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Transcript: Indian Speech to Jefferson
Transcription from: Donald Jackson, editor. Letters of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents 1783-1854.
Volume 1. Urbana, Chicago, London: University of Illinois Press,
1978.
[4 January 1806]
Speech of the Osages, Missouri, Otos, Panis, Cansas, Ayowais & Sioux
Nations to the president of the U.S. & to the Secretary at
War.
My Grandfather & My Father
It is with an open heart that we receive your hands, friendship
streches ours in yours & unites them together.
fathers
We feel entirely our happiness at this Day, since you tell us
that we are wellcome in the Grand lodge of prosperity. We percieve
that we are numbered among your Most Cherished Children.
fathers
You observe that we have undertaken a very long journey in order
to see our fathers & Brethren; it is Most true: but fathers,
we will tell you that we Did not look back for to measure the road, & our
Sight streching to the rising Sun, dicovered every New day the
pleasure Rising with him, as we were reflecting our daily approach,
our hearts were overjoy'd, for we were Soon to See our New good
fathers who wish to pity us.
Fathers
There is a long While that we wish to be acquiainted with our
fathers & Brothers of the rising Sun & we hope that, when
w'ill return back, where the sun sets, we will Dispell all the
thick Clouds whose Darkeness obscures the Light of the Day.
Fathers
That Great Spirit who disposes of every thing, & fixes into
our Bosom the ardent Desire of seeing you, we thank him & we
will thank him more when w'ill be at home amongst our Wives & children,
for, then, our eyes Will be satisfied, our ears full with your
words, & our hearts with joy.
But, fathers, we have to thank our interpreters who advis'd us
to strengthen our hearts, & listen not to the sense of those
men who wanted to prevent us from Coming to see you, alledging
that we would be unwellcome & all of us should die. Our interpreters
told us that our fathers were good & would pity us, that they
wanted to be acquainted with their new red Children; & that
we ought not to listen to the Crowing of Bad Birds.
fathers
You do not know yet your new red Children, & we see that you
are as much worthy of pity as we are; flatterers Came Before you,
made vast promises, but when far away, they Constitute themselves
masters, decieve you & your Children Suffer.
fathers
Do pity your children who wish to do Good & Behave well, if
you say it [is] in their power, but, fathers trust them we know:
we know them who love your new red Children who wish them to be
happy, who hear your word, fill up our ears with it insinuate it
in our hearts & spread it all over our fields; & fathers,
that Spirit who took Care of us in Coming hither, here he is! He
alone Can Carry your words together with us, to our Warriors wives & Children & they
all will Call you then their fathers.
Fathers
We believe that you wish to pity us & to prevent our wants
by sending us supplies of goods, but look sharp & tell to your
men to take not too much fur for a little of goods, should they
act in that way we would not be better off than we are now with
our actual traders.
Fathers
We have Seen the belov'd Man, we shook hands with him & we
heard the words you put in his mouth. We wish him well, where he
is, we have him in our hearts, & when he will return we believe
that he will take Care of us prevent our wants & make us happy:
he told us you wished us to Come to see you & our Brethren
of the rising Sun: here we are happy to see you & glad to hear
the words of good fathers.
Fathers
You tell us to be in peace & amity with our Brethren: we wish
to be So: Misunderstanding Sometimes Breaks Peace & Amity,
because we listen too much to those men who live yet amongst us & who
do not belong to your family, but when we will have but your own
Children with us, then it will be easy for you to maintain the
peace of your red children & we will all acknowledge that we
have good fathers.
Fathers
Meditate what you say, you tell us that your children of this
side of the Mississipi hear your Word, you are Mistaken, Since
every day they Rise their tomahawks Over our heads, but we believe
it be Contrary to your orders & inclination, & that, before
long, should they be deaf to your voice, you will chastise them.
Fathers
Though your forefathers were inhabiting the other side of the
Big lake, we Consider you as ourselves, since, like us, you spring
out of our land, for the Same reason, we believe you Consider us
to be your Children, that you pity us & wish to make us happy
should we follow your advices.
Fathers
You say that the french, English & Spanish nations have left
the waters of the Missouri & Mississipi, we are all glad of
it, & we believe that the day they will leave us the weather
will be Clear, the paths Clean, & our ears will be no more
affected with the disagreeable sounds of the bad Birds who wish
us to relinquish the words of our Good fathers whose words we keep
in our hearts.
Although fathers
Do not believe that the number of our new Brethren would be able
to frighten us, were we not inclined to acknowledge you for our
fathers; but we wish to live like you & to be Men like you;
we hope you will protect us from the wicked, you will punish them
who wont hear your word, open their ears, & lead them in the
good path.
Fathers
Since you wish to be acquainted with your new children of the
other Side of the mississipi, you may Believe that they have the
same desire, but if we Contempt your word as they do on this side
of that River you will soon be Compell'd to Chastise the wicked,
but fathers, we shall not do as they do, for we wish to be numbered
among your best Children, & we will try only to punish the
wicked.
Fathers
You say that you are as numerous as the stars in the skies, & as
strong as numerous. So much the better, fathers, tho', if you are
so, we will see you ere long punishing all the wicked Red skins
that you'll find amongst us, & you may tell to your white Children
on our lands, to follow your orders, & do not as they please,
for they do not keep your word. Our Brothers who came here before
told us you had ordered good things to be done & sent to our
villages, but we have seen nothing, & your waged Men think
that truth will not reach your ears, but we are Conscious that
we must speak the truth, truth must be spoken to the ears of our
fathers, & our fathers must open their ears to truth to get
in.
Fathers
You tell us to Complain to the beloved man, should any one Commit
injury & decline Compensation, but you Know fathers that the
beloved man is gone far away, that he Can not do the justice which
you want him to do; while he is absent we do better to Complain
to his fathers, & when he will arrive we will Complain to him,
then he will have justice done to the injured man & if he loves
his fathers he will chastise the one who Broke the peace which
our good fathers told us to make together & to maintain.
Fathers
We hear your word, we will Carry it into our villages, & spread
it all over our fields, we will tell to our warriors, wives & Children
that, ever since you became the fathers of all the red skins, like
good fathers, you wish us to live like Children of but one family
who have but one father, & that before we should go at war
we have to take the advice of our good fathers & then we shall
know what these latter will tell us.
Fathers
Our hearts are good, though we are powerfull & strong, & we
know how to fight, we do not wish to fight but shut the mouth of
your Children who speak war, stop the arm of those who rise the
tomahawk over our heads & Crush those who strike first, then
we will Confess that we have good fathers who wish to make their
red Children happy & peace maintained among them. For when
we are at peace we hunt freely, our wives & Children Do not
stand in want, we smoke & sleep easy.
Fathers
We left the place where the sun sets in order to see & hear
you, fathers we see & hear you & we are happy; the skies
are Clear where our fathers breathe & we wish it may be so
where the sun sets. We wish our wives & children may be joy
full when they think that we breathe where our fathers Breathe,
for we are wellcome to Breathe with you, fathers.
fathers
Pity your own new Children, they wish to follow your advice, tell
them what you wish them to do, they will do any thing that you
wish them to do, they do not Belong any more to themselves but
they are your own property, dispose of them as you please.
Fathers
As you spoke that we had brethren inhabiting the shores of the
big Lake & that you offered us to visit them, we do wish to
be acquainted with them, to shake hands with them & to tell
them that we are their Brothers & if they are good Children
we will tell them that we are so, for you know fathers we acknowledge
you for our fathers.
Fathers
After shaking hands with all our new Brothers, being acquainted
with them all, then we will tell to our warriors, our wives, our
Children how many things we have seen, they all will listen to
our sayings, they will gather around us, hear the words of their
new fathers & Brethren, love them all & wonder at all things;
yes fathers, we will speak the truth, you know the truth must come
out of the mouth of a father.
Fathers
We hope the more we will See our new Brethren the More we will
love them for we hope they will wellcome us & recieve us as
their Brethren.
Fathers
We wish to have this, your Warrior (major Rodger) for our leader
in the Journey that we will undertake to visit our Brethren: he
will take good care of us, for he does love us, he will hold the
weather Clear, Clean & smooth the paths of his red Brethren.
Our Brother (Capt. Stoddert) is a good man, but he is not acquainted
with his Brethren, the red Skins, he can not take good Care of
them for he is always Sick & leaves them to the Care of Careless
people who are not acquainted with your new Children the red Skins.
Fathers
You Say, that, when we will Come back the ice will be broken,
the snow Melted, & then we will return into our Villages:--yes,
fathers, when we will see our Warriors, when we will see our Wives,
when we will see our Children, our hearts will be overjoy'd, their
hearts will be overjoyed they will hear the word you put in our
Mouth, we will Carry it to them Deeply engraved in our hearts.
Our Warriors will bury the tomahawk, the wicked will be good, when
ever they will hear the word of their fathers & know them to
be good to all the red Skins.
Fathers
We will keep your Word in our Bosom; the stinking Cloud may Rise,
it will melt away when We will remember the Word of our fathers,
the bad birds may fly over our heads, & Crow Mischief, their
flesh will be poor, their voice weak, they will hush & fly
away when hearing the word of our fathers; we will be happy with
your word, fathers, & never part with it.
Fathers
It most true, there is some people amongst us, who wish us to
be deaf to your word, they have a smooth lying tongue but they
Can't be your Children, because a Child allways says the word of
his father. They are unhappy for we will not listen to them, your
sun will give them light, & shine heretofore over all your
Children.
Grandfather (the President)
You told us to go now & then to see our father the great chief
of War (the secretary at war) that he would Communicate your word
to us, we have visited him & have been wellcome. We hope that
he does love your new Children Worthy of pity, & Consider us
as Your white Children.
fathers
We give you again the hand of friendship.
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