OMAHA AND PONKA LETTERS. 67 
i¢dugde’ gti wisi¢ai marbd¢i’. Eskana maja™ ¢a" ag¢ab¢i” 
continually I think of I walk. Ob that land the I have my 
you (pl.) ob. own 
gi’ wanket‘a'i ka’ eb¢éga*-na® ca ca". Nan‘de ¢a® i“uda*qti 
they acquire mine for me I hope it usu- always. Heart the very good 
ally for me 
Wakan'da ¢inké enaqtei ugiiandye ma"b¢i™. Nikaci’ga uké¢i" 
God the st. He only I depend on T walk. Indian common 
one him 
amma’ ii té wag¢a™¢i"i té we¢énicé¢a" cka™nai, we¢éa"na 
we walked the we are foolish the you abolish it far you (pl.) you throw it 
us wish, away from us 
e os 2 e or = , ~~ 
ecka™nai. Nikaci™ga wackixe cka™nai. Ucka™ gaté nicta™ 
you (pl.) Human Renee you make us you (pl.) Deed that you fin- 
wish. wish. ish it 
v - vy U ° ° / . 
tédihi yi, nikaci”ga a™ma™¢i" ¢ga™qtia™ tai, maja" ¢an‘di. 
by the time human beings we walk ~ just so will, land in the. 
when (or that), 
Ki wacka” wa¢in’gai. Wacka™ganga’qti wackaxe éga” tal. 
And strength we have none. Very sane you make us 80 will. 
TRANSLATION. 
My friend, I am thinking of you from time to time. When I arrived 
at the place where you are, [ saw you continue at what is good. I refer 
to praying to God. After my return home, I talked to the people. I 
think that about sixty of them entered the (mission) house near the 
Missouri River. During this present week just ten have been baptized, 
and they have partaken of the Lord’s supper (?). Among them are the 
grandson of Half-a-Day, Richard Rush, Skittish Buffalo Calf, Gray 
Cottonwood, and Wadjepa’s son. And as I saw that you were good, 
so I desire. Upon my return home some of these (Omahas) did so (7. e., 
they resolved to be Christians). I said, ‘If we depend upon Him who 
alone is God, we shall improve.” He (God) has ordained for us that 
we should depend (07, stand by) the only one who accomplishes any- 
thing by means of the ground (7. e., the white man?). (God says to 
us:—) ‘Continue to think about Me alone! I alone have what is 
good.” In whatsoever country we walk, we can persevere only by 
means of that (advice). When I was with you I made only a few 
remarks. O ye who pray to God, I send anew to petition to you. You 
alone continue to do what is right. O ye who are under the protection 
of the law, on you and the Christian people [ depend for the preserva- 
tion of my title to my land. As you wish us Indians to retain our own 
land, you continue to make efforts in our behalf. I am thinking of 
you without intermission. I am ever hoping that they may acquire my 
own land for me. I[ continue with joy to depend on God alone. You 
desire to abolish for us the foolishness of our lives as Indians; you wish 
to throw it away from us. You wish to make men of us. By the time 
that you accomplish that thing we shall walk in this country as human 
beings. But we have no strength. Please make us very strong. 
