Diplomats in buckskins

A series of conferences took place in the nation's capital when Indian leaders met with government officials and tried through diplomacy to defend tribal interests from national desires. The story of these delegations is fascinating, filled with humor and sadness, color and drama, promises made and treaties broken. Delegations have been a major component of Indian-white relations since the first Europeans reached the shores of North America. The United States, following its successful struggle for independence, invited Indian delegations to visit large cities. The new republic could ill afford a prolonged war with the powerful tribes arrayed along its borders, and the policy of hosting important chiefs and warriors at the national capital proved a relatively inexpensive yet effective means of convincing them of the folly of resisting the hegemony and territorial designs of the United States. No doubt many of the Indians never suspected the true purpose behind the reception they received. For most of them being a delegate was a valued opportunity to convey personally the wishes and needs of their people to the president of the United States, and they believed their conversations with him and other officials were being conducted in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Unfortunately this sense of brotherhood and equality was not always felt by the government officials in Washington. For the most part, they were patronizing and insincere in their dealings with the Indian visitors. - Preface.