USA > Indiana > Indiana and Indianans : a history of aboriginal and territorial Indiana and the century of statehood > Part 7
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37 Jesuit Relations, Vol. 6, p. 181.
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Nì'-ka Ť'-că-non'-gì “-ìn'-gwi-lát'-kwi mìʼ-to-sá'-nì-wi'-a-nì Friend, as it is now you have come to the end you were living
I-a'-kwa-mì'-să-lo' ű-\'-cí Ť'-a-ř-a-nă. A-pwá-lap'-so-lo'. Wīs'-sa
Make every effort where you are going. Do not look back. Many
kaʼ-tì ko-tá'-lì-wa'-kì; ka'-tì sá'-kř-ha'-kř. I-aʼ-kwa-mă'-să-lo'; will they tempt you ; will they frighten you. Do your best ;
Ťʼ-că-ka'-tř nä-wa'-tcă, ű-wűʼ-man-gwřʼ-kì mìnʼ-djï-ma'-ha
then will you see him, our relatives long ago
nä-wã-tcăʼ-kř. I-a'-kwa-mì'-să-lo'; \'-ci-ka'-ti ná-pil-sa'-tcă,
you see them. Do all you can ; then will you get to him,
kĩ-mű-co-miʼ-na. Ná-nãʼ-ta-wǐ mĩ-kwaʼ-lì-ma-kaʼ-nī kì-műʼ-co-mi'-na.
our grandfather. Always you think of him, our grandfather.
It will be noted that in this address the important personage of the spirit world is not Kä-ci'-hi-wi-a, but Ki-mä'-co-mi'-na; and this originally meant Michaboo. Those in attendance at the funeral, who so desire, throw bits of earth into the grave, the object of which is to prevent the spirit from returning to trouble them. They dislike spiritual visitations, and when apprehensive of them, they made a circle of ashes about the lodge, or house, which the spirits cannot cross. They also used a vegetable "medicine" called black root (mä-ka'-ta-wa- tcăp'-ki),38 which they rubbed on a gun-barrel, and then fired the gun at any strange noise which they suspected to be made by spirits, at the same time asking ni-mä'-co-mi'-na to make the bullet hit the mark.
This is a survival of an ancient and widespread faith. La Potherie recounts how the Miamis fired guns, beat drums, and yelled vociferously during an eclipse of the moon, and the chiefs gave the explanation : "Our old men have taught us that when the Moon is sick it is necessary to assist her by discharging arrows and making a great deal of noise, in order to cause terror in the spirits who are trying to cause her death; then she regains her strength, and returns to her former condition. If men did not aid her she would die, and we would no longer see clearly at night; and thus we could no longer separate the twelve months of the year".39 This unfailing remedy, as shown by Lafitau, was general with the natives of America. Civilized man probably makes enough noise to secure the result without any special effort.
38 I have not seen this plant, and do not know its botanical name, but "the whites call it Bachelor's Button, because a button grows on the top, which is in the midst of a brown flower. The stalks are from two to three feet tall."
39 Blair's Indian Tribes, Vol. 2, p. 121.
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The general loss of their original religion myths by the Miamis is due to their general early acceptance of Christianity. The pioneer missionaries pronounced them "very docile", "the most civil and most
INDIANS DRIVING OFF ECLIPSE OF MOON (After Lafitau. The lower part portrays the 12th Chapter of the Book of Revelation, which Lafitau considered analogous)
liberal" of the western tribes, and having "a docility which has no savor of barbarism".40 Their conversion also had a material effect on their habits and physical characteristics. La Hontan says of the west-
40 Jesuit Relations, Vol. 59, pp. 101-3; Vol. 55, p. 213.
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ern Algonkins at the earliest period of contact with the French: "They are neither so strong nor so vigorous as most of the French in raising of weights with their arms, or carrying burdens on their backs; but to make amends for that they are indefatigable and inured to hardships, insomuch that the inconveniences of cold and heat have no impression upon them; their whole time being spent in the way of exercise, whether at running up and down, at hunting and fishing, or in dancing and playing at foot ball, or such games as require the motion of the legs".41 This was the result of a Spartan athletic training which was especially characteristic of the Miamis; and La Hontan further speaks of their sexual continence, in this connection, and their explanation that excesses "so enervate them that they have not the same measure of strength to undergo great fatigues, and that their hams are too weak for long marches or quick pursuits".
In his letter to the Provincial, on Oct. 21, 1683, Father Beschefer says of the conversion of these Indians by Father Allouez: "With regard to the superstitions of the Miamis, he has not much trouble in disabusing them about these, because nearly all consist in the very strict observance of certain fasts, of several days duration-which the old men cause the youth to undergo, in order that they may discover during their sleep the object upon which their good fortune depends and no sooner had the father shown them the vanity of those dreams than the young men, delighted to be freed from that obligation, which to them seemed a very hard one, abandoned the fasts. The old men have also been compelled to admit that their only reason-which they had nevertheless covered with specious pretext of religion-was to inure the young men to fatigue, and to prevent their becoming too heavy".4
The food of the Miamis is a matter of ethnologic interest. Count Volney, who was a firm believer in the influence of climate, soil and food on the human race, said of the Indians on the Wabash: "They have a good soil, with finer maize, and greater plenty of game than are found east of the mountains. Hence it is that the natives are a stout, well-formed race. The same may be said of the Shawanese, the stature of those women astonished me more than their beauty". At that time (1797) the Miamis had adopted some of the white man's food, for William Wells told Volney: "They raise some corn and potatoes, and even cabbages and turnips. Their captives have planted peach and apple trees, and taught them to breed poultry, pigs, and even cows; in short they are as much improved as the Creeks and the Choctaws".43
41 Thwaite's La Hontan, p. 415.
42 Jesuit Relations, Vol. 62, p. 205.
43 View of the Climate and Soil of the U. S., p. 360.
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If food had affected their physique, its effects must have begun long before their contact with the whites; and they evidently had this advantage at an early day. Perrot notes the difference between the food supplies of the tribes of the wooded countries and those of the prairies. Of the former he says: "The kinds of food which the savages like best, and which they make the most effort to obtain, are the Indian corn, the kidney bean, and the squash. If they are without these they think they are fasting, no matter what abundance of meat and fish they may have in their stores, the Indian corn being to them what bread is to Frenchmen. The Algonkins (i. e. the Canada tribe), however, and all the northern tribes, who do not cultivate the soil, do not lay up corn; but when it is given to them while they are out hunting, they regard it as a special treat.
"Those people commonly live only by hunting or fishing; they have moose, caribou and bears, but the beaver is the most common of all their game. They consider themselves very fortunate in their hunting expe- ditions when they encounter some rabbits, martens, or partridges, from which to make a soup; and without what we call tripe de roche-which you would say is a species of gray moss, dry, and resembling oublies,44 and which of itself has only an earthy taste, and the flavor of the soup in which it has been cooked-most of their families would perish of hunger. Some of these have been known who were compelled to eat their own children, and others whom starvation has entirely destroyed. For the northern country is the most sterile region in the world, since in many places one will not find a single bird to hunt; however they gather there plenty of blueberries in the months of August and Septem- ber, which they are careful to dry and keep for a time of need".45
But passing from these wooded countries to the lands of the Miamis and Illinois, Perrot continues: "The savage peoples who inhabit the prairies have life-long good fortune; animals and birds are found there in great numbers, with numberless rivers abounding in fish. Those people are naturally very industrious, and devote themselves to the cultivation of the soil, which is very fertile for Indian corn. It also produces beans, squashes (both large and small) of excellent flavor, fruits, and many kinds of roots. They have in especial a certain method of preparing squashes with the Indian corn cooked while in its milk,
44 These are wafers, used to fasten paper together. The reference is to the gelatinous character of the plant. Tripe de roche is the edible lichen, Umbilicaria dillenii. It is used for food only as a last resort; and Father Andre well says of it: "It is necessary to close one's eyes when one begins to eat it." (Jesuit Relations, Vol. 55, p. 151.)
45 Blair's Indian Tribes, Vol. 1, p. 102.
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which they mix and cook together and then dry, which has a very sweet taste. Finally, melons grow there which have a juice no less agreeable than refreshing".
The Miamis were equally agricultural in their homes on the Wabash and Maumee.46 The expeditions of the whites against them made a specialty of destroying their crops, and Wilkinson, Scott and others call attention to the extent of their fields. Gen. Wayne wrote: "The very extensive and highly-cultivated fields and gardens show the work
TREATY WITH POTAWATOMIS AT CHIPPEWANUNG, 1836 (From painting by Winters)
of many hands. The margins of those beautiful rivers, the Miamis of the Lake (Maumee) and Auglaize appear like one continued village for a number of miles both above and below this place; nor have I ever before beheld such immense fields of corn in any part of America, from Canada to Florida".47
It was noted by the French that the Miamis raised a kind of corn differing from that raised by the Indians about Detroit, and it was said : "It is whiter, of the same size as the other, the skin much finer, and
46 Jesuit Relations, Vol. 55, p. 213; Vol. 69, p. 219; N. Y. Col. Docs., Vol. 9, pp. 891-2.
47 Dillon 's Indiana, p. 346.
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the meal much whiter".48 This is probably what the Miamis called no-kin'-gwa-mi'-ni, or soft corn, because it ground easily. It was used for lye hominy, and was the favorite corn for parching, as it was easily chewed. Parched corn, not ground, is called kit'-sa-min'-gì; when ground, as it usually was when carried for food, it is called ki-ta'-sa-ka'-ni. Corn in the milk was preserved by boiling and then drying it. This is called min-dji'-pi co-ko'-sa-min'-gi. The favorite corn of the Miamis of recent times is what the whites call "squaw corn", and they call ik-kř'-pa-kin'-gwá-mi'-ni (blue corn), or sometimes to-sá'-ni-a min-dji'-př (Indian corn), or Mi-a'mì min-dji'-př (Miami corn). This is an early variety, and sweeter than ordinary corn. The Indians are very fond of a soup made of scraped green corn, which is called min-aji'-př n'po'-pi, or corn soup.
Perrot further says: "The various kinds of animals that the (prairie) country furnishes are : buffaloes, elks, bears, lynxes, raccoons, and panthers, whose flesh is very good for food. There are also beavers, and black and gray wolves, whose skins serve as their garments; and still other animals which also they use for food. The birds or fowls of the rivers and swamps are : swans, bustards, wild geese, and ducks of all kinds. Pelicans are very common, but they have an oily flavor, whether alive or dead, which is so disagreeable that it is impossible to eat them. The land birds are turkeys, pheasants, quails, pigeons, and curlews like large hens, of excellent flavor. In that region are found still other birds, especially innumerable cranes".49
This translation is somewhat doubtful. If Perrot did not intend to include deer in "cerfs", which is here translated "elks", he omitted the most important food animal of the region. He certainly did not mean what we commonly call lynxes (i. e. the Canadian lynx) by "chats cerviers", for they are not found in the prairie country south of Canada. What he probably intended was the common wildcat (bay lynx or bob cat) which was common in the region referred to wherever woods were found. Godfroy informed me, however, that the Indians ate only the ribs of the wildcat, and believed that eating the legs would cause cramps. Like other sensible people, the Indians would eat almost any animal or bird in case of emergency, but they had preferences. They did not ordinarily eat wolves, foxes, minks, or skunks; nor the smaller animals, such as ground squirrels, weasels, rats or mice. They ate groundhogs, and considered porcupines a delicacy, except in the pine woods, where their flesh tastes of pine. Godfroy said he never knew an Indian to eat
48 N. Y. Col. Docs., Vol. 9, p. 891.
49 Blair's Indian Tribes, Vol. 1, p. 114.
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· a dog, though they certainly did in early times. Possibly this is a change of custom due to a change of dogs, from their original wolf dogs to the more valuable or less edible European varieties.
Of the water birds, it is not certain what Perrot meant by bustards (outardes), for the European bustard is a land bird, more like a turkey than any other American bird. Possibly he meant the American bittern, which is eaten both by whites and Indians, and I can testify that a young bittern is very palatable. He probably measured his "curlews like large hens" by extent rather than weight, as the northern curlew, the largest of all, seldom weighs over a pound and a half, though it is two feet in length. Godfroy said that the Indians ate all the water fowl except those that taste fishy such as loons, fish-ducks and herons. Of land birds, he thought they did not eat hawks and owls until they learned to do so from the whites. They did not eat woodpeckers, as they say that eating them will make one deaf. With these exceptions they ate all birds of any size. They did not eat frogs, snakes, lizards, mussels or snails. Of turtles they ate only the soft-shell and snapping turtles. They considered the flesh of the water-dog (menobranchus) poisonous. Godfroy said his dog bit one, and it made him sick, although he did not eat any of it.
As to edible roots Perrot says they, "have in their country various kinds of roots. That which they call -, meaning 'bear's root', is an actual poison if it is eaten raw ; but they cut it in very thin slices, and cook it in an oven during three days and three nights; thus by heat they cause the acrid substance which renders it poisonous to evaporate in steam, and it then becomes what is commonly called cassava root". This is a good description of the Indian turnip (Arisaema triphyllum), but the Miamis call it wi'-ko-pai'-si-a, which does not mean "bear's root". I think that Perrot here confuses his omitted word with the meaning of "macopin", which literally would mean bear root. The Miamis do not now use this word, nor know to what it refers, but it was in common use in Perrot's time, and the Illinois river was called Macopin river. Makopin is said to be the Chippewa name of the water-chinquepin; but micoupena was the Peoria name of the white water-lily, Nymphaea tuberosa, and the name of the Illinois river was probably corrupted from this word. The "oven" mentioned was a hole dug in the ground, and heated by a fire in it, after which it was cleaned out, filled with food, and covered over. Further mention of its use is made in connection with the wild onion.
Perrot continues : "Also in winter they dig from under the ice, or where there is much mud and little water, a certain root of better quality than that which I have just mentioned ; but it is only found in the Louisi- ana country, some fifteen leagues above (below) the mouth of the Wis-
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consin. The savages call this root in their own language pokekoretch; and the French give it no other name because nothing at all resembling it is seen in Europe. It has the appearance of a root, about half as thick as ones arm, or a little more; it also has firm flesh, and externally resembles an arm; in one word, you would say at sight of these roots that they are certainly great radishes. But cut it across the two ends, and it is no longer the same thing; for you find inside it a cavity in the middle, extending throughout its length around which are five or six other and smaller cavities, which also run from end to end. To eat it, you must cook it over a brazier, and you will find that it tastes like chestnuts. The savages are accustomed to make provision of this root; they cut it into pieces and string them on a cord, in order to dry them in the smoke. When these pieces are thoroughly dry, and as hard as wood, they put them into bags and keep them as long as they wish. If they boil their meat in a kettle, they also cook therein this root, which thus becomes soft; and, when they wish to eat, it answers for bread with their meat. It is always better with considerable grease; for although this root is very sweet and has a good flavor, it sticks to the throat in swallowing and goes down with difficulty, because it is very dry. The women gather this root, and recognize it by the dried stem, which appears sticking up above the ice. The shape (of the dry top) is like a crown, of red color ; it is as large as the bottom of a plate, and is full of seeds in every way resembling hazelnuts; and when these are roasted under hot cinders they taste just like chestnuts".
This plant is plainly Nelumbium luteum-the American lotus, yellow water-lily, water chinquepin, wankapin or yoncopin. Sarah Wadsworth informed me that the common mode of its preparation by the Miami women was to gather the roots (tubers), soak them in lye to loosen the skin, and then peel and boil them. The seeds were likewise soaked in lye, and shelled. Of these they made soup or cooked them as desired. The Miami name of the plant is pok'-ci-kwal-ya'-ki, i. e. full of holes, or nostrils, which will be appreciated by those who are familiar with the plant.
Perrot continues : "That country also produces potatoes; some are as large as an egg, others have the size of ones fist, or a little more. They boil these in water by a slow fire during twenty-four hours; when they are thoroughly cooked you will find in them an excellent flavor, much resembling that of prunes-which are cooked in the same way in France, to be served with dessert". This passage has caused no little worry to students of Perrot, to know just what plant he refers to. Possibly he meant more than one, for there are several "Indian potatoes". First of these is the psoralea esculenta, or pomme de prairie, or navet de
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prairie of the western plains, which I think may be excluded as foreign to the Algonquian region, and probably unknown to Perrot. The Jeru- salem artichoke (helianthus tuberosa) appears to me to meet his descrip- tion more nearly than any other one plant, and its tubers were eaten by the Indians. Possibly he may refer to the ground-nut, or ground-bean, Apios tuberosa. The tubers of this plant were called "rosaries" by the early Canadians, because they resembled beads,50 and the Miami name, a-pi-ka'-nī-ta is similar to a-pi-ka'-na-ki, which is their name for “peace beads". Another plant called Indian potato, is the "man-of-the-earth", Ipomea pandurata, which is of the morning-glory family.51
Perrot continues : "The tribes of the prairies also find in certain places lands that are fertile, and kept moist by the streams that water them, whereon grow onions of the size of ones thumb. The root is like a leek, and the plant which grows from it resembles the salsify. This onion, I declare, is so exceedingly acrid that if one tries to swallow it, it would all at once wither the tongue, the throat, and the inside of the mouth ; I do not know, however, whether it would have the same injurious effect on the inside of the body. But this difficulty hardly ever occurs, for as soon as one takes it into his mouth he spits it out ; and one imagines that it is a certain wild garlic, which is quite common in the same places, and has also an insupportable acridness. When the savages lay in a store of these onions, with which the ground is covered, they first build an oven, upon which they place the onions, covering them with a thick layer of grass; and by means of the heat which the fire communicates to them the acrid quality leaves them, nor are they damaged by the flames; and after they have been dried in the sun they become an excel- lent article of food". The wild onion is still eaten by the Miamis as an early vegetable, but without this formidable preparation. They are washed, cut fine, and fried in grease until they wilt; then a little water is added, with salt, pepper, and enough flour to cream. This removes the acrid taste.
Perrot continues : "The prairies inhabited by the Illinois produce various fruits, such as medlars, large mulberries, plums, and abundance of nuts, as in France ; and many other fruits .. As for the nuts, some are found as large as a hen ('s egg) which are so bitter and oily that they
50 Jesuit Relations, Vol. 6, p. 273.
51 The mss. dictionary, ascribed to Le Boulanger, preserved in the John Carter Brown Library, at Providence, gives the following definitions: "pokicorewaki, hollow roots "; "micopena, large root in the water"; "apena, pl. apeniki, potatoes"; wicapisia, root for guarding themselves from death from serpents that they fear. The bulb is white, and rises out of the ground. The stem is a foot high, the leaves of four ribs (or on four sides), and a little red button on the top.
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are good for nothing for eating. There are also strawberries in abundance, raspberries and potatoes. But the people farther north, as far up as Wisconsin, have no longer these medlars, and those who are
KILSOKWA-THE SETTING SUN (Granddaughter of The Little Turtle)
still farther away are without these nuts like those of France". The medlars are, no doubt, persimmons. The "bitter and oily" nuts are more doubtful. He wrote "as large as a hen", and Father Tailhan adds the "egg" explanation, but even that does not help much, unless Perrot meant to include the outer covering when referring to the size; in which
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case he might have intended the pig-nut or the buckeye. Tailhan suggests that he refers to a fruit described by Marquette, the size of an egg, which he broke in two pieces, "in each of which there were eight or ten seeds inclosed. They have the shape of an almond, and are very good when they are ripe. The tree, however, which bears them, has a very bad odor, and its leaf is like that of the walnut". It is hard to imagine what Marquette referred to unless it was the pawpaw, and it can scarcely be called a bitter and oily nut. The Miamis ate pawpaws, but did not eat may-apples. With the nuts may be included the acorns of several species of oak, which they gathered and cooked.
The Miamis availed themselves of "greens" of various kinds, some of which are not used by the whites, as, for example, the flowers of the mulberry, which they gathered and cooked as a vegetable. Their prefer- ence in greens is for the shoots of the common (purple) milkweed, which is prepared much the same as asparagus. Godfroy said that milkweed "has substance", and that it could be used in place of potatoes. They do not eat the shoots of the smaller species of asclepias, or of the white- flowered milkweed, which they call lä-mon-dás'-sa, or "pups", and pro- nounce poisonous. They use the shoots of poke, but Godfroy's belief was that they did not use poke, mushrooms, or wild lettuce, until they learned to eat them from the whites. He was probably wrong as to this, as the instruction concerning the use of native plants came the other way. Of mushrooms, the Miamis eat the morels and the two large gyromitras- esculenta and brunnea. They do not eat puff-balls, believing that they cause dropsy-in fact the name given to them, pa-sa'-to-wa-ka'-ni, means "thing that causes dropsy". The edible sponge mushrooms, which they used, as mentioned, are called mi-no-sa'-ka-i, which is the name given to tripe.
Most of the domestic wants of the Indians were supplied without much difficulty. For example, cordage of all kinds was obtained from the inner bark of the linn tree. For temporary use this needed no prepara- tion. When boys went hunting with men, it was their first work to get linn bark to hobble the horses, while the men hunted. When rope was wanted for permanent use, the squaws boiled this bark, and twisted or braided it while it was damp. If they wanted canoes lighter than dug- outs, they made them of the bark of the water-elm or hickory, the pig-nut hickory being considered best. They cut down a tree, and peeled off the bark with flat sticks. In the spring, when the trees were beginning to leave, the bark came off easily, and at other times they had to pound it to loosen it. This kind of bark was also used for tables for drying corn, berries and fruit. The strips of bark were pressed out flat till they dried, and were then laid on poles placed in forked sticks. It was also used for
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