Continued …
July 6, 1865
His son opened the letter from Col. Boatright and began to read.
“Wait” Chief Joe said, gesturing for his son to hand over the envelope and letter. Joe held both between his palms and closed his eyes. Breathing deeply he opened his eyes and examined the writing, finger following the looped symbols 0f an even hand. Last, he studied the signature.
“Okay, you read now,” he said, handing them back to his son. It was the first letter Joe had ever received, sent in care of the Fort Yuma Commander.
~~~
The Lieutenant had penned a copy of the original letter, written with a bit of flourish at the end as if he had considered it the official closing of a chapter in his life. It was later reprinted in the small book Vicky found in the dusty bookshop overlooking the reservation.
A letter from the Office of Indian Affairs was reprinted – a prophetic answer to the retired Colonel’s inquiry.
August 12, 1865
Noting receipt of a letter from the Office of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior
Re: Correspondence from Benjamin Boatright, Colonel, U.S. Army, Ret. Regarding the current and official status of Indians in the United States of America.
Dear Sir:
Tribal members are not considered citizens of the U.S. and by that are not protected by the 13th or 14th Amendments. The Office of Indian Affairs has established its own set of regulations regarding Indian tribes as negotiated in treaties between said tribes and the U.S. Federal Government.
If the River People refuse to live on the Colorado River Indian Reservation, they will be acting outside of the federal laws established in the Treaties. While we do not have sufficient means to force them onto that reservation at present, should they resist the U.S. Army, they will not have access to food or any other kind of service the U.S. Army normally provides to tribes during removal. It is the opinion based on reports from Ft. Yuma that the reservation lands set aside for the Colorado Indian tribes are sufficient to provide them with their traditional ways of living.
Efforts are underway to establish a process by which native children can be boarded and educated in the ways of our civilization, and for assimilation to our country’s laws and principles. The legal basis for these matters can be found in the Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny policies of our nation. It is the wish and fervid desire of our leaders and citizens that this country’s Indian tribes assimilate into our civilized and democratic ways of life and governance. Having done this, their families can benefit from the fruits of a democratic society where every man is considered equal and deserving of the freedoms inherent in that status.”
In your service,
Capt. Larry Haskell
Assistant Secretary
1870
Chief Joe dictates to his son who records his father’s thoughts in a diary he is preparing for the People.
“More settlers establish themselves near Ft. Yuma. The white flood never ceases. Our people’s existence is threatened.
“Col. Boatright is unable to help us. We have not received another letter from him since he last wrote stating that he would try to learn more on our behalf.
“Among our steamboat pilots and the men who supply the wood to fire them, I’ve noticed some buy alcohol in town after they are paid. Despair is high among us and I confess that I feel a kind of deep fear and grieving as I realize there will be no cease in the white man’s efforts to herd us to some place far from our homes and without the bounteous river and forests that have been our source of life for so long.
“There is no regard for original land rights, nor respect for the traditions of our nation. We are looked upon as lesser than the whites, ignorant because most of us do not read or write. At least our sons can do that, but now I wonder what good it might do for them if they are hated for being Indian, as the whites have named us. But something in me will not give up; I still hold that there must be a way to survive as a people, to preserve our ways even while we try to live among these strange human beings. Our people have never shied from a challenge, and we have embedded within our ways, our stories, and practices a certain resilience and adaptability that will sustain us—I just know it—but I cannot seem to see the way forward in this white onslaught.
“Col. Boatright is different I believe. Yet few among his people share his vision – or possess his courage.”
Read more about the Doctrine of Discovery.
Susan Feathers 