USA > Michigan > Van Buren County > A History of Van Buren County, Michigan: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its. > Part 5
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After hearing so much about this wonderful hunter and stirred up by Northrup's account of his straddling and killing the bear, I determined I would go and spend one night at least with the remarkable Redskin Nimrod of America. Learning that he lived north of Paw Paw lake, about ten miles west, with an Indian boy as guide, late in November I started through the unbroken wil- derness. Arriving at the lake, the boy pointed out to me his wigwam just across a little bay. There he left me, remarking "me be afraid to go fader for Wapsey meby take us for ma-kwa ond-gans (bear and cub) and kill us both."
About sunset I stood before the wigwam of the mighty hunter. It was rudely built of elm bark with a smoke-hole at the top. I saw at a glance that the old man used a bear skin for a door. As I carefully approached I said "Hello! Hello! Hello!" The third time the bear skin was pushed aside, and before me stood a short thick set Indian. On his head was a coon skin cap, with the ani- mal's ringed tail in the place of feathers. He had on a fur blouse of musk rats' hide, and buck skin pants, with moccassins of bear- skin with the hair outside. In his left hand he held a bow as long as he was tall, with some arrows in his quiver that no doubt had pierced many a bear. I asked, in my heart, "Is it possible they will pierce me?" He eyed me apparently with much distrust, as silent as the grave.
I said "Bo-sho Ni-con?" (How do you do, my friend ?)
He slowly responded "Bo-sho?" omitting ni-con, as if he doubted my friendship.
I then said "Your chief, Pokagon, has told me much about you being the greatest hunter in his tribe. I am C. H. Engle, of Hart- ford. I have come to stay all night with you."
He then walked up to me, and we shook hands. He asked if I
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knew certain Indians who lived in Hartford in certain places that he described very particularly. I said I did.
He asked "What be them called ?"
"Well," I said "Jo Kaw-kee, John Mix, Bert-rand, Little and Big Weso."
He again grasped my hand saying "You know um. Come in wigwam."
I was pleased, for well I knew I had won his confidence and I have never known an Indian to betray a true friend. He seated me on a large bearskin in front of the fire in the center of the wigwam.
I asked him if he could speak white man's talk ?
He replied "Me can little."
I then said "Wap-sey, I have come to stay all night with you. Will you let me ?"
He replied "Guess meby me will." He then asked "Can you sleep um in wigwam?" I replied I was something of an Indian myself and had slept in all kinds of places. "Meby you be hun gry," he said. I frankly said "I am." "Me lib alone," he said, "and me fear you no like um my stuff and cooking." I replied "I can eat anything, except musk rats, that goes on four legs." He said "Me will feed you. Me am cooking to eat um now." He then went to a wooden trough that would hold perhaps eight gal- lons, stirred up the contents with a wooden paddle, took out a piece of meat, tasted it, shook his head. He then took a red-hot stone out of the fire about the size of his head and plunged it into the trough. It sizzled and soon filled the wigwam full of steam. He waited a few minutes and asked "Do um smell good?" I answered "Fine." In a short time he said "Sit um down here and eat um." I reclined on one side of the trough and he on the other, and handing me a wooden spoon saying "eat um, good cooked." I dipped into the rude dish drawing out the hind leg of some small animal. I said "I like squirrel." "Me be glad of dat," he said, "me do too." I ate several fore legs and hind legs.
I thought it the finest squirrel I had ever eaten, and such nice soup I never expected to eat again.
Wapsey, seeing how I enjoyed the soup, handed me a gourd- shell, saying "Drink um like water." I did as he said, drinking down the soup like coffee until I was pleasantly satisfied. Supper over Wapsey asked "What meby you bin eatin ?" "Squirrels, of course," I said. He straightened back and laughed so heartily that I could see all his double grinding teeth. "What you laugh so about?" I asked. He answered "No, no, no um squirrel-mush rat! mush rat!" handing me two green musk rats' tails. I was astonished ! I never before nor since felt so completely sold. I
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walked out of the wigwam, for I began to feel sea sick. Coming back into the wigwam Wapsee said "Me be sorry you feel um so bad." Putting on a bold front I said "I am feeling good," and added "I came here to learn from your own lips if in chasing bear you can drive them home to kill them. Come tell me all about it."
"Well," said the old man, "at sun-up tomorrow, me be goin' to hunt um bear. Me ready now. Here see um dis mokak (bark box)." He put his hand into it and took out three or four pounds of jerked venison and a lot of popped corn. "Now," said he, "when me find um bear track me foller im till dark, den mne lay um down and sleep um till day, sun-up. When me get hugry me eat um deer and corn. Meby foller his track two day ; then ma-kwa start um back towards im wigwam. When im get where me first find um track, me run bery fast after im. Me tire im out. He git bad tired. He find um big tree and climb um, and say 'come old Wapsey or come Mau-tchi Man-i-to (the Devil). Me can go no furder.' And Wapsey kill im close to wigwam." Remaining silent for a few moments with that stoical look peculiar to his race, he said "Yes, good many Ingun tink Manito help Wapsey drive ma-kwa near wigwam to kill um. Me tell um to foller um day and night as Wapsey do and dey will kill um ma-kwa as Wapsey do."
He then stepped outside of the wigwam, took a stick, marked out on the ground a small circle, making a number of them starting from the same point, increasing their size until the last one was very large. He then said "The small circle wa-boos (the rabbit) take when chased. Next sized circle es-si-kan (the raccoon) take. next sized circle him de wa-gosh (the fox) take. Next larger, him de ma-in-gam (the wolf) um take and next larger um suc-see (the deer) take. Next larger him ma-kwa (the bear) take. And dis longest line him mons (the moose) take. Foller track, im will go and go; you tink im neber will come back. Stick to im night and day, three times, and im will start back toward wigwam where im track am first found."
"Is it possible," I said, "that all animals will come round in that way when they are chased ? Why do they do so ?" I asked.
He replied "All me can tell is dat the Great Spirit made um so. Should dey keep goin' farder and farder away from wigwam. when killed poor Ingun would die before he got um pulled home."
I asked no more questions, accepting his version of what the Great Spirit had done for the Indians.
We slept that night between two green bear skins next to the hair. When I got up in the morning I found the old man cooking fish. He was just hauling them out of the ashes. I noticed he scaled them after they were cooked. I said "Where did you get
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your fish ?" "Me went to de lake before sun-up," he said, "and killed um." I ate them with a fair relish, as they were very soft and juicy. After eating I asked what kind of fish they were. He replied very stoically "O-nim gi-go (dog fish)."
The last time I saw old Wapsey was in July, 1893. Chief Poka- gon had just come from Chicago, where he had been a guest of the city at the World's Fair, and requested me to go with him to see Uncle Wapsey, as he called him, as he had been requested to bring him to the fair, from the fact, it had been learned, that he was the only surviving Indian who took part in the massacre of Fort Dearborn in 1812. The Chief told me the old man was one hun- dred and ten years old. Arriving at his wigwam, we found the old man smoking a big cigar he had made out of home-grown to- bacco. It was a foot long and he offered us each another. IIe seemed pleased to see the chief and he asked him "If he had killed any ma-kwa lately ?" He said "No kill um any more. Wapsey gitting bery old."
The chief began to talk to him in his native tongue. He told him he was the only Indian now living who took part in the Fort Dearborn massacre and that he had been sent to bring him to the World's Fair at Chicago. Then he asked "You took part in that massacre did you not?"
He replied "Me did."
"How old were you at that time?" inquired the chief.
The old man began to count his fingers out loud, in his native tongue, taking hold of each finger as he counted it-"Be-gig, Nig, Nis-wi, Ni-win, Na-nan, Nin-get-was-wi, Nin-gwas-wi, Nish-was-wi, Jang-as-wi, Mi-das-wi" up to ten. He then raised his hand up three times, repeating "Mi-das-wi (ten) ;" then said "Nis-si-mi- da-na Bi-bon (thirty years)."
The chief then said "You must then be certainly one hundred and ten years old ! Will you go to Chicago with us?"
He replied "Me fear to. They want to kill Wapsey."
Up to this time the old man had been walking about telling how well he felt. But now he sat down and humped up saying "Nind a-ki-we-si Nind-a-kos (I am old, I am sick). Nind be-si-ka (I can hardly crawl about )."
The chief then said "Come go with us, won't you?"
He shook his head firmly, saying "Kaw-es-so mika (No. I will not go.) Win-a-wa nish-i-we Wapsey (They will kill Wapsey). Nin-da-i-we tchi Smo-ka-man an-am-a-ka-mig (and send him to the white man's hell)."
I never saw the old man again. He passed away soon after- ward, to the happy hunting ground of his race.
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HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY Do INDIANS CRY, LAUGH OR JOKE?
I am often asked, Do Indians ever joke, cry or laugh ? They cer- tainly do just as much among themselves as we do. Get well ac- quainted with them and that stoical characteristic for which they are noted disappears almost entirely. I have known Indians in the prime of life with whom I have hunted but a few days to shed tears as they bid me "An-a-mi-ka (good-bye)." Many times I have been present when friends meet each other, taking hold of each other's right hands and grasping with their left hands each others elbows, warmly shaking each other's arms, laughing and shedding tears at the same time.
As regards joking, they are the greatest jokers of any race I have ever met and many times their jokes are very effective. Mr. Brown, a white man in this place, one morning found his axe gone. From where it was taken he found moccasin tracks. He followed them into the woods where he found an Indian cutting down a bee tree. He openly charged him with stealing his axe, saying to him "I have been told that Indians did not steal, but certainly this is my axe and you stole it." The Indian looked him square in the face saying "Yes, me steal im. No steal im before white men come, but now we am gitting cibilized !"
One of our bishops stayed all night with an Indian chief in Minnesota, and as he was about leaving in the morning to visit a distant charge with the old chief he asked, "Do you think my valise will be safe left here until our return?"
"Ob cose it will," he responded, "Not a white man lives within forty miles of here."
While I was acting as magistrate in the early days, an Indian claimed that a white neighbor had stolen his geese. He was ar- rested and brought into court. On the day of trial he brought a goose with him for evidence. He swore he had found the geese as goslings when hunting, and raised them; that they were the only domesticated wild geese in the country. He proved clearly that he had lost part of his flock, and that they were found shut up in an old smoke house where the defendant lived. The defendant's attorney from Bangor had him repeat several times how and where he got them and that there were none others like them in the country. The attorney finally faced down poor "Lo," telling him he had sworn falsely and stating to him with great pomposity, "Sir, I have a pair of geese marked exactly as the goose you brought to this court! What have you to say for yourself for the oath you have taken ?"
The Redskin looked at the lawyer as if surprised beyond measure and turning to the court said, "Me tink, him big law man, tellum
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truth. Me hab two more of dem goose stole afore dis man steal um."
It is unnecessary to state the uproar in the court room. The jury, after due deliberation, brought in a verdict of "guilty." An old man in the court room piped out "Who is guilty, the defendant or his lawyer ?"
The three following Indian legends entitled "Legend of Man's Creation," "Legend of Paw Paw and the Paw Paw Valley" and "Legend of South Haven" were published by the late Pokagon in booklets made of the manifold bark of the white birch tree. Only a few copies are now known to be in existence and they will be valu- able relics in the fututre. This is the first time any of them were ever printed on paper. They came into my possession as adminis- trator of the old chief's estate. I am indeed glad that I have the opportunity of publishing them for the perusal of the people of Van Buren county, believing they will be highly appreciated, com- ing as they do from an Indian citizen of our county who was highly educated.
ALGONQUIN LEGEND OF MAN'S CREATION
By Pokagon.
Within the inmost recess of the native soul There is a secret place, which God doth hold; And though the storms of life do war around, Yet still within, his image fixed, is found.
There is an old Pottawattamie tradition among our people, dimly seen through the mists of time, that Ki-ji Man-i-to (the Great Spirit) after he had created No-mash (the fish of the waters), bo- nes-sig (the fowls of the air) and mo-naw-to-auk (the beasts of the land), his works still failed to satisfy the grand conceptions of his soul. Hence he called a great council of Man-i-to-og (the spirits) that ruled over land and sea, his agents, and revealed unto them how it was the great desire of his heart to create a new being that should stand erect upon his hind legs, and possess the combined intelligence of all the living creatures he had made. Most of these spirits whom he had delegated to hold dominion over the earth, when they met in the grand council, encouraged his divine plans, but the head leading spiritual chiefs, when they considered the great power the proposed being might wield, quietly sneaked away from the council and held a private pow-wow of their own to frustrate, if
*Used by permission of C. H. Engle, administrator of the estate of the late Chief Pokagon.
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possible, How-waw-tock (the Almighty). The loyal Man-i-to-og who remained at the grand council stood aghast as Ki-ji Man-i-to re- vealed unto them his divine plan, that awaited the new creature he had conceived in his heart to create.
The divine council was prolonged by debate, from the set of sun until morning dawn. Ke-sus (the sun) arose in greater brilliancy than ever before. The spirits anxiously began to inquire of His Ma- jesty, how many suns and moons would pass before he could ac- complish His wonderful work? While yet the inquiry hung on "ki- o-don-o (their lips,) He said unto them "Follow me." He led them into a great wilderness to Sa-gi-i-gan, a most beautiful inland lake, and as he stood upon the shores thereof in presence of them all. His eyes flashed "Waw-saw-mo-win (lightning)." The lake began to boil; hissing streams rose high in the air; the earth trembled. He then spake in tones of thunder: "Come forth ye lords of Au-kee (the world!)" The ground opened and from out the red clay that held the lake came forth Au-ne-ne wa-ga-e i-kwe (man and woman) like flying fish from out the waters. In pres- ence of the new-born pair, all was still as death. A dark cloud hung over the lake. Again it began to boil. Again Ki-ji Man-i-to said : "Come forth, ye servants of Au-nish-naw-be!" Forth leaped at once from out waters "Ni-ji Wa-be gon O-nim-og (a pair of snow white dogs") and lay down where stood the new made pair, kissing their feet and hands. The bride and groom then each other fondly kissed, as hand in hand they stood in naked innocence in the full bloom of youth, perfect in make and mold of body and of limb. "Ki-gi-nos maw-kaw mis-taw-kaw (their long black hair)" almost reached the ground which gently waving, in "nip-nong oden (the morning breeze,)" in contrast with their rich color, grace, and forms erect, they outrivaled in beauty all other creatures he had made. They gazed all about in wonder and surprise; surveyed all living creatures that moved in sight; gazed upon the trees, the grass, the flowers, the lake, the sunshine and the shade. Again each other fondly kissed, as their eyes looked love to eyes, with no other language their feelings to express. At length I-kwe, the maiden fair, slyly let go Os-ki-naw the young man's hand, and stole away into the dark shades and hid herself that she might watch and test his love, and learn thereby if it was akin to hers. With unbounded joy she watched him as vainly he sought to find her. At length the snow-white dogs following her trail, joyfully howled out "Here she is." Now when "Mau-tchi Manito (the dis- ·loyal spiritual chiefs) " first learned that Ki-ji Manito had finished his crowning works, as he had proposed to do, they sought diligently for the new made pair until they found them. As they surveyed the beauty of their forms standing erect and their surpassing love-
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liness of body and of limb, their wonder and admiration was un- bounded. But when they saw the soul of the Divine reflected in their faces, like the noonday sun, their hearts were stung through and through by "mutchi a-mog (the cruel wasps) " of envy and jealousy, they were mortally offended. Hence they resolved in "nin-o-daw (their hearts)" that instead of trying to live in peace with them, as they had done with the first creation, they would do all they could to make them discontented, unhappy and miser- able.
As time rolled on, "O-nig-go-maw (our first parents) " and gen- erations after them began to realize there were bad and good spirits that held dominion over mountains, lakes, streams and plains, and that they were in a measure controlled by them. They also began to learn that "au-nish-naw-be" possessed the nature and intel- ligence of all the combined animal creation, and that he was en- dowed with a spiritual nature, given by the creator of all things on earth and in heaven. Hence, when they were unfortunate in securing game, or unsuccessful in battle, it was all attributed to bad spirits that held dominion over the country wherein they dwelt.
But when successful in the chase or battle it was attributed to good spirits that had control over the country in which they lived. In order to appease the bad spirits, they often made offerings of fruit and grain; but they sacrificed animals to Man-i-to Wew-quin (the God of Heaven) who alone they recognized as the great crea- tor and ruler of all things in heaven and on earth. Our fathers and mothers in their primeval state, did not name their children as do the civilized races simply that they might be known and designated by them. When a child was born whatever animal or bird they imagined it most resembled they called it by that name and, strange as it may appear to the white race, in after genera- tions those bearing the name claimed to have descended from the animal bearing their name. It might be maw-qua, wa-gos or mi- gi-si (the bear, fox, or eagle). And so it was in after generations, each tribe or clan adopted as their totem the animal whose name the patriarch of the tribe was called when a child. Sometimes, when in war, the animal was taken with them alive, but generally it was painted on a tanned hide, and used as white men use their flags. It was an emblem of royalty, as well as a symbol of loyalty, and when engaged in battle a warrior would rather die than sur- render his totem. It matters not how foolish our legends may ap- pear to those races who call themselves civilized, they were as sacred to us as holy writ to them.
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LEGEND OF PAW PAW, AND THE PAW PAW VALLEY
By Chief Pokagon .*
His was this broad and grand domain. The hills and vales, the sweep of plain, The hunting grounds, the rivers wide -- They all belonged, before he died, To Abel, my brother.
"Me-wi-ja, Me-wi-ja (Long, long time ago) " a great inland lake covered all the lands where Paw Paw village now stands, except the higher undulating lands extending as far as the village of Law- ton, and westward near to the village of Decatur. At that time the Paw Paw valley was occupied by a race of Indians who manu- factured flint arrow points and all those utensils made of flint found so profusely scattered throughout the valley. That pre- historic race is designated by the whites as the "Mound Build- ers." They must have occupied this country at least "Mi-das-wak Bi-bon (a thousand years ago)." Paw Paw river was called "Si- bi-gan (River of Lakes.)" In fact, it appears from various leg- ends that this once noted river, was a succession of small and great lakes, from source to mouth.
On the highlands just south of Paw Paw village, covering Pros- pect hill and beyond, was "Ki-tchi O-de-na (Big village of the valley)." This lake was called "Nib-i-wa (Lake of Plenty)" and supposed to be on the border-land of the spiritual kingdom, "wa-kwi (the happy hunting grounds)." Deer, moose, elk and buffalo roamed in multitudes around all its shores. Swans, geese and ducks moved like clouds over its surface, while myriads of all kinds of fish swarmed in its waters close to shore. It might well have been called the great commercial city of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Here, from the north and west, came the different tribes to exchange "sis-i-ba-kwat (maple sugar)," smoked fish, dried meats and all kinds of flint utensils then in use. The tribes also came from the east and from the south to exchange "Man- do-min and Naw-ni-maw (corn and tobacco)" for flint work, and Sis-i-ba-quat, of which large quantities were always kept in store, as sugar was generally used by many tribes in place of salt.
While O-de-na was in all its glory, receiving tribute from the surrounding tribes, it's commercial importance was suddenly cut short. One night about midnight, in the full of the moon, its in- habitants were aroused by a deep roaring sound as though a cy-
*Used by permission of C. H. Engle, administrator of the estate of the late Chief Pokagon.
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clone or earthquake was being born. The alarming sound ap- peared to be located at the west end of the lake near its outlet. A large number of the inhabitants, followed by crying children and whining dogs, started cautiously in the direction of the alarming sound. To add new fears to their imagination, all the waterfowls appeared to rise as one and circle to and fro about the lake in the utmost confusion. apparently screaming the cry of "ni-saw! (mur- der !)."
At length the outlet of the lake was reached, and to their amaze- ment they saw at a glance that the shore, which for ages had bound the lake at its outlet, had given way, and great forest trees were plunging into the abyss, with commingled rocks and masses of earth. Ever now and then a canoe with its occupant would plunge into the vortex to certain death. In dismay they returned to their village, there to await the consequences. When morning came they beheld, not "Nib-i-wa," their beautiful lake, but (where it lay the night before in all its sunset glory) a slimy mass of mud, alive with struggling, dying fish, while overhead the fowls of the air were still flying, uttering their notes of deepest sorrow. Their navy of canoes that were left unanchored the night before were swept away, and those that were tied to the shore were on dry land far from the water's edge. As the people stood on the line that marked the ancient shore, looked far out into the basin of the lake, and only saw in place of it a winding stream that, like some great serpent, was slowly moving on half concealed by mud and dying fish, they were so wrought upon by the change that they wept.
Be-mi-ba-tod-og, their fastest runners, were sent by the chief to go down the valley as far as Lake Michigan and report as soon as possible what effect the deluge of water from their lake had on those lakes farther down the stream. On the third day they re- turned saying "All the lakes in the valley below have been swept into lake Michigan. The Miami (the St. Joseph) river is dammed up at its o-don (mouth) and flowing inland forming a great lake. The big lake, three hours' travel from here, that no one could paddle round betwixt sun and sun, is gone, and the river flows through where it was; and nearly all the people who lived there are gone too.
We suffered much from decaying fish which without number were steaming in the sunshine; the stench was so bad that all animals except "chi-kog (the skunk) " fled away; and all the fowls of the air except "ka-ga-gi and an-dek (the buzzard and the crow)" had disappeared. Mountains of stone and gravel and trees appeared on every hand; nothing remains of our loved "wa- di-na (valley ) " but mud and desolation.
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