Gnadenhütten Journal - Supplements
O through Q
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Litt. O
14th Supplement to the Report on the Indian’s Visit to Bethlehem
in March 1753 — vid. unterm March 24
Answers the Brethren from Gnadenhütten and Meniolagomeka, namely Abraham, Nathanael, Joshua, Augustus and Anton have agreed to give to the speech and Belt of Wampum brought in the name of Five Nations by the Shawnee and Nanticokes.
1) We are grateful, that our Uncles show compassion toward us and touch and raise us with a hand and invite us to go to Wyoming and to live there, because the way is cleared and even. We recognize this as your love for us. We want to stand up and go. For you are our elder uncles.
2) Yes, my Uncles, we want to visit our Brothers in Bethlehem and Gnadenhütten from time to time and we would like our Brothers from Bethlehem to visit us often when we are living in Wyoming.
3) We are pleased that our Uncles, the Five Nations let the speech be said to us and that three of them are present here. We see that they think about us and care for us.
4) Yes, my Uncle, I believe that you do not mean evil, but only good for me.
5) I am glad, my Uncle, that you hold me firmly by one hand, as my Brethren in Bethlehem hold me firmly by the other hand, and that I stand in the middle of you both and that I am held by you. I want to hold you firmly on both sides.
6) My Uncle! My Nanticoke and Shawnee Brethren have said that it is not good when one has something on his mind and does not speak out. Now I have one more thought in mind that I want to share.
My Uncle! I have heard well what you have said. I am happy about it and I want to be obedient and do what you have told me.
But I know about God, my Savior. I feel something from Him in my heart. For I have always had the Brethren by my side, who have told me about my God and Creator.
I want to ask my Uncle to show mercy on me and allow for several of my Brothers in Bethlehem to go with me to Wyoming and live there with me. They will plant with us there, so that they can eat and live with us. But they will not say, this is our land, just like the Brethren who now live in Shomoko with the Five Nations’ permision do not say that it is their land. And we, the Mahicans and Delawares also will not say that it is our land, when we are in Wyoming.
But we do not want to have any other white people, but only the Brethren and the reason we want to have the Brethren with us is because they tell us quite often about our god and Savior. You have told us, that we should be able to continue on our good path and have our good thoughts as before and therefore we need the Brethren with us.
We not only want to continue on a good path
but wish that our children after us will also follow the good path we are on now and should stay on it as long as the world stands.
And this way we will be able to continue and stay with you in good friendship.
We are not even looking for good land. Our main purpose is that we are acquainted with our God and Creator and love Him and that is why we would like to have with us several of the Brethren in Bethlehem, who will tell us about God and the Savior.
Litt. P.
15th Supplement to the Report on the Indians’ Visit to
Bethlehem in March 1753 — for Monday March 26th
Brothers! What I, the Nanticokes and Shawnee, say to you are not only our words, but those of all our Brothers who live in the province also say the same as we are saying now. We like what you have told us very much.
The answer that you have given us are very good. We like them very much. We are very pleased with them and our Brethren up in the province will like them very much when they hear them. They should all hear them.
Brothers! I urge you not to pay any attention if you hear evil words and rumors from other people. Do not listen but let them go, for evil people will say evil words about us. Brothers! Do not listen but let them go.
And when we hear evil words and rumors about you, we do not want to listen to them, but let them go.
We see each other now. We know what we have said to each other. Not a word of it should be lost. We want to hold to what we can.
Brothers! If something should happen that is not right and pleasing to us, so we want to let you know and if you find something that you do not like, so you must also let us know.
Brothers! Not only the Chiefs who are here say so, but the Five Nations in the province also say the same.
Brothers! When I will go up and settle there, and once I am settled down I want to turn my face toward you two days after that and come down here in two days to see you again at this place.
I cannot say, that I will have much to say when I come, but I just want to come to see you and to smoke a pipe with you.
This is all this String of Wampum has to say.
Litt. Q
16th Supplement to the Report on the Indians’ Visit to
Bethlehem in March 1753 — for Monday, March 26th
Brothers! What you have told us pleases us very much. We receive it very well. We ask of you not to trust flying stories. Brothers! You have seen us with your own eyes and you have heard us with your own ears. You have paid good attention to everything. You must believe what you have seen and heard from us.
Brothers! You have said, that if you should hear something unjust from us, so you would want to let us know. It is just and brotherly. We want to do just that. We do not want to believe rumors. We also wanted to let you know, that if we see something that is not just we will not hide it. We also want to say it to you not in the heat of the moment, but in love.
It fills me with joy that I have seen you with my own eyes and heard you with my own ears and that we could offer each other our hands and smoke a pipe together before my departure. Now I can say your words over on the other side of the ocean. We wish you a pleasant journey. But the two days will be long for us, until we see you again. This is all that I can tell you in the name of my Brethren. I have talked to them. They are of the same opinion.
See also: speech of Abraham
Translation by Rachel Wheeler & Irakly Chkhenkely
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