380 Our North Land. 



insulted. It is too bad. They tell of a great man at Ottawa, who 

 is bigger than the Queen's Agent. Why does he (Sir John) not stir 

 up the Governor, and make him do us justice ? We do not want to 

 complain. We want to be friendly, and to be for the Canadians. 

 We do not complain when surveyors come into our country and 

 make lines. We don't object to losing our country, but we want 

 treaty money and presents every year, the same as the Crees at 

 Oxford and Norway. 



" Our country has been taken from us by the Hudson's Bay 

 Company and sold to Canada. We have been robbed, and we ask 

 the Queen's agent at Ottawa to do us justice. But he moves so 

 slowly that I am afraid we will all die before we get anything, 

 and we do not know whether our children after us will get anything 

 or not. What we want is to have this matter settled now. Some 

 of our people are starving every winter. Some die every winter 

 from hunger. We ought not to starve while we own so much 

 land. 



" You are looking for gold and silver and coal in our country. 

 Men will go farther for these things than for flour. Our lands will 

 not grow wheat, but they are valuable. You have no right to survey 

 this country without paying us. We do not ask much — only to be 

 treated the same as other Indians. We are as good as they are. 

 You may build your railway through our country. We do not want 

 to keep you out. We want to see the white man come often, but 

 we want him to bring us money and presents every year." 



There is a good deal of truth and justice in the old chief's state- 

 ment. There is no reason why these Indians should not come under 

 the same treaty relations as those living around Oxford and Norway ; 

 and I trust the Government will see that they are included, as the 

 additional expense will be very light. 



In almost every respect the Indians in question are similar to 

 Indians everywhere else in North America. They are superstitious, 

 improvident, filthy, but generously disposed toward white people. 

 Their medicine men are held in high esteem and exercise great 

 influence. 



In the fall, when they go on their annual hunt, the Crees proceed 



