Blackfoot, Shawnee, 1816

Brothers of the Six Nations: We heard you yesterday.  You shall soon hear our reply.  We are pleased that the council fire is established at this place by our friends the Wyandots, and that our brothers, the Six Nations, have agreed to unite with us.

Brother: I remember what you said relative to our people being dispersed.  Some of them are scattered, it is true, and I shall do all in my power to collect them.  What you say relative to our making difficulties I admit is truth.  The way it happened was this: A man came among us who pretended he had communication with the Great Spirit, and that if we followed him we could regain our lands.  The whites were crowding upon us.  He said they would eat land, and that they would soon eat all our land up.  I was deceived and led away by him, and many of my nation.  We took him for the Great Spirit.  But we soon found him to be a devil, and forsook him.  This great man, who pretended to be the Great Spirit, has not only intermedled with us, but he has been among you, and has misled many of all nations.

 I am not surprised that you should bring this charge against us.  This prophet exerted such influence over us that we were no longer governed by our ancient customs, but were entirely led by him.  You, my elder brother, are of the same people who flocked to him, and listened to him, expecting he would carry his point.  I disbelieved it.  You, when you went there, were shown a great map, and on it the prophet traced out a great tract of land for you on the Wabash, which was promised you.  There was a battle there, and some of your men were in it; and there were others on the way who did not arrive in season.

The next place where we found the prophet was at Maiden, with some of the Senecas as his followers.  And this man was the cause of the destruction of our council fire at Brownstown.  This prophet was driven back into Canada.  He again attempted to strengthen him self.  He promised to your people the land on the Wabash.  We heard it.  Of all our people who followed the prophet, only eight families remain with him.  His power is broken.  He is nothing.