Seneca sachem, engineer, soldier, and first native American commissioner of Indian affairs, 1869-1871. Speeches, lecture notes, and correspondence, ca. 1850-1885, of Ely Samuel Parker, regarding Indian customs and traits, the Indian policies of government and religious bodies, and his own background.,Includes an undated July 4th address re temperance; lecture notes (ca. 1850) on Indian dances, games, and social and domestic habits; an address (ca. 1878) containing autobiographical notes and commentary on white Indian policy from the Pilgrims to the early 19th century; and lecture notes (1885) on Indian clans. Also two letters, one, ca. 1885, addressed to his friend, the poet and writer Harriet Maxwell Converse, denouncing the civilizing efforts of organized religion and the U.S. policies of allotment and citizenship.