Thomas Jefferson
Address to the Wolf & People of the Mandan Nation
Washington, DC, 1806-12-30

I take you by the hand of friendship & give you a hearty welcome to 
the seat of the government of the United States.  The journey which 
you have taken to visit your fathers on this side of our island is a 
long 1, & your having undertaken it is a proof that you desired to 
become acquainted with us.  I thank the Great Spirit that he has 
protected you through the journey & brought you safely to the 
residence of your friends, & I hope He will have you constantly in 
his safe keeping, & restore you in good health to your nations & 
families.

My friends & children, we are descended from old nations which live 
beyond the great water, but we & our forefathers have been so long 
here that we seem like you to have grown out of this land.  We 
consider ourselves no longer of the old nations beyond the great 
water, but as united in 1 family with our red brethren here.

the French, the English, the Spaniards, have now agreed with us to 
retire from all the country which you & we hold between Canada & 
Mexico, & never more to return to it.  And remember the words I now 
speak to you, my children, they are never to return again.  We are 
now your fathers; & you shall not lose by the change.  

As soon as Spain had agreed to withdraw from all the waters of the 
Missouri & Mississippi, I felt the desire of becoming acquainted with 
all my red children beyond the Mississippi, & of uniting them with us 
as we have those on this side of that river, in the bonds of peace & 
friendship.  I wished to learn what we could do to benefit them by 
furnishing them the necessaries they want in exchange for their furs 
& peltries.  

I therefore sent our beloved man, Captain Lewis, 1 of my own family, 
to go up the Missouri river to get acquainted with all the Indian 
nations in its neighborhood, to take them by the hand, deliver my 
talks to them, & to inform us in what way we could be useful to them.  
Your nation received him kindly, you have taken him by the hand & 
been friendly to him.  My children, I thank you for the services you 
rendered him, & for your attention to his words.  He will now tell us 
where we should establish trading houses to be convenient to you all, 
& what we must send to them.

My friends & children, I have now an important advice to give you.  I 
have already told you that you & all the red men are my children, & I 
wish you to live in peace & friendship with 1 another as brethren of 
the same family ought to do.  How much better is it for neighbors to 
help than to hurt 1 another; how much happier must it make them.  If 
you will cease to make war on 1 another, if you live in friendship 
with all mankind, you can employ all your time in providing food & 
clothing for yourselves & your families.  Your men will not be 
destroyed in war, & your women & children will lie down to sleep in 
their cabins without fear of being surprised by their enemies & 
killed or carried away.  Your numbers will be increased instead of 
diminishing, & you will live in plenty & in quiet.

My children, I have given this advice to all your red brethren on 
this side of the Mississippi; they are following it, they are 
increasing in their numbers, are learning to clothe & provide for 
their families as we do.  Remember thn my advice, my children, carry 
it home to your people, & tell them that from the day that they have 
become all of the same family, from the day that we became father to 
them all, we wish, as a true father should do, that we may all live 
together as 1 household, & that before they strike 1 another, they 
should go to their father & let him endeavor to make up the quarrel.

My children, you are come from the other side of our great island, 
from where the sun sets, to see your new friends at the sun rising.  
You have now arrived where the waters are constantly rising & falling 
every day, but you are still distant from the sea.  I very much 
desire that you should not stop here, but go & see your brethren as 
far as the edge of the great water.  I am persuaded you have so far 
seen that every man by the way has received you as his brothers, & 
has been ready to do you all the kindness in his power.  You will see 
the same thing quite to the sea shore; & I wish you, therefore, to go 
& visit our great cities in that quarter, & see how many friends & 
brothers you have here.  You will then have travelled a long line 
from west to east, & if you had time to go from north to south, from 
Canada to Florida, you would find it as long in that direction, & all 
the people as sincerely your friends.  I invite you, therefore, to 
pay a visit to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, & the cities still 
beyond that, if you are willing to go further.  We will provide 
carriages to convey you & a person to go with you to see that you 
want for nothing.  By the time you come back the snows will be melted 
on the mountains, the ice in the rivers broken up, & you will be 
wishing to set out on your return home.

My children, I have long desired to see you; I have now opened my 
heart to you, let my words sink into your hearts & never be 
forgotten.  If ever lying people or bad spirits should raise up 
clouds between us, call to mind what I have said, & what you have 
seen yourselves.  Be sure there are some lying spirits between us; 
let us come together as friends & explain to each other what is  
misrepresented or misunderstood, the clouds will fly away like 
morning fog, & the sun of friendship appear & shine forever bright & 
clear between us.

My children, it may happen that while you are here occasion may arise 
to talk about many things which I do not now particularly mention.  
The secretary of war will always be ready to talk with you, & you are 
to consider whatever he says as said by myself.  He will also take 
care of you & see that you are furnished with all comforts here.
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