The Chicago Massacre of 1812: With Illustrations and Historical DocumentsKirkland, Joseph
History
The Chicago Massacre of 1812: With Illustrations and Historical Documents
Kirkland, Joseph
Chicago (Ill.) -- History; Fort Dearborn Massacre, Chicago, Ill., 1812
It is now hard to trace the Indians who departed hence in 1835,
fifty-eight years ago. They are almost "lost tribes." The report for
1890 of the Commissioners of Indian Affairs, gives Pottowatomies of
various descriptions scattered in many places. This same is true of the
Ottawas and Chippewas.
The larger part of the Pottowatomies (known of old as the "Woods Band,"
in contradistinction to the "Prairie Band") have renounced tribal
relations and are known as the "Citizen Band." They number scarcely two
thousand souls, and occupy a tract nearly thirty miles square (575,000
acres) in Oklahoma.
The Commissioners' report says but little about them, giving more
attention to the "Prairie Band," since they are still a tribe, and
thus, "wards of the nation." They number only 432, and hold in common
77,357 acres in Kansas, where they are doing fairly, but are pestered
with the dregs of the "Citizen Band," who fall back on the tribe like
the returned prodigal--but unrepentant, and still fit company only for
the husk-eating swine.
Of the "Citizen Band," Special Agent Porter says:
"The Pottowatomies are citizens of the United States, thoroughly
tinctured with white blood. Nearly all of them speak English and read
and write. Some of them are quite wealthy, being good farmers, with
large herds of stock. Their morals are below the standard, considering
their advanced state as a civilized' people."
This is not high praise; still, it gives hope for better things. Peace
and industry coming first, civilization and morality will follow. The
savage Indian is essentially a being of the past (notwithstanding
the survival of a few wild Apaches, a few "ghost-dancers" among the
Sioux, and some other exceptional bodies) and he is succeeded by the
truly civilized Indian (of whom the Cherokees are a splendid example),
a self-respecting, self governing, self-educating, prosperous human
being; not particularly different from the frontiers-man, except by a
slight and diminishing shade of color and by the possession of the best
characteristics of his savage ancestors. It may perhaps be said that
no race of men has ever made as much progress in five generations as
have the "civilized Indians." It is only one hundred and sixty years
since d'Artaguiette, Vinsenne, the Jesuit Senat, and young St. Ange,
son of the French commandant in the Illinois country (Fort Chartres),
were defeated in the Arkansas country and were burned at the stake
by the unconquered Chickasaws, who were "amazed to see the fortitude
with which white men could die." And now, in the territory adjoining
Arkansas on the west, the descendants of the torturers are cultivating
farms, maintaining governments, courts, schools and churches, and
in short, setting an example worthy to be followed by many who have
been "civilized" from the time ages back of the year 1492; when the
innocent, luckless Haytians learned of the existence of the unspeakable
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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