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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/76755-0.txt b/76755-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..75838c8 --- /dev/null +++ b/76755-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1591 @@ + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76755 *** + + + + + + OJIBWA MYTHS AND TALES + + + BY + COL. GEO. E. LAIDLAW + + + REPRINTED FROM THE ARCHÆOLOGICAL REPORT, 1915 + + + + + + + + +OJIBWA MYTHS AND TALES. + +By COL. G. E. LAIDLAW. + + +This series was obtained from Peter York this summer of 1915, when +camped here with his family of basket makers, and also after his return +to the Rama Reserve where he lives. This reserve is to the east of Lake +Couchiching in Ontario County in Ontario Province. The tales told by +John York were told in Ojibwa to Peter York and were written down in +English by Peter York, who can read and write English. I have followed +York’s phraseology in the stories as closely as possible, using his +terms, such as “went to work,” etc., and not changing his meaning in +any sense. Some of these stories may appear crude, and others rather +indefinite, but I have in no way altered them, preferring to leave them +as they are. + +John York is an old man of 96 years and his Indian name is +“Kitche-Penascie” or “Big Thunder.” Peter York is 48 years old and his +Indian name is “Penascie” or “Thunder.” Both names, according to Peter, +are “hard” names. York frequently visits this section which is only a +score of miles from the Reserve. + +Nanabush is one of the variants of Nenebojo, others being Nanabozho and +Nenebuc. This personage while being human possesses certain +supernatural powers, one of them being, that whoever or whatever he +addressed had to answer him. Nanabush seems to have been a joker and a +scapegoat at times, and is reputed to be alive yet. York remarked upon +one occasion that Nanabush “was a sort of god” and addresses him as Mr. +Nanabush. This band of Ojibwas did not know where or when Nanabush was +born, or the circumstances of his birth. Perhaps some of the older +Indians on the Reserve might know. Inquiries will be made in the +future. + +York’s ending to the stories is “This ends this story.” And his use of +the words “great big” means a giant such as “a great big man,” a giant. +“A great big beaver,” a giant beaver, etc. + + + + + + + + +NO. 1. + +NANABUSH AND THE DUCKS. (MODERN.) (NO. 1.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +A long time ago Nanabush when out hunting ducks came to a lake. He saw +a nice bay, round (curved) all along to the end which we all know bays +are not straight. And in this bay there were a lot of ducks sitting +along the shore, and Nanabush would like to kill them all with one +shot. He did not know how to do it. He thought that he must get them +all. He looked at his gun which was straight, and he thought if he +could bend his gun he might get them all. He went to work and bent his +gun. He got close and made a good aim, pulled the trigger and “Bang.” +When the smoke cleared away there were no ducks to be seen dead or +alive. Nanabush got so mad (angry) that he made another plan. + + + + + + + + +NO. 2. + +NANABUSH AND THE DUCKS. (NO. 2.) + +Told by Mrs. Joseph Kenice. + + +The other plan that Nanabush made to get these ducks was this: He and +his mother made a big camp (lodge or wigwam) and invited all the +different kinds of ducks to come to a big dance on such a day set apart +for the dance. All the ducks came and when they came up Nanabush +started to sing a song. Before the dance started he told the ducks that +they had to keep their eyes closed when they danced and had to dance +around the middle of the camp. Nanabush seated himself near the door +and as the ducks would dance near him he would grab them and twist +their necks and throw them behind him (York exemplified this by +gestures) and got quite a lot this time. But one of the birds, a diver, +opened her eyes a little bit and saw what Nanabush was doing. She made +for the door and told all the ducks to run away. Nanabush made for the +one that told on him. He got the duck in the door as she was going out +and reached out his foot and stamped on her as she went past, and this +is the reason the diver has flat feet and legs that stick out behind. +These are some of Nanabush’s works while he lived. This ends this +story. + + + +Note by G. E. L.—The song that Nanabush sang for the ducks was called +“Ki-ah-wah-na,” which, according to York, means “Something that has +been used to get such a thing or to do such a thing with. May have been +an axe or a knife, etc.” This is very indefinite, but is just what York +explained, that it was difficult to understand. I fail to see any +connection with the ducks as in other variations of this story. + + + + + + + + +NO. 3. + +THUNDERBIRDS. (NO. 1.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +The old people once went to the Blue Mountains near Collingwood a long +time ago. At the end (escarpment) near the Bay a Thunderbird had its +nest. It had two young birds. They were shaped like geese, but were +naked and were about as high as a man’s chest and were of brownish red +or russet color. By and by they began to grow pin-feathers and get big. +Then they went away. The old people went over several times to see +them, and they first saw them during a thunderstorm. + + + + + + + + +NO. 4. + +THUNDERBIRDS. (NO. 2.) + +Told by John York. + + +Once two Indians, a man and his wife, camped near a little lake. The +Indian was trapping. He had a dream one night never to cross on the ice +at night on any lake, but one day shortly afterwards he went too far +away hunting and got very tired. As he was coming home with his bag of +beaver on his back, and his ice chisel in his hand, he came to a narrow +place in the lake where he either had to cross on the ice or go a long +way around, so he thought he’d chance the ice (risk it for once), but +when he got about half way over he heard something coming down from +above, but could not see anything because it was dark. He fainted +(became unconscious) and dropped on the ice, and the next thing he knew +he found himself sitting inside a big bird’s hand (or claws) with all +his game, beaver, ice chisel and bag. He could not do anything except +to remain very still. After a while he saw something ahead, which was a +rock, and the big bird lit on the rock and let the man go and flew away +again. + +The man saw two young ones (young Thunderbirds) coming towards him, and +when one of these got near enough it opened its mouth wide. The man got +up and got his chisel and knocked the young bird down and killed it. +This young bird was very big and heavy (as York expressed it, “it would +weigh easy a ton”). The man made up his mind what to do, as he had got +to die anyway, so he went to work and opened the young bird and took +all the insides out and got in himself. He found that he could stay +inside the bird in going down to earth again. He managed to get the +young bird to the edge of the rock. Then he got inside and fastened +himself in with his long sash, closed the open hole with strings and +rolled off. The young Thunderbird spread its wings and began to float +down through the air. The man fainted and when he came to he found +himself on the edge of a lake in a strange place, so he got up and +wandered about till he came on some man tracks which he followed up +till he came to two men and asked them where he was. They told him +where he was and the name of the place, and then he knew which way to +go to reach his own camp. + +When he got near his own camp he saw that the place looked very old +anyway. He went nearer and got to the door and called “Who’s in there?” +Some one inside told him to “come in.” Inside he saw a very old lady. +He thought “this can’t be my wife, she’s too old. I’ve been only away a +few days.” He asked her “where was her man?” She said, “A good many +years ago my husband had a dream ‘never to walk across the ice of any +lake’ and he may have tried to go across some lake at night and was +taken by some big bird (Thunderbird) or somebody I never heard of. Here +I have been ever since he went away and nobody knows where he is.” The +man told her who he was and they kissed each other and lived together +the rest of their lives. This shows that he was away a long time, but +it seemed short to him. When on the Thunderbird’s rock he killed only +one of the young Thunderbirds. The other he did not touch. + + + +Notes by G. E. L.—The word “Lady” used here is equivalent to +Ogemahkwee, which means a chief’s wife or daughter, or some female +relative of a chief. This word is also used in speaking of, or to a +white lady of quality. + +Kissing is seldom met with in stories or tales of their own life by the +Indians, so I think it is a modern introduction. + + + + + + + + +NO. 5. + +RAT AND BEAVER STORY—WAH-ZESK AND AH-MIC. + +Told by Peter York. + + +A long time ago the Rat had the Beaver’s tail, and the Beaver the Rat’s +tail. The Rat wanted to trade tails, very badly, but the Beaver didn’t +care enough about trading, but at last he traded. Then the Beaver when +he got his present tail liked it very much for he found that he could +swim faster, but the Rat didn’t like it, because he had to swim slower, +so he begged the Beaver to trade back, but the Beaver would not trade; +so the Rat cried and cried till his eyes got small, and this is the +reason that the Rat has small eyes and a small tail. + +(Rat here means the Muskrat.) + + + + + + + + +NO. 6. + +THE BEAR, THE WILD CAT AND THE BIG STURGEON—MUH KWAH, PEZHEW AND +KITCHÉ NŬH MAH. + +Told by Peter York. + + +Near the mouth of the Nottawasaga River there are rapids. The bear was +fishing there one day. He was catching sturgeon in his paws and +throwing them over his shoulder on to the bank. By the time when he had +enough he quit fishing and started to carry the sturgeon back into the +woods from the pile he had thrown them into. The wild cat (lynx) was +watching the bear whilst the bear was fishing. When the bear went away, +the wild cat went to fish at the same place. He caught a very big +sturgeon, but on account of his crooked claws, could not let go, and +the sturgeon swam out to deep water and drowned the wild cat. + + + + + + + + +NO. 7. + +NE-WE-NO-NAH K’SHE MŬH. + +The story of the woman who visited a man who lived in a tree, and who +could change himself into a serpent when he wished. + +Told by Peter York. + + +A very long time ago there was an Indian who lived with his family in +the wilderness or wild bush where nobody was to be seen. This man lived +by hunting wild game. One time he noticed his wife dressing up very +nice. This kept on for a good many days. One day the oldest boy told +his father that the mother went away every time the father left camp +for hunting. The man thought that he would watch her, so he went away +one morning, but went only a little way and watched the camp. After a +little while the wife came out dressed in her best. She went out in the +bush and the man followed to see what she would do. She went to a big +tree and stood at the foot of the tree and rapped, just the same as a +person would do on a house door. Then he saw a very nice man come out +of the tree and observed what was going on, so he thought he would kill +his wife as soon as she got back to camp. When he got home he made a +big fire and told his two children (boys) what he was going to do, and +also told them what to do when he (the father) would run away. His wife +came home in the evening and he killed her and burned her in the fire. +He then told his boys “if they saw the sky red that would show them +that he (their father) was killed by his wife’s sweetheart.” The next +day they saw the sky red which showed them that their father was +killed, so they ran away themselves. Before their father went away he +told them that their mother would follow them though she was dead, so +the father gave them some things to use in case they wanted help; an +awl, a stone, and a thorn. When they saw their mother coming, they +threw the stone down, when it became a big mountain, and the two boys +went a long way before their mother was able to get over the mountain +and catch up to them. When she came close again the boys threw the +thorn down when it became a very big bush of thorn trees (Haw trees), +which gave the two boys a chance to get ahead a good bit before she got +through. When she got close again the boys threw the awl down, which +became many hundred awls with their points sticking up, but she managed +to get over them and kept on trying to get her children. + +The boys came to a big river and saw a big snail which they asked to +take them across the river. The big snail stretched himself across the +river and the two boys got across. When the mother got to the river she +also asked the big snail to take her over. The snail told her he would, +but when about half way across the snail dropped the woman into the +river, and that was the last of her. + +The two boys went on and came to a lake where nobody was to be seen +only themselves. The big boy made a little bow and arrow for his little +brother. After a little while they saw someone coming in a log canoe, +who turned out to be a bad old man. As soon as the old man saw the two +boys he made up his mind to take one of them and leave the other, so he +told the little boy with the bow and arrow to shoot up in the air. The +arrow dropped into the canoe, and the old man told the big boy to come +and get it. As soon as the big boy got in the canoe the old man pushed +out quickly and left the little boy behind. The big boy asked the old +man to take his brother along but the old man said “No!” When they got +to the old man’s place the big boy was locked up (confined) for a good +many days and could not get a chance to run away. One day the old man +told the big boy that if he wanted to go out with him he could go. They +came to a big hill and he asked the boy to go for a sleigh ride down +the hill. The old man wanted the boy to sit in front but the boy chose +to sit behind. There were stumps and stones down the hill and as they +went down the hill very fast, the boy thought to hit a stone and kill +the old man, which he did. Then the boy thought about his little +brother and went back and looked for him. When he got to the place +where his brother was left he saw a wolf which was his brother who had +become half a wolf and half a boy. Which all Indians believe to be +where the wolf came from. The boy got too hungry and became part wolf. +This ends this story. + + + + + + + + +NO. 8. + +OJIBWA AND MOHAWK. (NO. 1.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +Long years ago there were two Ojibwa boys who lived so close together +that they called each other “Brother,” and one time when they got to be +big boys they talked about getting married, so they went away to an +Indian (Ojibwa) village not far away and got girls to marry them. When +they got married they wanted to know what to do to make a living. One +said “We will go a long ways up the river to hunt and stay there for a +good while and will be able to get enough to keep us during the winter +months.” They got ready for the trip and started with a good supply. +They stayed a long time till they got enough (furs and meat) and then +started to come home. + +On their way home they came to a place where there were a lot of stumps +and snags, and one of them struck a stump and made a big hole in his +canoe. He had to go to shore to fix his canoe, whilst the other canoe +went on ahead. When the canoe was mended they started on again and when +they came to a little lake they saw their comrade just about the other +side of the little lake going into a river where there were lots of +other Indians (Mohawks, their enemies) waiting for them to come home +with their catch of fur and meat. The man in the second canoe said to +his wife, “Well, my brother is going to get killed, as he goes into the +river, you watch!” And when the first canoe was just going into the +river there was smoke of gunfire from both sides. The wife (in the +second canoe) said, “We will be killed the same way.” The husband +replied, “Well, no. If I get mad (angry) there is no shot that could +hit me. I will go alone to see, and you stay here till I come back.” +“No,” she said, “You can’t go, you will be shot too.” “Well,” said he, +“let them shoot, they can’t hit me. I had a dream in my early days that +no gun could hurt me, and if my dream is no good I won’t come back.” So +they got everything out of the canoe and he started in the canoe with +his gun for the same place where his comrade got shot. When he got +there the gunfire started from both sides of the river and kept up for +a long time, till after a while the fire was not so bad, after another +while the fire ceased and the wife looked and looked and after a short +time she saw something coming straight to where she was waiting. She +knew the canoe but there was a different man in it. She hid herself in +the bush till she heard her man calling to her and then she came out. +Her man was all black, and it was because he had so many close shots +fired at him that the gunpowder blackened him up, so that the wife only +knew him by his voice when he called her. They got ready and crossed +the lake to where the fight took place. They got out of the canoe and +he showed his wife where there were a good many dead Indians (Mohawks) +on both sides of the river. They went to work to see if they could find +their friends’ bodies. It did not take them long to do so and to bury +them the best way they could. They then started on their way home and +upon arrival spread the story and went to see the parents of the dead +ones. This ends this story. + + + + + + + + +NO. 9. + +OJIBWA AND MOHAWK. (NO. 2.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +A good many years ago there were two head chiefs of the two big nations +of Indians, the Ojibwas and the Mohawks. One time the head chief of the +Mohawks thought to do something to hurt the Ojibwa chief. He did not +know just what to do. The Ojibwa chief had one son and one daughter. +Well, the Mohawk thought “If I kill one of his children this would make +him mad (angry).” So he got his warriors to come to him and told them +to go to the Ojibwa village at night and try to kill the chief’s son or +daughter. The warriors started at night and went on their errand and it +happened that the son was out late and was taken prisoner. The warriors +took the boy to the Mohawk chief and the chief cast lots, by drawing +little sticks, and the one that got the longest stick had to kill the +boy. The boy was killed before the people and the chief called a big +feast and had the boy cooked. When everything was ready he invited all +the other neighbouring chiefs as well as the Ojibwa chief who had lost +his son, and there were hundreds of Indians besides. The big feast was +ready by this time and all sat down on the ground. Those who were +appointed to act as waiters started to bring in the eatables, beginning +at the door, giving the food to the men as they went along. The head +Ojibwa chief was placed in the middle, and when the waiters came to him +they brought his son’s head well cooked. This chief recognized his +son’s head, but said nothing, and as they were all eating, he ate his +son’s head just to show them that he was a man. + +When everything was over the Ojibwa chief started for home, and as he +was going home he made up his mind that he would also do this kind of +work some day. He did not do it at once but waited for a few years, +when he got his warriors to come to him one day and told them that they +had to go to the Mohawks’ village and get the chief’s daughter and +bring her to him. One of the warriors told the chief “that there were +hundreds of warriors guarding the Mohawk chief’s house ever since the +Big Feast when the Ojibwa chief’s son was killed and eaten” (or in +other words, since you lost your son). + +The Ojibwa chief then said, “You go in the daytime and take her and I +will make them sleep sound. I will be able to do that.” So they +started, six of the best men. When they got to the Mohawk village they +found all the watchers asleep and the chief also sound asleep. They +took the girl away as they were told to bring her. Before this the +Ojibwa chief told one of his men to kill her, and she was killed in a +quiet way. Nobody knew what happened. The Ojibwa chief then called a +big feast and told his people to get ready, that after the feast there +was going to be a big battle right there. So they got everything ready. + +They called the Mohawk chief to come and all the Mohawks that could +come at that time came, and all the Indians came from other places. +They all sat down and ate. The girl’s head well cooked was placed +before the Mohawk chief. As soon as he saw his daughter’s head he gave +a loud yell and fainted. Just at this time the Ojibwa chief rose up and +asked his men to start and kill every one of the Mohawks. The Ojibwa +chief killed the Mohawk chief himself and his men killed the rest of +the Mohawks at this time. After this happened the news spread all over +and the two big nations got so mad (angry) that they declared war. The +war took place in winter time. They fought on Lake Couchiching and the +Lake was full of Indians. When the fight began the Ojibwa in command +was a girl who led the warriors. When the Mohawks saw them coming they +said “we’ll have fun now.” When the Ojibwas came very close the girl +who led gave a big loud yell and all the Mohawks fell down on their +hands and knees and tried to crawl away, but the Ojibwa warriors killed +every one of them that they could find. Young and old, women as well as +men, except two, a boy and a girl, and from this pair came the present +Mohawks. This ends this Mohawk story. + + + +Note.—(The girl leader of the Ojibwa was not the sister of the boy that +was killed and eaten. She was a different girl, but had a dream that +she could do this leading.) + + + + + + + + +NO. 10. + +OJIBWA AND MOHAWK. (NO. 3.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +The Ojibwas were once entering Lake Couchiching by the west side in +winter time on the ice. They were going across to fight the Mohawks on +the east side, when an old Mohawk woman came down to the ice hole to +get some water. She saw the Ojibwas coming and turned her back to them +and exposed her anus in contempt and otherwise made fun of them. Then +she went and told her people. The opposing warriors fought on the ice +and the Mohawks were beaten. After the battle the Ojibwas painted a red +woman in just the same position as the Mohawk woman posed, on the rocks +on the east shore near where the fight took place (now called +McPherson’s Quarry or Geneva Park). This figure now remains and can be +seen to day. (It is about 5 or 6 feet above water and is about 1 ft. +high.) + + + + + + + + +NO. 11. + +OJIBWA AND MOHAWKS. (NO. 4.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +An Ojibwa man and wife and one child were out hunting away back in the +woods and one day the man said to his wife, “We are going to have +trouble now. There are some Mohawks about, and they are going to come +to-night to kill us. There is no use running away for we are too far +from home. If I am killed they will take you away to their home.” The +night came and this man and wife watched nearly all night, till about +daylight they heard an owl and some other kind of bird. This shows that +the Mohawks were near and had surrounded their camp. There were fifteen +Mohawks and the one Ojibwa man had to fight them all. Well, he did very +well for he killed quite a lot of them, but his wife and child were +taken prisoners whilst he was fighting. He was not killed but escaped +and ran towards his home. He ran for two days till he reached home and +told his friends what had happened. He raised a war party of some forty +or fifty men and one old man, a prophet, and started after the Mohawks. + +This old man, the Prophet, knew where the Mohawks went and he also knew +that the wife was still alive, and that child was killed on the way to +the Mohawks’ home, for he had that power. So the Ojibwa war party +started for the Mohawk country and while they were going the old man +said, “She has made her escape and is coming back.” So they all ran to +meet her and they met her. She told a very bad (pitiful) story to the +men. She said, “On the way every night I had to keep the fire going all +night to keep them warm. Some days they all go out hunting, but one had +to stay and watch me. One day they all went out but one bad man who +stayed in camp to watch me. This bad man made a big fire and went out +and cut a good-sized stick. Then he took my baby and ran the stick into +him (through the anus) and roasted him in the big fire. Well, I could +not do anything only cry, and this bad man came right in front of me +and began to mock and cry, and facing the other way showed his +buttocks. I grabbed his privates and pulled all I could, and he fell +down and I got up and rolled him to the fire and burnt him. Then I took +his gun, I did not run away till I killed every one them. Towards the +evening one came when I was inside the camp, when he got near I shot +him. He fell dead, and after a while another one came and I also shot +him. I took his gun which was loaded. The last time two came together. +Well, I thought, if I kill them this time I would be safe, so I made a +good aim and fired at the first. He fell and the other tried to run +away; before he got away I shot him dead and started to run back +towards our country.” One of the Ojibwa war party took her home, and +the rest went on their way to the Mohawk village. When they got there +they killed some of the children to pay the Mohawks for what they did. + +This woman made a good plan to get these Mohawks. She did not run away +after she killed the first man for fear the rest would chase her and +catch her, so she stayed in camp and killed them as they came in singly +from hunting. She would take the gun of the man just killed and would +be ready for the next. + +The Mohawks in camping at night fixed some poles around the fire about +two feet from the ground, and would lay on their backs with their feet +on the poles, warming their hind quarters. The Ojibwa woman had to keep +the fire going all night. The killing or torturing of children was the +worst thing Indians could do. This ends this story. + + + +Note.—All these fights took place in this locality. The river referred +to is the Gull River. The Ojibwa used to come to where Beaverton now is +and then across to South Bay, Balsam Lake, by another route south of +the Portage Road. (This is borne out by other evidence than York’s.) I +spoke of the embankment at South Bay to York, but he had never seen it +though he had heard of it, and remarked that it was “one of the +fighting grounds.” + + + + + + + + +NO. 12. + +RAMA WITCHES. (NO. 1.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +One time an old witch lived in Rama on the west side of Lake +Couchiching. She covered herself with the skin of an owl when she +wanted to fly at night for the purpose of taking the first joints off +the fingers of children, which she used to string up like +old-fashioned, dried apples in her camp. These children would die at +once. She had the power to take these joints off. + +One day she wanted to go to near where Atherley now is, and compelled +two young men to go with her in the canoe, for she had the power to +compel young men to go with her, generally the best of them. She wanted +to go to a man’s place who had two black dogs. She wanted these dogs. +When she arrived there she asked the man for the dogs, but he said +“No!” She then asked him for one dog, but still he said “No.” She then +took a paddle and shoved the canoe off shore saying to the man, “I +shove off with one of your children.” (Meaning that one of his children +would die.) The man said, “Maybe you will die yourself before you get +home. The bees will have your meat.” She sat in the middle of the canoe +with one of the young men paddling at the bow and the other at the +stern. When about half way home the young man at the stern heard a bee +humming overhead and looking up he saw the bee enter the woman’s ear +into her head. In a short time her body was full of bees, eating her +up, and she began to twist around and say: “Youh, youh,” and died in +the canoe. The young men put her overboard at what is now Ground Hog +Point, which took its name from her, for she was called “Kuk-oh-chees,” +“The Ground Hog.” + +She had forgotten to take her bag (medicine bag) with her and had left +it in her camp. The man’s power was stronger than hers, for he killed +her and nothing happened to him. He had power over the bees. Sometimes +when this witch was looking for children at night she carried a light. +The young men went with her because they were afraid she would kill +them if they didn’t go. + +She said as she died, “Well, anyway I never killed any big people, just +children,” but the people found joints of fingers of grown-up persons +on the strings as well as those of children in her camp. + + + +Note.—Ground Hog Point is called in Ojibwa Kuk-oh-cheesh, +Nāy-ash-sheeng. + + + + + + + + +NO. 13. + +RAMA WITCHES. (NO. 2.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +Another old witch once lived in Rama. She disguised herself in a +turkey’s skin when she wished to fly. She caused many people to die. +One day when all the people were having a bee to hoe corn she went to +the bee, leaving her turkey skin in her bag (medicine bag) at her home. +There was a little boy who lived with her and who had often watched her +through a hole in his blanket when she was dressing herself in this +turkey skin, and thought that he would like to try it himself, so he +took the turkey skin out of the bag and put it on. The skin was very +much worn by now and had lost lots of feathers and was ragged, but +still preserved the power to fly. So the boy flew over to the hoeing +bee, and all the people began to say: “Look at the witch, look at the +witch,” and the witch herself began to get very mad (angry) and act +crazy when she saw the boy in her turkey skin. The boy lit on the +ground and the people rushed over and took off the skin and found that +it was only a boy. The witch’s son who was also there took an axe and +rushed up to his witch mother and said, “You must stop causing people +to die, or else I’ll put the axe to your head.” She said, “No! she +would not.” Whereupon he struck her on the head with the axe and killed +her on the spot. + + + + + + + + +NO. 14. + +THE SOCIAL PROBLEM. + +Told by Peter York. + + +Once a small party left the Rama Reserve for the purpose of going on a +hunt up the Gull River waters. Amongst this party was a bad man who had +left his wife on the Reserve and had taken another woman with him, +which was a very bad thing to do. After being on the hunt for some time +this man died and was prepared for burial, and a grave was dug. He was +left in a place just outside the camp for three days before burial. One +of the children of the camp who happened to go and look at the body, +came back and said that clothes were pushed off the body’s face and +breast, so the older people went to see. They found this was so and the +man coming to life. He came to life and said that he had been in heaven +and was sorry for what he had done by leaving his wife on the Reserve, +etc., but that he knew he was going to die in exactly a month from that +day at midday, and would never see Rama again. After a short while the +party moved camp on their homeward journey, and at Balsam Lake when the +month was just about to be up the man said that he was going to die and +knew he could not stop it. So he made a little camp and went in there. +He was all right the night before and also on the morning of the last +day, but before noon he said his time was near and began to act +terribly crazy-like. His eyes stuck out and he chewed his tongue and +rolled around his camp in terrible agony. He acted so strangely and +shook his camp so much that he so frightened the others that they were +afraid to go near him and so left him alone to die. His actions +continued till noon when the man died in horrible pain. Thus was he +punished for leaving his wife and taking another woman. + + + + + + + + +NO. 15. + +WINTIGOES (GIANTS). + +Told by Peter York. + + +In olden times people used to believe that if a person fasted for a +period of about ten or twelve days he would learn something about bears +or lions, or something very strong, and if he dreamed of any of these +animals he would be just as strong. + +One time a man had a dream that he could fight with the Wintigoes any +time. He could be just as big and just as strong, and during one winter +time he knew that the Wintigo was coming to eat them (i.e. his family). +He said to his wife “The Wintigo is coming to-night, and is going to +eat us, and if my dream fails we shall be eaten by the Wintigo.” The +night came and the man went out to meet the Wintigo a little way off. +The wife listened for a little while, then she heard trees flying all +over and she saw two great, big men biting each other and hitting each +other with great, big trees, and also with their hands. This kept on +for a long time, till all at once it went past, and she watched if her +man would come home. After a while he came out of the woods just as +small as he was when he went out to fight. He said, “I won the battle +for the first time since I had my dream. You come over with me and I +will show you where I finished the Wintigo.” They both went out till +they came to the place where they saw, as if somebody had been +underbrushing, so fierce was the battle that all the underbrush and +small trees were knocked or trampled down. At the far end of this place +they saw a great big man lying down dead, with his big kettle and a +great big knife, for the Wintigo was going to kill and eat these +people. So the man and wife went to work and gathered up wood and made +a big fire and burned the Wintigo to ashes. + + + + + + + + +NO. 16. + +LITTLE LYNX STORY. + +Told by Peter York. + + +Black Bear had a very good winter one time. It was a very hard winter +for the smaller animals on account of the snow and frost and storms. +This big Black Bear used to go on the deer runways and catch a deer and +eat him up, and the Lynx used to watch the Black Bear climb up in a +tree and jump on the deer as they passed along the runways, which they +had in the winter months, and which was an easy thing for a big black +bear to do. Once when the Lynx was very hungry he could not catch +anything as there was too much snow. Well, he thought that he would try +and kill a deer, so he went out on one of their runways and watched for +a deer to come along. Soon he saw one coming and he climbed up a tree +and when the deer came under the tree the Lynx jumped on his back. The +Deer started off wild and went all over the woods, but the Lynx still +held on having a good hold and the Deer could not shake him off. The +Deer knew that there was a leaning tree in the bush so he made for +that, knowing that he could knock the Lynx off as he ran under the +tree. The Deer ran very fast and as he ran under the tree there +happened to be a knot on the under side of the tree where the Deer +went, so the Lynx got his back skinned from his head to his tail. It +also just happened that an Indian was out hunting that way and tracking +deer. He saw a deer track which was a very bad one with blood all over. +So he followed it up till he came to the Lynx lying dead and a little +farther on he found the Big Buck dead too. The Deer had got so tired +that he lay down and died. So the Indian had good luck finding them +both. + + + + + + + + +NO. 17. + +NANABUSH AND THE FOUR MEN. (NO. 4.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +A good many years ago four Indians wanted to know something about “how +to be a man that would know how to fight and never get hurt.” Well, +they talked about it and decided to go and see Nanabush and ask these +things. They made the journey, which took them two long years to get to +his place. On the way up they could hear Nanabush beating his drum and +saying to them, “Come on, my children.” Well, one day they heard him +saying, “You will get to my place in the morning.” The morning came and +they saw a clean place; everything looked to be good. They saw a big +camp here and went to the door and rapped. Nanabush said, “Come in, my +children,” and shook hands with them. They talked a little while when +Nanabush said something to his daughter, who was a very nice-looking +girl, and she started to cook something which was bear meat, and took +some blueberries and cooked them (both) in a very little pot (about the +size of a cup). While those men were watching the girl one of them +thought, “I could eat all that in the pot with one spoonful.” Nanabush +knew what this fellow was thinking about and said, “You will see if you +can eat that much.” They all sat down and started to eat out of the +little pot. They ate all that they wanted and the pot was still full. +Nanabush said, “You men can’t eat it all.” After the meal Nanabush +said, “Now you must tell me what you want to know. You have walked for +a long time.” The first man said to Nanabush, “I would like to know if +there is a battle in our country, and I would like to know that if I +was shot at I would like the ball not to hit me.” Nanabush said, “This +will happen so, you just think about me when going to fight.” + +The next man came before Nanabush and said, “I am a hunter and I would +like to call the game to me when I want them, some wild beasts.” +Nanabush said, “This will be so, when you go hunting you call just what +you want and they will come.” + +The third man came before Nanabush. “Well,” he said, “I would like to +get myself a wife, nobody likes me.” Nanabush said, “You see my +daughter, you take her and she will be your wife.” + +The fourth man came before Nanabush and said, “I would like to live +forever.” Nanabush said (in reproach), “We all know that every man has +got to die, and you would like to live forever.” He reached out his +hand and took the fourth man and placed him on his side, when the man +became a granite stone, and there were only three men that came back +home. Everything that Nanabush said was so. + +Nanabush said to the one that wanted a wife, that he must not speak to +her till they got home, and they all started home happy. On the last +day before reaching home the man who had Nanabush’s daughter wanted to +talk to her, so he spoke to her, but before he had finished his words +the girl was missing and could not be found, so he got home without a +wife. This ends this story. + + + + + + + + +NO. 18. + +NANABUSH AND THE YOUNG MAN AND WIFE. (NO. 5.) + +Told by John York. + + +A good many years ago two families lived on an Island. One family had +one son, and the other one daughter. The two young people got married +and lived for a little while when the young wife took sick and died. +The old people buried her on the Island, but the young husband went out +after the burying, and the old people saw him lie down near the grave. +Just as soon as he closed his eyes he saw his wife going away. He +followed her for a long time but could not get near enough to catch +her, so he went on till night came. She said to him (her husband), “We +will camp here,” and she made her camp a little way ahead. He made his +camp behind hers. The next morning came and they started again. On +their way he saw a big house by the roadside, but before they reached +the house he heard somebody talk to him and who told him that “this was +the place where all the dogs live that you ever owned. The ones that +you have used badly, and they will pay you for what you have done to +them while living.” The man that spoke said to him, “I will help you. +You take these bags of shoes and when the dogs attack you throw the +shoes at them.” When the young husband got to the house the dogs +attacked him. He dropped the bags of shoes and the dogs attacked the +shoes and the young man passed out and saw his wife ahead of him the +same as usual. The night came again and they camped out once more. The +next day came and about noon they saw another house on the road ahead. +When they came to this house they saw some people who invited them to +eat, but they did not eat. This was the last house to be seen before +they got to the place where they were going. They went on till they saw +a great big house. The wife went in ahead and the man came in behind. +When he got in he saw nothing but a big room full of little beds, but +nobody was in the house. He went all over the house but could not find +his wife so he went out and looked around. He saw another house nearby +and went over to it. He rapped at the door and someone said, “Come in.” +He went in and saw an old man sitting down who said to him, “You have +come a long way to try and get your wife back. Once they get in that +big house you can’t see them any more, but, if you want help I can help +you a lot.” “I will be very much obliged if you will,” said the young +man. “Well,” the old man said, “There will be a big dance in the big +house to-night. They do that every time a new man or a new woman gets +here. I will hide you in my pocket and at the dance I will catch her.” +The night came. As soon as the sun went down people could be heard +running around all over (spirits or ghosts). + +This old man was the man who sang at the dance so he started the dance +a little after dark. He who was sitting in the pocket was watching his +wife. He saw her coming and dancing too. When she got near the old man +caught her and got a very small box and put her in and went out. This +broke up the dance. The old man took the box to his house. There were +two little boxes, one for the wife, and another in which was an oil of +some kind. The old man said to the young husband, “It took you four +years to get here and you will get back in two days. Beware (listen) +and do what I say. When you get home, get two small stones and make +them hot, open the box of oil and let it melt on the stones. Cover +yourself and the boxes with blankets. You listen till you hear her +speak and then open the box. You will see her alive again.” The young +husband did all this when he got back home and his wife came to life +again. They came to where they started at first on the Island. There +was nobody living there this time so they sat down and after a little +while he said, “Do you see that point up there? Watch a little while +and you will see two canoes coming this way. There will be our parents +in them.” The canoes came out in the lake straight for the island and +when they came near they stopped. The old people said, “Someone’s at +the grave.” The two young people spoke, “Come on, we got back here +again alive.” The old people almost jumped out in the water when they +saw their children and heard them talking. + +In olden times people used to believe in feeding the dead by burning +some bread and meat (food) over the grave, and this was what brought +the parents back to the island at this particular time. + + + +Note.—(The old man in this story is Nanabush, who was also the man that +spoke about the dogs.) + +This story is from John York, who claims it is a true story and +happened in the days gone by. + + + + + + + + +NO. 19. + +THE LITTLE DOG STORY. + +Told by Peter York. + + +In the old days people used to have faith in their dogs. One time a man +had a very small, little dog. When he went out hunting he put the +little dog inside of his coat. Every time the little dog tried to bark +the man knew that there was some game near. + +One night while the man was asleep the little dog licked him on the +face till he woke up, which went to show that there was trouble at +hand. The little dog tried to take his master outside the camp. They +both went out and the little dog began to roll in the snow. Every time +he rolled he grew bigger. He rolled till he got to be as big as a +good-sized calf, then he stopped and watched the lake. They saw a +great, big dog coming across the ice to kill the man. The man’s dog +went out to meet this one and conquered it. This big dog was a +grey-looking one with no hair. + + + + + + + + +NO. 20. + +KILLING THE OLD PEOPLE. + +Told by John York. + + +In the days gone by when an old man or woman got helpless they used to +be killed outright. + +One time while two families, one of which had an old woman, were out +camping, they decided to kill the old woman. They told her that they +were going to move to some other place. They took her by the hand and +led her to the bush some distance away where they stopped in a lonely +place and told her to sit there till they got ready to build a camp. +Instead of making a camp they went back home and left her to die. The +old woman was left on a river bank, and it happened that one of the +boys was out hunting that way and when he was coming back home he saw +his grandmother sitting by the river side. He wondered how she got +there, but told her to get in the canoe and took her back to camp. He +left her near the camp telling her to come in after dark. The hunter +then went into the camp and after a while the old woman came in. +Everybody sat still, they did not know what to say, as they had thought +that she would have died that night out on the river bank. She never +told how she came back, neither did her grandson, so it was never known +to the rest. The people quit killing the old people from that time. +They never did it again. The Indians used to do this; when people got +too old they were killed to be got out of the way. + + + + + + + + +NO. 21. + +OJIBWA AND MOHAWK. (NO. 5.) + +Told by Peter York. + + +The Mohawks were so bad that they used to kill for nothing. One time +there were three Ojibwa brothers, and one day the Mohawks met one of +the brothers and killed him. They hid him in the bush and took his +scalp home. When the other two came to know that their brother had been +killed they got mad (angry) and both got ready with war clubs and lots +of shot and powder. When they got to the Mohawk village their enemies +were waiting for them to come. These brothers did all they could; they +killed about three to five hundred of the Mohawks. While the fight was +going on, one of the two Ojibwas got shot in the leg, and the leg was +broken below the knee, but he fought on till he got tired and sick. +“Well,” he said to his brother, “we are going to get beaten. I will die +in their hands, you run away and tell our people what has happened.” +The other brother started back home and left his brother to be killed, +who was killed some time later. The one that got home told all the +people what had happened. Everybody got ready to go down and kill all +the Mohawks. When they got to the place where the fight was they saw +the dead man sitting up dressed in some very nice things, such as +buckskin clothing, but his scalp was taken. + +When the Ojibwas got to the Mohawk village their captain gave a big +yell to show the Mohawks that there was going to be a fight, and +started to kill everyone who was in the village. When they got through +they searched the place for the scalp that was taken from the brother +and when they found it they burnt the village and started back home. +When they got there they had a big time over the recovered scalp. + + + + + + + + +NO. 22. + +NANABUSH. (NO. 6.) + +Told by John York. + + +It was never known how Nanabush was born, only that he was working for +God for many years (York says 2,000 years, which is evidently his +expression to denote a very long time) looking after the world, such as +to regulate the weather, rain, snow, and other things. + +Nanabush did have a wife once, but only one child which was a girl. +While living together he made up his mind to send his wife away to look +after the dead, those that died long years ago, where she is now. + +The old man is here somewhere in the north. She looks after the dead +and he looks after the living. He will not die, nor will be sick, and +is the only man that will live as long as the world lasts. He never +works and always has plenty to eat, and lots of tobacco which he keeps +in a skunk-skin bag. (In those days skunks were as big as a big +Porcupine.) Nanabush is getting very grey sitting all the time smoking +his pipe. + +If you look sometimes in the north sky you will see the sky white at +night. This is the time that Nanabush is poking his fire or making his +fire. + + + +Note.—Nanabush is often referred to as “The Old Man.” + + + + + + + + +NO. 23. + +NANABUSH AND HIS WIFE’S CHAIR. (NO. 7.) + +Told by John York. + + +Nanabush went to hunt beaver one time. He placed his wife to watch for +the beaver and she sat on a rock watching for the beaver to come out. +She heard her man calling for her, he had killed the beaver. She went +over and fixed the meat and dried it. This beaver was a great big one +(a giant). His tail was very wide (about 5 feet). The rock on which she +sat is just like a big chair and is on the Rama Reserve. Lots of people +go to see it. + + + + + + + + +NO. 24. + +THE TAILLESS STURGEON. + +Told by John York. + + +One time there was a family camping at Sturgeon Lake (Victoria County). +One day the old man went out to fish through the ice, and while fishing +he saw a queer-looking fish. He speared it and killed it, then took it +home and cooked it; all the family ate of it, and in a very short time +they all took sick and died. These sturgeon from Sturgeon Lake are +descended from a serpent which was cut in two a long time ago, but +lived and bred young ones with no tails. + + + +Note.—John York said he used to camp at Sturgeon Lake years ago. Had +heard these sturgeon jumping at night, but had never caught any. + +Sturgeon Lake has no sturgeon. The name may be given to it from its +shape. There are no sturgeon in this chain of lakes, now known as the +Kawartha Lakes. + + + + + + + + +NO. 25. + +NANABUSH AND THE DUCKS. (NO. 8.) + +Told by John York. + + +One time Nanabush was walking, very tired and hungry. He came to a lake +and looking around he saw a very nice sandy beach. Well, he thought, +this is a nice shore to kill some ducks. There were lots of ducks on +the lake. He called one of the ducks which came to him. He asked the +duck, “Is your Chief Duck here at any place?” “Yes. He is here at the +present time. He is chief of all kinds of ducks,” the duck replied. +Nanabush then said, “I would like to see him and have a talk.” The duck +said, “If you would like to see him I will go and get him.” Nanabush +said, “Yes, go and bring him here.” The Chief Duck came. “Well,” +Nanabush said, “do you know what is going to take place here very +soon?” “No,” said the Chief Duck. “Well,” said Nanabush, “there is +going to be a big dance.” “Who is going to furnish the music?” said the +Chief Duck. “I am going to furnish the music,” said Nanabush and he +reached out his hand and got his drum and began to sing, which made the +Chief Duck dance right there. “Well,” said the Chief Duck, “when is +this big dance coming off?” Nanabush said, “If you like to have it +to-night, we can have it to-night.” “Well, it just suits me, and I will +tell all the kinds of ducks to come,” said the Chief Duck. This pleased +Nanabush very much, and the Chief Duck went away. + +Nanabush got everything ready. He made a big camp and made a big fire +inside. Night came and all the ducks came in from all around. About +dark Nanabush started to sing. He told the ducks that as soon as they +came inside they would have to close their eyes. He started singing one +of his songs which pleased all the ducks. He told them, “The time is +now on” and all the ducks started to come in dancing with their eyes +closed. He told them that they had to pass through right in front of +him. Every one of them passed him and he grabbed them and twisted their +necks. He got a lot of them, but one opened his eyes a little bit and +saw what Nanabush was doing. This duck made a big yell and told all the +(remaining) ducks what Nanabush was doing, and made for the door, but +before he got out Nanabush kicked him and stepped on his feet (we now +call this duck the Diver). + +Nanabush picked up all the dead ones and buried them in the ashes to +cook. When he got them all fixed he lay down and told his anus to +watch. He went to sleep and it happened to be that there was a lion +close by who ate all the ducks. When Nanabush woke up he went to work +and looked for the cooked ducks, which were gone. He said to his anus, +“I told you to watch, I will burn you for not doing what I told you to +do.” He laid his anus towards the fire and began to shove all the hot +coals in to it. He started off and went through where there were a lot +of little trees, going right over them. He twisted around and looked at +the little trees which were red with his blood and said, “In future +people will call those trees red willows.” He went on to a rock which +he slid down; on looking back he saw the blood-stains on the rock which +he called “red granite” (i.e. which became the red granite of +nowadays). + + + +Note.—This lion was probably the American panther. + + + + + + + + +NO. 26. + +ORIGIN OF BIRDS. + +Told by John York. + + +One time a man shot another with his bow and arrow for stealing his +wife. He watched the actions of his wife and this man and saw them +sleeping together in a bush, when he shot them with his arrows and +killed them both. He went to work and cut up about half the man into +little bits and threw these up in the air. The pieces of meat did not +fall back again, but became different birds, such as the blue jay, +robins and others. He cut some more pieces a little bigger and threw +these up in the air too, when they became gulls, cranes and such-like +birds. + + + + + + + + +NO. 27. + +THE PEOPLE WHO BECAME SERPENTS. + +Told by John York. + + +Two families were camping out some years ago. One old man had a good +boy who was hunting all the time, getting all kinds of game and always +having plenty to eat. The other family had a daughter, and one time the +two young people got married. The girl’s mother did not like this +because the young man had good luck always. This old woman was a witch +and she could do anything she liked. One time this bad old woman went +out just a little way in the bush and put a bone on the road (trail), +so to let this young man step on the bone and get hurt. When this young +man came home in the evening he happened to step on the bone and got +hurt, which laid him up nearly all winter, and they all got hard times. +While this young man was in the camp before he got better, they got so +poor that they had to go to some other place. The husband of the old +witch went out alone to a little lake some miles away to see if there +were any fish there. He cut a hole in the ice and let down his decoy. +He did not take a spear with him. He saw some big fish and then went +home and told his people that he saw a lot of fish. They all decided to +move near the lake and that family went. Only the sick man did not like +to go till he got better. He was just about getting better when the +other family went away. He went out hunting and got some game for +himself, wife, father and mother. They lived there till on towards +spring when the ice went away. The other campers never came back to see +them. One day his wife said, “I would like to go and see my mother.” +“Well,” he said, “you can go and see her.” She went out and found the +lake and saw the camp, but she could not see anybody, or no signs, or +no smoke in the camp. She went near and spoke. After a while some one +tried to speak inside the camp and said, “We have eaten a fish of some +kind and I am sure it was a big snake; we have all got to be snakes.” + +The young wife looked in and saw that her mother (the witch) was all +snake except her head, and the rest of the family were the same way. +She went home and told what she had seen but the rest did not go to see +them for a long time. One day they went down to see what the others +looked like. They looked in the camp but there was nobody home, then +they went down to the lake and saw the others sunning themselves the +same as other snakes. The two families all became big serpents. + + + + + + + + +NO. 28. + +THE INDIAN BOY WHO MARRIED A KING’S DAUGHTER. + +Told by John York. + + +(A most curious blending of the old and the new. G. E. L.) + +A good many years ago there were two brothers living in a camp away +back in the woods where nobody else was to be seen. Their father and +mother had died when they were little boys. The elder hunted all the +time and got a lot of deer and other kinds of game. The younger was +busy in looking after the venison, cutting it up and drying it. When he +got it all dried he pounded it up very fine, same as corn meal, and put +it away in bags for to use in the winter. + +One time the younger tried to think of something that he ever did +before. He thought there must be some people some place nearby. He +thought, “this evening when my brother comes home I’ll ask him about +this.” His brother came home at night and after supper the younger +began to ask him if there were any Indians living nearby. “Well,” the +older boy said to his brother, “yes, there are some people living to +the west who are called ‘white men,’ and some people living east of us, +but it is a long way.” The younger boy began to get lonesome thinking +about these people whom he would like to see, so one day he asked his +brother if he would let him go and see some of the white people. +“Well,” his brother said, “it will take you four days to get there; you +go straight west all the time.” “Well, I will go to-morrow and I will +try and get back in a week,” the younger said. He got ready the night +before he started the journey. He left camp just about daylight and +walked all day. When night came he made camp for the night. The next +day he started early in the morning, the same as he did the first day. +On the fourth day while walking he noticed somebody had been cutting +some trees with a very sharp thing. He looked at the stumps for a long +time. He never saw an axe before. He went on a little farther. He heard +some one cutting something. He went on till he saw a man who was very +white. He thought, “this must be a white man.” He got to where this man +was working and sat down close by. They began to speak to each other. +The white man asked him where did he come from. The Indian told him +where he came from and said, “I just came to see the people and I am +going to camp near the city.” The white man said, “I have got a little +shanty here in the bush and if you like to stay in it you are welcome.” +The Indian said, “I don’t know what you call a shanty till I see it.” +The white man said, “I will show you the shanty. You come along,” and +they both went up to where the shanty was. The white man showed the +Indian all the “rigging,” such as dishes and pans, the like of which +the Indian never saw before. The white man gave him some meat, bread, +tea, and sugar, things this Indian never ate before. + +The Indian would like to go to town one day and see the place. He went +out and looked around. He picked up some rags and made a very nice +quilt. He sold this quilt for $25.00. He made a lot of them and sold +them all at $25.00 each. + +One day a nice-looking, young man came up to see him and told him that +there was going to be a big feast on Wednesday at the big hall up town. +He went down to it with this young man. The feast was a French one. The +King wanted to find a good cook, and every time the King had a feast +there was a different cook. When the hour came to eat they all sat down +and the King came out and also sat down and started to eat. He just +tasted and went away. This will show that he didn’t like it. The cooks +were all men. This King wanted to find a good cook for his only +daughter. When the feast was over the King came out again and said to +all the people, “Who will try again for next week’s feast?” Some of the +boys knew that the Indian boy was a good cook, and one of them went +over to the Indian boy and asked him if he would try. Well, the Indian +boy was a little shy at first, but he thought he would try. He went to +his little shanty and thought about it all the time, and how he would +make things look nice. The feast day came and he went over to the place +and started in to cook. When he got ready about four o’clock in the +evening he got some girls to help him with the tables. About six +o’clock he called the people to “come in.” All the boys and girls said +to one another “This Indian man is going to get his for sure.” The +waiter called to the King that everything was ready. The King came in +and saw everything was good. He started to eat and he ate a lot this +time. He told the people that he had found a good cook at last. He +called his daughter to come out; this girl was never seen, only from a +distance. She came out and stood by her father. The King called the +Indian young man to come to where they were. The Indian came up and the +King called a preacher and had the young couple married right there, +and they stayed there at the King’s house. + +One day the people had an excursion out on the lake. There were about +five hundred people on board. They went a long ways out on the lake. +The Indian’s wife did not like to go on this excursion so she did not +go, but the Indian went, although his wife did not like him to go, but +he wanted to go badly. One of the boys thought that this would be a +good chance to kill the Indian, so three boys got together and made a +plan to throw the Indian overboard. They got him to go to the back end +of the steamboat and then grabbed him by the legs. Down he went into +the water. Nobody saw him, only the boys that thrust him down. He swam +around for a long time and then began to think about his wife and his +brother. He could not see land any place. He heard some bird up in the +air and on looking up he saw a hawk. He began to call the bird and the +bird came down to him. He asked the bird if there was an island close +by, and the bird said, “Yes, there is a rock not far from here.” The +Indian said, “I’d like to ask you if you could take me to the rock.” “I +will try,” said the bird. “Take hold of my legs and I will take you to +the rock.” The bird got so big that it had no trouble in taking the +Indian to the rock. When they got there the Indian sat on the rock not +knowing where to eat. Well, he thought he would get the bird to go to +the city and get him something to eat. So he called the bird and the +bird came near. He told the bird to go to a big house with a big +verandah. The bird flew away and she was away for two hours, then she +came back with a nice little parcel of nice cakes which the Indian’s +wife had given to the bird. The Indian had a good lunch. The wife did +not know where he was. There was a big reward to anybody that had seen +him or had seen him killed. + +The big bird came to the rock, where the Indian was, in the evening, +and said to him, “Maybe I could take you home if you pay me what I +want. I would like to get the first baby you see when you get home.” +(While the Indian was away there was a baby born at home.) “Well,” the +Indian said, “I will do that.” They started to cross the big lake to +get home. They got close to shore when the bird got tired and had to +come down in the water about a hundred yards from shore. Anyway the +Indian swam to shore and went home. When he got there he saw a little +baby boy, for his wife had a child born. Well, he thought he had to +give it to the bird, which he did, and his wife was glad that he went +and gave up the boy to the big bird. + + + + + + + + +NO. 29. + +JOHN YORK’S OWN STORY. + + +When he was a young man the Mohawks were bad at that time. Nobody was +allowed to go out alone anywheres. He wanted to hunt very badly so he +and another young man went out one morning quite a long ways off the +Reserve to hunt bear and duck. They got to Mud Lake (Carden Township) +the next day about the middle of the afternoon. They shot about +twenty-five duck that night. The next morning early they heard +something across the narrows; they looked and saw a great, big, black +bear. They got in their canoe and got near enough to shoot and kill the +bear. While looking at the dead bear they heard another one coming down +to drink, near where they were standing. They both shot and killed this +one. They took the two bears in their canoe and started for home. After +going down the lake a little way he looked up and saw three bears in a +big oak tree. The two hunters got out of the canoe and went to the +tree. He shot the big one but did not kill him outright, but had to +shoot again. This left only one more shot ready for use, as they had +one double and one single-barrel shot guns. The other two bears came +down the tree. He shot one of these and killed it and the last bear had +to come down when there was no shot ready for him. He (York) grabbed +the bear by the legs till the other hunter got his gun loaded. The bear +was a cub but fought like an old bear, tearing the clothes off the man. +The hunters got the five bears and took them home. When they got home +there was a big feast and everybody came and ate some bear meat, for +their friends thought the hunters had been killed by the Mohawks. + + + + + + + + +The first of these following tales was told to me some eight or ten +years ago by Ben Simcoe, an elderly Indian from the Rama Reserve, +Ontario County, near Lake Couchiching, and is probably a modern version +of an older tale, as it introduces the negro and white man. The word +“He” in the story stands for “God” or the “Creator.” I could not get +definitely from the Simcoe who it did stand for. He seemingly did not +know much about earlier Indian beliefs and conditions. + +The remaining three stories were told to me this summer by Jonas +George, Chippewa, of Rama Reserve, aged about sixty-four, professed +Christian. His Indian name is Wash-a-ghe-zik, which means “A clear +day.” + + G. E. Laidlaw. + +The sketch of the two little shiny men setting lightning at the tree, +also the “Monster,” were drawn by Wash-a-ghe-zik. + + + + + +THE CREATION OF MAN. + +Told by Ben Simcoe, Chippewa (Ojibwa), of Rama Reserve, Ontario County. + + +He (the Creator) took some clay and made a man. He baked it; it was not +done enough. He threw it away; it was no good. This was the white man. + +He took some more clay and made another man and baked it. This one was +baked too much, and was burnt. It was no good. He threw this away. This +was the negro. + +He took another bit of clay and made a third man. He baked this and it +came out all right. It was just right. This was the Indian, better than +the white man or the negro. + + + + + +THUNDERBOLT. + +This story was told to Wash-a-ghe-zik by his father, and was told to +his father by his grandfather. + + +A young Indian, many years ago, went out to hunt early one morning, and +coming on noon he got hungry and started back to camp. In passing a +pine stub that had been struck by lightning he saw “something” sticking +in the tree where the lightning hit. He pulled this “something” out and +looked at it. It was about two fingers broad, and about one hand long. +He put it back again in the tree exactly like he found it, and went on. +When he came to camp he told his father about it, and his father and +several other men, together with the young man, went back to examine +it. Neither his father or the men with him could pull this “something” +out, but the young man could; so he pulled it out, wrapped it up and +took it to camp. This “something” would tell the young man some hours +before a storm came up that the storm was coming, so that the Indians +could make camp. The young man used to dream that he could split trees +by pointing this “something” at them, but never tried it. He kept this +for many years. He was about eighteen years old when he found it, and +lived to be forty-seven. He died unmarried and his name was forgotten. + +The “something” was shiny and quivering, and nobody knew what it was +made out of. It was lost shortly before the man died. Wash-a-ghe-zik +had no name for this “something,” and said the Indians could not make +up a name for it. + + + + + +NIM-MAH-KIE. + +Once, a long time ago, before the white man came to Canada, an Indian +struck out through the bush to hunt. It came on a storm and he took a +line for camp, which was by a little lake away up north. It came on +worse, and the Indian crawled under a projecting pine tree. He saw the +lightning strike several trees, and looking very closely at one tree +that was struck he saw a little man (about two feet high) standing by +one side of the tree, and looking again at the tree he saw another +little man standing at the other side of the struck tree. Both these +men were fine little fellows, all black and shining, and are called +Nim-Mah-Kie (Thunder). They climbed up in the air like they were +climbing ladders, and disappeared. After they went up more lightning +came down. These little men set the lightning at the trees and make the +thunder. Thunder and lightning keep the monsters down on the land and +in the lakes. + + + + + +MONSTERS. + +These monsters, which are about twelve feet long and about one and +one-half to two feet thick, and which have long jaws full of teeth, and +look like half fish and half snake, live in hills near lakes. They have +underground passages from the hills to the water, and can sometimes be +seen early in the morning. In small lakes and bays of larger lakes they +move around with great swiftness, forcing the weeds and floating +sticks, etc., up high on the shore, similar to swirling your hand +around in a wash basin. Sometimes they do this with so much force that +they leave the small lakes partially dry. One of these monsters lives +in the hill just north of where the old Indian portage from Lake Simcoe +enters West Bay, Balsam Lake (now Portage Road). Another lives in the +hill at Atherley, Rama Reserve, Lake Couchiching, and another lives up +north in a lake the name of which is now forgotten. Thunder and +lightning kill these monsters. + + + + + + + + + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76755 *** diff --git a/76755-h/76755-h.htm b/76755-h/76755-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5291cd2 --- /dev/null +++ b/76755-h/76755-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2233 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML> +<!-- This HTML file has been automatically generated from an XML source on 2025-08-28T14:53:42Z using SAXON HE 9.9.1.8 . --> +<html lang="en"> +<head> +<title>Ojibwa Myths and Tales | Project Gutenberg</title> +<meta charset="utf-8"> +<meta name="generator" content="tei2html.xsl, see https://github.com/jhellingman/tei2html"> +<meta name="author" content="George E. 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+} +.titlepage-imagewidth { +width:458px; +} +/* ]]> */ </style> +</head> +<body> +<div style='text-align:center'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76755 ***</div> +<div class="front"> +<div class="div1 cover"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divBody"> +<p class="first"></p> +<div class="figure cover-imagewidth"><img src="images/new-cover.jpg" alt="Newly Designed Front Cover." width="480" height="720"></div><p> +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div class="div1 titlepage"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divBody"> +<p class="first"></p> +<div class="figure titlepage-imagewidth"><img src="images/titlepage.png" alt="Original Title Page." width="458" height="720"></div><p> +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div class="titlePage"> +<div class="docTitle"> +<h1 class="mainTitle">OJIBWA MYTHS AND TALES</h1> +</div> +<div class="byline">BY<br> +<span class="docAuthor">COL. GEO. E. LAIDLAW</span></div> +<div class="docImprint">REPRINTED FROM THE ARCHÆOLOGICAL REPORT, 1915</div> +</div> +<p></p> +<div class="div1 imprint"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divBody"> +<p class="first center small">Printed by <br>WILLIAM BRIGGS <br>Corner Queen and John Streets <br><span class="sc">Toronto</span> +<span class="pageNum" id="pb3">[<a href="#pb3">3</a>]</span></p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="intro" class="div1 last-child introduction"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#intro.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="main">OJIBWA MYTHS AND TALES.</h2> +<p class="byline">By COL. G. E. LAIDLAW.</p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">This series was obtained from Peter York this summer of 1915, when camped here with +his family of basket makers, and also after his return to the Rama Reserve where he +lives. This reserve is to the east of Lake Couchiching in Ontario County in Ontario +Province. The tales told by John York were told in Ojibwa to Peter York and were written +down in English by Peter York, who can read and write English. I have followed York’s +phraseology in the stories as closely as possible, using his terms, such as “went +to work,” etc., and not changing his meaning in any sense. Some of these stories may +appear crude, and others rather indefinite, but I have in no way altered them, preferring +to leave them as they are. +</p> +<p>John York is an old man of 96 years and his Indian name is “Kitche-Penascie” or “Big +Thunder.” Peter York is 48 years old and his Indian name is “Penascie” or “Thunder.” +Both names, according to Peter, are “hard” names. York frequently visits this section +which is only a score of miles from the Reserve. +</p> +<p>Nanabush is one of the variants of Nenebojo, others being Nanabozho and Nenebuc. This +personage while being human possesses certain supernatural powers, one of them being, +that whoever or whatever he addressed had to answer him. Nanabush seems to have been +a joker and a scapegoat at times, and is reputed to be alive yet. York remarked upon +one occasion that Nanabush “was a sort of god” and addresses him as <i>Mr.</i> Nanabush. This band of Ojibwas did not know where or when Nanabush was born, or the +circumstances of his birth. Perhaps some of the older Indians on the Reserve might +know. Inquiries will be made in the future. +</p> +<p>York’s ending to the stories is “This ends this story.” And his use of the words “great +big” means a giant such as “a great big man,” a giant. “A great big beaver,” a giant +beaver, etc. +</p> +</div> +</div> +</div> +<div class="body"> +<div id="ch1" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch1.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 1.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Ducks.</span> (Modern.) (No. 1.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">A long time ago Nanabush when out hunting ducks came to a lake. He saw a nice bay, +round (curved) all along to the end which we all know bays are not straight. And in +this bay there were a lot of ducks sitting along the shore, and Nanabush would like +to kill them all with one shot. He did not know how to do it. He thought that he must +get them all. He looked at his gun which was straight, and he thought if he could +bend his gun he might get them all. He went to work and bent his gun. He got close +and made a good aim, pulled the trigger and “Bang.” When the smoke cleared away there +were no ducks to be seen dead or alive. Nanabush got so mad (angry) that he made another +plan. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch2" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch2.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 2.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Ducks.</span> (No. 2.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Mrs. Joseph Kenice.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">The other plan that Nanabush made to get these ducks was this: He and his mother made +a big camp (lodge or wigwam) and invited all the different kinds of ducks to come +to a big dance on such a day set apart for the dance. All the ducks <span class="pageNum" id="pb4">[<a href="#pb4">4</a>]</span>came and when they came up Nanabush started to sing a song. Before the dance started +he told the ducks that they had to keep their eyes closed when they danced and had +to dance around the middle of the camp. Nanabush seated himself near the door and +as the ducks would dance near him he would grab them and twist their necks and throw +them behind him (York exemplified this by gestures) and got quite a lot this time. +But one of the birds, a diver, opened her eyes a little bit and saw what Nanabush +was doing. She made for the door and told all the ducks to run away. Nanabush made +for the one that told on him. He got the duck in the door as she was going out and +reached out his foot and stamped on her as she went past, and this is the reason the +diver has flat feet and legs that stick out behind. These are some of Nanabush’s works +while he lived. This ends this story. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Note by G. E. L.—The song that Nanabush sang for the ducks was called “Ki-ah-wah-na,” +which, according to York, means “Something that has been used to get such a thing +or to do such a thing with. May have been an axe or a knife, etc.” This is very indefinite, +but is just what York explained, that it <i>was</i> difficult to understand. I fail to see any connection with the ducks as in other +variations of this story. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch3" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch3.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 3.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Thunderbirds.</span> (No. 1.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">The old people once went to the Blue Mountains near Collingwood a long time ago. At +the end (escarpment) near the Bay a Thunderbird had its nest. It had two young birds. +They were shaped like geese, but were naked and were about as high as a man’s chest +and were of brownish red or russet color. By and by they began to grow pin-feathers +and get big. Then they went away. The old people went over several times to see them, +and they first saw them during a thunderstorm. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch4" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch4.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 4.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Thunderbirds.</span> (No. 2.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Once two Indians, a man and his wife, camped near a little lake. The Indian was trapping. +He had a dream one night never to cross on the ice at night on any lake, but one day +shortly afterwards he went too far away hunting and got very tired. As he was coming +home with his bag of beaver on his back, and his ice chisel in his hand, he came to +a narrow place in the lake where he either had to cross on the ice or go a long way +around, so he thought he’d chance the ice (risk it for once), but when he got about +half way over he heard something coming down from above, but could not see anything +because it was dark. He fainted (became unconscious) and dropped on the ice, and the +next thing he knew he found himself sitting inside a big bird’s hand (or claws) with +all his game, beaver, ice chisel and bag. He could not do anything except to remain +very still. After a while he saw something ahead, which was a rock, and the big bird +lit on the rock and let the man go and flew away again. +</p> +<p>The man saw two young ones (young Thunderbirds) coming towards him, and when one of +these got near enough it opened its mouth wide. The man got up and got his chisel +and knocked the young bird down and killed it. This young bird <span class="pageNum" id="pb5">[<a href="#pb5">5</a>]</span>was very big and heavy (as York expressed it, “it would weigh easy a ton”). The man +made up his mind what to do, as he had got to die anyway, so he went to work and opened +the young bird and took all the insides out and got in himself. He found that he could +stay inside the bird in going down to earth again. He managed to get the young bird +to the edge of the rock. Then he got inside and fastened himself in with his long +sash, closed the open hole with strings and rolled off. The young Thunderbird spread +its wings and began to float down through the air. The man fainted and when he came +to he found himself on the edge of a lake in a strange place, so he got up and wandered +about till he came on some man tracks which he followed up till he came to two men +and asked them where he was. They told him where he was and the name of the place, +and then he knew which way to go to reach his own camp. +</p> +<p>When he got near his own camp he saw that the place looked very old anyway. He went +nearer and got to the door and called “Who’s in there?” Some one inside told him to +“come in.” Inside he saw a very old lady. He thought “this can’t be my wife, she’s +too old. I’ve been only away a few days.” He asked her “where was her man?” She said, +“A good many years ago my husband had a dream ‘never to walk across the ice of any +lake’ and he may have tried to go across some lake at night and was taken by some +big bird (Thunderbird) or somebody I never heard of. Here I have been ever since he +went away and nobody knows where he is.” The man told her who he was and they kissed +each other and lived together the rest of their lives. This shows that he was away +a long time, but it seemed short to him. When on the Thunderbird’s rock he killed +only one of the young Thunderbirds. The other he did not touch. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Notes by G. E. L.—The word “Lady” used here is equivalent to Ogemahkwee, which means +a chief’s wife or daughter, or some female relative of a chief. This word is also +used in speaking of, or to a white lady of quality. +</p> +<p class="endnote">Kissing is seldom met with in stories or tales of their own life by the Indians, so +I think it is a modern introduction. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch5" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch5.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 5.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Rat and Beaver Story—Wah-zesk and Ah-mic.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">A long time ago the Rat had the Beaver’s tail, and the Beaver the Rat’s tail. The +Rat wanted to trade tails, very badly, but the Beaver didn’t care enough about trading, +but at last he traded. Then the Beaver when he got his present tail liked it very +much for he found that he could swim faster, but the Rat didn’t like it, because he +had to swim slower, so he begged the Beaver to trade back, but the Beaver would not +trade; so the Rat cried and cried till his eyes got small, and this is the reason +that the Rat has small eyes and a small tail. +</p> +<p>(Rat here means the Muskrat.) +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch6" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch6.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 6.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">The Bear, The Wild Cat and The Big Sturgeon—Muh Kwah, Pezhew and Kitché Nŭh Mah.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Near the mouth of the Nottawasaga River there are rapids. The bear was fishing there +one day. He was catching sturgeon in his paws and throwing them <span class="pageNum" id="pb6">[<a href="#pb6">6</a>]</span>over his shoulder on to the bank. By the time when he had enough he quit fishing and +started to carry the sturgeon back into the woods from the pile he had thrown them +into. The wild cat (lynx) was watching the bear whilst the bear was fishing. When +the bear went away, the wild cat went to fish at the same place. He caught a very +big sturgeon, but on account of his crooked claws, could not let go, and the sturgeon +swam out to deep water and drowned the wild cat. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch7" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch7.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 7.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Ne-we-no-nah K’she mŭh.</span></h2> +<h2 class="sub">The story of the woman who visited a man who lived in a tree, and who could change +himself into a serpent when he wished.</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">A very long time ago there was an Indian who lived with his family in the wilderness +or wild bush where nobody was to be seen. This man lived by hunting wild game. One +time he noticed his wife dressing up very nice. This kept on for a good many days. +One day the oldest boy told his father that the mother went away every time the father +left camp for hunting. The man thought that he would watch her, so he went away one +morning, but went only a little way and watched the camp. After a little while the +wife came out dressed in her best. She went out in the bush and the man followed to +see what she would do. She went to a big tree and stood at the foot of the tree and +rapped, just the same as a person would do on a house door. Then he saw a very nice +man come out of the tree and observed what was going on, so he thought he would kill +his wife as soon as she got back to camp. When he got home he made a big fire and +told his two children (boys) what he was going to do, and also told them what to do +when he (the father) would run away. His wife came home in the evening and he killed +her and burned her in the fire. He then told his boys “if they saw the sky red that +would show them that he (their father) was killed by his wife’s sweetheart.” The next +day they saw the sky red which showed them that their father was killed, so they ran +away themselves. Before their father went away he told them that their mother would +follow them though she was dead, so the father gave them some things to use in case +they wanted help; an awl, a stone, and a thorn. When they saw their mother coming, +they threw the stone down, when it became a big mountain, and the two boys went a +long way before their mother was able to get over the mountain and catch up to them. +When she came close again the boys threw the thorn down when it became a very big +bush of thorn trees (Haw trees), which gave the two boys a chance to get ahead a good +bit before she got through. When she got close again the boys threw the awl down, +which became many hundred awls with their points sticking up, but she managed to get +over them and kept on trying to get her children. +</p> +<p>The boys came to a big river and saw a big snail which they asked to take them across +the river. The big snail stretched himself across the river and the two boys got across. +When the mother got to the river she also asked the big snail to take her over. The +snail told her he would, but when about half way across the snail dropped the woman +into the river, and that was the last of her. +</p> +<p>The two boys went on and came to a lake where nobody was to be seen only themselves. +The big boy made a little bow and arrow for his little brother. After <span class="pageNum" id="pb7">[<a href="#pb7">7</a>]</span>a little while they saw someone coming in a log canoe, who turned out to be a bad +old man. As soon as the old man saw the two boys he made up his mind to take one of +them and leave the other, so he told the little boy with the bow and arrow to shoot +up in the air. The arrow dropped into the canoe, and the old man told the big boy +to come and get it. As soon as the big boy got in the canoe the old man pushed out +quickly and left the little boy behind. The big boy asked the old man to take his +brother along but the old man said “No!” When they got to the old man’s place the +big boy was locked up (confined) for a good many days and could not get a chance to +run away. One day the old man told the big boy that if he wanted to go out with him +he could go. They came to a big hill and he asked the boy to go for a sleigh ride +down the hill. The old man wanted the boy to sit in front but the boy chose to sit +behind. There were stumps and stones down the hill and as they went down the hill +very fast, the boy thought to hit a stone and kill the old man, which he did. Then +the boy thought about his little brother and went back and looked for him. When he +got to the place where his brother was left he saw a wolf which was his brother who +had become half a wolf and half a boy. Which all Indians believe to be where the wolf +came from. The boy got too hungry and became part wolf. This ends this story. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch8" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch8.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 8.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawk.</span> (No. 1.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Long years ago there were two Ojibwa boys who lived so close together that they called +each other “Brother,” and one time when they got to be big boys they talked about +getting married, so they went away to an Indian (Ojibwa) village not far away and +got girls to marry them. When they got married they wanted to know what to do to make +a living. One said “We will go a long ways up the river to hunt and stay there for +a good while and will be able to get enough to keep us during the winter months.” +They got ready for the trip and started with a good supply. They stayed a long time +till they got enough (furs and meat) and then started to come home. +</p> +<p>On their way home they came to a place where there were a lot of stumps and snags, +and one of them struck a stump and made a big hole in his canoe. He had to go to shore +to fix his canoe, whilst the other canoe went on ahead. When the canoe was mended +they started on again and when they came to a little lake they saw their comrade just +about the other side of the little lake going into a river where there were lots of +other Indians (Mohawks<span class="corr" id="xd33e244" title="Not in source">,</span> their enemies) waiting for them to come home with their catch of fur and meat. The +man in the second canoe said to his wife, “Well, my brother is going to get killed, +as he goes into the river, you watch!” And when the first canoe was just going into +the river there was smoke of gunfire from both sides. The wife (in the second canoe) +said, “We will be killed the same way.” The husband replied, “Well, no. If I get mad +(angry) there is no shot that could hit me. I will go alone to see, and you stay here +till I come back.” “No,” she said, “You can’t go, you will be shot too.” “Well,” said +he, “let them shoot, they can’t hit me. I had a dream in my early days that no gun +could hurt me, and if my dream is no good I won’t come back.” So they got everything +out of the canoe and he started in the canoe with his gun for the same place where +his comrade got shot. When he got there the gunfire started from <span class="pageNum" id="pb8">[<a href="#pb8">8</a>]</span>both sides of the river and kept up for a long time, till after a while the fire was +not so bad, after another while the fire ceased and the wife looked and looked and +after a short time she saw something coming straight to where she was waiting. She +knew the canoe but there was a different man in it. She hid herself in the bush till +she heard her man calling to her and then she came out. Her man was all black, and +it was because he had so many close shots fired at him that the gunpowder blackened +him up, so that the wife only knew him by his voice when he called her. They got ready +and crossed the lake to where the fight took place. They got out of the canoe and +he showed his wife where there were a good many dead Indians (Mohawks) on both sides +of the river. They went to work to see if they could find their friends’ bodies. It +did not take them long to do so and to bury them the best way they could. They then +started on their way home and upon arrival spread the story and went to see the parents +of the dead ones. This ends this story. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch9" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch9.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 9.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawk.</span> (No. 2.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">A good many years ago there were two head chiefs of the two big nations of Indians, +the Ojibwas and the Mohawks. One time the head chief of the Mohawks thought to do +something to hurt the Ojibwa chief. He did not know just what to do. The Ojibwa chief +had one son and one daughter. Well, the Mohawk thought “If I kill one of his children +this would make him mad (angry).<span class="corr" id="xd33e259" title="Not in source">”</span> So he got his warriors to come to him and told them to go to the Ojibwa village at +night and try to kill the chief’s son or daughter. The warriors started at night and +went on their errand and it happened that the son was out late and was taken prisoner. +The warriors took the boy to the Mohawk chief and the chief cast lots, by drawing +little sticks, and the one that got the longest stick had to kill the boy. The boy +was killed before the people and the chief called a big feast and had the boy cooked. +When everything was ready he invited all the other neighbouring chiefs as well as +the Ojibwa chief who had lost his son, and there were hundreds of Indians besides. +The big feast was ready by this time and all sat down on the ground. Those who were +appointed to act as waiters started to bring in the eatables, beginning at the door, +giving the food to the men as they went along. The head Ojibwa chief was placed in +the middle, and when the waiters came to him they brought his son’s head well cooked. +This chief recognized his son’s head, but said nothing, and as they were all eating, +he ate his son’s head just to show them that he was a man. +</p> +<p>When everything was over the Ojibwa chief started for home, and as he was going home +he made up his mind that he would also do this kind of work some day. He did not do +it at once but waited for a few years, when he got his warriors to come to him one +day and told them that they had to go to the Mohawks’ village and get the chief’s +daughter and bring her to him. One of the warriors told the chief “that there were +hundreds of warriors guarding the Mohawk chief’s house ever since the Big Feast when +the Ojibwa chief’s son was killed and eaten” (or in other words, since you lost your +son). +</p> +<p>The Ojibwa chief then said, “You go in the daytime and take her and I will make them +sleep sound. I will be able to do that.” So they started, six of the best men. When +they got to the Mohawk village they found all the watchers asleep and the chief also +sound asleep. They took the girl away as they were told to bring <span class="pageNum" id="pb9">[<a href="#pb9">9</a>]</span>her. Before this the Ojibwa chief told one of his men to kill her, and she was killed +in a quiet way. Nobody knew what happened. The Ojibwa chief then called a big feast +and told his people to get ready, that after the feast there was going to be a big +battle right there. So they got everything ready. +</p> +<p>They called the Mohawk chief to come and all the Mohawks that could come at that time +came, and all the Indians came from other places. They all sat down and ate. The girl’s +head well cooked was placed before the Mohawk chief. As soon as he saw his daughter’s +head he gave a loud yell and fainted. Just at this time the Ojibwa chief rose up and +asked his men to start and kill every one of the Mohawks. The Ojibwa chief killed +the Mohawk chief himself and his men killed the rest of the Mohawks at this time. +After this happened the news spread all over and the two big nations got so mad (angry) +that they declared war. The war took place in winter time. They fought on Lake Couchiching +and the Lake was full of Indians. When the fight began the Ojibwa in command was a +girl who led the warriors. When the Mohawks saw them coming they said “we’ll have +fun now.” When the Ojibwas came very close the girl who led gave a big loud yell and +all the Mohawks fell down on their hands and knees and tried to crawl away, but the +Ojibwa warriors killed every one of them that they could find. Young and old, women +as well as men, except two, a boy and a girl, and from this pair came the present +Mohawks. This ends this Mohawk story. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Note.—(The girl leader of the Ojibwa was not the sister of the boy that was killed +and eaten. She was a different girl, but had a dream that she could do this leading.) +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch10" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch10.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 10.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawk.</span> (No. 3.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">The Ojibwas were once entering Lake Couchiching by the west side in winter time on +the ice. They were going across to fight the Mohawks on the east side, when an old +Mohawk woman came down to the ice hole to get some water. She saw the Ojibwas coming +and turned her back to them and exposed her anus in contempt and otherwise made fun +of them. Then she went and told her people. The opposing warriors fought on the ice +and the Mohawks were beaten. After the battle the Ojibwas painted a red woman in just +the same position as the Mohawk woman posed, on the rocks on the east shore near where +the fight took place (now called McPherson’s Quarry or Geneva Park). This figure now +remains and can be seen to day. (It is about 5 or 6 feet above water and is about +1 ft. high.) +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch11" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch11.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 11.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawks.</span> (No. 4.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">An Ojibwa man and wife and one child were out hunting away back in the woods and one +day the man said to his wife, “We are going to have trouble now. There are some Mohawks +about, and they are going to come to-night to kill us. There is no use running away +for we are too far from home. If I am killed they will take you away to their home.” +The night came and this man and wife watched nearly all night, till about daylight +they heard an owl and some other kind of bird. <span class="pageNum" id="pb10">[<a href="#pb10">10</a>]</span>This shows that the Mohawks were near and had surrounded their camp. There were fifteen +Mohawks and the one Ojibwa man had to fight them all. Well, he did very well for he +killed quite a lot of them, but his wife and child were taken prisoners whilst he +was fighting. He was not killed but escaped and ran towards his home. He ran for two +days till he reached home and told his friends what had happened. He raised a war +party of some forty or fifty men and one old man, a prophet, and started after the +Mohawks. +</p> +<p>This old man, the Prophet, knew where the Mohawks went and he also knew that the wife +was still alive, and that child was killed on the way to the Mohawks’ home, for he +had that power. So the Ojibwa war party started for the Mohawk country and while they +were going the old man said, “She has made her escape and is coming back.” So they +all ran to meet her and they met her. She told a very bad (pitiful) story to the men. +She said, “On the way every night I had to keep the fire going all night to keep them +warm. Some days they all go out hunting, but one had to stay and watch me. One day +they all went out but one bad man who stayed in camp to watch me. This bad man made +a big fire and went out and cut a good-sized stick. Then he took my baby and ran the +stick into him (through the anus) and roasted him in the big fire. Well, I could not +do anything only cry, and this bad man came right in front of me and began to mock +and cry, and facing the other way showed his buttocks. I grabbed his privates and +pulled all I could, and he fell down and I got up and rolled him to the fire and burnt +him. Then I took his gun, I did not run away till I killed every one them. Towards +the evening one came when I was inside the camp, when he got near I shot him. He fell +dead, and after a while another one came and I also shot him. I took his gun which +was loaded. The last time two came together. Well, I thought, if I kill them this +time I would be safe, so I made a good aim and fired at the first. He fell and the +other tried to run away; before he got away I shot him dead and started to run back +towards our country.” One of the Ojibwa war party took her home, and the rest went +on their way to the Mohawk village. When they got there they killed some of the children +to pay the Mohawks for what <i>they</i> did. +</p> +<p>This woman made a good plan to get these Mohawks. She did not run away after she killed +the first man for fear the rest would chase her and catch her, so she stayed in camp +and killed them as they came in singly from hunting. She would take the gun of the +man just killed and would be ready for the next. +</p> +<p>The Mohawks in camping at night fixed some poles around the fire about two feet from +the ground, and would lay on their backs with their feet on the poles, warming their +hind quarters. The Ojibwa woman had to keep the fire going all night. The killing +or torturing of children was the worst thing Indians could do. This ends this story. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Note.—All these fights took place in this locality. The river referred to is the Gull +River. The Ojibwa used to come to where Beaverton now is and then across to South +Bay, Balsam Lake, by another route south of the Portage Road. (This is borne out by +other evidence than York’s.) I spoke of the embankment at South Bay to York, but he +had never seen it though he had heard of it, and remarked that it was “one of the +fighting grounds.” +<span class="pageNum" id="pb11">[<a href="#pb11">11</a>]</span></p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch12" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch12.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 12.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Rama Witches.</span> (No. 1.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">One time an old witch lived in Rama on the west side of Lake Couchiching. She covered +herself with the skin of an owl when she wanted to fly at night for the purpose of +taking the first joints off the fingers of children, which she used to string up like +old-fashioned, dried apples in her camp. These children would die at once. She had +the power to take these joints off. +</p> +<p>One day she wanted to go to near where Atherley now is, and compelled two young men +to go with her in the canoe, for she had the power to compel young men to go with +her, generally the best of them. She wanted to go to a man’s place who had two black +dogs. She wanted these dogs. When she arrived there she asked the man for the dogs, +but he said “No!” She then asked him for one dog, but still he said “No.” She then +took a paddle and shoved the canoe off shore saying to the man, “I shove off with +one of your children.” (Meaning that one of his children would die.) The man said, +“Maybe you will die yourself before you get home. The bees will have your meat.” She +sat in the middle of the canoe with one of the young men paddling at the bow and the +other at the stern. When about half way home the young man at the stern heard a bee +humming overhead and looking up he saw the bee enter the woman’s ear into her head. +In a short time her body was full of bees, eating her up, and she began to twist around +and say: “Youh, youh,” and died in the canoe. The young men put her overboard at what +is now Ground Hog Point, which took its name from her, for she was called “Kuk-oh-chees,” +“The Ground Hog.” +</p> +<p>She had forgotten to take her bag (medicine bag) with her and had left it in her camp. +The man’s power was stronger than hers, for he killed her and nothing happened to +him. He had power over the bees. Sometimes when this witch was looking for children +at night she carried a light. The young men went with her because they were afraid +she would kill them if they didn’t go. +</p> +<p>She said as she died, “Well, anyway I never killed any big people, just children,” +but the people found joints of fingers of grown-up persons on the strings as well +as those of children in her camp. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Note.—Ground Hog Point is called in Ojibwa Kuk-oh-cheesh, Nāy-ash-sheeng. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch13" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch13.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 13.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Rama Witches.</span> (No. 2.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Another old witch once lived in Rama. She disguised herself in a turkey’s skin when +she wished to fly. She caused many people to die. One day when all the people were +having a bee to hoe corn she went to the bee, leaving her turkey skin in her bag (medicine +bag) at her home. There was a little boy who lived with her and who had often watched +her through a hole in his blanket when she was dressing herself in this turkey skin, +and thought that he would like to try it himself, so he took the turkey skin out of +the bag and put it on. The skin was very much worn by now and had lost lots of feathers +and was ragged, but still preserved the power to fly. So the boy flew over to the +hoeing bee, and all the <span class="pageNum" id="pb12">[<a href="#pb12">12</a>]</span>people began to say: “Look at the witch, look at the witch,” and the witch herself +began to get very mad (angry) and act crazy when she saw the boy in her turkey skin. +The boy lit on the ground and the people rushed over and took off the skin and found +that it was only a boy. The witch’s son who was also there took an axe and rushed +up to his witch mother and said, “You must stop causing people to die, or else I’ll +put the axe to your head.” She said, “No! she would not.” Whereupon he struck her +on the head with the axe and killed her on the spot. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch14" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch14.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 14.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">The Social Problem.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Once a small party left the Rama Reserve for the purpose of going on a hunt up the +Gull River waters. Amongst this party was a bad man who had left his wife on the Reserve +and had taken another woman with him, which was a very bad thing to do. After being +on the hunt for some time this man died and was prepared for burial, and a grave was +dug. He was left in a place just outside the camp for three days before burial. One +of the children of the camp who happened to go and look at the body, came back and +said that clothes were pushed off the body’s face and breast, so the older people +went to see. They found this was so and the man coming to life. He came to life and +said that he had been in heaven and was sorry for what he had done by leaving his +wife on the Reserve, etc., but that he knew he was going to die in exactly a month +from that day at midday, and would never see Rama again. After a short while the party +moved camp on their homeward journey, and at Balsam Lake when the month was just about +to be up the man said that he was going to die and knew he could not stop it. So he +made a little camp and went in there. He was all right the night before and also on +the morning of the last day, but before noon he said his time was near and began to +act terribly crazy-like. His eyes stuck out and he chewed his tongue and rolled around +his camp in terrible agony. He acted so strangely and shook his camp so much that +he so frightened the others that they were afraid to go near him and so left him alone +to die. His actions continued till noon when the man died in horrible pain. Thus was +he punished for leaving his wife and taking another woman. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch15" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch15.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 15.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Wintigoes (Giants).</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">In olden times people used to believe that if a person fasted for a period of about +ten or twelve days he would learn something about bears or lions, or something very +strong, and if he dreamed of any of these animals he would be just as strong. +</p> +<p>One time a man had a dream that he could fight with the Wintigoes any time. He could +be just as big and just as strong, and during one winter time he knew that the Wintigo +was coming to eat them (i.e. his family). He said to his wife “The Wintigo is coming +to-night, and is going to eat us, and if my dream fails we shall be eaten by the Wintigo.” +The night came and the man went out to meet the Wintigo a little way off. The wife +listened for a little while, then she heard trees <span class="pageNum" id="pb13">[<a href="#pb13">13</a>]</span>flying all over and she saw two great, big men biting each other and hitting each +other with great, big trees, and also with their hands. This kept on for a long time, +till all at once it went past, and she watched if her man would come home. After a +while he came out of the woods just as small as he was when he went out to fight. +He said, “I won the battle for the first time since I had my dream. You come over +with me and I will show you where I finished the Wintigo.” They both went out till +they came to the place where they saw, as if somebody had been underbrushing, so fierce +was the battle that all the underbrush and small trees were knocked or trampled down. +At the far end of this place they saw a great big man lying down dead, with his big +kettle and a great big knife, for the Wintigo was going to kill and eat these people. +So the man and wife went to work and gathered up wood and made a big fire and burned +the Wintigo to ashes. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch16" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch16.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 16.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Little Lynx Story.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York<span class="corr" id="xd33e370" title="Not in source">.</span></i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Black Bear had a very good winter one time. It was a very hard winter for the smaller +animals on account of the snow and frost and storms. This big Black Bear used to go +on the deer runways and catch a deer and eat him up, and the Lynx used to watch the +Black Bear climb up in a tree and jump on the deer as they passed along the runways, +which they had in the winter months, and which was an easy thing for a big black bear +to do. Once when the Lynx was very hungry he could not catch anything as there was +too much snow. Well, he thought that he would try and kill a deer, so he went out +on one of their runways and watched for a deer to come along. Soon he saw one coming +and he climbed up a tree and when the deer came under the tree the Lynx jumped on +his back. The Deer started off wild and went all over the woods, but the Lynx still +held on having a good hold and the Deer could not shake him off. The Deer knew that +there was a leaning tree in the bush so he made for that, knowing that he could knock +the Lynx off as he ran under the tree. The Deer ran very fast and as he ran under +the tree there happened to be a knot on the under side of the tree where the Deer +went, so the Lynx got his back skinned from his head to his tail. It also just happened +that an Indian was out hunting that way and tracking deer. He saw a deer track which +was a very bad one with blood all over. So he followed it up till he came to the Lynx +lying dead and a little farther on he found the Big Buck dead too. The Deer had got +so tired that he lay down and died. So the Indian had good luck finding them both. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch17" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch17.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 17.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Four Men.</span> (No. 4.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">A good many years ago four Indians wanted to know something about “how to be a man +that would know how to fight and never get hurt.” Well, they talked about it and decided +to go and see Nanabush and ask these things. They made the journey, which took them +two long years to get to his place. On the way up they could hear Nanabush beating +his drum and saying to them, “Come on, my children.” Well, one day they heard him +saying, “You will get to my place in the morning.” <span class="pageNum" id="pb14">[<a href="#pb14">14</a>]</span>The morning came and they saw a clean place; everything looked to be good. They saw +a big camp here and went to the door and rapped. Nanabush said, “Come in, my children,” +and shook hands with them. They talked a little while when Nanabush said something +to his daughter, who was a very nice-looking girl, and she started to cook something +which was bear meat, and took some blueberries and cooked them (both) in a very little +pot (about the size of a cup). While those men were watching the girl one of them +thought, “I could eat all that in the pot with one spoonful.” Nanabush knew what this +fellow was thinking about and said, “You will see if you can eat that much.” They +all sat down and started to eat out of the little pot. They ate all that they wanted +and the pot was still full. Nanabush said, “You men can’t eat it all.” After the meal +Nanabush said, “Now you must tell me what you want to know. You have walked for a +long time.” The first man said to Nanabush, “I would like to know if there is a battle +in our country, and I would like to know that if I was shot at I would like the ball +not to hit me.” Nanabush said, “This will happen so, you just think about me when +going to fight.” +</p> +<p>The next man came before Nanabush and said, “I am a hunter and I would like to call +the game to me when I want them, some wild beasts.” Nanabush said, “This will be so, +when you go hunting you call just what you want and they will come.” +</p> +<p>The third man came before Nanabush. “Well,” he said, “I would like to get myself a +wife, nobody likes me.” Nanabush said, “You see my daughter, you take her and she +will be your wife.” +</p> +<p>The fourth man came before Nanabush and said, “I would like to live forever.” Nanabush +said (in reproach), “We all know that every man has got to die, and <i>you</i> would like to live forever.” He reached out his hand and took the fourth man and +placed him on his side, when the man became a granite stone, and there were only three +men that came back home. Everything that Nanabush said was so. +</p> +<p>Nanabush said to the one that wanted a wife, that he must not speak to her till they +got home, and they all started home happy. On the last day before reaching home the +man who had Nanabush’s daughter wanted to talk to her, so he spoke to her, but before +he had finished his words the girl was missing and could not be found, so he got home +without a wife. This ends this story. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch18" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch18.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 18.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Young Man and Wife.</span> (No. 5.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">A good many years ago two families lived on an Island. One family had one son, and +the other one daughter. The two young people got married and lived for a little while +when the young wife took sick and died. The old people buried her on the Island, but +the young husband went out after the burying, and the old people saw him lie down +near the grave. Just as soon as he closed his eyes he saw his wife going away. He +followed her for a long time but could not get near enough to catch her, so he went +on till night came. She said to him (her husband), “We will camp here,” and she made +her camp a little way ahead. He made his camp behind hers. The next morning came and +they started again. On their way he saw a big house by the roadside, but before they +reached the house he heard somebody talk to him and who told him that “this was the +place where all the dogs live that you ever owned. The ones that you have used badly, +and they will pay <span class="pageNum" id="pb15">[<a href="#pb15">15</a>]</span>you for what you have done to them while living.” The man that spoke said to him, +“I will help you. You take these bags of shoes and when the dogs attack you throw +the shoes at them.” When the young husband got to the house the dogs attacked him. +He dropped the bags of shoes and the dogs attacked the shoes and the young man passed +out and saw his wife ahead of him the same as usual. The night came again and they +camped out once more. The next day came and about noon they saw another house on the +road ahead. When they came to this house they saw some people who invited them to +eat, but they did not eat. This was the last house to be seen before they got to the +place where they were going. They went on till they saw a great big house. The wife +went in ahead and the man came in behind. When he got in he saw nothing but a big +room full of little beds, but nobody was in the house. He went all over the house +but could not find his wife so he went out and looked around. He saw another house +nearby and went over to it. He rapped at the door and someone said, “Come in.” He +went in and saw an old man sitting down who said to him, “You have come a long way +to try and get your wife back. Once they get in that big house you can’t see them +any more, but, if you want help I can help you a lot.” “I will be very much obliged +if you will,” said the young man. “Well,” the old man said, “There will be a big dance +in the big house to-night. They do that every time a new man or a new woman gets here. +I will hide you in my pocket and at the dance I will catch her.” The night came. As +soon as the sun went down people could be heard running around all over (spirits or +ghosts). +</p> +<p>This old man was the man who sang at the dance so he started the dance a little after +dark. He who was sitting in the pocket was watching his wife. He saw her coming and +dancing too. When she got near the old man caught her and got a very small box and +put her in and went out. This broke up the dance. The old man took the box to his +house. There were two little boxes, one for the wife, and another in which was an +oil of some kind. The old man said to the young husband, “It took you four years to +get here and you will get back in two days. Beware (listen) and do what I say. When +you get home, get two small stones and make them hot, open the box of oil and let +it melt on the stones. Cover yourself and the boxes with blankets. You listen till +you hear her speak and then open the box. You will see her alive again.” The young +husband did all this when he got back home and his wife came to life again. They came +to where they started at first on the Island. There was nobody living there this time +so they sat down and after a little while he said, “Do you see that point up there? +Watch a little while and you will see two canoes coming this way. There will be our +parents in them.” The canoes came out in the lake straight for the island and when +they came near they stopped. The old people said, “Someone’s at the grave.” The two +young people spoke, “Come on, we got back here again alive.” The old people almost +jumped out in the water when they saw their children and heard them talking. +</p> +<p>In olden times people used to believe in feeding the dead by burning some bread and +meat (food) over the grave, and this was what brought the parents back to the island +at this particular time. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Note.—(The old man in this story is Nanabush, who was also the man that spoke about +the dogs.) +</p> +<p class="endnote">This story is from John York, who claims it is a true story and happened in the days +gone by. +<span class="pageNum" id="pb16">[<a href="#pb16">16</a>]</span></p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch19" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch19.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 19.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">The Little Dog Story.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">In the old days people used to have faith in their dogs. One time a man had a very +small, little dog. When he went out hunting he put the little dog inside of his coat. +Every time the little dog tried to bark the man knew that there was some game near. +</p> +<p>One night while the man was asleep the little dog licked him on the face till he woke +up, which went to show that there was trouble at hand. The little dog tried to take +his master outside the camp. They both went out and the little dog began to roll in +the snow. Every time he rolled he grew bigger. He rolled till he got to be as big +as a good-sized calf, then he stopped and watched the lake. They saw a great, big +dog coming across the ice to kill the man. The man’s dog went out to meet this one +and conquered it. This big dog was a grey-looking one with no hair. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch20" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch20.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 20.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Killing the Old People.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">In the days gone by when an old man or woman got helpless they used to be killed outright. +</p> +<p>One time while two families, one of which had an old woman, were out camping, they +decided to kill the old woman. They told her that they were going to move to some +other place. They took her by the hand and led her to the bush some distance away +where they stopped in a lonely place and told her to sit there till they got ready +to build a camp. Instead of making a camp they went back home and left her to die. +The old woman was left on a river bank, and it happened that one of the boys was out +hunting that way and when he was coming back home he saw his grandmother sitting by +the river side. He wondered how she got there, but told her to get in the canoe and +took her back to camp. He left her near the camp telling her to come in after dark. +The hunter then went into the camp and after a while the old woman came in. Everybody +sat still, they did not know what to say, as they had thought that she would have +died that night out on the river bank. She never told how she came back, neither did +her grandson, so it was never known to the rest. The people quit killing the old people +from that time. They never did it again. The Indians used to do this; when people +got too old they were killed to be got out of the way. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch21" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch21.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 21.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawk.</span> (No. 5.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by Peter York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">The Mohawks were so bad that they used to kill for nothing. One time there were three +Ojibwa brothers, and one day the Mohawks met one of the brothers and killed him. They +hid him in the bush and took his scalp home. When the other two came to know that +their brother had been killed they got mad (angry) and <span class="pageNum" id="pb17">[<a href="#pb17">17</a>]</span>both got ready with war clubs and lots of shot and powder. When they got to the Mohawk +village their enemies were waiting for them to come. These brothers did all they could; +they killed about three to five hundred of the Mohawks. While the fight was going +on, one of the two Ojibwas got shot in the leg, and the leg was broken below the knee, +but he fought on till he got tired and sick. “Well,” he said to his brother, “we are +going to get beaten. I will die in their hands, you run away and tell our people what +has happened.” The other brother started back home and left his brother to be killed, +who was killed some time later. The one that got home told all the people what had +happened. Everybody got ready to go down and kill all the Mohawks. When they got to +the place where the fight was they saw the dead man sitting up dressed in some very +nice things, such as buckskin clothing, but his scalp was taken. +</p> +<p>When the Ojibwas got to the Mohawk village their captain gave a big yell to show the +Mohawks that there was going to be a fight, and started to kill everyone who was in +the village. When they got through they searched the place for the scalp that was +taken from the brother and when they found it they burnt the village and started back +home. When they got there they had a big time over the recovered scalp. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch22" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch22.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 22.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Nanabush.</span> (No. 6.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">It was never known how Nanabush was born, only that he was working for God for <i>many years</i> (York says 2,000 years, which is evidently his expression to denote a very long time) +looking after the world, such as to regulate the weather, rain, snow, and other things. +</p> +<p>Nanabush did have a wife once, but only one child which was a girl. While living together +he made up his mind to send his wife away to look after the dead, those that died +long years ago, where she is now. +</p> +<p>The old man is here somewhere in the north. She looks after the dead and he looks +after the living. He will not die, nor will be sick, and is the only man that will +live as long as the world lasts. He never works and always has plenty to eat, and +lots of tobacco which he keeps in a skunk-skin bag. (In those days skunks were as +big as a big Porcupine.) Nanabush is getting very grey sitting all the time smoking +his pipe. +</p> +<p>If you look sometimes in the north sky you will see the sky white at night. This is +the time that Nanabush is poking his fire or making his fire. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Note.—Nanabush is often referred to as “The Old Man.” +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch23" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch23.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 23.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Nanabush and his Wife’s Chair.</span> (No. 7.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Nanabush went to hunt beaver one time. He placed his wife to watch for the beaver +and she sat on a rock watching for the beaver to come out. She heard her man calling +for her, he had killed the beaver. She went over and fixed the meat and dried it. +This beaver was a great big one (a giant). His tail was very wide (about 5 feet). +The rock on which she sat is just like a big chair and is on the Rama Reserve. Lots +of people go to see it. +<span class="pageNum" id="pb18">[<a href="#pb18">18</a>]</span></p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch24" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch24.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 24.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">The Tailless Sturgeon.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">One time there was a family camping at Sturgeon Lake (Victoria County). One day the +old man went out to fish through the ice, and while fishing he saw a queer-looking +fish. He speared it and killed it, then took it home and cooked it; all the family +ate of it, and in a very short time they all took sick and died. These sturgeon from +Sturgeon Lake are <span class="corr" id="xd33e493" title="Source: decended">descended</span> from a serpent which was cut in two a long time ago, but lived and bred young ones +with no tails. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Note.—John York said he used to camp at Sturgeon Lake years ago. Had heard these sturgeon +jumping at night, but had never caught any. +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote">Sturgeon Lake has no sturgeon. The name may be given to it from its shape. There are +no sturgeon in this chain of lakes, now known as the Kawartha Lakes. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch25" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch25.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 25.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Ducks.</span> (No. 8.)</h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">One time Nanabush was walking, very tired and hungry. He came to a lake and looking +around he saw a very nice sandy beach. Well, he thought, this is a nice shore to kill +some ducks. There were lots of ducks on the lake. He called one of the ducks which +came to him. He asked the duck, “Is your Chief Duck here at any place?” “Yes. He is +here at the present time. He is chief of all kinds of ducks,” the duck replied. Nanabush +then said, “I would like to see him and have a talk.” The duck said, “If you would +like to see him I will go and get him.” Nanabush said, “Yes, go and bring him here.” +The Chief Duck came. “Well,” Nanabush said, “do you know what is going to take place +here very soon?” “No,” said the Chief Duck. “Well,” said Nanabush, “there is going +to be a big dance.” “Who is going to furnish the music?” said the Chief Duck. “I am +going to furnish the music,” said Nanabush and he reached out his hand and got his +drum and began to sing, which made the Chief Duck dance right there. “Well,” said +the Chief Duck, “when is this big dance coming off?” Nanabush said, “If you like to +have it to-night, we can have it to-night.” “Well, it just suits me, and I will tell +all the kinds of ducks to come,” said the Chief Duck. This pleased Nanabush very much, +and the Chief Duck went away. +</p> +<p>Nanabush got everything ready. He made a big camp and made a big fire inside. Night +came and all the ducks came in from all around. About dark Nanabush started to sing. +He told the ducks that as soon as they came inside they would have to close their +eyes. He started singing one of his songs which pleased all the ducks. He told them, +“The time is now on” and all the ducks started to come in dancing with their eyes +closed<span class="corr" id="xd33e516" title="Not in source">.</span> He told them that they had to pass through right in front of him. Every one of them +passed him and he grabbed them and twisted their necks. He got a lot of them, but +one opened his eyes a little bit and saw what Nanabush was doing. This duck made a +big yell and told all the (remaining) ducks what Nanabush was doing, and made for +the door, but before he got out Nanabush kicked him and stepped on his feet (we now +call this duck the Diver). +<span class="pageNum" id="pb19">[<a href="#pb19">19</a>]</span></p> +<p>Nanabush picked up all the dead ones and buried them in the ashes to cook. When he +got them all fixed he lay down and told his <i>anus</i> to watch. He went to sleep and it happened to be that there was a lion close by who +ate all the ducks. When Nanabush woke up he went to work and looked for the cooked +ducks, which were gone. He said to his <i>anus</i>, “I told you to watch, I will burn you for not doing what I told you to do.” He laid +his <i>anus</i> towards the fire and began to shove all the hot coals in to it. He started off and +went through where there were a lot of little trees, going right over them. He twisted +around and looked at the little trees which were red with his blood and said, “In +future people will call those trees red willows.” He went on to a rock which he slid +down; on looking back he saw the blood-stains on the rock which he called “red granite” +(i.e. which became the red granite of nowadays). +</p> +<hr class="tb"><p> +</p> +<p class="endnote"><span class="sc">Note.</span>—This lion was probably the American panther. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch26" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch26.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 26.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Origin of Birds.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">One time a man shot another with his bow and arrow for stealing his wife. He watched +the actions of his wife and this man and saw them sleeping together in a bush, when +he shot them with his arrows and killed them both. He went to work and cut up about +half the man into little bits and threw these up in the air. The pieces of meat did +not fall back again, but became different birds, such as the blue jay, robins and +others. He cut some more pieces a little bigger and threw these up in the air too, +when they became gulls, cranes and such-like birds. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch27" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch27.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 27.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">The People Who Became Serpents.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Two families were camping out some years ago. One old man had a good boy who was hunting +all the time, getting all kinds of game and always having plenty to eat. The other +family had a daughter, and one time the two young people got married. The girl’s mother +did not like this because the young man had good luck always. This old woman was a +witch and she could do anything she liked. One time this bad old woman went out just +a little way in the bush and put a bone on the road (trail), so to let this young +man step on the bone and get hurt. When this young man came home in the evening he +happened to step on the bone and got hurt, which laid him up nearly all winter, and +they all got hard times. While this young man was in the camp before he got better, +they got so poor that they had to go to some other place. The husband of the old witch +went out alone to a little lake some miles away to see if there were any fish there. +He cut a hole in the ice and let down his decoy. He did not take a spear with him. +He saw some big fish and then went home and told his people that he saw a lot of fish. +They all decided to move near the lake and that family went. Only the sick man did +not like to go till he got better. He was just about getting better when the other +family went away. He went out hunting and got some game for himself, wife, father +and mother. They lived there till on towards spring when the ice went away. The other +campers never came back to see them. One day his wife said, “I would like to go and +see my mother.” “Well,” he said, “you can go and see <span class="pageNum" id="pb20">[<a href="#pb20">20</a>]</span>her.” She went out and found the lake and saw the camp, but she could not see anybody, +or no signs, or no smoke in the camp. She went near and spoke. After a while some +one tried to speak inside the camp and said, “We have eaten a fish of some kind and +I am sure it was a big snake; we have all got to be snakes.” +</p> +<p>The young wife looked in and saw that her mother (the witch) was all snake except +her head, and the rest of the family were the same way. She went home and told what +she had seen but the rest did not go to see them for a long time. One day they went +down to see what the others looked like. They looked in the camp but there was nobody +home, then they went down to the lake and saw the others sunning themselves the same +as other snakes. The two families all became big serpents. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch28" class="div1 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch28.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 28.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">The Indian Boy Who Married a King’s Daughter.</span></h2> +<p class="byline"><i>Told by John York.</i></p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">(A most curious blending of the old and the new. G. E. L.) +</p> +<p>A good many years ago there were two brothers living in a camp away back in the woods +where nobody else was to be seen. Their father and mother had died when they were +little boys. The elder hunted all the time and got a lot of deer and other kinds of +game. The younger was busy in looking after the venison, cutting it up and drying +it. When he got it all dried he pounded it up very fine, same as corn meal, and put +it away in bags for to use in the winter. +</p> +<p>One time the younger tried to think of something that he ever did before. He thought +there must be some people some place nearby. He thought, “this evening when my brother +comes home I’ll ask him about this.” His brother came home at night and after supper +the younger began to ask him if there were any Indians living nearby. “Well,” the +older boy said to his brother, “yes, there are some people living to the west who +are called ‘white men,’ and some people living east of us, but it is a long way.” +The younger boy began to get lonesome thinking about these people whom he would like +to see, so one day he asked his brother if he would let him go and see some of the +white people. “Well,” his brother said, “it will take you four days to get there; +you go straight west all the time.” “Well, I will go to-morrow and I will try and +get back in a week,” the younger said. He got ready the night before he started the +journey. He left camp just about daylight and walked all day. When night came he made +camp for the night. The next day he started early in the morning, the same as he did +the first day. On the fourth day while walking he noticed somebody had been cutting +some trees with a very sharp thing. He looked at the stumps for a long time. He never +saw an axe before. He went on a little farther. He heard some one cutting something. +He went on till he saw a man who was very white. He thought, “this must be a <span class="corr" id="xd33e567" title="Source: whiteman">white man</span>.” He got to where this man was working and sat down close by. They began to speak +to each other. The white man asked him where did he come from. The Indian told him +where he came from and said, “I just came to see the people and I am going to camp +near the city.” The white man said, “I have got a little shanty here in the bush and +if you like to stay in it you are welcome.” The Indian said, “I don’t know what you +call a shanty till I see it.” The white man said, “I will show you the shanty. You +come along,” and they both went up to where the shanty was. The white man showed the +Indian all the “rigging,” such as dishes and pans, the like of which the Indian never +saw before. The white man gave him some meat, bread, tea, and sugar, things this Indian +never ate before. +<span class="pageNum" id="pb21">[<a href="#pb21">21</a>]</span></p> +<p>The Indian would like to go to town one day and see the place. He went out and looked +around. He picked up some rags and made a very nice quilt. He sold this quilt for +$25.00. He made a lot of them and sold them all at $25.00 each. +</p> +<p>One day a nice-looking, young man came up to see him and told him that there was going +to be a big feast on Wednesday at the big hall up town. He went down to it with this +young man. The feast was a French one. The King wanted to find a good cook, and every +time the King had a feast there was a different cook. When the hour came to eat they +all sat down and the King came out and also sat down and started to eat. He just tasted +and went away. This will show that he didn’t like it. The cooks were all men. This +King wanted to find a good cook for his only daughter. When the feast was over the +King came out again and said to all the people, “Who will try again for next week’s +feast?” Some of the boys knew that the Indian boy was a good cook, and one of them +went over to the Indian boy and asked him if he would try. Well, the Indian boy was +a little shy at first, but he thought he would try. He went to his little shanty and +thought about it all the time, and how he would make things look nice. The feast day +came and he went over to the place and started in to cook. When he got ready about +four o’clock in the evening he got some girls to help him with the tables. About six +o’clock he called the people to “come in.” All the boys and girls said to one another +“This Indian man is going to get his for sure.” The waiter called to the King that +everything was ready. The King came in and saw everything was good. <span class="corr" id="xd33e574" title="Source: he">He</span> started to eat and he ate a lot this time. He told the people that he had found a +good cook at last. He called his daughter to come out; this girl was never seen<span class="corr" id="xd33e577" title="Not in source">,</span> only from a distance. She came out and stood by her father. The King called the Indian +young man to come to where they were. The Indian came up and the King called a preacher +and had the young couple married right there, and they stayed there at the King’s +house. +</p> +<p>One day the people had an excursion out on the lake. There were about five hundred +people on board. They went a long ways out on the lake. The Indian’s wife did not +like to go on this excursion so she did not go, but the Indian went, although his +wife did not like him to go, but he wanted to go badly. One of the boys thought that +this would be a good chance to kill the Indian, so three boys got together and made +a plan to throw the Indian overboard. They got him to go to the back end of the steamboat +and then grabbed him by the legs. Down he went into the water. Nobody saw him, only +the boys that thrust him down. He swam around for a long time and then began to think +about his wife and his brother. He could not see land any place. He heard some bird +up in the air and on looking up he saw a hawk. He began to call the bird and the bird +came down to him. He asked the bird if there was an island close by, and the bird +said, “Yes, there is a rock not far from here.” The Indian said, “I’d like to ask +you if you could take me to the rock.” “I will try,” said the bird. “Take hold of +my legs and I will take you to the rock.” The bird got so big that it had no trouble +in taking the Indian to the rock. When they got there the Indian sat on the rock not +knowing where to eat. Well, he thought he would get the bird to go to the city and +get him something to eat. So he called the bird and the bird came near. He told the +bird to go to a big house with a big verandah. The bird flew away and she was away +for two hours, then she came back with a nice little parcel of nice cakes which the +Indian’s wife had given to the bird. The Indian had a good lunch. The wife did not +know where he was. There was a big reward to anybody that had seen him or had seen +him killed. +<span class="pageNum" id="pb22">[<a href="#pb22">22</a>]</span></p> +<p>The big bird came to the rock, where the Indian was, in the evening, and said to him, +“Maybe I could take you home if you pay me what I want. I would like to get the first +baby you see when you get home.” (While the Indian was away there was a baby born +at home.) “Well,” the Indian said, “I will do that.” They started to cross the big +lake to get home. They got close to shore when the bird got tired and had to come +down in the water about a hundred yards from shore. Anyway the Indian swam to shore +and went home. When he got there he saw a little baby boy, for his wife had a child +born. Well, he thought he had to give it to the bird, which he did, and his wife was +glad that he went and gave up the boy to the big bird. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div id="ch29" class="div1 last-child story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#ch29.toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h2 class="label">No. 29.</h2> +<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">John York’s Own Story.</span></h2> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">When he was a young man the Mohawks were bad at that time. Nobody was allowed to go +out alone anywheres. He wanted to hunt very badly so he and another young man went +out one morning quite a long ways off the Reserve to hunt bear and duck. They got +to Mud Lake (Carden Township) the next day about the middle of the afternoon. They +shot about twenty-five duck that night. The next morning early they heard something +across the narrows; they looked and saw a great, big, black bear. They got in their +canoe and got near enough to shoot and kill the bear. While looking at the dead bear +they heard another one coming down to drink, near where they were standing. They both +shot and killed this one. They took the two bears in their canoe and started for home. +After going down the lake a little way he looked up and saw three bears in a big oak +tree. The two hunters got out of the canoe and went to the tree. He shot the big one +but did not kill him outright, but had to shoot again. This left only one more shot +ready for use, as they had one double and one single-barrel shot guns. The other two +bears came down the tree. He shot one of these and killed it and the last bear had +to come down when there was no shot ready for him. He (York) grabbed the bear by the +legs till the other hunter got his gun loaded. The bear was a cub but fought like +an old bear, tearing the clothes off the man. The hunters got the five bears and took +them home. When they got home there was a big feast and everybody came and ate some +bear meat, for their friends thought the hunters had been killed by the Mohawks. +</p> +</div> +</div> +</div> +<div class="back"> +<div class="div1 appendix"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">The first of these following tales was told to me some eight or ten years ago by Ben +Simcoe, an elderly Indian from the Rama Reserve, Ontario County, near Lake Couchiching, +and is probably a modern version of an older tale, as it introduces the negro and +white man. The word “He” in the story stands for “God” or the “Creator.” I could not +get definitely from the Simcoe who it did stand for. He seemingly did not know much +about earlier Indian beliefs and conditions. +</p> +<p>The remaining three stories were told to me this summer by Jonas George, Chippewa, +of Rama Reserve, aged about sixty-four, professed Christian. His Indian name is Wash-a-ghe-zik, +which means “A clear day.” +</p> +<p class="signed"><span class="sc">G. E. Laidlaw.</span> +</p> +<p>The sketch of the two little shiny men setting lightning at the tree, also the “Monster,” +were drawn by Wash-a-ghe-zik. +<span class="pageNum" id="pb23">[<a href="#pb23">23</a>]</span></p> +<div class="div2 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">The Creation of Man.</span></h3> +<p class="byline">Told by Ben Simcoe, Chippewa (Ojibwa), of Rama Reserve, Ontario County.</p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">He (the Creator) took some clay and made a man. He baked it; it was not done enough. +He threw it away; it was no good. This was the white man. +</p> +<p>He took some more clay and made another man and baked it. This one was baked too much, +and was burnt. It was no good. He threw this away. This was the negro. +</p> +<p>He took another bit of clay and made a third man. He baked this and it came out all +right. It was just right. This was the Indian, better than the white man or the negro. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div class="div2 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Thunderbolt.</span></h3> +<p class="byline">This story was told to Wash-a-ghe-zik by his father, and was told to his father by +his grandfather.</p> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">A young Indian, many years ago, went out to hunt early one morning, and coming on +noon he got hungry and started back to camp. In passing a pine stub that had been +struck by lightning he saw “something” sticking in the tree where the lightning hit. +He pulled this “something” out and looked at it. It was about two fingers broad, and +about one hand long. He put it back again in the tree exactly like he found it, and +went on. When he came to camp he told his father about it, and his father and several +other men, together with the young man, went back to examine it. Neither his father +or the men with him could pull this “something” out, but the young man could; so he +pulled it out, wrapped it up and took it to camp. This “something” would tell the +young man some hours before a storm came up that the storm was coming, so that the +Indians could make camp. The young man used to dream that he could split trees by +pointing this “something” at them, but never tried it. He kept this for many years. +He was about eighteen years old when he found it, and lived to be forty-seven. He +died unmarried and his name was forgotten. +</p> +<p>The “something” was shiny and quivering, and nobody knew what it was made out of. +It was lost shortly before the man died. Wash-a-ghe-zik had no name for this “something,” +and said the Indians could not make up a name for it. +</p> +</div> +</div> +<div class="div2 story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Nim-Mah-Kie.</span></h3> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">Once, a long time ago, before the white man came to Canada, an Indian struck out through +the bush to hunt. It came on a storm and he took a line for camp, which was by a little +lake away up north. It came on worse, and the Indian crawled under a projecting pine +tree. He saw the lightning strike several trees, and looking very closely at one tree +that was struck he saw a little man (about two feet high) standing by one side of +the tree, and looking again at the tree he saw another little man standing at the +other side of the struck tree. Both these men were fine little fellows, all black +and shining, and are called Nim-Mah-Kie (Thunder). They climbed up in the air like +they were climbing ladders, and disappeared. After they went up more lightning came +down. These little men set the lightning at the trees and make the thunder. Thunder +and lightning keep the monsters down on the land and in the lakes. +<span class="pageNum" id="pb24">[<a href="#pb24">24</a>]</span></p> +</div> +</div> +<div class="div2 last-child story"><span class="pageNum">[<a title="Go to the table of contents" href="#toc">Contents</a>]</span><div class="divHead"> +<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Monsters.</span></h3> +</div> +<div class="divBody"> +<p class="first">These monsters, which are about twelve feet long and about one and one-half to two +feet thick, and which have long jaws full of teeth, and look like half fish and half +snake, live in hills near lakes. They have underground passages from the hills to +the water, and can sometimes be seen early in the morning. In small lakes and bays +of larger lakes they move around with great swiftness, forcing the weeds and floating +sticks, etc., up high on the shore, similar to swirling your hand around in a wash +basin. Sometimes they do this with so much force that they leave the small lakes partially +dry. One of these monsters lives in the hill just north of where the old Indian portage +from Lake Simcoe enters West Bay, Balsam Lake (now Portage Road). Another lives in +the hill at Atherley, Rama Reserve, Lake Couchiching, and another lives up north in +a lake the name of which is now forgotten. Thunder and lightning kill these monsters. +</p> +</div> +</div> +</div> +</div> +<div class="div1" id="toc"> +<h2 class="main">Table of Contents</h2> +<table> +<tr id="intro.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum"></td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#intro">OJIBWA MYTHS AND TALES.</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#intro">3</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch1.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">1. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch1"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Ducks.</span> (Modern.) (No. 1.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch1">3</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch2.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">2. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch2"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Ducks.</span> (No. 2.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch2">3</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch3.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">3. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch3"><span class="sc">Thunderbirds.</span> (No. 1.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch3">4</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch4.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">4. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch4"><span class="sc">Thunderbirds.</span> (No. 2.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch4">4</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch5.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">5. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch5"><span class="sc">Rat and Beaver Story—Wah-zesk and Ah-mic.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch5">5</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch6.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">6. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch6"><span class="sc">The Bear, The Wild Cat and The Big Sturgeon—Muh Kwah, Pezhew and Kitché Nŭh Mah.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch6">5</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch7.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">7. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch7"><span class="sc">Ne-we-no-nah K’she mŭh.</span> The story of the woman who visited a man who lived in a tree, and who could change +himself into a serpent when he wished.</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch7">6</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch8.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">8. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch8"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawk.</span> (No. 1.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch8">7</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch9.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">9. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch9"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawk.</span> (No. 2.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch9">8</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch10.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">10. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch10"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawk.</span> (No. 3.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch10">9</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch11.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">11. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch11"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawks.</span> (No. 4.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch11">9</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch12.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">12. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch12"><span class="sc">Rama Witches.</span> (No. 1.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch12">11</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch13.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">13. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch13"><span class="sc">Rama Witches.</span> (No. 2.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch13">11</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch14.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">14. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch14"><span class="sc">The Social Problem.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch14">12</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch15.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">15. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch15"><span class="sc">Wintigoes (Giants).</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch15">12</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch16.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">16. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch16"><span class="sc">Little Lynx Story.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch16">13</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch17.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">17. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch17"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Four Men.</span> (No. 4.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch17">13</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch18.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">18. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch18"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Young Man and Wife.</span> (No. 5.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch18">14</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch19.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">19. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch19"><span class="sc">The Little Dog Story.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch19">16</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch20.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">20. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch20"><span class="sc">Killing the Old People.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch20">16</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch21.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">21. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch21"><span class="sc">Ojibwa and Mohawk.</span> (No. 5.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch21">16</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch22.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">22. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch22"><span class="sc">Nanabush.</span> (No. 6.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch22">17</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch23.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">23. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch23"><span class="sc">Nanabush and his Wife’s Chair.</span> (No. 7.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch23">17</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch24.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">24. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch24"><span class="sc">The Tailless Sturgeon.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch24">18</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch25.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">25. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch25"><span class="sc">Nanabush and the Ducks.</span> (No. 8.)</a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch25">18</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch26.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">26. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch26"><span class="sc">Origin of Birds.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch26">19</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch27.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">27. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch27"><span class="sc">The People Who Became Serpents.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch27">19</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch28.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">28. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch28"><span class="sc">The Indian Boy Who Married a King’s Daughter.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch28">20</a></td> +</tr> +<tr id="ch29.toc" class="tocLevel0"> +<td class="tocDivNum">29. </td> +<td class="tocDivTitle"><a href="#ch29"><span class="sc">John York’s Own Story.</span></a></td> +<td class="tocPageNum"><a class="pageref" href="#ch29">22</a></td> +</tr> +</table> +</div> +<div class="transcriberNote"> +<h2 class="main">Colophon</h2> +<p>The new cover art included with this eBook is hereby granted to the public domain.</p> +<h3 class="main">Revision History</h3> +<ul> +<li>2025-08-23 Started. +</li> +</ul> +<h3 class="main">Corrections</h3> +<p>The following 8 corrections have been applied to the text:</p> +<table class="correctionTable"> +<tr> +<th>Page</th> +<th>Source</th> +<th>Correction</th> +<th>Edit distance</th> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd33e244">7</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd33e577">21</a></td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en"> +[<i>Not in source</i>] +</td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">,</td> +<td class="bottom">1</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd33e259">8</a></td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en"> +[<i>Not in source</i>] +</td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">”</td> +<td class="bottom">1</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd33e370">13</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd33e516">18</a></td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en"> +[<i>Not in source</i>] +</td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">.</td> +<td class="bottom">1</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd33e493">18</a></td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">decended</td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">descended</td> +<td class="bottom">1</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd33e567">20</a></td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">whiteman</td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">white man</td> +<td class="bottom">1</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd33e574">21</a></td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">he</td> +<td class="width40 bottom" lang="en">He</td> +<td class="bottom">1</td> +</tr> +</table> +</div> +</div> +<div style='text-align:center'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76755 ***</div> +</body> +</html> + diff --git a/76755-h/images/new-cover.jpg b/76755-h/images/new-cover.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..570e24f --- /dev/null +++ b/76755-h/images/new-cover.jpg diff --git a/76755-h/images/titlepage.png b/76755-h/images/titlepage.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5ab29d2 --- /dev/null +++ b/76755-h/images/titlepage.png diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No 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