USA > Michigan > Chippewa County > History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan; a grammar of their language, and personal and family history of the author > Part 2
USA > Michigan > Ottawa County > History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan; a grammar of their language, and personal and family history of the author > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
17
INDIANS OF MICHIGAN.
Great Spirit, as such wicked monsters ought to be killed from off the earth; as this white man came to the Indian's wigwam in the dead of night, and dragged the mother of his children from his very bosom for licentious purpose. He remonstrated, but his re- monstrances were not heeded, as this ruffian was encouraged by others who stood around his wigwam, and ready to fall upon this poor Indian and help their fellow-ruffian; and he therefore stabbed the principal party, in defence of his beloved wife, for which cause the white man died. If an Indian should go to the white man's house and commit that crime, he would be killed ; and what man is there who would say that is too bad, this In- dian to be killed in that manner ? But every man will say amen, only he ought to have been tortured before he was killed; and let the man who killed this bad and wicked Indian be rewarded ! This is what would be the result if the Indian would have done the same thing as this white man did.
The Ottawas and Chippewas were quite virtuous in their prim- itive state, as there were no illegitimate children reported in our old traditions. But very lately this evil came to exist among the Ottawas-so lately that the second case among the Ottawas of Arbor Croche is yet living. And from that time this evil came to be quite frequent, for immorality has been introduced among these people by evil white persons who bring their vices into the tribes.
In the former times or before the Indians were christianized, when a young man came to be a fit age to get married, he did not trouble himself about what girl he should have for his wife; but the parents of the young man did this part of the business When the parents thought best that their son should be separated from their family by marriage, it was their business to decide what woman their son should have as his wife; and after se- lecting some particular girl among their neigbors, they would make up quite large package of presents and then go to the pa- rents of the girl and demand the daughter for their son's wife,
18
THE OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA
at the same time delivering the presents to the parents of the girl. If the old folks say yes, then they would fetch the girl right along to their son and tell him, We have brought this girl as your wife so long as you live; now take her, cherish her, and be kind to her so long as you live. The young man and girl did not dare to say aught against it, as it was the law and custom amongst their people, but all they had to do was to take each other as man and wife. This was all the rules and ceremony of getting married in former times among the Ottawas and Chippewas of Michigan : they must not marry their cousins nor second cousins.
19
INDIANS OF MICHIGAN.
CHAPTER III.
Earliest Possible Known History of Mackinac Island-Its Historical Definition-Who Resided at the Island-Massacre at the Island by Senecas-Where the Ottawas were Living at That Time- Only Two Escape the Massacre-What Became of Them-The Legends of the Two Who Escaped-Occupants of the Island After- wards-Who Killed Warrior Tecumseh ?
Again, most every historian, or annalist so-called, who writes about the Island of Mackinac and the Straits and vicinity, tells us that the definition or the meaning of the word " Michilimack- inac" in the Ottawa and Chippewa language, is "large turtle," derived from the word Mi-she-mi-ki-nock in the Chippewa lan- guage. That is, "Mi-she " as one of the adnominals or adjectives in the Ottawa and Chippewa languages, which would signify tremendous in size ; and " Mikinock " is the name of mud turtle -meaning, therefore, "monstrous large turtle," as the historians would have it. But we consider this to be a clear error. Where- ever those annalists, or those who write about the Island of Mackinac, obtain their information as to the definition of the word Michilimackinac, I don't know, when our tradition is so direct and so clear with regard to the historical definition of that word, and is far from being derived from the word " Michimiki- nock," as the historians have told us. Our tradition says that when the Island was first discovered by the Ottawas, which was some time before America was known as an existing country by the white man, there was a small independent tribe, a remnant race of Indians who occupied this island, who became confeder- ated with the Ottawas when the Ottawas were living at Mani- toulin, formerly called Ottawa Island, which is situated north of Lake Huron. The Ottawas thought a good deal of this unfortu- nate race of people, as they were kind of interesting sort of peo-
20
THE OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA
ple; but, unfortunately, they had most powerful enemies, who every now and then would come among them to make war with them. Their enemies were of the Iroquois of New York. There- fore, once in the dead of the winter while the Ottawas were having a great jubilee and war dances at their island, now Mani- toulin, on account of the great conquest over the We-ne-be-goes of Wisconsin, of which I will speak more fully in subsequent chapters, during which time the Senecas of New York, of the Iroquois family of Indians, came upon the remnant race and fought them, and almost entirely annihilated them. But two es- caped to tell the story, who effected their escape by flight and by hiding in one of the natural caves at the island, and therefore that was the end of this race. And according to our understand- ing and traditions the tribal name of those disastrous people was " Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go," which is still existing to this day as a monument of their former existence; for the Ottawas and Chip- pewas named this little island " Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong" for me- morial sake of those their former confederates, which word is the locative case of the Indian noun "Michinemackinawgo." Therefore, we contend, this is properly where the name Michili- mackinac is originated.
This is the earliest possible history of this little Island, as I have related, according to the Ottawa traditions; and from that time forward there have been many changes in its history, as other tribes of Indians took possession of the island, such as the Hurons and Chippewas; and still later by the whites-French, English, and Americans ; and numbers of battles have been fought from time to time there, by both Indians and whites, of which I need not relate as other historians have already given us the accounts of them. But only this I would relate, because I have never yet seen the account of it: It is related in our traditions that at the time when the Chippewas occupied the island they ceded it to the United States Government, but reserved a strip of land all around the island as far as a stone throw from its water's
21
INDIANS OF MICHIGAN.
edge as their encampment grounds when they might come to the island to trade or for other business.
Perhaps the reader would like to know what became of those two persons who escaped from the lamented tribe Mishinemacki- nawgoes. I will here give it just as it is related in our traditions, although this may be considered, at this age, as a fictitious story ; but every Ottawa and Chippewa to this day believes it to be posi- tively so. It is related that the two persons escaped were two young people, male and female, and they were lovers. After everything got quieted down, they fixed their snow-shoes invert- ed and crossed the lake on the ice, as snow was quite deep on the ice, and they went towards the north shore of Lake Huron. The object of inverting their snow-shoes was that in case any person should happen to come across their track on the ice, their track would appear as if going towards the island. They became so disgusted with human nature, it is related, that they shunned every mortal being, and just lived by themselves, selecting the wildest part of the country. Therefore, the Ottawas and Chip- pewas called them " Paw-gwa-tchaw-nish-naw-boy." The last time they were seen by the Ottawas, they had ten children-all boys, and all living and well. And every Ottawa and Chippewa be- lieves to this day that they are still in existence and roaming in the wildest part of the land, but as supernatural beings-that is, they can be seen or unseen, just as they see fit to be; and some- times they simply manifested themselves as being present by throwing a club or a stone at a person walking in a solitude, or by striking a dog belonging to the person walking; and some. times by throwing a club at the lodge, night or day, or hearing their footsteps walking around the wigwam when the Indians would be camping out in an unsettled part of the country, and the dogs would bark, just as they would bark at any strange per- son approaching the door. And sometimes they would be tracked on snow by hunters, and if followed on their track, however re- cently passed, they never could be overtaken. Sometimes when
22
THE OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA
an Indian would be hunting or walking in solitude, he would suddenly be seized with an unearthly fright, terribly awe strick- en, apprehending some great evil. He feels very peculiar sensa- tion from head to foot -- the hair of his head standing and feeling stiff like a porcupine quill. He feels almost benumbed with fright, and yet he does not know what it is; and looking in every direction to see something, but nothing to be seen which might cause sensation of terror. Collecting himself, he would then say, "Pshaw! its nothing here to be afraid of. It's nobody else but Paw-gwa-tchaw-nish-naw-boy is approaching me. Perhaps he wanted something of me." They would then leave something on their tracks-tobacco, powder, or something else. Once in a great while they would appear, and approach the person to talk with him, and in this case, it is said, they would always begin with the sad story of their great catastrophe at the Island of Mack- inac. And whoever would be so fortunate as to meet and see them and to talk with them, such person would always become a prophet to his people, either Ottawa or Chippewa. Therefore, Ottawas and Chippewas called these supernatural beings "Paw- gwa-tchaw-nish-naw-boy," which is, strictly, "Wild roaming super- natural being."
Pine river country, in Charlevoix County, Michigan, when this country was all wild, especially near Pine Lake, was once con- sidered as the most famous resort of these kind of unnatural be- ings. I was once conversing with one of the first white settlers of that portion of the country, who settled near to the place now called Boyne City, at the extreme end of the east arm of Pine Lake. In the conversation he told me that many times they had been frightened, particularly during the nights, by hearing what sound- ed like human footsteps around outside of their cabin; and their dog would be terrified, crouching at the doorway, snarling and growling, and sometimes fearfully barking. When daylight came, the old man would go out in order to discover what it was or if he could track anything around his cabin, but he never could dis-
23
INDIANS OF MICHIGAN.
cover a track of any kind. These remarkable, mischievous, aud- ible, fanciful, appalling apprehensions were of very frequent occurrence before any other inhabitants or settlers came near to his place; but now, they do not have such apprehensions since many settlers came.
That massacre of Mishinimackinawgoes by Seneca Indians of New York happened probably more than five or six hundred years ago. I could say much more which would be contradictory of other writers of the history of the Indians in this country. Even in the history of the United States I think there are some mistakes concerning the accounts of the Indians, particularly the accounts of our brave Tecumseh, as it is claimed that he was killed by a soldier named Johnson, upon whom they conferred the honor of having disposed of the dreaded Tecumseh. Even pictured out as being coming up with his tomahawk to strike a man who was on horseback, but being instantly shot dead with the pistol. Now I have repeatedly heard our oldest Indians, both male and female, who were present at the defeat of the British and Indians, all tell a unanimous story, saying that they came to a clearing or opening spot, and it was there where Tecumseh ordered his warriors to rally and fight the Americans once more, and in this very spot one of the American musket balls took effect in Tecumseh's leg so as to break the bone of his leg, that he could not stand up. He was sitting on the ground when he told his warriors to flee as well as they could, and fur- thermore said, "One of my leg is shot off! But leave me one or two guns loaded; I am going to have a last shot. Be quick and go!" That was the last word spoken by Tecumseh. As they look back, they saw the soldiers thick as swarm of bees around where Tecumseh was sitting on the ground with his broken leg, and so they did not see him any more; and, therefore, we always believe that the Indians or Americans know not who made the fatal shot on Tecumseh's leg, or what the soldiers did with him when they came up to him as he was sitting on the ground.
24
THE OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA
CHAPTER IV.
The Author's Reasons for Recording the History of His People, and Their Language-History of His Nationality-A Sketch of His Father's History-How the Indians Were Treated in Manitoba Country One Hundred Years Ago-His Father's Banishment to Die on a Lonely Island by the White Traders-Second Misfortune of the Ottawas on Account of the Shawanee Prophet-The Earth- quake.
The Indian tribes are continually diminishing on the face of this continent. Some have already passed entirely out of exist- ence and are forgotten, who once inhabited this part of the coun- try; such as the Mawsh-ko-desh, Urons, Ossaw-gees-who for- merly occupied Saw-gi-naw-bay; and the Odaw gaw-mees, whose principal habitation was about the vicinity of Detroit River. They are entirely vanished into nothingness. Not a single page of their history can be found on record in the history of this country, or hardly an allusion to their existence. My own race, once a very numerous, powerful and warlike tribe of Indians, who proudly trod upon this soil, is also near the end of existence. In a few more generations they will be so intermingled with the Caucasian race as to be hardly distinguished as descended from the Indian nations, and their language will be lost. I myself was brought up in a pure Indian style, and lived in a wigwam, and have partaken of every kind of the wild jubilees of my peo- ple, and was once considered one of the best "Pipe " dancers of the tribe. But when nearly grown up, I was invited by a travel- ing Protestant Missionary, whose name was Alvin Coe, to go home with him to the State of Ohio, with the assurance that he would give me a good education like the white man, and the idea struck me that I could be really educated and be able to converse with the white people. And although at that time (in the fall of
25
INDIANS OF MICHIGAN.
1840) I missed the opportunity, the idea was never after off of my mind. So some time afterwards I started out voluntarily to obtain an education; and I had nearly succeeded in completing my professional studies when I called away to come home and look after my aged father, in 1850. And now I have four chil- dren, but not one of them can speak the Indian language. And every one of the little Indian urchins who are now running about in our town can speak to each other quite fluently in the English language; but I am very sorry to add that they have also learned profanity like the white children. For these reasons it seems de- sirable that the history of my people should not be lost, like that of other tribes who.previously existed in this country, and who have left no record of their ancient legends and their traditions.
Before proceeding to record the history of the Ottawas of the State of Michigan, to whom I am immediately connected in their common interests and their future destinies, I propose to re- hearse in a summary manner my nationality and family history. Our tradition says that long ago, when the Ottawa tribes of In- dians used to go on a warpath either towards the south or towards the west, even as far as to the Rocky Mountains, on one of these expeditions towards the Rocky Mountains my remote ancestors were captured and brought to this country as prisoners of war. But they were afterwards adopted as children of the Ottawas, and intermarried with the nation in which they were captives. Sub- sequently these captives' posterity became so famous among the Ottawas on account of their exploits and bravery on the warpath and being great hunters that they became closely connected with the royal families, and were considered as the best counselors, best chieftains and best warriors among the Ottawas. Thus I am not regularly descendad from the Ottawa nations of Indians, but I am descended, as tradition says, from the tribe in the far west known as the Underground race of people. They were so called on account of making their habitations in the ground by making holes large enough for dwelling purposes. It is related that they
26
THE OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA
even made caves in the ground in which to keep their horses every night to prevent them from being stolen by other tribes who were their enemies. It is also related that they were quite an intelligent class of people. By cultivating the soil they raised corn and other vegetables to aid in sustaining life beside hunting and fishing. They were entirely independent, having their own government and language, and possessing their own national em- blem which distinguished them as distinct and separate from all other tribes. This symbolical ensign of my ancestors was repre- sented by a species of small hawk, which the Ottawas called the "Pe-pe-gwen." So we were sometimes called in this country in which we live the "Pe-pe-gwen tribe," instead of the "Under- grounds." And it was customary among the Ottawas, that if any one of our number, a descendant of the Undergrounds, should commit any punishable crime, all the Pe-pe-gwen tribe or de- scendants of the Undergrounds would be called together in a grand council and requested to make restitution for the crime or to punish the guilty one, according to the final decision of the council.
There were several great chieftains of the Undergrounds among the Ottawas who were living within my time, and some are here mentioned who were most known by the American people, par- ticularly during the war with Great Britain in 1812. Most of these chieftains were my own uncles. One was called Late Wing, who took a very active part for the cause of the United States in the war of 1812, and he was a great friend to Governor Lewis Cass of Michigan. Wing was pensioned for life for his good services to the United States. He was one of my father's own brothers. Shaw-be-nee was an uncle of mine on my mother's side, who also served bravely for the United States in the war of 1812. He traveled free all over the United States during his lifetime. This privilege was granted to him by the Government of the United States for his patriotism and bravery. He died in the State of Illinois about twenty years ago from this writing, and a monu-
27
INDIANS OF MICHIGAN.
ment was raised for him by the people in that State. Wa-ke-zoo was another great chieftain who died before my time in the country of Manitoba, out north. He was also one of my father's brothers. It is related that he was also a prophet and a great magician.
My own dear father was one of the head chiefs at Arbor Croche, now called Middle Village or Good Heart, which latter name was given at my suggestion by the Postoffice Department at Washington. My father died in June, 1861. His Indian name was Macka-de-pe-nessy,* which means Black Hawk ; but somehow it has been mistranslated into Blackbird, so we now go by this latter name. My father was a very brave man. He has led his warriors several times on the warpath, and he was noted as one who was most daring and adventurous in his younger days. He stayed about twenty years in the country of Manitoba with his brother Wa-ke-zoo, among other tribes of Indians and white fur-traders in that section of the country. Many times he has grappled with and narrowly escaped from the grizzly bear and treacherous buffalo which were then very numerous in that por- tion of the country. This was about one hundred years ago. He has seen there things that would be almost incredible at this pres- ent age : liquor sold to the Indians measured with a woman's thimble, a thimbleful for one dollar; one wooden coarse comb for two beaver skins; a double handful of salt for one beaver skin-and so on in proportion in everything else; the poor In- dian had to give pile upon pile of beaver skins, which might be worth two or three hundred dollars, for a few yards of flimsy cloth. Englishmen and Frenchman who went there expressly to traffic with the Indians, generally started from Quebec and Mont- real, leaving their families at home; but so soon as they reached this wild country, they would take Indian wives. When they left the country, they would leave their Indian wives and chil-
* This name is written variously, the letters d, b, t, and p, being considered identical in the Ottawa language .- [ED.
28
THE OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA
dren there to shift for themselves. Consequently there are in this region thousands of half breeds, most beautiful men and beautiful women, but they are as savage as the rest of the In- dians. No white man there ever told these poor Indians anything about Christianity, but only added unto them their degradations and robbed them.
My father was once there left to perish on a lonely island by the fur traders, not because he had done any crime, but simply from inhuman cruelty and disregard of Indians by these white men. He was traveling with these traders from place to place in a long bark canoe, which was the only means of conveyance on the water in those days. It appears that there were two parties, and two of these long bark canoes were going in the same direc- tion, one of which my father was paddling for them. He was not hired, but simply had joined them in his travels. But these two parties were thrown into a great quarrel about who should have my father to paddle their canoe. Therefore they landed on this little island expressly to fight amongst themselves; and after fighting long and desperately, they left my poor father on this little island to die, for they concluded that neither of them should take him into their canoe. He was left to die! What must be the feelings of this poor Indian, to whom life was as sweet as to any human creature ? What revenge should he take upon those traders ? He had a gun, which he leveled at them as they started off in their canoes. His fingers were on the trigger, when sud- denly a thought flashed across his mind-"Perhaps the Great Spirit will be displeased." So he dropped his gun, and raised a fervent prayer to the Almighty Ruler for deliverance from this awful situation. After being several days on this little island, when almost dying from starvation, fortunately deliverance came. He spied a small canoe with two persons in it within hail. They came and took him off from his dying situation. It was an In- dian woman with her little son who happened to travel in that direction who saved my father's life.
29
INDIANS OF MICHIGAN.
From this time hence my father lost all confidence in white men, whatever the position or profession of the white man might be, whether a priest, preacher, lawyer, doctor, merchant, or com- mon white man. He told us to beware of them, as they all were after one great object, namely, to grasp the world's wealth. And in order to obtain this, they would lie, steal, rob, or murder, if it need be; therefore he instructed us to beware how the white man would approach us with very smooth tongue, while his heart is full of deceit and far from intending to do us any good.
He left Manitoba country about 1800, or about the time when the Shawanee prophet, " Waw-wo-yaw-ge-she-maw," who was one of Tecumseh's own brothers, sent his emissaries to preach to the Ottawas and Chippewas in the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan, who advised the Ottawas and Chippewas to confess their sins and avow their wrongs and go west, and there to wor- ship the Great Spirit according to the old style as their forefathers did,* and to abandon everything else which the white man had introduced into the tribes of Indians, to abandon even the mode of making fire, which was by flint and steel, and to start their fires by friction between the two pieces of dry wood as their fore- fathers made their fires before the white people came to this country, and to eat no flesh of domestic animals, but to eat noth- ing but wild game, and use their skins for their wearing apparel and robes as the Great Spirit designed them to be when He cre- ated them. He taught them that the Great Spirit was angry with them because they conformed to the habits of the white man, and that if they did not believe and practice the old habits, the Great Spirit would shake the earth as an evidence that he tells them the truth. A great many Ottawas believed and went far west accordingly. And it happened about this time the earth did
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.