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Treaty of St. Joseph--Tanner--Visits of the Indians in
distress--Letters from the civilized world--Indian code
projected--Cause of Indian suffering--The Indian cause--Estimation
of the character of the late Mr. Johnston--Autobiography--Historical
Society of Michigan--Fiscal embarrassments of the Indian Department.
1828. Tanner was a singular being--out of humor with the world,
speaking ill of everybody, suspicious of every human action, a very
savage in his feelings, reasonings, and philosophy of life, and yet
exciting commiseration by the very isolation of his position. He had
been stolen by the Indians in the Ohio Valley when a mere boy,
during the marauding forays which they waged against the frontiers
about 1777. He was not then, perhaps, over seven years of age--so
young, indeed, as to have forgotten, to a great degree, names and
dates. His captors were Saganaw Chippewas, among whom he learned the
language, manners and customs, and superstitions of the Indians.
They passed him on, after a time, to the Ottowas of L'Arbre Croche,
near Mackinac, among whom he became settled in his pronunciation of
the Ottowa dialect of the great Algonquin family. By this tribe, who
were probably fearful a captive among them would be reclaimed after
Wayne's war and the defeat of the combined Indians on the Miami of
the Lakes, he was transferred to kindred tribes far in the
north-west. He appears to have grown to manhood and learned the arts
of hunting and the wild magic notions of the Indians on the Red
River of the North, in the territory of Hudson's Bay. Lord Selkirk,
in the course of his difficulties with the North-west Company,
appears to have first learned of his early captivity.
He came out to Mackinac with the traders about 1825, and went to
find his relatives in Kentucky, with whom, however, he could not
long live. His habits were now so inveterately savage that he could
not tolerate civilization. He came back to the frontiers and
obtained an interpretership at the U.S. Agency at Mackinac. The
elements of his mind were, however, morose, sour, suspicious,
antisocial, revengeful, and bad. In a short time he was out with
everybody. He caused to be written to me a piteous letter. Dr.
James, who was post surgeon at the place, conceived that his
narrative would form a popular introduction to his observations on
some points of the Indian character and customs, which was the
origin of a volume that was some years afterwards given to the
public.
A note he brought me in 1828, from a high source, procured him my
notice. I felt interested in his history, received him in a friendly
manner, and gave him the place of interpreter. He entered on the
duties faithfully; but with the dignity and reserve of an Indian
chief. He had so long looked on the dark side of human nature that
he seldom or never smiled. He considered everybody an enemy. His
view of the state of Indian society in the wilderness made it a
perfect hell. They were thieves and murderers. No one from the
interior agreed with him in this. The traders, who called him a bad
man, represent the Indians as social when removed from the face of
white men, and capable of noble and generous acts. He was,
evidently, his own judge and his own avenger in every question. I
drew out of him some information of the Indian superstitions, and he
was well acquainted practically with the species of animals and
birds in the northern latitudes.
30th. A letter informs me that a treaty has just been
concluded with the Potawattomies of St. Joseph's, who cede to the
United States about a million and a half acres, comprising the
balance of their lands in Michigan. I received, at the same time, a
few lines from Gen. Cass, speaking a word for the captive, John
Tanner, the object of which was to suggest his employment as an
interpreter in the Indian Department1.
October 31st. The Indian visits, from remote bands, which
were very remarkable this year, continued through the entire month
of August, and beyond the date at which I dropped the notices of
them, during September, when they were reduced, as party after party
returned to the interior, to the calls of the ordinary bands living
about the post, and, at furthest, to the foot of Lake Superior and
the valley and straits of the St. Mary's. With them, or rather
before them, went the traders with their new outfits and retinues,
chiefly from Michilimackinac. As one after another departed, there
was less need of that vigilance, "by night and by day," to see that
none of the latter class went without due license; that the foreign
boatmen on their descriptive lists were duly bonded for; that no
"freedmen" slipped in; and that no ardent spirits were taken in
contrary to law. Gradually my public duties were thus narrowed down
to the benevolent wants of the bands that were immediately around
me, to seeing that the mechanics employed by the Department did
their duties, and to keeping the office at Washington duly informed
of the occurrences and incidents belonging to Indian affairs. All
this, after the close of summer, requires but a small portion of a
man's time, and as winter, which begins here the first of November,
approached, I felt impelled to devote a larger share of attention to
subjects of research or literary amusement. I missed two men in
plunging into the leisure hours of my seventh winter (omitting
1825), in this latitude, namely, Mr. Johnston, whose conversation
and social sympathies were always felt, and Dr. Pitcher, whose
tastes for natural science and general knowledge rendered him a
valuable visitor.
Letters from the civilized world tended to keep alive the general
sympathies, which none more appreciate than those who are shut out
from its circles. Mr. Edward Everett (Oct. 6th) communicates his
sentiments favorably, respecting the preparation of an article for
the North American Review. The Rev. Mr. Cadle (Oct. 7th)
sends a package of Bibles and Prayer Books for distribution among
the soldiers, which he entrusts to Mrs. S. The Rev. Mr. Wells, of
Detroit, writes of some temporality. Mr. Trowbridge keeps me advised
respecting the all important and growing importance of the
department's fiscal affairs.
The author of "Sanillac" (Oct. 8th) acknowledges the reception and
reading of my "Notes," with which he expresses himself pleased. The
head of the Indian office writes, "The plan has been adopted of
compiling a code of regulations for the Indian intercourse during
the winter. For this duty, Gen. Clarke, of St. Louis, and Gen. Cass,
of Detroit, have been selected." Such were some of the extraneous
subjects which the month of October brought from without.
The month of November was not without some incidents of interest.
From the first to the fifteenth, a number of Indian families applied
for food, under circumstances speaking loudly in their favor. The
misfortune is, that these poor creatures are induced to part with
everything for the means of gratifying their passion for drink, and
then lingering around the settlements as long as charity offers to
supply their daily wants. The usual term of application for this
class is, Kittemaugizzi, or Nim bukkudda, I am in want, or I am
hungry. By making my office a study, I am always found in the place
of public duty, and the latter is only, in fact, a temporary relief
from literary labor. I have often been asked how I support solitude
in the wilderness. Here is the answer: the wilderness and the busy
city are alike to him who derives his amusements from mental
employment.
Nov. 7th. The Indian Cause.--In a letter of this date from
Mr. J.D. Stevens, of the Mission of Michilimackinac, he suggests a
colony to be formed at some point in the Chippeway country of Lake
Superior, and inquires whether government will not patronize such an
effort to reclaim this stock. The Indian is, in every view, entitled
to sympathy. The misfortune with the race is, that, seated on the
skirts of the domain of a popular government, they have no vote to
give. They are politically a nonentity. The moral and benevolent
powers of our system are with the people. Government has nothing to
do with them. The whole Indian race is not, in the political scales,
worth one white man's vote. Here is the difficulty in any benevolent
scheme. If the Indian were raised to the right of giving his
suffrage, a plenty of politicians, on the frontiers, would enter
into plans to better him. Now the subject drags along as an incubus
on Congress. Legislation for them is only taken up on a pinch. It is
a mere expedient to get along with the subject; it is taken up
unwillingly, and dropped in a hurry. This is the Indian system.
Nobody knows really what to do, and those who have more information
are deemed to be a little moon-struck.
18th. ESTIMATION OF MR. JOHNSTON.--Gov. Cass writes from
Washington: "Mr. Johnston's death is an event I sincerely deplore,
and one upon which I tender my condolements to the family. He was
really no common man. To preserve the manners of a perfect
gentleman, and the intelligence and information of a well-educated
man, in the dreary wastes around him, and in his seclusion from all
society but that of his own family, required a vigor and elasticity
of mind rarely to be found."
NEW INDIAN CODE.--The loose and fragmentary character of the Indian
code has, at length, arrested attention at Washington, and led to
some attempts to consolidate it. A correspondent writes (Nov. 18th):
"Gen. Clarke has not yet arrived, but is expected daily. In the
meantime, I have prepared an analysis of the subject, which has been
approved by the department, and, on the arrival of Gen. Clarke, we
shall be prepared to proceed to the compilation of our code, which,
I do hope, will put things in a better situation for all."
The derangements in the fiscal affairs of the Indian department are
in the extreme. One would think that appropriations had been handled
with a pitchfork. A correspondent writes: "For 1827, we were
promised $48,000, and received $30,000. For 1828, we were promised
$40,000, and have received $25,000; and, besides these promises,
were all the extra expenditures authorized to be incurred, amounting
to not less than $15,000. It is impossible this can continue." And
these derangements are only with regard to the north. How the south
and west stand, it is impossible to say. But there is a screw loose
in the public machinery somewhere.
Dec. 5th. AUTOBIOGRAPHY.--"It is to be regretted," writes Dr.
Edwin James, "that our lamented friend (Mr. Johnston) had not lived
to complete his autobiography. This deficiency constitutes no valid
objection to the publication of the memoirs, though it appears to me
highly desirable that you should complete the sketch, so as to
include the history of the latter portion of his life. In perfect
accordance with the plan of such a continuation, you would embody
much valuable detail in relation to the history and condition of
this section of the country for the last thirty years. You must,
doubtless, have access to all the existing materials, and to many
sources of authentic information, which could, very appropriately,
be given to the public in such a form."
15th. UNION OF THE PURSUITS OF NATURAL AND CIVIL HISTORY.--I
brought forward, and had passed at the last session of the
Legislature, an act incorporating the Historical Society of
Michigan. Dr. Pitcher, who has recently changed his position to Fort
Gratiot, at the foot of Lake Huron, proposes the embracing of
natural history among its studies. He finds his position, at that
point, to be still unfavorable in some aspects, and not much, if
anything, superior to what it was at St. Mary's.
27th. FISCAL PERPLEXITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT.--These were
alluded to before. No improvement appears, but we are all destined
to suffer. A friend, who is versed in the subject, writes from
Washington: "The fact is, that nothing could be worse managed than
the fiscal concerns of the department. Not the slightest regard has
been paid to the apportionment made, and there is now due to our
superintendency more than the sum of $40,000. You can well conceive
how this happens, and I have neither time nor patience to enter into
the details; suffice it to say, that I am promised by the Secretary
that the moment the appropriation law passes, which will probably be
early in January, every dollar of arrearages shall be paid off. This
is all the consolation I can furnish you, and, I suppose I need not
say that I have left no stone unturned to effect a more desirable
result. It is manifest, however, that the whole department will be
exceedingly pressed for funds next year, as a considerable part of
the appropriation must be assigned to the payment of arrearages,
which have been suffered to accumulate; and it is not considered
expedient, in the present state of affairs, to ask for a specific
appropriation. It will require at least two years to bring our
fiscal concerns to a healthy state."
In fact, to meet these embarrassments, many retrenchments became
necessary; some sub-agencies were drawn in from the Indian country,
mechanics and interpreters were dismissed, and things put on the
very lowest scale of expenditure.
1: This man served a short time, but turned out,
for eighteen years, to be the pest of that settlement, being a
remarkably suspicious, lying, bad-minded man, having lost every
virtue of the white man, and accumulated every vice of the Indian.
He became more and more morose and sour because the world would not
support him in idleness, and went about half crazed, in which state
he hid himself one day, in 1836, in the bushes, and shot and killed
my brother, James L. Schoolcraft. He then fled back to the Indians,
and has not been caught. The musket with which this nefarious act
was done, is said to have been loaned to him from the guard-house at
Fort Brady. Dr. Bagg pronounced the ball an ounce-ball, such as is
employed in the U.S. service. The wad was the torn leaf of a hymn
book. It was extensively reported by the diurnal press, that I had
been the victim of this unprovoked perfidy.
This site includes some historical
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Personal Memoirs of a Residence of Thirty Years with the
Indian Tribes on the American Frontiers, 1851
Thirty
Years with the Indians
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