THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 145 



from his father, and also the following curious document, which he has carefully pre- 

 served with it, forming a material part of its history : 



"Frederick Haldimand, captain-general and governor-in-chief of the provinces of Quebec, 

 tfc, general and commander-in-chief of His Majesty's forces in said province and frontiers, 

 #c, $c, to Le Yoleur, grand chief of the Zaivovois. 



" In consideration of the fidelity, zeal, and attachment testified by Le Voleur, Grand 

 Chief of the Zaivovois, to the King's Government, and by virtue of the power and 

 authority in me vested, I do hereby confirm the said Le Voleur, Grand Chief of the 

 Zaivovois aforesaid, having bestowed upon him the Great Medal, willing all and sin- 

 gular the Indians, inhabitants thereof, to obey him as Grand Chief, and all officers 

 and others in His Majesty's service to treat him accordingly. 



" Given under my hand and seal at arms, at Montreal, this seventeenth day of Au- 

 gust, 1778, in the 18th year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, 

 by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of 

 the Faith, &c. 



"FREDk. HALDIMAND, 

 " By his Excellency's command, 



"E. FOY." 



The above document and medal, like many other proofs to be met, clearly show that 

 many of the warriors of this tribe were employed in the British service, in the 

 Canadas, during the Revolutionary war, although they live some hundreds of miles 

 from the Canadian frontier. 



Of the warriors, Shon-ta-yi-ga (the Little Wolf), and Xo-lio-mnn-ya (called Roman 

 Nose), are probably the most distinguished, and well entitled to the friendship of all 

 good people from the humane and noble act mentioned in the following documents, 

 and which transpired but a short time before they left their homes, by which they 

 6aved the lives of ten unarmed and unprotected enemies : 



" Know all men by these presents, that Shon-ti-yi-ga (or the Little Wolf), an Iowa 

 brave, is well entitled to be called a brave, from the fact of his having been engaged 

 in many expeditions against the enemies of his tribe ; in all such excursions he has, 

 I am informed, universally behaved bravely. But especially is he entitled to the 

 love and confidence of all men, whether white or red, on account of his humanity 

 and daring conduct in arresting from the cruel nation of which he is a member a 

 party of Omahaws. On last Sabbath day he saved from the tomahawk and scalping- 

 knife ten unoffending Omahaws ; one of the party was decoyed out of sight and mur- 

 dered ; the other ten, consisting of the well known and much loved chiefs Big Elk, 

 Big Eyes, and Wascamonia, one squaw, and six young men. This party was on a 

 visit of friendship, by special invitation from the Ioways. Wfcen they arrived within 

 ten miles of this post they were seen and conversed with by the son-in-law of Neu- 

 mon-ya, a chief of the Ioways, who undertook to bring the tobacco and sticks to the 

 Ioway chiefs, as is a custom of Indians when on a begging expedition. This young 

 man proved treacherous, and failed to deliver his message to his chiefs, and gave in- 

 formation of the approach of the Omahaws to a man who was preparing to go on a 

 war party. He and two-thirds of the nation started out to murder their visitors, and 

 were only prevented by the timely assistance and interference of the Little Wolf, or 

 Shon-ta-yi-ga, and one other Ioway, whose name is the Roman Nose. 



"This man (the Little Wolf) interfered, as he says, and doubtless he tells the truth, 

 because he considered it treacherous and cowardly to strike a brother after having 

 invited them to visit their nation. Such treachery is rare, indeed, among the wildest 

 of North American Indians, and never occurred with the Ioways before. I met him 

 and Jeffrey, the Ioway interpreter, together with two other Ioways, guarding the 

 Big Elk and his party on to my agency in a short time after this took place. 



"I cannot close this communication without expressing my sincere thanks to the 

 0744 10 



