Great Indian Chief of the West

Great Indian Chief of the West

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Title: Great Indian Chief of the West Or, Life and Adventures of Black
Hawk
Author: Benjamin Drake
Release Date: April 30, 2006 [EBook #18290]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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INDIAN CHIEF OF THE WEST ***

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[Illustration: BLACK HAWK.]
THE
GREAT INDIAN CHIEF

OF
THE WEST:
OR,
LIFE AND ADVENTURES
OF
BLACK HAWK.
CINCINNATI: APPLEGATE & COMPANY 43 MAIN STREET.
1854.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, BY GEORGE
CONCLIN, In the Clerk's Office of the District of Ohio.
+-------------------------------------------------------------+ |Transcriber's
Note: There are inconsistencies in the Index | |and in the spelling of
tribal names. | |These have been left as originally printed. |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

PREFACE
In presenting to the public the life and adventures of Black Hawk, some
account of the Sac and Fox Indians--of Keokuk, their distinguished
chief--and of the causes which led to the late contest between these
tribes and the United States, was necessarily involved. The introduction
of these collateral subjects, may possibly impart additional interest to
this volume.
In speaking of the policy of the government towards the fragment of
Sacs and Foxes, with whom Black Hawk was associated, it has been
necessary to censure some of its acts, and to comment with freedom
upon the official conduct of a few public officers.

The Indians are frequently denounced as faithless, ferocious and
untameable. Without going into the inquiry, how far this charge is
founded in truth, the question may be asked, has not the policy of our
government contributed, essentially, to impart to them that character?
Have we not more frequently met them in bad faith, than in a Christian
spirit? and sustained our relations with them, more by the power of the
sword than the law of kindness? In the inscrutable ways of Providence,
the Indians are walking in ignorance and moral darkness. It is the
solemn duty, and should be the highest glory of this nation, to bring
them out of that condition, and elevate them in the scale of social and
intellectual being. But, how is this duty performed? We gravely
recognize them as an independent people, and treat them as vassals: We
make solemn compacts with them, which we interpret as our interest
dictates, but punish them if they follow the example: We admit their
title to the land which they occupy, and at the same time literally
compel them to sell it to us upon our own terms: We send agents and
missionaries to reclaim them from the error of their ways--to bring
them from the hunter to the pastoral life; and yet permit our citizens to
debase them by spirituous liquors, and cheat them out of their property:
We make war upon them without any adequate cause--pursue them
without mercy--and put them to death, without regard to age, sex or
condition: And, then deliberately proclaim to the world, that they are
savages--cruel and untameable--degraded and faithless.
If the present volume shall, in any degree, contribute to awaken the
public mind to a sense of the wrongs inflicted upon the Indians, and to
arouse the Christian statesmen of this land, to the adoption of a more
liberal, upright and benevolent course of policy towards them,
something will have been gained to the cause of humanity and of
national honor.
The author takes this opportunity of acknowledging his obligations to
James Hall, Esq., for the valuable assistance received from him, in the
preparation of this volume. In collecting the materials for that
magnificent work, on which he is now engaged, "The History of the
Indians of North America," this gentleman has become possessed of
much interesting matter, in regard to the Sacs and Foxes, and especially

the chief Keokuk; to all of which he has kindly permitted the author to
have access.
Cincinnati, May, 1838.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
Origin of the Sac and Fox Indians--Removal to Green Bay--Their
subjugation of the Illini confederacy--Their attack upon St. Louis in
1779--Col. George Rogers Clark relieves the town--Governor
Harrison's letter--Maj. Forsyth's account of the conquest of the
Illini--Death of the Sac chief Pontiac--Sac and Fox village on Rock
river--Description of the surrounding country--Civil polity of the Sacs
and Foxes--Legend about their chiefs--Division of the tribes into
families--Mode of burying their dead--Idea of a future state--Their
account of the creation of the world--Marriages--Social
relations--Music and musical