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Show 122 REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. are poor we will help. Our friend, Mr. Brunot, Las spoken good. I hope you will remem-ber what he has said. You must not think the President is going to set you up. My father did not do so with me ; I worked and made all I have ; you can do as well if you work for it. You said you wanted an education. The house is here, and I will see that teachers are provided. Our friends will try and get funds for our school, so that we may take your children and board and teach them. The council here closed, and all the Indians bid Mr. Brunot good- bye. The next day we drove over the Sinemarsh country, and in doing so saw a large part of the tillable laud of the reservation. THOMAS K. CKEE/ C/ erJfc- APPENDIX A d, No. 2. YAKAMA INDIANS. & IKUTES OF A COUNCIL HELD WITH SIMCOE INDIANS, AT THEIR RESERVATION, WASHING TON TERRITORY, BY COMMISSIONER FELIX R. BRUNOT. SIMCOE RESERVATION, WASHINGTON TERRITORY, Monday, July ' SI, 1871. Left Dalles for Simcoe Reservation, Friday, July 28, arriving Saturday evening, July 29 The reservation is situated due north from Dalles about sixty- five miles. Went to religious service Sunday morning ; found the church, a neat building erected by the Indians, crowded. Two Indian ministers preached, and some thirty Indians, professing Christians, took part in the meeting. The Kliquital and Yakima tribes are on this reservation. They have a good body of land, and are making good use of it. Some two or three hundred are professing Christians. On Monday morning a council was held in the church, Commissioner Brunot and Mr. Cree, clerk, Rev. Mr. Wilbur, the agent, most of the employe's, the chief, and most of the Indians being present. On opening the council, Mr. Brunot said : " When good white people meet together, for whatever purpose, they know they can have no success unless God bless them. So we will look to Him, and ask Him to make our hearts right." He then asked Rev. Mr. Wilbur to lead in prayer. After the prayer, Mr. Brunot said : " I suppose you have before this had commissioners to come and see you. Some of these gray- haired men can recollect them ; some of them have been at treaties, but this is a different kind of a visit. I will tell you how I happen to be here. The President is a good man, and wants to see the Indians be-come like good white men ; to have school- teachers, farms, cattle, houses, and all things com-ortable about them ; he wants them to know about God, and to love Him. Most of the In-dians are not like you, who are trying to do so. Many are wild ; some of your own people are still wild Indians. The President desires to know what is best to do. He wanted com-missioners to visit all the Indians and see them on their reservations, and see how they lived, whether they were wild or not, whether they followed the laws of God, or learned what was bad. He wants to know what the agents and employ6s are doing, and whether they are good or bad men. The President asked some men to go to the reservations and see the Indians, and learn all about them. He asked them to talk to the Indians, and learn from them what they want to tell the President, and to bring their words back to him. I am one of the men whom the President has asked to do this. I have come here to see this reservation, and to see the Indians on it ; to hear what you have to say, and to carry your words back to the Great Father in Washington, so that he can know about you the same as if he had been here. The secretary, Mr. Cree, will put your words on paper to that the President will know all that is said here. My heart is glad to come here and find so many getting to be Christian men ; and the President will have a good heart when I tell him I have seen the chief and so many of you like white men, and that you are the same Indians who, not long ago, were no better than the wild Indians on the plains. I want you to talk freely, and if there is anything about the reservation or the agents, either the last one or this one, or any of the people on the reservation, that is not as it should be, or if there is anything wrong, do not be afraid to speak out what is in your hearts. There are some who have been at the church meetings, and can talk better than the others. There are some who think they cannot talk ; but if you have anything in your heart that you want me to know, I want you to speak out what you wish to say." ./ ENEAS. Long ago, Governor Stevens, by his treaty, introduced law into this country. I was a boy. I heard what he said, and kept that law in my heart. To- day I see the com-missioner from Washington. I am glad to see him ; I never saw a man who talked good words to us before; my heart is glad. Governor Stevens in the treaty said we could go on the reservation and take a piece of land and remain on it. Not many of my people came here. I came and took land, and raised a good crop for three years. I am pleased to- day |
