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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/6988.txt b/6988.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d168b6c --- /dev/null +++ b/6988.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4577 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians +of Michigan, by Andrew J. Blackbird + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing +this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. + +This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project +Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan + +Author: Andrew J. Blackbird + +Release Date: November, 2004 [EBook #6988] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on February 20, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OTTOWA AND CHIPPEWA OF MICHIGAN *** + + + + +This eBook was produced by Michelle Shepard, Juliet Sutherland, +Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + +HISTORY +OF THE OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA INDIANS +OF MICHIGAN; + + +A GRAMMAR OF THEIR LANGUAGE, +AND PERSONAL AND FAMILY HISTORY OF THE AUTHOR, + +BY +ANDREW J. BLACKBIRD, + +LATE U.S. INTERPRETER, HARBOR SPRINGS, EMMET CO., +MICH. + + + + +INTRODUCTION + + +Andrew J. Blackbird, the author of this little book, is an educated +Indian, son of the Ottawa Chief. His Indian name is Mack-aw-de-be-nessy +(Black Hawk), but he generally goes by the name of "Blackbird," taken +from the interpretation of the French "L'Oiseau noir." Mr. Blackbird's +wife is an educated and intelligent white woman of English descent, and +they have four children. He is a friend of the white people, as well as +of his own people. Brought up as an Indian, with no opportunity for +learning during his boyhood, when he came to think for himself, he +started out blindly for an education, without any means but his brains +and his hands. + +He was loyal to the Government during the rebellion in the United +States, for which cause he met much opposition by designing white +people, who had full sway among the Indians, and who tried to mislead +them and cause them to be disloyal; and he broke up one or two +rebellious councils amongst his people during the progress of the +rebellion. + +When Hon. D. C. Leach, of Traverse City, Mich., was Indian Agent, Mr. +Blackbird was appointed United States Interpreter and continued in this +office with other subsequent Agents of the Department for many years. +Before he was fairly out of this office, he was appointed postmaster of +Little Traverse, now Harbor Springs, Mich., and faithfully discharged +his duties as such for over eleven years with but very little salary. + +He has also for several years looked after the soldiers' claims for +widows and orphans, both for the whites as well as for his own people, +in many instances without the least compensation, not even his stamps +and paper paid. He is now decrepit with old age and failing health, and +unable to perform hard manual labor. + +We therefore recommend this work of Mr. A. J. Blackbird as interesting +and reliable. + + JAMES L. MORRICE, + Treasurer of Emmet County. + + C. P. NEWKIRK, + Principal Harbor Springs Public Schools. + + CHARLES R. WRIGHT, + Ex-President Harbor Springs. + + CHARLES W. INGALLS, + Notary Public for Emmet Co. + + ALBERT L. HATHAWAY, + County Clerk, Emmet County. + + WM. H. LEE, + Probate Clerk and Abstractor of Titles. + + ARCH. D. METZ, + Deputy Register of Deeds. + + WILLARD P. GIBSON, + Pastor Presbyterian Church. + + WILLIAM H. MILLER, U.S.A. + + + + +PREFACE. + + +I deem it not improper to present the history of the last race of +Indians now existing in the State of Michigan, called the Ottawa and +Chippewa Nations of Indians. + +There were many other tribes of Indians in this region prior to the +occupancy of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of this State, who have +long ago gone out of existence. Not a page of their history is on +record; but only an allusion to them in our traditions. + +I have herewith recorded the earliest history of the Ottawa tribe of +Indians in particular, according to their traditions. I have related +where they formerly lived, the names of their leaders, and what tribes +they contended with before and after they came to Michigan, and how +they came to be the inhabitants of this State. Also the earliest +history of the Island of Mackinac, and why it is called +"Michilimackinac"--which name has never been correctly translated by +white historians, but which is here given according to our knowledge of +this matter long before we came in contact with white races. + +I have also recorded some of the most important legends, which resemble +the Bible history; particularly the legends with regard to the great +flood, which has been in our language for many centuries, and the +legend of the great fish which swallowed the prophet Ne-naw-bo-zhoo, +who came out again alive, which might be considered as corresponding to +the story of Jonah in the Sacred History. + +Beside my own personal and our family history, I have also, quite +extensively, translated our language into English and added many other +items which might be interesting to all who may wish to inquire into +our history and language. + + ANDREW J. BLACKBIRD. + + + + +ACKNOWLEDGMENT. + + +The Ypsilanti Auxiliary of the Women's National Indian Association, by +whose efforts this book is published, take this opportunity to express +earnest thanks to those who have aided in this work. + +Most generous donations of money from friends of Indians and equally +valuable liberality from publishers and papermakers have made possible +the preservation of this most rare and important history. + +This is the only instance where a native Indian has recorded the story +of his people and given a grammar of their language; thus producing a +work whose immense value, as an account of a race and a language +already passing into oblivion, will become even more inestimable with +the lapse of time. + + Ypsilanti, Mich., Oct., 1887. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +History of the Ottawa of Michigan--Preliminary Remarks in Regard to +Other Histories, Concerning the Massacre of the Old British Fort on the +Straits of Mackinac--British Promise to the Ottawas--Ravages of Small +Pox--First Recollection of the Country of Arbor-Croche and Its +Definition--Uprightness and Former Character of the Indians. + + +I have seen a number of writings by different men who attempted to give +an account of the Indians who formerly occupied the Straits of Mackinac +and Mackinac Island, (that historic little island which stands at the +entrance of the strait,) also giving an account of the Indians who +lived and are yet living in Michigan, scattered through the counties of +Emmet, Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Antrim, Grand Traverse, and in the region +of Thunder Bay, on the west shore of Lake Huron. But I see no very +correct account of the Ottawa and Chippewa tribes of Indians, according +to our knowledge of ourselves, past and present. Many points are far +from being credible. They are either misstated by persons who were not +versed in the traditions of these Indians, or exaggerated. An instance +of this is found in the history of the life of Pontiac (pronounced +Bwon-diac), the Odjebwe (or Chippewa) chief of St. Clair, the +instigator of the massacre of the old fort on the Straits of Mackinac, +written by a noted historian. In his account of the massacre, he says +there was at this time no known surviving Ottawa Chief living on the +south side of the Straits. This point of the history is incorrect, as +there were several Ottawa chiefs living on the south side of the +Straits at this particular time, who took no part in this massacre, but +took by force the few survivors of this great, disastrous catastrophe, +and protected them for a while and afterwards took them to Montreal, +presenting them to the British Government; at the same time praying +that their brother Odjebwes should not be retaliated upon on account of +their rash act against the British people, but that they might be +pardoned, as this terrible tragedy was committed through mistake, and +through the evil counsel of one of their leaders by the name of +Bwondiac (known in history as Pontiac). They told the British +Government that their brother Odjebwes were few in number, while the +British were in great numbers and daily increasing from an unknown part +of the world across the ocean. They said, "Oh, my father, you are like +the trees of the forest, and if one of the forest trees should be +wounded with a hatchet, in a few years its wound will be entirely +healed. Now, my father, compare with this: this is what my brother +Odjebwe did to some of your children on the Straits of Mackinac, whose +survivors we now bring back and present to your arms. O my father, have +mercy upon my brothers and pardon them; for with your long arms and +many, but a few strokes of retaliation would cause our brother to be +entirely annihilated from the face of the earth!" + +According to our understanding in our traditions, that was the time the +British Government made such extraordinary promises to the Ottawa tribe +of Indians, at the same time thanking them for their humane action upon +those British remnants of the massacre. She promised them that her long +arms will perpetually extend around them from generation to generation, +or so long as there should be rolling sun. They should receive gifts +from her sovereign in shape of goods, provisions, firearms, ammunition, +and intoxicating liquors! Her sovereign's beneficent arm should be even +extended unto the dogs belonging to the Ottawa tribe of Indians. And +what place soever she should meet them, she would freely unfasten the +faucet which contains her living water--whisky, which she will also +cause to run perpetually and freely unto the Ottawas as the fountain of +perpetual spring! And furthermore: she said, "I am as many as the stars +in the heavens; and when you get up in the morning, look to the east; +you will see that the sun, as it will peep through the earth, will be +as red as my coat, to remind you why I am likened unto the sun, and my +promises will be as perpetual as the rolling sun!" + +Ego-me-nay--Corn-hanger--was the head counselor and speaker of the +Ottawa tribe of Indians at that time, and, according to our knowledge, +Ego-me-nay was the leading one who went with those survivors of the +massacre, and he was the man who made the speech before the august +assembly in the British council hall at Montreal at that time. Ne-saw- +key--Down-the-hill--the head chief of the Ottawa Nation, did not go +with the party, but sent his message, and instructed their counselor in +what manner he should appear before the British Government. My father +was a little boy at that time, and my grandfather and my great- +grandfather were both living then, and both held the first royal rank +among the Ottawas. My grandfather was then a sub-chief and my great- +grandfather was a war chief, whose name was Pun-go-wish: And several +other chiefs of the tribe I could mention who existed at that time, but +this is ample evidence that the historian was mistaken in asserting +that there was no known Ottawa chief existing at the time of the +massacre. + +However it was a notable fact that by this time the Ottawas were +greatly reduced in numbers from what they were in former times, on +account of the small-pox which they brought from Montreal during the +French war with Great Britain. This small pox was sold to them shut up +in a tin box, with the strict injunction not to open the box on their +way homeward, but only when they should reach their country; and that +this box contained something that would do them great good, and their +people! The foolish people believed really there was something in the +box supernatural, that would do them great good. Accordingly, after +they reached home they opened the box; but behold there was another tin +box inside, smaller. They took it cut and opened the second box, and +behold, still there was another box inside of the second box, smaller +yet. So they kept on this way till they came to a very small box, which +was not more than an inch long; and when they opened the last one they +found nothing but mouldy particles in this last little box! They +wondered very much what it was, and a great many closely inspected to +try to find out what it meant. But alas, alas! pretty soon burst out a +terrible sickness among them. The great Indian doctors themselves were +taken sick and died. The tradition says it was indeed awful and +terrible. Every one taken with it was sure to die. Lodge after lodge +was totally vacated--nothing but the dead bodies lying here and there +in their lodges--entire families being swept off with the ravages of +this terrible disease. The whole coast of Arbor Croche, or Waw-gaw-naw- +ke-zee, where their principal village was situated, on the west shore +of the peninsula near the Straits, which is said to have been a +continuous village some fifteen or sixteen miles long and extending +from what is now called Cross Village to Seven-Mile Point (that is, +seven miles from Little Traverse, now Harbor Springs), was entirely +depopulated and laid waste. It is generally believed among the Indians +of Arbor Croche that this wholesale murder of the Ottawas by this +terrible disease sent by the British people, was actuated through +hatred, and expressly to kill off the Ottawas and Chippewas because +they were friends of the French Government or French King, whom they +called "Their Great Father." The reason that to-day we see no full- +grown trees standing along the coast of Arbor Croche, a mile or more in +width along the shore, is because the trees were entirely cleared away +for this famous long village, which existed before the small-pox raged +among the Ottawas. + +In my first recollection of the country of Arbor Croche, which is sixty +years ago, there was nothing but small shrubbery here and there in +small patches, such as wild cherry trees, but the most of it was grassy +plain; and such an abundance of wild strawberries, raspberries and +blackberries that they fairly perfumed the air of the whole coast with +fragrant scent of ripe fruit. The wild pigeons and every variety of +feathered songsters filled all the groves, warbling their songs +joyfully and feasting upon these wild fruits of nature; and in these +waters the fishes were so plentiful that as you lift up the anchor- +stone of your net in the morning, your net would be so loaded with +delicious whitefish as to fairly float with all its weight of the +sinkers. As you look towards the course of your net, you see the fins +of the fishes sticking out of the water in every way. Then I never knew +my people to want for anything to eat or to wear, as we always had +plenty of wild meat and plenty of fish, corn, vegetables, and wild +fruits. I thought (and yet I may be mistaken) that my people were very +happy in those days, at least I was as happy myself as a lark, or as +the brown thrush that sat daily on the uppermost branches of the stubby +growth of a basswood tree which stood near by upon the hill where we +often played under its shade, lodging our little arrows among the thick +branches of the tree and then shooting them down again for sport. + +[Footnote: The word Arbor Croche is derived from two French words: +Arbre, a tree; and Croche, something very crooked or hook-like. The +tradition says when the Ottawas first came to that part of the country +a great pine tree stood very near the shore where Middle Village now +is, whose top was very crooked, almost hook-like. Therefore the Ottawas +called the place "Waw-gaw-naw-ke-zee"--meaning the crooked top of the +tree. But by and by the whole coast from Little Traverse to Tehin-gaw- +beng, now Cross Village, became denominated as Waw-gaw-naw-ke-zee.] + +Early in the morning as the sun peeped from the east, as I would yet be +lying close to my mother's bosom, this brown thrush would begin his +warbling songs perched upon the uppermost branches of the basswood tree +that stood close to our lodge. I would then say to myself, as I +listened to him, "here comes again my little orator," and I used to try +to understand what he had to say; and sometimes thought I understood +some of its utterances as follows: "Good morning, good morning! arise, +arise! shoot, shoot! come along, come along!" etc., every word repeated +twice. Even then, and so young as I was, I used to think that little +bird had a language which God or the Great Spirit had given him, and +every bird of the forest understood what he had to say, and that he was +appointed to preach to other birds, to tell them to be happy, to be +thankful for the blessings they enjoy among the summer green branches +of the forest, and the plenty of wild fruits to eat. The larger boys +used to amuse themselves by playing a ball called Paw-kaw-do-way, foot- +racing, wrestling, bow-arrow shooting, and trying to beat one another +shooting the greatest number of chipmunks and squirrels in a day, etc. + +I never heard any boy or any grown person utter any bad language, even +if they were out of patience with anything. Swearing or profanity was +never heard among the Ottawa and Chippewa tribes of Indians, and not +even found in their language. Scarcely any drunkenness, only once in a +great while the old folks used to have a kind of short spree, +particularly when there was any special occasion of a great feast going +on. But all the young folks did not drink intoxicating liquors as a +beverage in those days. And we always rested in perfect safety at night +in our dwellings, and the doorways of our lodges had no fastenings to +them, but simply a frail mat or a blanket was hung over our doorways +which might be easily pushed or thrown one side without any noise if +theft or any other mischief was intended. But we were not afraid for +any such thing to happen us, because we knew that every child of the +forest was observing and living under the precepts which their +forefathers taught them, and the children were taught almost daily by +their parents from infancy unto manhood and womanhood, or until they +were separated from their families. + +These precepts or moral commandments by which the Ottawa and Chippewa +nations of Indians were governed in their primitive state, were almost +the same as the ten commandments which the God Almighty himself +delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai on tables of stone. Very few of these +divine precepts are not found among the precepts of the Ottawa and +Chippewa Indians, except with regard to the Sabbath day to keep it +holy; almost every other commandment can be found, only there are more, +as there were about twenty of these "uncivilized" precepts. They also +believed, in their primitive state, that the eye of this Great Being is +the sun by day, and by night the moon and stars, and, therefore, that +God or the Great Spirit sees all things everywhere, night and day, and +it would be impossible to hide our actions, either good or bad, from +the eye of this Great Being. Even the very threshold or crevice of your +wigwam will be a witness against you, if you should commit any criminal +action when no human eye could observe your criminal doings, but surely +your criminal actions will be revealed in some future time to your +disgrace and shame. These were continual inculcations to the children +by their parents, and in every feast and council, by the "Instructors +of the Precepts" to the people or to the audience of the council. For +these reasons the Ottawas and Chippewas in their primitive state were +strictly honest and upright in their dealings with their fellow-beings. +Their word of promise was as good as a promissory note, even better, as +these notes sometimes are neglected and not performed according to +their promises; but the Indian promise was very sure and punctual, +although, as they had no timepieces, they measured their time by the +sun. If an Indian promised to execute a certain obligation at such +time, at so many days, and at such height of the sun, when that time +comes he would be there punctually to fulfill this obligation. This was +formerly the character of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan. +But now, our living is altogether different, as we are continually +suffering under great anxiety and perplexity, and continually being +robbed and cheated in various ways. Our houses have been forcibly +entered for thieving purposes and murder; people have been knocked down +and robbed; great safes have been blown open with powder in our little +town and their contents carried away, and even children of the +Caucasian race are heard cursing and blaspheming the name of their +Great Creator, upon whose pleasure we depended for our existence. + +According to my recollection of the mode of living in our village, so +soon as darkness came in the evening, the young boys and girls were not +allowed to be out of their lodges. Every one of them must be called in +to his own lodge for the rest of the night. And this rule of the +Indians in their wild state was implicitly observed. + +Ottawa and Chippewa Indians were not what we would call entirely +infidels and idolaters; for they believed that there is a Supreme Ruler +of the Universe, the Creator of all things, the Great Spirit, to which +they offer worship and sacrifices in a certain form. It was customary +among them, every spring of the year, to gather all the cast off +garments that had been worn during the winter and rear them up on a +long pole while they were having festivals and jubilees to the Great +Spirit. The object of doing this was that the Great Spirit might look +down from heaven and have compassion on his red children. Only this, +that they foolishly believe that there are certain deities all over the +lands who to a certain extent govern or preside over certain places, as +a deity who presides over this river, over this lake, or this mountain, +or island, or country, and they were careful not to express anything +which might displease such deities; but that they were not supreme +rulers, only to a certain extent they had power over the land where +they presided. These deities were supposed to be governed by the Great +Spirit above. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +Cases of Murders Among the Ottawas and Chippewas Exceedingly Scarce +--Ceding the Grand Traverse Region to the Chippewas on Account of +Murder--Immorality Among the Ottawas not Common--Marriage in Former +Times. + + +The murders in cold blood among the Ottawa and Chippewa nations of +Indians in their primitive state were exceedingly few, at least there +was only one account in our old tradition where a murder had been +committed, a young Ottawa having stabbed a young Chippewa while in +dispute over their nets when they were fishing for herrings on the +Straits of Mackinac. This nearly caused a terrible bloody war between +the two powerful tribes of Indians (as they were numerous then) so +closely related. The tradition says they had council after council upon +this subject, and many speeches were delivered on both sides. The +Chippewas proposed war to settle the question of murder, while the +Ottawas proposed compromise and restitution for the murder. Finally the +Ottawas succeeded in settling the difficulty by ceding part of their +country to the Chippewa nation, which is now known and distinguished as +the Grand Traverse Region. A strip of land which I believe to have +extended from a point near Sleeping Bear, down to the eastern shore of +the Grand Traverse Bay, some thirty or forty miles wide, thence between +two parallel lines running southeasterly until they strike the head +waters of Muskegon River, which empties into Lake Michigan not very far +below Grand Haven. They were also allowed access to all the rivers and +streams in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, to trap the beavers, minks, +otters and muskrats. The Indians used their furs in former times for +garments and blankets. This is the reason that to this day the Odjebwes +(Chippewas) are found in that section of the country. + +It may be said, this is not true; it is a mistake. We have known +several cases of murders among the Ottawas and Chippewas. I admit it to +be true, that there have been cases of murders among the Ottawas and +Chippewas since the white people knew them. But these cases of murders +occurred some time after they came in contact with the white races in +their country; but I am speaking now of the primitive condition of +Indians, particularly of the Ottawas and Chippewas, and I believe most +of those cases of murders were brought on through the bad influence of +white men, by introducing into the tribes this great destroyer of +mankind, soul and body, intoxicating liquors! Yet, during sixty years +of my existence among the Ottawas and Chippewas, I have never witnessed +one case of murder of this kind, but I heard there were a few cases in +other parts of the country, when in their fury from the influence of +intoxicating liquors. + +There was one case of sober murder happened about fifty years ago at +Arbor Croche, where one young man disposed of his lover by killing, +which no Indian ever knew the actual cause of. He was arrested and +committed to the Council and tried according to the Indian style; and +after a long council, or trial, it was determined the murderer should +be banished from the tribe. Therefore, he was banished. Also, about +this time, one case of sober murder transpired among the Chippewas of +Sault Ste. Marie, committed by one of the young Chippewas whose name +was Wau-bau-ne-me-kee (White-thunder), who might have been released if +he had been properly tried and impartial judgment exercised over the +case, but we believe it was not. This Indian killed a white man, when +he was perfectly sober, by stabbing. He was arrested, of course, and +tried and sentenced to be hung at the Island of Mackinac. I distinctly +remember the time. This poor Indian was very happy when he was about to +be hung on the gallows. He told the people that he was very happy to +die, for he felt that he was innocent. He did not deny killing the man, +but he thought he was justifiable in the sight of the Great Spirit, as +such wicked monsters ought to be killed from off the earth; as this +white man came to the Indian's wigwam in the dead of night, and dragged +the mother of his children from his very bosom for licentious purpose. +He remonstrated, but his remonstrances were not heeded, as this ruffian +was encouraged by others who stood around his wigwam, and ready to fall +upon this poor Indian and help their fellow-ruffian; and he therefore +stabbed the principal party, in defence of his beloved wife, for which +cause the white man died. If an Indian should go to the white man's +house and commit that crime, he would be killed; and what man is there +who would say that is too bad, this Indian to be killed in that manner? +But every man will say amen, only he ought to have been tortured before +he was killed; and let the man who killed this bad and wicked Indian be +rewarded! This is what would be the result if the Indian would have +done the same thing as this white man did. + +The Ottawas and Chippewas were quite virtuous in their primitive state, +as there were no illegitimate children reported in our old traditions. +But very lately this evil came to exist among the Ottawas--so lately +that the second case among the Ottawas of Arbor Croche is yet living. +And from that time this evil came to be quite frequent, for immorality +has been introduced among these people by evil white persons who bring +their vices into the tribes. + +In the former times or before the Indians were christianized, when a +young man came to be a fit age to get married, he did not trouble +himself about what girl he should have for his wife; but the parents of +the young man did this part of the business When the parents thought +best that their son should be separated from their family by marriage, +it was their business to decide what woman their son should have as his +wife; and after selecting some particular girl among their neigbors, +they would take up quite large package of presents and then go to the +parents of the girl and demand the daughter for their son's wife at +the same time delivering the presents to the parents of the girl. If +the old folks say yes, then they would fetch the girl right along to +their son and tell him, We have brought this girl as your wife so long +as you live; now take her, cherish her, and be kind to her so long as +you live. The young man and girl did not dare to say aught against it, +as it was the law and custom amongst their people, but all they had to +do was to take each other as man and wife. This was all the rules and +ceremony of getting married in former times among the Ottawas and +Chippewas of Michigan: they must not marry their cousins nor second +cousins. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +Earliest Possible Known History of Mackinac Island--Its Historical +Definition--Who Resided at the Island--Massacre at the Island by +Senecas--Where the Ottawas were Living at That Time--Only Two Escape +the Massacre--What Became of Them--The Legends of the Two Who Escaped +--Occupants of the Island Afterwards--Who Killed Warrior Tecumseh? + + +Again, most every historian, or annalist so-called, who writes about +the Island of Mackinac and the Straits and vicinity, tells us that the +definition or the meaning of the word "Michilimackinac" in the Ottawa +and Chippewa language, is "large turtle," derived from the word Mi-she- +mi-ki-nock in the Chippewa language. That is, "Mi-she" as one of the +adnominals or adjectives in the Ottawa and Chippewa languages, which +would signify tremendous in size; and "Mikinock" is the name of mud +turtle--meaning, therefore, "monstrous large turtle," as the historians +would have it. But we consider this to be a clear error. Whereever +those annalists, or those who write about the Island of Mackinac, +obtain their information as to the definition of the word +Michilimackinac, I don't know, when our tradition is so direct and so +clear with regard to the historical definition of that word, and is far +from being derived from the word "Michimikinock," as the historians +have told us. Our tradition says that when the Island was first +discovered by the Ottawas, which was some time before America was known +as an existing country by the white man, there was a small independent +tribe, a remnant race of Indians who occupied this island, who became +confederated with the Ottawas when the Ottawas were living at +Manitoulin, formerly called Ottawa Island, which is situated north of +Lake Huron. The Ottawas thought a good deal of this unfortunate race of +people, as they were kind of interesting sort of people; but, +unfortunately, they had most powerful enemies, who every now and then +would come among them to make war with them. Their enemies were of the +Iroquois of New York. Therefore, once in the dead of the winter while +the Ottawas were having a great jubilee and war dances at their island, +now Manitoulin, on account of the great conquest over the We-ne-be-goes +of Wisconsin, of which I will speak more fully in subsequent chapters, +during which time the Senecas of New York, of the Iroquois family of +Indians, came upon the remnant race and fought them, and almost +entirely annihilated them. But two escaped to tell the story, who +effected their escape by flight and by hiding in one of the natural +caves at the island, and therefore that was the end of this race. And +according to our understanding and traditions the tribal name of those +disastrous people was "Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go," which is still existing +to this day as a monument of their former existence; for the Ottawas +and Chippewas named this little island "Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong" for +memorial sake of those their former confederates, which word is the +locative case of the Indian noun "Michinemackinawgo." Therefore, we +contend, this is properly where the name Michilimackinac is originated. + +This is the earliest possible history of this little Island, as I have +related, according to the Ottawa traditions; and from that time forward +there have been many changes in its history, as other tribes of Indians +took possession of the island, such as the Hurons and Chippewas; and +still later by the whites--French, English, and Americans; and numbers +of battles have been fought from time to time there, by both Indians +and whites, of which I need not relate as other historians have already +given us the accounts of them. But only this I would relate, because I +have never yet seen the account of it: It is related in our traditions +that at the time when the Chippewas occupied the island they ceded it +to the United States Government, but reserved a strip of land all +around the island as far as a stone throw from its water's edge as +their encampment grounds when they might come to the island to trade or +for other business. + +Perhaps the reader would like to know what became of those two persons +who escaped from the lamented tribe Michinemackinawgoes. I will here +give it just as it is related in our traditions, although this may be +considered, at this age, as a fictitious story; but every Ottawa and +Chippewa to this day believes it to be positively so. It is related +that the two persons escaped were two young people, male and female, +and they were lovers. After everything got quieted down, they fixed +their snow-shoes inverted and crossed the lake on the ice, as snow was +quite deep on the ice, and they went towards the north shore of Lake +Huron. The object of inverting their snow-shoes was that in case any +person should happen to come across their track on the ice, their track +would appear as if going towards the island. They became so disgusted +with human nature, it is related, that they shunned every mortal being, +and just lived by themselves, selecting the wildest part of the +country. Therefore, the Ottawas and Chippewas called them "Paw-gwa- +tchaw-nish-naw-boy." The last time they were seen by the Ottawas, they +had ten children--all boys, and all living and well. And every Ottawa +and Chippewa believes to this day that they are still in existence and +roaming in the wildest part of the land, but as supernatural beings +--that is, they can be seen or unseen, just as they see fit to be; and +sometimes they simply manifested themselves as being present by +throwing a club or a stone at a person walking in a solitude, or by +striking a dog belonging to the person walking; and sometimes by +throwing a club at the lodge, night or day, or hearing their footsteps +walking around the wigwam when the Indians would be camping out in an +unsettled part of the country, and the dogs would bark, just as they +would bark at any strange person approaching the door. And sometimes +they would be tracked on snow by hunters, and if followed on their +track, however recently passed, they never could be overtaken. +Sometimes when an Indian would be hunting or walking in solitude, he +would suddenly be seized with an unearthly fright, terribly awe +stricken, apprehending some great evil. He feels very peculiar +sensation from head to foot--the hair of his head standing and feeling +stiff like a porcupine quill. He feels almost benumbed with fright, and +yet he does not know what it is; and looking in every direction to see +something, but nothing to be seen which might cause sensation of +terror. Collecting himself, he would then say, "Pshaw! its nothing here +to be afraid of. It's nobody else but Paw-gwa-tchaw-nish-naw-boy is +approaching me. Perhaps he wanted something of me." They would then +leave something on their tracks--tobacco, powder, or something else. +Once in a great while they would appear, and approach the person to +talk with him, and in this case, it is said, they would always begin +with the sad story of their great catastrophe at the Island of +Mackinac. And whoever would be so fortunate as to meet and see them and +to talk with them, such person would always become a prophet to his +people, either Ottawa or Chippewa. Therefore, Ottawas and Chippewas +called these supernatural beings "Paw-gwa-tchaw-nish-naw-boy," which +is, strictly, "Wild roaming supernatural being." + +Pine river country, in Charlevoix County, Michigan, when this country +was all wild, especially near Pine Lake, was once considered as the +most famous resort of these kind of unnatural beings. I was once +conversing with one of the first white settlers of that portion of the +country, who settled near to the place now called Boyne City, at the +extreme end of the east arm of Pine Lake. In the conversation he told +me that many times they had been frightened, particularly during the +nights, by hearing what sounded like human footsteps around outside of +their cabin; and their dog would be terrified, crouching at the +doorway, snarling and growling, and sometimes fearfully barking. When +daylight came, the old man would go out in order to discover what it +was or if he could track anything around his cabin, but he never could +discover a track of any kind. These remarkable, mischievous, audible, +fanciful, appalling apprehensions were of very frequent occurrence +before any other inhabitants or settlers came near to his place; but +now, they do not have such apprehensions since many settlers came. + +That massacre of Mishinimackinawgoes by Seneca Indians of New York +happened probably more than five or six hundred years ago. I could say +much more which would be contradictory of other writers of the history +of the Indians in this country. Even in the history of the United +States I think there are some mistakes concerning the accounts of the +Indians, particularly the accounts of our brave Tecumseh, as it is +claimed that he was killed by a soldier named Johnson, upon whom they +conferred the honor of having disposed of the dreaded Tecumseh. Even +pictured out as being coming up with his tomahawk to strike a man who +was on horseback, but being instantly shot dead with the pistol. Now I +have repeatedly heard our oldest Indians, both male and female, who +were present at the defeat of the British and Indians, all tell a +unanimous story, saying that they came to a clearing or opening spot, +and it was there where Tecumseh ordered his warriors to rally and fight +the Americans once more, and in this very spot one of the American +musket balls took effect in Tecumseh's leg so as to break the bone of +his leg, that he could not stand up. He was sitting on the ground when +he told his warriors to flee as well as they could, and furthermore +said, "One of my leg is shot off! But leave me one or two guns loaded; +I am going to have a last shot. Be quick and go!" That was the last +word spoken by Tecumseh. As they look back, they saw the soldiers thick +as swarm of bees around where Tecumseh was sitting on the ground with +his broken leg, and so they did not see him any more; and, therefore, +we always believe that the Indians or Americans know not who made the +fatal shot on Tecumseh's leg, or what the soldiers did with him when +they came up to him as he was sitting on the ground. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +The Author's Reasons for Recording the History of His People, and Their +Language--History of His Nationality--A Sketch of His Father's History +--How the Indians Were Treated in Manitoba Country One Hundred Years +Ago--His Father's Banishment to Die on a Lonely Island by the White +Traders--Second Misfortune of the Ottawas on Account of the Shawanee +Prophet--The Earthquake. + + +The Indian tribes are continnually diminishing on the face of this +continent. Some have already passed entirely out of existence and are +forgotten, who once inhabited this part of the country; such as the +Mawsh-ko-desh, Urons, Ossaw-gees--who formerly occupied Saw-gi-naw bay; +and the Odaw gaw-mees, whose principal habitation was about the +vicinity of Detroit River. They are entirely vanished into nothingness. +Not a single page of their history can be found on record in the +history of this country, or hardly an allusion to their existence. My +own race, once a very numerous, powerful and warlike tribe of Indians, +who proudly trod upon this soil, is also near the end of existence. In +a few more generations they will be so intermingled with the Caucasian +race as to be hardly distinguished as descended from the Indian +nations, and their language will be lost. I myself was brought up in a +pure Indian style, and lived in a wigwam, and have partaken of every +kind of the wild jubilees of my people, and was once considered one of +the best "Pipe" dancers of the tribe. But when nearly grown up, I was +invited by a traveling Protestant Missionary, whose name was Alvin Coe, +to go home with him to the State of Ohio, with the assurance that he +would give me a good education like the white man, and the idea struck +me that I could be really educated and be able to converse with the +white people. And although at that time (in the fall of 1840) I missed +the opportunity, the idea was never after off of my mind. So some time +afterwards I started out voluntarily to obtain an education; and I had +nearly succeeded in completing my professional studies when I called +away to come home and look after my aged father, in 1850. And now I +have four children, but not one of them can speak the Indian language. +And every one of the little Indian urchins who are now running about in +our town can speak to each other quite fluently in the English +language; but I am very sorry to add that they have also learned +profanity like the white children. For these reasons it seems desirable +that the history of my people should not be lost, like that of other +tribes who previously existed in this country, and who have left no +record of their ancient legends and their traditions. + +Before proceeding to record the history of the Ottawas of the State of +Michigan, to whom I am immediately connected in their common interests +and their future destinies, I propose to rehearse in a summary manner +my nationality and family history. Our tradition says that long ago, +when the Ottawa tribes of Indians used to go on a warpath either +towards the south or towards the west, even as far as to the Rocky +Mountains, on one of these expeditions towards the Rocky Mountains my +remote ancestors were captured and brought to this country as prisoners +of war. But they were afterwards adopted as children of the Ottawas, +and intermarried with the nation in which they were captives. +Subsequently these captives' posterity became so famous among the +Ottawas on account of their exploits and bravery on the warpath and +being great hunters that they became closely connected with the royal +families, and were considered as the best counselors, best chieftains +and best warriors among the Ottawas. Thus I am not regularly descended +from the Ottawa nations of Indians, but I am descended, as tradition +says, from the tribe in the far west known as the Underground race of +people. They were so called on account of making their habitations in +the ground by making holes large enough for dwelling purposes. It is +related that they even made caves in the ground in which to keep their +horses every night to prevent them from being stolen by other tribes +who were their enemies. It is also related that they were quite an +intelligent class of people. By cultivating the soil they raised corn +and other vegetables to aid in sustaining life beside hunting and +fishing. They were entirely independent, having their own government +and language, and possessing their own national emblem which +distinguished them as distinct and separate from all other tribes. This +symbolical ensign of my ancestors was represented by a species of small +hawk, which the Ottawas called the "Pe-pe-gwen." So we were sometimes +called in this country in which we live the "Pe-pe-gwen tribe," instead +of the "Undergrounds." And it was customary among the Ottawas, that if +any one of our number, a descendant of the Undergrounds, should commit +any punishable crime, all the Pe-pe-gwen tribe or descendants of the +Undergrounds would be called together in a grand council and requested +to make restitution for the crime or to punish the guilty one, +according to the final decision of the council. + +There were several great chieftains of the Undergrounds among the +Ottawas who were living within my time, and some are here mentioned who +were most known by the American people, particularly during the war +with Great Britain in 1812. Most of these chieftains were my own +uncles. One was called Late Wing, who took a very active part for the +cause of the United States in the war of 1812, and he was a great +friend to Governor Lewis Cass of Michigan. Wing was pensioned for life +for his good services to the United States. He was one of my father's +own brothers. Shaw-be-nee was an uncle of mine on my mother's side, who +also served bravely for the United States in the war of 1812. He +traveled free all over the United States during his lifetime. This +privilege was granted to him by the Government of the United States for +his patriotism and bravery. He died in the State of Illinois about +twenty years ago from this writing, and a monument was raised for him +by the people in that State. Wa-ke-zoo was another great chieftain who +died before my time in the country of Manitoba, out north. He was also +one of my father's brothers. It is related that he was also a prophet +and a great magician. + +My own dear father was one of the head chiefs at Arbor Croche, now +called Middle Village or Good Heart, which latter name was given at my +suggestion by the Postoffice Department at Washington. My father died +in June, 1861. His Indian name was Macka-de-pe-nessy, [Footnote: This +name is written variously, the letters d, b, t, and p, being considered +identical in the Ottawa language.--Ed.] which means Black Hawk; but +somehow it has been mistranslated into Blackbird, so we now go by this +latter name. My father was a very brave man. He has led his warriors +several times on the warpath, and he was noted as one who was most +daring and adventurous in his younger days. He stayed about twenty +years in the country of Manitoba with his brother Wa-ke-zoo, among +other tribes of Indians and white fur-traders in that section of the +country. Many times he has grappled with and narrowly escaped from the +grizzly bear and treacherous buffalo which were then very numerous in +that portion of the country. This was about one hundred years ago. He +has seen there things that would be almost incredible at this present +age: liquor sold to the Indians measured with a woman's thimble, a +thimbleful for one dollar; one wooden coarse comb for two beaver skins; +a double handful of salt for one beaver skin--and so on in proportion +in everything else; the poor Indian had to give pile upon pile of +beaver skins, which might be worth two or three hundred dollars, for a +few yards of flimsy cloth. Englishmen and Frenchman who went there +expressly to traffic with the Indians, generally started from Quebec +and Montreal, leaving their families at home; but so soon as they +reached this wild country, they would take Indian wives. When they left +the country, they would leave their Indian wives and children there to +shift for themselves. Consequently there are in this region thousands +of half breeds, most beautiful men and beautiful women, but they are as +savage as the rest of the Indians. No white man there ever told these +poor Indians anything about Christianity, but only added unto them +their degradations and robbed them. + +My father was once there left to perish on a lonely island by the fur +traders, not because he had done any crime, but simply from inhuman +cruelty and disregard of Indians by these white men. He was traveling +with these traders from place to place in a long bark canoe, which was +the only means of conveyance on the water in those days. It appears +that there were two parties, and two of these long bark canoes were +going in the same direction, one of which my father was paddling for +them. He was not hired, but simply had joined them in his travels. But +these two parties were thrown into a great quarrel about who should +have my father to paddle their canoe. Therefore they landed on this +little island expressly to fight amongst themselves; and after fighting +long and desperately, they left my poor father on this little island to +die, for they concluded that neither of them should take him into their +canoe. He was left to die! What must be the feelings of this poor +Indian, to whom life was as sweet as to any human creature? What +revenge should he take upon those traders? He had a gun, which he +leveled at them as they started off in their canoes. His fingers were +on the trigger, when suddenly a thought flashed across his mind-- +"Perhaps the Great Spirit will be displeased." So he dropped his gun, +and raised a fervent prayer to the Almighty Ruler for deliverance from +this awful situation. After being several days on this little island, +when almost dying from starvation, fortunately deliverance came. He +spied a small canoe with two persons in it within hail. They came and +took him off from his dying situation. It was an Indian woman with her +little son who happened to travel in that direction who saved my +father's life. + +From this time hence my father lost all confidence in white men, +whatever the position or profession of the white man might be, whether +a priest, preacher, lawyer, doctor, merchant, or common white man. He +told us to beware of them, as they all were after one great object, +namely, to grasp the world's wealth. And in order to obtain this, they +would lie, steal, rob, or murder, if it need be; therefore he +instructed us to beware how the white man would approach us with very +smooth tongue, while his heart is full of deceit and far from intending +to do us any good. + +He left Manitoba country about 1800, or about the time when the +Shawanee prophet, "Waw-wo-yaw-ge-she-maw," who was one of Tecumseh's +own brothers, sent his emissaries to preach to the Ottawas and +Chippewas in the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan, who advised +the Ottawas and Chippewas to confess their sins and avow their wrongs +and go west, and there to worship the Great Spirit according to the old +style as their forefathers did, [Footnote: The worship of the Great +Spirit consisted mostly in songs and dancing accompanied with an Indian +drum, which has a very deep and solemn sound, alnot very large, about a +foot in diameter. I used to think that the sound of it must reach to +the heaven where the Great Spirit is.] and to abandon everything else +which the white man had introduced into the tribes of Indians, to +abandon even the mode of making fire, which was by flint and steel, and +to start their fires by friction between the two pieces of dry wood as +their forefathers made their fires before the white people came to this +country, and to eat no flesh of domestic animals, but to eat nothing +but wild game, and use their skins for their wearing apparel and robes +as the Great Spirit designed them to be when He created them. He taught +them that the Great Spirit was angry with them because they conformed +to the habits of the white man, and that if they did not believe and +practice the old habits, the Great Spirit would shake the earth as an +evidence that he tells them the truth. A great many Ottawas believed +and went far west accordingly. And it happened about this time the +earth did quake in Michigan; I think, if I am not mistaken, the earth +shook twice within a year, which is recorded in the annals of this +country. At the earthquake many Indians were frightened, and +consequently many more believed and went west; but nearly all of them +died out there because the climate did not agree with them. Saw-gaw- +kee--Growing-plant--was the head chief of the Ottawa nation of Indians +at that time, and was one of the believers who went with the parties +out west, and he also died there. [Footnote: This Chief Saw-gaw-kee was +Ne-saw-wa-quat's father, the last head chief of Little Traverse. Ne- +saw-wa-quat was the only child remaining alive of the whole family of +Saw-gaw-kee. Therefore the child was brought back to this country and +was the last head chief of Little Traverse, now Harbor Springs.] This +is the second time that the Ottawas were terribly reduced in numbers in +the country of Arbor Croche. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +The Author's Father Appointed Speaker for the Ottawas and Chippewas-- +The Only Ottawa Who was Friendly to Education--Making Alphabet--Acting +as School Teacher--Moving Disposition of the Ottawas--Mode of +Traveling--Tradition of William Blackbird Being Fed by Angelic Beings +in the Wilderness--His being Put into Mission School by His Father-- +Studying to be a Priest--His Assassination in the City of Rome, Italy, +Almost the Day When He was to be Ordained--Memorial Poem--The Author's +Remarks on the Death of His Brother. + + +After my father's return to Arbor Croche, he became quite an orator, +and consequently he was appointed as the head speaker in the council of +the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. He continued to hold this office until +his frame was beginning to totter with age, his memory became +disconnected and inactive, and he therefore gave up his office to his +own messenger, whose name was Joseph As-saw-gon, who died during the +late rebellion in the United States while Hon. D. C. Leach, of Traverse +City, was the Michigan Indian Agent. As-saw-gon was indeed quite an +orator, considering his scanty opportunities. He had no education at +all, but was naturally gifted as an orator. He was quite logical and +allegorical in his manner of speaking. I have heard several white +people remark, who had listened to his speeches through the imperfect +interpreters, that he was as good a speaker as any orator who had been +thoroughly educated. + +My father was the only man who was friendly to education. When I was a +little boy, I remember distinctly his making his own alphabet, which he +called "Paw-pa-pe-po." With this he learned how to read and write; and +afterwards he taught other Indians to read and write according to his +alphabet. He taught no children, but only the grown persons. Our +wigwam, which was about sixty or seventy feet long, where we lived in +the summer time, was like a regular school-house, with my father as +teacher of the school, and they had merry times in it. Many Indians +came there to learn his Paw-pa-pe-po, and some of them were very easy +to learn, while others found learning extremely difficult. + +We were ten of us children in the family, six boys and four girls. I +was the youngest of all who were living at that time. The eldest boy +was one of the greatest hunters among the Ottawas. His name was Pung-o- +wish, named after our great-grandfather, but he was afterwards called +Peter by the Catholic missionaries when he was baptised into the +Catholic religion. One of my brothers who was five or six years younger +than my eldest brother was a remarkably interesting boy. His name was +Pe-taw-wan-e-quot, though he was afterwards called William. He was +quick to learn Paw-pa-pe-po, and very curious and interesting questions +he would often ask of his father, which would greatly puzzle the old +man to answer. + +All the Indians of Arbor Croche used only to stay there during the +summer time, to plant their corn, potatoes, and other vegetables. As +soon as their crops were put away in the ground, [Footnote: The mode of +securing their corn was first to dry the ears by fire. When perfectly +dry, they would then beat them with a flail and pick all the cobs out. +The grain was then winnowed and put into sacks. These were put in the +ground in a large cylinder made out of elm bark, set in deep in the +ground and made very dry, filling this cylinder full and then covering +it to stay there for winter and summer use.] they would start all +together towards the south, going to different points, some going as +far as Chicago expressly to trap the muskrats, beavers, and many other +kinds of furs, and others to the St. Joe River, Black River, Grand +River, or Muskegon River, there to trap and hunt all winter, and make +sugar in the spring. After sugar making they would come back again to +Waw-gaw-naw-ke-zee, or Arbor Croche, to spend the summer and to raise +their crops again as before. + +In navigating Lake Michigan they used long bark canoes in which they +carried their whole families and enough provisions to last them all +winter. These canoes were made very light, out of white birch bark, and +with a fair wind they could skip very lightly on the waters, going very +fast, and could stand a very heavy sea. In one day they could sail +quite a long distance along the coast of Lake Michigan. When night +overtook them they would land and make wigwams with light poles of +cedar which they always carried in their canoes. These wigwams were +covered with mats made for that purpose out of prepared marsh reeds or +flags sewed together, which made very good shelter from rain and wind, +and were very warm after making fires inside of them. They had another +kind of mat to spread on the ground to sit and sleep on. These mats are +quite beautifully made out of different colors, and closely woven, of +well prepared bull-rushes. [Footnote: To prepare these bull-rushes for +mats, they are cut when very green, and then they go through the +process of steaming, after bleaching by the sun; they are colored +before they are woven. They are generally made about six or eight feet +long and about four feet wide.] After breakfast in the morning they are +off again in the big canoes. + +My father's favorite winter quarters were somewhere above Big Rapids on +Muskegon River. He hunted and trapped there all winter and made sugar. +A very mysterious event happened to my brother William while my folks +were making sugar there. One beautiful morning after the snow had +entirely disappeared in the woods, my brother William, then at the age +of about eight or nine years, was shooting around with his little bow +and arrows among the sugar trees, but that day he never came home. At +sundown, our parents were beginning to feel very uneasy about their +little boy, and yet they thought he must have gone to some neighboring +sugar bush, as there were quite a number of families also making sugar +in the vicinity. Early in the morning, my father went to all the +neighboring sugar camps, but William was nowhere to be found. So at +once a search was instituted. Men and boys were out in search for the +boy, calling and shooting their guns far and near, but not a trace of +him anywhere could be found. Our parents were almost distracted with +anxiety and fear about their boy, and they continued the search three +days in vain. On the fourth day, one of our cousins, whose name was +Oge-maw-we-ne-ne, came to a very deep gully between two hills. He went +up to the top of the highest hill in order to be heard a long distance. +When he reached the top, he began to halloo as loud as he could, +calling the child by name, Pe-taw-on-e-quot. At the end of his shouting +he thought he heard some one responding to his call, "Wau?" This word +is one of the interrogatives in the Indian language, and is equivalent +to "what" in the English language. He listened a few minutes, and again +he called as before, and again heard distinctly the same response, +"Wau?" It came from above, right over his head, and as he looked +upwards he saw the boy, almost at the top of a tree, standing on a +small limb in a very dangerous situation. He said, "Hello, what are you +doing up there? Can't you come down?" "Yes, I can," was the answer; "I +came up here to find out where I am, and which way is our sugar camp." +"Come down, then; I will show you which way is your home." After he +came down from the tree, our cousin offered him food, but the child +would not touch a morsel, saying that, he was not hungry as he had +eaten only a little while ago. "Ah, you have been fed then. Who fed +you? We have been looking for you now over three days." The boy +replied, "I had every thing that I wanted to eat in the great festival +of the Wa-me-te-go-zhe-wog." which is "the white people." "Where are +they now?" asked our cousin. "That is just what I would like to know, +too," said the boy; "I had just come out of their nice house between +the two hills, and as I looked back after I came out of their door I +saw no more of their house, and heard no more of them nor their music." +Our cousin again questioned the boy, "How did you come to find these +Wa-me-te-go-zhe-wog here?" And little William replied, "Those Wa-me-te- +go-zhe-wog came to our sugar camp and invited me to go with them, but I +thought it was very close by. I thought we walked only just a few steps +to come to their door." Our cousin believed it was some supernatural +event and hastened to take the boy to his anxious parents. Again and +again little William told the same story when interrogated by any +person, and it is firmly believed by all our family and friends that he +was cherished and fed three days in succession by angelic beings. + +When he was about twelve or thirteen years of age the Protestant +Mission School started at Mackinac Island, and my father thought best +to put him to that school. After being there less than a year, he was +going around with his teachers, acting as interpreter among the Indian +camps at the Island of Mackinac. I was perfectly astonished to see how +quick he had acquired the English language. After the mission broke up +at the island, about the time the Catholic mission was established at +Little Traverse, William came home and stayed with us for about two +years, when he was again taken by Bishop Reese with his little sister, +a very lovely girl, whom the white people call Auntie Margaret, or +Queen of the Ottawas. They were taken down to Cincinnati, Ohio, where +they were put into higher schools, and there my brother attained the +highest degree of education, or graduation as it is called. + +From thence he was taken across the ocean to the city of Rome, Italy, +to study for the priesthood, leaving his little sister in Cincinnati. +It is related that he was a very eloquent and powerful orator, and was +considered a very promising man by the people of the city of Rome, and +received great attention from the noble families, on account of his +wisdom and talent and his being a native American; and yet he had a +much lighter complexion than his cousin Aug Hamlin, who was also taken +over there and represented as half French. + +While he was at Rome, the proposition arose in this country to buy out +the Michigan Indians by the Government of the United States, and he +wrote to his people at Arbor Croche and to Little Traverse on this very +subject, advising them not to sell out nor make any contract with the +United States Government, but to hold on until he could return to +America, when he would endeavor to aid them in making out the contract +or treaty with the United States. Never to give up, not even if they +should be threatened with annihilation or to be driven away at the +point of the bayonet from their native soil. I wish I could produce +some of this correspondence, but only one letter from him can now be +found, which is here given: + + + ROME, April 17, 1833 +MY DEAR SISTER: + +It is a long time since I wrote you a few lines. I would write oftener +if the time would permit, but I have very few leisure moments. However, +as we have a holiday to-day, I determine to write a line or two. I have +to attend to my studies from morning till sunset. I thank you very much +for your kind letter which I received some time ago by politeness of +Rev. Mr. Seajean. My dearest sister, you may have felt lost after I +left you; you must consider who loves you with all the affection of +parents. What can we return to those who have done us much good, but +humble prayers for them that the Almighty may reward them for the +benefit they have done in this poor mortal world. I was very happy when +informed by Father Mullen that you had received six premiums at the +examination; nothing else would more impress my heart than to hear of +the success of your scholastic studies. I entreat you, dearest sister, +to learn what is good and to despise the evil, and offer your prayers +to the Almighty God and rely on Him alone, and by His blessing you may +continue to improve your time well. You can have no idea how the people +here are devoted to the Virgin Mary. At every corner of the streets +there is the image of her, and some of these have lights burning day +and night. I think of you very often: perhaps I shall never have the +pleasure of seeing you again. I have been unwell ever since I came to +this country. However, I am yet able to attend my school and studies. I +hope I will not be worse, so that I may be unable to follow my +intention. + +There are really fine things to be seen in Rome. On the feast of SS. +Sebastian and Fabian we visited the Catacombs, two or three miles out +of the city, where is a church dedicated to those saints, which I have +already mentioned in previous letters. Perhaps our countrymen would not +believe that there was such a place as that place which I saw myself +with my own naked eyes. We entered in with lights and saw the scene +before us. As soon as we entered we saw coffins on the top of each +other, in one of which we saw some of the remains. The cave runs in +every direction, sometimes is ascended by steps, and sometimes runs +deeper, and one would be very easily lost in it. There are some large +places and a chapel; I am told by the students that the chapel is where +Pope Gregory was accustomed to say mass. I assure you it would excite +any human heart to behold the place where the ancient Christians were +concealed under the earth from the persecution of the anti-christians. +Indeed they were concealed by the power of God. They sought Jesus and +Him alone they loved. + +It is the custom of the College of the Propaganda, on the feast of +Epiphany each year, that the students should deliver a discourse in +their own respective languages. This year there were thirty-one +different languages delivered by the students, so you may judge what +kind of a college this is. At present it is quite full; there are +ninety-three, of which thirteen are from the United States. + +On Easter Sunday the Holy Father celebrated mass in the church of St. +Peter. It is very seldom that his holiness is seen personally +celebrating mass in public except on great festivals. The church was +crowded with spectators, both citizens of Rome and foreigners. On the +front part of the church there was an elevated place beautifully +ornamented. After the solemn ceremonies the Holy Father went up and +gave his paternal benediction to the people. There is a large square +before St. Peter's, and it was crowded so that it was impossible to +kneel down to receive the benediction. + +This week we are quite merry; we seem to employ our minds on the +merriment which is always displayed amongst us on such occasions. Our +secretary is now Cardinal, and to-morrow he will be crowned with the +dignity of the Cardinal. Our college has been illuminated these two +evenings. The congregational halls of the Propaganda were opened on +this occasion. The new Cardinal then received all the compliments of +the Cardinals, Bishops, Prelates, Ambassadors, Princes, and other +distinguished dignities. There are two large beautiful rooms, in one of +which the new Cardinal was seated and received all those who came to +pay him compliments. The visitors all came through the same passage, +and there was a man posted in each room who received them and cried out +to others that such man was coming, and so on through all those that +were placed for the purpose, and one called the Cardinal gentleman +introduced them to the new Cardinal. If there were such a thing in +America it would be quite a novelty. + +It is time for me to close, and I hope you will write me sometimes. My +respects to the Sisters and Father Mullen. Farewell, dear sister; pray +for your Superior and for me. + + I remain your most affectionate brother, + WILLIAM MACCATEBINESSI. + + +After his death, some one at Cincinnati wrote the following, to be +repeated before a large audience in that city by his little sister +Margaret, who was there at school. The poetry was impressively recited +and listened to by many people with wet eyes. This gifted child of +nature died June 25, 1833. + + +The morning breaks; see how the glorious sun, +Slow wheeling from the east, new lustre sheds +O'er the soft clime of Italy. The flower +That kept its perfume in the dewy night, +Now breathes it forth again. Hill, vale and grove, +Clad in rich verdure, bloom, and from the rocks +The joyous waters leap. O! meet it is +That thou, imperial Rome, should lift thy head, +Decked with the triple crown, where cloudless skies +And lands rejoicing in the summer sun, +Rich blessings yield. + +But there is grief to-day. +A voice is heard within thy marble walls, +A voice lamenting for the youthful dead; +For o'er the relics of her forest boy +The mother of dead Empires weeps. And lo! +Clad in white robes the long procession moves; +Youths throng around the bier, and high in front, +Star of our hope, the glorious cross is reared, +Triumphant sign. The low, sweet voice of prayer, +Flowing spontaneous from the spirit's depths, +Pours its rich tones; and now the requiem swells, +Now dies upon the ear. + +But there is one [Footnote: His cousin Hamlin.] +Who stands beside my brother's grave, and tho' no tear +Dims his dark eye, yet does his spirit weep. +With beating heart he gazes on the spot +Where his young comrade shall forever rest. +For they together left their forest home, +Led by Father Reese, who to their fathers preached +Glad tiding of great joy; the holy man my brother, +Who sleeps beneath the soil the Father Reese's labors blessed. +How must the spirit mourn, the bosom heave, +Of that lone Indian boy! No tongue can speak +The accents of his tribe, and as he bends +In melancholy mood above the dead, +Imagination clothes his tearful thoughts +In rude but plaintive cadences. + + Soft be my brother's sleep! +At nature's call the cypress here shall wave, + The wailing winds lament above the grave, +The dewy night shall weep. + + And he thou leavest forlorn, +Oh, he shall come to shade my brother's grave with moss, + To plant what thou didst love--the mystic cross, +To hope, to pray, to mourn. + + No marble here shall rise; +But o'er thy grave he'll teach the forest tree + To lift its glorious head and point to thee, +Rejoicing in the skies. + + And when it feels the breeze, +I'll think thy spirit wakes that gentle sound + Such as our fathers thought when all around +Shook the old forest leaves. + + Dost thou forget the hour, my brother, +When first we heard the Christian's hope revealed, + When fearless warriors felt their bosoms yield +Beneath Almighty power? + + Then truths came o'er us fast, +Whilst on the mound the missionary stood + And thro' the list'ning silence of the wood +His words like spirits passed. + + And oh, hadst thou been spared, +We two had gone to bless our fathers' land, + To spread rich stores around, and hand in hand +Each holy labor shared. + + But here the relics of my brother lie, +Where nature's flowers shall bloom o'er nature's child, + Where ruins stretch, and classic art has piled +Her monuments on high. + + Sleep on, my brother, sleep peaceful here +The traveler from thy land will claim this spot, + And give to thee what kingly tombs have not-- +The tribute of a tear with me, my brother. + +He died almost the very day when he was to be ordained a priest. He +received a long visit from his cousin Hamlin that evening, and they sat +late in the night, talking on various subjects, and particularly on +American matters and his ordination. My brother was perfectly well and +robust at that time, and full of lively spirits. He told his cousin +that night, that if he ever set his foot again on American soil, his +people, the Ottawas and Chippewas of Michigan, should always remain +where they were. The United States would never be able to compel them +to go west of the Mississippi, for he knew the way to prevent them from +being driven off from their native land. He also told his cousin that +as soon as he was ordained and relieved from Rome, he would at once +start for America, and go right straight to Washington to see the +President of the United States, in order to hold conference with him on +the subject of his people and their lands. There was a great +preparation for the occasion of his ordination. A great ceremony was to +be in St. Peter's Church, because a native American Indian, son of the +chief of the Ottawa tribe of Indians, a prince of the forests of +Michigan, was to be ordained a priest, which had never before happened +since the discovery of the Aborigines in America. In the morning, at +the breakfast table, my brother William did not appear, and every one +was surprised not to see him at the table. After breakfast, a messenger +was sent to his room. He soon returned with the shocking news that he +was dead. Then the authorities of the college arose and rushed to the +scene, and there they found him on the floor, lying in his own blood. +When Hamlin, his cousin heard of it, he too rushed to the room; and +after his cousin's body was taken out, wrapped up in a cloth, he went +in, and saw at once enough to tell him that it was the work of the +assassin. + +When the news reached to Little Traverse, now Harbor Springs, all the +country of Arbor Croche was enveloped in deep mourning, and a great +lamentation took place among the Ottawas and Chippewas in this country +with the expression, "All our hope is gone." Many people came to our +dwelling to learn full particulars of my brother's death, and to +console and mourn with his father in his great bereavement. + +No motive for the assassination has ever been developed, and it remains +to this day a mystery. It was related that there was no known enemy in +the institution previous to his death; but he was much thought of and +beloved by every one in the college. It was an honor to be with him and +to converse with him, as it is related that his conversation was always +most noble and instructive. It was even considered a great honor to sit +by him at the tables; as it is related that the students of the college +used to have a strife amongst themselves who should be the first to sit +by him. There were several American students at Rome at that time, and +it was claimed by the Italians that my brother's death came through +some of the American students from a secret plot originating in this +country to remove this Indian youth who had attained the highest +pinnacle of science and who had become their equal in wisdom, and in +all the important questions of the day, both in temporal and spiritual +matters. He was slain, it has been said, because it was found out that +he was counseling his people on the subject of their lands and their +treaties with the Government of the United States. His death deprived +the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of a wise counselor and adviser, one of +their own native countrymen; but it seems that it would be impossible +for the American people in this Christian land to make such a wicked +conspiracy against this poor son of the forest who had become as wise +as any of them and a great statesman for his country. Yet it might be +possible, for we have learned that we cannot always trust the American +people as to their integrity and stability in well doing with us. + +It is said the stains of my brother's blood can be seen to this day in +Rome, as the room has been kept as a memorial, and is shown to +travelers from this country. His statue in full size can also be seen +there, which is said to be a perfect image of him. His trunk containing +his books and clothing was sent from Rome to this country, and it came +all right until it reached Detroit. There it was lost, or exchanged for +another, which was sent to Little Traverse. It was sent back with a +request to forward the right one, but that was the end of it, and no +explanation was ever received. + +Soon after the death of my brother William, my sister Margaret left +Cincinnati, Ohio, and came to Detroit, Mich., where she was employed as +teacher of the orphan children at a Catholic institution. She left +Detroit about 1835, and came to Little Traverse, where she at once +began lo teach the Indian children for the Catholic mission. She has +ever since been very useful to her people, but is now a decrepit old +lady and sometimes goes by the name of Aunty Margaret, or Queen of the +Ottawas. She is constantly employed in making Indian curiosities-- +wearing out her fingers and eyes to make her living and keep her home. +Like many others of her race, she has been made the victim of fraud and +extortion. Some years ago a white man came to the Indian country and +committed many crimes, for some of which he is now in prison. Soon +after he came here, this wicked man pretended he was gored by an ox-- +although there were no marks of violence--which he claimed belonged to +Mr. Boyd, Aunty Margaret's husband, and he therefore sued Mr. Boyd for +damages for several hundred dollars; and although the ox which he +claimed had injured him did not belong to Mr. Boyd, and there was no +eye witness in the case, yet he obtained judgment for damages against +him, and a mortgage had to be given on the land which the Government +had given her. The Indian's oath and evidence are not regarded in this +country, and he stands a very poor chance before the law. Although they +are citizens of the State, they are continually being taken advantage +of by the attorneys of the land; they are continually being robbed and +cheated out of their property, and they can obtain no protection nor +redress whatever. + +Before Mr. Hamlin, my cousin, left Italy, he was asked by the +authorities if William had any younger brother in America of a fit age +to attend school. He told the authorities that the deceased had one +brother just the right age to begin school--that was myself. Then there +was an order for me to be sent to Rome to take the place of my brother; +but when my father heard of it, he said, "No; they have killed one of +my sons after they have educated him, and they will kill another." +Hamlin came home soon after my brother's death, and some time after the +Treaty of 1836 he was appointed U.S. Interpreter and continued to hold +this office until 1861, at which time I succeeded him. + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +Account of the Indians' Roving Disposition, Their Feasts and Their +Customs--Saluting Arbor Croche Every Spring of the Year--How the +Catholic Religion was Introduced Among the Ottawas--The Missions-- +Signing of the Treaty, March 8, 1836. + + +I will again return to my narrative respecting how the Ottawas used to +live and travel to and fro in the State of Michigan, and how they came +to join the Catholic religion at Arbor Croche. Early in the spring we +used to come down this beautiful stream of water (Muskegon River) in +our long bark canoes, loaded with sugar, furs, deer skins, prepared +venison for summer use, bear's oil, and bear meat prepared in oil, deer +tallow, and sometimes a lot of honey, etc. On reaching the mouth of +this river we halted for five or six days, when all the other Indians +gathered, as was customary, expressly to feast for the dead. All the +Indians and children used to go around among the camps and salute one +another with the words, "Ne-baw-baw-tche-baw-yew," that is to say, "I +am or we are going around as spirits," feasting and throwing food into +the fire--as they believe the spirits of the dead take the victuals and +eat as they are consumed in the fire. + +After the feast of the dead, we would all start for Arbor Croche, our +summer resort, to plant our corn and other vegetables. At the crossing +of Little Traverse Bay at the point called "Ki-tche-ossening," that is +to say, "on the big rock," all the Indians waited until all the canoes +arrived, after which they would all start together in crossing the bay. +When about half way across they would begin to salute Arbor Croche by +shooting with guns, holding them close to the water in order that the +sound might reach to each side of the bay, to be heard by those few who +always made their winter quarters around Little Traverse Bay. Arriving +at Arbor Croche, where our big wigwam would be waiting for us--of which +I have spoken in previous chapters--the very first thing my parents +would do would be to go and examine their stores of corn and beans. +After all the Indians arrived and had settled down, they would again +have a prolonged merriment and another feasting of the dead and peace +offerings. Grand medicine dances, fire dances, and many other jubilant +performances my people would have before they would go to work again to +plant their corn. I distinctly remember the time, and I have seen my +brothers and myself dancing around the fires in our great wigwam, which +had two fireplaces inside of it. + +About in 1824, there was an Indian came from Montreal whose name was +Andowish, and who formerly belonged to Arbor Croche. He was among the +Stockbridge Indians somewhere near Montreal, and this tribe speak a +dialect of the Ottawa and Chippewa languages, and most of them by this +time had joined the Catholic church. So Andowish, by their influence, +also joined the Catholic religion out there with the Stockbridge +Indians. Coming back to Arbor Croche, where he formerly belonged, he +began to teach some of his own relatives the faith of the Catholic +religion, which some of them were very ready to receive, but he could +not baptize them. Therefore, parties of Indians went to Mackinac +Island, headed by the principal chief of the Seven Mile Point band of +Indians, whose name was A-paw-kau-se-gun, to see some of their half- +breed relations at the island, relating to them how they felt with +regard to Christianity, and asking advice as to what they should do in +the matter. These half-breed relatives promised they would do all they +could to cause the priest to come up to Arbor Croche and baptize all +those Indians who felt disposed to receive the religion. Therefore in +1825 Rev. Father Baden, an old priest, came up with his interpreters +and landed at Seven Mile Point, and baptized quite a number of grown +folks, and a great many children were taken into the Catholic religion. +At this time, I was also baptized by Rev. Father Baden; I was small, +but I distinctly remember having the water poured over my head and +putting some salt in my mouth, and changing my name from Pe-ness-wi- +qua-am to Amable. The mission was then established at Seven Mile Point, +where a church was built with poles and covered with cedar bark. This +was the very way that the first religion was introduced among the +Ottawas, although everybody supposes that some white people or +missionary societies brought the Christian religion among the Ottawa +tribes of Indians at Arbor Croche. + +My uncle, Au-se-go-nock, had before this joined the Catholic religion. +He was living at that time at Drummond's Island with the British +people, where all the Ottawas and Chippewas used to go every summer to +receive presents from the British Government. And when he learned that +his people had joined the Catholic faith, he left his home at +Drummond's Island and came to Arbor Croche expressly to act as +missionary in the absence of the priest. Every Sunday he preached to +his people and taught them how to pray to God and to the Virgin Mary +and all the saints and angels in heaven. At that time printed books +containing prayers and hymns in the Stockbridge Indian language, which +is a dialect of the Ottawa and Chippewa languages, were brought from +Montreal, and could be quite intelligently understood by the Ottawas. +By this time many Indians began to be stationary; they did not go +south, as heretofore, but remained and made their winter quarters at +Arbor Croche. + +About 1827, after several councils, it was determined to remove the +Mission from Seven Mile Point to Little Traverse, and a French priest +whose name was Dejan arrived expressly to remain there and carry on the +new mission established at Little Traverse. A log church was built at +the new mission, which stood very near where the present church is now +standing, and a log school house was built just where the Star Hotel +now stands, and also a log house for the priest to live in, which is +standing to this day nearest the church, but it has been covered with +siding boards since. In the fall of 1827, my father left his subjects +at Arbor Croche proper, now Middle Village, in charge of his brother, +Kaw-me-no-te-a, which means Good-heart, as he was persuaded by other +chiefs to come and establish himself where the mission was and send his +children to school. There were only three Indian log houses at that +time in Little Traverse, one belonging to my uncle, Au-se-ge-nock, one +for Joseph Au-saw-gon, my father's messenger, and another to Peter Sho- +min. But we and all other Indians lived in wigwams, and all the Indians +were dressed in Indian style. Rev. Mr. Dejan brought with him one +Frenchman from Detroit named Joseph Letorenue as school teacher, and +two girls from Mackinac Island as domestic servants, and an old nun, +whose real name I never learned, and knew only as "Sister." She was +exceedingly kind to Indian children and we all liked her very much. The +log school house was used as a dwelling as well as a school house, as +all the boys and girls who attended school were kept there continually, +same as boarding school. The larger boys and girls were taught +household duties and to cook for the scholars. The children were kept +quite clean. The French teacher took very great pains to teach them +good manners, and they were taught no other but the French language. In +the spring of the year each family of Indians contributed one large +mocok [Footnote: A kind of box made of birch bark.] of sugar which +weighed from eighty to one hundred pounds, which Priest Dejan would +empty into barrels, and then go down to Detroit with it to buy dry +goods, returning with cloth with which to clothe his Indian children. +Rev. Mr. Dejan did not say mass on week days, only on Sundays. He +visited the Indians a good deal during the week days, purposely to +instruct them in the manners and customs of the white man, ordering +things generally how to be done, and how the women should do towards +their domestic callings, not to work out of doors, and to take good +care of what belonged to their household. Mr. Dejan was a great friend +of Col. Boyd, Indian Agent at Mackinac, and in the second year of the +school, Mr. Boyd's two sons, James and George, wintered with the priest +at the mission, and were very great friends to the Indians. + +In two years schooling the children progressed very much, both in +reading the French language, and in learning the manners and customs of +the white man. But, alas, this was carried on only two years. There was +some trouble between Rev. Mr. Dejan and Bishop Reese of Detroit, +consequently Mr. Dejan was removed from the mission, and Rev. Mr. +Baraga was put in instead in the year 1830. He promised to do the same +as his predecessor in regard to carrying on the Indian school at Little +Traverse; but he did not. He did not give as good care to the children +as his predecessor, and he did not teach them anything but Indian and +the catechism. He, however, made and published a prayer book in the +Ottawa language and a short Bible History. Before two years the +boarding school was out of existence at Little Traverse, and Mr. Baraga +went away to Lake Superior, where some time afterwards he was made +Bishop. After he was in the Lake Superior country he published some +more books, such as Odjebwe dictionary and Odjebwe grammar, which were +very hard to understand to one unacquainted with the Indian language, +and he also made a new catechism. Father Simon succeeded Mr. Baraga, +and did about the same thing with regard to educating the Indian +youths, as did also Father Pierce after Simon, and many others from +time to time up to this day. + +The Indians were very strict in their religion at this time. They did +not allow any drunkenness in their village, nor allow any one to bring +intoxicating liquors within the Harbor. If any person, white or Indian, +brought any liquor into the Harbor, by the barrel or in small +quantities, and it came to the knowledge of the old chief, Au-paw-ko- +si-gan, who was the war chief, but was acting as principal chief at +Little Traverse, he would call out his men to go and search for the +liquor, and if found he would order him men to spill the whisky on the +ground by knocking the head of a barrel with an ax, telling them not to +bring any more whisky into the Harbor, or wherever the Ottawas are, +along the coast of Arbor Croche. This was the end of it, there being no +law suit for the whisky. + +They used to observe many holidays, particularly Christmas, New Years +and Corpus Christi. At the New Year's eve, every one of the Indians +used to go around visiting the principal men of the tribe, shooting +their guns close to their doors after screaming three times, "Happy New +Year," then bang, bang, altogether, blowing their tin horns and beating +their drums, etc. Early on the New Year's morning, they would go around +among their neighbors expressly to shake hands one with another, with +the words of salutation, "Bozhoo," children and all. This practice was +kept up for a long time, or until the white people came and +intermingled with the tribes. + +I thought my people were very happy in those days, when they were all +by themselves and possessed a wide spread of land, and no one to +quarrel with them as to where they should make their gardens, or take +timber, or make sugar. And fishes of all kinds were so plentiful in the +Harbor. A hook anywheres in the bay, and at any time of the year, would +catch Mackinaw trout, many as one would want. And if a net were set +anywheres in the harbor on shallow water, in the morning it would be +loaded with fishes of all kinds. Truly this was a beautiful location +for the mission. Every big council of the Indians was transacted in the +village of Little Traverse. + +I will mention one or two more things which it might be interesting to +my readers to know. Up to 1835 and some time afterwards, there was a +very large double cedar tree, which appeared to have been stuck +together while they were growing, but were two separate trees of the +same size and height growing very close together, standing very near +the edge of the water, and leaning very much towards the bay, almost +like a staircase projecting far out into the bay. Under the roots of +these trees issued a perpetual spring of water, which is now called Mr. +Carlow's Spring, near the present depot. In the fall of 1835, I was +clear at the top of those trees, with my little chums, watching our +people as they were about going off in a long bark canoe, and, as we +understood, they were going to Washington to see the Great Father, the +President of the United States, to tell him to have mercy on the Ottawa +and Chippewa Indians in Michigan, not to take all the land away from +them. I saw some of our old Indian women weeping as they watched our +principal men going off in the canoe. I suppose they were feeling bad +on account of not knowing their future destinies respecting their +possession of the land. After they all got in the canoe, just as they +were going to start, they all took off their hats, crossed themselves +and repeated the Lord's prayer; at the end of the prayer, they crossed +themselves again, and then away they went towards the Harbor Point. We +watched them until they disappeared in rounding the point. + +March 28th, 1836, a treaty was signed at Washington, not with the free +will of the Indians, but by compulsion. That same year we received the +first annuity at Mackinac Island, our trading post, $10 cash per head, +beside dry goods and provisions. There was a stipulation expressed in +the 7th clause of the 4th article of said treaty, that there was to be +given to the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan $150,000 worth of +dry goods until all was paid out. There is said to have been paid out +on the first payment in 1836, about $10,000, which would then leave a +balance of $140,000. At this time the Ottawas and Chippewas held a big +council and concluded to ask the Government for cash instead of dry +goods; because they saw that there was a great deal of waste in +distributing the goods among them, as there were lots of remnants, and +much of it left after distribution which they never knew what became +of. Therefore their belief respecting it was that the Government +officials had appropriated to themselves some of these dry goods and +given away freely to their white friends and relatives. After +conclusion of the council, they came before the Indian agent, Hon. H. +Schoolcraft, and presented their views and their request in this +matter. He told them that he could not give them any conclusive reply +upon this subject, but that he would make known their wishes to their +Great Father at Washington, and would inform them thereafter. That was +the last of it. In the next payment there were neither goods nor money +instead, as they requested, and no reply ever came to this day. It was +also stipulated that at the expiration of twenty-one years, $20,000 was +to be given to the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, that is, one year after +the expiration of the payment of their annuities. And where are those +lawful promises gone to now? Alas! when we inquire of them to the head +department they refer us to the third article of the Treaty of 1855, +where it is worded, "That the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians hereby +release and discharge the United States from all liability on account +of former treaty stipulations, either land or money," etc. But this +part of the stipulation was never explained to them at the Council of +Detroit, as they would never have consented to it, and would not have +signed the contract. We did not know anything about it, but some time +after we saw it with our own eyes, printed in the pamphlet form of the +contract, where our names had been already subscribed to it. Then it +was too late to make any remedy in the matter. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +More Personal History--Suffering and Trials in Early Life--Missing the +Opportunity to Go to School--Learning Trade as a Blacksmith--A New +Start to Seek for Education--Arriving at Cleveland, O., to Find His Old +Friend, Rev. Alvin Coe--Visit with Rev. Samuel Bissell, of Twinsburg, +O., Principal of the Twinsburg Institute--Attending School--Returning +Home--Advocating Citizenship for His People--Delegated to Detroit and +to the State Legislature--His Pleasant Visit with State Authorities-- +Again Delegated as Councilor to the New Treaty, 1855. + + +The first winter we lived at Little Traverse as a permanent home was in +the year 1828, and in the following spring my own dear mother died very +suddenly, as she was burned while they were making sugar in the woods. +She was burned so badly that she only lived four days after. I was +small, but I was old enough to know and mourn for my dear mother. I +felt as though I had lost everything dear to me and every friend; there +was no one that I could place such confidence in, not even my own +father. So my father's household was broken up: we were pretty well +scattered after that. He could not very well keep us together; being +the least one in the family, I became a perfect wild rover. At last I +left Little Traverse when about 13 or 14 years age. I went to Green +Bay, Wis., with the expectation of living with an older sister who had +married a Scotchman named Gibson and had gone there to make a home +somewhere in Green Bay. I found them, but I did not stay with them +long. I left them and went to live with a farmer close by whose name +was Sylvester. From this place I was persuaded by another man to go +with him on the fishing ground, to a place called Sturgeon Bay, Wis. +From there I sailed with Mr. Robert Campbell. Mr. Campbell was a good +man and Christian. His father had a nice farm at Bay Settlement, near +Green Bay, Wis., where also my sister settled down. I sailed with him +one summer. We came to Mackinac Island in the fall of 1840, and there I +met my father and all my relations, and great many Indians as they were +about receiving their annual payment from the Government. So I left the +vessel and hired out in the store to act as clerk during the payment +time. + +After all the Indians had gone away from the island, I was still +working in the store and thought to make my winter quarters there, but +did not. One day I met my father's old friend, the Rev. Mr. Alvin Coe, +the traveling missionary of whom I have already spoken as having asked +me to go with him to the State of Ohio where I might have an +opportunity to go to school and be educated like the white man. I told +him I will go with him, provided he will take an interest to watch over +me, that no one would abuse me out there after getting into the strange +country. He faithfully promised that he would do all this, and would +also do all he could to help me along to obtain my education. He said +he was going that night and I must be on hand when the boat arrived; +but I failed to tell him my stopping place. So when the boat arrived I +was too sound asleep to hear it. Poor old man! I was told that he felt +disappointed to have to go with, out me. As I woke in the morning I +inquired if any boat had arrived during the night. I was told there +was. I was also told there was an old man who seemed to be very +anxious, and was looking for me all over the crowd on the dock, but he +could not find me there. When the boat was pushing out he jumped on +board and then turned to the crowd, saying, "Tell my little boy, +Jackson, son of the old chief Macka-de-be-nessy, of Arbor Croche, that +I have gone on this boat." + +Thus I was left, and missed the opportunity when I might have been +educated while I was yet much younger. A few days afterwards, as I +walked out from the store one evening, I met two young men in the +street, one of whom I frequently saw during the payment time, but the +other was entirely a stranger to me. He was a most noble-looking and +tall young man, but, behold, he spoke perfectly and freely the Indian +language, saying to me, "My boy, would you be willing to take us to +that vessel out there?" at the same time pointing to a vessel which was +already outside of the harbor, sails up, but in a perfectly dead calm, +as there was not a breath of wind. I told them I would, provided I +could get the boat to get there; in which he replied that they will do +all that part of the business, but they wanted some one to bring the +boat back. As I was walking with another mate of mine, I ask him to go +with me to take these folks on board. The next thing we were on the way +towards the vessel. As we went along this noble young man said to me, +"My boy, would you like to come with us to Grand Traverse?" I replied, +"I would like to see Grand Traverse, but am not prepared to go just +now." "Would you not like to learn the blacksmith trade? This man is a +government blacksmith in Grand Traverse," referring to his companion, +"and he needs an assistant in the business. We will give you position +as an assistant and a salary of $240 yearly, or $20 per month." I +replied, "I will go, for I would be very glad to find a chance to learn +a trade and at the same time to get my living." Therefore I also got on +board, and my friend had to come back alone with the boat we borrowed. +This was the same vessel that I had sailed on that season. We arrived +at the place now called "The Old Mission," where there was a nice +harbor. [Footnote: The Mission was already established by this time, +1840, conducted by the Presbyterian Board of missions. Rev. P. +Dougherty, who was indeed a true Christian, and good to Indians, was a +preacher for the Mission. Daniel Rod, the half-breed from St. Clair +River, Mich., was his interpreter. Mr. Bradley acted as teacher, who +afterwards proved himself unworthy for the position, which produced a +bad effect among the Indians. The Mission is now out of existence.] +This young man, whose name I now learned was John M. Johnstone, of +Sault Ste. Marie, the brother-in-law of Henry Schoolcraft, our Indian +agent, said when we arrived, "You have no commission yet to work in the +shop; you will therefore have to go back to Mackinac with this letter +which you will take to Indian agent yourself and nobody else. Then come +back at the first opportunity if he tells you to come." + +So I had to return to Mackinac on the same vessel with which we went +away. At Mackinac I received my commission without any trouble. On +arriving at Grand Traverse the Indians were having a big council which +was concocted, I was told, by the brother of my benefactor, who was +trading there among the Indians. They were getting up remonstrances and +petitioning the Government against my appointment, setting forth as +reason of their complaint that I did not belong to that tribe of +Indians, and was therefore not entitled to the position, and they would +rather have one of their own boys belonging to the tribe put to this +trade. But my friend Johnstone told me "not to mind anything, but go +about my business. The blacksmith shop had been established here for +more than two years, and they should have thought of putting their boy +in the shop long before this." So accordingly I continued working and +minding my own business for five years, when I quit of my own accord. +There were no white people there at that time, only such as were +employed by the Government, and the missionaries and teachers, and the +Indians were very happy in those days. + +I have told my readers in the previous chapters of this little book, +that from the time I was invited by our most estimable friend, Rev. +Alvin Coe, to go with him to the State of Ohio in order to receive an +education, "that it was never blotted out of my mind," and therefore +the very day I quit the blacksmith shop at Grand Traverse, I turned my +face toward the State of Ohio, for that object alone. I came to Little +Traverse to bid a good-by to my father and relations late in October, +1845. I did not even stay half a day at Little Traverse. I started for +Arbor Croche the same day I bid the last farewell to my folks, in order +to obtain an opportunity there to get to Mackinac Island, from which I +intended to take my passage for Cleveland. Arriving at Arbor Croche, +which is fourteen miles from Little Traverse, I met an orphan boy, Paul +Naw-o-ga-de by name, a distant relative, and proposed to pay his +passage to Cleveland. The brother of this little boy had a boat of his +own, and offered to take us to Mackinac Island, and I was vary glad of +the opportunity. So the next day we started for Mackinac, not knowing +what would become of us if my little means were exhausted and we should +be unsuccessful in finding our old friend, Mr. Alvin Coe. + +The day we arrived at Mackinac we took passage for Cleveland. Arriving +there we were scared at seeing so many people coming to us who wanted +us to get into their cabs to take us to some hotel which might cost us +two or three dollars a day. We went to Farmer's Hotel. In the evening +the landlady was somewhat curious to know where we hailed from and +where we were going to. I told her we came from Michigan, but we did +not know yet where we should go to. I asked her if she ever knew or +heard of a minister named Alvin Coe. "What,"--she seemed to be very +much surprised--"Mr. Alvin Coe the traveling missionary?" I said, "Yes, +the same." "Why, that is my own uncle. What is it about him?" "O, +nothing; only I would like to know where he lives, and how far." I was +equally surprised to think that we happened to meet one of his +relatives, and thought at this moment, God must be with us in our +undertaking. "You know my uncle, then," she said. I said, "Yes; he is +my particular friend, and I am going to look for him." Of course, she +told us the name of the town in which he lived, and how far and which +road to take to get there. It also happened that there was one +gentleman at Farmer's Hotel, who had been out west and came on the same +boat on which we came, and he was going the next day in that direction +on foot, and said he would guide us as far as he would go, which would +be about twenty miles, and there was thirty miles to go after that. So +the next day we started. Arriving late in the afternoon at the +outskirts of the little village called Twinsburg, our white companion +told us this is the place where he intended to stop for a while, and +said, "You better stop with me for the night, and after supper you +could visit the institution in the village and see the principal of the +school here; you might possibly get a chance to attend that school, as +you say that was your object in coming to this part of the country." I +was very much surprised, as he had not said one word about it as we +came along on the road. After supper, I went as he directed. As I +approached the seminary I saw a good many boys playing on the square of +the village, and I went and stood close by. Very soon one of the young +men came up to me, saying, "Are you going to attend our school here?" I +told him, "No, sir; I am going thirty miles further to attend some +school there." "This is the best school that I know of anywhere about +this country," he said. I asked him if he would introduce me to the +proprietor of the school. "Most cheerfully," said he; "will you please +to tell me what place you came from, and your name." "I came from +Michigan, and my name is Blackbird." "All right, I will go with you." +So we came to the professor's room, and he introduced me. "Well, Mr. +Blackbird, do you wish to attend our school?" I said, "I do not know, +sir, how that might be, as I have not much means to pay my way, but I +am seeking for a man who invited me to come to come to Ohio some five +years ago, and promised that he would help me all he could for my +education. His name is Alvin Coe, a traveling missionary, my father's +old friend." "We have two Indian boys here attending school, and I +think you will not be very lonesome if you should conclude to stay with +us." "What are their names?" I asked. "One is Francis Petoskey, and the +other is Paul Ka-gwe-tosong." I said, "I know them both; I came from +the same place they did, but I did not know they were here, I only knew +they were attending school somewhere among the whites." "Can you do any +kind of work?" "I am a blacksmith by trade, sir, and besides I can do +most every other kind of work." He said, "If you conclude to stay, I +will try to aid you in finding a place where you could work to pay for +your lodging and board; and in the meantime we will cause Mr. Alvin Coe +to come and see you, and if he sees fit to take you away he can do so, +provided you would be willing to go with him." I told him I would stay, +if I found a place to work to pay for my board, and provided that I +could make some arrangement for the little companion who came with me. +After considering a few moments, he proposed to take my little +companion to his boarding house until a better arrangment could be +made. This was the end of my conversation with this noble hearted +professor and proprietor of this Institution, whose name was Rev. +Samuel Bissell, of Twinsburg, Ohio. + +In the morning, after breakfast, I went back to the village and found +arrangments were already made for both of us, and all we had to do was +just to shift our quarters. I came to live with a young blacksmith in +the village and work two hours in the morning and two hours in the +evening, and many times I finished my hours at sunrise. Some time +during the winter, my friend Mr. Alvin Coe came and took me off, with +the understanding, however, that if I did not like the school where he +was, I was to come back to Twinsburg. So in about two weeks I came back +to the old institution, as I did not like the place. At last Dr. +Brainsmade, of Newark, New Jersey, took a deep interest in my welfare +and education, and he proposed to aid me and take me through the +medical college. Therefore I quit working my hours in the shop and +boarded at the institution, attending solely to my studies for over +four years. + +I have already told my readers in previous chapters how bad I felt when +I had to return to Michigan. After I came home I did everything towards +the welfare and happiness of my people, beside attending to my aged +father, as I found my people to be very different then from what they +were, as they were beginning to have a free use of intoxicating +liquors. I immediately caused the pledge to be signed in every village +of the Indians, in which I was quite successful, as almost everyone +pledged themselves never again to touch intoxicating drinks. I also +advocated the right of citizenship for my people in the State of +Michigan, although we were repeatedly told by our white neighbors that +we could not very well be adopted as citizens of the State as long as +we were receiving annuities from the general government on account of +our former treaties. My object of promulgating this cause was, I +thought it would be the only salvation of my people from being sent off +to the west of the Mississippi, where perhaps, more than one-half would +have died before they could be acclimated to the country to which they +would be driven. I have suffered very great hardships for this cause, +as I had to walk from Little Traverse through the dense forest, and +almost the entire length of the southern peninsula of Michigan, in +order to reach the authorities of the State to hold conference with +them upon the subject of the citizenship of the Ottawas and Chippewas, +and walked on snow-shoes in the middle of winter in company with one of +our young chieftains from Cross Village. [Footnote: Mr. Wardsworth also +accompanied us from Elk Rapids, on his way to Detroit to obtain a +commission as surveyor on some part of the Grand Traverse region.] We +were subjected to great exposure with only a camp fire for several days +in the month of February. + +After crossing Houghton Lake, which is the head waters of the Muskegon +river, that evening we swallowed the last morsel of food, and actually +we traveled and camped out with empty stomachs for two days and a half +before we came to any inhabited place. At last we struck the Te-ti-pe- +wa-say (Tittabawassee), one of the principal branches of Saginaw river, +and following down that stream on the ice we came to an Indian camp +which stood by the river side, and also saw many human foot-prints on +the ice, but the camp was deserted and we found nothing to eat. We left +the place and once more followed the river, and after walking about +half a mile we came to another Indian camp, and saw blue smoke coming +out of it. As we came up to the camp we found nothing but women and +children (all the men were out hunting). They gave us food, and we went +on our journey the next day. + +We went to Detroit to see Judge Wing to obtain his legal opinion on the +subject of the citizenship of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of +Michigan. We had a very pleasant visit with him, and he gave us as his +legal opinion of this matter, that he did not think that it would debar +us from being citizens of the State, because the Government owed us a +little money on account of our former treaties, provided we should +renounce our allegiance to our chiefs and recognize no other chief +authority than the President of the United States; and that we would +not be required to have any writ of naturalization as we are already +naturalized by being American born. After a pleasant visit with Hon. +Judge Wing, we next turned our faces to the State Legislature and +Governor. In this also we thought we were very successful, for the +Governor received us very kindly and gave us much good counsel on the +subject of citizenship, giving us some instructions as to how we should +live under the rule of the State if we should become the children of +the same. He talked to us as though he was talking to his own son who +had just come from a far country and asked his father's permission to +stay in the household. + +After a pleasant visit with the Governor, and seeing some of the +members of the State Legislature, receiving full assurance that our +undertaking and object would be well looked after, we retraced our +steps back to Little Traverse, to report the result of our visit. After +that, not many Indians believed these flying reports gotten up by our +white neighbors. In that year, the clause was put in the revised +statutes of the State of Michigan, that every male person of Indian +descent in Michigan not members of any tribe shall be entitled to vote. + +In the year 1855, I was again delegated to attend the council of +Detroit for the treaty of 1855, and in that council I made several +speeches before the Hon. Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Mr. Manypenny, +of Washington, on the subject of our educational fund, $8000 per annum, +which had been expended for the education of the Indian youths for the +last nineteen years, and which was to be continued ten years longer. +This sum had never been used directly for any scholars, but it was +stated that it was given to the religious societies which had missions +among the Michigan Indians. In that council I advocated that the said +fund be retained in the hands of the general Government for the benefit +of those Indian youths who really intended to be educated and who went +among the whites or in civilized communities to be educated, and if it +need be, to be used for the collegiate education of those Indian +youths, but let the children at home be educated at home by taxation, +and giving fully my reasons in advancing such proposition. The Hon. +Commissioner was much taken up with my remarks on this subject, I being +the youngest member, and told the older members of the council that he +would like to hear some of them on this subject. "The young man who has +been making remarks on this matter has a very good idea with regard to +your educational funds; now let us hear farther remarks on this subject +by some other members of the council." But not one Indian stirred. And +again and again the next day, I tried to urge this matter to the Hon. +Commissioner and the Indians to cooperate with me, but they would not, +because my people were so ignorant they did not know the value of +education, or else they misunderstood the whole subject. On the third +day, as I was about getting up to make further remarks upon this +subject, one of the old members, who was the most unworthy of all the +company, as he got very drunk the day we arrived in Detroit and was +locked up in jail as disorderly two or three days, arose and said to +the Commissioner that I was not authorized by any of the council to get +up here and make such remarks. "We did not come here to talk about +education, but came expressly to form a treaty." Then burst into a +great laughter all the spectators of the council and some of the +members too. I was told afterwards that it was a put up job to prevent +any change by the persons who had been handling for years this Indian +educational fund, as there were a number of them in the council hall. +Thus was lost one of the most noble objects which ought to have been +first looked after. + +After the council dispersed and came home, I sat down and wrote a +long article, giving the full history of the past in regard to this +matter; how our educational fund, $8000 per annum, had been handled and +conducted for nearly twenty years, and yet not one Indian youth could +spell the simplest word in the English language, and these writings I +had published in the Detroit Tribune for public inspection. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +Becoming Protestant--Persecutions--Second Attempt to go to School-- +Trials With Indian Agent--Governor Lewis Cass--Struggle During +Education--Getting Married--Coming Home--Government Interpreter and +Postmaster. + + +The next five years were passed among my people, doing a little of +everything, laboring, teaching, and interpreting sermons among the +Protestant missions--for there were by this time two Protestant +missions established among the Ottawas of Arbor Croche, one at Bear +River, now Petoskey, and another at Middle Village or Arbor Croche +proper, where I acted as an assistant teacher and interpreter. I met +much opposition from the Catholic community, because I had already +become a Protestant and left the Romish church, not by any personal +persuasion, however, but by terrible conviction on reading the word of +God--"That there is no mediator between God and man but one, which is +Christ Jesus, who was crucified for the remission of sins." One Sunday, +some friend persuaded me to come to the church, but when the priest saw +me he came and forcibly ejected me out of the room. The same priest +left the Indian country soon afterwards, and it seems he went to +England, and just before he died he wrote to my sister a very touching +epistle, in which he said nothing about himself or any one in Little +Traverse, but from the beginning to the end of the letter he expressed +himself full of sorrow for what he had done to me when in this country +among the Indians, and asking of me forgivness for his wrongs towards +me. + +Soon after the council of Detroit, I became very discontented, for I +felt that I ought to have gone through with my medical studies, or go +to some college and receive a degree and then go and study some +profession. But where is the means to take me through for completing my +education? was the question every day. So, after one payment of the +treaty of 1855, late in the fall of 1856, I went up to Mr. Gilbert, who +was then Indian agent, and made known to him my intention, and asked +him if he would aid me towards completing my education, by arranging +for me to receive the benefit of our educational fund, which was set +apart at the last council for the education of the Indians in this +State. But he would not. He bluffed me off by saying he was sorry I had +voted the "black republican ticket," at the general election, which +took place that fall of 1856. This was the first time that the Indians +ever voted on general election. Mr. Gilbert was at North Port, Grand +Traverse, on election day, managing the Indian votes there, and he sent +a young man to Little Traverse to manage the voting there and sit as +one of the Board at the Little Traverse election. He sent the message +to Indians to vote no other ticket but the democratic ticket. At this +election there were only two republican votes in Little Traverse, one +of which was cast by myself. As I was depositing my ballot, this young +man was so furiously enraged at me he fairly gnashed his teeth, at +which I was very much surprised, and from my companion they tried to +take away the ticket. Then they tried to make him exchange his ticket, +but he refused. We went out quickly, as we did not wish to stay in this +excitement. At that time I felt almost sorry for my people, the +Indians, for ever being citizens of the State, as I thought they were +much happier without these elections. + +After payment of our annuities, as the vessel was about starting off to +take the Indian agent to Mackinac, they had already hoisted the sails, +although there was not much wind, and I thought, this was the last +chance to get to Mackinac. As I looked toward the vessel I wept, for I +felt terribly downcast. As they were going very slowly toward the +harbor point, I asked one of the Indian youngsters to take me and my +trunk in a canoe to the vessel out there. I had now determined to go, +in defiance of every opposition, to seek my education. [Footnote: +Indians are now forbidden to leave their reservations without +permission from the agent, so no ambitious and determined youth can now +escape from the Indian Bureau machine.--ED.] I hurried to our house +with the boy, to get my trunk and bid good bye to my aged father, and +told him I was going again to some school outside, and if God permitted +I hoped to return again to Little Traverse. All my father said was, +"Well, my son, if you think it is best, go." And away we went. We +overtook the vessel somewhere opposite Little Portage, and as I came +aboard the agent's face turned red. He said, "Are you going?" I said, +"Yes sir, I am going." So nothing more was said. The greater part of +the night was spent by the agent and the captain gambling with cards, +by which the agent lost considerable money. We arrived the next day at +Mackinac, and again I approached the Indian agent with request if he +could possibly arrange for me to have the benefit of our Indian +educational fund, set apart for that purpose at the council of Detroit, +1855; and again he brought up the subject of my voting. Then I was +beginning to feel out of humor, and I spoke rather abruptly to him, +saying, "Well, sir, I now see clearly that you don't care about doing +anything for my welfare because I voted for the republican party. But +politics have nothing to do with my education; for the Government of +the United States owes us that amount of money, not politics. I was one +of the councilors when that treaty was made, and I will see some other +men about this matter, sir." His face turned all purple, and as I was +turning about to keep away from him, he called me back, saying, "Mr. +Blackbird, how far do you intend to go to get your education?" I said, +"I intend to go to Ann Arbor University, sir." "Well, I will do this +much for you: I will pay your fare to Detroit. I am going by way of +Chicago, but you can go down by the next boat, which will be here soon +from Chicago." I thanked him, and he handed me money enough to pay my +fare to Detroit. + +So I reached Detroit, and went to Dr. Stuben's house and inquired my +way to Governor Cass' residence; and when I knocked at the door, behold +it was he himself came to the door. I shook hands with him and said, +"My friend, I would like to speak to you a few moments." "Is it for +business?" he asked. "Yes sir, it is." "Well, my boy, I will listen to +what you have to say." I therefore began, saying, "Well, my friend, I +come from Arbor Croche. I am the nephew of your old friend, 'Warrior +Wing,' am seeking for education, but I have no means; and I come to see +you expressly to acquaint you with my object, and to ask you the favor +of interceding for me to the Government to see if they could possibly +do something towards defraying my expenses in this object. That is all +I have to say." The old man raised his spectacles and said, "Why, why! +your object is a very good one. I was well acquainted with your uncle +in the frontier of Michigan during the war of 1812. Have you seen and +told the Indian agent of this matter?" "Yes sir, I have asked him +twice, but he would not do anything for me." "Why, why! it seems to me +there is ample provision for your people for that object, and has been +for the last twenty years. What is the matter with him?" + +I said, "I don't know, sir." "Well, well; I am going to Washington in a +few days, and shall see the Indian Commissioner about this matter, and +will write to you from there on the subject. I know they can do +something toward defraying your expenses. Where do you intend to go?" I +said, "I don't know, yet, sir, but I thought of going to the University +at Ann Arbor." "Is it possible? are you prepared to enter such a +college?" I told him I thought I was. "Well, sir, I think you had +better go to Ypsilanti State Normal School instead of Ann Arbor: it is +one of the best colleges in the State." This was the first time I ever +heard of that school, and it sounded quite big to me; so I told him +that I would gladly attend that school, provided I had means to do so. +"Well, then, it is settled. You shall go to Ypsilanti, and I will +direct my letter to Ypsilanti when I write to you; and now mind nobody, +but just go about your business." After thanking him for his good +counsel I shook hands with the old man and left. + +The next day was a terrible snow storm, but, however, I started out for +Ypsilanti, which is only about thirty miles from Detroit. Of course, as +I was totally a stranger in the place, I put up at a hotel, although my +means were getting very short. The next day I went about to find out +all about the institution, cost of tuition, and private board, etc., +and saw some of the professors of the institution, but I did not dare +to make any arrangements for a steady boarding place and begin school +for fear Governor Cass should fail of getting help from the Goverment. +Therefore, instead of beginning to go to school, I went and hired out +on a farm about three miles from the city, and continued to work there +for about three weeks before I heard from Governor Cass. At last the +old farmer brought a package of letters from the post-office, one of +which was post marked at Washington, D. C., and another from Detroit. I +fairly trembled as I opened the one which I thought was from Governor +Cass, as between doubt and hope, but my fears were suddenly changed +into gladness, and quickly as possible I settled with the farmer, and +away I went towards the city, singing as I went along. By intercession +of Governor Cass, it was proposed to pay my whole expenses--board, +clothes, books, tuition, etc. The other letter was from the Indian +Agent, calling me to come down to Detroit, as he had already received +some instructions from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to look after +me and to arrange the matters of my schooling at Ypsilanti State Normal +School. O, how I did hate to have to meet the Indian Agent again on +this subject; to stand before him, and to have him think that I had +overcome him, and succeeded in spite of his opposition to my desire. O, +how I wished this matter could have been arranged without his +assistance. However, I started out for Detroit the same evening I +received these communications, and went to the agent. He never even +said, "How do you do?" but immediately began, saying, "Well, sir, how +much do you think that it will cost for your schooling at Ypsilanti?" +"I don't know, sir," I responded. "Well, who knows? I think you ought +to know, as you have been there," he said, in a gruff voice. "I have +not been to school at all, sir," I said, "but have been working on a +farm up to this morning." "Working on a farm, eh? I thought you came +here on purpose to attend school?" "I did, sir; but you know I was very +short of means, so I had to do something to keep me alive." "Can't you +tell me the cost for your board per week?" "The private board is from +$3.50 to $4 per week, sir, as according to accommodation." "How much +for books and clothing?" "I don't know, sir; but I think I have enough +clothing for at least one year." + +In the morning I went back to Ypsilanti, and with the aid of the +professors of the institution I got a good boarding place. I attended +this institution almost two years and a half, when I could not hold out +any longer, as my allowance for support from the Government was so +scanty it did not pay for all my necessary expenses. I have always +attributed this small allowance to the Indian Agent who was so much +against me. I tried to board myself and to live on bread and water; and +therefore hired a room which cost me 75 cents a week, and bought bread +from the bakeries, which cost me about 50 cents a week, and once in a +while I had fire-wood as I did not keep much fire. I stood it pretty +well for three months, but I could not stand it any longer. I was very +much reduced in flesh, and on the least exertion I would be trembling, +and I began to be discouraged in the prosecution of my studies. By this +time I was in the D class, but class F was the graduating class in that +institution, which I was exceedingly anxious to attain; but I imagined +that I was beginning to be sick on account of so much privation, or +that I would starve to death before I could be graduated, and therefore +I was forced to abandon my studies and leave the institution. + +As I did not have any money to pay my passage homeward, I wept about +working and occasionally lecturing on the subject of the Indians of +Michigan, and at last I had enough means to return home and try to live +once more according to the means and strength of my education. +September 4th, 1858, I was joined in wedlock to the young lady who is +still my beloved wife, and now we have four active children for whom I +ever feel much anxiety that they might be educated and brought up in a +Christian manner. Soon after I came to my country my father died at a +great age. The first year we lived in Little Traverse we struggled +quite hard to get along, but in another year I was appointed U. S. +Interpreter by the Hon. D. C. Leach, U. S. Indian Agent for Mackinac +Indian Agency, to whom I ever feel largely indebted, and I continued to +hold this situation under several of his successors in office. + +During the Rebellion I was loyal to the Government, and opposed the bad +white men who were then living in the Indian country, who tried to +mislead my people as to the question of the war, to cause them to be +disloyal. After the war was over, I was appointed as an auxiliary +prosecutor of the Indian soldier claims, as quite a number of our +people also helped to put down this rebellion, and many were killed and +wounded. But most of this kind of business I performed without reward. + +Before I was fairly out as Interpreter, I was appointed with a very +small salary as postmaster at Little Traverse, now Harbor Springs, +where I discharged my duties faithfully and honestly for eleven years. +But the ingress of the white population in this Indian country +increased much from 1872-73 and onward. The office was beginning to be +a paying one, and I was beginning to think that I was getting over the +bridge, when others wanted the office, my opponents being the most +prominent persons. Petitions were forwarded to Washington to have me +removed, although no one ever had any occasion to complain of having +lost his money or letter through this office during my administration. +At last, the third assistant postmaster general at Washington wrote me +a kind of private letter, stating that the main ground of the complaint +was, that my office was too small and inconvenient for the public, and +advising me to try and please the public as well as I could. And +consequently I took what little money I had saved and built a +comfortable office, but before the building was thoroughly completed I +was removed. This left me penniless in this cold world, to battle on +and to struggle for my existence; and from that time hence I have not +held any office, nor do I care to. I only wish I could do a little more +for the welfare of my fellow-beings before I depart for another world, +as I am now nearly seventy years old, and will soon pass away. I wish +my readers to remember that the above history of my existence is only a +short outline. If time and means permitted, many more interesting +things might be related. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +Some of the Legends of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians Respecting the +Great Flood of the World--A Person Swallowed Up Alive Like a Prophet +Jonah. + + +Before proceeding with the history of the Ottawas and Chippewas some of +their most important and peculiar legends will be given. They have a +tradition of a great flood, as is recorded it the Bible History, and +many other tribes of Indians who speak dialect of the Ottawa and +Chippewa languages have the same story. The legends say it was caused, +not by a rain, but by the great Ne-naw-bo-zhoo, who was the most +remarkable, wonderful, and supernatural being that ever trod upon the +earth. He could transfigure himself into the shape of all animals and +live with them for a great length of time. He has done much mischief +and also many benefits to the inhabitants of the earth whom he called +"his nephews;" and he shaped almost everything, teaching his nephews +what materials they should take for their future utensils. This +mischievous Ne-naw-bo-zhoo spoiled the sugar trees by diluting their +sap with water. The legends say, that once upon a time the sugar trees +did produce sap at certain season of the year which was almost like a +pure syrup; but when this mischievous Ne-naw-bo-zhoo had tasted it, he +said to himself, "Ah, that is too cheap. It will not do. My nephews +will obtain this sugar too easily in the future time and the sugar will +be worthless." And therefore he diluted the sap until he could not +taste any sweetness therein. Then he said, "Now my nephews will have to +labor hard to make the sugar out of this sap, and the sugar will be +much more valuable to them in the future time." In former times the +heart of every tree contained fat from which all inhabitants of the +earth obtained delicious oil to eat; but this mischievous Ne-naw-bo- +zhoo, in his supernatural way, pushed his staff into the heart of every +tree; and this is the reason why the heart of every tree has a +different color. + +There was no great ark in which to float during the great flood, but +when Ne-naw-bo-zhoo could not find any more dry land to run to when he +was pursued with mountains of water, he said, "let there be a great +canoe." So there was a great canoe which he entered with his animals +and floated. + +As to the origin of Ne-naw-bo-zhoo, the legend says, that once upon a +time there lived a maiden with her grandmother, who was a very dutiful +and obedient child, observing every precept which was taught her by her +grandmother, and she spent much time fasting; during which time she had +wonderful dreams which she related to her grandmother every morning +during her fast days. She very often had a vision of holding +conversation with some deities and finally she was assured in a vision, +that her children would be terrible and would redeem all the +inhabitants of the earth from their various calamities; and +accordingly, she bore two sons. The first born was like any other human +child, but the last one was a monster which caused the death of its +mother, and, although shaped like a human being, as soon as born ran +off in the wilderness and was never again seen by any person; but the +first child was nourished and reared by the grandmother. When this +child grew to be playful and talkative by the side of its grandmother, +he was so strange that very often she would say to him, "Your actions +are like a Ne-naw-bo-zhoo." Then the child would reply, "I am the great +Ne-naw-bo-zhoo on this earth." The meaning of this word in the +Algonquin language is "a clown" and therefore he meant that he was the +great "clown" of the world. + +When Ne-naw-bo-zhoo became a man he was a great prophet for his nephews +and an expert hunter. His hunting dog was a great black wolf. When he +learned from his grandmother, that his mother was dead and that his +brother was a monster with a body like flint stone which caused her +death, Ne-naw-bo-zhoo was in a great rage after hearing the story and +he determined to seek for this evil being and slay him. Then he +immediately prepared for a long journey, and trimmed his ponderous war +club nicely and prepared to be in a great battle. So off he went with +his great black wolf on the war path. As he passed through the forest, +for a trial of his strength and the strength of his war club, he simply +made motions with it toward one of the tallest pines of the forest +and the gigantic tree came down all into slivers. "Ah," said Ne-naw- +bo-zhoo, "who could stand against my strength and the strength of my +war club." After many days journey going into every nook and loop hole +of the earth, he succeeded at last in having a glimpse of the object of +his search. Ne-naw-bo-zhoo ran to overtake him, and chased him all over +the world; and every now and then he would be close enough to reach him +with his war-club and to strike at him, but he would only break a piece +of the monster's stony body, which was like a mountain of hard flintstone. +So the legend says that whenever we find a pile of hard flints lying on the +face of the earth, there is where Ne-naw-bo-zhoo overtook his brother +monster and struck him with his tremendous war-club. At last he vanquished +him on the east shore of Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan, near the place now +called Antrim City, but formerly by the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, it was +called "Pe-wa-na-go-ing," meaning "Flinty Point," so called because there +were great rocks of flint lying near the edge of the lake shore. And so +the Ottawas and Chippewas say it is there where the old carcass of the +monster is now lying--the brother of the great Ne-naw-bo-zhoo. After +that he traveled over almost every part of this continent sometimes in +the shape of an animal and then again in human shape. There is an +impression of human foot tracks on a very smooth rock some where along +the Ottawa river in Canada, and also a round hole about as large and +deep as a common brass kettle on this flat rock near where the track is +and every Ottawa and Chippewa calls these "Ne-naw-bo-zhoo's track" and +"Ne-naw-bo-zhoo's kettle where he dropped it when chasing his brother," +and then they would drop a piece of tobacco in the kettle as a +sacrifice, at the same time praying for luck and a prosperous journey +to Montreal and back again to Michigan, their native home, when passing +this place. + +Now the cause of the great flood was this: The god of the deep was +exceedingly jealous about Ne-naw-bo-zhoo's hunting dog (the great black +wolf) and therefore, he killed it and made a feast with it and invited +many guests, which were represented as sea-serpents, water-tigers, and +every kind of monster of the deep, and they had a great feast. When Ne- +naw-bo-zhoo found out what had become of his hunting dog, he was +furiously enraged, and determined to kill this god of the deep. + +There was a certain place where he was accustomed to come on the shore +with his hosts, particularly on very fine days, to sun themselves and +enjoy the pleasure of being on a dry land. Ne-naw-bo-zhoo knew this +lovely spot very well. So right away he strung up his bow and trimmed +his arrows nicely, and went there to watch, transforming himself into a +black stump, near where these water gods usually lay down to enjoy +themselves. And therefore, one very fine day the sea-serpents and +water-tigers were very anxious to come on shore as usual and asked +their master to accompany them, but he replied: "I fear the great Ne- +naw-bo-zhoo might be lurking about there, and he will kill me because I +have killed and eaten up his black wolf." But he at last told them to +go on shore and examine the place and report if it was all clear; but +they found nothing unusual about the place except the old black stump, +which they never before observed to be there. Therefore, they went back +to their master and reported that nothing was there to be afraid of +except the old black stump which they never noticed before. "Go again," +said their master "and closely examine the stump; peradventure, it was +he transfigured into the shape of the stump." So again they came ashore +and one of the water-tigers climbed upon it, inserting his long, sharp +claws as he went up, but he saw nothing strange. So, also the sea- +serpent went up to it and coiled himself around the stump so tight that +Ne-naw-bo-zhoo nearly screamed with pain. At last the serpent uncoiled +himself and they went back to their master and reported to him that it +was nothing but an old stump. So the god of the sea concluded to come +ashore with all his hosts, slowly and cautiously looking in every +direction as he was still afraid that Ne-naw-bo-zhoo might be lurking +around there and watching. Soon they were dozing upon the hot sand of +the beach, then Ne-naw-bo-zhoo unmasked himself and fixed one of his +best arrows into his bow and shot the god of the deep right through the +heart. Then all the host started to pursue the slayer of their master. +Ne-naw-bo-zhoo fled for his life; but he was pursued by the host with +mountains of water. He ran all over the earth, still pursued with the +mountains of water. So when he could not find any more dry land to run +to he commanded a great canoe to be formed in which he and the animals +who were fleeing before the water, were saved. After they floated, Ne- +naw-bo-zhoo wondered very much how deep was the water. Therefore, he +ordered one of the beavers to go down to the bottom of the deep and +bring up some earth if he could, as evidence that he did go to the +bottom. So the beaver obeyed, and he went down, but the water was so +deep the beaver died before he reached the bottom, and therefore, he +came up floating as a dead beaver. Ne-naw-bo-zhoo drew him up into his +canoe and resuscitated the beaver by blowing into his nostrils. + +So he waited a little while longer, and afterwards he ordered the +muskrat to go down; but the muskrat did not like the idea, for he had +seen the beaver coming up lifeless. So he had to flatter him a little +in order to induce him to go down, by telling him, "Now, muskrat, I +know that thou art one of the best divers of all the animal creation; +will you please go down and ascertain the depth of the water, and bring +up some earth in your little paws, if you can, with which I shall try +to make another world? Now go my little brother,"--the legend says that +he called all the animal creation his little brothers,--"for we cannot +always live on the waters." At last the muskrat obeyed. He went down, +and descended clear to the bottom of the water, and grabbed the earth +and returned. But the water was yet so deep that before he reached the +surface of the water, he expired. + +As Ne-naw-bo-zhoo drew him up into his great canoe to resuscitate him, +he observed the muskrat still grasping something in his little paws, +and behold, it was a piece of earth. Then Ne-naw-bo-zhoo knew that the +muskrat went clear to the bottom of the deep. He took this piece of +earth and fixed it into a small parcel; which he fastened to the neck +of the raven which was with him. Now, with this parcel, Ne-naw-bo-zhoo +told the raven to fly to and fro all over the face of the waters; then +the waters began to recede very fast, and soon the earth came back to +its natural shape, just as it was before. + +Again this same Ne-naw-bo-zhoo was once swallowed by a fish, and after +being carried about in the midst of the deep, he came out again and +lived as well as ever, like the Prophet Jonah. This Ottawa and Chippewa +legend is, that once upon a time there was a great fish that resided in +a certain lake, and as the people passed through this lake in their +canoes, this great fish was accustomed to come after those crossing the +lake and if he overtook them he would swallow them up, canoe and all, +like swallowing a little clam in its shell. So Ne-naw-bo-zhoo said to +himself, "This great fish will eat up all my nephews. Now I must +somehow dispose of him." And he went to the lake in his canoe expressly +to look for the fish, singing daring songs as he went along. After he +came in the midst of it, there he stopped, but kept on singing the +following words: "Mishe-la-me-gwe Pe-le-wi-ko-lishim, Pe-la-wi-ko- +lishim"--daring the fish to come and swallow him up. So at last the +great fish, Mishi-la-me-gwe, did come and swallow the great Ne-naw-bo- +zhoo. But this was just what he wanted. After being swallowed, he was +able to dispose of this big fish, for with his weapons he caused the +fish such pain that he ran on the shore and died. After which, Ne-naw- +bo-zhoo came out like the Prophet Jonah, and he went home and sat down +to smoke his pipe, perfectly satisfied that he had saved many people by +disposing of this great fish. + +These are some of the legends told among the Ottawa and Chippewa +Indians, as related in their own language, which are in some things +quite similar to the records of the Bible. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +Traditions of the Ottawas Regarding Their Early History--Their Wars and +Their Confederations With Other Tribes of Indians. + + +Very many centuries ago, before the discovery of the American continent +by the white people, the traditions of the Ottawas say they lived along +the banks of one of the largest tributaries of the St. Lawrence, now +known as the Ottawa river. The Ottawas spread over the country around +the head waters of this stream, subduing all other tribes of Indians +which they happened to encounter, except the Chippewas and Stockbridge +Indians. They have been always friendly and closely related with these +tribes, and consequently no war-club was ever raised by either of these +against the other. Their language is of the same root, as they could +quite intelligently understand each other. Their manners and customs in +every way correspond. Their legends, particularly respecting the flood, +and their belief in the Supreme Being, the great creator of all things +--Ketchi-mat-ne-do--is very much the same; also their belief in the evil +spirit, whose habitation was under the earth. To this deity they +offered sacrifices as well as to the other gods or deities. These +offerings were called in those days peace-offerings and down-offerings. +They never sacrificed flesh of animals to the evil spirit. Their +offering to this deity was parched corn pounded, then cooked into +hominy; this was sacrificed to the evil spirit, not because they loved +him, but to appease his wrath. + +Although the Chippewas speak almost the same language as the Ottawas +and Stockbridge Indians, yet they seem to belong to another family of +Indians, as they are much taller than the Ottawas and Stockbridges, and +broader across the shoulders--having a full chest, very erect and +striding firmly in their walking. They were much more numerous than the +Ottawa Indians. They extended from lower Canada north-westward up to +Manitoba county. There are three kinds of Chippewas, each kind having a +different dialect. The Chippewas in Canada, around the Straits of +Mackinaw, the islands in Lake Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie, and west of +Lake Superior, are much more enlightened and intelligent, and these, we +called common Chippewas; but those on the plains further north or +northwest of Lake Superior, "the wild Chippewas;" and those on the +north side of Lake Superior going toward Hudson Bay; we called "the +Backwoodsmen." This latter race lived entirely by hunting and fishing +and endured very great hardships sometimes, particularly, when there +was scarcity of game. The Chippewas were very brave people on the war +path, and their principal foes were Sioux Indians on the plains. These +were called in the Ottawa language "Naw-do-wa-see," and in the Chippewa +"Au-bwan." The plurals are "Naw-do-wa-see-wog" and "Au-bwan-og." The +"Naw-do-wa-see-wog" are deadly enemies of the Ottawas and Chippewas, +and they are the most careless of their lives, for they taught their +children from infancy not to fear death. But the Ottawas were, however, +considered as the most ancient tribe of Indians and were called by the +other tribe "their big brother." Although they are a smaller race, in +stature, then many other tribes, they were known as the most wise and +sagacious people. Every tribe belonging to all the Algonquin family of +Indians looked up to the Ottawas for good counsel; and they were as +brave as the Chippewas and very expert on the warpath. + +Every tribe of Indians has a different coat of arms, or symbolical sign +by which they are known to one another. The emblem of the Ottawas is a +moose; of the Chippewas, a sea gull; of the Backswoodsmen, a rabbit; +that of the underground tribe, to which I belong, is a species of hawk; +and that of the Seneca tribe of Indians is a crotch of a tree. The +Ottawa Indians are very nearly extinct in the state of Michigan as +there are only two or three families in the state, whose national +emblem is a moose, showing them to be descended from pure Ottawa blood; +but those who represented themselves as the Ottawas in this state are +descendants from various tribes of Indians, even some are Senecas, of +the Iroquois family--formerly deadly enemies of the Ottawas. The cause +of this mixture is by intermarriage, and by prisoners of war in former +times. + +The first man who signed the treaty of 1886, one of the Chippewas of +the Grand River Indians, whose name was "Mixinene," was a descendant of +the Backwoodsmen, whose emblem was a rabbit. Therefore, all the rest of +those Chippewas who went to Washington to form a treaty with the +Government felt displeased about this matter and tried to ignore the +signature of Mixinene, because they thought that the first signature +should have been made by a pure Ottawa or a pure Chippewa, because they +had the first right to the land of Michigan. But the "Backwoodsmen," +they considered, had no claim nor title to this land which they ceded +to the Government of the United States. But the Government did not know +the difference, however,--all she wanted was the land. So all the +Chiefs of the Ottawas and Chippewas signed this said treaty, not with +free will, but by compulsion. + +The tradition gives no reason why the Ottawas continually moved towards +the northwest at this early period; but it is, however, supposed that +it was on account of their deadly enemies, the Iroquois of New York, as +they were continually at war with the six nations of Indians. Quite +often, the Iroquois would attack them, but the tradition says that in +almost every battle the Ottawas would come out victorious over the +Iroquois. The Ottawas too, in retaliation, would go to the Iroquois +country to scalp some of the Iroquois; then have their jubilees over +these scalps by feasting and dancing around them. At this stage of +their existence they were an exceedingly fierce and warlike people, not +only contending with these tribes, but also with many others out west +and south, even to the Chocktaw and Cherokee country and to the +Flatheads, Sioux Indians and the Underground race of people out west. + +As the Ottawas continued moving up on this beautiful stream of water, +they at last came to a large lake, the head waters of the river. The +surrounding scenery of the lake was most surprisingly beautiful. They +immediately named this lake Ke-tchi-ne-bissing, which name it bears to +this day. Here the Ottawas concluded to stop and occupy the surrounding +country. Therefore, they pitched their tents and formed a great +village. They continued to reside around the lake for untold ages. And +here too they had many hard battles with the Iroquois; but the Iroquois +were not able to conquer them or drive them from the country. But at +last the Ottawas became discontented with the place. They concluded +that the place was haunted by some presiding deity who was not +favorable to them. They probably obtained this idea through having +sometimes great disasters in war with the Iroquois at this place. I +will here relate an incident which happened to the Ottawas at about +this time, and which was the origin of their belief that the deity of +the place was unfavorable to them. It may be considered as purely +fictitious, but every Ottawa and Chippewa to this day believes it to +have actually occurred. + +A woman went down to the beach of lake Ke-tchi-ne-bissing to wash some +of her clothing, taking along her infant child, which was tied up on a +board, according to the fashion of the Indians. When she reached the +beach, she set her child down very near the edge of the water that it +might watch its mother while at work. Her wigwam stood not far from the +lake, and in a few moments she ran to it for something. On her return +to the spot she was terribly surprised not to find her child where she +had left it but a few minutes before. She ran frantically through the +village, crying and screaming, and saying that some one had stolen her +baby. A few days after this, two lovers sat upon the top of the highest +hillock which stood back of the village. While they were talking very +much love to each other, they heard an infant crying bitterly, in the +ground directly under them. Every one who heard the report said at once +that it must be the same baby who was mysteriously missing on the beach +a few days before. The next day all the magicians were called together +and requested to divine this mystery. Some went and put themselves into +the state of clairvoyance, which was a very common practice among the +Ottawas and Chippewas within my time, and is still practiced to-day +where there is no Christianity predominating among the Indians. Other +magicians built themselves lodges in which to call their favorite +spirits in order to commune with them. This, which we might call +Spiritualism, was practiced among the Indians much as among the whites +at the present day. The form of these lodges was like a tower in +circular form built with long poles set deep in the ground ten or +twelve feet high, then covered tight all around with canvass or skins +of animals, except the top is left open. Now the magician or the +performer comes with the little flat magician's rattle like a +tamborine. They always build a fire close to the lodge so that the +attendants and spectators could light their pipes, as they generally +smoke much during the performance. The magician sits by the fire also, +and begins to talk to the people, telling them that he could call up +various spirits, even the spirit of those who are yet living in the +world, and that they should hear them and ask them any questions they +wish. After which he begins to sing a peculiar song which scarcely any +one could understand. Then he either goes into the lodge by crawling +under, or sits out side with the rest of the audience, and simply +throws something of his wear in the lodge--his blanket or his robe or +coat. And immediately the lodge begins to tremble, appearing to be full +of wind. Then voices of various kinds are heard from top to bottom, +some speaking in unknown tongues, and when the spectators ask any +questions they would receive replies sometimes with unknown tongues, +but among the spirits there is always a special interpreter to make +known what other spirits says. + +After the magicians had finished their incantations, one of them, whom +they thought greatest of all, went down to the beach to the place where +the child had been missing. The water was very deep there along the +beach quite close to the shore. He plunged in the lake and was gone +under water for a long time. At last he came up and reported that he +had discovered a doorway under deep water for a passage which seemed to +lead toward the top of the hill. He believed through this passage the +child was conveyed to the top of the hill by some evil monster, and all +the rest of the magicians agreed with this opinion. Therefore, they +returned to their village to hold another council and they concluded to +dig down wherever the magicians would direct and try to find the +passage. They found the passage after making a very deep hole which to +this day is said to be yet visible at Ke-tchi-ne-bissing. While they +were digging, two supernatural monsters ran out of the place; and at +last at the top of the hill they found a cavern where the dead form of +the child was discovered. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +The Ottawas Moving Again Towards the Setting Sun--Coming to Manitoulin, +or Ottawa Island--The Names of Their Leaders--The Wenebago Warriors +Coming to Ottawa Island in a Hostile Manner, Headed by O-saw-wah-ne-me- +kee, "The Yellow Thunder"--Death of Kaw-be-naw, one of the Greatest +Prophets and Warriors of the Ottawas--Massacre in the Country of Waw- +gaw-na-ke-zhe, or Arbor Croche, Emmet County, Michigan. + + +Soon after the loss of the child, the Ottawas abandoned the country and +again moved toward the setting sun until they came to Lake Huron. Here +they discovered a great island which is now called Manitoulin, but +formerly, the Ottawa Island. Here the Ottawas remained for many more +centuries. Here too, was born one of the greatest warriors and prophets +that the Ottawas ever had, whose name was Kaw-be-naw. This word is +accented on the last syllable,--its definition is--"He would be brought +out." There are many curious and interesting adventures related of this +great warrior and prophet, a record of which would require a large +book. But I will here give one of the last acts of his life. It is +related that he became tired of living and killing so many people. He +desired to die; but he could not. It is also related that the We-ne-be- +go tribe of Indians had also one man who was almost equal in power to +Kaw-be-naw whose name was "O-saw-wa-ne-me-kee"--the "Yellow Thunder." +Having heard the fame of Kaw-be-naw, he was very anxious to meet him on +the warpath, that he might have an opportunity to contend with him in +battle. And consequently he formed a most enormous expedition to the +Island with his numerous warriors expressly to meet Kaw-be-naw. But +Kaw-be-naw knowing everything that was going on in the Wenebago +country, told his people to prepare for a great war, for numerous +Wenebagoes were coming to the Island headed with O-saw-wah-ne-me-kee in +a very hostile manner. + +At last O-saw-wah-ne-me-kee landed with his warriors on the Island, and +marched towards the largest village of the Ottawas, which was situated +in the interior of the Island where there was a lake. So Kaw-be-naw +starts with his wife, pretending that he was going after cedar bark, +but his real object was to meet the Wenebagoes on their march toward +the village. When he saw the Wenebagoes coming, he told his wife to run +home quickly and tell nobody what she had seen, and he alone went to +meet them. When they saw him he did not try to get away, so they easily +captured him. Of course the Wenebagoes knew not that he was the very +man they were seeking. They asked him many questions as to the +condition of the Ottawas, how many there were in the village, and +whether Kaw-be-naw was at home or not. He told them the Ottawas were in +good condition to fight, but Kaw-be-naw was not at home just then, but +would probably be home by to-morrow or day after, as he was gone only +to get cedar bark somewhere. The Wenebagoes made a deep pit in the +ground and after tieing Kaw-be-naw they threw him in the pit and +covered him with heavy stones and dirt and then marched on. + +When they came in view of the village they halted. They concluded that +they would not make the attack until morning. Kaw-be-naw, after lying +awhile in the pit, magically released himself and went home, and told +his people that the Wenebagoes were very close at hand; and by to- +morrow there would be a great battle, so every man must be well +prepared. The village was in terrible anxiety that night, the women and +children were all gathered in one place and the warriors in another, +and the village was well guarded. Early in the morning the war cry was +heard, and every warrior went forward to meet the Wenebagoes, but Kaw- +be-naw remained in his lodge while his warriors were fighting. The old +O-saw-wah-ne-me-kee was nearly naked and frightfully painted from head +to foot, so that he looked more like a demon than a human being. Of +course he did not know who might be Kaw-be-naw among the Ottawas, +therefore he sang out, saying, "Where is your great Kaw-be-naw? I +should like to meet him in this battle." So one of the warriors +replied, "Don't you know that you have buried our great Kaw-be-naw in +the pit yesterday?" "Thanks to the Great Spirit for delivering the +Ottawas into my hands," said old O-saw-wah-ne-me-kee triumphantly. Just +then, Kaw-be-naw came out of his lodge in full uniform of black bear +skins, with his ponderous war club in his hand, and mocked his +antagonist by saying, "Thanks to the Great Spirit, here I am; and now +meet me all you want." Kaw-be-naw looked so grand and noble, and was +such an extraordinary personage that O-saw-wah-ne-me-kee did not know +what to do with himself, whether to yield or to fight. But remembering +his previous threats, he made out to face him. However Kaw-be-naw did +not take long to dispose of him; O-saw-wah-ne-me-kee was soon slain. +When the Wenebagoes saw that their great warrior was no more, they +immediately raised a flag of truce, and requested that they might +acknowledge themselves as conquered and depart in peace. + +During the affray with O-saw-wah-ne-me-kee, Kaw-be-naw received a +little scratch on his nose which drew a few drops of his blood, and +therefore when he saw a flag of truce he disarmed himself and went to +the Wenebagoes, saying, "O, you have killed me." The Wenebagoes said, +"How and where?" "Don't you see the blood on my nose?" "Pshaw, that is +only a scratch," said the Wenebagoes. "Well, that very thing will cause +me to die." The Wenebagoes tried to send him away, but he would not +leave them. At last they took him prisoner. They tied him with small +strong cord which every warrior generally carries in case of capture. +As they journeyed towards their home one fine day, they began to +council about him, saying, "This man will never die. When we get him +into our country, he will make a terrible slaughter among our women and +children. We better dispose of him before we reach home." So they +concluded to sink him into deep water. Therefore they tied a big stone +about his neck and put him overboard. They went on rejoicing and +traveled all day in their canoes, thinking that they had disposed of +the greatest man in the world and were very much elated at the idea; +forgetting how he had once escaped after being buried in a deep pit. +When evening came, they encamped for the night. While they were +preparing their food, they saw a man coming along on the beach toward +them who appeared to them like Kaw-be-naw. The Wenebagoes were in +terrible consternation. Soon he came up to them, and behold it was he. +Then the Wenebagoes were in great terror. But as he came up to them he +spoke very pleasently, saying, "Ho, what a pleasant journey we have had +to-day. Well, children, have you any meat? I am getting quite hungry +after traveling all day." Of course they had to treat him as well as +they could, and Kaw-be-naw came into the midst of them. That night the +Wenebagoes lay awake all night, and they thought every moment they +would be slaughtered by Kaw-be-naw in revenge for trying to drown him. +In the morning after breakfast as they were preparing to go Kaw-be-naw +spoke to them saying, "Children, if you want to kill me, I will tell +you how. You must take all the flesh from off my body by cutting it +piece by piece with your knives, and leave no flesh upon my bones; for +this is the only way that I can be killed." The Wenebagoes were +terribly frightened as they thought that so soon as any one would touch +him he would kill every Wenebago. So they held a council to determine +what they should do. But the majority were in favor of performing this +dreadful act, as Kaw-be-naw ordered, for he desired to die. When they +came back, Kaw-be-naw persisted that they should begin, and assured +them that he would never resist. At last, one of the bravest Wenebagoes +went up to him and cut a piece of his flesh. Kaw-be-naw never stirred +but simply smiled and said, "That is the way you must do. What are you +afraid of? Come all ye who have sharp knives." Pretty soon they were +all around him taking his flesh piece after piece. When it was all done +he said, "It is finished; now I shall surely die. But as recompense for +my flesh and life a great battle will be made against you by my +successor, and as many of your best young men shall fall in this battle +as pieces have been cut from my flesh." At the end of this sentence, he +fell backwards and died. Thus ended the career of the great Kaw-be-naw, +the Ottawa warrior and prophet. + +"Shaw-ko-we-sy" was the successor of Kaw-be-naw and was almost equal in +power to his predecessor. It is related that in the following year, he +went to the Wenebago country with his numerous warriors and killed many +Wenebagoes, as many as Kaw-be-naw predicted, and returned late in the +fall to their Island with many of the Wenebagoes' scalps. While they +were having jubilees, festivities, and war dances over these scalps of +the Wenebagoes, in the dead of winter, the tribe of Michilimacki- +nawgoes, the remnant race of Indians who resided at the Island now +called Mackinac, whose fate has been given in a previous chapter, were +destroyed. This is the time, according to the Ottawa traditions, that +the Iroquois of New York came upon this race of people and almost +entirely annihilated them, and the Ottawas and Chippewas called this +Island Michilimackinong in order to perpetuate the name of these +unfortunate Indians. + +There were also a small tribe of Indians, beside the Chippewas, that +resided on the north side of the strait whose principal village, was +situated at the place now called St. Ignace, but the Ottawas and +Chippewas call this place to this day "Naw-do-we-que-yah-mi-shen-ing," +which is a compound name from "Naw-do-we," the name of the tribe who +resided there, and "Na-yah-me-shen," point of land in water. And +afterwards part of the Ottawas came over from their Island and resided +with them, during the days of old Saw-ge-maw, who was one of the great +warriors and leaders of the Ottawas. But afterwards Saw-ge-maw +quarreled with them and broke up the confederacy and drove them off. +Here, too, at about this time, part of the Ottawas left the country in +anger because they were cheated out of one of the great feasts they +were having on some particular occasion. Those went far west and joined +the Sho-sho-nee tribe of Indians, whose country lies on the side of the +Rocky Mountains, and consequently the Ottawa language is quite +extensively spoken among that tribe of Indians to this day. + +The south side of the straits, which now constitutes Emmet, Cheboygan +and Charlevoix counties, our tradition says, was exceedingly thickly +populated by another race of Indians, whom the Ottawas called Mush-co- +desh, which means, "the Prairie tribe." They were so called on account +of being great cultivators of the soil, and making the woodland into +prairie as they abandoned their old worn out gardens which formed +grassy plains. It is related, this tribe was quite peaceable, and were +never known to go on a warpath. The Ottawas of Manitoulin had joined +hands with them as their confederates. They called each other +"brothers." But on one of the western war trips of the great Saw-ge- +maw, who existed about the time America was first discovered by white +men, he met with great disaster, as many of his warriors were killed; +so on returning homeward with his remaining survivors, they crossed +Little Traverse Bay in a canoe and approached the shores of Arbor +Croche at the place now called Seven Mile Point, where there was a +large village of Mush-co-desh. Saw-ge-maw said to his few warriors, +"Let us take our sad news to our relations the Mush-co-desh." So as +they approached the shore they began to make an unearthly wailing +noise, according to the custom of the Ottawas, which was called the +death song of the warriors. When the Mush-co-desh heard them they said +to one another, "Hark, the Ottawas are crying. They have been marauding +among some tribes in the west; but this time they have been worsted-- +good enough for them. See, they are coming ashore. Let us not permit +them to land." So instead of preparing to join in their mourning, as +would have been proper, they rashly determined to express their +disapproval of the marauding expeditions and their contempt for those +who engaged in them. Before Saw-ge-maw had fairly touched the beach, +parties of Mush-co-desh ran down to the shore with balls of ashes +wrapped up in forest leaves and with these they pelted Saw-ge-maw and +his party as they came ashore. This treatment dreadfully provoked Saw- +ge-maw, and the insult was such as could only be wiped out with blood. +He told his warriors to pull homeward as quickly as possible. "We will +come back here in a few days; we will not have to go so far again to +look for our enemies." Arriving at Manitoulin Island, he immediately +prepared for a great war. After they were completely equipped, they +came back to the southern peninsula of Michigan, stealthily and +carefully landing at the most uninhabited part of the shore. They then +marched to one of the largest villages of Mush-co-desh, which was +situated between Cross Village and Little Traverse, in a beautiful +valley in the northern part of the township now called Friendship. +Arriving late in the afternoon within view of the village, the Ottawas +hid in ambush. One of the old women of the Mush-co-desh was going +through the bushes looking for young basswood bark from which to +manufacture twine or cord. She came right where the Ottawas were lying +in ambush. She was terribly surprised, but the Ottawas persuaded her +not to reveal their presence by telling her they would give her a young +man as her husband, pointing to one of the best looking young warriors +there. They told her, early in the morning they were going to fall upon +the village and kill every one of the Mush-co-desh, but when she heard +the war-whoop she must run to them and she should not be killed but be +protected. The foolish woman believed and kept the secret. Early in the +morning the war cry was heard, and she ran to the Ottawas to be +protected, but she was the first one to be slain. It was indeed a +terrible calamity for the Mush-co-desh. At the begining of the noise of +massacre, the chief of the Mush-co-desh ran forward and screamed loud +as he could, saying, "O! My father, Saw-ge-maw, what is the cause of +your coming upon us so suddenly with death, as we have never wronged +your race?" "Have you already forgotten" said Saw-ge-maw triumphantly, +"that you have greatly insulted me on your borders? You have pelted me +with ashes when I was lamenting over the loss of my braves." When the +Mush-co-desh saw they could not prevail on Saw-ge-maw, nor could +withstand an adversary so formidable and such well prepared warriors, +they endeavored to flee, but they were overtaken and slaughtered. Only +the swift-footed young men escaped, taking the sad message to other +villages of Mush-co-desh, and as fast as the news reached them they +fled with their women and children toward the south along the shore of +Lake Michigan, and continued to fly, although they were not pursued by +the Ottawas, till they reached the St. Joseph River, and there they +stopped, and formed a union village, and began to cultivate the soil +again. + +The tradition says this was the greatest slaughter or massacre the +Ottawas ever committed. The inhabitants of this village were probably +from forty to fifty thousand. There were many other villages of Mush- +co-desh of minor importance everywhere scattered through the northern +part of the southern peninsula of Michigan. Where this doomed village +was situated is yet to this day distinctly visible, as there are some +little openings and trails not overgrown by the forest. + +Soon after this the Ottawas abandoned their island and came over and +took possession of the country of the Mush-co-desh. Most of them +settled at the place now called Magulpin's Point, where the present +lighthouse is situated, near old Mackinac. At the time the French +settled in Montreal, Au-tche-a, one of the Ottawa prophets, told his +people there were some strange persons living in this continent, who +were far superior to any other inhabitants upon the earth. So Au-tche-a +determined to search for these wonderful people and he persuaded five +of his neighbors to accompany him in his undertaking. They started out, +but they went a very roundabout way, and it was a long time before they +came to the Ottawa river; then floating down they came out on the St. +Lawrence. They were gone for more than a year. When they came where the +white men were, they first saw a vessel or ship anchored in the middle +of the St. Lawrence, which they thought was a monster waiting to devour +them as they came along. But as they neared it they saw some people on +the back of the monster. So Au-tche-a and his party were taken on +board, and his little frail canoe was hoisted into the ship. They found +some Stockbridge Indians there also, who spoke a dialect of their +language. After exchanging all they had, and learning how to handle +firearms, they started back again to the straits of Mackinac. The +tradition says, they arrived at their village on an exceedingly calm +day, and the water was in perfect stillness in the straits. The Indians +saw the canoe coming towards the shore of the village, when suddenly a +puff of smoke was seen and a terrific clash of sound followed +immediately. All the inhabitants were panic stricken, and thought it +was something supernatural approaching the shore. But again and again +they witnessed the same thing, as it came nearer and nearer. At last +they recognized the great prophet Au-tche-a and his party coming back +from his long trip, having found his "Manitou" that he was looking +after. The reader may imagine how it was, when Au-tche-a landed and +exhibited his strange articles--his gun with its belongings, his axes, +his knives, his new mode of making fire, his cooking utensils, his +clothing and his blankets. It was no small curiosity to the aborigines. + +The Ottawas gradually extended their settlements towards the south, +along the shore of Lake Michigan. The word Michigan is an Indian name, +which we pronounce Mi-chi-gum, and simply means "monstrous lake." My +own ancestors, the Undergrounds, settled at Detroit, and they +considered this was the extent of their possessions. But the greatest +part of the Ottawas settled at Arbor Croche, which I have already +related as being a continuous village some fifteen miles long. But in +the forest of this country were not many deer, and consequently when +the winter approached most of the Indians went south to hunt, returning +again in the spring loaded with dry meat. + +The Mush-co-desh were not long in safety in the southern part of the +state. Intercourse had been opened between the French and the Ottawas +and Chippewas on the straits of Mackinac and being supplied with +firearms and axes by the French people, it occurred to the Ottawas that +these impliments would be effective in battle. Anxious to put them to +the test, they resolved to try them on their old enemies, the Mush-co- +desh, who had not yet seen the white man and were unacquainted with +firearms. Accordingly an expedition was fitted out. As the Ottawas +approached the village of their enemies, each carrying a gun, the Mush- +co-desh thought they were nothing but clubs, so came out with their +bows and arrows, anticipating an easy victory. But they soon found out +that they were mistaken. As the Ottawas came up they suddenly halted, +not near enough to be reached by any arrows of Mush-co-desh, but the +Ottawas began to fire away with their guns. Poor Mush-co-desh; they +suffered more than ever in this second crushing defeat. The Ottawas +left only one family of Mush-co-desh at this time and these went west +somewhere to find a new home. My father and my uncles in their younger +days while they were making a tour out west, happened to come across +the descendants of this nearly anihilated tribe of Indians. They had +grown to nine lodges only at that time, and they visited them in a +friendly manner. The old warriors wept as they were conversing with +them on their terrible calamities and misfortunes and their being once +powerful allies and closely related; for these few still remembered the +past, and what had become of their ancestors. + +After the Ottawas took complete possession of the southern peninsula of +Michigan, they fought some more tribes of Indians, subdued them, and +compelled them to form confederation with them as their allies. Such as +Po-to-wa-to-mies, Mano-me-mis, O-daw-gaw-mies, Urons and Assawgies, who +formerly occupied Saw-ge-naw-bay. Therefore the word Saginaw is derived +from the name Os-saw-gees, who formerly lived there. They have been +always closely united with the Chippewas and very often they went +together on the warpath, except at one time they nearly fought on +account of a murder, as has been herein related. Also the Shaw-wa-nee +tribe of Indians were always closely related to them. + +But the Ottawa nation of Indians are always considered as the oldest +and most expert on the warpath and wise councilors; and consequently +every tribe of Indians far and near, even as far as the Manitoba +country, out north, deposited their pipe of peace with the head chief +of the Ottawa nation as a pledge of continual peace and friendship. +Every pipe of peace contained a short friendly address which must be +committed to memory by every speaker in the council of the Ottawas. If +there was ever any outbreak among these tribes who deposited their pipe +of peace with the head chief of the Ottawa nation, a general council +would be called by the chiefs of the Ottawas, and the pipe of peace +belonging to the tribe who caused the trouble would be lighted up, and +the short address contained in the pipe would be repeated in the +council by one of the speakers. When the cause of the outbreak or +trouble was ascertained, then reconciliation must be had, and friendly +relation must be restored, in which case they almost invariably +succeeded in making some kind of reasonable settlement. This was the +custom of all these people; and this is what formerly constituted the +great Algonquin family of Indians. + +There are many theories as to the origin of the Indian race in America, +but nothing but speculation can be given on this subject. But we +believe there must have been people living in this country before those +tribes who were driven out by the Ottawas and Chippewas, who were much +more advanced in art and in civilization, for many evidences of their +work have been discovered. About two hundred and fifty years ago, We- +me-gen-de-bay, one of our noted chiefs, discovered while hunting in the +wilderness a great copper kettle, which was partly in the ground. The +roots of trees had grown around it and over it, and when it was taken +up it appeared as if it had never been used, but seemed to be just as +it came from the maker, as there was yet a round bright spot in the +center of the bottom of it. This kettle was large enough to cook a +whole deer or bear in it. For a long time the Indians kept it as a +sacred relic. They did not keep it near their premises, but securely +hidden in a place most unfrequented by any human being. They did not +use it for anything except for great feasts. Their idea with regard to +this kettle was that it was made by some deity who presided over the +country where it was found, and that the copper mine must be very close +by where the kettle was discovered. One peculiarity of its manufacture +was that it had no iron rim around it, nor bail for hanging while in +use, as kettles are usually made, but the edge of the upper part was +much thicker than the rest and was turned out square about three- +fourths of an inch, as if made to rest on some support while in use. +When the Indians came to be civilized in Grand Traverse country, they +began to use this "Mani-tou-au-kick," as they called it, in common to +boil the sugar sap in it, instead of cooking bear for the feast. And +while I was yet in the government blacksmith shop at the Old Mission in +Grand Traverse, they brought this magical kettle to our shop with an +order to put an iron rim and bail on it so that it could be hanged in +boiling sugar, and I did the work of fixing the kettle according to the +order. + +From this evidence of working in metals and from the many other relics +of former occupants, it is evident that this country has been inhabited +for many ages, but whether by descendants of the Jews or of other +Eastern races there is no way for us to determine. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +The Present Condition of the Indians of this State. + + +Some histories have been written by white men of events since the +Ottawa and Chippewa Indians came in contact with white people in this +part of the country, but here is given the history of this race of +Indians before that time. This account of the Ottawa and Chippewa +Indians is of as much interest to every inquirer into the histories of +nations, as that of any other people; and all philanthropic people, and +those who are endeavoring to enlighten and Christianize the Indians, +will feel deeply interested in becoming acquainted with the past +history as well as the present condition of these once numerous and +warlike people. + +There are now but comparatively few living in the State of Michigan, +trying to become civilized and to imitate their white neighbors in +agricultural industries and other civilized labors. The greater part of +them are being Christianized and are members of various Christian +churches of the country, erecting houses of worship with their own +hands in which to worship the true God in spirit and in truth. A few of +them are becoming native preachers and expounders of the Gospel. + +A treaty was concluded in the city of Washington in the year 1836, to +which my people--the Ottawas and Chippewas--were unwilling parties, but +they were compelled to sign blindly and ignorant of the true spirit of +the treaty and the true import of some of its conditions. They thought +when signing the treaty that they were securing reservations of lands +in different localities as permanent homes for themselves and their +children in the future; but before six months had elapsed from the time +of signing this treaty, or soon after it had been put in pamphlet form +so that all persons could read it and know its terms, they were told by +their white neighbors that their reservations of land would expire in +five years, instead of being perpetual, as they believed. At the end of +this time, they would be compelled to leave their homes, and if they +should refuse they would be driven at the point of the bayonet into a +strange land, where, as is almost always the case, more than one-half +would die before they could be acclimated. At this most startling +intelligence more than half of my people fled into Canada; fled to the +protection of the British government; fled, many of them, even before +receiving a single copper of the promised annuities; fled to a latitude +like that in which they had been accustomed to live. The balance of +them determined to remain and await whatever the consequences might be, +and receive the annuities which they were promised for twenty years. +But fortunately their expulsion from the State was suddenly stayed, in +the years 1850 and '51. By the kindness of the people of the State of +Michigan, they were adopted as citizens and made equal in rights with +their white neighbors. Their voice was to be recognized in the ballot +box in every election; and I thought, this is what ought to be, for the +same God who created the white man created the red man of the forest, +and therefore they are equally entitled to the benefits of +civilization, education and Christianity. + +At that time I was one of the principal ones who advocated this cause, +for I had already received a partial education, and in my understanding +of this matter, I thought that was the only salvation of my people from +being sent off to the west of the Mississippi. In laboring for the +object, I suffered very great hardship and many struggles, but was at +last successful. + +But in order that my people can enjoy every privilege of civilisation, +they must be thoroughly educated; they must become acquainted with the +arts and sciences, as well as the white man. Soon as the Indian youths +receive an education, they should be allowed to have some employment +among the whites, in order to encourage them in the pursuit of +civilization and to exercise their ability according to the means and +extent of their education, instead of being a class of persons +continually persecuted and cheated and robbed of their little +possessions. They should have been educated amongst the civilized +communities in order to learn the manners and customs of the white +people. If this method could have been pursued in the first instance, +the aborigines of this country would have secured all the advantages of +civilization, education and Christianity. This was my plan and my +proposition at the council of Detroit, in the treaty of 1855, as there +was quite a large sum of money set apart and appropriated by the +Government for the education of Indian youth of the Ottawa and Chippewa +Indians of Michigan, and I made the proposition at this council that +the sum for that purpose be retained in the hands of the Government +solely to pay for the education of those Indian youths who should be +educated in a civilized community, instead of committing this sum of +money to the hands of the preachers and teachers in the missions among +the Ottawas and Chippewas. If my plan could have been adopted, even as +late as thirty-two years ago, we should have had, by this time, many +well-educated Indians in this State, and probably some good farmers, +and perhaps some noted professors of sciences would have been +developed, and consequently happiness, blessings and prosperity would +have been everywhere among the aborigines of the State of Michigan. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +The Lamentation of the Overflowing Heart of the Red Man of the Forest. + + Hark! What is that I hear, + So mournfully ringing in my ear, + Like a death song of warriors, + For those who fell by their brave sires? + Is this the wail now sounding + For my unhappy future? + + +O my destiny, my destiny! How sinks my heart, as I behold my +inheritance all in ruins and desolation. Yes, desolation; the land the +Great Spirit has given us in which to live, to roam, to hunt, and build +our council fires, is no more to behold. Where once so many brave +Algonquins and the daughters of the forest danced with joy, danced with +gratitude to the Great Spirit for their homes, they are no more seen. +Our forests are gone, and our game is destroyed. Hills, groves and +dales once clad in rich mantle of verdure are stripped. Where is this +promised land which the Great Spirit had given to his red children as +the perpetual inheritance of their posterity from generation to +generation? Ah, the pale-faces who have left their fathers' land, far +beyond the ocean, have now come and dispossessed us of our heritage +with cruel deceit and force of arms. Still are they rolling on, and +rolling on, like a mighty spray from the deep ocean, overwhelming the +habitations of nature's children. Is it for the deeds of Pocahontas, of +Massasoit, of Logan, and hosts of others who have met and welcomed the +white men in their frail cabin doors when they were few in numbers, +cold and hungry? Is it for this that we have been plundered, and +expelled at the point of the bayonet from the hallowed graves of our +brothers and sires? O, my father, thou hast taught me from my infancy +to love this land of my birth; thou hast even taught me to say that "it +is the gift of the Great Spirit," when yet my beloved mother clasped me +close to her peaceful breast while she sang of the warlike deeds of the +great Algonquins. O, my father, our happiest days are o'er, and never +again shall we enjoy our forest home. The eagle's eye could not even +discover where once stood thy wigwam and thy peaceful council fire. Ah, +once it was the happy land, and all the charms were there which made +every Indian heart swell with thanks to the Great Spirit for their +happy homes. Melodious music was heard in every grove, sung by the wild +birds of the forest, who mingled their notes sweetly with the wild +chant of my beloved sisters at eve. They sang the song of lullaby to +the pawpose of the red man whilst swinging in the cradle from the shady +trees, wafted gracefully to and fro by the restless wind. The beautiful +old basswood tree bending so gracefully stood there, and the brown +thrush sang with her musical voice. That tree was planted there by the +Great Spirit for me to sport under, when I could scarcely bend my +little bow. Ah, I watched that tree from childhood to manhood, and it +was the dearest spot to me in this wide world. Many happy youthful days +have I spent under this beautiful shady tree. But alas, alas, the white +man's ax has been there! The tree that my good spirit had planted for +me, where once the pretty brown thrush daily sat with her musical +voice, is cut down by the ruthless hands of the white man. 'Tis gone; +gone forever and mingled with the dust. Oh, my happy little bird, thy +warbling songs have ceased, and thy voice shall never again be heard on +that beautiful shady tree. My charming bird, how oft thou hast aroused +me from my slumber at early morn with thy melodious song. Ah, could we +but once more return to our forest glade and tread as formerly upon the +soil with proud and happy heart! On the hills with bended bow, while +nature's flowers bloomed all around the habitation of nature's child, +our brothers once abounded, free as the mountain air, and their glad +shouts resounded from vale to vale, as they chased o'er the hills the +mountain roe and followed in the otter's track. Oh return, return! Ah, +never again shall this time return. It is gone, and gone forever like a +spirit passed. The red man will never live happy nor die happy here any +more. 'Tis passed, 'tis done. The bow and quiver with which I have shot +many thousands of game is useless to me now, for the game is destroyed. +When the white man took every foot of my inheritance, he thought to him +I should be the slave. Ah, never, never! I would sooner plunge the +dagger into my beating heart, and follow the footsteps of my +forefathers, than be slave to the white man. + + MACK-E-TE-BE-NESSY. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +The Twenty-one Precepts or Moral Commandments of the Ottawa and +Chippewa Indians, by Which They Were Governed in Their Primitive State, +Before They Came in Contact With White Races in Their Country--The Ten +Commandments, The Creed, and The Lord's Prayer in the Ottawa Language +as Translated by the Author. + + +1st. Thou shalt fear the Great Creator, who is the over ruler of all +things. + +2d. Thou shalt not commit any crime, either by night or by day, or +in a covered place: for the Great Spirit is looking upon thee always, +and thy crime shall be manifested in time, thou knowest not when, which +shall be to thy disgrace and shame. + +3d. Look up to the skies often, by day and by night, and see the son, +moon and stars which shineth in the firmament, and think that the Great +Spirit is looking upon thee continually. + +4th. Thou shalt not mimic or mock the thunders of the cloud, for they +were specially created to water the earth and to keep down all the evil +monsters that are under the earth, which would eat up and devour the +inhabitants of the earth if they were set at liberty. + +5th. Thou shalt not mimic or mock any mountains or rivers, or any +prominent formation of the earth, for it is the habitation of some +deity or spirit of the earth, and thy life shall be continually in +hazard if thou shouldst provoke the anger of these deities. + +6th. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon +the land. + +7th. Honor the gray-head persons, that thy head may also be like unto +theirs. + +8th. Thou shalt not mimic or ridicule the cripple, the lame, or +deformed, for thou shall be crippled thyself like unto them if them +shouldst provoke the Great Spirit. + +9th. Hold thy peace, and answer not back, when thy father or thy mother +or any aged person should chastise thee for thy wrong. + +10th. Thou shalt never tell a falsehood to thy parents, nor to thy +neighbors, but be always upright in thy words and in thy dealings with +thy neighbors. + +11th. Thou shalt not steal anything from thy neighbor, nor covet +anything that is his. + +12th. Thou shalt always feed the hungry and the stranger. + +13th. Thou shalt keep away from licentiousness and all other lascivious +habits, nor utter indecent language before thy neighbor and the +stranger. + +14th. Thou shalt not commit murder while thou art in dispute with thy +neighbor, unless it be whilst on the warpath. + +15th. Thou shalt chastise thy children with the rod whilst they are in +thy power. + +16th. Thou shalt disfigure thy face with charcoals, and fast at least +ten days or more of each year, whilst thou are yet young, or before +thou reachest twenty, that thou mayest dream of thy future destiny. + +17th. Thou shalt immerse thy body into the lake or river at least ten +days in succession in the early part of the spring of the year, that +thy body may be strong and swift of foot to chase the game and on the +warpath. + +18th. At certain times with thy wife or thy daughters, thou shalt clean +out thy fireplaces and make thyself a new fire with thy fire-sticks for +the sake of thyself and for the sake of thy children's health. + +19th. Thou shalt not eat with thy wife and daughters at such time, of +food cooked on a new fire, but they shall be provided with a separate +kettle and cook their victuals therein with an old fire and out of +their wigwam, until the time is passed, then thou shalt eat with them. +[Footnote: See Dr. Bondinot's work, "The Star in the West," pp. 216 and +225.] + +20th. Thou shalt not be lazy, nor be a vagabond of the earth, to be +hated by all men. + +21st. Thou shalt be brave, and not fear any death. + +If thou shouldst observe all these commandments, when thou diest thy +spirit shall go straightway to that happy land where all the good +spirits are, and shall there continually dance with the beating of the +drum of Tchi-baw-yaw-booz, the head spirit in the spirit land. But if +thou shouldst not observe them, thy spirit shall be a vagabond of the +earth always, and go hungry, and will never be able to find this road, +"Tchi-bay-kon," in which all the good spirits travel. + + +THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. + +1st. Pay-zhe-go ke-zhe-maw-nito me-so-de kay-go kaw-ge-zhe-tod; ke-gaw- +pay-zhe-go gwaw-nawdji-aw ane-go-ko-day-a-you ke-gaw-pay-zhe-go saw-ge- +aw. + +2d. Kaw-we aw-nesh ke-zhe-maw-nito ke-gaw-wo-we nossi. + +3d. Au-nwe-be-we-ne-ge-zhe-got ke-gaw-kwaw-nawdji-ton. + +4th. Kouss kanie ke-gaw-she ke-gaw-me-naw-tene-mawg ke-nwezh tchi-we- +pe-maw-deze-yan aw-zhon-daw aw-king. + +5th. Ke-go au-we-yaw me-saw-wa-ne-maw-gay. + +6th. Ke-go nau-nawe e-nau-de-se-kay. + +7th. Ke-go ke-mou-de-kay. + +8th. Ke-go kawie ke-no-wish-ke-kay tche-baw-taw-maw-de-baw au-we-ya. + +9th. Ke-go mes-sau-we-naw-mau-we-ye-gay ke-dji-pe-maw-de-si o-we-de- +gay-maw-gaw-non. + +10th. Ke-go kauie au-we-yaw mes-saw-wendau mau-we-ye-gay ke-go andaw- +nedji. + + +THE CREED. + +Men da-bwe-taw-waw Pa-zhe-go maw-nito we-osse-mind, me-zo-day ke-go +nay-taw-we-tod, kaw-ge-zhe-tod wau-kwee aw-ke kanie. Men day-bwe-taw- +we-mon kaice ogwisson paw-ye-zhe-go-nedjin Jesus Krist te-bay-ne-me- +nong. We-ne-zhe-she-nedjin maw-niton o-ge-aw-neshe-naw-bay-we-egoun, +Mari-yon kaw-gaw-ge we-nedjin oge-ne-ge-egoun. Ke-go-daw-ge-to me-gwaw +o-ge-maw-wit Ponce Pila-tawn, ke-baw-daw-kaw-ko-wou tche-baw-yaw-te- +gong, ke-ne-bon ke-naw-gwo-wau kauie au-naw-maw-kaw-mig ke-e-zhaw, waw- +ne-so-ke-zhe-te-nig Ke-au-be-tchi-baw. Waw-kwing ke-e-zhaw, naw-maw- +daw-be o-day-baw-ne-we-kaw-ning ke-zle-maw-niton way-osse me-medjin me- +zo-day ke-go nay tau-we-to-nedjin me-dawst waw-de-be ke-be-ondji-bawd, +tche-be-te-baw-ko-nod pay-maw-de-ze-nedjin, nay-bo-nedjin kauie. Men +day-bwe-taw-waw Way-ne-zhe-shed maw-nito, men day-bwe-tawn kitche-two +kaw-to-lic au-naw-me-a-we-gaw-mig, kay-tchi-two-wendaw-go-ze-djig o-we- +do-ko-daw-de-we-ne-wau paw-taw-do-wene kawss-au-maw-gay-win aw-bedji- +baw-win ezhe-owe-yossing kaw-go-ne pe-maw-de-se-win. Aw-pe-lege. + + +THE LORD'S PRAYER. + +Nossinaw wau-kwing e-be-you au-pe-gwish ke-tchi-twaw-wend-oming ke-daw- +no-zo-win, au-pe-gish pe-daw-gwe-she-no-maw-gok ke-do-gimaw-o-win, ena- +daw-mon au-pe-gish ezhe-wa-bawk, ti-bish-wau-kwing mego kauie au-king. +Me-zhe-she-nong nongo au-gi-zhe-gawk nin baw-kwe-zhe-gaw-ne-me-naw +menik e-you-yong en-daw-so ke-zhe-gok. Po-ne-ge-tay-taw-we-shi-nong +kauie kaw-nish ki-e-nange te-bish-kon ezhe-pone-ge-day-taw-wou-ge-dwaw +kaw-neshke-e-yo-mendjig, ke-go kauie ezhe-we-zhe-she-kong-gay kaw-gwe +ti-bandji-gay-we-ning, au-tchi-tchaw-yo-ing dansh etaw eni-naw-maw-we- +she-nong maw-tchaw-go-e-wish. Ken maw-ke-daw-yon o-ge-maw-owen, mawsh- +kaw-we-se-win kauie pe-she-gain-daw-go-se-win, kaw-ge-gay-kow-mig au- +pe-nay dash kau-e-go kaw-ge-nig. Amen. + + + + +GRAMMAR +OF THE +OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA LANGUAGE. + + +NOUNS. + +Common nouns in the Ottawa and Chippewa language are divided into two +classes, animate and inanimate. Animate nouns are those which signify +living objects or objects supposed to have life, as persons, animals +and plants. Inanimate nouns signify objects without life. + +A third form of nouns is derived from these two classes, called +diminutive nouns. These are formed by the termination "ens" or "na" +placed upon other nouns. + +The plural of animate nouns is usually formed by adding the syllable +"wog" to the singular; if the word ends in a vowel, only the letter "g" +is added; and sometimes the syllables "yog," "ag," or "og." + +All words are pronounced with accent on the last syllable. + +Sing. Pl. Eng. + +Pe-nay, Pe-nay-wog, Partridge. +Aw-dje-djawk, Aw-dje-djaw-wog, Crane. +Waw-mawsh-kay-she, Waw-mawsh-kay-she-wog, Deer. +Waw-goosh, Waw-goosh-og, Fox. +Pezhe-kee, Pezhe-kee-wog, Cattle. +Pezhe-keens, (dim.) Pezhe-keens-og, Calf. +Aw-ni-moush, Aw-ni-moush-og, Dog. +Aw-ni-mouns, (dim.), Aw-ni-mouns-og, Puppy. + + +The plural of inanimate nouns usually terminates in an, en, on, or n. + +Sing. Pl. Eng. + +We-ok-won, We-ok-won-an, Hat. +Wig-wom, Wig-wom-an, House. +Mo-ke-sin, Mo-ke-sin-an, Shoe. +Maw-kok, Maw-kok-on, Box. +Maw-kok-ons, (dim.), Maw-kok-on-son, Small box. +Tchi-mawn, Tchi-mawn-an, Boat. +Tchi-maw-nes, (dim.), Tchi maw-nes-on, Small boat. + + +Nouns have three cases, nominative, locative and objective. The +locative case denotes the relation usually expressed in English by the +use of a preposition, or by the genitive, dative and ablative in Latin. + +Nom. Aw-kick, Kettle. +Loc. Aw-kick-ong, In the kettle. +Obj. E-naw-bin aw-kick-ong, Do look in the kettle. + + +This relation can be expressed by the word "pin-je," as "Pin-je aw- +kick,"--in the kettle; "E-naw-bin pin-je aw-kick,"--do look in the +kettle; but this form is seldom used. It is employed only for great +emphasis or formality. + +The locative termination is "ong," "eng," or "ing." + +The objective case is like the nominative when the subject is in the +1st or 2d person, but when the subject is in the 3d person the object +takes the termination "won." + +Example of locative and objective cases: Chicago is derived from she- +gog-ong, the locative case of the Ottawa word she-gog, meaning skunk; +nominative, she-gog; locative, she-gog-ong; objective, she-gog or she- +gog-won. + +Locative case-- + She-gog-ong ne-de-zhaw, I am going to Chicago. + She-gog-ong ne-do-je-baw, I come from Chicago. + She-gog-ong e-zhawn, Go to Chicago. + +Objective case-- + 1st p.--She-gog ne-ne-saw, I kill the skunk. + 2d p.--She-gog ke-ne-saw, You kill the skunk. + 3d p.--She-gog-won o-ne-sawn, He kills the skunk. + +Gender is distinguished by the word "quay," either prefixed or added to +nouns, to indicate the feminine. + +Aw-ne-ne, pl. wog; Man. Aw-quay, pl. wog; Woman. +Aw-nish-naw-bay; Indian man. Aw-nesh-naw-bay-quay; I. woman. +Osh-kee-naw-way; Young man. Osh-kee-ne-ge-quay; Y. woman. +Que-we-zayns, pl. og; Boy. Quay-zayns, pl. og; Girl. +Aw-yaw-bay-pe-zhe-kee; Bull. Quay-pe-zhe-kee; Cow. + + +Proper names always form the feminine by adding "quay." + +Ce-naw-day; Irishman. Ce-naw-day-quay; Irishwoman. + + +Some genders are irregular. + +Aw-ke-wa-zee; Old man. Me-de-mo-gay; Old woman. +Aw-be-non-tchi, an infant, has no distinction of gender. +Os-see-maw, pl. g; Father. O-gaw-shi-maw, pl. g; Mother. +Me-kaw-ne-see-maw; Brother. O-me-say-e-maw; Sister. +O-me-shaw-mes-se-maw; Gr.father. O-kee-mes-se-maw; Grandmother. +O-me-shaw-way-e-maw; Uncle. O-nou-shay-e-maw; Aunt. +We-taw-wis-see-maw; Male cousin. We-ne-mo-shay-e-maw; Fem. cous. + +Diminutive nouns take the same modifications as the nouns from which +they are derived. + +Verbs and adjectives are modified to agree with the animate or +inanimate nouns to which they belong, as will be illustrated hereafter. + + +PRONOUNS. + +Personal pronouns have no distinction of gender in the third person +singular. A peculiarity of this language is the two forms for the first +person plural. These two forms for pronouns, and for verbs in all moods +and tenses, are like each other except in the first syllable. In one +form the first syllable is always "Ke," and in the other "Ne." The form +commencing with Ke is used only when speaking to one person, and that +commencing with Ne, which might be called the multiple form, is used +whenever more than one person is addressed, even though no word may +appear in the sentence indicating how many. This is an idiosyncracy +which perhaps would never have been developed, certainly would not be +perpetuated, in any except an unwritten language. It is of no effect +except in a language always colloquial. The multiple form will be given +in this grammar as the first person plural, and, whether indicated or +not, the other may be understood as being the same with the change of +the first syllable from Ne to Ke. + + +PERSONAL PRONOUNS. + + Sing. Pl. + + 1st. p.--Neen or nin, I, ( Ne-naw-wind, (mult.), We. + ( Ke-naw-wind,) We. + 2d p.--Keen or kin, Thou or you, Ke-naw-waw, You. + 3d p.--Ween or win, He or she, We-naw-waw, They. + +When these personal pronouns are connected with other words, or when +they become subjects or objects of verbs, the first syllable only is +used, or pronounced. In the third person of verbs the pronoun is +entirely omitted. + + Sing. Pl. + + Ne wob, I see, Ne wob-me, We see. + Ke wob, You see, Ke wob-em, You see. + Wo-be, He or she sees, Wo-be-wog, They see. + +The whole pronoun is sometimes used when the emphatic or intensive form +is desired, as, + + Sing.--Neen-ne wob, I myself see. + Keen-ke wob, You yourself see. + Ween wo-be, He himself, or she herself sees. + + Pl.--Ne-naw-wind ne-wob-me, We ourselves see. + Ke-naw-waw ke-wob-em, You yourself see. + We-naw-waw wo-be-wog, They themselves see. + + +POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS.. + +Ne-daw-yo-em, Mine, Ne-daw-yo-em-e-naw, Ours. +Ke-daw-yo-em, Thine, Ke-daw-yo-em-e-waw, Yours. +O-daw-yo-em, His or hers, O-daw-yo-em-e-waw, Theirs. + +Emphatic form--nin ne-daw-yo-em, etc., throughout all the different +persons. When these possessive pronouns are used with nouns, nearly all +the syllables are omitted, except the first, which is added to the noun +in the plural; as-- + + Sing. Pl. + +Ne we-ok-won, My hat, Ne we-ok-won-e-naw, Our hat. +Ke we-ok-won, Your hat, Ke we-ok-won-e-waw, Your hat. +O we ok-won, His hat, O we-ok-won-e-waw, Their hat. + +The emphatic form, "my own hat," is made by prefixing the personal +pronouns, as-- + + Sing. Pl. + +Neen ne we-ok-won, Ne-naw-wind ne we-ok-won-e-naw, +Keen ke we-ok-won, Ke-naw-waw ke we-ok-won-e-waw, +Ween o we-ok-won, We-naw-waw o we-ok-won-e-waw. + + +THE IMPERSONAL PRONOUN. + +The impersonal pronoun "maw-got," plural "maw-got-on," may be +represented by the English impersonal or neuter pronoun It, but it has +a wider significance. The inanimate subject of a verb is also +represented by maw-got or maw-got-on. Wa-po-tchin-ga maw-got, or wa-po- +tchin-ga-sa maw-got, it strikes; plural, wa-po-tchin-ga maw-got-on, or +wa-po-tchin-ga-sa maw-got-on, they strike. + +Au-no-ke maw-got, It works. Pe-me-say maw-got, It walks. +Ne-bo-we maw-got, It stands. Wo-be maw-got, It sees. +Pe-me-baw-to maw-got, It runs. + +Au-nish, interrogative pronoun what; au-naw-tchi, relative pronoun +what; e-we, relative pronoun that. + + +ADJECTIVES. + +Adjectives take two forms, to agree with the animate or inanimate nouns +to which they belong. + +Comparison of adjectives is made by other words: O-ne-zhe-she +(inanimate o-ne-zhe-shin), good; Maw-maw-me (or ne-go-ne) o-ne-zhe (or +-shin), better; Au-pe-tchi o-ne-zhe-she (or -shin), best. A fourth +degree is sometimes used: Maw-mo-me o-ne-zhe-she (or -shin), very best. + +The words "Me-no" and "Maw-tchi" or "Mau-tchi," do not change when used +with other words, and they are the most common adjectives in the Ottawa +and Chippewa languages; they are used as adverbs, as well as +adjectives. + +"Me-no," is equivalent to good, right, and well; and "Man-tchi," is +equivalent to bad, wicked, evil; as Me-no au-ne-ne, good man; Me-no au- +quay, good woman; Me-no au-way-sin, good animal; Me-no au-ky, good +land; Me-no waw-bo-yon, good blanket; Me-no e-zhe-wa-be-sy, good +behavior, or kind; Me-no au-no-ky, he works well, or doing good +business; Me-no pe-maw-de-sy, he is well; Me-no au-yaw, he is getting +well, or convalescent from sickness; Me-no au-no-kaw-so-win, good +utensil, or handy instrument; Me-no wau-gaw-quat, good ax; Me-no ke- +zhi-gut, good day, or pleasant weather; Me-no au-no-kaw-tchi-gon, good +goods, or nice goods; Me-no e-zhe-wa-be-sy, he or she is kind or good; +Me-no maw-tchaw maw-got, it goes well, etc. + +The word "Mau-tchi" is equally useful; as, Mau-tchi an-ne-ne, bad man; +Mau-tchi au-quay, bad woman; Mau-tchi e-zhe-wa-be-sy, bad behavior, or +wicked person; Mau-tchi mau-ne-to, evil spirit, or the devil; Mau-tchi +ke-ge-to, wicked language, or profanity; Mau-tchi wau-gaw-quat, bad ax; +Mau-tchi ke-zhwa, vulgar speaker; Man-tchi no-din, bad wind; Mau-tchi +au-naw-quot, bad cloud; Mau-tchi ke-zhe-got, bad day, or rough weather; +Mau-tchi wig-wom, bad house, or wicked house; Mau-tchi au-no-ke-win, +bad business, etc. + +Another adjective equally comprehensive is Kwaw-notch: Kwaw-notch au- +ne-ne, well-behaved man; Kwaw-notch au-quay, pretty woman; Kwaw-notch +au-no-ke-win, good business; Kwaw-notch au-no-kaw-tchi-gon, nice goods; +Kwaw-notchi-won, pretty or nice (inanimate); Kwaw-notchi-we, pretty +(animate); Au-pe-tchi kwaw-notchi-we au-quay, very pretty woman. + +The following illustrate the changes of form in adjectives for animate +and inanimate: + +Animate. Inanimate. + +Me-no-e-zhe-wa-be-sy, Me-no-e-zhe-wa-bawt, Kind, mild. +Ke-no-sy, Ke-nwa, Long, tall. +Ke-zhe-we-sy, Ke-zhe-waw, Hard. +Mush-kaw-we-sy, Mush-kaw-waw, Strong. +Ke-zhe-kaw, or ke-zhe-be-so, Ke-zhe-be-ta, Swift, fleet. +Ko-se-gwan-ny, Ko-se-gwan, Heavy. +Maw-tchi-e-zhe-wa-be-sy, Maw-tchi-e-zhe-wa-bot, Bad. +Ma-tchaw-yaw-au-wish, Ma-tchaw-yaw-e-wish, Wicked. +We-saw-ge-sy, We-saw-gun, Bitter. +Wish-ko-be-sy, Wish-ko-bun, Sweet. +Sou-ge-sy, Sou-gun, Tough. +Se-we-sy, Se-won, Sour. +Maw-kaw-te-we-sy, Maw-kaw-te-waw Black. +Ozaw-we-sy, Ozaw-waw, Yellow. +Ozhaw-wash-ko-sy, Ozhaw-wash-kwaw, Green. +Mis-ko-sy, Mis-kwa, Red +We-bin-go-sy, We-bin-gwaw, Blue. +O-zaw won-so O-zaw won-day, Yellow color. +Maw-kaw-te won-so Maw-kaw-te won-day Black color. +Maw-kaw-te-au-ne-ne, black man Maw-kaw-te-mo-kok, Black box. +Mis-ko au-ne, red man Mis-ko wau-bo-yon, Red blanket. + +It will be observed that the last one or two syllables of the adjective +are dropped when in connection with a noun. + + +VERBS. + +Ottawa and Chippewa verbs are changed in their conjugations, to +indicate-- + + 1st. Whether their subjects are animate, or inanimate; + 2d. Whether their objects are animate, or inanimate; + 3d. Whether they are transitive, or intransitive; + 4th. Whether they are active, or passive, or reflective; + 5th. Whether the expression is common, or emphatic. + +They also express by their forms all of the distinctions of mood and +tense, person and number, found in the English, and form their +participles, and are changed into verbal or participial nouns; and +these modifications are for, the most part regular in form. + +I. Verbs with inanimate subjects correspond to English impersonal or +neuter verbs, but are much more extensively used. They are usually +formed by adding the impersonal pronoun, maw-got--it; as, + + Animate Subject. Inanimate Subject + +Sing-Au-nou-kee, he works. Au-nou-ke-maw-got, it works. +Ke-au-nou-ke, he worked. Ke-an-non-ke-maw-got, it worked. +Au-non-ke-wog, they work. Au-nou-ke-maw-go-toun, things work +Ke-au-nou-ke-wog, they worked. Ke-an-nou-ke-maw-go-toun, things worked. + +Standing trees, as well as all living creatures and personified things, +are regarded as animate. + +II, III. The distinctions for animate and inanimate objects, and for +transitive and intransitive, are illustrated by the following: + + Singular--I kill, Thou killest, etc. + Intransitive. Transitive. +Pers. Animate Object Inanimate Object. +1 Ne-ne-taw-gay Ne-ne-saw Ne-ne-ton +2 Ke-ne-taw-gay Ke-ne-saw Ke-ne-toun +3 Ne-taw-gay O-ne-sawn, or son O-ne-toun + + Plural--We kill, You kill, etc. +1 Ne-ne-taw-gay-me Ne-ne-saw-naw Ne-ne-tou-naw +2 Ke-ne-taw-gaym Ke-ne-saw-waw Ke-ne-tou-naw-waw +3 Ne-taw-gay-wog O-ne-saw-wawn or won O-ne-tou-naw-waw + + Singular--I see, Thou seest, etc. +1 Ne-waub Ne-waub-maw Ne-waub-don, or dawn +2 Ke-waub Ke-waub-maw Ke-waub-don, or dawn +3 Wau-be O-waub-mon or mawn O-waub-don, or dawn + + Plural--We see, You see, etc. +1 Ne-waub-me Ne-waub-maw-naw Ne-waub-daw-naw +2 Ke-wau-bem Ke-waub-maw-waw Ke-waub-daw-naw-wan +3 Wau-be-wog O-Waub-naw-won O-waub-daw-naw-wan + + +IV. What is denominated the reflective form of the verb, is where the +subject and the object are the same person or thing; as, in English, He +hates himself. The passive and reflective forms are illustrated in the +verb, To See, thus: + + Passive. Reflective. + +Ne-wob-me-go, I am seen. Ne-wau-baw-dis, I see myself. +Ke-wob-me-go, thou art seen. Ke-wau-baw-dis, thou seest thyself. +Wob-maw, he is seen. Wau-baw-de-so, he sees himself. +Ne-wob-me-go-me, we are seen, Ne-wau-baw-de-so-me, we see ourselves +Ko-wob-me-gom, you are seen. Ke-wan-baw-de-som, you see yourselves +Wob-maw-wag, they are seen. Wau-baw-de-so-wag, they see themselves + + +V. The emphatic form repeats the first part of the pronoun; as, Ne- +waub, I see; Nin-ne-waub, I do see (literally, I myself see). + +Intransitive. + +Common Form--I eat, etc. Emphatic Form--I do eat, etc. + +1 Ne-we-sin Nin-ne-we-sin +2 Ke-we-sin Kin-ke-we-sin +3 We-se-ne Win-we-we-sin + +Transitive--Animate Object + +1 Ne-daw-mwaw Nin-ne-daw-mwaw +2 Ke-daw-mwaw Kin-ke-daw-mwaw +3 O-daw-mwaw Win-o-daw-mwaw + +Transitive--Inanimate Object. + +1 Ne-me-djin Nin-ne-me-djin +2 Ke-me-djin Kin-ke-me-djin +3 O-me-djin Win-o-me-djin + +The object is frequently placed before the verb--always when in answer +to a question. Thus, the answer to the question, What is he eating? +would be, Ke-goon-yan o-daw-mwawn--Fish he is eating. + +Nouns are formed from verbs by adding "win"; as, waub, to see, wau-be- +win, sight; paw-pe, to laugh, paw-pe-win, laughter; au-no-ke, to work, +au-no-ke-win, labor. + +NOTE.--A verb susceptible of both the transitive and intransitive +office, and of both animate and inanimate subjects, as for instance, +the verb To Blow, may have no less than fifteen forms for the +indicative present third person singular. The intransitive may be both +animate and inanimate as to subject, and the former both common and +emphatic; the transitive would have the same, multiplied by animate and +inanimate objects; and the passive and reflective would each have +inanimate, and common and emphatic animate--fifteen. Double these for +the plural, and we have thirty forms; and that multiplied by the +sixteen tenses of the indicative, potential and subjunctive moods gives +480 forms of third person. The first and second persons have the same, +minus the inanimate subject, or 20 each for each tense, making 640 +more, or 1120 all together in those three moods. The imperative +singular and plural, and the infinitive present and past, and the +participles, add 25. Then there is the additional form for the first +person plural treated under "Pronouns," running through all the sixteen +tenses, common and emphatic, animate and inanimate and intransitive, 96 +more--making the astonishing number of 1241 forms of a single verb!-- +EDITOR. + + +_Conjugation of the Verb To Be._ + +INDICATIVE MOOD. + + Pers. Singular. Plural. + +Present Tense--I am, etc. +1 Ne-daw-yaw Ne-daw-yaw-me +2 Ke-daw-yaw Ke-daw-yaw-me +3 Aw-yaw Aw-yaw-waug or wog + +Imperfect Tense--I was, etc. +1 Ne-ge-au-yaw Ne-ge-au-yaw-me +2 Ke-ge-au-yaw Ke-ge-au-yawm +3 Ke-au-yaw Ke-au-yaw-wog + +Perfect Tense--I have been, etc. +1 Au-zhe-gwaw ne-ge-au-yaw Au-zhe-gwaw ne-ge-au-yaw-me +2 Au-zhe-gwaw ke-ge-au-yaw Au-zhe-gwaw ke-ge-au-yawm +3 Au-zhe-gwaw ke-au-yaw Au-zhe-gwaw ke-au-yaw-wog + +Pluperfect Tense--I had been, etc. +1 Ne-ge-au-yaw-naw-baw Ne-ge-au-me-naw-baw +2 Ke-ge-au-yaw-naw-baw Ke-ge-au-me-naw-baw +3 Ke-au-yaw-baw Ke-au-yaw-baw-neg + +Future Tense--I shall or will be, etc. +1 Ne-gaw-au-yaw Ne-gaw-au-yaw-me +2 Ke-gaw-au-yaw Ke-gaw-au-yawm +3 Taw-au-yaw Taw-au-yaw-wag + + +POTENTIAL MOOD. + +Present Tense--I may or can be, etc. +1 Ko-maw ne-taw-au-yaw Ko-maw ne-taw-au-yaw-me +2 Ko-maw ke-taw-au-yaw Ko-maw ke-taw-au-yawm +3 Ko-maw tau-yaw Ko-maw taw-au-yo-wog + +Imperfect Tense--I might be, etc. +1 Ko-maw ne-ge-au-yaw Ko-maw ne-ge-au-yaw-me +2 Ko-maw ke-ge-au-yaw Ko-maw ke-ge-au-yom +3 Ko-maw ke-au-yaw Ko-maw ke-au-yaw-wog + +Perfect Tense--I may have been, etc. +1 Au-zhe-gwau ne-tau-ge-au-yaw Au-zhe-gwau ne-tau-ge-au-yaw-me +2 Au-zhe-gwau ke-tau-ge-au-yaw Au-zhe-gwau ke-tau-ge-au-yawm +3 Au-zhe-gwan tau-ge-au-yaw Au-zhe-gwau tau-ge-au-yaw-og + +Pluperfect Tense--I might have been, etc. +1 Ko-maw au-yaw-yom-baw Ko maw au-yaw-wong-ge-baw +2 Ko-maw ke-au-yaw-yom-baw Ko-maw au-yaw-ye-go-baw +3 Ko-maw au-yaw-go-baw-nay Ko-maw au-yaw-wo-go-baw-nay + + +SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. + +Present Tense--If I be, etc. +1 Tchish-pin au-yaw-yaw Tchish-pin au-yaw-wong +2 Tchish-pin au-yaw-yon Tchish-pin au-yaw-yeg +3 Tchish-pin au-yawd Tchish-pin au-yaw-wod + +Imperfect Tense--If I were, etc, +1 Tchish-pin ke-au-yaw-yaw Tchish-pin ke-au-yaw-wong +2 Tchish-pin ke-au-yaw-yon Tchish-pin ke-au-yaw-yeg +3 Tchish-pin ke-au-yawd Tchish-pin ke-au-yaw-wod + +Perfect Tense--If I have been, etc. +1 Tchish-pin au-zhe-gaw ke-au-yaw-yaw +2 Tchish-pin au-zhe-gaw ke-au-yaw-yon +3 Tchish-pin au-zhe-gwa ke-au-yawd Tchish-pin au-zhe-gwa ke-aw-yaw-wog + Tchish-pin au-zhe-gwa ke-au-yaw-yeg + Tchish-pin au-zhe-gwa ke-au-yaw-wod +[The syllable "gwa" is often omitted, merely saying, "au-zhe."]. + +Pluperfect Tense--If I had been, etc. + +1 Au-zhe ke-au-yaw-yaw-baw Au-zhe ke-au-yaw-wong-o-baw +2 Au-zhe ke-au-yaw-yawm-baw Au-zhe ke-au-yaw-ye-go-baw +3 Au-zhe ke-au-yaw-paw Au-zhe ke-au-yaw-wau-paw + +Future Tense--If I shall or will be, etc. + +1 Tchish-pin we-au-yaw-yaw Tchish-pin we-au-yaw-wong +2 Tchish-pin we-au-yaw-yon Tchish-pin we-au-yaw-yeg +3 Tchish-pin we-au-yawd Tchish-pin we-au-yaw-wod + + +IMPERATIVE MOOD--Be thou, Do you be. +2 Au-yawm Au-yawg + + +INFINITIVE MOOD--To be, To have been. +Present--Tchi-au-yong Perfect--Au-zhe tchi-ke-au-yong + +PARTICIPLES--Being, Been, Having been. +Au-zhaw-yong Tchi-ge-au-yong Au-zhe-gwaw tchi-ge-au-yong + + +_Synopsis of the Verb To See._ + +I see, Ne-wob. +I saw, Ne-ge-wob. +I have seen, Au-zhe-gwaw ne-ge-wob. +I had seen, Ne-ge-wob-naw-baw +I shall see, Ne-gaw-wob. +I shall have seen, Au-zhe-ge-wob. +I may see, Ko-maw ne-taw-wob. +I might see, Ko-maw ne-ge-wob. +I may-have seen, Au-zhe-gwaw ne-taw-ge-wob. +I might have seen, Ko-maw wob-yawm-baw. +If I see, Tchish-pin wob-yon. +If I saw, Tchish-pin ke-wob-yon-baw. +If I have seen, Tchish-pin au-zhe-gwa wob-yon. +If I had seen, Tchish-pin ke-wob yon-baw. +If I shall see, Tchish-pin we-wob-yon. +If I shall have seen, Tchish-pin we-wob-yon-baw. +See thou, Wob-ben. +To see, Tchi-wob-bing. +To have seen, Tchi-ge-wob-bing. +Seeing, Au-wob-bing. +Having seen, Au-zhe-gwaw au-ge-wob-biog. +Having been seen, Au-ge-wob-bing-e-baw. +I am seen, Ne-wob-me-go. +I was seen, Ne-ge-wob-me-go; +I have been seen, Au-zhe ne-ge-wob-me-go. +I had been seen, Ne-ge-wob-me-go-naw-baw. +I shall be seen, Ne-gaw-wob-me-go. +I shall have been seen, She-gwa-we-wob-me-go-yon. +I may be seen, Ko-maw wob-me-go-yon. +I might be seen, Ko-maw ke-wob-me-go-yon. +I may have been seen, Ko-maw au-zhe ke-wob-me-go-yon. +I might have been seen, Ko-maw au-zhe ke-wob-me-go-yon-baw. +If I be seen, Tchish-pin wob-em-go-yon. +If I have been seen, Tchish-pin au-zhe ke-wob-me-go-yon. +If I had been seen, Tchish-pin ke-wob-me-go-yon-baw. +If I shall be seen, Tchish-pin we-wob-me-go-yon. +If I shall have been seen, Tchish-pin she-gwa-we-wob-me-go-yon. +I see myself, Ne-wau-baw-dis. +I saw myself, Ne-ge-wau-baw-dis. +I shall see myself, Ne-gaw-wau-baw-dis. +I may see myself, Ko-maw ne-daw-wau-baw-dis. +See thyself, Wau-baw-de-son. +To see thyself, Tchi-wob-on-di-song. + + +MINOR PARTS OF SPEECH. + +Adverbs: When, au-pe, au-ne-nish; where, au-ne-pe, au-ne-zhaw; there, +e-wo-te, au-zhe-we. [The significance of the double forms is not clear; +and comparison, as with Adjectives, seems to be by different words.-- +ED.] + +Prepositions are few, and are oftener embraced in the form of the verb, +as in the Latin. The most important are, pin-je, in; tchish-pin, or +kish-pin, if. Po-taw-wen pin-je ke-zhap ke-ze-gun, make some fire in +the stove; Tchish-pin maw-tchawt, if he go away. Or the same may be +expressed, Po-taw-wen ke-zhap ke-ze-gun-ing ("ing" forming locative +ease, with the preposition implied); and, Maw-yaw-tchaw-gwen (the +latter form of verb expressing subjunctive mood). The employment of the +preposition makes the expression more emphatic. + +The most important Conjunctions are, haw-yea, gaw-ya, ka-ie, and; and +ke-maw, or. [Three forms of "and" doubtless due to imperfect +orthography.] + +Interjections embrace, yaw! exclamation of danger; au-to-yo! surprise; +a-te-way! disappointment; taw-wot-to! disgust; ke-yo-o! disgust (used +only by females). + +There is no Article; but the words, mendaw, that, and maw-baw, this, +are often used before nouns as specifying terms, and are always +emphatic. E-we is common for that, directed to things at a distance. + +A peculiarity, of uncertain significance, is the termination, sh, or +esh, employed in connection with the possessive case. It does not +change the interpretation, and is perhaps an expression of familiarity, +or intimate relationship. Illustration: + +Ne-gwiss, my son; Ne-gwisa-esh, my son. +Ne-daw-niss, my daughter; Ne-daw-niss-esh, my daughter. +Ne-dib, my head; Ne-dib-awsh, my head. +Ne-wau-bo-yon, my blanket; Ne-wau bo-yon-esh, my blanket. +Ne-gwiss-og, my sons; Ne-gwiss-es-shog, my sons. +Ne-daw-niss-og, my daughters; Ne-daw-niss-es-shog, my daughters. + +One, Pa-zhig. Ten, Me-toss-we. +Two, Nezh. Twenty, Nezh-to-naw. +Three, Ness-we. Thirty, Ne-se-me-to-naw. +Four, Ne-win. Forty, Ne-me-to-naw. +Five, Naw-non. Fifty, Naw-ne-me-to-naw. +Six, Ne-go-twos-we. Sixty, Ne-go-twa-se-me-to-naw. +Seven, Nezh-was-we. Seventy, Nezh-wo-se-me-to-naw. +Eight, Nish-shwas-we. Eighty, Nish-wo-se-me-to-naw. +Nine, Shong-swe. Ninety, Shong-gaw-se-me-to-naw. +One hundred, Go-twok. + +Father, Os-se-maw, pl. g. Mother, O-gaw-shi-maw, pl. g. +Brother, We-kaw-ne-se-maw. Sister, O-me-say-e-maw. +Grandfather, O-me-shaw-mes-e-maw. Grandmother, O-ko-mes-se-maw. +Cousin, male, We-taw-wis-e-maw. Cousin, female, We-ne-mo-shay-e-maw. +Uncle, O-me-shaw-may-e-maw. Aunt, O-nou-shay-e-maw. +Boy, Que-we-zayns, pl. og. Girl, Quay-zayns, pl. og. +Man, Au-ne-ne, pl. wog. Woman, Au-quay, pl. wog. +Old man, Au-ke-wa-ze, pl. yog. Old woman, Me-de-mo-yay, pl. yog. + +Ae, yes. Kau, no. Nau-go, now. +Ka-ge-te, truly so. Kau-win, no (emphatic). Au-zhon-daw, here. +Pe-nau! hark! Ka-go, don't. E-wo-te, there. +Pa-kau, stop. Kaw-ga-go, none. Ne-gon, before. + +Aush-kwe-yong, behind. Ne-se-wo-yaw-ing, between. +Pe-tchi-naw-go, yesterday. Wau-bung, to-morrow. +Pe-tchi-nog, just now. Wau-e-baw, soon. +Au-no-maw-yaw, lately. Way-wib, quickly. +Au-gaw-won, hardly. Naw-a-gotch, slowly. +Au-pe-tchi, very. O-je-daw, purposely. +Kay-gaw, almost. Saw-kou, for example. +Mou-zhawg, always. Me-naw-gay-kaw! to be sure! +Ne-sawb, alike. Kaw-maw-me-daw, can't. +Pin-dig, inside. Pin-di-gayn, come in. + + +We-yaw, The Body. Pe-nay-shen, Bird. + (Pl. yog) +O-dib, Head. Wing-ge-zee, Eagle. +O-te-gwan, Face. Pe-nay-se, Hawk. +O-don, Mouth. Mong, Loon. +Osh-ke-zheg, Eye. Me-zhe-say, Turkey. +O-no-wau-e, Cheek. She-sheb, Duck. +(P. og; others an.) +Otch-awsh, Nose. Kaw-yawshk, Gull. +O-daw-me-kon, Jaw. Tchin-dees, Bluejay. +O-da-naw-naw, Tongue. May-may, Woodcock. +We-bid, Tooth. Pe-nay, Partridge. +We-ne-zes, Hair. Au-dje-djawk, Crane. +O-kaw-tig, Forehead. O-me-me, Pigeon. +O-maw-maw, Eyebrow. Au-pe-tchi, Robin. +Kaw-gaw-ge, Palate. Awn-dayg, Crow. +(P. og; others an.) +O-kaw-gun, Neck. Au-nawk, Thrasher. +O-do-daw-gun, Throat. Paw-paw-say, Woodpecker. +O pe-kwawn, Back. Ke-wo-nee, Prairie hen. +O-pe-gay-gun, Rib. Maw-kwa, Bear. +O-me-gawt, Stomach. Mooz, Moose. +O-naw-gish, Bowel. Me-shay-wog, Elk. +Osh-kawt, Belly. Maw-in-gawn, Wolf. +O-kwan, Liver. Au-mick, Beaver. +O-kun, Bone. Maw-boos, Rabbit. +O-nenj, Hand. Pe-zhen, Lynx. +O-neek, Arm. Au-ni-moosh, Dog. +O-dos-kwon, Elbow. Au-ni-mouns, Puppy. +O-kawd, Leg. Au-zhawshk, Muskrat. +O-ge-dig, Knee. Wau-goosh, Fox. +(P. og; others an.) +O bwom, Thigh. Shaw-gway-she, Mink. +O-zeet, Foot. A-se-bou, Raccoon. +O-don-dim, Heel. Me-she-be-zhe, Panther. + (eg; others wog, og, g.) +O-ge-tchi-zeet, Big toe. She-gos-se, Weasel. +O-ge-tchi-nenj, Thumb. Au-saw-naw-go, Squirrel. +Ke-gon, Fish. Maw-ne-tons, insect. +(Pl. yog) +Ke-gons (dim.), minnow. O-jee, house fly. +(Pl. sog) +Naw-me-gons, trout. Me-ze-zawk, horse fly. +Maw-zhaw-me-gons, brook trout. Au-mon, bumblebee. +Maw-may, sturgeon. Au-moans (dim.), bee, hornet. +O-gaw, pickerel. May-may-gwan, butterfly. + (Pl. yog) +She-gwaw-meg, dog fish. Au-kou-jeah, louse. +Au-saw-way, perch. Paw-big, flea. +O-kay-yaw-wis, herring. O-ze-gog, woodtick. +Au-she-gun, black bass. A-naw-go, ant. +Au-de-kaw-meg, whitefish. A-a-big, spider. +Ke-no-zhay, pike. Saw-ge-may, mosquito. +Paw-zhe-toua, sheep head. Mo-say, cut worm. +(Pl. yog) +Maw-maw-bin, sucker. O-quay, maggot. + +Paw-gawn, nut; (dim. paw-gaw-nays, hazelnut or other small nut) +Au-zhaw-way-mish, pl. eg; beech tree. +Au-zhaw-way-min, pl. on; beech nut. +Me-te-gwaw-bawk, pl. og; hickory tree. +Me-gwaw-baw-ko paw-gon, pl. on; hickory nut. +Paw-gaw-naw-ko paw-gon, pl. on; walnut. +Me-she-me-naw-gaw-wosh, pl. eg; apple tree. +Me-she-min, pl. og; apple. +Shaw-bo-me-naw-gaw-wosh, pl. eg; gooseberry bush. +Shaw-bo-min, pl. og; gooseberry. +Paw-gay-saw-ne-mish, pl. eg; plum tree. +Paw-gay-son, pl. og; plum. +Aw-nib, pl. eg; elm. Aw-doup, pl. eg; willow. +Shin-gwawk, pl. wog; pine. Ke-zhek, pl. og; cedar. +Au-bo-yawk, pl. wog; ash. We-aaw-gawk, pl. og; black ash. +Me-daw-min, pl. og; corn. O-zaw-o-min, pl. og; yellow corn. +Mis-kou-min, pl. og; red raspberry. +Wau-be-mis-kou-min, pl. og; white raspberry. +Wau-kaw-tay-mis-kou-min, pl. eg; black raspberry. +AU-KEE; the world, the earth, land, country, soil. +Pay-maw-te-se-jeg au-king, the people of the world. +Taw-naw-ke-win, country or native land. +Ke-taw-kee-me-naw, our country. +Maw-kaw-te au-kee, black earth or soil. +Me-daw-keem, my land. +Au-ke-won, soiled; also applied to rich land. +Ne-besh, water; ne-be-kaw, wet land. +Wau-bawsh-ko-kee, marsh land. +An-ke-kaw-daw-go-kee, tamarack swamp. +Ke-zhe-ke-kee, cedar swamp. +Au-tay yaw-ko-kee, swamp, swampy land. +Shen-gwaw-ko-kee, pine land. +Ne-gaw-we-kee, sand; ne-gaw-we-kaw, sandy. +Kong-ke-tchi-gaw-me, the ocean. +Ke-tchi-au-gaw-ming, across the ocean. +Se-be (pl. won), river; se-be-wens (dim). (pl. an.) brook. +Ke-te-gawn (pl. on), farm; ke-te-gaw-nes (dim.), garden. +Ke-te-gay we-ne-ne, (pl. wog), farmer. +Ke-zes, sun; te-bik-ke-zes, moon; au-nong (pl. wog), star. +Ke-zhe-gut, day; te-be-kut, night. +Ne-bin, summer; pe-boon, winter. +Ne-be-nong, last summer; me-no-pe-boon, pleasant winter. +Tau-gwan-gee, fall; me-nou-kaw-me, spring. +Au-won-se-me-nou-kaw-ming, year ago last spring. +Maw-tchi taw-gwan-ge, bad or unpleasant fall. +No-din, wind; no-wau-yaw, the air. +No-de-naw-ne-mot, windy. +To-ke-sin, calm; ne-tche-wod, stormy. +Au-pe-tchi ne-tche-wod, very stormy. +Wig-wom, house; wig-wom-an, houses. +Au-sin wig-worn, stone house. +Au-naw-me-a-we-gaw-mig, a church. +Te-baw-ko-we-ga we-gaw-mig, a court house. + + +Me-no-say, handy. Me-no-sayg, that which is handy. +Au-no-ke, work. A-no-ket, he that is working. +Wo-be, he sees. Wau-yaw-bet, he that sees. +Pe-mo-say, he walks. Pe-mo-sayt, he that is walking. +Pe-me-bot-to, he runs. Pe-me-bot-tot, he that runs. + +Get him, nawzh. Get it, naw-din. +Help him, naw-daw-maw. Help it, naw-daw-maw-don. +Call him, naw-doum. Ask for it, naw-don-don. +Go to him, naw-zhe-kow. Go to it, naw-zhe-kon. +Meet him, naw-kwesh-kow. Meet it, naw-kwesh-kon. + +Ne-dje-mon, my boat. Ne-dje-may, I paddle. +Ne-dje-bawm, my soul. Ne-do-ge-mom, my master. +Ne-gwes, my son. Ne-daw-nes, my daughter. +Ne-taw-wes, my cousin. Ne-kaw-nes, my brother. +Ne-daw-kim, my land. Ne-ne-tehaw-nes, my child. + +He sleeps, ne-baw. He is dead, ne-bou. +He is sleepy, au-kon-gwa-she. He died, ke-ne-bou. +He is white, wau-besh-ke-zee. He is afraid, sa-ge-ze. +He is lonely, aush-ken-dom. He is lazy, ke-te-mesk-ke. +He is killed, nes-saw. He is well, me-no-pe-maw-de-ze. + +Ne-tawn, first. Ne-tawn ke-taw-gwe-shin, he came first. +Ne-gon, before. Ne-gon-ne, he goes before. +Au-ko-zee, sick. Au-ko-zi-we-gaw-mig, hospital. +Au-gaw-saw, small. O-gaw-sawg o-naw-gun pe-ton, bring small +Au-gaw-won, scarcely. Au-gaw-won ne-wob, I scarcely see. + +Once, ne-go-ting. Only once, ne-go-ting a-taw. +Not there, ne-go-tchi. Look elsewhere, ne-go-tchi ne-naw-bin. +Change, mesh-kwot. He is elsewhere, ne-go-tchi e-zhaw. +Full, mosh-ken. It is elsewhere, ne-go-tchi au-tay. +Fill it, mosh-ke-naw-don. Change it, mes-kwo-to-non. + +Saw-kon, go out. Pe-saw-kon, come out. +Maw-tchawn, go away. Pe-maw-tchawn, come away. +Pe-to, to bring. Pe-ton, fetch it. +Ash-kom, more and more. Nos, my father. +Ash-kom so-ge-po, more and more snow. Kos, your father. +Ash-kom ke-me-wau, more and more rain. O-sawn, his father. +Ash-kom ke-zhaw-tay, hotter and hotter. Ne-gaw-she, my mother. +Ash-kom ke-se-naw, colder and colder. Ke-gaw-she, your mother. +E-ke-to, saying. E-ke-ton, say it. +E-ke-to, he says. Ke-e-ke-to, he said. + +Kay-go mon-daw e-ke-to-kay, do not say that. +E-wau, he says [the same as e-ke-to, but used only in third person and +cannot be conjugated]. +E-naw-bin, look; e-naw-bin au-zhon-daw, look here. +A-zhawd, going; au-ne-pe a-zhawd? where did he go? +E-wo-te, there; me-saw e-wo-te au-daw-yon, there is your home. +Au-zhe-me, there; au-zhe-me au-ton, set it there. +Au-ne-me-kee, thunder; au-ne-me-ke-kaw, it thundered. +Awsh-kon-tay, fire; awsh-kon-tay o-zhe-ton, make some fire. +On-je-gaw, leaked; on-je-gaw tchi-mon, the boat leaked. +Kaw-ke-naw, all; kaw-ke-naw ke-ge-way-wog, all gone home. +Ke-wen, go home. [This verb always implies home, but the emphatic +expression is ke-wen en-daw-yawn.] +Son-gon (inanimate), son-ge-ze (animate), tough. +Se-gwan, spring; se-gwa-nong, last spring (Chippewa dialect). +Me-gwetch, thanks; me-gwe-tchi-me-au, he is thanked. +Taw-kwo, short; on-sawm taw-kwo, too short. +Ke-me-no-pe-maw-tis naw? Are you well? +Ae, ne-me-no-pe-maw-tis. Yes, I am well. +Ke-taw-kos naw? Are you sick? +Kau-win ne-taw-ko-si-sy. No, I am not sick. +Au-ne-pish kos e-zhat? Where did your father go? +O-day-naw-wing ezhaw. He is gone to town. +Ke-ge-we-sin naw? Have you eaten? +Ae, ne-ge-aush-kwaw-we-sin. Yes, I have done eating. +Ke-baw-kaw-tay naw? Are you hungry? +Kaw-win, ne-baw-kaw-tay-sy. No, I am not hungry. +Pe-mo-say-win, walking (noun); ne-pe-mo-say, I walk. +Aum-bay paw-baw-mo-say-taw, let us go walking. +Ne-ge-paw-baw-mo-say, I have been walking. +Ne-ge-paw-baw-mish-kaw, I have been boat riding. +Aum-bay paw-baw-mish-kaw-daw, let us go boat riding. +Maw-tchawn, go on, or go away. +Maw-tchawn we-wib, go on quickly. +Ke-maw-tchaw-wog, they have gone. +Aum-bay maw-tchaw-taw, let us go. +Wan-saw e-zhaw, he is gone far away. +We-kau-de-win, a feast; we-koum, I invite him (to a feast). +We-kau-maw-wog, they are invited (to a feast). +Maw-zhe-aw, overpowered; maw-zhe-twaw, victorious. +Mou-dje-ge-ze-win, or, me-naw-wo-ze-win, rejoicing. +Mou-dje-ge-ze, or, me-naw-wo-ze, he rejoices. +Au-no-maw-yaw ke-daw-gwe-shin, he came lately. +Au-pe-tchi ke-zhaw-tay, it is very hot +Ke-tchi no-din, it is blowing hard. +Paw-ze-gwin we-wib, get up quickly. +Me-no e-naw-kaw-me-got, good news. +Me-no e-naw-kaw-me-got naw? Is it good news? +She-kaw-gong ne-de-zhaw-me, we are going to Chicago. +She-kaw-gong on-je-baw, he came from Chicago +Saw-naw-got, difficult to overcome. +Saw-naw-ge-ze, he is in difficulty. +Saw-naw-ge-ze-wog, they are in difficulty. +Sa-ge-ze, he is frightened; sa-ge-ze-win, fright. +Ke-gus-kaw-naw-baw-gwe naw? Are you thirsty? +Au-pe-tchi ne-gus-kaw-naw-gwe. I am very thirsty. +Me-naw au-we, give him drink. +Ke-bish me-naw, give him water to drink. +O-daw-kim o-ge-au-taw-wen, he sold his land. +O-da paw-gaw-awn, the heart beats. +O-da me-tchaw-ne, he has a big heart +Ke-ne-se-to-tom naw? Do you understand? +Ke-ne-se-to-tow naw? Do you understand me? +Kau-win, ke-ne-se to-tos-no. No, I do not understand you. +Ke-no-dom naw? Do you hear? Ae, ne-no-doin. Yes, I hear. +Ke-pe-sen-dom naw? Do you listen? +Ke-maw-ne-say naw? Are you chopping? +Maw-tchi e-naw-kaw-me-got naw? Is it bad news? +We-go-nash wau-au-yaw mon? What do you want? +Au-nish au-pe-daw-taw-gwe-she non? When did you come? +Au-ne-pesh a-zhaw yon? Where are you going? +Au-ne-pesh wen-dje-baw yon? Where are you from? +Au-ne-dosh wau-e-ke-to yon? What shall you say? +Au-nish mon-daw e-naw-gen deg? What is the price? +Maw-ne-say, he chops; ma-ne-sayt, he that chops. +Ne-bwa-kaw, wise; ne-bwa-kawt, he that is wise. +Na-bwa-kaw-tchig, they that are wise. +Wa-zhe-tou-tchig awsh-kou-te, they that make fire. + +O-zhe-tou aush-ko-tay pin-je ke-zhaw-be-ke-se-gun, + Make fire in the stove. + +Wen-daw-mow way-naw-paw-nod au-zhon-daw, +Tell him the cheap place is here. + +Wen-daw-mow e-naw-kaw-me-gok, tell him the news. + +Taw-bes-kaw-be. Taw-be-e-shaw au-zhon-daw. +He will come back. He will come here. + +On-je-baw. Wow-kwing on-je-baw. +Coming from. He comes from heaven. + +Nau-go, now; nau-go a-ge-zhe-gok, to-day. +Te-besh-kou, same, even; ta-te-besh-kon, even with the other. +To-dawn mon-daw e-ne-taw, do that as I tell you. +Pe-sen-dow, listen to him; pe-sen-do-we-shin, listen to me. + +Me-saw-wett-dje-gay. Me-saw-me-dje-gay-win. + He covets. Coveting. + +E-zhaw-yon gaw-ya ne-ne-gaw e-zhaw. +If you will go and also I will go. + +O-je-daw ne-ge-to-tem tchi-baw-ping. +Purposely I did it to make laughter. + +Kaw-win ke-taw-gawsh-ke-to-se tchi-gaw-ke-so-taw-wod mau-ni-to, +you cannot hide from God. + +Maw-no-a-na-dong taw-e-zhe-tchi-gay, let him do what he thinks. + +A-naw-bid. E-naw-bin a-naw-bid. +In the way he looks. Do look in the way he looks. + +Au-nish a-zhe-wa-bawk mon-daw? +What is the matter with that? + +Au-nish a-zhe-we-be-sit au-we? +What is the matter with him? + +Au-nish a-naw-tchi-moo-tawk? +What did he tell you? + +E-zhaw. Au-ne-pish kaw-e-zhawd? +He went. Where did he go? + +E-zhaw-wog. Harbor Springs ke-e-zhaw-wog. +They went. They went to Harbor Springs. + +Ne-daw-yaw-naw e-naw-ko-ne-ga-win. +We have a rule, or, a law. + +O-we-o-kwon o-ge-au-taw-son. +His hat he pawned. + +Ne-be-me-baw-to-naw-baw au-pe pen-ge-she-naw. +I was running when I fell. + + +NOTE.--Except some condensation and arrangement in the grammar, this +work is printed almost verbatim as written by the author.--EDITOR. + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Ottawa and Chippewa +Indians of Michigan, by Andrew J. Blackbird + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OTTOWA AND CHIPPEWA OF MICHIGAN *** + +This file should be named 6988.txt or 6988.zip + +This eBook was produced by Michelle Shepard, Juliet Sutherland, +Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. 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