﻿FLETniEn-LAFLEScnE] 
  RECENT 
  HISTORY 
  637 
  

  

  Then 
  follow 
  the 
  signatures 
  of 
  55 
  men. 
  The 
  statistics 
  for 
  each 
  

   signer, 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  land 
  he 
  cultivated, 
  the 
  stock 
  he 
  owned, 
  

   and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  dependent 
  on 
  him 
  for 
  support, 
  were 
  

   appended, 
  together 
  with 
  such 
  remarks 
  as 
  he 
  desired 
  to 
  make 
  in 
  his 
  

   behalf. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  "remarks" 
  quoted 
  from 
  this 
  petition 
  are 
  typical 
  of 
  

   the 
  burden 
  that 
  was 
  voiced 
  by 
  each 
  man. 
  

  

  Xitlia'gaxe 
  said: 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  worked 
  hard 
  un 
  my 
  land 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  should 
  not 
  go 
  round 
  hedging. 
  I 
  thought 
  

   the 
  land 
  was 
  my 
  own, 
  so 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  work 
  and 
  cultivated 
  it. 
  Now 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  out 
  

   it. 
  is 
  not 
  my 
  own, 
  and 
  this 
  makes 
  me 
  stop. 
  I 
  am 
  afraid 
  if 
  I 
  should 
  build 
  a 
  house 
  and 
  

   spend 
  money 
  on 
  it 
  I 
  would 
  lose 
  it 
  if 
  the 
  Government 
  should 
  move 
  the 
  Indians 
  from 
  

   this 
  land. 
  Three 
  times 
  I 
  have 
  cut 
  wood 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  house. 
  Each 
  time 
  the 
  agent 
  told 
  

   me 
  the 
  Government 
  wished 
  to 
  build 
  me 
  a 
  house. 
  Every 
  time 
  my 
  wood 
  has 
  lain 
  and 
  

   rotted, 
  and 
  now 
  I 
  feel 
  ashamed 
  when 
  I 
  hear 
  an 
  agent 
  telling 
  me 
  such 
  things. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

   I 
  want 
  a 
  title 
  to 
  my 
  land; 
  I 
  want 
  a 
  house 
  that 
  is 
  my 
  own. 
  

  

  Ho 
  n 
  'do 
  n 
  mo 
  n 
  thi": 
  

  

  When 
  I 
  was 
  a 
  boy 
  I 
  saw 
  much 
  game 
  and 
  buffalo 
  and 
  the 
  animals 
  my 
  forefathers 
  

   used 
  to 
  live 
  upon, 
  but 
  now 
  all 
  are 
  gone. 
  Where 
  I 
  once 
  saw 
  the 
  animals 
  I 
  now 
  see 
  

   houses 
  and 
  white 
  men 
  cultivating 
  the 
  land. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  I 
  want 
  a 
  title 
  for 
  my 
  land. 
  I 
  

   am 
  troubled 
  about 
  it. 
  * 
  * 
  # 
  In 
  the 
  morning 
  I 
  get 
  up 
  and 
  look 
  at 
  my 
  fields, 
  and 
  

   I 
  wish 
  that 
  God 
  may 
  help 
  me 
  .to 
  do 
  better 
  with 
  my 
  land 
  and 
  let 
  it 
  be 
  my 
  own. 
  

  

  Mawa'do 
  n 
  thi": 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  taken 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  plow. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  how, 
  but 
  I 
  put 
  in 
  my 
  ponies 
  and 
  

   my 
  wife 
  held 
  the 
  reins. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  party 
  among 
  us 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  titles. 
  When 
  

   it 
  first 
  started 
  I 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  them. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  I 
  want 
  a 
  title 
  to 
  my 
  land. 
  I 
  may 
  never 
  

   know 
  all 
  the 
  good 
  it 
  will 
  bring 
  but 
  my 
  children 
  will 
  know. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  If 
  I 
  were 
  a 
  

   young 
  man 
  I 
  would 
  say 
  more; 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  too 
  old 
  to 
  speak 
  much. 
  The 
  reason 
  I 
  have 
  

   worked 
  so 
  hard 
  is 
  that 
  I 
  wished 
  to 
  set 
  an 
  example 
  to 
  others 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  see 
  how 
  

   an 
  old 
  man 
  could 
  work 
  because 
  he 
  wanted 
  to. 
  

  

  Wa'thishnade: 
  

  

  Before 
  I 
  began 
  to 
  farm 
  I 
  was 
  just 
  a 
  wild 
  Indian 
  doing 
  as 
  I 
  pleased, 
  going 
  round 
  

   the 
  country 
  looking 
  for 
  death. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  We 
  have 
  no 
  government 
  on 
  the 
  reserve. 
  

   We 
  have 
  trouble 
  which 
  we 
  would 
  not 
  have 
  if 
  we 
  had 
  government 
  and 
  law. 
  We 
  want 
  

   these. 
  We 
  are 
  right 
  among 
  the 
  white 
  people, 
  and 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  law 
  we 
  can't 
  get 
  

   along 
  very 
  well. 
  There 
  are 
  persons 
  living 
  on 
  the 
  reserve 
  who 
  have 
  certificates 
  of 
  

   allotment; 
  they 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  theirs 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  always 
  keep 
  it. 
  

   I 
  know 
  differently. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  I 
  went 
  on 
  my 
  farm 
  with 
  my 
  certificate. 
  I 
  believed 
  

   the 
  land 
  was 
  mine. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  out 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  not 
  mine; 
  that 
  the 
  Government 
  

   can 
  take 
  it 
  away. 
  We 
  are 
  going 
  to 
  ask 
  for 
  our 
  titles. 
  As 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  Government 
  

   does 
  not 
  give 
  them, 
  we 
  will 
  ask 
  until 
  the 
  Government 
  gets 
  tired. 
  We 
  won't 
  stop 
  

   asking 
  until 
  we 
  get 
  our 
  titles. 
  

  

  Du'bamo 
  n 
  thi 
  n 
  : 
  

  

  * 
  * 
  * 
  The 
  road 
  our 
  fathers 
  walked 
  in 
  is 
  gone, 
  the 
  game 
  is 
  gone, 
  the 
  white 
  people 
  

   arc 
  ^11 
  about 
  us. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  use 
  in 
  any 
  Indian 
  thinking 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  ways; 
  he 
  must 
  

   now 
  go 
  to 
  work 
  as 
  the 
  white 
  man 
  does. 
  We 
  want 
  titles 
  to 
  our 
  lands 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  

   nun 
  In- 
  secure 
  to 
  our 
  children. 
  When 
  we 
  die 
  we 
  shall 
  feel 
  easy 
  in 
  our 
  minds 
  if 
  we 
  

  

  