OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. to hear the same good words from you, and I take it into my heart. There are a few of us here to- cfay ; we do not know that we have done anything wrong. The law that the great chief has made we have kept. It is not iu my heart to find fault with the agent here. If the commissioner says anything is not right we will change it. I have confidence that what is done is good. There are some white men who say that we will not be permitted to remain on the reservation. I do not feel badly about it. I did not make this laud. God made it, and I was placed upon it. All I fear is the passing away from the world. My heart is quiet, and I don't mind what the white men say about our leaving the reservation. The treaty assigned us this land, and we will remain on it. The great chief ( commissioner) has come to us, and we are glad to hear his words ; they give us courage, and we now know that we will remain here, and our children will die on this reservation. Long ago, the Great Father said, " This is your land, and here you shall remain." White men come and say, we want to put cattle on your land by and by ; they say we will pay you for it, and so they will do now. I have my cattle here ; occasionally I lose some, or perhaps the drovers take them away. My idea is to let them increase here, and not to lose them. I want to know what you think of other people's cattle being kept here on our land. MAN- I \ VACH. I heard Governor Stevens's law, and recollect it. I was one of them who made the treaty. At that time it was said we were all to be friends, and here I am, a friend of the whites. Governor Stevens was sent by the President, and to- day another great chief is here from Washington. My heart is glad. The President is our father and does not forget his children away out here. I never saw the President ; he is far off ; but I think of him often ; this is my heart. SIIA- WA- NIE, ( JAMES.) Long ago I knew nothing ; it was as if I had been asleep and just woke up. We often disputed about our chief years ago, but Joe Stuires, our chief, now takes good care of us. Captain Smith came here and turned Joe out, and I wondered who should be our chief. My mind is that Joe Stuires should always be our chief. Some of the Indians say they don't want Joe Stuires to be chief, and they are hunting another man. That is all I have to say to the great chief. WATCH- CHUM- KEE, ( an old man who signed the treaty.) My heart is glad to see the great chi^. f to- day. The President has sent you, and it is as if the President talked himself to us. We want you to instruct us. We have hearts that we cannot express. We can listen, but cannot express what we wish to say. There are on the reservation three persons as it were. Our people have different hearts. It is good that you have come to see this people, looking like your people, and to see how our hearts are. Our hearts are good, and we want to do what is right. Long ago we had foolish hearts, and wanted to go to war, but now all is good. The great chief ( President) has sent word to be quiet and friendly, and so we are. Half of us have taken the great chief's advice, and our children are grow-ing here, and we are happy, and our cattle and horses are increasing. We love our land, and we don't want it taken away, and we feel sad when white men talk of taking our land. To- day I tell you our hearts, and you will tell the President for us. All over the land all is peace. Our old men who fought have passed away, and all is good. GEORGE PAUL. My heart is glad to- day to see the great chief. My heart is warm. It is not all right here. It is as if there were three people ; the Catholics, the drummers, ( or heathen,) and ourselves. This does not give us good hearts. We do not all agree, and come to get good advice. Half do not come up to receive the instruction that is given. To- day you will see for yourself. We would like all to come up and get good advice. We would like the others to be separated from us, and those that are left would be as one. These young men are like my brothers. We like your words of instruction, and will always keep them in our hearts. On Sabbath I felt my heart was weak. Only the Great God sees all my heart. My heart is glad to- day. Although the great chief ( President) is away off, you represent him ; you rouse us up. All are happy as we were when Wilbur was returned as agent. It was then as if we had been asleep and woke up. Mr. Wilbur brought good laws, and we keep them ; we throw away what is bad. A long time ago, when Lee and Perkins ( missionaries) came to the Dalles, the older Indians were like dead ; they woke them up, but the old Indians are almost all gone. Mr. Wilbur came here and woke us up as Perkins did the others. We are happy here. White people tell different stories, but we don't get them into our hearts. We are fixed here, and when we do wrong we will lose the reservation, but if we do right we will always be here and will be happy. There are three heads. There are drummers, Catholics, and Mr. Wilbur's people. We don't like it. Our hearts are glad ; we want to follow the advice of Mr. Wilbur. JOHN LUMLEY. Long ago I lived at Fort Vancouver. I did not know anything when I came here. I heard Governor Stevens say good words. He said if we did right, all would be well, and so it is. The great chief ( President) sent Mr. Wilbur here, and when he came we knew nothing. All we young men used to do what was bad, and we liked it. We did not get along well. Mr. Wilbur said to throw what was bad away. My heart was like a stone for two summers and two winters ; then I took Mr.. Wilbur's advice. The President said all the Indians should be good, and I took that advice. Our parents were wicked and knew nothing that was good. Now that we have taken the heart of the whites, my heart is happy. To day the advice given is good; we do not want to do what is bad. Whatever the great chief ( commissioner) says we will do. That is the heart of all the young men. |