Signing of the Treaty (original) (raw)

Henry Stanley

Missouri Democrat/October 28, 1867

Medicine Lodge Creek, October 21

The Treaty was signed this morning.

Speeches Uttered During the Signing of the Treaty

Santanta said: This building homes for us is all nonsense; we don’t want you to build any
for us. We would all die. Look at the Pennektatus. Formerly they were powerful but now they are weak and poor. I want all my land even from the Arkansas sough to the Red River. My country is small enough already. If you build us houses the land will be smaller. Why do you insist on this? What good can come of it? I don’t understand your reason. Time enough to build us houses when the buffalo are all gone; but do you tell the Great Father that there is plenty of buffalo yet, and when the buffalo are all gone I will tell him. This trusting to the agents for my food I don’t believe in it.

Tooshaway

Comanche Chief said:
For my tribe, the Camanches, I speak. I like those houses built, but if they are not completed before next summer I don’t want them. So many things have been promised us.

Tonaenko’s Speech

Two years ago the whites made a treaty on the Arkansas, that treaty has not been broken
by us. It promised annuities—let us have them. I don’t see any necessity for making new treaties. You are piling more papers here, one after another. Are you ever going to get through with this talk? When you came here we were glad to see you, because you came with presents, but our squaws and papooses are tired. You told us yesterday, in council, to come up here to sign papers. We have come here, why don’t you let us sign?

The following chiefs signed the treaty: Satanta, Satank, Black Eagle, Tonaenko,
Fishemore, Manietyn, Sitemgeah, Satpaga, Cauvois, Satamore, Kiowa chiefs, and ten Comanche chiefs. All the commissioners signed it and the reporters witnessed it.