Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 63

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 63

“A great deal of what you do and say is foolishness, the work and talk

of children, not of men. Last fall in despite, you raised war parties,

made threats against myself and the whites, gave me trouble. You now

see the rashness of your proceedings. Who gives you these goods?

 

“Do you pay for them? Have you traded them? Do you intend to recompense

your Great Father in any way? If so, listen to his words. It has been

said I have sold you to the whites—bartered for your lands. I now tell

you it is no such thing. There are no stipulations made for your lands

in these papers. They were not even mentioned in the treaty. They are

too cold for any persons except Indians, or any animals other than

those with heavy hair.

 

“The Blackfeet are yet your enemies, but are to be spoken to by our

Great Father; therefore let us refrain from war upon them to advance

the views of our Great Father. Since the treaty I have had a son and a

son-in-law killed by these people, and all my horses stolen twice. I

can count seven times damage they have done me and my nation, but still

I am disposed to remain quiet so that our Great Father may be pleased.

All of you do the same. The day is coming when the Blackfeet will have

ears given them.

 

“There are many poor people in this assembly that will be greatly

benefited by this distribution of goods. Indians are born poor; they

are always poor. Whatever they get for nothing is a great help and they

should be thankful.

 

“I now appoint you six men, soldiers, for the equal distribution of

these goods. Let all have a fair share. Your duty as soldiers does not

end here. In the camp when you hear of war parties being assembled,

stop them.

 

“If any one breaks the treaty stipulations with regard to the whites or

other nations I desire you to punish them. If you are not able to do

so you are no soldiers, and such disturbers shall be taken down by the

whites in irons.

 

“The President of the United States has thought fit to appoint me your

chief. Here is my medal; there are my papers. This makes some of you

jealous. You should have thought of it before and plucked up courage

enough to be seen at the treaty, that he could have chosen a better man

than I, if there be one. As it is, as long as I can stand and my voice

holds good I shall never agree to what is wrong nor be deterred from

doing what is right.[39] I have spoken.”

 

[39] Literally “my road shall be in a straight line with my talk and

not frightened to one side.”

 

It is the custom of most of the upper Missouri tribes when at the fort

for trading purposes for the principal men to make what are called

presents; that is, a portion of the buffalo robes are brought into

the office and with much ceremony laid at the feet of the gentleman

in charge of the fort, which action is followed by a speech. To a

spectator only viewing the act as a gift, and only understanding the

literal meaning of their speeches on the occasion, they would appear

to be the most liberal people in the world, as often 100 to 150

buffalo robes are laid down and carried out to the store without any

merchandise being produced in payment at the time, besides each Indian

distinctly states many times in his speech that it is absolutely for

nothing he makes the present.

 

But unfortunately for this generous appearance it has quite the

contrary signification. The trader during the course of this harangue

receives hints enough as to the compensation for the present and the

Indian fully expects both the honor done to the trader and the skins

given to be paid for; in fact, requiring in return nearly double the

amount in value had the skins been handed, as is usual by the mass of

the Indians, to the clerk of the store without any ceremony. It is at

these times that the principal men make the speeches, such as the one

which follows, which, though not distinguished for beauty of allegory

or force of argument, may serve to show their shrewdness and cunning,

also their reliance on flattery to gain their ends. It was necessary

to premise this much so that the speech could be understood in all its

bearings.

 

 

SPEECH OF LE CHEF DU TONNERRE TO THE GENTLEMAN IN CHARGE OF FORT UNION,

JANUARY, 1850

 

“My friend, my Father, look at me. You see standing before you one of

the poorest of his nation, but one who has a good heart and open hand.

Our Great Grandfather, the Earth, is the parent of us all—Indians

and whites. When Wakoñda created man he made two sorts; one clothed,

comfortable, rich, plenty to eat, and endowed with wisdom; these were

the white men. The other he produced naked, in a cold climate, poor,

ignorant, obliged to hunt for their meat, to labor, to starve, to

suffer, to die; these were the red men.

 

“Who receives the profits of their labor? The whites. Who protects them

from their enemies? Themselves. When your Great Grandfather across

the sea sent you to reside with Indians, what did he say? Did he pour

no good words into your ears? Did he not tell you, you will behold a

poor, naked, starved nation, have pity on them? I believe he did, he

was a chief, a man of sense, a rich man, and no doubt said, ‘Give away

a portion of your good things to the Indian, let him feel something

soft on his back. He is not an animal, his body is not covered with

hair like the buffalo, but he is a man like yourself and requires

clothing to protect himself from the cold. Are you not aware Indians

freeze to death?’[40]

 

[40] Four Indians had at this time been frozen to death near his camp

in a snowstorm.

 

“When this big fort was built, when the first whites opened the road

tip the Missouri, they found us with bone knives, stone axes, clay

pots, stone arrow points, bone awls, and nothing but the bow and arrow

to kill game; they had pity on us, and exchanged for our skins iron

arms and utensils.[41] In this they did well; they bettered the Indian;

they made themselves rich. They had sense. They also gave us good

words, and I have recollected them; they have been handed down to us

when children, and all good Indians remember. I was told if you meet a

white man give him your hand, take him to your lodge, give him to eat,

let him have lodging, show him the road. I have done so.

 

[41] When the trade of the Missouri was opened the Assiniboin were the

poorest of all nations, and have remained so to this day.

 

“If you meet him while on the warpath, do not steal his horse or rob

him of his property. If others steal his horses, bring them back;

if any of the fort property is damaged, pay for it. I have done so.

I was told to hunt, make robes, trade the skins for blankets, arms,

and ammunition. All this I have continued to do from my youth to the

present time. My part has been fulfilled. Yet you see me before you

still a poor man. I stand nearly alone in the village, like an aged

tree whose tops are dead. The bones of my friends and relatives are

piled around the fort or scattered over the plains. All the good,

all the wise, all the handsome, all the brave were rubbed out by the

smallpox. Young men are growing, but they are not like those of the old

stock.

 

“The road to the fort gates has been swept free of grass by the feet of

my people in coming to trade. Each year we have loaded your boats with

the skins of our animals, and I now bring a few more. The 10 robes laid

before you are a present, for which I desire nothing. I wish to make

your heart glad and to have my name remembered on the large books.[42]

I know very well you are a chief and will have pity on me. Let me feel

something soft over my shoulders.[43] Bestow some glittering mark on

my back,[44] cover my bare head[45] and let something gay[46] appear

there, that my young men may know that I am respected at the fort.

 

[42] It is customary to keep a list of men who behave well and make

large trades.

 

[43] A blanket is wanted.

 

[44] Hint for a chief’s coat.

 

[45] Hat desired.

 

[46] Feathers desired.

 

“My leggings[47] are worn out and the cold enters, and my breech flap

no more covers what is beneath. My body[44] and neck[48] are laid

bare in hunting skins in this cold weather. I lack some mark[49] of

my standing with the fort to make my young men listen to my words to

be good to the whites and hunt. If you wish many robes, recollect the

young men are hunters and can not kill buffalo without ammunition.[50]

The women have hard work dressing skins; their arms are sore; some

beads and vermilion[51] would give them strength; and the tobacco[52]

you will no doubt furnish me will be smoked by all my people in talking

over matters for the good of the fort and in the councils for hunting.

I know you are a chief and good father to your red children and will

never refuse them what they ask. Remember our hardships, dangers, and

exposures in hunting for you. Open your heart and lengthen your measure

and reduce,[53] if ever so little, on the prices of trade. Indians

suffer for everything; even the tobacco chewed and spit out by the

whites is picked up and smoked by them. Your store is large; let your

heart be so also. Let me be able to sing your praise;[54] your name is

in the clouds; your father was a chief; you will be greater than he.

Listen to the words of your poor friend. I have spoken.”

 

[47] Leggings wanted.

 

[48] Shirt and neck handkerchief desired.

 

[49] Medal or gorget.

 

[50] Hint for general present of ammunition to the party.

 

[51] Some to each woman.

 

[52] An intimation that tobacco is not only wanted but plenty of it.

 

[53] This is an invariable request, and would be so no difference how

long the prices were.

 

[54] Whoever makes a liberal present to Indians has his name sung

around the camp or fort in a song of thanks.

 

The Sioux make better speeches and use more figures than the

Assiniboin, but none of the many we have heard among both and other

nations are as replete with metaphor as is represented by fiction

writers. Either the Indians treated of by them were of a superior order

or the speeches have been liberally interpreted. The foregoing presents

their style as it now exists among all the upper Missouri tribes,

though subjects of more importance, such as war, peace, or religious

rites, are accompanied by a proportionate earnestness of oratory and

boldness of gesture. They do not pride themselves on making fine or

flowery speeches, but bold, pointed, and sensible ones, and, if begging

be the object, will descend to the grossest flattering of their auditor, and vainness of their own merits.