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Introduction
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Page 549
The agents of the Pottawatomie Indians in Kansas and of the Prairie band are set out here so as they can be determined from the reports of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs:
1846.--Thomas H. Harvey, superintendent of Indian affairs, stationed at St. Louis, seems to have had charge of the Pottawatomies.
1847.--Thomas H. Harvey, as superintendent, etc., was still in charge. There was no mention of a local agent.
1848.--Richard W. Cummins was the agent. He was in charge of the Leavenworth
agency.
1849.--For this year no report of an agent has been found. D. D. Mitchell, superintendent
of Indian affairs, St. Louis, mentioned the Leavenworth agency, and said it was located four miles
from Westport, near the Missouri state line. The location of this agency house has not been
determined. Page 550 1850.--There has been found no report for the Pottawatomies for this year. If any were
made they were omitted from the published report of the Commission of Indian Affairs. 1851.--There are no reports for the Pottawatomies in the official publications of the Indian
Office for this year. 1852.--Francis W. Lea was the agent. 1853.--Agent, John W. Whitfield. He dated his report at Westport, Mo., and he must
have kept the agency there. 1854.--There has not been found any report for the Pottawatomies for this year. 1855.--Agent, George W. Clarke, the murderer of Barber in the Wakarusa war. 1856.--Agent, George W. Clarke. The agency seems to have been at his house, below
Lecompton, in Douglas county. But this is not certain. 1857.--Agent, William E. Murphy. There is nothing to show the location of the
agency. 1858.--Agent, William E. Murphy. 1859.--Agent, William E. Murphy. 1860.--Agent, William E. Murphy. 1861.--No report for the Pottawatomies appears in the published report of the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs. 1862.--W. W. Ross was appointed agent for the Pottawatomies in May, 1861 (see
"Wilder's Annals," p. 318), and continued as agent in 1862. 1863.--Agent, W. W. Ross. 1864.--Agent, W. W. Ross. 1865.--Agent, L. R. Palmer. The agency may have been at St. Marys, or Agent Ross
may have established it at what is now Rossville, in Shawnee county. It is known to have been
there in later years. Nothing definite on this subject has been found. 1866.--Agent, L. R. Palmer. 1867.--Agent, L. R. Palmer. 1868.--Agent, L. R. Palmer. 1869.--Agent, L. R. Palmer. 1870.--Agent, Joel H. Morris. 1871.--Agent, Joel H. Morris. 1872.--No agent. Morris resigned in April, 1872. Enoch Hoag, agent at Lawrence, Kan.,
reported for the Prairie band, October 1, 1872. 1873.--No agent for this year; at least no account of any has been found. 1874.--Agent, M. H. Newlin. 1875.--Agent, M. H. Newlin. 1876.--Agent, M. H. Newlin. 1877.--Agent, M. H. Newlin. 1878.--Agent, M. H. Newlin. 1879.--Agent, Dr. H. C. Linn. Doctor Linn is still living (December 3, 1917) at Topeka,
Kan. 1880.--Agent, Dr. H. C. Linn. 1881.--Agent, Dr. H. C. Linn. 1882.--Agent, Dr. H. C. Linn. 1883.--Agent, Dr. H. C. Linn. 1884.--Agent, Dr. H. C. Linn. 1885.--Agent, I. W. Patrick. 1886.--Agent, I. W. Patrick. Page 551 1887.--Agent, C. H. Grover. 1888.--Agent, John Blair. 1889.--Agent, John Blair. 1890.--Agent, John Blair. 1891.--Agent, J. A. Scott. 1892.--Agent, J. A. Scott. 1893.--Agent, J. A. Scott. 1894.--No report for the Pottawatomies for 1894 has been found; but J. A. Scott must
have remained as agent. 1895.--Agent, Louis F. Pearson. He said that he was forwarding his first annual report.
From that statement is made the supposition that J. A. Scott remained as agent in 1894. But
the supposition cannot be verified. 1896.--Agent, Louis F. Pearson. 1897.--Agent, George W. James. 1898.--Agent, George W. James. 1899.--Agent, W. R. Honnell. 1900.--Agent, W. R. Honnell. 1901.--Agent, W. R. Honnell. 1902.--Agent, W. R. Honnell. 1903.--Superintendent, G. L. Williams. Office of agent seems to have been abolished,
and that of superintendent created to replace it. 1904.--Superintendent, G. L. Williams. 1905.--Superintendent, G. L. Williams. The reports of the Commissioners of Indian Affairs become worthless in 1906. They
contain nothing of importance after that time. G. L. Williams remained superintendent until 1914. A. R. Snyder succeeded G. L.
Williams as superintendent, September 7, 1914. He is still the superintendent of the Prairie
band. It is well nigh impossible, taking what record there is, to determine certainly where the
agency of the Pottawatomies was located. In the Andreas "History of Kansas," page 1338, under "Jackson County," it states that
the treaty of November 15, 1861, was concluded "at the Pottawatomie agency, on Cross creek,
now Rossville." If this statement be accepted--and there is no reason to question it, as Andreas
was always careful and usually correct--then the agency must have remained at Rossville until it
was removed to Hoyt, in Jackson county. Hoyt was only the post office for Nadeau, a point on the
reservation, where the agency was maintained a number of years. There were a number of Pottawatomie towns on Cross creek, and most of the influential
chiefs lived on Cross creek. It is probable that the agency was early established on Cross creek
at the point where the old Oregon trail crossed that stream--now Rossville. In the Andreas "History of Kansas," page 974, under "Pottawatomie County," is this
statement: "Luke Lea, of Mississippi, was the first Indian agent stationed at St. Marys." Reference to the reports of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs shows that L. Lea was the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1851. "L. Lea" must be the "Luke Lea" referred to in the
reports. If so he was not agent for the Pottawatomies at all. Page 552 In 1852 Francis W. Lea was the agent, as appears under this year in the chronology. It
may be that those giving the agent of Mr. Andreas his information confused Luke Lea with
Francis W. Lea. The statement of Andreas would seem to establish the fact that the agency was
at one time at St. Marys. If so, it must have been there in 1852, but how long before that and
how long afterwards has not been determined. George W. Fisher, living now at 907 Lincoln street, Topeka, long register of the Topeka
land office, says that in 1869 the agency was at St. Marys. He attended a "payment" there. His
father had been the blacksmith for the Miamis in Indiana, and some of the Miami women were
married to Pottawatomie men. He met some of those he had known in Indiana when he
attended the "payment" in 1869. Dr. H. C. Linn says that when he was appointed agent for the Prairie band the agency
was on the reservation, at or near Hoyt. How long it had been there he cannot say. He was
appointed in 1879. Of the locations of the agency on the reservation, Mr. A. R. Snyder, the
present superintendent, writes, under date of December 3, 1917: "I do not know anything about the location of the agency at Rossville, but the first agency
on the diminished reservation was on the southeast quarter of section 12, township 9 south,
range 13 east of the sixth principal meridian, in Kansas, and was known as 'Nadeau.' This
location is near the southwest corner of the present diminished reservation. In the spring of 1913
the buildings on the new agency site were completed and the office moved. This location is on a
ten-acre tract in the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 21, township 8 south,
range 15 east of the sixth principal meridian, in Kansas. This is on the east line of the reservation
and one-half mile due west of the town of Mayetta."
In the letter referred to above, Mr. Snyder gives the locations of the fair grounds on the reservation, as follows:
"The fair association was organized by me in the spring of 1915, and since then three annual fairs have been held at a fair ground laid out on the reservation on the allotment of Quo- tose, deceased, described as the north half of the northeast one-fourth of section 30, township 8 south, range 15 east of the sixth principal meridian, in Kansas. I am unable to give you the description of the land where the early fairs were held, but understand that it was on land adjacent to the old agency site at Nadeau."
As to the Indian government maintained on the reservation, Mr. Snyder says in his letter:
"Originally the chiefs were selected by a representation of the tribe, usually called headmen, but our present chief, Mich-no, seems to be hereditary. His father, Shough-nas-see, was chief so long and was so well liked by the tribe that when he died his oldest son, Mich-no, was elected as the successor of the father. Until recent years headmen or councilors were selected from the several locations on the reservation where the Indians lived in number to constitute a sort of community; but this council of headmen has about disappeared during the last five or six years, due to a number of deaths in the membership and to the fact that the Indian Office in Washington and this office no longer recognized them in any of the reservation affairs. When I came here the Indians wanted to revive this old committee and select two or three new members, but I took the stand that such a government here was not needed, since there was no land left or property held in common for the tribe, and that each Indian in his business affairs must be considered as an individual."
Page 553
It was thought to be of interest to have here something of the absentees of the Prairie band. Mr. Snyder secured this information, and it is here given:
"I find there are approximately 200 of the Potawatomies enrolled with the Prairie band at this agency who have never lived here, but have resided in Wisconsin. They do not reside in a body, but are scattered over Forest, Oneida and Wood counties, Wisconsin. Their land is handled by me, but I transact their business with them through Superintendent W. W. Bennett, whose headquarters is Laona, Wis. He looks after the scattered Indians in the northwest part of his state."
With his letter Mr. Snyder sent that of W. W. Bennett, the superintendent of Laona agency, which is as follows:
LAONA AGENCY, LAONA, WIS., November 27, 1917.
A. R. Snyder, Superintendent., Potawatomi Agency, Mayetta, Kan:
DEAR SIR--I am in receipt of your communication of the 22d instant in which you state that Mr. William E. Connelley, secretary of the State Historical Society of Topeka, Kan., has requested information from you relative to the Potawatomi Indians residing in Wisconsin, especially those who are enrolled on your reservation.
In reply I beg to advise that they reside in Forest, Oneida, and Wood counties. The land upon which they reside has been purchased for individuals with their funds that were transferred to this office by your office; principally from the sale of inherited lands, or in some cases their individual allotments. Their lands are not in one locality, but scattered in various sections of the country.
Respectfully, W. W. BENNETT, Superintendent
What is to be the fate of the Prairie band?
The writer attended the Indian fair held on the reservation of the band in October, 1917. It was a creditable exhibition of the products of the farms of the reservation. No finer corn, wheat, oats, potatoes and vegetables ever appeared at any fair than was shown by the farmers of the Prairie band. There was no exhibit of livestock, but many of the Indians came to the fair in carriages drawn by their own horses, many in their own motor cars, some came on horseback, and these horses were as good as can be found in any farming community in Kansas. Some of them were of fine blood and very valuable. Along all the road through the reservation are substantial dwellings, the homes of these Indians. They are well kept, neatly painted, and have trees, ornamental shrubbery and flowers about them. The farm enclosures are in good repair and well made. The fields looked to be well tilled. Stacks of alfalfa and other hay crops were everywhere to be seen. Horses, mules, cattle, swine and poultry were on every farm. No difference could be distinguished between the reservation and any other Kansas farming community so far as thrift and efficiency are concerned.
And the Indians themselves, what of them? There they were, passing to and fro before me. The young men are fine specimens of physical manhood. They are stalwart fellows who plow and sow and reap intelligently, persistently. They evidently bend to their labor with continuity. The old men were of solemn mien, well clad, and with every ap-
Page 554
pearance of that comfort which good homes invariably give. Mothers were surrounded by their children, whom they led from exhibit to exhibit, proud as mothers always are of their little ones. All were well dressed, and in style superior to that of whites at some gatherings I have seen on similar occasions. There were young ladies elegantly gowned. They would have made a good appearance in any assembly or drawing-room. Many of them were educated at the Haskell Indian School at Lawrence. All were modest, respectful, well behaved. The only disturbance at the fair was made by a mean white man, and he was hustled unceremoniously off the grounds by the Indian police.
No more orderly crowd have I seen anywhere. The program promised some of the old ceremonial dances, and these I was anxious to see. They were chaste, simple, modest, and to me most interesting. They should be preserved for themselves and in the interest of science.
The study I made there convinced me that my faith in the competency and efficiency of the Indian race was well founded.
The Pottawatomies of the Prairie band are experts in the manufacture of articles of beadwork. The exhibit of such articles at the fair was one of the best it has been my good fortune to see. Indian art is peculiar to the Indian, and in no way influenced by that of the white man. Its loss would be a loss to the world. Under proper encouragement it would develop to perfection along its own lines. But this development must be made in it by the Indian alone. The white man will debase it by the introduction of ideas wholly at variance with Indian conceptions. The result would be the destruction of Indian art.
Indian art affords as much opportunity for individual design and execution as that of any other people; and Indians are of artistic temperament and inclination. They are closer to nature than any other people. If given a show, they will, with their art, make the best interpretation of the spirit of American woods, mountains, streams, plains, animals, and other objects to be produced by art in all the future. They are as much a part of the Indian as ever the Indians were a part of them. The subtle and mysterious powers of these are the fundamentals of Indian life. Under favorable conditions they would find expression through the Indian genius and Indian aspiration. What a calamity would befall the world in its destruction! And it is said that the government discourages the teaching of Indian art in every way. Nothing is seen or heard of it in Indian schools, I am told. There, if any artistic talent is developed, it must be along lines wholly incomprehensible to Indians, so far as emotion or soul-expression is concerned; so no high conceptions are possible. If art is not an interpretation of life and aspiration it is worthless; it is not art at all. Its seat is in the soul, not in the intellect. That is why it cannot be taught. It is spontaneous. The response of those who behold it must be from the soul. It affects the emotions, for it is the child of the emotions. The emotions can be acted upon through speech, through singing, through painting--and hence we have literature, music, art. Teachers can only expound the conventional rules for performance, production. They can not create. All their wisdom combined could not produce one of the Psalms, a poem or a song, a glowing morning scene on
Page 555
canvas. Their office ends in telling those whose hearts are moved, whose lips are touched, how others like them have expressed themselves--have made the outward manifestations of what burned in their hearts. And so the destruction of Indian art would deprive the world of one of the sources of exalted emotional expression.
Under the law permitting the land in the reservation to be sold to the whites,2 the Prairie band must in the near future be made homeless, and all other North American Indians must suffer a similar fate. Where can they go to secure a new home? There is no more land in the West to which they may be pushed. The proud possessors of the greatest continent will be without a home-- without a place to lay their heads, without a place where their feet may rest. And who cares? Who gives it a moment's thought? All of us are guilty. Savages, you say. Savages? Look on the reeking battle fields of Europe. All the cruelties perpetrated by the Indians on their despoilers through ten generations could not equal those heaped on France and Belgium in four years by a civilized and enlightened nation. And it is a melancholy fact that the end of the Prairie band must be a local tragedy in the tragedy of the Indian race.
2 Section 7, chapter 888, vol. 32, part I, page 275, U. S. Statutes at Large, 57th Congress--1901-1903; act of May 27, 1902.
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Introduction
nIshnabe'k The People mzenegenek books bode'wadmimo speak Potawatomi |
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