Year: 1876




Bears and others, at the Stand.
ing Rock.BIack Hills COuncil..
Strong Points i'm Indian Charac.
ter Devclope oped-.ComPlaints we'll
Put, &c. sftr5


John Grass was the FIRST to talk. He
said: .rs;p 8s5


The Dakotas can not pass judgment
on important matters so readily as
white men. say this because you want
US to finish this business to-day. be-
hold you my friends to-day with glad
heart. I am glad that we are to-day to
renew a treaty. 1t pleases me that you
pray to the Great Spirit. He made this
earth for the Dakotas and placed them
upon it. The words ofthe good Bishop
brought this to nv mind. The Great
Father has selected this commission
from just and kind hearted men, and |
want them to lock at me with both eyes
and listen with both ears while l talk
to them and tell them what look for
ward to, which [ want them to remem'
ber always. The white people look for
a country which pleases them, and when
thev find one that suits them they locate
and consider that an inheritance. The
Indian is the same. The Great Spirit
has made many countries, and the peo'
ple of these countries bargain with each
other for land. You came from the
Great Father to enquire about my land
but I will never find one better than the
one have and so I cannot look upon it
without value. You talk to US of a
strange country but we want you to
strike that out of the treaty: Ny faith
er had the white people for his friends:
Our grand fathers, our fathers and all OF
our children were raised on the Nilsson
ri river and I told my grandfather l
should never leave this land. Red Cloud
and Spotted Tail and their people are
not pleased to live on the Missouri and
they may 20 to see other countries, but
we are pleased with this conntry and
wish to remain. 4


You have come to US with word from
other agencies. Ifa majority Of the In
d,ans decide to remain on the Missouri
we wish Spotted Tail and Red Cloud to
remain also. What you haYe asked US
to consider we have considered and l
and the chiefs here present say yes.
The word you bring US gives joy to our
hearts and life to our children, and we
are therefore happy, and now that we
have ceded this country to you they
! will tell you what they want for them
selves and children. [ shall say much
that will not please you but I shall tell
the truth.


He continued expressing desire for
schools, Roman Catholic instruction,
for wagons that are not rotten as those
formerly sent them were, for light wag-
ons, COWS and bulls for breeding, and
horses, sheep and hogs for the same, for
plows, large and small, cultivators, har-
rows, mowers, working oxen, furniture,
etc. He thou ght if he could see the
Great Father he could give him an an
swer in relation to these things, and
said, when the Great Father sends me
goods I want him to send me bill Of
chem that our half.breeds may read it
and we can tell if the goods come. He
then asked If the President and the
eight agents they had had were still
alive. Being told that they were, he
said, we are still alive and shall look
after some things. The Great Father
has not been respected by his agents
and the Dakotas have been abused. The
Great Father thinks that we have
received all that he has sent US, but we
have received only the smallest portion.
The things he has sent US which we have
not received are yet ours and We want
them found. [ could not tell the Great
Father these things because am poor
Indian, but I can tell them to these Just
M n and I want them to tell the Great
Father. The things that would have
made us self:surporting on this river
are all gone. You have spoken well to
US and | will tell you what have learn
ed. AS you write you have paper un-
der the sheet on which you write that
is not written on. This is the way our
agents have done only they write their
names on the blank paper. Grass con
tinued asking for blacksmiths, carpen
ters, farmers, and complained much OF
the trader system which allows but one
trader TO each agency He then made:
strong plea for Kill Eagles release
and said as it was customary to do some
good act on days of feasting he wanted
Kill Eagle released. He urged that
many Indians are out who are not bad
and he wanted another opportunity to
invite them in, and wanted the Great
Father to send last word to these who
are bad. Antelope said: -


see many of the commissioners have
grew hairs. Nv hair is becoming grew