Hdainyanka (or Rdainyanka)
[1]
Rda-in-yan-ka
(Rattling Runner). David Faribault swore that prisoner was very active
among those who shot at Marsh's men,
and that he saw him firing in the battles of the fort, New Ulm, and Wood
Lake; that he took a prominent part, was the exhorter, and did all he could
to push the others ahead; that, before going to Wood Lake, he ran through
the camp, urging the Indians to kill every body and take their goods; and
that he made a speech, in which he offered two bunches of wampum which
he displayed, for the first scalp, and two bunches of crow's feathers (very
precious) for the scalp of Sibley or of Forbes, Paul and Lorenzo
testified that he opposed giving up the white captives. (He was a son-in-law
of Wabashaw.) He said he did not know of the uprising on Monday,
the 18th of August, until they had killed a number of men. He then
went out and met Little Crow, and tried to stop the murders, but could
not. The next day his son was brought home wounded from Fort Ridgely.
He forbade the delivery up of the white captives to Paul when he demanded
them, and he supposed that he was to be hung for that.
[Heard, The Sioux War and Massacre]
[2]
I am for continuing the
war, and am opposed to the delivery of the prisoners. I have no confidence
that the whites will stand by any agreement they make if we give them up.
Ever since we treated with them their agents and traders have robbed and
cheated us. Some of our people have been shot, some hung; others
placed upon floating ice and drowned; and many have been starved in their
prisons. It was not the intention of the nation to kill any of the
whites until after the four men returned from Acton and told what they
had done. When they did this, all the young men became excited, and
commenced the massacre. The older ones would have prevented it if
they could, but since the treaties they have lost all their influence.
We may regret what has happened but the matter has gone too far to be remedied.
We have got to die. Let us, then, kill as many of the whites as possible,
and let the prisoners die with us. [SPEECH
OF HDAINYANKA IN FAVOR OF CONTINUING WAR, Heard, History of Sioux War,
151-52]
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