AN INDIAN CAMP
MEETING.
REV. N. B. C. LOVE.
The greater part of the following data
the writer had from
Levi Savage in 1885. He was at this time
old and blind, but
in possession of his mental faculties.
His memory seemed clear
and tenacious. I wrote down at the time
what he said, word for
word and from this written account I
draw also from govern-
ment and church publications. A camp
meeting was held by the
Christian Wyandots on the east side of
the Sandusky river, op-
posite the "big spring," in
August, 1839. We must remember
that the various Indian tribes of
Northern and Western Ohio had
only a few years before been deprived of
their reservations and
the Wyandots a few years later, in 1842, of theirs.
In all this the Indians were greatly wronged by the govern-
ment. The Wyandots' reservation was
twelve square miles with
Upper Sandusky near the center. There
was less than a thousand
Wyandots on the reservation. There were
a few located over
Ohio and Canada. The whites were
settling all around and land
speculators were clamoring for the
Wyandot's fair heritage. The
instinctive desire of this tribe to
perpetuate their tribal character
prevented them becoming citizens and
receiving land in server-
alty.
Many whites lived in the bounds of the
reservation, but did
not own a homestead, but were there for
hunting and traffic.
The camp ground was beautifully timbered
and located near
the river. The large native trees, the
white oak, walnut, the
hickory nut, elm and sugar were there in
all their primal gran-
deur. The banks of the river were hedged
with sycamore, buck-
eye and iron wood, while the grapevines
in rich profusion en-
twined them.
The underbrush was cleared away,
including the saplings of
dogwood and pawpaw, while the more
stately trees were left
standing. They stood like columns in a
great temple, while their
large limbs from forty to seventy feet
above the ground entwined
(39)
40 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
and bore aloft the domes of green
leaves. So dense was this
covering the rays of the sun seldom came
through.
The tents were the Indian wigwam, bark
structures of poles
and bark, and log cabins built of poles.
The wigwams were in
appearance like large corn shocks, and
the bark tents were
built square with upright poles with
crutches at the upper end,
on which were poles, and on these long
strips of elm bark newly
pealed from the tree.
The chinking of the cabins was of moss
and coarse grass.
Of course the furnishings were rude and
simple, although the
Christian Indians had adopted the
customs of the whites in their
homes, cooking and dress. The cooking
was done out doors.
The tents were arranged so as to enclose
about half an acre of
ground. At one end of this wall of tents
was the preacher's tent.
It was about sixteen feet long and on
its side facing inward was
the preacher's stand or pulpit. The
Indian saw mill supplied
the plank for its elevated floor and
front and seats for the speak-
ers. It was the place of honor. The
altar in sight of all the
people where the called prophet of God
served to the Master's
sheep in the wilderness the bread of
life.
Besides these structures were a few
cloth tents, made of linen
and white which added to the
picturesqueness of the whole scene.
Five stands, made of poles and covered
with clay, had on
them at night the glowing fires lighting
up "God's own temple"
as were lighted the forests before with
fires of burning captives.
The Indians had learned to cultivate the
soil, and their squaws
and daughters to spin, weave and cook.
The Christian Indians
were industrious and had at this time an
abundance of the
products of the soil.
The men and women sat apart in the
congregation. The
children were with their mothers and the
dogs which were plenty,
remained with their masters or in or
about the tents. These were
taught good behavior on public
occasions. There was service
before breakfast and at 10 a.
m., 2 p.
m., and night. There was
seldom less than 200 people present at
even the smaller meetings
and in the great congregations as many as
2,000 on the Sabbath-
Indians, whites and negroes. They were
then from Negrotown,
The Indian Camp Meeting. 41
above Fremont, Wyandot and Round Head
and Solomon Town,
near Lewistown, and points east and
south in Ohio.
There were a few Indians of other tribes
present, for they
did not all leave their reservations
together. Some were slow to
leave the land God gave them and
the graves of their fathers.
The Wyandots, with the other aborigines
of Ohio, felt a griev-
ance that the government was fully set
on dispossessing them of
their reservations.
Three years later, 1842, the Wyandots sold out to the gov-
ernment for a mere trifle of a price, a
part of which was a large
area of land beyond the Mississippi,
which they failed to get,
but bought a few thousand acres from the
Cherokees. It is true
the government gave each Wyandot, after
years have passed land
in severalty and some money, making them
citizens and no longer
wards of the nation. The Christian
Indians did not hold the
Christian people or ministers
responsible for their political mis-
fortunes. They knew the spirit of
Christianity was kindness, good
will and justice. When they assembled
they prayed not only for
the conversion of the Indians but the
whites also.
No doubt Mononcue, Summendewot,
Between-The-Logs, Big
Tree, and other noted chieftians were
here. There were also pres-
ent missionaries. James Wheely at this
time was one of the mis-
sionaries. Levi Savage said that
Jonathan Pointer was there as
interpreter and was in his glory. He was
a negro, and had a
large amount of vanity. Wm. Walker, the
Sub-Indian agent
acted as interpreter. Of course the
Indian preachers needed no
interpreter when preaching to Indians.
The audience was at-
tentive and orderly, although many were
heathen Indians. "Big
Tree preached a sermon," said Mr.
Savage, "I shall never forget.
He preached in Wyandot, and it was
interpreted. He became
very eloquent and at one time shouted
the praises of God. The
congregation caught the spirit, and many
joined him in praise.
The white Christians, too, felt that to
them a day of pentecost
had come. They were under the influence
of the gospel at this
camp meeting and many convicted of sin.
They realized the
fact of their sinfulness as never
before, and the blessed Christ
heard them and set them free, causing
them to rejoice instead of
42 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
weep. The gospel is ever the power of
God unto salvation to
every one that believeth."
No doubt the soul of John Stewart, who
died in 1837, two
years before, was happy in heaven when
the news of the salva-
tion of the heathen, at this camp
meeting, was reported by and
to the angels of God.
An Indian with stentorian voice called
the worshipers to-
gether, when songs in English and songs
in Wyandot were sung,
alternating so in prayer and speaking.
Mr. Savage thus described the
well-dressed heathen Indians
who were present and were in behavior
perfect gentlemen. "The
men wore a breech clout or cloth,
covering their hips up to the
waist and hunting shirt of blue, with
fringes of silver ornaments,
leggings of dressed buckskin and
moccasins of heavy buffalo
hide. Over all these was worn gracefully
a blanket. Many of
the men and most of the women had their
hair plaited and hang-
ing outside the blanket. These well
dressed Indians generally
went bareheaded or else wore a bandana
handkerchief. When
at their dances and feasts they painted
and wore head dresses of
feathers and brilliant beads. The women
wore a shirt or gown,
which came below the waist, about their
person from the waist
down below the knees, they wore wrapped
about them several
yards of cotton cloth, or a petticoat,
then leggings of buckskin
and moccasins. The blanket or shawl was
worn over their heads.
and body."
Although this camp meeting had been held
twenty years be-
fore I was first at Upper Sandusky, yet
on the old camp ground
on the river bank there were the remains
of some cabins built
by the Indians; and hunting in the mound
I only found a gun
flint.
The historical incidents connected with
the Wyandots, and
their wars, civilization, exodus, and
final settlement in Kansas
has been only partially published. There
are in the hands of
descendants of the pioneers who were
contemporary with the
Wyandots old letters, memorandums,
account books, and news-
papers and other documents of interest,
if collected. The writer
has quite an amount of this kind of
material and would be glad
to have more.
The Indian Camp Meeting. 43 Christianity did much for the Wyandots. It saved them from annihilation by drink and licentiousness, and while they ceased to be a tribe, yet some of the best blood of the nation is Wyandot. Intellectually they were at the head of the Indian tribes. In all the treaties with the Indians of Ohio they are the first mentioned and at Wayne's treaty in 1795 and before and afterward their chieftains stood at the head as orators and diplo- mats. Many of the Indian tribes are now under Christianizing and Americanizing influences and are increasing in numbers and attaining to intelligence and property. Toledo, Ohio. |
|