Report of the 1889 Chippewa Indian Commission, Lake Vermilion councils

In November 1889 several days of Chippewa Indian Commission meetings were held at Vermilion Lake Indian Reservation, Bois Forte Band of Minnesota Chippewa. The goal of the commission was to convince the Bois Forte Chippewa to accept individual allotment of lands to each man, allowing the federal government to sell all “surplus” lands for resource extraction.

Following are the transcripts of those meetings as they were presented to the first session of the 1890, 51st Congress, House of Representatives — Ex Doc. No. 247.

They transcripts are presented here precisely as they were presented to Congress including all vagaries of spelling, and names:

CHIPPEWA INDIANS IN MINNESOTA.
FIRST COUNCIL WITH BOIS FORTS INDIANS.

VERMILLION RESERVATION, November 9, 1889.
Present, Bishop Marty and Commissioner Whiting.

All the councils here were held on the second floor of the Government warehouse.

The council was called to order by Commissioner Whiting, followed by an invocation of the divine blessing by Bishop Marty.

Commissioner Whiting read and made an elaborate explanation of the act of Congress under which the Commission proceeded, and after a few remarks by Bishop Marty the council was adjourned until afternoon.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

Commissioner Whiting. The Commission will be glad to listen to any questions you may wish to ask, and will answer them.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. I wish to know if you have a copy of the treaty made in Washington. I was in Washington at the time.

Commissioner Whiting. What year?

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. Eighteen hundred and sixty-five. I wish to know how much was given us as a reservation.

Bishop Marty read the section of the treaty which states the amount of land to be seserved for the Bois Forts Indians to be 100,000 acres.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. I can not understand “100,000 acres,” but could understand if it given in length.

He was informed it was 12 miles square.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. The reason I speak in this way is because of what was told us by the Commission this morning. We do not believe it for this reason: The Government at Washington promised a tract of land 20 miles square. We were told that the law-makers had fixed it in that way. We were disappointed; and that is the way the white man generally does—lies to us. I just state the facts as they are. I have not forgotten what was said to us. There were a great many promises made to us at that time. I was near the Commissioner when he spoke to us, and there are a great many things that have not been fulfilled.

Bishop Marty. That is exactly why the Commission is here. I speak not only to the chiefs, but all of you.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. We were told in Washington, “You are never to talk about this reservation or your lands again, because this is put in the treaty as a perpetual thing for you. If we are going to talk about anything in the future, we will sit as we are sitting now—together. There are a great many of my white children about in the country.”

Bishop Marty. This land does belong to you. We did not come to take it away, but to make it secure for you. Each man is to get a patent for his own land. That is precisely the difference between the white man’s title and the Indian’s title. That is why I am so glad to be here to-day, to make sure that no one can ever come and take your land from you. Every man will have his home, and his children will have their homes, and you can all then hunt as well as before. Besides, you can take land at White Earth.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. I have some things to say. These persons who ceded before us ceded lands that did not belong to them. there was a portion of the land on Lake Superior that belonged to us and a portion of the land on the west, mentioned in the Pillagers’ treaty of 1855. There is still a piece of land along Rainy lake and another lake there, which was not ceded. They told us it was not ceded and that we might consider that as our own. That is what we were told in Washington.

Bishop Marty. It was probably said that you could consider it your own for hunting.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. The map was spread before us and we noticed very particularly all the lines. We were told we were to sit face to face with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs whenever we had anything to do with the Government. That is what I now fail to see. We were told there were a good many of his white children going about and not to listen to them.

Commissioner Whiting. The Great Father told us to have written down all that was said, so he might see and know whether we stated things truly to you. It was because in times past he found when your chiefs went to Washington and made a treaty you did not understand it and so became dissatisfied, and you had a right to be dissatisfied. And so he would make no more agreements with your chiefs alone or until you could all be seen together and have an opportunity to ask questions and understand it.
The Great Father has not sent us here to deprive you of one dollar’s worth of land. Whatever land was given you by that treaty in Washington you now have, and we will not disturb you in it. He only offers you the opportunity to take land each for yourselves, so each can build his own house and raise his own crops as white men do.
You must bear in mind that you are not asked to leave your homes. All the Great Father does is to give you a chance to join with the Mississippi Chippewas in this great benefit. So I ask you to look well to this matter and see that you make no mistakes, which are sometimes hard to correct.

Bishop Marty. Congress has made a law that commissioners must go to the Indians on the reservations.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. That is a very good plan, to have everybody listen. I do not feel sure of this arrangement at all, on account of the words that were spoken by the Commission. We were promised farmers, blacksmiths, etc., and we have had them; we were promised cattle, and have had them. I have had ten cattle, but they have died. Everything has been fulfilled in one respect.

Bishop Marty. When I talked to the Indians at Red Lake, who have millions of acres of pine, and told them they should give a share to you, they said, “No; the Lake Superior Indians have sold everything they had, and have no more to give; and now we will not share with them.” I told them the Great Spirit had made all the Chippewas, and that they were brothers, so those who were poor should be helped by the others; that it was their duty. And they slept over it, and the next morning they said “Yes.” So I came with a glad heart to bring this good news.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. About the children who are now small, but will grow to be men and women; they get less.

Bishop Marty. They will inherit the lands of their fathers.

Ay-dah-wah-ne-kway-be-nais. Under the circumstances we have not got together and discussed this matter yet. We wish time to do so and if you will name the hour we will meet you again.

Bishop Marty. To-morrow is Sunday, the Lord’s day. When the Great Spirit created the world in six days, on the seventh he rested. And so now all men do the same, work six days and rest the seventh day, and should spend that day in hearing His word and singing his praises and in praying to him. And so to-morrow morning at 10 o’clock I will have divine service, and those who wish can be present. And then you can have a meeting afterwards by yourselves. And when you are through you may call us in.

Council then adjourned.

 

(to be continued)

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