American fiction -- 19th century; Historical fiction; Indians of North America -- Fiction
“Brothers,” he said, “this is the great council on Prairie Round to
which we have been called. We have met before, but not here. This is our
first meeting here. We have travelled a long path to get here. Some
of our brethren have travelled farther. They are at Detroit. They went
there to meet our great Canada father, and to take Yankee scalps. How
many scalps they have taken I do not know, or I would tell you. It is
pleasant to me to count Yankee scalps. I would rather count them, than
count the scalps of red men. There are still a great many left. The
Yankees are many, and each Yankee has a scalp. There should not be so
many. When the buffaloes came in the largest droves, our fathers used to
go out to hunt them in the strongest parties. Their sons should do the
same. We are the sons of those fathers. They say we look like them, talk
like them, live like them--we should ACT like them. Let another speak,
for I have done.”
After this brief address, which bore some resemblance to a chairman's
calling a meeting of civilized men to order, there was more smoking.
It was fully expected that Peter would next arise, but he did not.
Perceiving this, and willing to allow time to that great chief to
arrange his thoughts, Crowsfeather assumed the office of filling the
gap. He was far more of a warrior than of an orator, and was listened
to respectfully, but less for what he said, than for what he had done.
A good deal of Indian boasting, quite naturally, was blended with HIS
discourse.
“My brother has told you of the Yankee scalps,” he commenced. “He says
they are many. He says there ought to be fewer. He did not remember who
sat so near him. Perhaps he does not know that there are three less now
than there were a moon since. Crowsfeather took three at Chicago. Many
scalps were taken there. The Yankees must be plentier than the buffaloes
on the great prairies, if they can lose so many scalps often, and send
forth their warriors. I am a Pottawattamie. My brothers know that tribe.
It is not a tribe of Jews, but a tribe of Injins. It is a great tribe.
It never was LOST. It CANNOT be lost. No tribe better knows all the
paths, and all the best routes to every point where it wishes to go.
It is foolish to say you can lose a Pottawattamie. A duck would be
as likely to lose itself as a Pottawattamie. I do not speak for the
Ottawas: I speak for the Pottawattamies. We are not Jews. We do not wish
to be Jews; and what we do not wish to be, we will not be. Our father
who has come so far to tell us that we are not Injins, but Jews, is
mistaken. I never heard of these Jews before. I do not wish to hear of
them again. When a man has heard enough, he does not keep his ears
open willingly. It is then best for the speaker to sit down. The
Pottawattamies have shut their ears to the great medicine-priest of the
pale-faces. What he says may be true of other tribes, but it is not true
of the Pottawatttamies. We are not lost; we are not Jews. I have done.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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