NOTES ON THE OHIO HISTORY DAY
ASSOCIATION
TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY MEETING
The Twenty-fifth Anniversary Meeting of
the Ohio History
Day Association was held at Park Place,
the home of Dr. and
Mrs. Howard Jones, Circleville, Ohio,
Sunday, October 3, 1937.
Ohio History Day is usually held at
Logan Elm State Park
but because of rain, the first in the
history of the celebration, the
1937 meeting was moved into Circleville.
The feature of the
Twenty-fifth Anniversary was an Indian
program arranged by
Irene S. McKinley, chairman of the
program committee for this
meeting. Mr. John F. Carlisle, attorney,
of Columbus, Ohio,
acted as master of ceremonies for the
occasion. The principal
address was to have been given by
William Fire Thunder, official
representative to Washington of the
Sioux Indians. He was un-
able to leave his post on the
reservation, however, and in his
place, Thomas White Cow Killer made the
address. Thomas
White Cow Killer has served for a number
of years as one of the
official representatives of the Oglala
Sioux. His speech is pub-
lished in full following these notes.
Another portion of the program which
attracted consider-
able attention was the ceremony in which
a Hopi baby, son of
Chief Eagle Plume and Lone Deer, was
"introduced to the
cosmos." At this ceremony, the
child was given the name of Good
Corn Harvester, according to tradition
of the Corn Clan of the
Hopi. The father and mother of the child
originally lived on a
reservation at Pine Ridge, South Dakota,
but at the present time
are employed in the Museum of the
American Indian in New
York City.
The group assembled at the Jones home
was also addressed
by Hon. C. C. Crabbe. Indian music for
the occasion was fur-
nished by Mr. Richard L. Harris,
Columbus, Ohio. Mrs. How-
ard Jones, mother of the Ohio History
Day Association, an-
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OHIO HISTORY DAY ASSOCIATION 75
nounced that the reception at the close
of the program was to be
the last public reception at the Jones
home in connection with the
Ohio History Day celebrations. The
public reception had been
a part of the celebration for
twenty-five years.
SPEECH
Of "PTE SAN WICKTE" (THOMAS WHITE
Cow KILLER), Oglala Sioux
At the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
Ohio History Day Association
at Circleville, October 3, 1937.
It is with greatest pleasure I come eastward
to appear on this Twenty-
fifth Anniversary, and to render that
part that links with us as Indians.
The North American Indians are distinct
race of its own. We understand
each other as tribe through sign
language. We worship in unity, to the
Great Spirit. We hold sacred this land
as Mother, she provides for us all
the necessity of life. We hold sacred
those objects which are of complete
circle; the World, the Sun, the Moon and
similar object that appear by
mysterious form of a circle, thus we lead
our lives to eternity and life ever-
lasting.
This day I stand before a great
multitude of people; people who are to
listen to my words of loyalty to the
land we love. We have stood our
grounds, but because of poor and
inadequate equipment we lost great tract
of lands until we are forced to occupy
the present reservations. Many Great
Chiefs have stood vigorously protesting
the advance of white civilization, but
they too have fallen and the generation
of today no longer possess the Indian
leadership of their grandfathers. Our
battle is lost because the tribal teach-
ing also has vanished and we are left
alone to combat life's destiny. My
friends, too often you read and speak of
us as savages, barbarian; we are
standing for our rights and protecting
our rights and our children, as that
of Logan who sought revenge because of
his people. We have self-govern-
ment before the coming of the white man;
no animal is killed unless food is
needed. You have killed our games; you
have taken the land by force. Now,
you have conquered the desire of your
people, you have tramped the sacred
soil which once a race of people who
stood for all mankind no longer exist
here. While the clouds have passed
rapidly overhead and the setting sun is
gradually disappearing over the horizon
the day is over for the old Indians.
The Indian whose soul sings with the
disappearing winds will continue on
and on. We, the present generation, must
adopt modern method to approach
a point of attack in order to find our
place in life.
The general public has often wonder
about the names of Indian and
as to its meaning. There are names which
relates to ceremony, or a name
gained in battle because of bravery,
while there are names which is bestowed
upon an individual whose life must be
guided because of the sacredness of
the name. My great-great-grandfather has stood as a
mark symbol in the
tribe, as his name is known as Pte San
Wickte, which means that he is the
only person chosen to kill the sacred
White Buffalo, when the warriors
return from a hunting trip they would report their
discovery to the head of
the tribe. In order that an Indian
possess such a name he must have all
that is necessary to qualify for this
honor; he must be a man that has
leadership, courage, and the love of mankind. The
Chiefs of the tribe go to
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OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
him for counsel. My grandfather
possessed this name and later my father
and I am the last to possess this name.
I have received this honor on the
reservation by my people when I return
from the Philippines. While I may
not have the chance to exercise the
requirement I tried my best to live up to
the meaning of this name, Pte San
Wickte. I realize that I have the honor
bestowed upon me, which means honesty
and broad-thinking; not for myself
alone but for my people. I have worked
for their interest in handling their
wishes in our Administration building on
the reservation. I have also made
a visit as a delegate to Washington, D.
C., for their interest. I have had
this name and it is my duty to uphold
the symbolism of truth and honesty,
nor will expose my weakness by falling
into the hands of destruction and
ruin. My duty through life is for the
service of my people. Although I
have sympathy with the Indians who come
under different jurisdiction
through my long years of service, I saw
their need as well as the assistance
of able students which they have but
few.
The traditions of the Indians as a whole
is often broken because of
the younger generations who would desert
their people and wander out for
their own interest and career and often
return back to their people for
sympathy. Too often the generation have
been spoken of "as Indians going
back to the blanket." While it is
true in one sense of the word, it is only
the instinct of the Indian race that
calls them back to their people. One
would return from a long drawn-out
studies of the courses ensumed[?]
while attending university or college
and upon their return they are criticized
by the people as that of the white man,
and urge them to adopt the method
of the Indian life, exclaiming that
their method is more adaptable than the
white man. We must stop and think, for
the old method of Indian tradition
no longer exists, and does not meet with
the present speed of American
civilization. The Indian would insist
that we should remain as Indian, as
this covers all the practise of giving
away gifts and we do not stop to think
it is harmful for the race. One must
think for the entire interest of all the
Indians upon return from school, with
the intention of bringing the race
upon their feet to adopt the method of
self-saving and preserving their
property for the use of their younger
generation as they are the one to com-
bat the task of living with their white
brothers. I have often observe the
reaction of the both sides of the
problem; the Indian and the white man, for
there is no method suitable for
immediate remedy as the race as a whole
must be considered, and in order that
their generation must continue to cul-
tivate this new method, the process is
to treat each individual to the liking
of their needs. I have had considerable
talk with older people of the Sioux
and it is regrettable to know that the
race is gradually vanishing. When I
speak of the vanishing race, I mean that
the full bloods are not so many,
while the mixed bloods are increasing
rapidly. I regret that the value of
the race is gradually decreasing. This
is due to the old Indians who have
passed away, who have taken with them
the good of the people. I speak
because we are in need of assistance or
permanent guidance, other than po-
litical from my white brothers to help
protect the tribal traditions to pre-
serve it for the interest of a race who
once roamed this universe. I speak
because of the great sacrifice which my
people have rendered to the United
States Government in providing land for
the coming settlers who gradually
took large tracts of land from the
Indians and occasionally war exists be-
tween the Indian and the settlers as
they proceed westward. I speak because
I know the core of my people and the
shameful treatment by the Government
in not fulfilling the treaties which is
supposed to be the document of truth
and in whose presence the Almighty God
has also witnessed. Thus the
OHIO HISTORY DAY ASSOCIATION 77
Government of our country which stands
out to be the leading country in the
World has broken the promise which so
piously pledge to fulfill shall stand
as a mark against a selfish race which
today exists and this same race is
now corrupting the great Government which rules us all!
We stood as a
distinct race whose principles are for
the entire people but today it felt the
effects of the government which is now under
destruction and ruin. My
friends what are we to do? There is
nothing left for my race upon which
they can rely for their interest; no
government or organization could re-
place the loss of my people. Too often I
have heard songs of my people
which is the only way to express their
regret the loss of their Country,
their hunting grounds and their games.
We have contribute greatly to the
success of the white man, their
education of their children. We have
fought for Old Glory with our white
brothers on equal basis in the
battlefield, and again to return to our reserva-
tion, and work under hard pressure of
freedom which you are enjoying under
the Constitution of United States. I
will conclude this message, not only of
my people, but for the race which once
exists upon your soil and have left
their treasures as a memorial to the
State of Ohio.