Osceola, Seminole (1834)

My brothers! The white people got some of our chiefs to sign a paper to give our lands to them, but our chiefs did not do as we told them to do: they done wrong, we must do right. The agent tells us we must go away from the lands which we live on – our homes and the graves of our Fathers, and go over the big river among the bad Indians. When the agent tells me to go from my home, I hate him because I love my home and will not go from it.

My brothers! When the Great Spirit tells me to go with the white man, I go; but He tells me not to go. The white man says I shall go, and he will send people to make me go; but I have a rifle and I have some powder and some lead. I say, we must not leave our homes and lands. If any of our people want to go west, we won’t let them; and I tell them they are our enemies, and we will treat them so, for the Great Spirit will protect us.