Amelia Labedia, a Native American from one of the New York Indian tribes, wrote this letter of complaint to James W. Denver, Commissioner of Indian Affairs. She was angered by white squatters who mistreated these native tribes by burning down their houses, ransacking their fields, and driving them off their land. White settlers had no legal claim to these lands, but they settled on them nevertheless. The New York Indian tribes--which consisted of the Seneca, Onodaga, Cayuga, Tuscarora, Oneida, St. Regis, Stockbridge, Munsee, and Brothertown nations--had been given land in Kansas Territory according to the treaty of 1838.
Date: March 8, 1857
Creator: Labedia, Amelia Josephine
This letter is one of the few documents that deals with white squatters and the native perspective on depredations committed by these white settlers. Also, this source provides a female perspective. This source could be used to demonstrate the hardships faced by Indians relocated to Kansas.
KS:7th:1.4:Indian Removal (2005)
Item Number: 208235
Call Number: James William Denver Papers Coll. 328 Box 1 Folder 4
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 208235
Curriculum - 7th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - Prehistory to 1854 (Benchmark 1) - Indian Removal Act (Indicator 4) - Loss of land and resources
Date - 1854-1860 - 1857
Government and Politics - Federal Government - Federal agencies and programs - Agencies - Indian affairs
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Letter
People - American Indians - Indian lands
People - American Indians - Tribes - New York
People - Notable Kansans - Denver, James William
Places - Cities and towns - Paola
Places - Counties - Lykins (1855-1861)
Thematic Time Period - Immigration and Settlement, 1854 - 1890
Type of Material - Unpublished documents - Letters
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/208235
