Article originally published in the National Intelligencer (reprinted from the Albany Balance) on October 5, 1811.
Full article text provided by Newspapers.com below.
From the Albany Balance.
NATIVE ELOQUENCE.
I do not offer the following document to the public as confidential or important “State Papers,” but as literary curiosities. The reader may rely on their genuineness:
The speech of Sagoua Ha, which signifies The Keeper Awake, known by the white people by the name of Red Jacket, in answer to a speech of Mr. Richardson, who applied to buy the Indian rights to the reservations lying in the territory commonly called the Holland purchase. Delivered at a council at Buffaloe Creek, in May, 1811.
Brother—We opened our ears to the talk you lately delivered to us, at our council fire. In doing important business it is best not to tell long stories, but to come to it in a few words. We therefore shall not repeat your talk, which is fresh in our minds. We have well considered it and the advantages & disadvantages of your offers. We request your attention to our answer, which is not from the speaker alone but from all the Sachems and Chiefs now around our council fire.
Brother—We know that great men as well as great nations, have different interests, have different minds, and do not see the same light—but we hope our answer will be agreeable to you and your employers.
Brother—Your application for the purchase of our lands is to our minds very extraordinary: it has been made in a crooked manner; you have not walked in the straight path pointed out by the great council of your nation. You have no writings from your great father the President. In making up our minds we have looked back, and remembered how the Yorkers purchased our lands in former times. They bought them piece after piece, for a little money paid to a few men in our nation, and not to all our brethren, until our planting and hunting grounds have become very small, and if we sell them, we know not where to spread our blankets.
Brother—You tell us your employers have purchased of the council of Yorkers, a right to buy our lands. We do not understand how this can be. The lands do not belong to the Yorkers; they are ours, and were given to us by the Great Spirit.
Brother—We think it strange that you should jump over the lands of our brethren in the east, to come to our council fire so far off, to get our lands. When we sold our lands in the East to the white people, we determined never to sell those we kept, which are as small as we can live comfortably on.
Brethren—You want us to travel with you and look for new lands. If we should sell our lands and move off into a distant country towards the setting sun, we should be looked upon in the country to which we go, as foreigners and strangers, and be despised by the red, as well as the white men, and we should soon be surrounded by the white people, who will there also kill our game, come upon our lands and try to get them from us.
Brother—We are determined not to sell our lands, but to continue on them—we like them—they are fruitful and produce us corn in abundance for the support of our women and children, and grass and herbs for our cattle.
Brother—At the treaties held for the purchase of our lands, the white men with sweet voices, and smiling faces, told us they loved us, and that they would not cheat us, but that the king’s children on the other side of the lake would cheat us. When we go on the other side of the Lake the king’s children tell us your people will cheat us. These things puzzle our heads, and we believe that the Indians must take care of themselves, and not trust either in your people or in the king’s children.
Brother—At a late council we requested our agents to tell you that we would not sell our lands, and we think you have not spoken to our agents, or they would have told you so, and we should not have met you at our council fire at this time.
Brother—The white people buy and sell false rights to our lands, and your employers have, you say, paid a great price for their rights. They must have a plenty of money, to spend it in buying false rights to lands belonging to Indians. The loss of it will not hurt them, but our lands are of great value to us, & we wish you to go back with our talk to your employers, and tell them and the Yorkers, that they have no right to buy and sell false rights to our lands.
Brother—We hope you clearly understand the ideas we have offered. This is all we have to say.
The speech of Sagoua Ha, which signifies The Keeper Awake, a chief of the Seneca nation of Indians, known by the white people by the name of Red Jacket, in answer to a speech of the Rev. Mr. Alexander, a Missionary from the Missionary Society in N. York, to that nation. Delivered at a council held at Buffaloe creek, in May, 1811.
Brother—We listened to the talk you delivered to us from the Council of Black coats,* in New York. We have fully considered your talk, and the offers you have made us, which we perfectly understand, and we return our answer to them, which we wish you also to understand. In making up our minds, we have looked back, and remember what has been done in our days, and what our fathers have told us was done in old times.
Brother—Great numbers of black coats have been among the Indians, and with sweet voices and smiling faces, have offered to teach them the religion of the white people. Our brethren in the east listened to them—turned from the religion of their fathers and took up the religion of the white people. What good has it done? Are they more friendly one to another than we are? No, brother, they are a divided people; we are united—they quarrel about religion, we live in love and friendship—they drink strong waters, have learnt how to cheat and practise all the vices of the white people, which disgrace Indians without imitating the virtues of the white people. Brother, if you are our well wisher, keep away and do not disturb us.
Brother—We do not worship the Great Spirit as the white people do, but we believe the forms of worship are indifferent to the Great Spirit—it is the homage of a sincere heart that pleases him, and we worship him in this manner. According to your religion, we must believe in a father, and son, or we will not be happy hereafter. We have always believed in a father and we worship him as we were taught by our fathers. Your book says that the son was sent on earth by the father. Did all the people who saw the son believe him? No, they did not; and the consequence must be known to you, if you have read the book.
Brother—You wish us to change our religion for yours—we like our religion and do not want another. Our friends (pointing to Messrs. Granger,† Parish and Taylor,) do us great good—they counsel us in our troubles, and tell us how to make us comfortable. Our friends the Quakers do more than this—they give us ploughs, and instruct us how to use them. They tell us we are accountable beings, but do not say we should change our religion. We are satisfied with what they do.
Brother—For these reasons we cannot receive your offers—we have other things to do, and beg you to make your mind easy, and do not trouble us, lest our heads should be too much loaded & by and by burst.
*The appellation given to clergymen by Indians.
†Mr. Granger is the agent of the U. States for Indian affairs, and resides at Buffaloe: Mr. Parish is the Indian interpreter, and Mr. Taylor is the agent of the society of Friends for improving the condition of the Indians, and resides near the Alleghany river.
