OMAHA AND PONKA LETTERS. Sf 
hope that [I may live as the other people of the country do, I pray for 
that on my own account. Though I have a different skin, I hope that 
I may live in the land as do the people with white skins. The words 
spoken by my friend who has gone to you are in accord with what he 
has seen among us. O ye chief men, I hope that you may accept the 
words and help him. I do not mention the President by that name; 
IT call him the “Slayer of Indians!” I wish that I could see him face 
to face and give him these words! I refer to his not helping us. He 
accepts what words the agents say, but he does not even look at us! 
I have taken my place at the very end of the petition, and thus I send 
to you to pray to you. 
(Big Elk said :)—The man who is now on his way (to the Hast) is the 
only one who has obeyed God’s words. He has not wished to trans- 
gress the commandments of God: it is good. When God made us in 
this country, He did not say, ‘‘ You shall regard yourselves in the way 
of others.” God did not say this to any race of people, whether they 
were Indians or white people, such as you are. Only that which God 
made is good. And you who have an abundance of possessions, are, 
as it were, just like Him; therefore please listen to the words of no one 
except the man who has gone hence (to you). He has gone to you to 
rectify several matters for us who are suffering. God made us ip this 
country, and though we have continued in it, we have not succeeded at 
anything. Because we have not succeeded at anything you have made 
trouble for us Indians! The President desires us to go in the way in 
which there are usually very bad things. Therefore this man, who has 
really seen us, has gone to you to rectify several matters for us. O ye 
very strong men, O ye who pray to God, help him! 
(Joseph La Fléche said:)—My friends, ye people who dwell in the 
country of the United States, I petition to you! Oall ye people! I 
petition to you. We write to you because we wish you to pity us when 
you see this letter. In former days, when we dwelt in this land, we did 
not know of anything whatever like this! As God made various things 
for us to eat in this country, we continued to eat them; and we had 
sense enough for this, if for nothing else. And behold, O ye people, 
you have brought on us a great trouble! And when we had trouble, 
and were without a refuge, we used to go to the President and petition 
to him. But he made it a rule not to accept our words. At length we 
learned this by experience. Behold, thought we, he does not regard us 
as human beings! We know for ourselves that he does not regard us 
as human beings; therefore, O ye people, when we start to go towards 
you, the President usually blocks our way! He acts just as if he was 
saying, I do not wish you to be human beings.” Still, we wish you 
to pity us, and from this time forward to acknowledge us to be human 
beings! And we hope that by the time that we are looked upon as 
human beings he may always think of our children (even if he has not 
paid aay attention tous). The man who is aiding us can not accomplish 
