The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1956-03-15
Under the Council Elm

1t was a great white elm, five feet
and so feet to the first limb,
whose immense foliage shaded the
grass beneath for many square yards.
1t stood overlooking the Grand
Rapids of the Maumee a few miles
above Ft. Meigs and because the spot
was a favoriate Indian council ground
the old tree was widely known on the
frontier as "the Council Elm" 1t
stood until July, 1879, when it was
blown down by severe storm.
What goes on at these Indian coun-
ellis? let's attend this one-the last
of any consequence until the Indians
left for Kansas in the 1830s. 1t was
after the lands had been ceded to the
general government but the Indians
yet lived on and held possession of
of them.
After the treaty had been made
renegade white hunters and trappers,
bootleggers and bee-hunters overran
the country, destroying the Indians
traps stealing their horses, killing
their game and making life generally
uncomfortable for them. Tiring of
these things the Indians appealed to
the local Indian agent, man named
Jackson, given name not remembered,
to have such abuses stopped and
redresses made for losses already
suffered. The big council ensued.
For days the Indians drifted in and
by council-day the chiefs and head
men nearly all were present and by
| 10 o'clock the assembled braves were
ready for the "grand smoke" and
talk with the white chief, "O-ke-maw
.we-bush-ke." The day was warm and
the shade of the big elm was well
come. Among the chiefs were Waseon,
Ottokee, Petoniquet and Nacichewa
and the whites present were Jackson,
the agent; Col. George Knaggs, Ed
ward Howard; d. w. Howard
Edwards son and "Uncle" Peter
Menor, the French trader. The In
dians sat on the grass in a semicircle
in front of the white men and the
younger warriors and hunters not
admitted to the circle sat in groups
beneath the shade of the big elm.
Jackson sat on a log with Menor and
Edward Howard to his left. Young
ID. w. Howard, who had gone to
school and played with the Indian
boys and therefore knew their
language, had been picked to act as
the interpretor.Th council convened
and the head chief, Ottokee, lit the
pipe of kinnikinnick. 1t was passed
around from mouth to mouth.
The white men too, took the pipe
and it went around several times
before the council was ready to gC
ahead with the "big talk" jackson
then said that his "ears were oper
and he would listen to the words Of
the Chiefs" There was silence for {
few moments then Ottokee rose to hi
feet and with the dignity of a prince
and arms folded across his breast
began to speak.
"The great father is so far away
that he cannot hear his red children
when they call to him their distress
They have called to him many time!
to have him drive away the bad white
men but he did not hear them.
"The great father is good but tn,
white men fill his ears and he canno
hear the red men call. My whit,
brother sitting before me is the half
brother of the Great Chief at the Biz
House and he has heard us and nov
listens to what we say. The bad whit
men have trapped our otter and mink
killed our deer, have stolen our horse
and abused our women; have campet
on our land and called it their own
and when we tell them to go ava,
they hold up their rifles and say the,
will shoot. What must we do?
"We have waited many, man,
moons, very long, for our Great Fathe
to drive away these bad men from ou
land but he has not done it and if w
drive them he will be angry with us
He has women; he has children; viii
he let these bad men abuse them