CHIEF LITTLE PINE.
Chief Little Pine (Augustin Shingwauk) was following his work in the
lonely bush, his heart was sad at the thought of the black-coat
(missionary) leaving them. Suddenly a thought entered his mind, it was
as though an arrow had struck his breast; "I will go with him,--I will
journey with this black-coat where he is going. I will see the great
black-coat (the Bishop of Toronto) myself, and ask that Mr. Wilson may
come and be our teacher, and I will ask him also to send more teachers
to the shores of the great Ojebway Lake, for why indeed are my poor
brethren left so long in ignorance and darkness with no one to instruct
them? Is it that Christ loves us less than His white children? Or is it
that the Church is sleeping? Perhaps I may arouse them, perhaps I may
stir them up to send us more help, so that the Gospel may be preached
to my poor pagan brethren. So I resolved to go. I only told just my
wife and a few friends of my intention. I felt that the Great Spirit
had called me to go, and even though I was poor and had but a few
dollars in my pocket, still I knew that the great God in heaven, to
whom forty years ago I yielded myself up, would not let me want. I felt
sure that He would provide for my necessities. So when the raspberry
moon had already risen, and was now fifteen days old (July 15), and the
black-coat and his wife stepped on board the great fire-ship, I stepped
on also. I had not told him as yet what was my object in going and at
first he left me to myself, thinking, I suppose, that I was going on my
own business. I was a stranger on board; no one knew me, and no one
seemed to care for me.
"When we arrived at Ahmejewunoong (Sarnia), the fire-waggons (railway
cars) were almost ready to start; so I still had to fast, and not until
we had started on our way to Pahkatequayaug (London), did the black-coat
know that I had been all that time without food. Then he was very sorry
indeed, and from that time began to take great care of me, and I told
him plainly what was my object in coming. It is not necessary for me to
say anything about London. The black-coats met together in council to
elect the great black-coat Chief (Bishop Hellmuth), and I went to the
big church to see them all. But I had nothing particular to say to them,
for their great black-coat had nothing to do with my people. I was
impatient to get on to Toronto to see the chief black-coat who has
authority to send teachers to my people on the great Ojebway Lake. We
arrived in Toronto on the sixth day of the week when the raspberry moon
was twenty-two days old. I was glad to see the great city again, for I
had seen it first many years ago, when it was but a papoose, and had but
a few houses and streets. We went to the place where the black-coats who
have authority over missions meet, and I opened my heart to them and
divulged its secrets. I said that at Garden River we were well content,
for we had had the Gospel preached to us now for forty winters, and I
felt our religious wants had been well attended to; but when I
considered how great and how powerful is the English nation, how rapid
their advance, and how great their success in every work to which they
put their hands, I wondered often in my mind, and my people wondered
too, why the Christian religion should have halted so long at Garden
River, just at the entrance to the great Lake of the Ojebways; and how
it was that forty winters had passed away and yet religion still slept,
and the poor Indians of the great Ojebway Lake pleaded in vain for
teachers to be sent to them. I said that we Indians know our great
mother, the Queen of the English nation, is strong, and we cannot keep
back her power any more than we can stop the rising sun. She is strong,
her people are great and strong, but _my_ people are weak. Why do
you not help us? It is not good. I told the black-coats I hoped that
before I died I should see a big teaching wigwam built at Garden River,
where children from the great Ojebway Lake would be received, and
clothed, and fed, and taught how to read and how to write, and also how
to farm and build houses, and make clothing, so that by-and-bye they
might go back and teach their own people. The black-coats listened to
what I said, and they replied their wish was the same as mine.
Afterwards I saw the Bishop of Toronto (Strachan), and he said that it
was his own wish that Mr. Wilson should become our Missionary. My heart
rejoiced more and more, and I felt now that the great object of my
journey was accomplished, and I could return again to my people. But
they did not wish me to go home yet. It was to be arranged that the
white people should meet together to hear me speak on the third day of
the following week.
"Many were the thoughts that filled my mind at that time, as I walked
along the streets of Toronto, and looked at the fine buildings and
stores full of wonderful and expensive things. 'How rich and powerful
is the English nation! I thought. 'Why is it that their religion does
not go on and increase faster?' When I entered the place where the
speaking paper (newspaper) is made and saw the great machines by which
it is done, and by which the papers are folded, I thought, 'Ah, that is
how it is with the English nation, every day they get more wise, every
day they find out something new. The Great Spirit blesses them and
teaches them all these things because they are Christians, and follow
the true religion. Would that my people were enlightened and blessed in
the same way!'
"The next day was the day of prayer, and I went to the big wigwam
where the children assemble to be taught. I stood up and spoke to them,
and told them how much I desired that my children should be taught in
the same way, and have such a beautiful wigwam to assemble in, where
they might hear about God and His Son Jesus Christ. It rejoiced my
heart to hear them sing. After this I entered the great house of prayer
(the cathedral). I was in Toronto when the first one was there. Since
that time it had been burnt down and rebuilt, and then all burnt down
again, and yet now it stands here larger and grander than before. 'The
white people,' I said to myself, 'have plenty of money; if they knew
how poor my people are, surely they would give more of their money to
build a house for us where our children may be taught.' I could not
understand the words of the service, but my heart was full of thoughts
of God, and I thought how good a thing it was to be a Christian, and I
rejoiced that I had heard of the love of Christ, who died for His red
children, as well as for the pale faces, for He is not ashamed, we know
now, to call us brothers. During the few days we remained in Toronto I
was out nearly all the time with Mr. Wilson, collecting money at the
people's wigwams. I am an old man of seventy winters, and I cannot walk
about as much as I could when I was young; so he got a waggon, and we
drove from house to house. I thought some of the people were very good.
One woman gave us ten dollars, but many of them gave us very little,
and some would not give us anything at all.
"When we reached St. Catharine's Mr. Wilson and myself went from
wigwam to wigwam, asking for money to help the Indians on the great
Chippeway Lake. In the evening the white people met together in the
teaching wigwam, and there were so many of them that they had no more
room to sit, and I spoke to them and told them the thoughts of my
heart. This time I spoke more boldly than I had done before. I told
them that as an Indian chief I had a right to speak on behalf of my
poor people, for the land the white men now held was the land of my
fathers; and now that the white man was powerful, and the Indian was
weak, the Indian had a right to look to him for help and support. As I
closed my speech I looked around last of all upon the children; for I
wished my eyes last of all to rest upon these white children who had
received the benefit of education and Christian instruction; and I gave
them my beaver-skin to keep in their school, so that they might always
remember my visit and think upon my words.
"On the second day of the week, early in the morning, we entered the
fire-waggon to go to the river of the Mohawks. I was greatly rejoiced
to see Mr. Chance once more, and also his wife and children. I remained
with them three days.
"When the day came for me to leave, the black-coat, Chance, took me in
his waggon to the place where the fire-waggons start, and sent a wire-
message to Mr. Wilson to be ready to meet me when I arrived.
"I sat in the fire-waggon, and smoked my pipe, and rejoiced in my mind
that my work was now over, and I should soon return to my people. For
many hours I travelled, and the sun had already sunk in the west, and I
thought I must be nearly arrived at Ahmujewunoong, when the fire-waggon
chief came to look at my little paper; and then he looked at me and
shook his head, and I understood I had come the wrong way. Presently the
fire-waggon stood still, and the chief beckoned me to get out, and he
pointed to the west, and made signs by which I understood that I must
now wait for the fire-waggons going towards the sun-rising, and in them
return part of the way back. By-and-bye the fire-waggons approached,
coming from where the sun had set; and a man told me to get in. It was
midnight when I reached Pahkatequayang (London), and they let me go into
the wire-house and lie down to sleep. I slept well all night, and early
in the morning a man beckoned to me that the fire-waggons were ready to
start for Sarnia, and showed me which way to go.
"Thus I at length got back to Sarnia, and was glad to lie down and
rest in Mr. Wilson's wigwam; and now I am waiting for the fire-ship to
come, and as soon as it comes I shall go on board and return straight
home to my people.
"The black-coat, Wilson, has asked me to let him write down all this
that I have told him, so that it may be made into a book and read by
everybody. And I hope that by-and-bye all the white people will see
this book, and that their hearts will be warmed towards the poor
ignorant Indians who live on the shores of the Great Ojebway Lake.
"We have collected three hundred dollars, but three hundred dollars is
not enough to make religion increase. If we had but the worth of one of
those big wigwams, of which I saw so many in Toronto, I think it would
be enough to build a teaching wigwam at Garden River, and enough to
send teachers also to the shores of the Great Ojebway Lake. I must have
something done for my people before I die; and if I cannot get what I
feel we ought to have from the Great Chiefs of this country, I am
determined to go to the far distant land across the sea, and talk to
the son of our Great Mother, the Prince of Wales, who became my friend
during his visit to Canada, and gave me my medal, and who, I believe,
will still befriend me if I tell him what my people need."