Poundmaker's Surrender


Poundmaker's Surrender
After word of Riel's defeat, and the battle at Cut Knife Hill, Poundmaker decides his only course of action would be to surrender. Major Charles Boulton (commander of Boulton's scouts, from Middleton's column) gives an explanation of that event: Poundmaker had received the news of Riel's defeat and capture, and wishing to make peace, immediately despatched a letter to the General, of which the following is a copy:- "SIR, - I am camped with my people at the east end of Eagle Hills, where I am reached by the news of the surrender of Riel. No letter came with the news, so I cannot tell how far it may be true. I send some of my men to you to learn the truth and terms of peace, and hope you will deal kindly with us. I and my people wish you to send us the terms in writing, so that we may be under no misunderstanding, from which so much trouble arises. We have twenty-one prisoners, whom we have tried to treat well in every respect. With greeting. " (Signed) POUNDMAKER " X His Mark. General Middleton was on the steamer Northcote, en route for Battleford, when he received the message, and sent back Poundmaker's runner with the following reply: " P0UNDMAKER, - I have utterly defeated the half-breeds and Indians, and have made a prisoner of Riel and most of his council. I have made no terms with them, neither will I make terms with you. I have men enough to defeat you and your people, or at least drive you away to starve in the woods, and will do so unless you bring in the teams you took. Yourself and your councillors to meet me with your arms at Battleford on Tuesday, the 26th. I am glad to hear that you treated the prisoners well, and have released them. (Signed) "FRED. MIDDLETON, Major-General." Poundmaker surrendered to Middleton on May 26 at Fort Battleford. Here is Boulton's explanation of events: On the following day, to the great interest of the troops, came Poundmaker, with a number of his councillors and braves, having left their camp some ten miles out. (The teamster prisoners had before marched in.) They brought with them two hundred and seven stand of arms in waggons. General Middleton arranged to have a pow-wow with Poundmaker in the afternoon, to hear what he bad to say for himself, and this was one of the most interesting features of the campaign. The grim old soldier was seated in front of his tent, surrounded by his officers, in the midst of the largest camp of soldiers, that had ever visited the North-West territories. Arraigned before him were the various chiefs, councillors, and braves, to answer for their conduct during the outbreak. Similar pow-wows had often been held in treaty-making, and on other occasions, when there was only the moral force of the country behind its officers; but here, the Indians could see a portion of the physical force of the Dominion, with which they had to contend - a force that had been successful in overcoming their leader at Batoche, and had in a short time penetrated the fastnesses of these tribes, no doubt deemed by them, an impossibility for soldiers to accomplish. The Indians squatted themselves in a semi-circle in front of the General, to the number of sixty or seventy. They were well dressed in their fashion, being painted up in war costume. Some of the men were adorned with kid gloves, others had on ladies' hats and feathers, and all presented a most picturesque group. The talking commenced through Hourie, the chief interpreter. The General, in his matter-of-fact way, desired them to keep to plain facts, and to leave the flowery embellishments of their Indian tongue to one side for the present. It was impossible, however, to prevent them commencing with the earth, the sky, the grass, the sun, etc., one and all, young and old, seeming to be imbued with the allegorical style of oratory, and unable to express themselves without this verbiage. Poundmaker knew nothing. He claimed that he had done his best, to keep his braves in order, and seemed to think that having come to make terms of peace, was quite sufficient merit, to entitle him to every consideration. He is a fine-looking Indian, and one cannot help being interested in him. He is undoubtedly clever, and had the honour of accompanying the Marquis of Lorne, in his trip through the country in 1881, who enjoyed nothing better than listening to his tales, over the camp-fire, through an interpreter. One brave after another told his story, commencing with a desire to shake hands with the General, who, however, steadily refused, telling them that he never would shake hands with bad Indians. They must first prove themselves good. After several had spoken, a squaw came forward, and was anxious to have her say, but the General said he never listened to women. The statement was pertinently made that the Queen was a woman, and that she ruled the country; but the General readily answered, that the Queen, though ruler, only spoke through her councillors, and with that the indignant squaw had to be satisfied. After hearing all they had to say, the General made them the following address :- "After many years of peace," began the General, "when the half-breeds rose in rebellion, these Indians rose to join them. The Indians all around here, like Poundmaker's band, rose, thinking the white man would be beaten. They did not hesitate to murder. All round they attacked the stores of the Hudson's Bay Company and others, and killed men and women, and thought they were going to have their own way. Instead of saying when you heard of the half-breeds' rebellion, 'now is the time to show how we value the kindness of the white man to us,' you turned upon us. This very band of Poundmaker's was going to join the enemy, and if we had been beaten they would have done more murder. And now when you find the head rebel-chief, Riel, and the other warriors are beaten, you come in and tell all sorts of lies, and beg for peace. You thought the Government had no more men; you thought you were better fighters; that you could lie in ambush in the bluffs and shoot us down. Now we have shown you there is no use of lying in the bluffs and pits, that we can drive you out and kill you." POUNDMAKER - "True." MIDDLETON - "Up to this time you Indians have been in the habit of going to the settlers' houses, saying you were hungry and wanted food, and frightened the women. Let the Indians understand that they must do so no more, and that if one more white man is killed ten Indians will suffer in consequence. If any disturbance takes place, and if any of the young men think they can go and rob and pillage, they will find themselves much mistaken, and all the men will suffer. More soldiers are now coming here, and if Poundmaker had not come in, would have followed him and killed every one of his men if necessary. We want to live in peace with the red man, but we can't allow you to go on in this way, and the sooner you understand that the better. I am only a soldier, and I do not know what the Government will do in the matter, but I have no doubt you will be helped to live in the future by the cultivation of the land as in the past. If Big Bear doesn't do the same as you have, I will take my troops and go after him and his men. I have received orders from the Government at Ottawa to detain as prisoners Poundmaker, Lean-Man, Mud-Blanket, Breaking-Through-the-Ice, and White Bear. The. rest of you and your people had better return quietly to your reserves, giving up the men who did the murders. No agent at present will live among you, after the way you have behaved, so that you will have to come and get your rations here, once a week." After the General's demand for the murderers to be given up, one of the braves, called Wa-Wa-Nitch (the man without blood), came forward and sat himself down, cross-legged immediately in front of the General. Taking his feet in his hands, he confessed to the murder of Tremont, as I have before described. When that scene was over, another Indian, named Ikta, who had stripped himself to the waist, came forward, and made a similar confession of having murdered Payne, the farm instructor. The General ordered four of the leading chiefs whom lie named, with these two murderers, to be made prisoners, and the remainder were allowed to return to their reserves. Wa-Wa-Nitch, on his way up to the fort, made signs to Poundmaker indicative of hanging, which was intendeded to convey, 'I am going to be hanged; I am a brave man, and I don't care." The Mounted Police were now instructed to ascertain, who were guilty of the minor crimes, of stealing, committing depredations, etc., and made several arrests. The remainder of the Indians and half-breeds, returned to their respective camps. Boulton's version: http://wsb.datapro.net/rebellions/chap17.html Contrast this description of the surrender with that of a native, Stan Cuthand from the Saskatchewan Indian: It was a beautiful spring morning, May 26,1885, when Poundmaker and the Warrior Society, along with some of the women, made their way to Battleford. They had come from the foot of Eagle Hills to meet General Middleton and find out what was to become of them since their victory at the battle at Cutknife Hill. They were the warriors and must never show cowardice in warrior in peace. They had said, "Let them know that we are not afraid to meet the Chief Soldier." Poundmaker had been planning to move in a southwesterly direction with some of his followers, but the warriors persuaded him to meet with General Middleton. After all, he was the spokesman for the Assiniboines and the Crees. This was the day Poundmaker promised to meet the Chief Soldier (Middleton). This was the most crucial moment in the life of Poundmaker. He knew well what awaited him, but he had no choice but to perform before his people and their allies. They had been under pressure and they needed hope and release from tension. They had won the battle on Cutknife Hill. This was a fact. They had to discover what it meant. They knew they were not understood by the Invaders. The plains people, dignified and unconcerned with the great array of civilians and soldiers observing them, went their way, led by Poundmaker and the Warrior Society Leaders. They seated themselves in a semi-circle before the tent of the Chief-Soldier. The General came out and seated himself in the opening. Poundmaker rose and came forward, holding out his hand, but the General waved it aside, saying he did not shake hands with rebels. (There is no Cree word for rebel). The General began to reprimand Poundmaker who then stood up and began to speak. "From the beginning, the Great Spirit created the Indians. He created the white persons. He put them on separate countries. He provided us with buffalo. He provided you with cows and sheep. We lived in contentment. We were well off. The whole country was ours. From the place of the rising sun, to the place of the setting sun, the buffalo roamed in great numbers. We did not covet your land, neither did my father. But the white persons seemed unhappy. They left their land. They came across the great waters. When you came, we treated you well. What did you do in return? You stole our land. You shared a little food with us. And you said you paid for it. You killed off our buffalo for no useful purpose for you. We did not destroy the buffalo. We know they are useful. Everything we needed came from them. What will you destroy next? When I was a young man, I often went on a war party. We rode all day. And all day we passed through herds of buffalo. The plains were black as far as one could see with herds of buffalo. We killed one only for food. After the whites came, the buffalo became fewer and fewer. We all know that. We began to hate the white persons. They were robbing us of our birthright. We became very poor. We wandered to the south. The buffalo were not coming back. We were told, "the land is not yours anymore. We were to stay only on our small patches of land that were leftover (iskonikana). Our grandfathers travelled on these great plains and called it their own. Why do I have to live on a small patch like the white persons? I only want my freedom. Lately there has been a lot of talk. Messengers came from other tribes. Aniyen (Riel) told us that the halfbreeds are very restless. They are discontented; they would take back their country, and drive out the white persons. The buffalo would come back, the Crees would be a great people once more. I was slow in thought (doubted). I have seen many winters. I know the whites to be numerous. I know their strength. But I could not control my young men. It was useless; they were hostile. I was very anxious for the women and the children. For that, I tried to hold back the young men. The young men were strong headed. They wanted war." Poundmaker said this to justify himself. He turned around and back to face the general and then continued. " When it became spring, grass was up green for the ponies. There was no holding back the young men. You must realize that the people did not massacre. * This was a gentle war. They could have massacred your soldiers. I held them back at Cutknife Hill, as your soldiers withdrew to the fork (Battleford). We treated the prisoners well; they could have been killed too. That is why I call it a gentle war. Many persons could have been killed. My men could have rushed forward and clubbed your soldiers. That was their plan, but I argued and urged them to be gentle. Now I urge you to be gentle, ** as I have advocated with my men. Let all be 'given back' (forgiven). Let the tribes (Cree and Assiniboine) be reinstated upon their reserves. Rations and payments be continued. That is all I have to say." As Poundmaker turned around to face his people his wife said, "I also must speak for the women and children." " Ahaw, tapwe!" was expressed by the warriors. General Middleton, somewhat disconcerted, replied to Poundmaker, "You are speaking for all your people." A quick reply came from the crowd, "You always tell us that the Great White Queen speaks at the Supreme Council. Why should not a woman speak?" added Poundmaker. The general laughed and said, "She does not speak in her Parliament. Her men do all this for her. This is a war conference and we will listen only to warriors." Poundmaker's wife was very disappointed at this decision, and there was much muttering and grumbling. She was not going to speak only for the women and children but on behalf of a certain mother whose son was taken prisoner though he was innocent. This caused much anxiety and consternation among the relatives, but the general ignored it. The general's reply to Poundmaker's speech was that the Indians had defied the government by taking up arms; that their members had killed farmer instructors and Indian agents. "These men must be given and tried and punished." Poundmaker, as chief, would be taken hostage and remain a prisoner for the good behaviour of his people. Poundmaker and three others were marched off under escort. To show their bravery, the rest of the warriors carried on as if it was not serious. Before riding off, they sold their beaded moccasins, tobacco pouches, lariats and saddlery ornaments to the soldiers from the east, who were eager to take mementoes home. The Plains people road south to Eagle Hills symbolic of grief stricken persons who would walk to the South Wind, Sawan, to release their grief and pray for healing. * A light engagement or leniency was shown when the white soldiers were spared. ** To be lenient, compassionate, befitting a person of high rank. Cuthand's version: http://www.sicc.sk.ca/saskindian/a88sep12.htm

After word of Riel's defeat, and the battle at Cut Knife Hill, Poundmaker decides his only course of action would be to surrender. Major Charles Boulton (commander of Boulton's scouts, from Middleton's column) gives an explanation of that event:

Poundmaker had received the news of Riel's defeat and capture, and wishing to make peace, immediately despatched a letter to the General, of which the following is a copy:-

"SIR, - I am camped with my people at the east end of Eagle Hills, where I am reached by the news of the surrender of Riel. No letter came with the news, so I cannot tell how far it may be true. I send some of my men to you to learn the truth and terms of peace, and hope you will deal kindly with us. I and my people wish you to send us the terms in writing, so that we may be under no misunderstanding, from which so much trouble arises. We have twenty-one prisoners, whom we have tried to treat well in every respect.

With greeting.
" (Signed) POUNDMAKER " X
His Mark.

General Middleton was on the steamer Northcote, en route for Battleford, when he received the message, and sent back Poundmaker's runner with the following reply:

" P0UNDMAKER, - I have utterly defeated the half-breeds and Indians, and have made a prisoner of Riel and most of his council. I have made no terms with them, neither will I make terms with you. I have men enough to defeat you and your people, or at least drive you away to starve in the woods, and will do so unless you bring in the teams you took. Yourself and your councillors to meet me with your arms at Battleford on Tuesday, the 26th. I am glad to hear that you treated the prisoners well, and have released them. (Signed)

"FRED. MIDDLETON, Major-General."

Poundmaker surrendered to Middleton on May 26 at Fort Battleford. Here is Boulton's explanation of events:

On the following day, to the great interest of the troops, came Poundmaker, with a number of his councillors and braves, having left their camp some ten miles out. (The teamster prisoners had before marched in.) They brought with them two hundred and seven stand of arms in waggons.

General Middleton arranged to have a pow-wow with Poundmaker in the afternoon, to hear what he bad to say for himself, and this was one of the most interesting features of the campaign. The grim old soldier was seated in front of his tent, surrounded by his officers, in the midst of the largest camp of soldiers, that had ever visited the North-West territories. Arraigned before him were the various chiefs, councillors, and braves, to answer for their conduct during the outbreak. Similar pow-wows had often been held in treaty-making, and on other occasions, when there was only the moral force of the country behind its officers; but here, the Indians could see a portion of the physical force of the Dominion, with which they had to contend - a force that had been successful in overcoming their leader at Batoche, and had in a short time penetrated the fastnesses of these tribes, no doubt deemed by them, an impossibility for soldiers to accomplish.

The Indians squatted themselves in a semi-circle in front of the General, to the number of sixty or seventy. They were well dressed in their fashion, being painted up in war costume. Some of the men were adorned with kid gloves, others had on ladies' hats and feathers, and all presented a most picturesque group. The talking commenced through Hourie, the chief interpreter. The General, in his matter-of-fact way, desired them to keep to plain facts, and to leave the flowery embellishments of their Indian tongue to one side for the present. It was impossible, however, to prevent them commencing with the earth, the sky, the grass, the sun, etc., one and all, young and old, seeming to be imbued with the allegorical style of oratory, and unable to express themselves without this verbiage. Poundmaker knew nothing. He claimed that he had done his best, to keep his braves in order, and seemed to think that having come to make terms of peace, was quite sufficient merit, to entitle him to every consideration. He is a fine-looking Indian, and one cannot help being interested in him. He is undoubtedly clever, and had the honour of accompanying the Marquis of Lorne, in his trip through the country in 1881, who enjoyed nothing better than listening to his tales, over the camp-fire, through an interpreter. One brave after another told his story, commencing with a desire to shake hands with the General, who, however, steadily refused, telling them that he never would shake hands with bad Indians. They must first prove themselves good. After several had spoken, a squaw came forward, and was anxious to have her say, but the General said he never listened to women. The statement was pertinently made that the Queen was a woman, and that she ruled the country; but the General readily answered, that the Queen, though ruler, only spoke through her councillors, and with that the indignant squaw had to be satisfied. After hearing all they had to say, the General made them the following address :-

"After many years of peace," began the General, "when the half-breeds rose in rebellion, these Indians rose to join them. The Indians all around here, like Poundmaker's band, rose, thinking the white man would be beaten. They did not hesitate to murder. All round they attacked the stores of the Hudson's Bay Company and others, and killed men and women, and thought they were going to have their own way. Instead of saying when you heard of the half-breeds' rebellion, 'now is the time to show how we value the kindness of the white man to us,' you turned upon us. This very band of Poundmaker's was going to join the enemy, and if we had been beaten they would have done more murder. And now when you find the head rebel-chief, Riel, and the other warriors are beaten, you come in and tell all sorts of lies, and beg for peace. You thought the Government had no more men; you thought you were better fighters; that you could lie in ambush in the bluffs and shoot us down. Now we have shown you there is no use of lying in the bluffs and pits, that we can drive you out and kill you."

POUNDMAKER - "True."

MIDDLETON - "Up to this time you Indians have been in the habit of going to the settlers' houses, saying you were hungry and wanted food, and frightened the women. Let the Indians understand that they must do so no more, and that if one more white man is killed ten Indians will suffer in consequence. If any disturbance takes place, and if any of the young men think they can go and rob and pillage, they will find themselves much mistaken, and all the men will suffer. More soldiers are now coming here, and if Poundmaker had not come in, would have followed him and killed every one of his men if necessary. We want to live in peace with the red man, but we can't allow you to go on in this way, and the sooner you understand that the better. I am only a soldier, and I do not know what the Government will do in the matter, but I have no doubt you will be helped to live in the future by the cultivation of the land as in the past. If Big Bear doesn't do the same as you have, I will take my troops and go after him and his men. I have received orders from the Government at Ottawa to detain as prisoners Poundmaker, Lean-Man, Mud-Blanket, Breaking-Through-the-Ice, and White Bear. The. rest of you and your people had better return quietly to your reserves, giving up the men who did the murders. No agent at present will live among you, after the way you have behaved, so that you will have to come and get your rations here, once a week."

After the General's demand for the murderers to be given up, one of the braves, called Wa-Wa-Nitch (the man without blood), came forward and sat himself down, cross-legged immediately in front of the General. Taking his feet in his hands, he confessed to the murder of Tremont, as I have before described. When that scene was over, another Indian, named Ikta, who had stripped himself to the waist, came forward, and made a similar confession of having murdered Payne, the farm instructor. The General ordered four of the leading chiefs whom lie named, with these two murderers, to be made prisoners, and the remainder were allowed to return to their reserves. Wa-Wa-Nitch, on his way up to the fort, made signs to Poundmaker indicative of hanging, which was intendeded to convey, 'I am going to be hanged; I am a brave man, and I don't care." The Mounted Police were now instructed to ascertain, who were guilty of the minor crimes, of stealing, committing depredations, etc., and made several arrests. The remainder of the Indians and half-breeds, returned to their respective camps.

Boulton's version: http://wsb.datapro.net/rebellions/chap17.html

Contrast this description of the surrender with that of a native, Stan Cuthand from the Saskatchewan Indian:

It was a beautiful spring morning, May 26,1885, when Poundmaker and the Warrior Society, along with some of the women, made their way to Battleford. They had come from the foot of Eagle Hills to meet General Middleton and find out what was to become of them since their victory at the battle at Cutknife Hill. They were the warriors and must never show cowardice in warrior in peace. They had said, "Let them know that we are not afraid to meet the Chief Soldier."
Poundmaker had been planning to move in a southwesterly direction with some of his followers, but the warriors persuaded him to meet with General Middleton. After all, he was the spokesman for the Assiniboines and the Crees. This was the day Poundmaker promised to meet the Chief Soldier (Middleton).

This was the most crucial moment in the life of Poundmaker. He knew well what awaited him, but he had no choice but to perform before his people and their allies. They had been under pressure and they needed hope and release from tension. They had won the battle on Cutknife Hill. This was a fact. They had to discover what it meant.

They knew they were not understood by the Invaders. The plains people, dignified and unconcerned with the great array of civilians and soldiers observing them, went their way, led by Poundmaker and the Warrior Society Leaders. They seated themselves in a semi-circle before the tent of the Chief-Soldier. The General came out and seated himself in the opening. Poundmaker rose and came forward, holding out his hand, but the General waved it aside, saying he did not shake hands with rebels. (There is no Cree word for rebel). The General began to reprimand Poundmaker who then stood up and began to speak.

"From the beginning, the Great Spirit created the Indians. He created the white persons. He put them on separate countries. He provided us with buffalo. He provided you with cows and sheep. We lived in contentment. We were well off. The whole country was ours. From the place of the rising sun, to the place of the setting sun, the buffalo roamed in great numbers.

We did not covet your land, neither did my father. But the white persons seemed unhappy. They left their land. They came across the great waters.

When you came, we treated you well. What did you do in return? You stole our land. You shared a little food with us. And you said you paid for it. You killed off our buffalo for no useful purpose for you. We did not destroy the buffalo. We know they are useful. Everything we needed came from them. What will you destroy next?

When I was a young man, I often went on a war party. We rode all day. And all day we passed through herds of buffalo. The plains were black as far as one could see with herds of buffalo. We killed one only for food.

After the whites came, the buffalo became fewer and fewer. We all know that. We began to hate the white persons. They were robbing us of our birthright. We became very poor. We wandered to the south. The buffalo were not coming back. We were told, "the land is not yours anymore. We were to stay only on our small patches of land that were leftover (iskonikana). Our grandfathers travelled on these great plains and called it their own.

Why do I have to live on a small patch like the white persons? I only want my freedom.

Lately there has been a lot of talk. Messengers came from other tribes. Aniyen (Riel) told us that the halfbreeds are very restless. They are discontented; they would take back their country, and drive out the white persons. The buffalo would come back, the Crees would be a great people once more.

I was slow in thought (doubted). I have seen many winters. I know the whites to be numerous. I know their strength. But I could not control my young men. It was useless; they were hostile. I was very anxious for the women and the children.

For that, I tried to hold back the young men. The young men were strong headed. They wanted war." Poundmaker said this to justify himself. He turned around and back to face the general and then continued.

" When it became spring, grass was up green for the ponies. There was no holding back the young men. You must realize that the people did not massacre. * This was a gentle war. They could have massacred your soldiers. I held them back at Cutknife Hill, as your soldiers withdrew to the fork (Battleford). We treated the prisoners well; they could have been killed too. That is why I call it a gentle war. Many persons could have been killed. My men could have rushed forward and clubbed your soldiers. That was their plan, but I argued and urged them to be gentle.

Now I urge you to be gentle, ** as I have advocated with my men. Let all be 'given back' (forgiven). Let the tribes (Cree and Assiniboine) be reinstated upon their reserves. Rations and payments be continued. That is all I have to say."

As Poundmaker turned around to face his people his wife said, "I also must speak for the women and children."

" Ahaw, tapwe!" was expressed by the warriors. General Middleton, somewhat disconcerted, replied to Poundmaker, "You are speaking for all your people."

A quick reply came from the crowd, "You always tell us that the Great White Queen speaks at the Supreme Council. Why should not a woman speak?" added Poundmaker.

The general laughed and said, "She does not speak in her Parliament. Her men do all this for her. This is a war conference and we will listen only to warriors."

Poundmaker's wife was very disappointed at this decision, and there was much muttering and grumbling. She was not going to speak only for the women and children but on behalf of a certain mother whose son was taken prisoner though he was innocent. This caused much anxiety and consternation among the relatives, but the general ignored it.

The general's reply to Poundmaker's speech was that the Indians had defied the government by taking up arms; that their members had killed farmer instructors and Indian agents. "These men must be given and tried and punished." Poundmaker, as chief, would be taken hostage and remain a prisoner for the good behaviour of his people.

Poundmaker and three others were marched off under escort. To show their bravery, the rest of the warriors carried on as if it was not serious. Before riding off, they sold their beaded moccasins, tobacco pouches, lariats and saddlery ornaments to the soldiers from the east, who were eager to take mementoes home.

The Plains people road south to Eagle Hills symbolic of grief stricken persons who would walk to the South Wind, Sawan, to release their grief and pray for healing.

* A light engagement or leniency was shown when the white soldiers were spared.
** To be lenient, compassionate, befitting a person of high rank.

Cuthand's version: http://www.sicc.sk.ca/saskindian/a88sep12.htm