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This country, say to the whole of Fox river, was owned and occupied by the Sauks and Foxes, more than a century since. Many traces of fields cultivated by them, are still visible. Several tribes combined, killed some, and drove the remainder of those Sauks and Foxes, to their present residence on the Mississippi.

Some remains of buildings, occupied by some, Jesuits, are to be seen six miles from the fort, on the east side of the river. Their settling here, had in view the converting the Indians to the Christian religion."

Communication from Gentlemen, Indian Traders, residing at Green Bay.

From these gentlemen,* some of them natives of Green-Bay, and who have had better advantages for knowing this country, and its Indian population, than any other persons, I received verbally the following account of these Indians, and of their country, differing in some points from the foregoing given by Major Irwin.

"The Menominees, or Folles Avoines, both signifying, in English, wild rice, have six hundred warriors, nine hundred women, two thousand and four hundred children, total three thousand and nine hundred. They live in ten villages, north-west of Green Bay, on Menomine river, which is their north-east boundary, but chiefly on Fox river, on and near Winebago Lake. A few are scattered at Prairie du Chien, Upper and Lower Mississippi,† and at Milwakie, on the west shore of Lake Michigan.

"The Menominees claim the whole of the waters of GreenBay, with its islands. On its north-west shores, and on Fox river, they claim from the entrance of Menomine river, in length, one hundred and twenty miles, south-west and north-east; and in breadth sixty miles. On the south-east shore of the Bay, and on Fox riv

*Messrs. John Law, James Portier, Peter Grignor, Augustus Grignor, Lewis Grignor, and Laurent Feley. These Gentlemen were together, and with joint consent gave me this as a correct account.

+ Upper Mississippi is above Pairie du Chien, and Lower Mississippi, below it.

er, from the river Rouge, or Red river, to the Grand Cockalaw, a distance of forty-five miles, and twenty-four in breadth."

The Menominees have, in addition to the above territory, a common interest in the territories adjoining on the west, with the Winebagoes, Sacs, Chippawas, and Sioux.

The soil of the tract of country belonging to the Menominees, is generally good, capable of productive cultivation of corn and other species of grain, level, not stoney. Its natural growth, white oak, of middling size, good working timber, sugar maple, abundant, bass wood, poplar, white and red pine, cedar in great plenty along the lake, hickory, abundant; beech, elm, hazle-nuts in great plenty, birch, wild cherry, cherries, plums, crab-apples, abundant; straw-berries, whortle-berries, grapes, wild hops, goose-berries, currants, &c. but particularly the wild rice. This grows in immense quantities, in marshy grounds, and shallow ponds, and lakes; and along the margins of the rivers. This furnishes a very palateable and nutritious food (preferred by some, to the Southern rice) for the Indians, and also, for the ducks, pigeons, and other wild fowl, innumerable, that frequent this country at particular seasons of the year. The wild rice here is gathered in September, in small bark canoes, at a particular time, when the weather is calm, (the wind destroys it) with great industry and alertness. This remarkable production grows in abundance, in the proper places for its growth, some tracts excepted, over the whole country, from Lake Michigan, on the east, to the Mississippi west; and from Fox and Ouisconsin rivers, south, to the Lake of the Woods, north. This extensive territory has numerous small rivers, lakes and ponds, and generally, has not a soil as favorable for cultivation, as that where it is not found.*

The Chiefs of this nation, (Menominees) are principally young men, and have less influence than their predecessors, on account of their age, and because the white people have not given them that attention and support, which they were wont formerly to receive from them.

*Of the language of this nation, we shall give an account under the head of Indian Languages.

Interview with the Chiefs and principal men of the Menomine Indians.

At this interview, I communicated, at considerable length, the views of the Government, and the design of my mission, and left them to consider my message to them. Two days after, I met them again, and received from the speakers, hereafter named, answers which follow.

The names of three of the Chiefs present are, Mau-cau-taubee, aged 22, son of the celebrated Thomaw,* a modest, sensible young man, of good countenance; Sha-kaut-che-o-ke-maw, about the same age; these are the two first Chiefs of the nation. The name of the other is I-wye-ma-taw. Their speaker, not a Chief, was Aus-kin-naw-wau-wish, a pleasant, affectionate old man. He said:

"Father, I am happy to see you here to-day, and give you my hand, as if given to our Great Father the President himself. The sky is clear."

Pointing to the three Chiefs above named, he said, "These are our three principal Chiefs, acknowledged to be such by the nation. They bear the names, and have running in their veins, the blood, of our former Chiefs.t

* Thomaw died, and was buried, at Mackinaw, and over his grave Mr. Law erected a monument, on which is the following inscription: "Here rests the body of Thomas Carron, Grand Chief of the Folles avoine (Menomine) nation, who departed this life July 8th, 1818, aged 56 years, regretted by all who knew him."

This particular mention of the Chiefs, and of their troubles, and sorrows, was occasioned by a Treaty recently held by the Indian Agent with a small part of the Menomine nation, for the purchase of a large tract of the most valuable part of their Territory. The real Chiefs of the nation above named, were so decidedly opposed to the sale of this land, (a tract of forty miles square, intersected by Fox river from its mouth upward) that they refused to attend the Treaty at the invitation of the Agent, who, in consequence, was constrained, of his own authority, to create Chiefs to sign his Treaty. In this way their lands were sold in opposition to the will of the nation, though from the face of the Treaty, it would appear, as if done with their consent. This was the subject of their complaint. The President, on being made acquainted with these facts, as before stated, laid the Treaty aside, and it has not been ratified. See a more particular account of this affair in another part of this Appendix.

Father, we are glad to see you. We welcome you here. We are poor. The Great Spirit put us here in this world, as well as his other children; and we were first found by the French.

Father, You see your children here before you, full of grief and sorrow. We know not how to answer you. The moment we turned our backs, this spring, a change took place; and our families and children are all in trouble, in consequence of the conduct of some persons who are not true Menominees.

Father, It is a clear day. We are happy in the opportunity to tell you our complaints, and to explain to you our situation. We disapprove of what has been done by the Agent, and of the conduct of those of our nation, who treated with him, and sold our lands without our consent."

After making some heavy complaints against the Agent, on account of his rough treatment of them, and refusal to supply their wants, when in distress, their speaker added:

"Father, notwithstanding our different color, the Great Spirit has made us all. We hope that our talk to day will go to our Great Father.

Father, the Great Spirit made every thing. Formerly the white people lived on the other side of the Great Water, and the red people were thrown on this Great Island, and the game and the fish were given them for their support.

Father, We are going to tell you what we think of the message you bring us from our Great Father the President—or (as they described him,) he who governs the eighteen branches"—meaning the eighteen states.

Father, It is a great happiness that we see you here. You have foolish men among you, who have education, and laws to regulate and govern you. We also have foolish men among us. we, who have no education, or laws, govern them?"

How can

The questions were here put to them, whether they would be willing to collect together in one place, large enough to accommodate each family with a farm; to cultivate the earth; have schools for their children, and live as the white people live? All this, they were told, might be done in consistency with their hunting and fishing, to a limited extent, and that their Great Father would aid and patronize them, in effecting these changes, so fa

vorable to their happiness, if they would give their consent, and make the proper efforts to bring them about. They were informed, that Mr. Williams, with a number of the Chiefs of the Six Nations, were on their way to Green Bay, to look out for a place of settlement for themselves, and such others of their tribes, as might be disposed to migrate and settle with them. Should they be pleased with the country, they were asked, will you sell, or give them, lands on which they may settle?

Mau-cau-tau-bee, with apparent diffidence and modesty, then rose and said:

"Father, We don't know what to say, or what to do, in regard to the question you propose. We know that what you say is all good, and all true, and we take it as a great favor that you have come to see us. But we are but few here. The great part of our nation is elsewhere. If we were all together, we would give you a final answer.

Father, you see the few that are here of our nation. We cannot, therefore, give you a full and proper answer to your question. We can only speak for ourselves. But the Chiefs who are here, with myself, will endeavor to put in motion what our Great Father proposes. We hope to hear from our Great Father again on this subject. Our nation at present is scattered.

Father, In regard to the Delegates from the Six Nations, we Menominees have no enemies. We are ready to give them our hand. But in regard to a piece of land to give them, we know not what to say, our Territory is so small.

Father, I listen always to what the white people say, but I do not want to do as some of our foolish people have done. I do not want to take on myself, or to have those with me of the disposition, to steal a piece of land;* but if all our nation were together, we would know what to do.

Father, my conduct in life has not been irregular. We have listened to the whites. In general what they have told us is the truth, or nearly the truth; but in this place it is not the same

*Alluding to the sale of a large tract of their land, by a minority of the nation, in opposition to the will of the majority.

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