enemies. We wero
great warriors, and we fought for our
own long time. 1t was not the white
mems arms, but their vices, which
ruined us -
What makes you think that tho old
times were so much better? You have
good laws, no wars, and the government
will not let you go hungry. Is not this
better than the old precarious and dan
gerous way of living:'
eve did not 20 hungry. We had more
than we wanted. You can see for your
self what we had from what is left after
so much destruction. There was no end
to tho deer, moose, caribou, beaver,
lynx and all tho smaller fur bearers, and
rs for the fish, you said there was no
fun catching them when you came, they
wero too plenty-truut, bass, pike, pick
crcl, sturgeon-the waters swarmcd
with them. Then look at the wild rice,
nuts, blueberIies, wild plums-oceans
OF them. And then we had cornficlds,
and for smoking the kinnikinic. The
plains wero black with buffalo. We had
no hard work to do. What we did was
manly sport, While it provided us with
food and clothing. And then we were
free, the frcest people in tho world, with
u whole continent in which to enjoy it,
We arc not now what wo were. Our
people have become drunkards, bcggars
and towards. Tho white man has de-
stroyed us, along with everything else.
see that you have among your photo
graphs tho picture Of Chippewa grave.
That is the grave Of the last of the Five
brothers, great warriors. You may say
that is the grave of tho last of the Chip
pewaS, because what were left after the
Seven Brothers and the Five Brothers
were no longer true specimens of our
great and noble people. Tho Seven
Brothers were TccumSch best men
They wcro known all over the Mississip-
pl valley, aud the Five Brothers, who
came after them, We're as good. They
adopted me when my father died. Tho
last ono died 30 years ago, IL very old
man.
II suppose you think the Seven Broth
ers mado president of tho United
States because he beat them at Tippeca-
noc!'
Yes, they made two, and the Chero-
KEGS mado two. The whitemcn Thought
it WAS great thing when, four or five
to one, they could whip an Indian, and
they made heroes of those who did it.
That is what the white man thought of
tho Indian
What about your sign language and
picture writing?''
THAT is nearly forgotten. Only few
know anything about it., and they are
old men. The sign language was what
deaf and dumb people have, only it was
simpler, and all the tribes understood
It, For example, if you came stranger
to tepee of Il village, stamp of the
foot on the ground meant TINT you were
Welcomc-two or three stamps, that you
were very welcome. Hunting signals
were made with the hands. Four fingers
and the thumb down meant u bear
with the thumb up II deer. If IL lynx or
other climber, climbing signs. II the
animal were running, tho hand with
fingers down made bounding motions.
If a man, tho forefingcr was held up. If
the man We're hiding, the finger was
closed down To the hand. Picture writ
ing was done on bark and was Il map
with various signs and animals here and
there upon it. A circle meant yell
by which the reader was instructed to
call when lie reached IL certain point. -
"You had frccnasonry for Your fam
lies, did you not"
Yes, | can recognize II relative,
though never met him hef re-. The use
for this has died out, but we cannot
give it to any one not entitled to it,"
what was your totcm!"
"The alligator. The alligator can live
Ill tho water and on the land. File lives
to be very old. 1t means long life and
good luck i'll hunting and fishing. 1t
was the totem Of the Five Brothers, and
they gave it to me when they adopted
me-. :"
My friend thinks that the Indians
would have developed civilization by
this time if they had been let alone
They were already cultivators of the
soil and were no longer nomadic. One
element OF their success in war was
their endurance and speed OH foot.
When he was a youth, he led Il dog
team Oh the SHOW G5 miles in one day.
He walked from the st. Croix to Bay
field, - miles. in 2S hnnrs aud thir ,rnc