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.
Council at Philadelphia
(August 25, 1732)
In: Minutes of the Provincial Council of
Pennsylvania, vol. 3, pp. 438-442.
(page 438) being entered into, it was observed that heretofore, Treaties with the Indians had been generally held in the Council Chamber, tho' on some very particular Occasions it had been otherwise; that at this Treaty, to hold all our Conferrences in publick which must relate to our Neighbours, might frustrate the Intention of it, And that 'twas to be apprehended the Indians themselves would decline being so free and Open on these and other matters of importance, if they should perceive that Numbers of People without Distinction were admitted to hear what passes. These, with several other Reasons, being debated & considered, the Governour proposed and the Board came to the following Resolution.
That the Indians be sounded on this head by the Interpreter, and their Minds known, whether they would chuse a more Publick manner of being heard, & that the Method most agreeable to their Sentiments be followed.
_________
At a Council held at Philadelphia, August 25th, 1732.
PRESENT:
The Honourable THOMAS PENN, Esqr., Proprietary.
The Honourable PATRICK GORDON, Esqr., Lt. Governor.
|
James Logan, |
Clement Plumsted, |
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|
Isaac Norris, |
Thomas Laurence, |
} Esq'rs. |
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Samuel Preston, |
Ralph Asheton. |
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CONRAD WEYSER, the Interpreter, who pursuant to the Resolve of yesterday, was directed to learn the Sentiments of the Indians touching the manner of their being heard, now attending, was called in, & said that they had acquainted him it would be more agreeable to their Inclinations to treat at the Governor's house in the way they had begun, but if they are desired to speak in a more publick manner they will not decline it.
The Indians were then sent for, who being seated, & several Gentlemen of this City admitted to be present, HETAQUASTAGECHTY the Speaker, first repeating the Substance of what the Proprietor had delivered, said:
That the Discourse which they had heard, being Chiefly intended to know of them how they and the French stand affected towards each other, & how the other Nations of Indians around them are inclined towards them, they are now ready to satisfy their Brother Onas, in these particulars as far as they know:
They say that during the last War, the French frequently cry'd out to them for Peace, but they had never sued to the French for Peace; that the Governor of Canada sent many Messages to them, Earnestly requesting that they might come and treat with him; that at first some of the Canyingoe Nation went to him, & then some of two other Nations, but he refused to treat with them, till at length many of the Tsanaudowa's with some of the other Nations went, who told the French Governor that tho' they putt not great Trust in him or his People, for that they had frequently been deceived by them, (page 439) & that they had Eat their Flesh, yet they, the five Nations, were not afraid to putt themselves as it were in the Power of their Enemies by coming to hear what they would propose.
That they then told the Governor of Canada, that tho' they had hung on the Kettle yet they would not agree to break it, if certain Articles were established between them.
That the first Article they required of the French was, that they should send home such of their Nations as were Prisoners amongst them, and that notwithstanding these Prisoners might be inclineable to stay, yet they should be obliged to return to the Nation to which they belonged. To which Proposition the French Governor agreed, and gave them a Belt of Wampum in Confirmacon. Upon which they told him they were not to plant a Tree that should take deep Root & extend itself thro' all their Towns, & those of all the Indians in Alliance with them, that having planted the tree they then gave it Leaves, that under the Shadow thereof they & the French might rest Securely & take Council together, that after thus finishing the Tree, they made a deep Hole under it, where they buried their Hatchetts.
That upon each Article the french Governor returned his hearty thanks and added that for the better Security of this Tree, he would add a Top to it, that should reach up to the Heavens, that no Wind or Storm might shake or hurt it, & in Confirmation of his Words gave them a large Belt of Wampum.
That the Governor of Canada then said he would dig a very deep Hole, and therein throw his Hatchetts, that the upper parts should be covered with firm Earth, but the lower part should be Mudd and Water, that the Water might carry away the Hatchetts so that the same might never again be found, or used by him or them, his or their Children or Children's Children, to all Generations; that when the Hole was thus covered up he would build a Town over it, that the Place might never be discovered, but that from thenceforth a lasting Peace should be established between them.
Hetaquantagetchty then proceeded & said:
That several of the Outawacs who live on the great Lake to the Westward had been foolish, but that he had sett them to Rights, and convinced them that it is their Interest to trade & deal with the English; that they not only advised but commanded these Indians not to deal for the future with the French, whose Goods are too dear, but that they should goe to the trading House of Oswegoe, where there is great Plenty of all Sorts of Goods, and buy of the English, who would sell cheaper than the French.
That last Fall the French Interpreter, Cahichtodo, came to Ohio River (or Alleganey) to build houses there, & to supply the Indians with Goods, which they no sooner understood than they went out to forbid him, telling him that the Lands on the Ohio belonged to the Six Nations; that the French had nothing to do with them, and advised him to go home; but he, not regarding their Advice proceeded, upon which they sent to the French Governor to com- (page 440) plain, but their Messengers were not returned when they came from ... (illeg. copy).
That they Know nothing certainly of what passed between Cahichtodo and the Shawanese at Ohio.
Then presenting some Strings of Wampum,
They said, that since their Brother Onas & their Brother the Governour, had treated and received them so Kindly, & had spoke to them in so friendly a manner, they were highly pleased with the same, and are very willing & desirous that there may be more frequent Opportunities of conferring and discoursing with their Brethren, and that these may be managed by the means of Shekellamy and Conrad Weyser, the Interpreter.
That this is all they have to say at present, but as their Brother Onas is wiser than them, he may have some Questions to proposed, to which they are ready to answer very freely & openly.
The Proprietor then told them that their Speech was extremely agreeable to him and he took it very Kindly, that he would now drink a friendly Glass with them, and afterwards would confer with them more closely on several Subjects.
The Speaker presenting the Proprietor with a fine painted Mantle of dresst Otter skins, putt the same over his Shoulders.
___
August 26th
At a private Conference with Tyoninhogaroa & the other Chiefs who were present, the Proprietor, Governor, & some Members of Council:
They were told we were anxious for the Welfare of their Nation, and desire to know how the several other Nations around them stand affected towards them. And first they were asked how the Twechtwese (called by the French the Miamis,) & themselves now stood affected to each other?
They said they were at War with those People while they were at War with the French, but after they had made Peace with the French they concluded one also with the Twechtwese; that they are now in the strictest Union with them & are as one People.
Q. What Number of Men may the Twechtwese have?
A. they have one town so large that it is four times as long as one can see at once, and they have two other large Towns, but they know not the Number of their Men; they are a great Nation, and have more people than are in all the City of Philadelphia.
Q. What other Nations are they (the Mingoes) in Friendship with; and what are the Numbers & Strength of such Nations?
A. Their Chief Friends and Allies are the Twechtwey-roona, consisting as has been said of three Towns, the Altoomatte-roona who have also three Towns; the Onichkarydgo-roona, who have but one town, and the Seysaghe-roona, (roona signifies a Nation or People) who have fourteen good Towns. Divers other Nations have also sued to them of late to come into Alliance with them, & they should receive them. All these were under the French, & traded only with them, but now they had opened their Eyes and they would (page 441) trade only with the English, who used them better & sold their Goods cheaper.
Q. The French had burried their Hatchett and told them they would build a Town over it, So that it should never be found to be dug up again; But do they think they would not find that Hatchett again upon any new Quarrell?
A. The French Priests & others that come amongst them, speak nothing but Peace to them; but last Winter Onontejo, (or the french Governor,) sent a Message to the Onondagoes, desiring some of them to come and speak with him, & they refused; upon which he sent another Message with a large Belt of Wampum, threatening them if they did not come to him. Hereupon the Onondagoes sent five of their People to the Governor, asking him what he wanted with them, and why he had threated them, telling him that such Treatment was not agreeable to the Peace and Friendship professed between them: to which the Governor answered, he had not sent any such Message: the Onondagoes then produced the Belt he had sent, & repeated the Words that were delivered with it; but the Governor said they were foolish People that had delivered these Words, they had them not from him.
They were told in Return to this, that the French last year expected to have a War with the English, and probably that Message was then sent, but when Affairs in Europe took another Turn, the French Governor might then think it proper to take back his Words and deny them.
They said it might be so.
Q. But if there should be a War between the English and French, would not those four Nations, vizt.: the Twechtwey-roona, &c., joyn with the French again?
A. Those four Nations, they said, had putt their hearts into their (the Mingoes) hands, and would now do whatever they ordered or directed.
Q. Were not the French angry with those People, for passing them & bringing their Peltry to trade with the English, and did they not endeavour to hinder them?
A. the French are angry, and not only endeavour to stop them, but threaten them; & some of those Nations expect the French will fall upon them; but they regard it not; they find better usage from the English, and have no more dealings with the French.
They were told that the Shawanese who were Settled to the Southward, being made uneasie by their Neighbours, about Sixty Families of them came up to Conestogoe, about thirty five years since, and desired leave of the Sasquehannah Indians who were planted there, to settle on that River; that those Sasquehannah Indians applied to this Government that they might accordingly Settle, & they would become answerable for their good Behaviour. That our late Proprietor arriving soon after, the Chiefs of the Shawanese & of the Sasquehannahs came to Philadelphia & renewed their Application; that the Proprietor agreed to their Settlement, and the Shawanese (page 442) thereupon came under the Protection of this Government; that from that time greater Numbers of the same Indians followed them, and Settled on Sasquehannah & Delaware; that as they had joyned themselves to the Sasquehannah Indians who were dependent on the five Nations, they thereby fell also under their Protection. That we had held several treaties with those Shawanese, and from their first coming were accounted and treated as our own Indians; but that some of their Young-men having between four and five years since, committed some Disorders, tho' we had fully made it up with them, yet being afraid of the Six Nations, they had removed backwards to Ohio, and there had lately putt themselves under the Protection of the French, who had received them as their Children. That we had sent a Message to them to return, & to encourage them and laid out a large Tract of Land on the West of the Sasquehannah, round (?) the principal Town where they had been last Settled, and we desired, by all means, that they would return thither.
Tyoninhogarao answered that they never intended to hurt the Shawanese; that as they were coming hither they spoke with Kakowatchy, an old Chief of the Shawanese, & told him that he should not look to Ohio, but turn his face to us; that they had also told Sassoonan, the old Chief of the Delaware Indians, that they must all come back from Ohio, for they should not Settle there, upon which he had sent Messengers to his People at Ohio, requiring them to return.
they were told that as they were the Chiefs of all the Northern Indians in these parts, and the Shawanese had been under their Protection, they should oblige them to return.
They asked if we desired them (the Six Nations) to do it of themselves, or to joyn with us.
It was answered that we desired they should joyn with us in engaging them to return. Upon which they craved time to consider of it amongst themselves, & then the Conference ended.
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