THE GEOKGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 589 



THE INDIANS REPLY. 



When the reverend gentleman had finished his remarks, the old chief filled his pipe 

 again, and sitting with his eyes east down until he had smoked it partly out, he 

 handed it to the war-chief, and (instead of rising, as an Indian does to speak on any 

 oiher subject) the old man rested his elbows on his knees and answered as follows:* 



" My friends, we feel thankful for the information and advice which you come to 

 givo us, for we know that you are good men and sincere, and that we are like children, 

 and stand in need of advice. 



"We have listened to your words, and have no fault to find with them. We have 

 heard the same words in our own country, where there have been many white people 

 to speak them, and our ears have never been shut against them. 



(; We have tried to understand white man's religion, but we cannot ; it is medicine 

 to us, and we think we have no need of it. Our religion is simple, and the Great 

 Spirit who gave it to us has taught us all how to understand it. We believe that 

 the Great Spirit made our religion for us, and white man's religion for white men. 



" Their sins wo believe are much greater than ours, and' perhaps the Great Spirit has 

 thought it best therefore to give them a different religion. 



41 Some white men have come to our country and told us that if we did not take 

 up white man's religion and give up our own we should all be lost. Now, we don't 

 believe that ; and we think those are bad or blind men. 



"My friends, we know that the Great Spirit made the red men to dwell in the 

 forests, and white men to live in green fields and in fine houses ; and we believe that 

 we shall live separate in the world to come. The best that we expect or want in 

 the future state is a clear sky and beautiful hunting-grounds, where we expect *o 

 meet the frieuds whom we loved; and we believe that if we speak the truth we shall 

 go there. This we think might not suit white people, and therefore we believe that 

 their religion is best for them. 



"If we follow the religion of our fathers we shall meet them again ; if we follow a 

 different religion we arc not sure of it. 



"My friends, we are hero but a few, and we are a great way from our homes, and 

 we shall have but little time to waste in talking on this subject. When a few white 

 men come into our country to make money, we don't ask them to take up our religion. 

 We are hero away from our wives and children to try to get some money for them, 

 and there are many things we can take homo to them of much more use than white 

 man's religion. Give us guns and ammunition, that we can kill food for them and pro- 

 tect them from our enemies, and keep whisky and rum-sellers out of our country. 



"My friends, we love you, and give you our hands; but we wish to follow the 

 religion of our fathers, and would rather not talk any more on the subject. ('How, 

 how, how!') " 



When the old man had thus closed his remarks, Gish-ee-gosh-ee-gce took the pipe and 

 puffed away a few minutes as hard as ho could, when he spoke as follows: 



"My friends, the words of our chief, which you have just heard, are good ; they are 

 the words of nearly all of our nation. Some of the Ojibbeways say that the words of 

 the white people are the best ; but we believe that they have two tongues. 



"My friends, a few years ago a black coat came amongst us in the town where I live, 

 and "told us the same words as you have spoken this morning. He said that the re- 

 ligion of the white men was the only good religion; and some began to believe him, 

 and after awhile a great many believed him ; aud theu he wanted us to help build 

 him a house; and we did so. We lifted very hard at the logs to put up his house, and 

 when it was done many sent their children to him to learn to read, and some girls got 



* The numerous conversations held on the subjects of religion and education with the three differe v t 

 parties of Indians in various parts of England, as well as on the Continent, I consider form one of the 

 most interesting features of this work ; and as I have been present at them all, I have taken down 

 all the Indians' remarks on those occasions, and I have inserted them in all cases in this hook as I 

 wrote them from their lips, and not in any case from recollection. — Gr. C. 



