Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora IndiansJohnson, Elias
History
Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians
Johnson, Elias
Iroquois Indians; Tuscarora Indians
The undersigned, chiefs and head men of the St. Regis Indians, residing
in the State of New York, having heard a copy of said treaty read by
Ransom H. Gillet, the commissioner who concluded that treaty on the part
of the United States, and be having fully and publicly explained the
same, and believing the conditions of the said treaty to be very liberal
on the part of the United States, and calculated to be highly beneficial
to the New York Indians, including the St. Regis, who are embraced in its
provision, do hereby assent to every part of the said treaty, and approve
the same. And it is further agreed that any of the St. Regis Indians who
wish to do so shall be at liberty to remove to the said country at any
time hereafter within the time specified in this treaty, but under it the
Government shall not compel them to remove.
The United States will, within one year after the ratification of this
treaty, pay over to the American party of said Indians one thousand
dollars, part of the sum of five thousand dollars mentioned in the
special provisions for the St. Regis Indians, anything in the article
contained to the contrary, notwithstanding.
Proclaimed April 4, 1840.
* * * * *
In the year 1846, on the 16th day of May, about forty of the Tuscaroras
emigrated from the reservation to their new homes in the Indian
Territory, and in one year about one-third of them died on account of the
sufferings they endured. They were destitute of everything, and the
Government was to have sustained them for one year, and to build houses
for them, and provide all the necessaries of life, but they failed in
fulfilling their promises on account of the misconduct of Dr. A.
Hogeboom, the moving agent of the emigration party.
By reference to official documents in the Indian department it appears
that a petition from a small party of discontented emigrationists at the
Tuscarora village, dated March 4th, 1845, was sent to the President of
the United States, expressing a desire to remove to the West. It also
further appears that a letter had been received by the department from a
certain D. G. Garnsey, dated May 8th, 1845, stating that a portion of the
Senecas, and others of the Six Nations in western New York, were now
ready to remove. The Government, justly fearing that there might be
persons so anxious to possess themselves of the moneys appropriated by
law for the removal and support of emigrating Indians, as to resort to
fraudulent means for the purpose, by letters warned the Indian agent at
Buffalo to be on his guard against such imposition. Afterwards, several
petitioners from small fragments of the Senecas and other tribes, were
prevailed on to sign memorials to the President, asking to be removed,
and begging appropriations for that purpose. To those well acquainted
with these movements, there was sufficient evidence that persons
interested in their removal were at the bottom of all this business.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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