USA > Indiana > Indiana and Indianans : a history of aboriginal and territorial Indiana and the century of statehood > Part 5
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THE FIRST INDIANA DEED OF LAND 1
To All Christian & Indian People in This Parte of the World and in Europe Over the Great Salt Waters, to Whom These Presents Shall Come-Wee the Sachims Chief men, Captns and representatives of the Five nations or Cantona of Indians called the Maquase Oneydes Onnan- dages and Sinnekes living in the Government of New Yorke in America, to the north west of Albany on this side the Lake Cadarachqui sendeth greeting-Bee it known unto you that our ancestors to our certain knowledge have had, time out of mind a fierce and bloody warr with seaven nations of Indians called the Aragaritkas whose chief comand was called successively Chohahise 2-The land is scituate lyeing and being northwest and by west from Albany beginning on the south west side of Cadarachqui lake and includes all that waste Tract of Land lyeing between the great lake off Ottawawa (Lake Huron) and the lake called by the natives Sahiquage and by the Christians the lake of Swege (Lake Erie) and runns till it butts upon the Twichtwichs (Miamis) and is bounded on the right hand by a place called Quadoge (near Chicago) con- teigning in length about eight hundred miles and in bredth four hundred miles including the country where the bevers the deers, Elks and such beasts keep and the place called Tieugsachrondio, alias Fort de Tret or wawyachtenok (Ouiatanon) and so runs around the lake of swege till you come to place called Oniadarondaquat which is about twenty miles from the Sinnekes Castles which said seaven nations our predecessors did four score years agoe totally conquer and subdue and drove them out of that
1 N. Y. Col. Docs. Vol. 4, p. 909. In his encyclopedic Narrative and Critical History of the U. S., Winsor, in discussing British claims based on this transfer, says: "No treaty exists by which the Iroquois transferred this conquered country to the English." Vol. 5, p. 564. He does not mention this deed, though he quotes documents that refer to this transaction, presumably not having noticed its existence.
2 The chiefs of "the Neutral Nation" were called "Tsohahissen" (Jesuit Rela- tions, Vol. 21, p. 207) and the author of the Relation of 1641-2 expresses his belief that "the Neutral Nation" originally meant "all the other nations which are south and southwest of our Hurons."
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
country and had peaceable and quiet possession of the same to hunt bevers (which was the motive caused us to war for the same) for three score years it being the only chief place for hunting in this parte of the world that ever wee heard of and after that wee had been sixty years sole masters and owners of the said land enjoying peaceable hunting without any internegotion, a remnant of one of the seaven nations called Tionondade (Hurons) whom wee had expelled and drove away came and settled there twenty years agoe disturbed our beaver hunting against which nation wee have warred ever since and would have sub- dued them long ere now had not they been assisted and succoured by the French of Canada, and whereas the Governour of Canada aforesaid hath lately sent a considerable force to a place called Tjeughsaghronde the principall passe that commands said land to build a Forte there without our leave and consent, by which means they will possess them- selves of that excellent country where there is not only a very good soile but great plenty of all manner of wild beasts in such quantities that there is no maner of trouble in killing of them and also will be sole masters of the Boar ( ?beaver) hunting whereby wee shall be deprived of our livelyhood and subsistance and brought to perpetual bondage and slavery, and wee having subjected ourselves and lands on this side of Cadarachqui lake wholy to the Crown of England wee the said Sachims chief men Captns and representatives of the Five nations after mature deliberation out of a deep sence of the many Royall favours extended to us by the present great Monarch of England King William the third, and in consideration also that wee have lived peaceably and quietly with the people of albany our fellow subjects above eighty years when wee first made a firm league and covenant chain with these Christians that first came to settle Albany on this river which covenant chain hath been yearly renewed and kept bright and clear by all the Governours suc- cessively and many neighbouring Governmts of English and nations of Indians have since upon their request been admitted into the same. Wee say upon these and many other good motives us hereunto moving have freely and voluntary surrendered delivered up and forever quit claimed, and by these presents doe for us our heires and successors absolutely surrender, deliver up and for ever quit claime unto our Great Lord and Master the King of England called by us Corachkoo and by the Christians William the third and to his heires and successors Kings and Queens of England for ever all the right title and interest and all the claime and demand whatsoever which wee the said five nations of Indians called the Maquase, Oneydes, Onnondages, Cayouges and Sinnekes now have or which wee ever had or that our heires or suc- cessors at any time hereafter may or ought to have of in or to all that vast Tract of land or Colony called Canagariarchio beginning on the north-
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
west side of Cadarachqui lake and includes all that vast tract of land lyeing between the great lake of Ottawawa and the lake called by the natives Cahiquage and by the Christians the lake of Swege and runns till it butts upon the Twichtwichs and is bounded on the westward by the Twichtwichs by a place called Quadoge conteining in length about eight hundred miles and in breath four hundred miles including the County where Beavers and all sorts of wild game keeps and the place called Tjeughsaghrondie alias Fort de tret or Wawyachtenock and so runns round the lake of Swege till you come to a place called Oniagar- undaquat which is about twenty miles from the Sinnekes castles includ- ing likewise the great falls oakinagaro, (Niagara) all which (was) formerly posest by seaven nations of Indians called the Aragaritka whom by a fair warr wee subdued and drove from thence four score years agoe bringing many of them captives to our country and soe became to be the true owners of the same by conquest which said land is scituate lyeing and being as is above expressed with the whole soyle the lakes the rivers and all things pertaining to the said tract of land or colony with power to erect Forts and castles there, soe that wee the said Five nations nor our heires nor any other person or persons for us by any ways or meanes hereafter have claime challenge and demand of in or to the premises or any parte thereof alwayes provided and it is hereby expected that wee are to have free hunting for us and the heires and descendants from us the Five nations for ever and that free of all disturbances expecting to be protected therein by the Crown of England but from all the action right title interest and demand of in or to the premises or every of them shall and will be utterly excluded and debarred for ever by these presents and wee the said Sachims of the Five Nations of Indians called the Maquase, Oneydes, Onnandages, Cayouges and Sinnekes and our heires the said tract of land or Colony, lakes and rivers and premises and every part and parcell thereof with their and every of their appurtenances 'unto our souveraigne Lord, the King William the third & his heires and successors Kings of England to his and their proper use and uses against us our heires and all and every other person lawfully claiming by from or under us the said Five nations shall and will warrant and for ever defend by these presents-In Witness whereof wee the Sachims of the Five nations above mentioned in behalf of ourselves and the Five nations have signed and sealed this present Instrument and delivered the same as an Act and deed to the Honble John Nanfan Esqr Lieutt Govr to our Great King in this province whom wee call Corlaer in the presence of all the Magistrates officers and other inhabitants of Albany praying our Brother Corlaer to send it over to Carachkoo our dread Souveraigne Lord and that he would be graciously pleased to accept of the same.
INDIANA AND INDIANANS
. 51
Actum in Albany in the middle of the high street this nineteenth day of July in the thirteenth year of His Majty's reign Annoque Domini 1701.
SINNEKES SACHIMS
CAYOUGES SACHIMS
Sodsio
wanne (L s.).
Tehonwaren
genie (L. s).
Sonahso
wanne (L s).
Thodsino
jago-(L s).
Tosoquat
hoa
(L S):
Nijuch
sagentisquoa (L s.).
ONNANDAGE SACHIMS
MAQUASE SACHIMS
Tegach
nawadiqua (L s.)
Tsina
go ( L s.
Kach
wadochon (L s).
Onucher
anorum (L 8).
Taga
tsehede (L s).
Teoni
ahigarawe
alias Hendrik (L s).
Ach
rireho (L s).
Tirogaren
alias Cornelis (L 8).
ONEYDE SACHIMS
Dega
ronda (L s).
Sinon
quireso (L s).
Canada
gariaz (L 8).
Tanoch
rachhoss (L s).
Tic
rachkoe (L 8).
Sealed and delivered in the presence of us
Pr Schuyler
J Jansen Bleeker Mayor
Johs Bleeker Recorder
John Abeel Alderman
M. Clarkson Secretary
Johannes Schuyler Aldern David Schuyler Aldermn
Wessells ten Broek Alderman Johannes Roseboom Alderman Johannes Cuyler Alderman
this is a true Copy
Dyrk Wessels justice James Weemes
Jonathan Broadhurst high Sheriff
S Clows Surveyor
Rt. Livingston Secretary for the Indian affares
John Baptist van Eps) Interptrs Lawrence Claese
(Signed) John Nanfan.
Sade
ganasttie (L s)
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
This deed was drawn, of course, by a representative of the British government, probably Nanfan, as he was the active agent in the matter, and is designed to make the Iroquois claim as strong as possible. The assertion of "peaceable and quiet possession" is as unfounded as the similar claim of The Little Turtle. But the general statement of the extent of the Iroquois conquest is confirmed by all English and French chroniclers who had any information on the subject, and its historical truth is beyond question. It is to be regretted that no more explicit information is given as to the "seaven nations of Indians called the Aragaritkas", but even that was made more clear by others. In his letter of Nov. 13, 1763, when the interior of the country was very much better known than in 1700, Sir William Johnson said: "The Five nations having in the last Century subdued the Shawanese, Delawares, Twighties (Miamis) & western Indians so far as lakes Michigan &
Superior, * * * In right of conquest, they claim all the Country (comprehending the Ohio) along the great Ridge of Blew Mountains at the back of Virginia, thence to the head of Kentucke River, and down the same to the Ohio above the Rifts, thence Northerly to the South end of Lake Michigan, then along the eastern shore of said lake to Missili- mackinac thence easterly across the North end of Lake Huron to the great Ottawa River (including the Chippawae or Missisagey Country) and down the said River to the Island of Montreal".3
Among the French, no one was better acquainted with the situation than LaSalle, and in his relation of 1679-80 he said of the Iroquois: "They are shrewd, tricky, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel to their enemies, whom they burn in little fires with torture and cruelty incred- ible. Although there are among them only about 2,500 warriors, as they are the best armed and most warlike of all North America, they have defeated and then exterminated all their neighbors. They have carried their arms on all sides to 800 leagues around, that is to say to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to Hudsons Bay, to Florida, and even to the Mississippi. They have destroyed more than thirty nations, brought to death in forty years more than 600,000 souls, and have made desert most of the country about the great lakes".4 In his letter to Frontenac, of Aug. 22, 1682, he says of the Iroquois: "Those who wish to hunt beaver, finding few north of the lake (Ontario) where they are com- paratively rare, go to seek them towards the south, to the west of Lake Erie, where they are in great abundance; because, before the destruc- tion of the Illinois, and of the Kentaientonga and Ganeiensaga, whom the Iroquois defeated a year since, and of the Chaouanons, Ouabachi, Tistontaraetonga, Gandostogega, Mosopolea, Sounikaeronons and Ochi-
3 N. Y. Col. Docs., Vol. 7, p. 572.
4 Margry, Vol. 1, p. 504.
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
tagonga, with whom they have also been contesting for several years, they dared not hunt in these parts infested by so many enemies who had the same fear of the Iroquois, and little habit of profiting by the skins of these animals, having commerce with the English but very rarely, because they could not without great labor, time and risk." 5
This is the most explicit statement of the situation as to Indiana, for this beaver land is necessarily northern Indiana, and probably these seven tribes named by LaSalle are "the seaven nations". The Chaou- anons (Shawnees) and Mosopolea (or Monsoupolea) had fled into Ken- tucky and Tennessee, and are so located on the map of Father Mar- quette in his voyage down the Mississippi, in 1673. He says in his journal the Shawnees "are the people the Iroquois go far to seek in order to wage an unprovoked war upon them".6 The Gandostogega were the Conestogas. By the Ouabachi he evidently means the people living on the Wabash river, and by the Tistontaraetonga the people living on the Maumee, for he says elsewhere that the Iroquois called the Maumee "Tiotontaraeton".7
This extraordinary war, which so profoundly affected Indiana, be- gan before the year 1600, between the Adirondacks, who were the tribe specifically called Algonkins by the French, and the Iroquois. It was in progress when the French made their first settlement in Acadia, lasted for a century, and affected the attitude of the Indians in all of our early wars. Colden gives a long account of it, beginning: "The Adirondacks formerly lived three hundred Miles above Trois Rivieres, where now the Utawawas are situated; at that time they employ'd them- selves wholly in Hunting, and the Five Nations made planting of Corn their Business. By this Means they became useful to each other, by exchanging Corn for Venison. The Adirondacks, however, valued themselves as delighting in a more manly Employment, and despised the Five Nations, in following Business, which they thought only fit for Women". The Adirondacks treacherously murdered five Iroquois youths, and this brought on a quarrel, which led the Adirondacks to make war on the Iroquois. Colden continues: "The Five Nations then lived near where Mont Real now stands; they defended themselves at first but faintly against the vigorous Attacks of the Adirondacks, and were forced to leave their own Country, and fly to the Banks of the Lakes where they live now. As they were hitherto Losers by the War, it obliged them to apply themselves to the Exercise of Arms, in which they became daily more and more expert. Their Sachems, in order to raise their People's Spirits, turned them against the Satanas, a less warlike
5 Margry, Vol. 2, p. 237.
6 Shea's Disc. and Exp. of the Miss., p. 42.
7 Margry, Vol. 2, p. 243.
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
Nation, who then lived on the Banks of the Lakes; for they found it was difficult to remove the Dread their People had of the Valour of the Adirondacks".8
The Iroquois soon subdued and drove out the Satanas, which is their
ATTACK ON IROQUOIS FORT (After Lafitau)
name for the Shawnees, and then turned their attention to the Adiron- dacks, whom they finally overcame. As refugees from a defeated tribe took refuge with another tribe, the Iroquois attacked their host and so the war spread from tribe to tribe. The chief cause of Iroquois success
8 Hist. of the Five Nations. London, 1748, p. 22.
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
was that they obtained fire-arms from the Dutch before the other tribes secured them ; but even with this advantage they could not have endured their losses in battle but for their practice of adopting captive children and bringing them up as Iroquois. The statement of Colden is confirmed on the French side by the Jesuit Relation of 1659-60, which states that the war began in the preceding century, and that the Iroquois had the worst of it until the Dutch settled at Manhattan, and furnished them with fire-arms. It says that by virtue of these weapons "they actually hold dominion for five hundred leagues around, although their number is very small". It estimates their warriors at only 2,000, and adds : "If anyone should compute the number of pure-blooded Iroquois, he would have difficulty in finding more than twelve hundred of them in all the Five Nations, since these are, for the most part, only aggregations of different tribes whom they have conquered,-as the Hurons; the Tion- nontatehronnons, otherwise called the Tobacco Nation ; the Atiwendaronk, called the Neutrals when they were still independent ; the Riquehronnons, who are the Cat Nation (Erie) the Ontwagannhas, or fire Nation; the Trakwaehronnons, and others, who, utter Foreigners although they are, form without doubt the largest and best part of the Iroquois".9
This concurrent testimony fairly establishes the Iroquois declaration that they drove all of the inhabitants out of Indiana about the year 1621; and it is certain that when the French first came in contact with the tribes known as Indiana Indians they were located far to the west. In a description of "the recently discovered nations" in 1657-8, and their location with reference to the new missionary establishment of St. Michel, which was on the Bay of the Puans, or Green Bay, on the west side of Lake Michigan, the following passages occur :
"The fifth nation, called the Aliniouek (Illinois) is larger; it is com- puted at fully 20,000 men and sixty villages, making about a hundred thousand souls in all. It is seven days journey westward from St. Michel.
"The sixth nation, whose people are called Oumamik (Miamis) is distant sixty leagues, or thereabout, from St. Michel. It has fully eight thousand men, or more than twenty-four thousand souls".10
Even here the Iroquois followed them, and within a few years part of them were driven beyond the Mississippi, where the Illinois and the Wawiatanons (Weas) are located on Joliet's map of 1674. There was one Miami tribe, however, known as the Miamis of Maramech, which remained throughout this period on the Wisconsin river with the Kick- apoos and Mascoutins, and of this joint settlement the Relation of 1671 says: "They have together more than three thousand souls, being able
9 Jesuit Rel., Vol. 45, p. 203-7.
10 Jesuit Relations, Vol. 44, p. 247.
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
to furnish each four hundred men to defend themselves from the Iro- quois, who come to seek them even in these distant lands".
In the Relation of 1672-4, Father Allouez describes this joint settle- ment on the Wisconsin as composed of "twenty cabins of ilinoues (Illinois) thirty large cabins of Kikabou (Kickapoos) fifty of Mas- koutench (Mascoutins) over ninety of miamiak (Miamis) and three of ouaouiatanoukak (Ouiatanons or Weas)". Later in the same document, having mentioned the mission to the Potawatomis at Green Bay, and that to the Outagamis west of it, he says: "Still farther to the west- ward, in the woods, are the atchatchakangouen 11, the Machkoutench, Marameg, Kikaboua, and Kitchigamich; the village where the atchat- chakangouen are, and whither come the Ilinoue, the Kakackioueck (Kas- kaskias), Peoualen (Peorias), ouaouiatanouk, memilounioue, pepikoukia, kilitika, mengakoukia, some for a short time, others for a long time. These tribes dwell on the Banks of the Mississippi, and all speak the same language".12
The changes of location of these tribes in the next thirty years were due to French influence, and the only record of any of them being within Indiana in that time is LaSalle's statement of finding a mixed village of Miamis, Mascoutins and Ouiatanons at the west end of the South Bend portage in 1679; and he says of them: "The Miamis lived formerly at the west of the Lake of the Illinois; whence, from fear of the Iroquois, they fled beyond the Mississippi, where they established themselves. The Jesuit fathers sent them presents for several years to induce them to return to their old homes, and they concluded finally to detach a party who located at the head of the Teatiki (Kankakee) river". 13 LaSalle recurs to this in his letter of Aug. 22, 1682, as follows :
"The Miamis had formerly been forced to abandon their ancient territory by fear of the arms of the Iroquois, and had fled to that of the river Colbert (Mississippi) towards the West, among the Otoutanta (Otoes), the Paote (Iowas) and the Mascoutins Sioux who received them four years ago. Having made their peace with the Illinois, a part of these same Miamis, invited by presents from the Jesuits who live at Green Bay, moved nearer them, under the conduct of Ouabichagan, which is to say the White Necklace, chief of the principal tribe named Tchatchakigoa, which is to say in their language the Crane, and of one named Schaouac, which is to say the Eagle. This nation established
11 Elsewhere called Tchatchakigoa, who were the Crane clan of the Miamis, called Twigh-twighs, or Twightwees by the Iroquois and English, who were later located at Fort Wayne; and who were called "Elder Brothers" by the other Miamis.
12 Jesuit Relations, Vol. 58, pp. 23, 41.
13 Margry, Vol. 1, p. 505.
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
itself to the West of the lake of the Illinois, on this side of the great river and had much commerce for several years with the Jesuit Fathers".14
The return movement to the east will be considered in connection
2
IROQUOIS CAPTIVES (After Lafitau. Above, at night; below, by day)
with the French establishments, but it may be mentioned here that LaSalle's activities aroused the Iroquois to more vigorous efforts. When they were taken to task by M. de la Barre, in council, in 1684, for attack-
14 Margry, Vol. 2, p. 215.
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
ing the French, the Iroquois chief Grangula replied : "We have robbed no Frenchmen but those who supply'd the Illinese and the Oumamis (our enemies) with fusees, with powder, and with ball; these indeed we took care of because such arms might have cost us our life. * * * We fell upon the Illinese and the Oumamis because they cut down the trees of peace, that serv'd for limits or boundaries to our Frontiers. They came to hunt Beavers upon our lands; and contrary to the customs of all the savages, have carried off whole Stocks, both Male and Female".15
After the destruction of LaSalle's establishment on the Illinois, Father Jean de Lamberville reported from the Iroquois: "Last year they brought 700 Illinois captives, all of whom they keep alive. They killed and ate over 600 others on the spot, without counting those whom they burned on the road. They saved the children who could live without the milk of their mothers, whom they had killed; but the others were cruelly roasted and devoured. * They are beginning to attack some of our allies called the Oumiamis, a nation of the bay des Puants, and they have already burned 6 or 7 of these, without counting those whom they have massacred".16 On Nov. 4, 1686, he wrote: "The army of 200 Senecas returns this month of September to the country of the Omiamicks, 500 of whom they say they brought away or took prisoners".17
In 1687, in reply to Gov. Dongan's appeal to them to make peace with the Western tribes, and secure the beaver trade for the English. the Iroquois replied: "As for the Twichtwicks Indians, who are our mortal enemies, and have killed a great many of our people a Beaver hunting, wee know not whether wee can effect a peace with them; never- theless upon our Excellency's desire wee will try and doe our en- deavour".18 But peace was not to come from their efforts. That same year Gov. Denonville of Canada with a French force, to which were joined a hundred and eighty coureurs de bois and a large body of western Indians, including Miamis and Illinois, invaded the Seneca country and inflicted a severe defeat on them. His Indian allies cele- brated the victory by eating twenty-five of their Iroquois enemies, and it is probable that no other meal ever served in the state of New York gave greater satisfaction to the guests. This banquet marked the ter- mination of Iroquois terrorism in the western regions. The Iroquois turned on the French, and in the war that raged along the St. Lawrence their strength was so broken that they became cautious about attacking
.
15 Thwaite's La Hontan, pp. 81-2.
16 Jesuit Relations, Vol. 62, p. 7.
17 N. Y. Col. Docs., Vol. 3, p. 489.
18 N. Y. Col. Docs., Vol. 3, p. 443.
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INDIANA AND INDIANANS
the western tribes, who were now as well armed as themselves; and with the exception of an unsuccessful attack on Fort Miamis in 1695, there was no further trouble from them in the western country.
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