Johnson County, Missouri - Chapter 2: - Indians, 1918

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THE COUNTRY OF THE OSAGES - EARLY RELATIONS BETWEEN THE WHITE SETTLERS AND THE INDIANS - TREATY OF NOVEMBER. 1808 - PURCHASE PRICE OP JOHNSON COUNTY - CHARACTER OF OSAGES - THE INDIANS' TEARLT CIRCLE.

Johnson county before the advent of the white man was the country of the Osage Indians. Here the Indian was complete master and hunted or roamed at will through the timber and over the prairie and raised his lodge or pitched his barbaric tent or buffalo skin.

Before the nineteenth century, when the white settlements were few in number and scattered over a wide expanse of country, the question of land ownership was hardly considered. Early treaties between the French and Spanish and the Indians were in the most part merely for the purpose of establishing friendly relations with the natives, and the question of land cession rarely, if ever, entered into the negotiations. Such treaties were made by Iberville, Bienville and Cadillac as governors of the colony and also by explorers in behalf of their governments.

However the British go\ernment. especially after the peace of 1763, prohibited the whites from settling on Indian lands and after the Revolution the same policy was pursued by the United States for several years. The Federal goxernment during this time recognized the several tribes and confederacies as quasi nation, with a right to the soil, and the right to dispose of same.

Following the Louisiana purchase settlers began to infringe on the lands of the Osages in portions of what is now the state of Missouri and other relations arose between the whites and the Indians. Hence a treaty was made between the Great and Little Osages and the Lhiited States in November, 1808.

This treaty occupies an important place in the real history of Johnson county. Beginning in 1682, with France, who by reason of the explorations of La Salle, claimed all the territory drained by the Mississippi river, France, Spain and the United States, had at different times, claimed the same territory by virtue of treaties and agreements between themselves. But none of these nations either occupied by settlement or otherwise the actual territory. The actual inhabitants of that much of the territory now comprising this county were these Indians. And it was by this treaty that their right passed to the United States, and the country of the Great and Little Osages became the country of the Rices and the Houxs and the other pioneers, who came and, in the name of the United States of America, remained, and whose lineal descendants are here to this day.

"Articles of a treaty made and concluded at Fort Clark, on the right bank of the Missouri, about five miles above the fire prairie, in the territory of Louisiana, the tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eight, between Peter Chouteau, Esquire, agent for the Osage, and especially commissioned and instructed to enter into the same by his excellency Meriwether Lewis, governor and superintendent of Indian affairs for the territory aforesaid, in behalf of the United States of America, of the one part, and the chiefs and warriors of the Great and Little Osage, for themselves and their nations respectively, on the other part."

The treaty was signed by "P. Chouteau; E. B. Clemson, Captain First Regiment Infantry ; L. Lorimer, Lieutenant First Regiment Infantry; Reazen Lewis, sub-agent Indian Affairs," for the United States, and on behalf of the Indians by "Papuisea, the grand chief of the Big Osage, his (x) mark; Nichu Malli, the grand chief of the Little Osage, his (x) mark," and by one "second chief" each of the Big and Little Osage, by ten "little chiefs" of the Big Osage and seven "little chiefs" of the Little Osage, by three "war chiefs" of the Big Osage and two war chiefs of the Little Osage and by forty-two "warriors" of the Big Osage and forty-two "warriors" of the Little Osage.

Thus when our children ask us who ruled over this county before the President and the governor of Missouri, we can tell them P-ipuisea and Nichu Malli.

Fort Clark was located on the Missouri river between the present city of Lexington and Independence, and by Lewis and Clark while on their expedition to the Pacific coast in 1804. It was at first named Clark in honor of one of the two leaders. After this treatv the name

By this treaty with the Osage Indians, a line was established "beginning at Fort Clark on the Missouri, five miles above Fire Prairie, and running thence a due south course to the Arkansas river, thence down the same to the Mississippi." All east of this line was relinquished by the Osages to the United States. For sometime thereafter there was some uncertainty as to just where the real line was intended to be. However, there is no question but what it was miles west of the western boundary of Johnson county, perhaps about ten miles, and thus ceded Johnson county to the United States.

Other provisions of the treaty provided for a store of goods and a blacksmith to be kept at the point for the protection of the Indians' hunting grounds and for general relations between the United States and the Indians.

The total purchase price for "the lands relinquished by the Great and Little Osage was $1200 in money already paid and the yearly payment at Fire Prairie of $1500 in merchandise at .the first cost thereof." Thus was Johnson county bought at a cost of less than four cents a square mile cash and five cents a square mile annually in trade.

After this treaty the Osages for a number of years frequently returned on hunting expeditions. Many of the old settlers now living in Johnson county often saw Indians here. They were peaceable and friendly and on these return trips were never known to do any greater wrong than to sell baskets and to beg.

The character of the Indians was like that of tiie white men, the black men, the brown men and the yellow men. There were good Indians and bad Indians. Physically, Morse says, the Osages were of remarkable height, not many being less than six feet tall, and said to be athletic, well formed and robust, and it is said on good authority that they frequently walked from their villages to trading posts, a distance of sixty miles a day.

They talked little, in conversation did not interrupt each other, and except when intoxicated were not noisy. They were not drunkards and were greatly and favorably distinguished from other Indians in their sobriety.

Their chief dependence was hunting but they raised small crops of corn, beans and pumpkins. They entered upon the summer hunt in May and returned about the first of August to gather their crops which had been unattended, unfenced and uncultivated throughout the summer. Each family raised from fifteen to thirty bushels of corn and from one to two bushels of beans and a quantity of dried pumpkins. After the harvest of their crops, about September, they started on another hunting expedition which lasted until about Christmas. They then returned to the villages, where they remained until February or March and during that time they would make frequent short hunting trips. In February or March the spring hunt would begin. It started with bear hunting and ended with the beaver hunt. Then the Osage returned to his primitive farm, planted his corn, beans and pumpkin seeds, and began again his yearly circle.