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The first winter we lived at Little
Traverse as a permanent home was in the year 1828, and in the following
spring my own dear mother died very suddenly, as she was burned while
they were making sugar in the woods. She was burned so badly that she
only lived four days after. I was small, but I was old enough to know
and mourn for my dear mother. I felt as though I had lost everything
dear to me and every friend; there was no one that I could place such
confidence in, not even my own father. So my father's household was
broken up: we were pretty well scattered after that. He could not very
well keep us together; being the least one in the family, I became a
perfect wild rover. At last I left Little Traverse when about 13 or 14
years age. I went to Green Bay, Wis., with the expectation of living
with an older sister who had married a Scotchman named Gibson and had
gone there to make a home somewhere in Green Bay. I found them, but I
did not stay with them long. I left them and went to live with a farmer
close by whose name was Sylvester. From this place I was persuaded by
another man to go with him on the fishing ground, to a place called
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. From there I sailed with Mr. Robert Campbell. Mr.
Campbell was a good man and Christian. His father had a nice farm at Bay
Settlement, near Green Bay, Wis., where also my sister settled down. I
sailed with him one summer. We came to Mackinac Island in the fall of
1840, and there I met my father and all my relations, and great many
Indians as they were about receiving their annual payment from the
Government. So I left the vessel and hired out in the store to act as
clerk during the payment time.
After all the Indians had gone away from the island, I
was still working in the store and thought to make my winter quarters
there, but did not. One day I met my father's old friend, the Rev. Mr.
Alvin Coe, the traveling missionary of whom I have already spoken as
having asked me to go with him to the State of Ohio where I might have
an opportunity to go to school and be educated like the white man. I
told him I will go with him, provided he will take an interest to watch
over me, that no one would abuse me out there after getting into the
strange country. He faithfully promised that he would do all this, and
would also do all he could to help me along to obtain my education. He
said he was going that night and I must be on hand when the boat
arrived; but I failed to tell him my stopping place. So when the boat
arrived I was too sound asleep to hear it. Poor old man! I was told that
he felt disappointed to have to go with, out me. As I woke in the
morning I inquired if any boat had arrived during the night. I was told
there was. I was also told there was an old man who seemed to be very
anxious, and was looking for me all over the crowd on the dock, but he
could not find me there. When the boat was pushing out he jumped on
board and then turned to the crowd, saying, "Tell my little boy,
Jackson, son of the old chief Macka-de-be-nessy, of Arbor Croche, that I
have gone on this boat."
Thus I was left, and missed the opportunity when I
might have been educated while I was yet much younger. A few days
afterwards, as I walked out from the store one evening, I met two young
men in the street, one of whom I frequently saw during the payment time,
but the other was entirely a stranger to me. He was a most noble-looking
and tall young man, but, behold, he spoke perfectly and freely the
Indian language, saying to me, "My boy, would you be willing to take us
to that vessel out there?" at the same time pointing to a vessel which
was already outside of the harbor, sails up, but in a perfectly dead
calm, as there was not a breath of wind. I told them I would, provided I
could get the boat to get there; in which he replied that they will do
all that part of the business, but they wanted some one to bring the
boat back. As I was walking with another mate of mine, I ask him to go
with me to take these folks on board. The next thing we were on the way
towards the vessel. As we went along this noble young man said to me,
"My boy, would you like to come with us to Grand Traverse?" I replied,
"I would like to see Grand Traverse, but am not prepared to go just
now." "Would you not like to learn the blacksmith trade? This man is a
government blacksmith in Grand Traverse," referring to his companion,
"and he needs an assistant in the business. We will give you position as
an assistant and a salary of $240 yearly, or $20 per month." I replied,
"I will go, for I would be very glad to find a chance to learn a trade
and at the same time to get my living." Therefore I also got on board,
and my friend had to come back alone with the boat we borrowed. This was
the same vessel that I had sailed on that season. We arrived at the
place now called "The Old Mission," where there was a nice harbor.
[Footnote: The Mission was already established by this time, 1840,
conducted by the Presbyterian Board of missions. Rev. P. Dougherty, who
was indeed a true Christian, and good to Indians, was a preacher for the
Mission. Daniel Rod, the half-breed from St. Clair River, Mich., was his
interpreter. Mr. Bradley acted as teacher, who afterwards proved himself
unworthy for the position, which produced a bad effect among the
Indians. The Mission is now out of existence.] This young man, whose
name I now learned was John M. Johnstone, of Sault Ste. Marie, the
brother-in-law of Henry Schoolcraft, our Indian agent, said when we
arrived, "You have no commission yet to work in the shop; you will
therefore have to go back to Mackinac with this letter which you will
take to Indian agent yourself and nobody else. Then come back at the
first opportunity if he tells you to come."
So I had to return to Mackinac on the same vessel with
which we went away. At Mackinac I received my commission without any
trouble. On arriving at Grand Traverse the Indians were having a big
council which was concocted, I was told, by the brother of my
benefactor, who was trading there among the Indians. They were getting
up remonstrances and petitioning the Government against my appointment,
setting forth as reason of their complaint that I did not belong to that
tribe of Indians, and was therefore not entitled to the position, and
they would rather have one of their own boys belonging to the tribe put
to this trade. But my friend Johnstone told me "not to mind anything,
but go about my business. The blacksmith shop had been established here
for more than two years, and they should have thought of putting their
boy in the shop long before this." So accordingly I continued working
and minding my own business for five years, when I quit of my own
accord. There were no white people there at that time, only such as were
employed by the Government, and the missionaries and teachers, and the
Indians were very happy in those days.
I have told my readers in the previous chapters of this
little book, that from the time I was invited by our most estimable
friend, Rev. Alvin Coe, to go with him to the State of Ohio in order to
receive an education, "that it was never blotted out of my mind," and
therefore the very day I quit the blacksmith shop at Grand Traverse, I
turned my face toward the State of Ohio, for that object alone. I came
to Little Traverse to bid a good-by to my father and relations late in
October, 1845. I did not even stay half a day at Little Traverse. I
started for Arbor Croche the same day I bid the last farewell to my
folks, in order to obtain an opportunity there to get to Mackinac
Island, from which I intended to take my passage for Cleveland. Arriving
at Arbor Croche, which is fourteen miles from Little Traverse, I met an
orphan boy, Paul Naw-o-ga-de by name, a distant relative, and proposed
to pay his passage to Cleveland. The brother of this little boy had a
boat of his own, and offered to take us to Mackinac Island, and I was
vary glad of the opportunity. So the next day we started for Mackinac,
not knowing what would become of us if my little means were exhausted
and we should be unsuccessful in finding our old friend, Mr. Alvin Coe.
The day we arrived at Mackinac we took passage for
Cleveland. Arriving there we were scared at seeing so many people coming
to us who wanted us to get into their cabs to take us to some hotel
which might cost us two or three dollars a day. We went to Farmer's
Hotel. In the evening the landlady was somewhat curious to know where we
hailed from and where we were going to. I told her we came from
Michigan, but we did not know yet where we should go to. I asked her if
she ever knew or heard of a minister named Alvin Coe. "What,"--she
seemed to be very much surprised--"Mr. Alvin Coe the traveling
missionary?" I said, "Yes, the same." "Why, that is my own uncle. What
is it about him?" "O, nothing; only I would like to know where he lives,
and how far." I was equally surprised to think that we happened to meet
one of his relatives, and thought at this moment, God must be with us in
our undertaking. "You know my uncle, then," she said. I said, "Yes; he
is my particular friend, and I am going to look for him." Of course, she
told us the name of the town in which he lived, and how far and which
road to take to get there. It also happened that there was one gentleman
at Farmer's Hotel, who had been out west and came on the same boat on
which we came, and he was going the next day in that direction on foot,
and said he would guide us as far as he would go, which would be about
twenty miles, and there was thirty miles to go after that. So the next
day we started. Arriving late in the afternoon at the outskirts of the
little village called Twinsburg, our white companion told us this is the
place where he intended to stop for a while, and said, "You better stop
with me for the night, and after supper you could visit the institution
in the village and see the principal of the school here; you might
possibly get a chance to attend that school, as you say that was your
object in coming to this part of the country." I was very much
surprised, as he had not said one word about it as we came along on the
road. After supper, I went as he directed. As I approached the seminary
I saw a good many boys playing on the square of the village, and I went
and stood close by. Very soon one of the young men came up to me,
saying, "Are you going to attend our school here?" I told him, "No, sir;
I am going thirty miles further to attend some school there." "This is
the best school that I know of anywhere about this country," he said. I
asked him if he would introduce me to the proprietor of the school.
"Most cheerfully," said he; "will you please to tell me what place you
came from, and your name." "I came from Michigan, and my name is
Blackbird." "All right, I will go with you." So we came to the
professor's room, and he introduced me. "Well, Mr. Blackbird, do you
wish to attend our school?" I said, "I do not know, sir, how that might
be, as I have not much means to pay my way, but I am seeking for a man
who invited me to come to come to Ohio some five years ago, and promised
that he would help me all he could for my education. His name is Alvin
Coe, a traveling missionary, my father's old friend." "We have two
Indian boys here attending school, and I think you will not be very
lonesome if you should conclude to stay with us." "What are their
names?" I asked. "One is Francis Petoskey, and the other is Paul Ka-gwe-tosong."
I said, "I know them both; I came from the same place they did, but I
did not know they were here, I only knew they were attending school
somewhere among the whites." "Can you do any kind of work?" "I am a
blacksmith by trade, sir, and besides I can do most every other kind of
work." He said, "If you conclude to stay, I will try to aid you in
finding a place where you could work to pay for your lodging and board;
and in the meantime we will cause Mr. Alvin Coe to come and see you, and
if he sees fit to take you away he can do so, provided you would be
willing to go with him." I told him I would stay, if I found a place to
work to pay for my board, and provided that I could make some
arrangement for the little companion who came with me. After considering
a few moments, he proposed to take my little companion to his boarding
house until a better arrangement could be made. This was the end of my
conversation with this noble hearted professor and proprietor of this
Institution, whose name was Rev. Samuel Bissell, of Twinsburg, Ohio.
In the morning, after breakfast, I went back to the
village and found arrangements were already made for both of us, and all
we had to do was just to shift our quarters. I came to live with a young
blacksmith in the village and work two hours in the morning and two
hours in the evening, and many times I finished my hours at sunrise.
Some time during the winter, my friend Mr. Alvin Coe came and took me
off, with the understanding, however, that if I did not like the school
where he was, I was to come back to Twinsburg. So in about two weeks I
came back to the old institution, as I did not like the place. At last
Dr. Brainsmade, of Newark, New Jersey, took a deep interest in my
welfare and education, and he proposed to aid me and take me through the
medical college. Therefore I quit working my hours in the shop and
boarded at the institution, attending solely to my studies for over four
years.
I have already told my readers in previous chapters how
bad I felt when I had to return to Michigan. After I came home I did
everything towards the welfare and happiness of my people, beside
attending to my aged father, as I found my people to be very different
then from what they were, as they were beginning to have a free use of
intoxicating liquors. I immediately caused the pledge to be signed in
every village of the Indians, in which I was quite successful, as almost
everyone pledged themselves never again to touch intoxicating drinks. I
also advocated the right of citizenship for my people in the State of
Michigan, although we were repeatedly told by our white neighbors that
we could not very well be adopted as citizens of the State as long as we
were receiving annuities from the general government on account of our
former treaties. My object of promulgating this cause was, I thought it
would be the only salvation of my people from being sent off to the west
of the Mississippi, where perhaps, more than one-half would have died
before they could be acclimated to the country to which they would be
driven. I have suffered very great hardships for this cause, as I had to
walk from Little Traverse through the dense forest, and almost the
entire length of the southern peninsula of Michigan, in order to reach
the authorities of the State to hold conference with them upon the
subject of the citizenship of the Ottawas and Chippewas, and walked on
snow-shoes in the middle of winter in company with one of our young
chieftains from Cross Village.5 We were subjected to great
exposure with only a camp fire for several days in the month of
February.
After crossing Houghton Lake, which is the head waters
of the Muskegon river, that evening we swallowed the last morsel of
food, and actually we traveled and camped out with empty stomachs for
two days and a half before we came to any inhabited place. At last we
struck the Te-ti-pe- wa-say (Tittabawassee), one of the principal
branches of Saginaw river, and following down that stream on the ice we
came to an Indian camp which stood by the river side, and also saw many
human foot-prints on the ice, but the camp was deserted and we found
nothing to eat. We left the place and once more followed the river, and
after walking about half a mile we came to another Indian camp, and saw
blue smoke coming out of it. As we came up to the camp we found nothing
but women and children (all the men were out hunting). They gave us
food, and we went on our journey the next day.
We went to Detroit to see Judge Wing to obtain his
legal opinion on the subject of the citizenship of the Ottawa and
Chippewa Indians of Michigan. We had a very pleasant visit with him, and
he gave us as his legal opinion of this matter, that he did not think
that it would debar us from being citizens of the State, because the
Government owed us a little money on account of our former treaties,
provided we should renounce our allegiance to our chiefs and recognize
no other chief authority than the President of the United States; and
that we would not be required to have any writ of naturalization as we
are already naturalized by being American born. After a pleasant visit
with Hon. Judge Wing, we next turned our faces to the State Legislature
and Governor. In this also we thought we were very successful, for the
Governor received us very kindly and gave us much good counsel on the
subject of citizenship, giving us some instructions as to how we should
live under the rule of the State if we should become the children of the
same. He talked to us as though he was talking to his own son who had
just come from a far country and asked his father's permission to stay
in the household.
After a pleasant visit with the Governor, and seeing
some of the members of the State Legislature, receiving full assurance
that our undertaking and object would be well looked after, we retraced
our steps back to Little Traverse, to report the result of our visit.
After that, not many Indians believed these flying reports gotten up by
our white neighbors. In that year, the clause was put in the revised
statutes of the State of Michigan, that every male person of Indian
descent in Michigan not members of any tribe shall be entitled to vote.
In the year 1855, I was again delegated to attend the
council of Detroit for the treaty of 1855, and in that council I made
several speeches before the Hon. Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Mr.
Manypenny, of Washington, on the subject of our educational fund, $8000
per annum, which had been expended for the education of the Indian
youths for the last nineteen years, and which was to be continued ten
years longer. This sum had never been used directly for any scholars,
but it was stated that it was given to the religious societies which had
missions among the Michigan Indians. In that council I advocated that
the said fund be retained in the hands of the general Government for the
benefit of those Indian youths who really intended to be educated and
who went among the whites or in civilized communities to be educated,
and if it need be, to be used for the collegiate education of those
Indian youths, but let the children at home be educated at home by
taxation, and giving fully my reasons in advancing such proposition. The
Hon. Commissioner was much taken up with my remarks on this subject, I
being the youngest member, and told the older members of the council
that he would like to hear some of them on this subject. "The young man
who has been making remarks on this matter has a very good idea with
regard to your educational funds; now let us hear farther remarks on
this subject by some other members of the council." But not one Indian
stirred. And again and again the next day, I tried to urge this matter
to the Hon. Commissioner and the Indians to cooperate with me, but they
would not, because my people were so ignorant they did not know the
value of education, or else they misunderstood the whole subject. On the
third day, as I was about getting up to make further remarks upon this
subject, one of the old members, who was the most unworthy of all the
company, as he got very drunk the day we arrived in Detroit and was
locked up in jail as disorderly two or three days, arose and said to the
Commissioner that I was not authorized by any of the council to get up
here and make such remarks. "We did not come here to talk about
education, but came expressly to form a treaty." Then burst into a great
laughter all the spectators of the council and some of the members too.
I was told afterwards that it was a put up job to prevent any change by
the persons who had been handling for years this Indian educational
fund, as there were a number of them in the council hall. Thus was lost
one of the most noble objects which ought to have been first looked
after.
After the council dispersed and came home, I sat down
and wrote a long article, giving the full history of the past in regard
to this matter; how our educational fund, $8000 per annum, had been
handled and conducted for nearly twenty years, and yet not one Indian
youth could spell the simplest word in the English language, and these
writings I had published in the Detroit Tribune for public inspection.
5. Mr. Wardsworth also accompanied us
from Elk Rapids, on his way to Detroit to obtain a commission as
surveyor on some part of the Grand Traverse region.
Index
Chippewa History |
Ottawa History
Native American Nations
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