USA > Oregon > Sources of the history of Oregon > Part 5
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Today, leading chiefs belonging to some of the most distant tribes, attended by their followers, have been coming into camp, and most of those for which the Commissioners have been wait- ing are now represented. Their encampment and lodges are scat- tered over the valley for more than a mile, presenting a wild and fantastic appearance. The Council will probably open tomorrow. According to the original orders received by Lieut. Gracie, this was to have been our last day here, but fore-seeing this delay, Gov- ernor Stevens had some time ago sent an express to The Dalles, stating the necessity for the soldiers' remaining. Today the ex-
* Dr. Whitman was a missionary instead of a physician to the mission, although a regular physician .- ED.
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press returned, bringing instructions from Major Haller to Lieut. Gracie, authorizing him to remain on the Council-ground until the treaty was concluded, and informing him that provisions had been sent to the escort for seven days more.
Tuesday, May 29th. Today the Council was to have met at 12, but it was 2 o'clock before they came together, About eight tribes were represented. Nothing, however, was done but to or- ganize the Council and swear in the interpreters. Governor Stevens then made a short address. All this occupied two hours, then it began to rain and the Council adjourned to meet again at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning if the weather should be pleas- ant; otherwise on the first pleasant day. A fine prospect for the extension of our stay in the valley! There are about 5,000 In- dians, including squaws and children, on the ground.
We had another of our recherche dinner parties this evening, entertaining one of the gentlemen residing at the Mission, and another attached to Governor Stevens' party. We received news today of the inspection visit of General Wool to Fort Vancouver and his order for an expedition to set out on the 20th of June, from Fort Dalles, for the Snake Indian country, the force to be commanded by Major Haller.
Wednesday, May 30th. At 1 o'clock this afternoon the Coun- cil met, and business seems to be really commencing. It was a striking scene. Directly in front of Governor Stevens' tent, a small arbor had been erected, in which, at a table, sat several of his party taking notes of everything said. In front of the arbor on a bench sat Governor Stevens and General Palmer, and before them, in the open air, in concentric semi-circles, were ranged the Indians, the chiefs in the front ranks, in order of their dignity. while the background was filled with women and children. The Indians sat on the ground, (in their own words,) "reposing on the bosom of their Great Mother." There were probably 1,000 pres- ent at a time. After smoking for half an hour (a ceremony which with them precedes all business) the Council was opened by a short address by General Palmer. Governor Stevens then rose and made a long speech, setting forth the object of the Council and what was desired of them. As he finished each sentence, the interpreter repeated it to two of the Indians who announced it in a loud voice to the rest-one in the Nez Perce and the other in the Walla Walla language. This process necessarily causes business to move slowly. Many of the Indians have been to our camp to visit us today; among them, Stickus, an old chief of the Cayuses.
Thursday, May 31. On arriving at Governor Stevens' tent, I found that the Council had already met. After the usual pream- ble of smoking, Governor Stevens and General Palmer, in succes- sion, made long speeches to them, explaining the benefits they would receive from signing this treaty, and the advantages which would result to them from their removal to the new lands offered in exchange for their present hunting grounds. The Council lasted until 3 o'clock.
This evening we went, as usual, to the Nez Perce camp.
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There was a foot race, but the great events of the evening were horse.races, Each of the tribes now here possesses large numbers of horses, so that whereever they are, the prairies are covered with these animals, roaming at large till they are wanted by their masters. Part of these are derived from the wild horses of the prairies, while some, from the marks with which they are branded, show that they have been stolen from the Spaniards in upper Mexico. To capture horses is esteemed next in honor to laurels gained in actual war, and they will follow the party of a hostile tribe for weeks, watching an opportunity to run off their horses. It is for this, too, that they are hovering around the emigrants on the plains, who sometimes by a stampede or a single bold dash lose in a single night all their animals, and are left helpless on the plains, as a ship at sea without sails. Living as they do on horse- back, racing forms one of their greatest amusements. They will ride for miles, often having heavy bets depending on the results. On this occasion we saw nearly 30 Indians start at once and dash over the plains like the winds, sweeping round in a circle of sev- eral miles.
Friday, June 1. The Council did not meet this morning, as the Indians wished to consider the proposals made to them dur- ing the past few days. We learned that two or three of the half- civilized Nez Perces, who could write, were keeping a minute ac- count of all that transpired at these meetings.
At the races this evening a serious accident took place, and which had nearly proved fatal. The Indians, as usual, were dash- ing about on horseback, some going up and or others down, when two of them came invcollision, knocking down both horses and leaving the riders senseless. No bones happened to be broken; the "medicine men" took charge of them, and it is supposed they will recover.
Today has been the warmest we have had; there has not been a breath of air stirring, and the valley seemed like an extensive oven. At evening, however, the skies darkened, and for two hours we had the most tremendous thunder storm I ever wit- nessed. It was worthy of the tropics.
Saturday, June 2. Just before I was up this morning, we had a call from some of the Indians, who pay little regard to visiting hours. After breakfast I rode over to see the gentlemen at the old Mission, and on my return to camp, found that the Council was already assembled, having met at 12 o'clock. The Indian chiefs had at length begun to reply, so that another step has been gained. After Governor Stevens' opening speech, several of them followed in short addresses. I arrived there just in time to hear the last one, made by one of the Cayuse chiefs. He did not com- mit himself as to what they would do, but the whole tenor of his address was unfavorable to the reception of the treaty. After a few words in conclusion from Governor Stevens, the Council ad- journed till 10 o'clock on Monday.
Then came part of my daily routine of amusement, to ride out and see Lieut. Gracie practice the soldiers at target firing. He
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has been gradually lengthening the distance, and some of the men are now able to make very admirable shots. At the Indian camp tonight, there was a great foot race between about a dozen competitors, who ran over two miles. It was a good test of the long-winded endurance of the young warriors. As they raced off over the plain, parties of Indians, and those of us who were on horseback, rode on each side of them, the friends of the competitors encouraging them and taunting those who flagged.
Sunday, June 3. A quiet day, most of it was spent in reading in my tent. In the afternoon rode over to the Mission, and on my return, dined with Governor Stevens. This evening the pack mules from Fort Dalles with seven days provisions, arrived at the Mission, and are to be brought over early tomorrow morning by some soldiers.
Monday, June 4. Breakfast at the fashionable hour of 10, as I was waiting for Lieut. Gracie, who was obliged to go early to the Mission to see about the pack mules. An express came in this morning from The Dalles, giving him orders to join Major Haller's command, forty-five miles below this place, as soon as the Council breaks up.
The diplomatists met today at 1:30 o'clock. After Governor Stevens' address, the old chief Lawyer spoke, which was the first time anything had been heard from the Nez Perces. Several of the other chiefs followed, and the Council finally adjourned at 5 o'clock, without having made any sensible progress. The maxim "that time is money," which prevails so extensibly among the Anglo-Saxons, has not yet penetrated into the wilderness to be received as a motive in any way influencing the conduct. With the Indians, "the next moon" will answer just as well as this month, for any business that is to be transacted. I should think, how- ever, the Commissioners would have their patience utterly ex- hausted.
Until a late hour we heard from the Indian camps the sound of their singing and the beating of their drums, and could see the figures flit before the fires as the dancing went on.
Tuesday, June 4. Another visit before breakfast from some of our Indian friends. Early this morning Lieut. Gracie sent off an express to The Dalles to report progress. Then came the same routine of the Council; Governor Stevens, at the opening gave them the most elaborate address he has yet made, explaining to the chiefs most definitely, what lands he wished to give up, and what their "Great Father" (the President) would give them in re- turn, together with the benefits they would derive from the ex- change. General Palmer afterwards made a speech an hour long, in which he endeavored to illustrate to his audience the many advantages resulting from their being brought into contact with civilization. His reasoning at one time led him to give an ac- count of the railroad and telegraph. It was sufficiently amusing to listen to this scientific lecture, (as Julian Avenel says of Ward- en's homily in the Monastery.) "quaintly conceived and curiously pronounced, and to a well chosen congregation," but it probably
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would have been much more diverting could we have known the precise impressions left upon the minds of his audience, or have heard them talk it over afterwards in their lodges. After he had finished, Stickus, the old Cayuse chief, made a short speech, and then Governor Stevens adjourned them until tomorrow.
There is evidently a more hostile feeling towards the whites getting up among some of the tribes, of which we had tonight a very unmistakable proof. The Cayuse, we have known, have never been friendly, but hitherto they have disguised their feelings. Tonight, as Lieut. Gracie and I attempted, as usual to enter their camp, they showed a decided opposition; we were motioned back, and the young warriors threw themselves in our way to obstruct our advance. To yield to this, however, or show any signs of be- ing intimidated, would have been ruinous with the Indians, so were obliged to carry out our original intentions. We placed our horses abreast, riding round the Indians, where it was possible, and at other times forcing our way through, believing that they would not dare to resort to actual violence. If, however, this hos- tile feeling at the Council increases, how long will it be before we have an actual outbreak?
Wednesday, June 6th. Today the Indians again determined not to meet in Council, as they wished to consult among them- selves; so there is another day lost. After my ride up the valley to the Mission, I found on my return to dinner an old trapper and Indian trader had come in to visit us, and was to be our guest. " We had, however, a sumptuous repast, for he brought with him a buffalo tongue, a great luxury on the plains, and one of which anywhere might tempt the epicure.
The races tonight were the most exciting we have seen, as the Indians bad bet some sixteen or eighteen blankets (a great stake for them) on the result, and all the passions of the savage natures were called into play. There was visible none of that Mohawk stoicism of manner which Fenimore Cooper describes. After the races were finished, Lieut. Gracie and I concluded to ride into the camp of our amiable friends, the Cayuses, to see how they felt this evening. There was no attempt to exclude us, though if sav- age and scowling looks could have killed, we should both have ended our mortal career this evening in this valley of Walla Walla.
Thursday, June 7th. Mr. M'Kay took breakfast with us. He is the son of the old Indian hunter so often mentioned in Irving's "Astoria," and whose name is identified with pioneer life in this region.
The Council met today at 12, and I went into the arbor, and taking my seat at the reporters' table wrote some of the speeches delivered. There is of course, in those of the Indians, too much repetition to give them fully, but a few extracts may show the manner in which these wearisome meetings were conducted day after day.
Gov. Stevens .- "My brothers! we expect to have your hearts today. Let us have your hearts straight out."
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Lawyer, the old Nez Perce chief .- The first part of his speech was historical, relating to the discovery of this country by the Spaniards, which is a favorite topic with the Indian orators. In course of it, he thus narrated the story of Columbus and the egg, which he had heard from some of the missionaries:
"One of the head of the court said, 'I knew there was such a country.' Columbus, who had discovered it, said, 'Can you make an egg stand on its end?' He tried to make the egg stand, but could not do it. He did not understand how. It fell over. Columbus then showed them all that he could make it stand. He sat it down and it stood. He knew how, and after they saw it done, they could do it."
He thus described the manner in which the tribes at the East receded at the approach of the whites:
"The red man traveled away farther, and from that time they kept traveling away further, as the white people came up with them. And this man's people (pointing to a Deleware Indian, who was one of the interpreters) are from that people. They have come on from the Great Lake where the sun rises, until they are near us now, at the setting sun. And from that country, some- where from the center, came Lewis and Clarke, and that is the way the white people traveled and came on here to my forefathers. They passed through our country, they became ac- quainted with our country and all our streams, and our forefath- ers used them well, as well as they could, and from the time of Columbus, from the time of Lewis and Clarke, we have known you, my friends; we poor people have known you as brothers."
He concluded by expressing his approval of the treaty, only urging that the whites should act towards them in good faithi.
Gov. Stevens .- "We have now the hearts of the Nez Perces through their chief. Their hearts and our hearts are one. We want the hearts of the other tribes through their chiefs."
Young Chief, of the Cayuse .- (He was evidently opposed to the treaty but grounded his objections on two arguments. The first was, they had no right to sell the ground which God had given for their support unless for some good reasons.)-"I wonder if the ground has anything to say? I wonder if the ground is listening to what is said? I wonder if the ground would come alive and what is on it? Though I hear what the ground says. The ground says 'It is the Great Spirit that placed me here. The Great Spirit tells me to take care of the Indians, to feed them aright. The Great Spirit appointed the roots to feed the Indians on.' The wa - ter says the same thing. 'The Great spirit directs me. Feed the Indians well.' The grass says thesame thing. 'Feed the horses and cattle.' The ground, water and grass say, 'the Great Spirit has given us our names. We have these names and hold these names. Neither the Indians or whites have a right to change these names. The ground says, 'The Great Spirit has placed me here to produce all that grows on me, trees and fruit.' The same way the ground says, 'It was from me man was made.' The Great Spirit, in placing men on the earth desired them to take
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good care of the ground and to do each other no harm. The Great Spirit said, 'You Indians who take care of certain portions of the country should not trade it off except you get a fair price.' "
The other argument was, that he could not understand clearly what they were to receive.
"The Indians are blind. This is the reason we do not see the country well. Lawyer sces clear. This is the reason why I don't know anything about this country. I do not see the offer you have made to us yet. If I had the money in my hand I should sce. I am, as it were, blind. I am blind and ignorant. I have a heart, but cannot say much. This is the reason why the chiefs do not understand each other right, and stand apart. Although I see your offer before me, I do not understand it and I do not yet take it. I walk as it were in the dark, and cannot therefore take hold of what I do not see. Lawyer sees and he takes hold. When I come to understand your propositions, I will take hold. I do not know when. This is all I have to say."
Five Crows, of the Walla Wallas .- "I will speak a few words. My heart is the same as Young Chief's.
General Palmer .- "We know no chief among the Walla Wallas but Po-pe-mox-mox. If he has anything to say, we will be pleased to hear it."
Pe-pe-mox-mox .- "I do not know what is straight. I do not see the offer you have made to the Indians. I never saw these things which are offered by my Great Father. My heart cried when you first spoke to me. I felt as if I was blown away like a feather. Let your heart be, to separate as we are and appoint some other time. We shall have no bad minds. Stop the whites from coming up here until we have this talk. Let them not bring their axes with them. The whites may travel in all direc- tions through our country, we will have nothing to say to them, provided they do not build houses on our lands. Now I wish to speak about Lawyer. I think he has given his land. That is what I think from his words. I request another meeting. It is not in one meeting only that we can come to a decision. If you come again with a friendly message from our Great Father, I shall see you again at this place. Tomorrow I shall see you again, and tomorrow evening I shall go home. This is all I have to say."
General Palmer .- "I want to say a few words to these people, but before I do so, if Kamiakin wants to speak, I would be glad to hear him."
Kamiakin, Yakima Chief .- "I have nothing to say."
General Palmer .- "I would enquire whether Pe-pe-mox-mox or Young Chief has spoken for the Umatillas? I wish to know farther, whether the Umatillas are of the same heart?"
Owhi, Umatilla Chief .- " Weare together and the Great Spirit hears all that we say to day. The Great Spirit gave us the land and measured the land to us, this is the reason I am afraid to say anything about the land. I am afraid of the laws of the Great Spirit. This is the reason of my heart being sad. This is the reason I cannot give you an answer. I am afraid of the Great
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Spirit. Shall I steal this land and sell it? or, what shall I do? This is the reason why my heart is sad. The Great Spirit made our friends, but the great Spirit made our bodies from the earth, as if they were different from the whites. What shall I do? Shall I give the land which is a part of my body and leave myself poor and destitute? Shall I say I will give you my land? I cannot say so. I am afraid of the Great Spirit. I love my life. The reason why I do not give my land away is, I am afraid I will be sent to hell. I love my friends. I love my life. This is the reason why I do not give my land away. I have one word more to say. My people are far away. They do not know your words. This is the reason I cannot give you an answer. I show you my heart. This is all I have to say."
Governor Stevens .- "How will Kamiakin or Schoom speak?" Kamiakin .- "What have I to be talking about?"
General Palmer .- "We have listened and heard our chiefs speak. The hearts of the Nez Perces and ours are one. The Cay- uses, the Walla Wallas, and the other tribes say they do not un- derstand us. We were in hopes we should have but one heart. Why should we have more than one heart? Young Chief says he does not know what we propose to him. Pe-pe-mox-mox says the same, Can we bring these saw mills and these grist mills on our backs to show these people? Can we bring these blacksmith shops, these wagons and tents on our backs to show them at this time? Can we canse fields of wheat and corn to spring up in a day that we may see them? Can we build these school houses and these dwellings in a day? Can we bring all the money that these things will cost, that they may see it? It would be more than all the horses of any one of these tribes could carry. It takes time to do these things. We come first to see you and make a bargain. We brought but few goods with us. But whatever we promise to give you, you will get.
"How long will these people remain blind? We come to try and open their eyes. They refuse the light. I have a wife and children. My brother here has the same. I have a good house, fields of wheat, potatoes, and peas. Why should I wish to leave them and come so far to see you? It was to try and do you good, but you throw it away. Why is it that you do so? We all sometimes do wrong. Sometimes because our hearts are bad, and sometimes because we have bad counsel. Your people have some- times done wrong. Our hearts have cried. Our hearts still cry. But if you will try to do right, we will try to forget it. How long will you listen to this bad counsel and refuse to receive the light? I, too, like the ground where I was born. I left it because it was for my good. I have come a long way. We ask you to go but a short distance. We do not come to steal your land. We pay you more than it is worth. There is the Umatilla Valley that affords a little good land between two streams and all around it, is a parched up plain. What is it worth to you, what is it worth to us? Not half what we have offered you for it. Why do we of- fer so much? Because our Great Father told us to take care of
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his red people. We come to you with his message to try and do you good," etc., etc.
These extracts will give a specimen of the kind of "talk" which went on day after day. All but the Nez Perces were evidently dis -. inclined to the treaty, and it was melancholy to see their reluct- ance to abandon the old hunting grounds of their fathers and their impotent struggle against the overpowering influences of the whites. The meeting closed to day with an effective speech by Governor Stevens, addressed to the chiefs who had argued against the treaty. I give it in part:
"I must say a few words. My Brother, and I have talked straight. Have all of you talked straight? Lawyer has and his people have, and their business will be finished tomorrow. Young Chief says, he is blind and does not understand. What is it that he wants? Stickus says his heart is in one of these places- the Grand Roande, the Tuche, and the Tucanon. Where is the heart of Young Chief? Pe-pe-mox-mox cannot be wafted offlike a feather. Does he prefer the Yakima to the Nez Perce reserva- tion? We have asked him before. We ask him now. Where is his heart? Kamiakin, the great Chief of the Yakimas, has not spoken at all, his people have no voice here today. He is not ashamed to speak? He is not afraid to speak? Then speak out. Owhi is afraid to lest God be angry at his selling his land. Owhi, my brother! I do not think God will be angry with you if you do your best for yourself and your children. Ask yourself this ques- tion tonight. Will not God be angry with me if I neglect this opportunity to do them good? But Owhi says, his people are not here. Why then did he tell us, come hear our talk? I do not want to be ashamed of him. Owhi has the heart of his people. We expect him to speak out. We expect to hear from Kamiakin and from Schoom. The treaty will have to be drawn up tonight. You can see it tomorrow. The Nez Perces must not be put off any longer. This business must be dispatched. I hope that all the other hearts and our hearts will agree. They have asked us to speak straight. We have spoken straight. We have asked you to speak straight; but have yet to hear from you."
The Council then adjourned until 6 o'clock. In the evening I rode over as usual to the Nez Perces camp and found many of them playing cards in their lodges. They are the most inveterate gamblers, and a warrior will sometimes stake on successive games, his arms, and horses, and even his wives, so that in a single night he is reduced to a state of primitive poverty and obliged to trust to charity to be remounted for a hunt. In the other camps every- thing seemed to be in violent confusion. The Cayuse and other tribes were very much incensed against the Nez Perces for agree- ing to the terms of the treaty, but fortunately for them, and prob- ably for us, the Nez Perces are as numerous as the others united.
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