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Show 98 REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. bad. I know there are bad Indians, too. That is about an even thing-. There are white men mean enough to sell and give you whisky and ruin you. And after eleven years these people are foolish enough, some of them, to drink whisky. The Government does all it can to prevent it. Our good men don't like it, and your good men don't. Bat the question we are here to talk about now is, what is for your good; not to talk like enemies that are try-ing to cheat you; but to trade our hearts, and see what is good. When we have looked everything over we will agree what is good. We want to help you. We know the white man wants this country. We have not said for you to sell out ; but when we have changed hearts about it we may conclude you never ought to sell. We look into the d- iys to come, all time to come. We need not look behind us unless we can learn something from it. Sometimes a man looks back on his trail; he finds it very crooked. He can see when he turned out of the right path where the crooked places are, and he may learn something from it. We talked with you about looking back yesterday. Tewalka Temany looks back when he was a little boy. What does he see ? He sees all the country full of red men ; no white men. Where are they now ? What killed them ? I need not tell you ; you know that they were not strong enough to hold their hand against the white man. If you could not do it when the country was full of red men, can you do it now ? I do not mean in war ; I mean in business. You could not stop the white men coming here. You can't stop the progress of the white man; he goes where he will; he is strong. We can learn something by that, and not forgetting all these things that have happened, and looking over your present home, we see just how it is situated, and how it is surrounded with all the bad white people crowd-ing in on all sides wanting your lands ; a great road running through your reservation with a railroad talked of that may go through here, with a little town down here where some of your young menget drunk, and Birch Creek, and over on that side Med House would it not be worth while to study over this matter, to see whether any change ought to be made 1 I do not know of any place so good as Umatilla for you. Supposing this all to be an Indian country ; it is the best there is in this country ; you know it, and the white man knows it. You love your country, and it is right you should, and you ought not to give it up unless another home can be found for you. That is just what we want to talk about. 1 don't know just where it is myself; these men do not know; the Indians do not know ; but when we sit down like brothers and council together, maybe we can find some place where th^ y will be out of the way of the white man ; maybe we can and maybe we cannot. We ( commis-sioners) are not willing that ever you give up this land unless a home can be found for you where you can live at peace. We have heard of a great many places where you might go, talked by your friends, and those who were not friends. We have heard Walloa Val-ley talked of. We have never seen it. We have heard that the Nez Perce" have a good country and a big one. Some of us have seen that, and some have not. We do not know what the Nez Percy's heart is. We do not know what their country is. We have heard talk of the council at the mouth of the Yakama. We have seen that country. It looks as if there was little good land there a great deal of bad land. We suppose there are many fish there. We have heard of Simcoe reservation. We do not know what the heart of the Simcoe people is. We have not seen that country. Mr. Brunot has seen it. We have heard of the Snake country, a large country south of here. We have seen that country ; it is a very big country, has a great deal of rich land, and a great deal more sage bushes, very little timber, a great deal of grass, a great deal of fish. It is a great root country. We have heard these places all talked about, and perhaps you would not like any of them. But there is no harm in talking about them. It may be a good thing to think it over. If we ( whites and Indians) could find a country to suit this people, and after we have changed hearts if we find we want to select another country, the money that Umatilla would sell for would fix you comfortably for many years, if you ever find another home. The old law about homes will be dead, and wherever you are located you will have your homes in sever-alty, and it will not be in common; and you can hold them forever, whether it be on that reservation or anywhere you may go. Mr. Brunot agrees with us about this thing. We have talked a long time, we have tried to show you some of our heart. We don't want to keep anything back ; we don't want to hurry anybody ; we want to do everything in the sunlight. God can see us all, and what we do. We can see each other, what is done. Now let us think strong on this subject, and come back, and talk again. Unless some of them want to talk we will now adjourn until noon to- morrow. WENAP SNOOT. I want to say a few words to answer what you have said. I saw Lap wai ( Nez Perce) with my own eyes, and I have seen the mouths of the Yakama with my own eyes ; I have seen the Yakama reservation ( Simcoe) with my own eyes, and I have seen Walloa Valley with my own eyes, and all the Snake country away south I have seen with my own eyes, and all these countries. I have seen all them with niy own eyes, and none of these countries would suit me. The council then adjourned till noon to- morrow. FOURTH DAY COUNCIL, AUGUST 9. The opening prayer was offered by Senator Corbit, of Oregon. After which the minutes of yesterday's proceedings were read. |