190 CALENDAR HISTORY OF THE KIOWA [eth.asn.17 



INTERTRIBAL PEACE OGItNCIL, 1.S72 



111 the summer of 1872 the general council of the civilized tribes of 

 Indian Territory sent a commission to the wild tribes in the western 

 part of the territory to urge them to a permanent peace among them- 

 selves and with the United States. This Indian commission met the 

 chiefs and headmen of the Oaddo, Wichita, and afflliated tribes, the 

 Cheyenne and Arapaho, and the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache, 

 together with their agents, near Fort Cobb, in July and August, and 

 had several talks with them, resulting in a general friendly feeling 

 among the tribes, but without any very substantial outcome in regard 

 to the Kiowa, who demanded the release of Set-t'ainte and Big-tree as 

 a preliminary to negotiations. They did surrender two white captives, 

 as already stated, but this appears to have been due to the stoppage of 

 rations by the agent rather than to the efforts of the peacemakers. 

 Notwitlistanding the rose-colored report of the commission, we learn 

 from the agent that while Kicking-bird, as always, was on the side of 

 peace. White-horse {Tsen-fainte), the notorious raider, declared that 

 the old chiefs might make peace, but he and the young men would raid 

 when they chose, while Lone-wolf, the head chief, declared thrtt they 

 would not make peace or return their captives until Set-t'ainte and 

 Big-tree were released and the Kiowa reservation extended from the 

 Eio Grande to the Missouri. He modified his terms, however, when he 

 found that all rations and annuities were to be cut off until the captives 

 were unconditionally released {Report, 29). About the same time the 

 Kiowa invited the Cheyenne to join them in forming a combination of 

 the southwestern tribes to make war on the whites and effect the 

 release of the imprisoned chiefs, but the Cheyenne refused the propo- 

 sition {Report, 30). 



Soon after, in the same year, another commission was sent out from 

 Washington to the same tribes to discuss with them the subject of their 

 own and the government's treaty obligations, and to warn them in 

 plain terms that unless they ceased their raids outside their reservations 

 the military would be directed to begin active operations against them, 

 and that all parties hereafter leaving the reservation to go into Texas 

 would be considered as hostiles to be attacked without inquiry and to 

 be followed into their camps, if necessary, for punishment. 



JOINT DELEGATION TO WASHINGTON, 1872 



An important object of the commission was to obtain a good repre- 

 sentative delegation of the several tribes to visit Washington, with the 

 view of impressing them on the way with the strength of the whites, 

 in order to obtain a better understanding on their arrival. Although 

 the other tribes generally responded promptly and satisfactorily, the 

 Kiowa, as usual, were disposed to be perverse. At last, however, a 

 party, including Lone-wolf, Woman-heart, Bed-otter {Apen-guadal), 



