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Very many centuries ago, before
the discovery of the American continent by the white people, the
traditions of the Ottawa say they lived along the banks of one of the
largest tributaries of the St. Lawrence, now known as the Ottawa river.
The Ottawa spread over the country around the head waters of this
stream, subduing all other tribes of Indians which they happened to
encounter, except the Chippewa and
Stockbridge Indians. They have been always friendly and closely
related with these tribes, and consequently no war-club was ever raised
by either of these against the other. Their language is of the same
root, as they could quite intelligently understand each other. Their
manners and customs in every way correspond. Their legends, particularly
respecting the flood, and their belief in the Supreme Being, the great
creator of all things --Ketchi-mat-ne-do--is very much the same; also
their belief in the evil spirit, whose habitation was under the earth.
To this deity they offered sacrifices as well as to the other gods or
deities. These offerings were called in those days peace-offerings and
down-offerings. They never sacrificed flesh of animals to the evil
spirit. Their offering to this deity was parched corn pounded, then
cooked into hominy; this was sacrificed to the evil spirit, not because
they loved him, but to appease his wrath.
Although the Chippewa speak almost the same language as
the Ottawas and Stockbridge Indians, yet they seem to belong to another
family of Indians, as they are much taller than the Ottawa and
Stockbridge, and broader across the shoulders--having a full chest, very
erect and striding firmly in their walking. They were much more numerous
than the Ottawa Indians. They extended from lower Canada north-westward
up to Manitoba county. There are three kinds of Chippewa, each kind
having a different dialect. The Chippewa in Canada, around the Straits
of Mackinaw, the islands in Lake Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie, and west of
Lake Superior, are much more enlightened and intelligent, and these, we
called common Chippewa; but those on the plains further north or
northwest of Lake Superior, "the wild Chippewa;" and those on the north
side of Lake Superior going toward Hudson Bay; we called "the
Backwoodsmen." This latter race lived entirely by hunting and fishing
and endured very great hardships sometimes, particularly, when there was
scarcity of game. The Chippewa were very brave people on the war path,
and their principal foes were Sioux Indians on the plains. These were
called in the Ottawa language "Naw-do-wa-see," and in the Chippewa "Au-bwan."
The plurals are "Naw-do-wa-see-wog" and "Au-bwan-og." The "Naw-do-wa-see-wog"
are deadly enemies of the Ottawas and Chippewas, and they are the most
careless of their lives, for they taught their children from infancy not
to fear death. But the Ottawas were, however, considered as the most
ancient tribe of Indians and were called by the other tribe "their big
brother." Although they are a smaller race, in stature, then many other
tribes, they were known as the most wise and sagacious people. Every
tribe belonging to all the Algonquin family of Indians looked up to the
Ottawa for good counsel; and they were as brave as the Chippewas and
very expert on the warpath.
Every tribe of Indians has a different coat of arms, or
symbolical sign by which they are known to one another. The emblem of
the Ottawa is a moose; of the Chippewa, a sea gull; of the Backswoodsmen,
a rabbit; that of the underground tribe, to which I belong, is a species
of hawk; and that of the Seneca tribe of Indians is a crotch of a tree.
The Ottawa Indians are very nearly extinct in the state of Michigan as
there are only two or three families in the state, whose national emblem
is a moose, showing them to be descended from pure Ottawa blood; but
those who represented themselves as the Ottawa in this state are
descendants from various tribes of Indians, even some are Seneca, of the
Iroquois family--formerly deadly enemies of the Ottawa. The cause of
this mixture is by intermarriage, and by prisoners of war in former
times.
The first man who signed the treaty of 1886, one of the
Chippewa of the Grand River Indians, whose name was "Mixinene," was a
descendant of the Backwoodsmen, whose emblem was a rabbit. Therefore,
all the rest of those Chippewa who went to Washington to form a treaty
with the Government felt displeased about this matter and tried to
ignore the signature of Mixinene, because they thought that the first
signature should have been made by a pure Ottawa or a pure Chippewa,
because they had the first right to the land of Michigan. But the
"Backwoodsmen," they considered, had no claim nor title to this land
which they ceded to the Government of the United States. But the
Government did not know the difference, however,--all she wanted was the
land. So all the Chiefs of the Ottawa and Chippewa signed this said
treaty, not with free will, but by compulsion.
The tradition gives no reason why the Ottawa
continually moved towards the northwest at this early period; but it is,
however, supposed that it was on account of their deadly enemies, the
Iroquois of New York, as they were continually at war with the six
nations of Indians. Quite often, the Iroquois would attack them, but the
tradition says that in almost every battle the Ottawa would come out
victorious over the Iroquois. The Ottawa too, in retaliation, would go
to the Iroquois country to scalp some of the Iroquois; then have their
jubilees over these scalps by feasting and dancing around them. At this
stage of their existence they were an exceedingly fierce and warlike
people, not only contending with these tribes, but also with many others
out west and south, even to the
Choctaw and
Cherokee country and to the Flatheads, Sioux Indians and the
Underground race of people out west.
As the Ottawa continued moving up on this beautiful
stream of water, they at last came to a large lake, the head waters of
the river. The surrounding scenery of the lake was most surprisingly
beautiful. They immediately named this lake Ke-tchi-ne-bissing, which
name it bears to this day. Here the Ottawa concluded to stop and occupy
the surrounding country. Therefore, they pitched their tents and formed
a great village. They continued to reside around the lake for untold
ages. And here too they had many hard battles with the Iroquois; but the
Iroquois were not able to conquer them or drive them from the country.
But at last the Ottawa became discontented with the place. They
concluded that the place was haunted by some presiding deity who was not
favorable to them. They probably obtained this idea through having
sometimes great disasters in war with the Iroquois at this place. I will
here relate an incident which happened to the Ottawa at about this time,
and which was the origin of their belief that the deity of the place was
unfavorable to them. It may be considered as purely fictitious, but
every Ottawa and Chippewa to this day believes it to have actually
occurred.
A woman went down to the beach of lake
Ke-tchi-ne-bissing to wash some of her clothing, taking along her infant
child, which was tied up on a board, according to the fashion of the
Indians. When she reached the beach, she set her child down very near
the edge of the water that it might watch its mother while at work. Her
wigwam stood not far from the lake, and in a few moments she ran to it
for something. On her return to the spot she was terribly surprised not
to find her child where she had left it but a few minutes before. She
ran frantically through the village, crying and screaming, and saying
that some one had stolen her baby. A few days after this, two lovers sat
upon the top of the highest hillock which stood back of the village.
While they were talking very much love to each other, they heard an
infant crying bitterly, in the ground directly under them. Every one who
heard the report said at once that it must be the same baby who was
mysteriously missing on the beach a few days before. The next day all
the magicians were called together and requested to divine this mystery.
Some went and put themselves into the state of clairvoyance, which was a
very common practice among the Ottawa and Chippewa within my time, and
is still practiced to-day where there is no Christianity predominating
among the Indians. Other magicians built themselves lodges in which to
call their favorite spirits in order to commune with them. This, which
we might call Spiritualism, was practiced among the Indians much as
among the whites at the present day. The form of these lodges was like a
tower in circular form built with long poles set deep in the ground ten
or twelve feet high, then covered tight all around with canvass or skins
of animals, except the top is left open. Now the magician or the
performer comes with the little flat magician's rattle like a
tambourine. They always build a fire close to the lodge so that the
attendants and spectators could light their pipes, as they generally
smoke much during the performance. The magician sits by the fire also,
and begins to talk to the people, telling them that he could call up
various spirits, even the spirit of those who are yet living in the
world, and that they should hear them and ask them any questions they
wish. After which he begins to sing a peculiar song which scarcely any
one could understand. Then he either goes into the lodge by crawling
under, or sits out side with the rest of the audience, and simply throws
something of his wear in the lodge--his blanket or his robe or coat. And
immediately the lodge begins to tremble, appearing to be full of wind.
Then voices of various kinds are heard from top to bottom, some speaking
in unknown tongues, and when the spectators ask any questions they would
receive replies sometimes with unknown tongues, but among the spirits
there is always a special interpreter to make known what other spirits
says.
After the magicians had finished their incantations,
one of them, whom they thought greatest of all, went down to the beach
to the place where the child had been missing. The water was very deep
there along the beach quite close to the shore. He plunged in the lake
and was gone under water for a long time. At last he came up and
reported that he had discovered a doorway under deep water for a passage
which seemed to lead toward the top of the hill. He believed through
this passage the child was conveyed to the top of the hill by some evil
monster, and all the rest of the magicians agreed with this opinion.
Therefore, they returned to their village to hold another council and
they concluded to dig down wherever the magicians would direct and try
to find the passage. They found the passage after making a very deep
hole which to this day is said to be yet visible at Ke-tchi-ne-bissing.
While they were digging, two supernatural monsters ran out of the place;
and at last at the top of the hill they found a cavern where the dead
form of the child was discovered.
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