moo.nev] kanakuk's heaven 695 



My father, the Great Spirit appeared to me; he saw my heart was in sorrow about 

 our land; he told me not to give up the business, but go to my Great Father and be 

 would listen to me. My father, when I talked to the Great Spirit, I s :1 w the chiefs 

 holding the land fast. He told me the life of our children was short and that the 

 earth would sink. 



My father. I will explain to you what the Great Spirit said to me — to do so, I must 

 make some marks. The Great Spirit says: My father, we started from this point 

 (A, figure 61). We are here now (13). When we get here (C), the Great Spirit will 

 appear to me again. Here (13) the Great Spirit gave his blessings to the Indians and 

 told them to tell his people to throw away their medicine bags and not to steal, not to 

 tell lies, not to murder, not to quarrel, and to burn their medicine bags. If they 

 did not, they could not get on the straight way, but would have to go the crooked path 

 of the bad here (D); that when we got to this place (the curved line, E), we would not 

 be able to cross it unless we were all good. It was lire. That we should go to this 

 place (E), where there would be collected all the red chiefs and there would be a 

 great preaching. That if we had not thrown away all our bad doings, these two 

 points would meet (I> aud E ), and then the Great Spirit would destroy everything 

 and the world would be turned over. That if we would be good and throw away all 

 our bad doings, we would cross this fire, when we would [come] to water (second 

 line), which we would cross. There we would come to a country where there was 

 nothing but a prairie and nothing grew upon it. There the sun would be bid from 

 us by four black clouds. When we get here (C), the Great Spirit will explain these 

 round marks. 



My father, I have now explained as well as I can. with much pains, our situation, 

 I wish you to tell me the truth aud hide nothing from me. I have heard that some 

 of your warriors are going to take up the tomahawk. I explained to you last fall 

 our situation. We are now here (B i, where we are in great trouble. I told you of 

 all our troubles. I asked you to reflect on our situation and that we would come 

 back to see yon. 



Mj lather, you call all the redskins your children. When we have children, we 

 tnat them well. That is the reason I make this long talk to get you to take pity on 

 us and let us remain where we are. 



My father, T wish alter my talk is over you would write to my Great Father, the 

 president, that we have a desire to remain a little longer where wo now are. I have 

 explained to you that we have thrown all our badness away and keep the good path. 

 I wish our Great Father could hear that. I will now talk to my Great Father, the 

 president. 



Mi Great Father, I don't know if you arc the right chief, because I have heard 

 some things go wrong. I wish you to reflect on our situation and let me know. I 

 want to talk to you mildly and in peace, so that we may understand each other. 

 When I saw the (heat Spirit, he told me to throw all our bad acts away. We did so. 

 Some of our chiefs said the land belonged to us. the Kickapoos; but this is not what 

 the Great Spirit told me — the lauds belong to him. The Great Spirit told me that 

 no people owned the lands — that all was his, audnot to forget to tell the white peo- 

 ple that when we went into council. When I saw the Great Spirit, be told me, Men- 

 tion all this to your Great Father. He will take pity on your situation and let you 

 remain on the lands where you are for some years, when you will be able to get 

 through all the bail places (the marks in the figure), and where you will get to a 

 dear piece of laud where you will all live happy. When I talked to the Great Spirit, 

 he told me to make my warriors throw their tomahawks in the bad place, I did so, 

 and every night and morning I raise my hands to the Great Spirit and pray to him 

 to give us success. I expect, my father, that Clod has put me in a good way — that 

 our children shall see their sisters and brothers and our women see their children. 

 They will grow up and travel and see their totems. The Great Spirit told me. " Our 

 old men had totems. They were good aud had many totems. Now you have scarcely 



