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Date Original
1826 April 17
Description
Letter from Hekatton to Governor George Izard regarding the treatment of the Quapaws by the Indian agent.
Transcription
[Page 1] Long Prairie 17th Apl 1826
To his Excellency, the Govr of the Territory
of Arkansas.
My object in now writing is to inform
you, that I am not at all satisfied
in my present situation, that the
man who I am informed is our agent
does not suit or please the Quapaws.
My Father, I have always been
obedient to your government, as a
proof of which I have removed from
the Arkansas to Red River agreeable
to my promise, and it is my wish & hope
that your government will comply
with all their promises. In our pre-
sent situation, we are surrounded
by red kins of the tribes of several nations
besides the Cadeau who threaten
to steal or take from us not only
our beef and other provisions, but also
our land, and we have reason to
believe that the agent (Mr. Gray)
has and will encourage them to do
so. We want to have nothing to do
with any other redskins than the
Cadea, nor do we want any others
about
[Page 2] about us. Your government promised
to give us an agent, and an inter-
preter, which promise I want
them to comply with. The inter-
preter appointed by Mr. Gray
is one that we cannot understand,
and in consequence thereof we are
unable to do any business with
our brothers (the Cadeau)
we want such a one as we can
understand, to enable us to do busi-
ness easy & right. We also want a
good man for our agent, mr. Gray
does not suit us. When we sold
you our land and started for the
country we are now settled on,
it was our wish and hope, that
the agent & interpreter who accom-
panied us, would continue with
us. In them we have confidence
we can understand them and they
us, & with them we have been enabled
to do business easy and right. Those
now appointed are to us, and we
to them, like men without ears.
We cannot understand one another
at all
[Page 3] at all, and are unable to do any
business. Mr. Gray has insulted me
and all my children. He told me
that I was not chief, and that
my red brother at the head of
the Caddeau nation was not
chief. that he gray was the only
chief that he was the only big man
in all this part of the country.
That there was only one man any
where in all this country that was
above him, and that he was very
little, and said that he lived at
Nachatosh on some where in that
countrry. That all the rest both white
& red were below him. They were
no more than so many dogs.
I now think that I will very
soon have to come and see you
and think it probable that I
will go on with Bernard Bonne.
I am
(signed)
Hekatton
His mark
Physical Description
Document
Subjects
Native Americans; Quapaws; Caddos; Correspondence; Treatment
Geographical Area
Arkansas
Language
English
Identifier
SMC.0009.0012, Item 9
Collection
Small manuscript collection
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Letter from Hekatton to Governor George Izard, Small manuscript collection, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of this lesson plan supplemental material for instructional purposes is allowed without prior written permission. For further information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
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