400
TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1844-1845
..~tople of Texas, have all ..•is time kept the peace that they first made on this creek with the Red man, I would ask any of the Chiefs if they have known that the white people have broken the peace that they first made with the Indians-Some very bad men that had just come across from the U. S. did kill some Dela- ware, but as soon as ever we found it out we took them every one, and hung them up on a tree, and that man there-(pointing to the agent) did it-they ought to take that as a proff that Texas is determined to keep the treaty made with the Indians- I would ask our Red Brothers, if they do not find it is better for them to keep peace-and sell their horses and skins to the white man, than to be always at war with him-it used to be the case they had no settled home in this country. they were obliged to drive their horses about, and carry their women and children with them in cold and rainy weather. now they can settle down, stay at home, cultivate their corn fields, raise pumpkins and eat them without the fear of being disturbed by any white man- Texas wants to make peace peace with the Red man, not because she is afraid to make war, it is because we bel'ieve it is better both for the Red and the White man. that is the reason why we prefer to make peace instead of war. (To the Wichita Chief) We are happy to meet all the chiefs here, but particularly him as he is first of all the Wichita Chiefs that has come down to make peace-I would refer to all the Chiefs who have been at war with us, if it is not better for them to make peace with us, than to be at war-if he was to come here to war with us, we would be sure to kill more of his men than he would be to kill ours. We believe that we are all the children of the same Great Spirit, and for that reason we ought to be at peace instead of war. We want to teach our Red Brothers to live as we do, by cultivating land and growing corn, We will give the Red men every year axes and hoes to cultivate their ground. the reason we want them to do this is because we know that the wild game will not always continue. four years ago, Acaquash knows that there were thousands of Buffalo all over these praries, and deer in abundance-where are they now? they have all dissapeared-For this reason we want them to make their living as we do, because when the game is gone, they will want some things for their women and childrPn to live on- that is all we have to say now, except that we have some com- plaint to make against some of them. the treaties that we have made with them have been broken by some of them-(here the
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