THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Minutes of the Provincial
Council of Pennsylvania
(Indian Conferences:
Lancaster, Aug. 1762)
(Due to length divided here into three parts)
In: Pennsylvania Colonial
Docs., vol. 8,
pp. 721-741.
At a Council held at Lancaster, on Wednesday, the 11th Augt. 1762.
Present.
The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieut Governor.
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William Logan, |
Richard Peters, |
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Benjamin Chew, |
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Esqrs. |
The Governor having been informed last Week, at Philadelphia, that, in consequence of several Invitations sent them by this Government, at sundry times, to the Indians living on & near the Ohio, the Delaware Chief, Beaver, and the Deputies of other Tribes of Western Indians, would be at Lancaster on the 8th Instant, sat out from Philadelphia, attended by several Gentlemen, & came here on the 9th Inst., & found that the Indians had arrived the Evening before.
On the 10th, the Governor attended by the Gentlemen above mentioned, with several of the Inhabitants of this Town, paid a visit to Beaver & the other Indians, at their Encampment, about a Miles from the Town, where he took them by the Hand & bid them heartily welcome, & having seen that they were well accommodated, took his Leave, and came back to town.
The Governor yesterday afternoon received a Message from Beaver, that, having been a long time from home, they would take it very kindly if he would be pleased to open the Conferences with them to morrow Morning, without waiting longer for the Six Nations, as he & those Indians with him were the first invited, & were only made acquainted with the coming of the Six Nations since they left their Homes.
The Governor returned them for answer, that the Interpreter was not come, but as soon as he should arrive, he would immediately proceed to Business with them, & give them notice when to attend.
This afternoon arrived Six Tuscarora Indians, who waited on the Governor, & acquainted him that they were sent to him by those of their Nation living on Onohoquage, on the Upper Waters of the Susquehanna, with a Letter which, after the Ceremony of opening his Eyes and Heart by a String of Wampum, they delivered to him & follows in these words:
Lower Tuscarora Onohoquage, July 8th, 1762.
Great Brother:
I, the Beaver August, Chief of the Nation, am and ever have been a friend & Brother to the English & to the Interest of Great Britain, now wait upon your Excellency by agreement, to transact Affairs of importance; and heartily rejoice that the five Nations have agreed (& as I hear), have actually returned the English Prisoners to enjoy the Liberties of their own Nation; And I, the said August Chief, with my whole Tribe, have ever been for peace with the English Colonies in America, & have minded the things of religion and of a private Life; and as a true friend to the protestant Cause, We congratulate your Excellency, our Brother, and all the British Nations, on the various Conquests obtained against the common Enemy, & especially on the total reduction of Canada, with its dependencies, being greatly delighted with the happy prosperity that now arises without Clouds; AS we rejoice to hear that the prisoners are resigned, so we hope a peace will be established between us, the five Nations, & the English Colonies on the Continent, a peace that shall be lasting & undisturbed, while the Waters run and the Grass grows. We should be glad to be informed of the State and Behaviour of our Brethren in Tuscarora Valley, & to have some directions about the way, as we propose to make them a (page 723) visit, & also should be glad of a pass or recommendation, in writing, that we may be friendly received on the way and at the Valley.
I am Your Brother,
AUGUS, Chief.
The above was taken from the Mouth of the said Augus, Tuscarora Chief, by the help of an Interpreter by me.
ELI FORBES,
Missionary at Onohoquage.
After the Governor had read the Letter, they delivered him a Belt of Wampum to confirm the sincerity of their professions contained in the said Letter.
they then delivered the Governor another Belt from the Nanticokes and Conoys, as a testimony of their joining the Tuscarora's in the same sincere professions.
The Governor acquainted them that he would take the Letter into Consideration, & at a proper time return them an answer.
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At a Conference with the Indians, held at Lancaster, on Thursday the 12th August, 1762.
Present.
The Honourable James Hamilton, Esqr., Lieutt. Governor, &ca.
William Logan, Richard Peters, and Benjamin Chew, Esquires, of the Council of the Province.
Joseph Fox, George Ashbridge, James Wright, Saml. Rhoads, James Webb, Esqrs., of the Assembly, & several Magistrates, & a number of Gentlemen from Philada. & other parts of the Province.
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Tomago, or
Beaver, |
Chiefs of the Ohio Delawares, and twenty-two others, most of them Warriors. |
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Akis, |
Chiefs of the Tuscaroras. |
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Miskepalathy, or
red Hawk, |
Chiefs of ye Shawanese & 10 other Warriors. |
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Cakakey, |
Chiefs of ye Kickapoe Natn. |
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Teacott, |
Chiefs of the Wiwachtanies. |
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Paughawe, |
Chiefs of the Twightwee Nation. |
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Isaac Stille, |
Interpreters. |
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After the Indians had taken their Seats the Governor opened the Conferences with the following Speech:
Brethren, the Delawares, Shawanese, Twightwees, Wawaghtanies, Tuscaroras, and Kickapoes:
With this String I clean your Bodies from the Dust & Sweat, and open your Eyes and Ears, that you may see your Brethren with chearfulness, & hear distinctly what I have to say to you at this Conference.
A String (480).
Brethren:
With this String I open the Passage to your hearts, that you may speak freely and without reserve, as Brethren ought to do when they meet together.
A String (260).
Brethren:
It is now a great while since we had the pleasure of Meeting one another in Council, Wherefore I take this Opportunity of Condoling with you for the Losses you may have sustained by the death of any of your people; and with this String I gather up the Bones of our deceased Brethren & bury them decently, according to the Custom of our forefathers.
A String (460).
Brethren:
With this String I disperse the dark Clouds, which for many Years have hung over our heads, & prevented our seeing each other, that we may for the future, meet and confer together, as our fathers used to do, and brighten & renew the Covenant Chain of Friendship for our Mutual Benefit & Advantage.
A String (300).
Brethren:
As the Council Chamber hath contracted much dust for want of use, for some Years past, & hath also been stained with Blood, I, with this String, sweep it quite clean, and wipe all Blood from off the Seats, that we may sit and confer together without seeing any thing to interrupt us or make us uneasy.
A String (280).
Brethren:
Having now wiped your Eyes, opened the way to your hearts, & cleansed the Council Seats, I by this Belt, take you by the hand (page 725-726) & bid you heartily welcome, and assure you that I am ready to do every thing in my power to strengthen and preserve that Brotherly Love and Friendship which so long subsisted between your Ancestors & His Majestie's subjects of this Government.
A Belt.
The Governor then told them that he had finished what he had to say to them at present, and that if they were prepared to speak to him at this time, he was ready to hear them; if not, he would appoint another time for that purpose.
Beaver, the Chief of the Delawares, then spoke to the Governor, as follows:
Brother:
We all rejoice to hear what you have said to us, and are glad that you have cleansed us, & have spoke to us in the manner which our forefathers used to do to one another. As we speak different Languages, We shall be glad of an Opportunity of consulting among ourselves, and shall deliver what we have to say to you to Morrow Morning.
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At a Conference with the Indians held at Lancaster on Friday the Thirteenth of August, 1762.
Present.
The Honourable James Hamilton, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor, &ca.
William Logan, Richard Peters, Benjamin Chew, Esquires, Members of the Council.
Joseph Fox, Saml. Rhoads, James Wright, John Morton, Esqrs, of the Assembly.
The Chiefs and Deputies of the several Nations of Ind's., as before.
The Governor having told the Indians that he was ready to hear them,
Beaver, the Delaware Chief, spoke as follows:
Brother:
I have heard what you said to me Yesterday, and am well pleased with it. You have cleansed me, opened my Eyes, and cleansed my Ears in the same manner as our Forefathers used to do. You will now listen to me attentively; with this String I also open your Eyes & clean your Ears, that you may see & hear what I have to say to you.
A String.
Brother:
When our Grandfathers used to meet together, they wiped the Tears from one another's Eyes, & with this String, I now wipe the Tears from yours, that you may see clearly your Brothers now before you.
A String.
Brother:
When our Grandfathers used to meet our Brethren, they cleansed each others Hearts & took away all Grief & Sorrow out of them. By this String I do likewise clean your Hearts, & remove all Sorrow & Grief from them, and strengthen your Breath, that you may speak more freely to your Brothers here before you.
A String.
Brother:
It is a great while since we saw one another; we here present are really very glad to see you and all our Brethren well. It is about four Years ago since we first received any Messages from you, & ever since we have been employed in carrying good News to all the Nations round, who were rejoiced to hear it from you. And we have been likewise ever since endeavouring to bring in your Flesh and Blood, as you required it of us. Mr. Croghan, and the Commander at Fort Pitt, know that we have delivered many of them, & now we bring a few more of them to you. There are some behind yet, and they meet with good Usage, and live as we do, and chuse to stay with us, but I hope they will come to you after some time, because you live better than we do.
A Belt.
Brother:
I heard you Yesterday and was much rejoiced to hear you, as were all your Brethren here present. You told me you had removed all the dark Clouds that hung over us; I am rejoiced that the dark Clouds are dispersed so that we can see one another clearly.
By this Belt, I do, on my part, disperse the Clouds. Now, Brother, let us join heartily & put our hands together to put away the Clouds.
If we should see the Clouds rise again let us join to remove them, & keep peace together, so that our Children and Grand Children when they meet may rejoice to see one another, and live to great Ages in peace.
A Belt.
Brother:
We are rejoiced to see one another; all the dark clouds are now scattered, and the Sun shines clear upon us and all the Nations who are our Friends. We see plainly that good Road which our Grandfathers used when they travelled to your Council Fire, to consult about our Affairs when we lived in Friendship.
Brother:
We will join with you to keep that Road open and good, I assure you it was never yet quite Stopt up; We find our old Council (page 727) Fire, which our Grandfathers made, is still burning; Now, by this Belt, I collect dry Wood to put to the Fire and make it bigger, so that the smoke may rise to the Skies; when other Nations see it they will know by the light that I have been in Council with my Brethren.
A Belt.
Beaver then got up, & holding a Belt in his hand, said:
This Belt we received last Fall from Sir William Johnson, at Fort Detroit, who then informed us that he had heard of the good work of peace in which we had been engaged with our Brethren, the English, which Belt represents us, the Delawares, in the Middle, & the Western Nations of Indians at one end, & the English at the other, Hand in Hand together, holding fast the Chain of Friendship, & assured us that if we held this Chain of Friendship fast, our Children & Grandchildren should grow up and live to great Ages. We were so pleased with this that We put it into our Hearts, and have always kept there till now.
And now, Brother, You have heard from me what passed between Sir William Johnston & me, and hold fast this Chain of Friendship; I assure you I will always do my part in keeping this Friendship firm, & the Nations to the Westward will do the same. I desire all you, my Brethren, will be strong, & join heartily in keeping this Friendship alive, which, if you do, you and your Grand Children shall arrive at a great age.
A Belt.
Brother:
I desire you will take Pity on those of our Brothers that live or come amongst You, & be kind to them; Our Brethren live among you because they love you; When any of our Brothers, the English, come amongst us, we always take pity on them, and give them Victuals, to make their Bodies Strong, and we desire that you will do the same to such of us as come amongst you, or live with you.
A Belt.
Brother:
I have no more to say at present; I shall wait to hear what you have to say to us at another time. You desired me to bring other Nations of Indians with me, and I have brought them a great way, who also wait to hear what you have to say.
The Governor then acquainted Beaver that he was well pleased to hear what they had said to him, and that he received it into his Heart, and should take a proper Opportunity to give them an answer.
The Governor rose and went to the place where the English prisoners sat, and received them, one by one, from the hands of King Beaver, and here follow their names:
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Thomas Moore, |
taken from Potowmack, |
Maryland. |
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Philip Studebecker, |
Conegocheague, |
Ditto. |
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Ann Dougherty, |
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Pennsylvania. |
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Peter Condon, |
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Ditto. |
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Mary Stroudman, |
Conegocheague, |
Ditto. |
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William Jackson, |
Tulpehoccon, |
Ditto. |
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Elizabeth McAdam, |
Little Cove, |
Ditto. |
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John Lloyd, |
Ditto. |
Ditto. |
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Eleanor Lancestoctes, |
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Ditto. |
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Dorothy Shobrian, |
Big Cove, |
Ditto. |
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Richard Rogers, |
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Virginia. |
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Esther Rogers, |
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Ditto. |
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Jacob Rogers, |
South Branch, |
Ditto. |
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Archibald Woods, |
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Ditto. |
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Christopher Holtomen, |
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Ditto. |
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Rebecca Walter, |
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Ditto. |
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Hans Boyer, a Boy, |
not known from whence. |
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Friday, August 13, 1762.
This afternoon Tokahaion, and a number of the Six Nation Indians coming to Town, about Fifteen of them waited on the Governor at his Lodgings, & Tokahaion spoke to the Governor as follows:
Brother:
We were some time ago invited by you and our Brethren, the Quakers of this Province, to come to this Treaty at Lancaster, with our Cousins, the Delawares. Agreeable to this Invitation, we came down as far as Harris's Ferry, where we heard that you intended to return Home to-Morrow, which induced us to make all the haste we could to this place, that we might have the pleasure of seeing you. On our Way one of our Brethren died, but our hurry was so great that we threw his Body aside, and did not so much as stay to bury him. We are just come to Town, and pay you this Visit to take you by the hand, and let you know we are glad to see you; We must request of you to order your People to lock up all Rum, and not let our Indians have any 'till the end of our Conferences. He added that they had seen the Cabbins which had been built to accomodate them, but that they were at so great a distance from the place where their Cousins, the Delawares, were lodged, that they could not conveniently discourse with them, wherefore he desired that others might be provided near to them to-Morrow.
The Governor took them by the hand, and after bidding them welcome, told them that they were misinformed respecting his designing to return home to-Morrow, that as he heard they were on their way, he had waited some days in expectation of their coming,
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