LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 



To His Excellency Isaac I. Stevens, 



Governor of Washington, Teivitory. 



Sir: Being stimulated with a desire to meet your wishes and for- 

 ward the views of Government. I have in the following pages en- 

 deavored to answer the Inquiries published by act of Congress re- 

 garding the history, present condition, and future prospects of the 

 Indian tribes with which I am acquainted. 



Had I been called upon to illustrate the facts herein recorded De- 

 reference to their different individual histories and actions, a 

 more voluminous and perhaps interesting work might have been 

 presented the general reader, but in conformity to the instructions 

 laid down in the document referred to, have only replied to the vari- 

 ous queries, limiting the answers to plain statements of facts. 



Independent of my own personal observation and knowledge 

 acquired by a constant residence of 21 years among the prairie tribes 

 in every situation, I have on all occasions had the advice of intelli- 

 gent Indians as to the least important of these queries, so as to avoid, 

 if possible, the introduction of error. Should there be new ideas 

 presented, and the organization, customs, or present condition of the 

 Indians made public in the following manuscript differ either ma- 

 terially or immaterially from any other now extant I would beg 

 leave to say I would much rather have the same rejected than to see 

 it published in a mutilated form or made to coincide with any his- 

 tories of the same people from others who have not had like oppor- 

 tunities of acquiring information. 



Some of their customs and opinions now presented, although very 

 plain and common to us who are in their daily observance, may not 

 have been rendered in comprehensible language to those who are 

 stranger to these things, and the number of queries, the diversity of 

 subjects, etc., have necessarily curtailed each answer to as few words 

 as possible. In the event, therefore, of not being understood or 

 of apparent discrepancies presenting, it would be but justice done the 

 author and patron to have the same explained, which would be cheer- 

 fully done. 



It is presumed the following pages exhibit a minutiae of informa- 

 tion on those subjects not to be obtained either by transient visitors 

 or a residence of a few years in the country, without being, as is the 

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