Memoirs of a Captivity Among the Indians of North America, by John Dunn Hunter; 3rd edition (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Ohme, Brown, & Green, 1824)

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REFLECTIONS

ON THE DIFFERENT

STATES AND CONDITIONS OF SOCIETY;

WITH THE

OUTLINES OF A PLAN

TO

AMELIORATE THE CIRCUMSTANCES

OF THE

INDIANS

OF

NORTH AMERICA.

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Mr. J. D. Hunter having published an interesting account of his own life, and of the manners and customs of the Indians in the Western Territories in North America (of which he had acquired a perfect knowledge by living amongst them for Nineteen Years), was requested, soon after his arrival in England, by the Company for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England and the Parts adjacent in America, and for civilising, educating, and instructing the Heathen Natives--to commit to writing his sentiments on the best means of accomplishing those objects.

He accordingly favoured the Company with the Manuscript of his Plan for educating his "Red Friends," and with permission to print the same.--In giving his consent to have it printed, he wished it to be understood, that his remarks were local and particular.

He added, that although there were some general features in which every tribe of the North American Indians correspond, yet local circumstances, the disposal of their property, various resources as to game, situation, neighbouring tribes, &c. all conspired to make them in some respects a different People.--The following is an Extract from his Letter to the Governor of the New England Company:--

"This is the reason why I wish my remarks not to be made public,--so far as they may throw any light upon the benevolent designs of the Company, or contribute to the execution of them, I shall be highly gratified, and submit them to your use with pleasure; but as they are rather applicable to individual tribes of my own acquaintance,

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than others more remotely situated, I cannot consent to have them published, though they are at the entire service of you, and your friends, who understand my views.--With my most hearty wishes for your success in a cause so laudable, I am, with much esteem,

"J. D. HUNTER."

Mr. Hunter requested any necessary corrections might be made; but it was thought better to retain his own expressions, than to suggest any alterations beyond a few verbal corrections, and his manuscript is now printed for the sole use of the New England Company.

August, 1823.

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The writer of the following lines has had an opportunity of seeing Man in almost every condition in which he exists in North America and Great Britain, from the free and high-minded tenant of the forest, to the highest ruler of civil society; and while he has enjoyed the blessings, and admired the improvements of civilisation, he cannot be blind to the evils, and the affecting miseries, which accompany its purest age, and which upon a superficial examination seem to be unavoidably connected therewith. On a more thorough inspection, however, those impressions are removed, and the evils ascribed to their real and true cause; which will be noticed in its proper place.

On contrasting the condition of that man or that society of men, who occupy a respectable station in a civil community, where the highest intellectual improvement and the deepest sense of moral obligation are united, yet free from the fetters of superstition, and above the tyrannic power of avarice; with that man or society, whose vices and virtues are mostly under the dominion of passion, whose virtues are rather the momentary effusions of a generous sympathy than the sound maxims of morality necessary to the greatest happiness of life, and whose vices,

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which, though few, are sometimes flagrant, and frequently disproportioned to their cause;--we find a considerable balance in favour of the former; or that society whose intellectual improvement has proved the hand-maid to virtue, and has added purity of heart to the embellishments of the mind.

To extend these blessings to as many of the human family as it is in our power to do, seems to the writer worthy the exertions of the greatest mind, and the approbation of all the wise and good. The virtues of the heart appear to be all of a social character, which produce a strong desire to extend to others the blessings we enjoy. We can go nowhere in society, that we do not find objects, if not destitute, yet lamentably deficient in some moral feature indispensable to the finest symmetry of moral perfection. But evils existing equally in different places, and under various circumstances, do not admit uniform redress by the application of the same remedies.

The philanthropist's first duty is, therefore, to seek the most proper objects for his benevolence. He should be careful that he "cast not his pearls before swine." Counsels which would fail to reclaim, or perhaps be repaid with abuse by an accomplished villain in civilised life, might stimulate the high-minded warrior or the grey-headed chief of the grove to virtuous emulation; and be repaid with kindness and gratitude ever after, by the simplest children of the Western wilds.

The friend of humanity will have much to contend with wherever he may commence his labours.

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Ignorance is not the only evil he is attempting to remedy. Were the human capacity like an empty vessel into which the owner pours as much as he pleased, the case would be much altered; but, like the prolific soil which is crowded with noxious weeds and briers, he will have much labour to perform before he can work to advantage. Even when the warring passions are subdued, and obstinate prejudices removed, habit, inclination, and mistaken pleasures, will often call the most zealous pupil from the path of instruction; and many loiter log before they return to "wisdom's ways."

Among the various people with whose character I have any acquaintance, either by personal intercourse, by books, or by travellers, there are several tribes of the North American Indians who, in my opinion, deserve the first regard among those of our race whom civilised people call savages. For the character of those tribes and accurate account will be found in several recent publications on the Indians of North America.

Their characters being well known, some circumstances attending them will be noticed.

The OSAGE tribe, which consists of about five thousand seven or eight hundred persons, inhabit a country situated on the waters of Missouri, and those flowing into the A[r]kansas, extending from the thirty- fifth to the thirty-seventh degree north latitude. Their country abounds with game during a great part of the year; but as all animals in a state of nature are migratory some months in every year, their country is deserted; and, from some unknown cause,

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some years, the Buffalo (their chief dependance) leave the country entirely, and seek the mountainous regions. This may perhaps be accounted for by the events only happening during the most rainy years.

This causes a great increase of flies in the grassy flats near the waters, which are a great annoyance to the grazing herds, and especially to the calves. This perhaps makes them retreat to the higher regions; where they are less annoyed by the flies and musketoes. This rambling disposition of the Indians' chief dependance for support compels the hunters to follow their wanderings, frequently among other tribes' hunting grounds or territories; and is one of the most frequent causes of those destructive wars which have so long diminished their numbers, and destroyed their confidence and friendship.

This source of destruction is greatly augmented by several causes now existing in accumulated force.

In the first place, the rapid approach of the white settlements on the Indian borders, and purchase of their lands, throws the tribe further back among others, who dispute their right to settle near them; the tribe, now between two enemies, the whites on one side, and the hostile tribe on the other, either perish contending against superior powers, or gradually decline into insignificance, and finally into oblivion, by the enervating vices and luxuries of their white neighbours.

In the second place, the incredible destruction of their game since the whites have entered their country, only for the sake of the skins, threatens

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a great blow to their staff of support, and causes humanity to lament the wantonness of civilised man. The Indians themselves never kill game, which they always look upon as the gift of the Great Spirit, except to supply themselves with provisions. On the other hand, independent of the avaricious motives which prompt the white hunters to destroy this bountiful provision of nature, they wish to have it said, that they have killed so many buffalo, deer, &c. Many have I seen shot down from mere wantonness, when the circumstances of the party did not permit them even to take off the skin.

Thirdly. Loss of national pride of character, from being duped out of their lands, is another cause of destruction among the Indians: they have all the ardour of patriotism from earliest life, and no country can they call their own. The consequence is, they fall into all manner of dissipation and vice; disease and poverty follow in their train, and wretchedness and ignominy close the melancholy scene. Witness the Natches, the Choctaws, the Kickapoos, and a hundred more tribes, once the glory of their race, and pride of the West, to whom history has scarcely given a name in her pages!!

Fourthly. The introduction of ardent spirits among them. Here, what a gloomy picture is before us! how dismal the scene, how glowing the colours, how affecting the whole! For all other evils some plan for a remedy may be devised; but for this I see but a sickly prospect. The law may interpose its prohibitory voice; the friends of humanity may exert their influence, and expose the fraudulent practice to

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public execration: but does the well-known thief lose in society by being called dishonest? or what loss does the drunkard's character sustain by its being said among his acquaintances, that he is intemperate? As well may this demoralising traffic be cut off from among the Indians, by appealing to the sense of shame, honour, or humanity of those who make money their idol,--to whom they sacrifice their all, without regard to consequences.

The native unpolluted, unsophisticated Indian of Western America, possesses many estimable qualities. His situation in life makes him from infancy familiar with danger. His passion is glory; his whole soul is bent on war, or taking the bounding game; he pants for distinction; he seeks opportunity; he disdains every thing little; and despises the mean soul that can stoop to perpetrate an unprincipled action. To a soul thus elevated in all its attributes; taught by experience to endure pain and fatigue without betraying its pangs, to bear privation and hunger without a murmur; and to prefer even the king of terrors, in his most horrid shape, to loss of bravery; and to look with indifference upon fiery tortures, to preserve his fame; dishonesty, petty fraud, and all that motley train of vices which are daily practised behind the counters, and in too many of the walks of refined life; to such a mind how contemptible, how despicable!! He prefers liberty to glittering trash: when his heart beats joy, it is because he is free; when the beams of pleasure glow upon his bosom, or shine in his face, it is this celestial goddess who gives it zest. How pleasing the

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task to teach such minds the peaceful arts of civilised society; to reclaim such prolific soil to the choicest productions, to transform the fertile forest to a blooming garden!

I look forward with pleasure to the task I have undertaken voluntarily. The motives are no less than the preservation of a high- minded, noble race of the human family who have been debased, cheated and slandered, from a destruction which inevitably awaits them, unless some kind arm be interposed to arrest the causes which are rapidly hurrying them to oblivion. The very thought that such a people, inheriting such distinguished gifts from nature, should eventually become extinct, without records even to tell their melancholy fate, must be truly affecting to those who think seriously on the subject. To me, whose liveliest associations and earliest impressions were derived amongst them, it is indescribably painful. I cannot reconcile it to my feelings to believe it. Independent of the encroachments of the white population, their present mode of life exposes them to a great source of destruction. I mean their being dependent on the precarious supply of nature for subsistence. Compelled to follow the roving herds into distant regions, they arrive in an enemy's country sometimes almost famished with hunger, worn down with fatigue, and frequently tortured with disease. This is almost a perpetual cause of war with one or more tribes. Fix the roving native at home, a home he can call his own; even if he only half cultivates his corn, and but a little spot, under the nurturing influence of a genial sun, in the

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bosom of a productive soil, his little field will afford bread in abundance; while the towering forests, from the abundance of nuts which they produce, will amply supply him with the pork which they are well known to support in vast numbers, and the fine grazing of the plains and prairies will always supply him with beef, and the blessings of the dairy: yes! once teach the mountain-minded warrior to unbend his lofty notions of fame, the glory of tearing off the scalp of his enemy; show him living examples of social excellence, moral rectitude of domestic comfort; excite his ambition (not extinguish it) on the side of virtue, the useful and peaceful arts; and enlist his zeal in support of mental and intellectual improvement;--succeed thus far, I venture to say the benevolent will have the pleasure to find them as proper objects of their goodness, as any to whom they ever extended it. They will find their labours repaid by their rapid and useful improvement, their time rewarded by a large bounty of valuable land, and for every charitable action, a warm return of heartfelt gratitude.

My plan to extend the benefits of civil life to the Indians is, to settle in the vicinity of the Quapaws. They have a brave and manly chief. He is a man of talent; his glory is fallen, but his spirit not sunk: his lofty mind, still elastic, rises under pressure, and lifts him above the frowns of misfortune. His influence is felt beyond the little remnant of his tribe, and is felt by the neighbouring whites. They have not yet assumed the habits of civilised life; their country yet abounds in game, but it is fast disap-

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pearing before the ravages of the white man. I own a tract of land near them. I wish to let them see my improvement; my comfortable house; my rich meadows; my full barn; my fine stock: in short, every comfort which industry, seconded by art, can afford. Invite them frequently to see me; show them my independence; let them see that I have not to run after the game, and expose my health in the wet and cold; and my life and liberty to my enemies. This will be an appeal to his pride, and his honour, on which points they are extremely sensitive; emulation would be the consequence, for they hate to be outdone.

I would not wholly abandon their habits; I would frequently amuse myself at shooting, especially when they called to see me: they think it a great mark of worth to excel in the use of the rifle. I would indulge in many of their rural sports; I would use the pipe as a sign of hospitality: I have experienced it, and I know the habits which are hardest to part with or adopt, on entering the civilised life.

The Indian, as well as the white man, clings with ardour to early habits, and commonly resigns them at the expense of his peace; but example can do much, when we are in earnest and feel what we are about. The great object will be, to convert the rambler over the forest to a domestic character. Nature has given him a soul which disdains the chains of tyranny; convert his independence from the ardour of war to the cultivation of peace with mankind. Nature has taught his bosom to glow with the flame of love to the softer sex; let domestic

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education turn that ardour into kindness and attention, to an attention which shall elevate his burthened squaw to his equal in society, to a companion of his toils and partner of his joys. Nature has kindled the fires of parental solicitude in his breast; let him teach his children industry, duty to their mother, and all the innocent sports and amusements of life.

It is easy to conceive what would be the result: the Indian wigwam would be soon supplied by a lasting dwelling, and the bountiful fruits of the field supply the exertions of the chase. The roaming tenant of the woods would soon be the ornament of civil society. I have no assistant to accompany me with my designs, though I have many friends in my country; I have much to perform, and but little beyond personal exertion with which to accomplish it. The object alone is of sufficient importance to call forth all the exertions of an individual who feels a lively regard for every thing which concerns their happiness; one who will not consider his time wholly thrown away, but feel himself amply rewarded if his labours should result in the improvement and happiness of this truly interesting portion of the human family.

June 27th, 1823.

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In the preceding pages I had occasion to observe, that the pleasures which the improvements of civilisation produced in my mind, were not unmixed with pain at seeing the miseries which its purest community affords, and which, upon a superficial view of it, seem to be the natural result of such a state of society. I am not of that opinion. Those countries in which the arts and sciences have been most successfully cultivated, and where civilised man has received his highest polish, have all, so far as my acquaintance extends, been enjoyed at the expense of some other nation. Those who took possession would naturally be haunted by fear of invasion; and the employment of a portion of those people, instead of adding to the general stock of wealth and improvement in their country, has not only proved a heavy tax, but an evil example of the community. The plan of settling any country by conquest is attended with many other evils too tedious to name. It causes a feudal system in the distribution of rewards; while some are made the wealthy lords of whole territories, others are left destitute. The resulting consequences

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to obvious to mention. Many other remediable evils might be pointed out; which might be entirely kept out of a young community of adventurers. In the choice of amusements much may be done to prevent vicious habits: to the young and the gay I would recommend such amusements as are calculated to exercise the whole frame, and cause a disposition to rest; others would be capable of choosing for themselves. Man is the creature of motives; and as he always obeys the most powerful motive, I would frequently appeal more by actions than by words, to the leading and master passions of the Indian's character. That is, after obtaining his confidence and friendship, which is never hard for a good man to do, I would let them see the preferences of my plan, by directing their attention to the great results of virtuous improvement.

The present juncture is more favourable than former times on another account. Not until within a few years, have the brave Indians believed that all the powers on earth combined could conquer them. The brave and gallant Tecumpsch [sic] was of that opinion: his fall has damped the ardour, and crushed the hopes of many; and now, the wise and experienced are conscious they must either become tenants of the soil, or be soon lost in the sea of forgetfulness! No idea is more affecting to the brave Indian warrior, than that his very tribe and nation shall perish from the face of the earth: the love he bears to his tribe, to his aged parents, his wife and little ones, has caused him to traverse the trackless forest for days without food; to risk his life in battle;

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and determined him to defend them to the last, or die in the attempt.

Here then is another strong passion to appeal to. If he will suffer so much for his people, destroy his comfort, endanger his life; why not do much more for them by burying the tomahawk at the roots of the tree of peace, and take the handles of the plough and other useful utensils? Preserve your people from annihilation by making them happy by increasing their comforts, by causing the hearts of his aged parents to bless their industrious son; and make his wife feel that she has a companion and protector in his husband, and his little ones rioting in all the pleasures of health and plenty, rapidly approaching the meridian splendour of manhood, wise and useful members of civil life. I know of no stronger appeal that can be made to the Indian. He is affectionate; he is fraternal; he is patriotic: such a people are not likely to neglect the only means of arresting the blow which threatens their destruction; means, which as it provides for the wants and infirmities of life, affords peace and security to its subjects.

On the banks of the St. Francis, or white rivers, in a delightful climate, and prolific soil; where their habits are simple; where nature has lavished her favours, and emptied the horn of abundance; where, with little exertion, the tenant may reap abundant plenty,--I propose to lay the plan of a settlement. By selecting such a spot, I include many advantages. On the one hand, I am on the highway to one of the best markets in the world; although eight hundred miles from New Orleans, I am a near neighbour

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by the rapidity of steam-boat navigation. Even Pittsburgh and New Orleans are now shaking hands, and exchanging civilities every day.

This immense river is supported by streams issuing from sources from all directions, forming an area of several thousand miles; and commands the resources of all the immeasurable track of fruitful country included in that circle. Thus we can have ample intercourse with the civilised world, and at any time. More than two hundred steam-boats, some seven hundred and fifty tons, now navigate the "mother of waters," and its tributaries!!

It is to many beyond belief, and to others a great wonder, to see a hardy band of settlers so far in the interior, bartering for all the necessaries and many of the luxuries of art, brought as it were to their doors, in travelling palaces; for the steam-boats in America surpass beyond comparison any thing of the kind on this side the Atlantic.

On the other hand, after enjoying free intercourse with all the commercial world, our situation in the interior gives us all the advantages of an almost interminable wild country, containing all the delights and beauties of bountiful nature; penetrated by streams navigable from seven to nine hundred miles without a settler, save some hunters' temporary camp; smiling with all the splendid gifts of Providence. My Indian friends can enjoy in perfect security what they formerly hardly enjoyed with the risk of their lives. Hunting, which was formerly an indispensable labour, now becomes a source of amusement, and relaxation from domestic duties: they

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will have plenty of the necessaries and most of the comforts of life at home; they have boundless tracks to roam upon for sport. Such a country will soon become a point of emigration.

Its attractions are too powerful for avarice to resist, and its happy seclusion will invite the pious and the benevolent from more vicious abodes. The rise of property will be immense; and the Indians, who have formerly been fooled out of their lands, being now more sensible of their value, may become the rightful owners of wealth and power, and occupy that dignified station in society, which all should be ambitious to attain, and which I am certain no more richly deserve than they do.

Many of my friends, who have been acquainted with my design, have endeavoured to dissuade me from it; as a task disproportioned to my power to perform. I know of nothing which would cause me to relax, much less to desist from my purpose. I see no way in which I could be any way serviceable in a society highly refined, and deep skilled in accomplishments; in which I am almost a novice. I think there is no vanity in saying, I am capable of being in some degree useful, among a people whose character I well understand, and among whom I can take information which the wisdom of ages has declared to be essential to the comfort of society. I have in my mind hewn out many plans; but having seen most of the social compacts of that character in the United States, I shall add to the information derived from them what I can collect from those of a similar

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character in England. I shall therefore defer entering into the minutiæ until I shall have finished my journey in this country. In hopes of being useful, I shall cheerfully perform the task I undertake, resting the event with the Arbiter of the universe and Parent of Indians and white people.

August 2, 1823.