“No person among us desires any other reward
for performing a brave and worthy action, but
the consciousness of having served his nation.”
-Joseph Brant (Thuyendanegea)
Mohawk
A storm brewed
between the Odawa, Chippewa (formally referred to as Ojibwe until renamed by
governmental officials) and U.S. government authorities. The ever-increasing
number of white settlers and future entrepreneurs, had their eyes on the land
that was currently in the hands of the Indian people. To top things off, the
Indian’s way of life was viewed as being of a heathen nature so it would had been
in their best interest for them to pick up a hoe and become farmers.
Schoolcraft was a part of this campaign.
The United States government has had mechanisms in place
empowering those in authority to have control over the actions and resources of
the general population for centuries. Public laws become enforced legislation
through the actions of opposing parties of a two-party system, divergent priorities,
and confrontational approaches. Oftentimes, laws were not based on what was in
the best interest of the people. “All for the public good” were the
politicians’ claims in their effort to hide their and their supporters’
self-serving agendas.
When Andrew
Jackson was elected president of the United States, he was supported by the
wealthiest men in the south. The land in which the Cherokee, Choctaw, and other
tribes resided was targeted by wealthy entrepreneurs who wanted to expand their
cotton plantations. Jackson despised the
Indian people. He openly rejected federal treaty obligations. Jackson pushed
for the passing of the Indian Removal Act and served an Indian fighter.
The Indian
Removal Act gave the President the privilege of selecting the tribes to be
relocated west of the Mississippi River from the states located in southeast
portion of the country and provided the financing for their removal. Seeds of
greed and hatred fueled these acts of genocide and discrimination and the joint
collaboration of the wealthy business men falsely justified the takeover of the
Indian people’s land (Oswalt, 1978).
The act authorized the President to negotiate treaties in
order to take over tribal lands in exchange for lands further west, west of the
Mississippi River. Treaties were mechanisms put into place as a formalized way
of securing land holdings for Euro-Americans which was taken from the Indian
people. Treaties delineated the relationship between the United States
government and Indian tribes. The treaties included provisions for the
implementation of reservations, procurement of supplies, and payment for the homelands
of the Indian people. The first treaty was established in 1778 and the last was
enacted in 1871, 371 treaties were established between Indian tribes and the
United States government (Utter, 1993).
Treaties with the Indian people were negotiated by the
President of the United States and were binding when approved by the Indian
leaders and two-thirds of the U.S. Senate. “A treaty is a contract, a binding
and legal agreement, between two or more sovereign nations. By signing treaties
with Indian tribes, the United States acknowledged tribal sovereign status.
When the architects of the American government created the Constitution, they
explicitly recognized that treaties are the supreme law of the land, along with
the Constitution itself,” (Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commision, N.D.,
para. 5,)
Many tribal people felt they had no choice but to give in to
the U. S. government. The subjects dealt with in the treaties covered a variety
of topics, mostly giving up a vast majority of their land. The greatest number
of treaties were arranged between 1815 and 1860s, during the prominent westward
expansion, 260 treaties to be exact. Almost 100 treaties specifically addressed
boundaries between a tribe and the United States government. Two tribes, the
Potawatomi and Chippewa, negotiated 42 treaties, which was more than any other
tribes (Oswalt, 1978). Not all of the 550 federally recognized tribes
established treaties with the federal government (Ellis, 2007).
Congress assigned commissioners to assure these treaty
documents were secured with the tribes. They were considered to be the
conquered ones. These meetings were not based on equality; the meetings
exemplified expansionism. For example, the Treaty of Paris in 1783 took
possession of Indian Territory from the Atlantic to the Mississippi.
Michigan
history has also been influenced greatly by the political actions of Henry Rowe
Schoolcraft, from the naming of communities to his involvement with the Native
Americans. Schoolcraft named many of Michigan’s counties and locations when he
was residing in the Michigan territory. He named Leelanau County after his
wife’s pen name “Leelinau” and went on to name
Algoma, Allegan, Alpena, Arenac, Iosco, Kalkaska, Oscoda and Tuscola. He
used faux Indian names and combined words and syllables from Native American
languages with words and syllables from Latin and Arabic languages. Many
locations were named after him such as Schoolcraft County in Michigan,
Schoolcraft River and Schoolcraft Lake in Minnesota, and Schoolcraft Township
in Houghton County, Michigan (Bremer, 1987).
Schoolcraft
led a life filled with ambition and curiosity and he obtained additional
notoriety through his writing career. He was driven to tell the country about
his findings through his published works. He studied with great interest topics
such as Native Americans, mineralogy, education, and the Ozark area. Through
extensive travels he believed he discovered the source of the Mississippi,
examined the lives of Native Americans, and 2,000 miles of Lake Huron and Lake
Superior shoreline. After he was commissioned by Congress, Schoolcraft worked
for years on the history of Indian tribes of the United States. His compilation
of Indian studies was published in six volumes from 1851-1857 (Schoolcraft, 1978).
Schoolcraft strived to
convert the Indian people into what he considered to be a more respectable
people, people who farmed instead of hunted to provide sustenance for their
villages. Schoolcraft portrayed himself as having the best interests of the
Indian people in Michigan in mind when he pursued the 1836 Treaty of
Washington. His justification behind this treaty was stated when the Agent
wrote to his wife, Jane Schoolcraft:
“…All that could be worked in by the
way of schools, mission, agriculture, mechanics… is granted. Much money will be
annually distributed, their debts paid, their half-breed relations provided
for, every man, woman & child of them, &large presents given out.
Rejoice with me. The day of their prosperity has been long delayed, but has
finally reached them, in their lowest state of poverty, when their game is
almost gone, and the county is shorn of all its advantages for the hunter
state,” (Bremer, 1987, pg. 169-170).
Many people refer to Schoolcraft as
undeserving of respect and admiration, but like many people seeking notoriety,
he also had a soft side. He cared deeply about his own children, especially his
son Willy who died at an early age. Schoolcraft fought stridently to stop
others from providing alcoholic beverages to the Native Americans. He was
against the substance and thought the Indian people could do without the evils
of alcohol. Schoolcraft met with many people to accomplish his goal of changing
the lives of Indian people for the better.
The
1836 Treaty of Washington was a part of the Indian Removal faction, a movement
which wiped out the ownership of a vast amount of Indian territories in
Michigan for the Native Americans. Schoolcraft was instrumental in organizing
gatherings of Chippewa and Odawa leaders to discuss the impending treaty
negotiations. He prepared these individuals for what he presumed was for the
good of the general population as well as the Native Americans.
Tanner was requested to meet with
Schoolcraft to plan a meeting with the Odawas concerning land acquisitions in
September of 1835. Tanner led a troubled life when he was abducted from his
father’s ranch in Kentucky by Shawnee Indians. He was taken to their village in
Saginaw which was part of the Michigan territory in 1789 at the age of 9 years.
He was traded to the Odawa tribe two years later and then finally ended up with
an Ojibwe tribe in Manitoba, Canada at age 13. Abused at first by the tribal
people until he had proven his superior hunting skills. He completely
assimilated into the American Indian culture and became feared and respected by
many. Tanner became a useful interpreter for people such as Schoolcraft
(Daudert, 2011).
Tanner
traveled to Mackinac Island for a meeting with Odawa leaders which included
Augustin Hamelin, an educated mixed-blood Odawa chief who served as a teacher
on occasion at some of the mission schools. He was appointed as head chief of
the tribe and spokesperson for the Odawas, which was considered a high honor.
His grandfather held the same position as head chief.
Hamelin
and other leaders of the Odawa tribe were encouraged to meet with the Great
Father, the president of the United States to discuss land acquisitions.
Hamelin was accompanied by eight other Odawas when they traveled to Washington.
They arrived at the beginning of December of 1835. The Odawas met with Cass to
sell to the United States government specific islands located near Lake
Michigan, along with land north of the Straits which actually belonged to the
Chippewas. The Odawas wanted to remain on their lands. They also requested the
government to provide them with additional funding for Indian education
associated with the Catholic mission schools in the Michigan territory. Cass
refused their offer and used this opportunity to negotiate the selling of
Chippewa and Odawa lands in Michigan. His refusal of their offer was a turning
point concerning the development of the treaty in 1836. Cass set into motion a
full-scale treaty council in Washington to gain control a lot of the Indian
territories in Michigan.
A lot of support for
this venture came from the Michigan Delegate Lucius Lyon and the Detroit Acting
Governor Stevens T. Mason. In part of his opening address to the legislature
Mason mentioned ceasing the Indian title to lands in the Lower Peninsula of
Michigan. Part of the land not suitable for agriculture would be ceded to the
Indians for their use. If the Indian people agreed to cede the lands in
question the United States might offer payment of their debts as well as future
financial allowances. When Schoolcraft arrived in Washington, he learned that
he was given the responsibility to gather a full-treaty council of Chippewa and
Odawa chiefs in the capital as soon as possible to negotiate a finalized
treaty.
Many
traders decided to attend the treaty council in Washington including John Drew
of the Mackinac trading firm of Biddle and Drew along with Samuel Abbott from
the American Fur Trading Company. These companies wanted to ensure the debts
owed to them by the Indians would be paid and they wanted to encourage the
Indian people to sell their land.
Before the treaty negotiations
began, Schoolcraft was busy setting the groundwork for such discussions. He
wanted to reinforce his claims as an Indian expert and their spokesperson by
sending two lengthy letters to the president. He informed the president about
the policy associated with the Indian people residing in the Columbia River
Basin. Schoolcraft warned the president that the Hudson Bay Company existed
under strong British influence and the purpose of this company was to suppress
American interests. He recommended a special agent be assigned to that region
to explain the ill-intended goals of the British-run company.
This communication with the
president did not secure the title of governor of Wisconsin for Schoolcraft.
His interests in rising in rank were thwarted by familial connections with
others in higher places of authority. For example, the newly elected
territorial delegate George W. Jones was a close friend of Henry Dodge, hero of
the Black Hawk War. Dodge was also a half-brother of Missouri Senator Henry
Linn. Dodge received the appointment as Governor late in April, 1836.
Schoolcraft
also had his eyes on Michigan’s statehood and the formation of the Wisconsin
Territory. He was concerned about the organization of the Indian Department.
Schoolcraft sent a letter to Delegate Lyon and Delegate Jones in which he
suggested the creation of a new Superintendent position for the Great Lakes region
which would combine the Green Bay Agency with the agencies included in the
Michigan territory. Comprised in the proposal was the assignment to William
Clark over the remaining agencies in Wisconsin. Under this proposal Clark, the
new governor, would be relieved of any responsibility for the administration of
Indian affairs. The areas included in this proposal were the sub-agencies at
Detroit, Green Bay, and Sault Ste. Marie
as well as an office clerk at Detroit. This reorganization would enable
Schoolcraft to retain the Mackinac Agency as Superintendent while he spent his
winters in Detroit. The Secretary of War had to approve these changes.
He continued to work with the
Catholic Odawas of L’Arbre Croche who were adamant about not selling their
lands. Schoolcraft was not successful with obtaining the signatures authorizing
the sale of the Odawa lands from the non-Catholic leaders. William Johnston,
Schoolcraft’s brother-in-law, informed him that if the tribal leaders were
approached alone in Washington they would probably sign the treaty. Some of the Odawa leaders finally agreed to
travel to Washington.
William Johnston used the
opportunity of the treaty negotiations to persuade his uncle Waiskey, a chief
at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to sign a document acknowledging a debt of
$20,000 to Mrs. Johnston. He went further to thank his brother-in-law,
Schoolcraft, for not letting any opportunity pass unnoticed concerning the
family’s interests.
On March 3, 1836, three of the Odawa
chiefs from Grand River in Michigan arrived in Washington and other designates
from other Michigan Chippewa and Odawa tribes followed suit. Cass appointed
Schoolcraft the sole treaty commissioner. Schoolcraft’s duties were described
in an outline about the burden resting upon those chosen to negotiate with the
Indians:
“An Indian negotiator is
placed by the execution of his duty in a peculiar situation. He is required by
his instructions to procure a cession upon the best terms for the United
States. On the other hand, neither the feelings of the age, the opinions of the
Country, nor the principles of the government permit, that he should extort
from the wanderers of the forest the inheritance of their forefathers for the
merest pittance, which they may be induced to take. There are more
considerations, connected with this subject, which no honorable man will disregard.
The execution of the duty is a best irksome and unpleasant. A part of the
community see in every land of the Indians is acquired with the merest shadow
of a compensation. Another can discern nothing but an useless and lavish
expenditure of the public money. Between
these discordant opinions, it is difficult to pursue any course, which shall
render general satisfaction” (Bremer, 1987,pg. 165).
By March 14, the representatives of Chippewa and Odawa chiefs requested
the presence of the Secretary of War, Cass, and President Jackson. Schoolcraft
made the following proposal: “I am recommending that all the wonderful Indian
people sitting before me cede their lands north of Grand River of the Lower
Peninsula to as far west as the Chocolay River of the Upper Peninsula.” (The
Chocolay River is located near Marquette, Michigan and the Grand River
stretches from Grand Rapids, to Ionia, Grand Haven, Eaton Rapids, and Jackson
(near Detroit). Grand River is the longest river in Michigan, 252 miles long.)
Treaty negotiations started going
awry. Many traders had their hands in the pot trying to stir things up. Many of
the Indian people broke away from their trader alliances. Since things were
such a mess, the claims would have to go before the commissioner which was not
what they wanted to happen. The sum set aside to pay off the Indian debts, in
which some of the debts were real or imagined, would even things out
Schoolcraft believed.
At
the conclusion of the treaty council, the Odawas decided to sell their lands
located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan with the exception of specific
reservations. This condition was readily accepted by the government. The Chippewas
decided to sell their lands with the agreement that they could settle on
certain reservation locations. During these council meetings it was suggested
by the Chippewas that their mixed-blood relatives receive land grants and they
recommended that specific traders be permitted to examine their accounts. On
Schoolcraft’s 43rd birthday, March 28, 1836, the U.S. treaty
commissioner and the Indian delegates signed the final treaty document.
Government officials
established a subsidy system through which the Indian people were given
supplies during the transition period for farming. The United States Senate
decided these provisions were too lofty and revised these sanctions. The Native
Americans were given only five years to reside on the land holdings, and the
Senate decided the debts owed to the business owners were the responsibility of
the Indian people (Bremer, 1987).
Under the terms of
the treaty, the Chippewa and Odawa tribal leaders ceded approximately 16
million acres, or about three eighths of the entire state of Michigan. Schoolcraft agreed to a payment to members
of Indian affiliations. Payments were distributed to full-blooded Indian
people and half-blood people, with the half-blood people given a much higher
amount. Some of the key players involved in the implementation of the 1836
Treaty of Washington were Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, and previous governor of
Michigan, Henry Schoolcraft, and President Jackson with a number of Chippewa
and Odawa leaders.
Schoolcraft sought monetary awards for half-breeds
and full-blooded Indian people and the payment of debts to business owners owed
by the Indian people. Monetary settlements were
provided to the Indian people and mixed-bloods were entitled to more
compensation. Schoolcraft’s mixed blood relatives were awarded compensation.
Some of the traders were given part or most of their claims. These claims were
the unpaid debts of the Native Americans. The treaty proved to be a lucrative
exchange for many of the people involved in its implementation except for the
full-blooded Native American people.
Although
Schoolcraft married a woman of Ojibwe (Chippewa) descent, he had a hand in
taking away a lot of their land holdings as a result of the treaty he
established. The treaty was completed and signed on
March 28, 1836 in Washington D.C. by Henry Schoolcraft, Indian Commissioner for
the United States and several Native American representatives. Approximately 16
million acres, or around three-eighths of the entire state of Michigan was
ceded to the U.S. government by the Chippewa and Odawa tribes (Bremer, 1987). Land
meant life for the Native Americans, it meant they could provide for their
communities by hunting and gathering. Stranded on much smaller portions of land
prevented them from living a self-sufficient life and made them reliant on the
government to provide for their needs at a later date while enduring
reservation life.
Washington, District of Columbia
Treaty with the Ottawa, etc., 1836
Articles of a treaty
made and concluded at the city of Washington in the District of Columbia,
between Henry R. Schoolcraft, commissioner on the part of the United States,
and the Ottawa and Chippewa nations of Indians, by their chiefs and delegates.
ARTICLE FIRST. The
Ottawa and Chippewa nations of Indians cede to the United States all the tract
of country within the following boundaries: Beginning at the mouth of Grand
river of Lake Michigan on the north bank thereof, and following up the same to
the line called for, in the first article of the treaty of Chicago of the 29th
of August 1821, thence, in a direct line, to the head of Thunder-bay river, thence
with the line established by the treaty of Saginaw of the 24th of September
1819, to the mouth of said river, thence northeast to the boundary line in Lake
Huron between the United States and the British province of Upper Canada,
thence northwestwardly, following the same line, as established by the
commissioners acting under the treaty of Ghent, through the straits, and river
St. Mary's, to a point in Lake Superior north of the mouth of Gitchy Seebing,
or Chocolate river, thence south to the mouth of said river and up its channel
to the source thereof, thence, in a direct line to the head of the Skonawba
river of Green bay, thence down the south bank of said river to its mouth,
thence, in direct line, through the ship channel into Green bay, to the outer part
thereof, thence south to a point in Lake Michigan west of the north cape, or
entrance of Grand river, andthence east to the place of beginning, at the cape
aforesaid, comprehending all the lands and islands, within these limits, not
hereinafter reserved.
ARTICLE SECOND. From
the cession aforesaid the tribes reserve for their own use, to be held in
common the following tracts for the term of five years from the date of the
ratification of this treaty, and no longer; unless the United States shall
grant them permission to remain on said lands for a longer period, namely: One
tract of fifty thousand acres to be located on Little Traverse bay: one tract
of twenty thousand acres to be located on the north shore of Grand Traverse
bay, one tract of seventy thousand acres to be located on or, north of the
Pieire Marquetta river, one tract of one thousand acres to be located by
Chingassanoo,-or the Big Sail, on the Cheboigan. One tract of one thousand
acres, to be located by Mujeekewis, on Thunder-bay river.
ARTICLE THIRD. There
shall also be reserved for the use of the Chippewas living north of the straits
of Michilimackinac, the following tracts for the term of five years from the
date of the ratification of this treaty, and no longer, unless the United
States shall grant them permission to remain on said lands for a longer period,
that is to say: Two tracts of three miles square each, on the north shores of
the said straits, between Point-au-Barbe and Mille Coquin river, including the
fishing grounds in front of such reservations, to be located by a council of
the chiefs. The Beaver islands of Lake Michigan for the use of the
Beaver-island Indians. Round island, opposite Michilimackinac, as a place
of encampment for the Indians, to be under the charge of the Indian department.
The islands of the Chenos, with a part of the adjacent north coast of Lake
Huron, corresponding in lngth, and one mile in depth. Sugar island, with its
islets, in the river of St. Marys. Six hundred and forty acres, at the mision
of the Little Rapids. A tract commencing at the mouth of the Pississowining
river, south of Point Iroquois, thence running up said stream to its forks,
thence westward, in a direct line to the Red water lakes, thence across the
portage to the Tacquimenon river, and down the same to its mouth, including the
small islands and fishing grounds, in front of this reservation. Six hundred
and forty acres, on Grand Island, and two thousand acres, on the main land
south of it. Two sections, on the northern extremity of Green bay, to be
located by a council of the chiefs All the locations, left indefinite by this,
and the preceding articles, shall be made by the proper chiefs, under the
direction of the President. It is understood that the reservation for a place
of fishing and encampment, made under the treaty of St. Mary's of the 16th of
June 1820, remains unaffected by this treaty.
ARTICLE FOURTH. In
consideration of the foregoing cessions, the United States engage to pay to the
Ottawa and Chippewa nations, the following sums, namely.
1st. An annuity of
thirty thousand dollars per annum, in specie, for twenty years; eighteen
thousand dollars, to be paid to the Indians between Grand River and the
Cheboigun; three thousand six hundred dollars, to the Indians on the Huron
shore, between the Cheboigan and Thunder-bay river; and seven thousand four
hundred dollars, to the Chippewas north of the straits, as far as the cession
extends; the remaining one thousand dollars, to be invested in stock by the
Treasury Department and to remain incapable of being sold, without the consent
of the President and the Senate, which may, however, be given, after the
expiration of twenty-one years.
2nd. Five thousand
dollars per annum, for the purpose of education, teachers, school-houses, and
books in their own language, to be continued twenty years, and as long
thereafter as Congress may appropriate for the object.
3rd. Three thousand
dollars for missions, subject to the conditions mentioned in the second clause
of this article.
4th. Ten thousand
dollars for agricultural implements, cattle, mechanics' tools, and such other
objects as the President may deem proper.
5th. Three hundred
dollars per annum for vaccine matter, medicines, and the services of
physicians, to be continued while the Indians remain on their reservations.
6th. Provisions to the
amount of two thousand dollars; six thousand five hundred pounds of tobacco;
one hundred barrels of salt, and five hundred fish barrels, annually, for
twenty years.
7th. One hundred and
fifty thousand dollars, in goods and provisions, on the ratification of this
treaty, to be delivered at Michilimackinac, and also the sum of two hundred
thousand dollars, in consideration of changing the permanent reservations in
article two and three to reservations for five years only, to be paid whenever
their reservations shall be surrendered, and until that time the interest on
said two hundred thousand dollars shall be annually paid to the said Indians.
ARTICLE FIFTH. The sum
of three hundred thousand dollars shall be paid to said Indians to enable them,
with the aid and assistance of their agent, to adjust and pay such debts as
they may justly owe, and the overplus, if any, to apply to such other use as
they may think proper.
ARTICLE SIXTH. The
said Indians being desirous of making provision for their half-breed relatives,
and the President having determined, that individual reservations shall not be
granted, it is agreed, that in lieu thereof, the sum of one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars shall be set apart as a fund for said half-breeds. No person
shall be entitled to any part of said fund, unless he is of Indian descent and
actually resident within the boundaries described in the first article of this
treaty, nor shall anything be allowed to any such person, who may have received
no allowance at any previous Indian treaty. The following principles, shall
regulate the distribution. A census shall be taken of all the men, women, and
children, coming within this article. As the Indians hold in higher
consideration, some of their half-breeds than others, and as there is much
difference in their capacity to use and take care of property, and,
consequently, in their power to aid their Indian connections, which furnishes a
strong ground for this claim, it is, therefore, agreed, that at the council to
be held upon this subject, the commissioner shall call upon the Indian chiefs
to designate, if they require it, three classes of these claimants, the first
of which, shall receive one-half more than the second, and the second, double
the third. Each man woman and child shall be enumerated, and an equal share, in
the respective classes, shall be allowed to each. If the father is living with
the family, he shall receive the shares of himself, his wife and children. If
the father is dead, or separated from the family, and the mother is living with
the family, she shall have her own share, and that of the children. If the
father and mother are neither living with the family, or if the children are
orphans, their share shall be retained till they are twenty-one years of age;
provided, that such portions of it as may be necessary may, under the direction
of the President, be from time to time applied for their support. All
other persons at the age of twenty-one years, shall receive their portions agreeably
to the proper class. Out of the said fund of one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars, the sum of five thousand dollars shall be reserved to be applied,
under the direction of the President, to the support of such of the poor half
breeds, as may require assistance, to be expended in annual instalments for the
term of ten years, commencing with the second year. Such of the half-breeds, as
may be judged incapable of making a proper use of the money, allowed them by
the commissioner, shall receive the same in instalments, as the President may
direct.
ARTICLE SEVENTH. In
consideration of the cessions above made, and as a further earnest of the
disposition felt to do full justice to the Indians, and to further their well
being, the United States engage to keep two additional blacksmith-shops, one of
which, shall be located on the reservation north of Grand river, and the other
at Sault Ste. Marie. A permanent interpreter will be provided at each of these
locations. It is stipulated to renew the present dilapidated shop at
Michilimackinac, and to maintain a gunsmith, in addition to the present smith's
establishment, and to build a dormitory for the Indians visiting the post, and
appoint a person to keep it, and supply it with fire-wood. It is also agreed,
to support two farmers and assistants, and two mechanics, as the President may
designate, to teach and aid the Indians, in agriculture, and in the mechanic
arts. The farmers and mechanics, and the dormitory, will be continued for ten
years, and as long thereafter, as the President may deem this arrangement
useful and necessary; but the benefits of the other stipulations of this
article, shall be continued beyond the expiration of the annuities, and it is
understood that the whole of this article shall stand in force, and insure to
the benefit of the Indians, as long after the expiration of the twenty years as
Congress may appropriate for the objects.
ARTICLE EIGHTH. It is
agreed, that as soon as the said Indians desire it, a deputation shall be sent
to the southwest of the Missouri River, there to select a suitable place for
the final settlement of said Indians, which country, so selected and of
reasonable extent, the United States will forever guaranty and secure to said
Indians. Such improvements as add value to the land, hereby ceded, shall be
appaised, and the amount paid to the proper Indian. But such payment shall, in
no case, be assigned to, or paid to, a white man. If the church on the
Cheboigan, shall fall within this cession, the value shall be paid to the band
owning it. The net proceeds of the sale of the one hundred and sixty acres of
land, upon the Grand River upon which the missionary society have erected their
buildings, shall be paid to the said society, in lieu of the value of their
said improvements. When the Indians wish it, the United States will remove
them, at their expence, provide them a year's subsistence in the country to
which they go, and furnish the same articles and equipments to each person as
are stipulated to be given to the Pottowatomies in the final treaty of cession
concluded at Chicago.
ARTICLE NINTH. Whereas
the Ottawas and Chippewas, feeling a strong consideration for aid rendered by
certain of their half-breeds on Grand river, and other parts of the country
ceded, and wishing to testify their gratitude on the present occasion, have
assigned such individuals certain locations of land, and united in a strong
appeal for the allowance of the same in this treaty; and whereas no such
reservations can be permitted in carrying out the special directions of the
President on this subject, it is agreed, that, in addition to the general fund
set apart for half-breed claims, in the sixth article, the sum of forty-eight
thousand one hundred and forty-eight dollars shall be paid for the extinguishment
of this class of claims, to be divided in the following manner: To Rix
Robinson, in lieu of a section of land, granted to his Indian family, on the
Grand river rapids, (estimated by good judges to be worth half a million) at
the rate of thirty-six dollars an acre: To Leonard Slater, in trust for
Chiminonoquat, for a section of land above said rapids, at the rate of ten
dollars an acre: To John A. Drew, for a tract of one section and three
quarters, to his Indian famiy, at Ceboigan rapids, at the rate of four dollars;
to Edward Biddle, for one section to his Indian family at the fishing grounds,
at the rate of three dollars: to John Holiday, for five sections of land to
five persons of his Indian family, at the rate of one dollar and twenty-five
cents; to Eliza Cook, Sophia Biddle, and Mary Holiday, one section of land
each, at two dollars and fifty cents: To Augustin Hamelin junr, being of Indian
descent, two sections, at one dollar and twenty-five cents; to William Lasley,
Joseph Daily, Joseph Trotier, Henry A. Levake, for two sections each, for their
Indian families, at one dollar and twenty-five cents: To Luther Rice,
Joseph Lafrombois, Charles Butterfield, being of Indian descent, and to George
Moran, Louis Moran, G. D. Williams, for half-breed children under their care,
and to Daniel Marsac, for his Indian child, one section each, at one dollar and
twenty-five cents.
ARTICLE TENTH. The sum
of thirty thousand dollars shall be paid to the chiefs, on the ratification of
this treaty, to be divided agreeably to a schedule hereunto annexed. [Schedule
deleted]
ARTICLE ELEVENTH. The
Ottawas having consideration for one of their aged chiefs, who is reduced to
poverty, and it being known that he was a firm friend of the American
Government, in that quarter, during the late war, and suffered much in
consequence of his sentiments, it is agreed, that an annuity of one hundred
dollars per annum shall be paid to Ningweegon or the Wing, during his natural
life, in money or goods, as he may choose. Another of the chiefs of said
nation, who attended the treaty of Greenville in [1795], and is now, at a very
advanced age, reduced to extreme want, together with his wife, and the
Government being apprized that he has pleaded a promise of Gen. Wayne, in his
behalf, it is agreed that Chusco of Michilimackinac shall receive an annuity of
fifty dollars per annum during his natural life.
ARTICLE TWELFTH. All
expenses attending the journey of the Indians from, and to their homes, and
their visit at the seat of Government, together with the expenses of the
treaty, including a proper quantity of clothing to be given them, will be paid
by the United States.
ARTICLE THIRTEENTH.
The Indians stipulate for the right of hunting on the lands ceded, with the
other usual privileges of occupancy, until the land is required for settlement.
In testimony whereof,
the said Henry R. Schoolcraft, commissioner on the part of the United States,
and the chiefs and delegates of the Ottawa and Chippewa nation of Indians, have
hereunto set their hands, at Washington the seat of Government this
twenty-eighth day of March, in the year one thousand eight hundred and
thirty-six.
SUPPLEMENTAL ARTICLE.
To guard against misconstruction in some of the foregoing provisions, and to
secure, by further limitations, the just rights of the Indians, it is hereby
agreed: that no claims under the fifth article shall be allowed for any debts
contracted previous to the late war with Great Britain, or for goods supplied
by foreigners to said Indians, or by citizens, who did not withdraw from the
country, during its temporary occupancy by foreign troops, for any trade
carried on by such persons during the said period. And it is also agreed: that
no person receiving any commutation for a reservation, or any portion of the
fund provided by the sixth article of this treaty, shall be entitled to the
benefit of any part of the annuities herein stipulated. Nor shall any of the
half-breeds, or blood relatives of the said tribes, commuted with, under the
provisions of the ninth article, have any further claim on the general
commutation fund, set apart to satisfy reservation claims, in the said sixth
article. It is also understood, that the personal annuities, stipulated in the
eleventh article, shall be paid in specie in the same manner that other
annuities are paid. Any excess of the funds set apart in the fifth and sixth
articles, shall, in lieu of being paid to the Indians, be retained and vested
by the Government in stock under the conditions mentioned in the fourth article
of this treaty.
In testimony whereof,
the parties above recited, have hereunto set their hands, at Washington the
seat of Government this thirty-first day of March, in the year one thousand
eight hundred and thirty-six.
Source: https://www.cmich.edu/library/clarke/ResearchResources/Native_American_Material/Treaty_Rights/Text_of_Michigan_Related_Treaties/Pages/Washington,-1836.aspx
