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A Brief Sketch of Chief Simon Pokagon’s Life
- Michigan State University Press
- Chapter
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· 77 · ABriefSketchofChiefSimonPokagon’sLife [from the original Publisher’s Notes] Chief Simon Pokagon1 was born in the old Pokagon Indian village located on Pokagon Creek about one mile from St. Joseph River, Berrien County, Mich., in 1830. He is a full-blooded Pottawattamie Indian, and the last chief of the Pokagon band.At fourteen years of age he could speak his mother tongue only; he was then sent to the Notre Dame school near South Bend, Ind., where he remained three years. Returning home fired with zeal for a good English education, he succeeded through his own efforts, aided by his mother, in going to Oberlin College, Ohio. Here he remained one year and then went to Twinsburg, in the same State, where he remained two years longer. His father, Leopold Pokagon,2 was chief for forty-two years, and during that time, made many important treaties with the United States. He died when Simon was only ten years old.3 His son, the present chief, was the first red man to visit Abraham Lincoln after taking the presidential chair. His mission was to procure if possible the amount due his people from the sale of Chicago and the surrounding country by his father to the United States thirty years before. Just before Lincoln’s death, near the close of the Rebellion, he visited him again. During the year 1866 he succeeded in procuring partial payment of thirty-nine thousand dollars. He afterward visited General Grant while · 78 · Chief Simon Pokagon’s Life president, with whom he smoked the pipe of peace, receiving thanks for Indian soldiers furnished during the war. After patiently struggling for years, through opposition and poverty, a portion of the balance due, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars4 without interest, was finally allowed by the Court of Claims, appealed to the United States Supreme Court, and there affirmed; but was not paid until the fall of 1896. The old chief was present at the opening of the World’s Fair, May 1, 1893. He saw with a critic’s eye aliens and strangers from every land take their seats on the great platform in the shadow of the gilded dome of the Administration building; he saw the Duke of Veragua and suite, as well as foreign commissioners, take the platform of honor in front, while he and a few others of his race, the only true Americans, stood in the background, unnoticed and unprovided for. When all was ready, the orchestra struck up the “Columbian March,” prayer was offered for all nationalities in a general way, which I suppose of course must have included the Indians. After President Cleveland had responded to the address of welcome by the director, he touched the electric button, and the World’s Columbian Exposition was born, filled with life and spirit. From the time the Columbian Fair was first talked of, the old chief had had a great desire to have the educated people of his race hold a congress there, so as to inform the world of what they had accomplished along the lines of civilization; but he was doomed to be disappointed. On that memorable day he saw all nationalities provided for except the original Americans. It almost broke the old man’s heart. While he stood sadly considering the great wrong to his people, a little girl of his own race, unnoticed before, stepped quietly up to him and, seemingly in pity,handed him some wild flowers.On relating this singular circumstance to a friend on his return home, he added: “I can not fully explain to you why it was, but on receiving the flowers I could not refrain from tears; and even now as I think of it, that same tearful feeling creeps through my soul.” It was in such a frame of mind he was inspired to write “The Red Man’s Greeting,” fitly termed by Professor Swing, of Chicago, “The Red Man’s Book of Lamentations.” It was published in a booklet made from the manifold bark of the white birch tree. The little unique rustic book has been read with great interest,and highly complimented by Chief Simon Pokagon’s Life· 79 · the press, both in this country and in Europe, for its wild, rough imagery and native eloquence.5 Owing to his disappointment in not securing for his people a congress, he did not take kindly to the World’s Fair being held in the city of his father, which is expressed...