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Show 118 REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. here. All my ancestors were Indians. I cannot be anything else, but my children will grow up and be whi'te men. You say you have seen our houses, but we have no wagons or anything. You see we have no good houses as was promised us. I was told I should have a good house. Build us a school- house, and I will put my children in it, and never see them again if necessary. We talked so when the treaty was made, but I still raise my children in the old way. The people who were put over me teach me worse things than I knew before. Captain Smith tried to get money to buy implements and to put up houses, but he never could get it. Denison, the old agent, gave us very little a few blankets and a little scarlet cloth. We were glad to get them, but all that we have now we have bought our selves. The women got shawls and blankets, and scarlet cloth, but they only lasted a few days. How can you expect the children to learn if they go to school in blankets, and if little girls are naked, how can you teach them to knit. They are still like Indians. Your coming is like the rising of the sun, it brings daylight to us. I think now my children will grow up like white people. You can see what we have been promised by the treaty. We have never gotten anything all that we have we have bought with our own money. We have a mill, but we cannot have good flour. They say it is the stones. It is the same with the saw- mill, they spent our money on it, but cannot make good lumber for houses. Our Great Father may have sent the money to tAiy the things that were promised us, but it never got here. I am glad you have come here to see us, and to see how poor we are. Nobody else would live on this poor land. If we had harness or leather, or anything that Avas good, we would take care of it. If I was to see property about my house I would feel like a white man. I go to church, and I would feel that God had sent these things, and I would want to pray to Him who sent them. The Indians at Simcoe are ahead of us, because they have many things that we have not, and they go to church. What you said I have some in my head, and some in my heart, and I will keep it all; it will do me good. I learned a long time ago from the white man what I now know. I stay on the reservation and behave myself. I have much to tell you, but I want others to talk to you. BILLY CHINOOK. ( Was a guide with Frdmont's exploring party.) I am glad to see you, and know you have come here to see us poor people. We are very poor, and live in a very poor country. We used to live a long while ago about the Dalles; white people were all about us. We had made no treaty, and all lived together. Word came that men were coming from Washington to make a treaty with us, and buy our country. We have received messages that were said to be from Washington, but we never saw any one from there until now who would tell us the truth, and whose words we might know were from the Great Father. If I had five children, two boys and three girls, and if I left one boy to take care of his sisters, and after awhile I went and found all was not right, I would take him away and send the other boy to see if he could not do better. I knew the President had one of his sons ( agents) here; we wished some one would come from him, and we are glad you have come to see that we are taken good care of. We were taken amongst ourselves, and we wondered if our Great Father had not some pity for us. We did not know then if he cared for us, but we know now, or you would not have come to see us. We can see that the white people about here have wagons and houses. They made them themselves ; they are men, and some of them are worth much money. I do not question your word, that you came a long way ; people about here who are rich do not care to come over and see how the Indian is getting along. Some time ago we had two homes, the whites had one and we had one ; we were a different people : we lived each by himself. You can see your people there; we wear different clothes; you tell us, come here to the reservation, and you can wear the same clothes the white men wear. You tell us that we have two different tongues ; you say for both to talk the same language. I don't think you said this yourself, that we will all be one people; I think God told you to say this to us. When we send our children ta school, and they are taught but little, how can you expect them to be smart, and know everything. If they were well taught, they would grow up and learn everything, and be like white men. How could you expect our children to learn ; we would like to please you, and would like to take hold and have them to learn, but we have no money to pay a school-master; but we would like to have our children taught. When we made the treaty, they promised us school- masters and a great many other things, but they forgot them. We never had any of them. If Deuison and Logan and Captain Smith had got the money, you would have seen good houses, and children well taught ; but they never got money, and nothing has ever been done. They told us, for five years we were to have $ 8,000 per year. We never saw a cent of it. I don't say these things that I want the money or expect you to give it to me, I only want you to know how I have been treated. General Palmer made a treaty with us. We then got hats, coats, and blankets ; since then we have ' not seen any-thing. One time we had a block- house here ; it was burned down, and they said $ d 00ft worth of goods were in it. We only got annuity goods that amounted to anything for two years. After that if all we got were placed in a pile, it would be only a foot high. We said that was not more than one man's share, and was not worth $ 8,000. The agent said " You eat up your ,$ 8,000 some time ago." I have had nothing to say since. You have come here, a long way. It is just as if the President had come himself to see what we are-doing. This is the word we want you to carry to the President. We want our children to learu fast, to work and be men like you, and be fit to do business. Captain Smith told ua |
