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As more settlers came to South Puget Sound, it became clear that there was a problem. The settlers wanted to farm the land that belonged to the Indians, but what about the Indians who lived there? The task of solving this problem fell to the new Territorial Governor, Isaac Stevens. In 1854, Governor Stevens drafted the Medicine Creek Treaty. He assembled a group of American settlers, U.S. government officials, and Indian leaders from various South Sound tribes at Medicine Creek on the Nisqually Delta. With the aid of interpreters, the governor attempted to explain the terms of the treaty to the Indians. |
Isaac Ingalls Stevens, first Territorial Governor of Washington. Photo courtesy of Washington State Historical Society. Tacoma. |
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This was difficult because Governor Stevens insisted that the treaty proceedings be carried on in the Chinook jargon, a language of few words. It was almost impossible to explain such a complex idea in such a simple language. The treaty called for the Indians to give up their traditional lands and move onto reservations, areas of land set aside for Indians alone. The treaty also said that the U.S. government would pay them for their lands with goods and federal services. They would still be able to hunt and fish in traditional ways. |
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The Medicine Creek Treaty was truly a clash of cultures. The concept of buying and selling land didn’t make sense to the tribes. They were an oral culture that communicated through language, storytelling and artwork. They didn’t have a written language, so the idea of signing a piece of paper that meant they would have to leave their homelands was new to them. The idea of buying and selling the earth was not a part of Indian culture. It was their belief that the land was meant for all to live on and treat with respect. One person could not own a parcel of land any more than he or she could own the sky or sea. |
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The Treaty Tree in this photo marked the site of the Medicine Creek Treaty. The tree still stands today.
Photo courtesy of the Lacey Museum.
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Governor Stevens needed leaders to sign the treaty, so he appointed various Indians to act as chiefs. This was another concept that was new to them. They didn’t understand how one person could make decisions for all. The Indians were bitterly disappointed at having to leave their lands, but most felt that they had no choice against the U.S. Government and its armies. Medicine Creek was later renamed McAllister Creek. |
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Some Indians refused to sign the treaty. The most famous of them was Chief Leschi, who with his brother Quiemuth had been selected to represent the Nisqually people. He warned his people that the lands given to them in the treaty would be rocky and poor. He urged them to fight for their homeland on the river. Although he refused to sign the treaty, someone put an "X" by his name, and the Medicine Creek Treaty was concluded on December 26, 1854, and would be ratified by Congress in 1855. Governor Stevens went east to make treaties with the other tribes of Washington Territory. He appointed Secretary of State Charles Mason as acting governor. |
| Nisqually Cheif Leschi, MSCUA University of Washington Libraries NA1536 |
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