﻿84 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  t«TH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  prudent 
  chiefs. 
  The 
  last 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  was 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  considerable 
  

   foresight 
  and 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  termed 
  an 
  advanced 
  thinker. 
  He 
  took 
  

   part 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  treaties 
  of 
  his 
  tribe 
  and 
  visited 
  Washington 
  

   before 
  his 
  death. 
  On 
  his 
  return 
  from 
  this 
  visit 
  he 
  called 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   together 
  and 
  made 
  the 
  following 
  address, 
  which 
  is 
  here 
  given 
  as 
  it 
  

   was 
  told 
  more 
  than 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  ago 
  : 
  

  

  My 
  chiefs, 
  braves, 
  and 
  young 
  men, 
  I 
  have 
  just 
  returned 
  from 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  a 
  far-off 
  

   country 
  toward 
  the 
  rising 
  sun, 
  and 
  have 
  seen 
  many 
  strange 
  things. 
  I 
  bring 
  to 
  you 
  

   news 
  which 
  it 
  saddens 
  my 
  heart 
  to 
  think 
  of. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  coming 
  flood 
  which 
  will 
  soon 
  

   reach 
  us, 
  and 
  I 
  advise 
  you 
  to 
  prepare 
  for 
  it. 
  Soon 
  the 
  animals 
  which 
  Wako"'da 
  has 
  

   given 
  us 
  for 
  sustenance 
  will 
  disappear 
  beneath 
  this 
  flood 
  to 
  return 
  no 
  more, 
  and 
  it 
  

   will 
  be 
  very 
  hard 
  for 
  you. 
  Look 
  at 
  me; 
  you 
  see 
  I 
  am 
  advanced 
  in 
  age; 
  I 
  am 
  near 
  

   the 
  grave. 
  I 
  can 
  no 
  longer 
  think 
  for 
  you 
  and 
  lead 
  you 
  as 
  in 
  my 
  younger 
  days. 
  You 
  

   must 
  think 
  for 
  yourselves 
  what 
  will 
  be 
  best 
  for 
  your 
  welfare. 
  1 
  tell 
  you 
  this 
  that 
  

   you 
  may 
  be 
  prepared 
  for 
  the 
  coming 
  change. 
  You 
  may 
  not 
  know 
  my 
  meaning. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  you 
  are 
  old, 
  as 
  I 
  am, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  change 
  comes 
  we 
  may 
  be 
  lying 
  

   peacefully 
  in 
  our 
  graves; 
  but 
  these 
  young 
  men 
  will 
  remain 
  to 
  suffer. 
  Speak 
  kindly 
  

   to 
  one 
  another; 
  do 
  what 
  you 
  can 
  to 
  help 
  each 
  other, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  troubles 
  with 
  the 
  

   coming 
  tide. 
  Now, 
  my 
  people, 
  this 
  is 
  all 
  I 
  have 
  to 
  say. 
  Bear 
  these 
  words 
  in 
  mind, 
  

   and 
  when 
  the 
  time 
  comes 
  think 
  of 
  what 
  I 
  have 
  said. 
  

  

  One 
  day, 
  in 
  1883, 
  during 
  the 
  allotment 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  in 
  severalty 
  to 
  

   the 
  Omaha 
  tribe, 
  as 
  a 
  large 
  group 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  were 
  gathered 
  about 
  

   the 
  allotting 
  agent 
  watching 
  the 
  surveyor 
  and 
  talking 
  of 
  the 
  loca- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  allotments, 
  there 
  stood 
  on 
  a 
  hill 
  near 
  by 
  an 
  old 
  Indian. 
  In 
  

   a 
  loud 
  voice 
  he 
  recited 
  this 
  speech 
  of 
  Big 
  Elk. 
  At 
  its 
  close 
  he 
  

   paused, 
  then 
  shouted: 
  "Friends, 
  the 
  flood 
  has 
  come!" 
  and 
  disap- 
  

   peared. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  his 
  understanding 
  Big 
  Elk 
  tried 
  to 
  face 
  his 
  people 
  

   toward 
  civilization. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  he 
  was 
  politic 
  and 
  kept 
  the 
  

   tribe 
  well 
  in 
  hand. 
  Instances 
  of 
  his 
  eloquent 
  and 
  courtly 
  speech 
  

   have 
  been 
  preserved 
  in 
  official 
  proceedings 
  with 
  the 
  Government 
  

   and 
  these 
  betray 
  a 
  dignity 
  and 
  heartiness 
  that 
  accord 
  with 
  the 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  incident: 
  The 
  son 
  who 
  Big 
  Elk 
  hoped 
  would 
  succeed 
  him 
  

   died 
  in 
  the 
  prime 
  of 
  young 
  manhood 
  and 
  the 
  father 
  grieved 
  sadly 
  

   for 
  his 
  child. 
  The 
  death 
  occurred 
  while 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  Elk- 
  

   horn 
  river. 
  The 
  body 
  was 
  wrapped 
  in 
  skins, 
  and, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  

   near 
  relatives, 
  was 
  carried 
  across 
  the 
  prairies 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   miles, 
  to 
  be 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  hills 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  his 
  ancestors. 
  A 
  

   year 
  afterward, 
  when 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  on 
  its 
  annual 
  hunt, 
  Big 
  Elk 
  was 
  

   riding 
  with 
  the 
  people 
  when 
  his 
  eyes 
  rested 
  on 
  a 
  spirited 
  horse 
  — 
  the 
  

   best 
  one 
  he 
  owned. 
  Suddenly 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  his 
  son 
  came 
  to 
  him; 
  

   he 
  seemed 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  youth, 
  and 
  murmured: 
  "He 
  would 
  have 
  had 
  

   that 
  horse 
  and 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  I 
  had 
  — 
  but 
  he 
  needs 
  no 
  gift 
  of 
  mine!" 
  

   Just 
  then 
  he 
  saw 
  an 
  old 
  man 
  whose 
  fortune 
  had 
  always 
  been 
  hard 
  

   and 
  who 
  had 
  never 
  owned 
  a 
  horse. 
  Big 
  Elk 
  beckoned 
  him 
  to 
  come 
  

   near, 
  and 
  said: 
  "Friend, 
  the 
  horse 
  my 
  son 
  would 
  have 
  ridden 
  shall 
  

  

  