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Show REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. 135 APPENDIX A d, No. 5. COUNCIL AT SKOKOMISH. MINUTES OF A COUNCIL WITH SKOKOMISH INDIANS AT THEIR RESERVATION IN WASHING-TON TEIUUTOKY, BY COMMISSIONER FKLIX R BRUNOT. SKOKOMISH RESERVATION, Washington Territory, Monday, September 4, 1871. This reservation is situated at the head of Hood's Canal. The Indians on it have made considerable progress in the ways of civilization; many of them are engaged in logging. Mr. Eels, the new agent, has been in charge but a short time. Spent Sunday Mr. Brunot conducting a morning service with, the employe's, and holding an afternoon service with the Indians in the open air. At 10 o'clock a council was held with the Indians. There were present Commissioner Bruuot, T. K. Cree, hi- secretary, General McKenney, Mr. Eels, the agent, all the employ6s, and of the Indians, the young chief, Duke of York, General Gaines, and all the Indians on the reservation, old and young. In opening the council Mr. Brunot said : When the white men have a great talk, and all their great men are gathered, they ask God, who made all things, to bless their talk. I am now going to ask God to look upon us and bless us and have pity on us all. Mr. Brunot then led in prayer, after which he said : You have had commissioners and chiefs from Washington come and talk to you before this. Some of them have told you good things that it would be well for you to remember. About eleven years ago your chiefs made a treaty with Governor Stevens. At the time of the treaty there were more of you than there are now ; many of the Indians who were liv-ing at the time of that treaty are dead and gone. There were not so many white men then as there are now, but there were a great many more Indians. The white men are increas-ing In numbers, and will get to be more and more numerous every day. The Indians are becoming few. What is the reason of this? Some good white men are sorry to see the In-dians are getting fewer. The President at Washington knows this ; and he knows the rea-son of it. He has heard that some of the white men he sent here did not do Vight with the Indians, and he has heard that the Indians did not do what they agreed to do when they made the treaty with Governor Stevens. He wanted to know exactly the condition of the Indians ; and he sent men to see you, that they might tell you his mind, and might hear you and tell him what you say. It is just the same as if he was looking with his own eyes at you, and whatever you say is to be put down on paper, and it will be the same as if he had heard it with his own ears. I have been to other reservations to the Indians away be-yond the Cascade Mountains. I have heard their talk, and I have talked to them ; and now I have come to talk to you and hear what yon have to say. I am glad to see you. I have seen some Indians who are different from you ; who are very much like white people. They have everything in their houses like white people. Among them I have seen some who stand up like white preachers and tell their people about. God ; and they are chiefs among white people. How did those Indians get to be so much better off than others ? How did some of them have five hundred cattle and hundreds of horses ? They did not do it by hav-ing " cultus potlaches,'' nor by practicing " temanamus." They don't gamble nor drink whisky, nor wander all about the country. They have a home a place to go to. If a man gets away off he always wants to come back to his home where his own family stays. The Indians 1 am talking about send their children to school. They learn to read and write, and they learn what is in the Bible. The Bible has the words in it that made the white man what he is; and the Indians know that the same words will make the Indians like good white men ; arid that is why they are sending 1 their children to school where they may learn the same words. They learn there that God made the white man and the Indian like Himself. He made them all out of the same ground. They learned there that it is not right for man who was made like God to make himself different. When God made us this way it is not right for us to change our heads and make them a different shape. You ought not to take the little children who can't help themselves and flatten their heads. We men would not have our heads flattened, so we should not take the children and flatten theirs. God does not mean for us to do so. Some of you men have flat heads. You can't help it. I am sor-ry ; and I tell you so that you will not do it to your children. That is one of the things I want you to quit. There are many things Indians do that white people don't do. There is one thing the treaty said, and it was signed by the " Duke of York" and others that are here. I see in it they did not want these people to drink whisky. They put in that treaty the words, that whoever would drink whisky should not get their annuities or have the benefits of the reservation. Although that was in the treaty, I fear many of the Indians do drink whisky ; and I know bad white men give it and sell it to you. Suppose I come here and I want to get your money and blankets, and I hand you something, and say take this. Sup-pose you give me your money, and you open your hand and you have nothing. Do you think you would let me do that again ? You would not let me deceive you that way twice. Suppose I come and say I will give you this ; I put itiu your mouth ; it is poison and makes you sick. You would not let me fool you that way again. Suppose a man gives you whisky |