Indian Nullification of the Unconstitutional Laws of Massachusetts Relative to the Marshpee Tribe | Page 8

capable of choosing for ourselves and have the right to do so,

and we would now say to you, that we have made choice of the Rev.
Wm. Apes, of the Pequod tribe, and have adopted him as one of ours,
and shall hear him preach, in preference to the missionary, and we
should like to have him aided, if you can do it. If not, we cannot help
it--he is ours--he is ours.
Perhaps you have heard of the oppression of the Cherokees and
lamented over them much, and thought the Georgians were hard and
cruel creatures; but did you ever hear of the poor, oppressed and
degraded Marshpee Indians in Massachusetts, and lament over them? If
not, you hear now, and we have made choice of the Rev. Wm. Apes to
relieve us, and we hope that you will assist him. And if the above
complaints and reasons, and the following resolutions, will be
satisfactory, we shall be glad, and rejoice that you comply with our
request.
Resolved, That we will rule our own tribe and make choice of whom
we please for our preacher.
Resolved, That we will have our own meeting house, and place in the
pulpit whom we please to preach to us.
Resolved, That we will publish this to the world; if the above reasons
and resolutions are not adhered to, and the Rev. Mr. Fish discharged.
The foregoing addresses and resolutions were adopted by a vote of the
tribe, almost unanimous. Done at the Council House at Marshpee, May
the 21st, 1833.
EBENEZER ATTAQUIN, President.
ISRAEL AMOS, Secretary.
The Hon. Josiah Quincy, President of the College, promised to attend
to this matter, said that he had long been satisfied that the money from
the Williams fund had not been applied to the object for which it was
intended, and hinted at an intention to send no more to Mr. Fish till he
should be better informed concerning the matter. (We understood that

he actually did retain the money, though he never found leisure to make
the inquiry alluded to.) He said that, had it been in the summer, he
would have gone himself to the place. Summer has passed away, and
we have seen no Mr. Quincy yet. We have heard that he was requested
by several gentlemen to come and investigate our affairs, but we
suppose he thinks that the poor Marshpees cannot have been wronged.
However, as nothing has been done, we think it is time that the public
should be made aware of our views and intentions.
Leaving Marshpee for New Bedford, I preached at several places on
my way, and delivered lectures on Indian affairs. Many of the
advocates of oppression became clamorous, on hearing the truth from a
simple Indian's lips, and a strong excitement took place in that quarter.
Some feared that an insurrection might break out among the colored
people, in which blood might be shed. Some called me an imposter,
and others approved of my proceedings, especially the Quakers, whom
I ever found benevolent and ready to help us. Their generous good will
toward colored people of all races is well known. I feel bound to say,
too, that there were others of the highest respectability in those parts
who were anxious that their red brethren should obtain their rights and
redress of their grievances.
When the time I had fixed for my return to my friends at Marshpee
arrived, I turned thitherward, and reached the place on the sixth of June.
Here I met the blind preacher, whom I had never before seen. He bade
me welcome, and cordially agreed to join me in my labors, saying that
God had listened to his prayers. He had for several years prayed for an
assistant, and now consented to labor in conjunction with me for the
spiritual and temporal advantage of our brethren. We went through the
plantation together. On the Sabbath there was a large meeting, and the
assistance of God enabled me to preach to them, after which we set
forth, as a delegation to the Governor and Council in Boston. We
stopped at several towns by the way, to discharge our duties, as
Christian ministers, and were kindly and hospitably received by the
teachers.
When we arrived in Boston, we communicated our business to a certain

doctor, who lived in Roxbury. He did not think so favorably of it as we
had expected; but, nevertheless, agreed to lay it before the board of
trustees, which we presume he did, as he is a man of truth. We told him
that we asked for justice, not money, and said that we wished the
Marshpee Indians to avoid the meeting-house, if it did not belong to
them. With this we left him, and have never heard from him