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 SIHIAW ' SHAW WA J»i«' Jf/i SB _ 'JV'^ h''/,<-» 
 
 
^p^*^^^ 
 
 NARliATIVE 
 
 ov 
 
 THE CAPTIVITY AND ADVENTUUES 
 
 OF 
 
 JOHN TANNER, 
 
 1 IT. S. INTKnPHETER AT THE SAUT DE STE. MARIE. ) 
 
 DURIXfi 
 
 THIRTY YEARS RESIDENCE AMONG THE INDIANS 
 
 ):j the 
 
 INTERIOR OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 PREPARED FOR THE PBE&3 
 
 BY EDWIN JAMES, IW. D. 
 
 ' .* ■ 
 
 Editor of an Account of Major Long-'s Expedition from Piltaburgli 
 to the Rocky Muuntaine. 
 
 NEW-YORK : 
 
 G. 4 C. A II. CARVILL, 108 BROADWAY 
 
 1830. 
 
 tm 
 
wm^- ii Htf^ ^- 
 
 Southern DislrkI of Netje-York, ss. 
 
 BE IT REMKMBKRKD, Thai on tlic mnfh day of April, A. D. 1830, in the fift}-- 
 fourtli ypar of the ImleptindiMicc ol' the tJnitml States of Amnrica, G. & C. & H. Cnrvill, 
 of the said disliict, have dojiosited in this otlice llie title of a Ixiok, the right whereof 
 they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit : — 
 
 A Narrative of the Captivity and Adventures of John Tanner, (U. S. Interpreter at the 
 Sant de Stc Marie,) during tJiiirty years residcnr* among the Indiajis in the interior of 
 North America. Prepan^ for the press by Edwin James, M. D Editor of an Account of 
 Major Long's Expedition from Pittsl)\irgh totlie Rocky Mountains," 
 
 In confoimity to tlie Act of the Congress of the United StaU-s, entitled, "An A'U for the en- 
 couragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Chans, and Books, to the 
 authors and proprietors of such copies, during the time therein mentioned." And also to 
 an Act, entitled, " An Act, supplementary to an Act, entitled, an Act for the encourage- 
 ment of I>Miriiing, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and 
 proprietors of sijcli copies, during the times therein mentioned, and ext<?nding the benefits 
 thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." 
 
 FRED. J. BETTS, 
 aierk of the. Southern District of Ncm-York 
 
 
 7 / 
 
^^ft^'*'^^ 
 
 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 
 
 John Tanner, wlioso life and adventures are detailed in the 
 followinaf pngei^, is now almut lilty years of age. His per !u is 
 erect and rather robust, indicating great I tardiness, activit , find 
 strength, whicii, however, his numerous ex}^)osures and suller- 
 ings have deeply impaired. His face, which was originally 
 rather handsome, l)ears now numerous traces of tliought and 
 passion, as well as of age ; his quick and piercing blue eyes?, 
 besj)eak the stern, the violent, and uncontjuerable spiri), which 
 rendered him an ol)iect of fear to many of the Indians- while he- 
 remained among them, and which still, in some measure, dis- 
 qnaiilies him for tiiat submissive and compliant manner which 
 his dependent situation among the whites renders necessary. 
 Carefully instructed in early youth, in all those principles and 
 mavims which constitute the moral code of the unsophisticated 
 and uncorrupted Indian, his ideas of right and wrong, of ho- 
 nourable and dishonourable, dill'er, of course, very essentially 
 from those of white men. His isolated . d friendless situation, 
 iu the midst of a community where the right of private warfare 
 is lecognized as almost the oidy defence of individual posses- 
 sions, the only barrier between man and man, was certainly in 
 the higliest degree unfavourable to the formation of th;it en- 
 during iiid patient submissiveness, which, in civili/ed scxMetiep, 
 surrenders so great a share of individual rights to the strong 
 guanlianship of the law. Accordingly, to a correct sense of na- 
 tin'al justice, he unites a hill share of that indomitable and un 
 tiring spirit of revenge, so prominent in the Indian character. 
 The circumstimces into which he has l3een thrown, among a 
 wild and lawless race, have taught him to consider himself in 
 all situiUinns, the avenger of his own »|uarrel ; and if, in the 
 better reguLfrCil comtiiLUiity into which he has been recently 
 
 

 4 
 
 TANNERS KARRATIVK. 
 
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 tlra\vn, he lias, 1)y llie consciousnesrf of aggiavaf etl insult, ov in- 
 tolerable oppression, been driven «o seek redress, or to propose 
 it to himself, we cannot be snrprised that he slioiild have recur- 
 red to the method, which long habit, tnid the paranionnt influ- 
 ence of established custom, have tiuight him to consider the 
 oidy honourable and proper one. He returns to the pale of ci- 
 vilization, too late in life to acquire the mental habits which 
 befit his new situation. It is to be regretted, that he should 
 ever meet among us with those so destitute of generosity, as to 
 he wiUuig to take advantage of his unavoidable ignorance of 
 the usages of civihzed society. He has ever been found just 
 and generous, until injuries or insidts have aroused the spirit of 
 hatred and revenge; his gratitude has always been is ardent 
 and persevering as his resentment. But it would be superllu- 
 ons to dwell on the features of his character, whicii art; bej^t dis- 
 played in his narrative of those events and scenes, to which he 
 might, with so much propriety, apply (he liackneyed motto. 
 
 «]ua;que ipse miserrima vkli, 
 Et quorum pars magna lui. 
 
 The preceding remarks would not, perhaps, have been ha- 
 zarded, had not some harsh impntations been made to rest on 
 lire character of our narrator, in the distiict where he has for 
 .some tinie past residetl, in consequence of differences growing, 
 as appears to us, entirely out of the circumstance of tbe Indian 
 character, Avith nifmy of its prominent peculiarities, being inde- 
 libly impressed upon him. However such a character may, 
 under any circumstances, excite our disapprobation or dislike, 
 pome indnlgence is duo where, as in this case, the solitary sa- 
 Aage, with his own liabits and opinions, is brought into contact 
 with the artificial manners and complicated institutions of ci- 
 ■\ ilized men. 
 
 In an attempt to aid this unfortunate individual in addressing 
 his countrymen, it seemed desirable to give his narrative, as 
 nearly as possible, in his own words, and with his own nwrnner. 
 The narrator himself is not without a share of that kind of elo- 
 quence which we meet with among the Indians ; but. as this 
 
^Hfi^^^'^W 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
 lANXF.RS NAURATlVi:. 
 
 5 
 
 coiiiikis more in action, eiupliusiis, iuid tlic oxi)re-s;ion of tlie 
 countenance, (hail in words and sentences, lie. lias Ixmmi followed 
 in the style of the humblest narralion. This plainness, it is 
 hoped, will render the history little less acceptable to the. general 
 rca<ler, while the philosophic inquirer will nndoiihlcdlv prefer 
 to trace, in the simple -t possible it'ui-e. the operation.- of a mind 
 subjected for so long a time to the inlluenr-e of all the circnni- 
 stances peculiar to savage life. It ouyht to be distinctly mider- 
 
 it stands 
 
 ithout 
 
 Htood, that his whole story was given as it stands, wi 
 liints, suggestions, leading (picstions, or advice of any kind, 
 other than " to conceal nothing." The sentiments expressed, 
 in relation to the clwuacter and conduct of individuals on the 
 frontiers, or in the Indian country, or on other subjects connect- 
 ed with tiie condition of the Indians, are exclusively his own. 
 One liberty it has been found necessary to take, namely, to 
 retrench or altogether to omit many details of hunting adven- 
 tures, of travelling, and other events, which in the sini[)le lives 
 of the Indians have oidy a moderate share of importance, but 
 on which, in the lack of other matter, they learn to dwell very 
 much at length in those long narrative conversations with 
 which it is their hal)it to amuse each other, it is probable 
 the narrator might have pro\cd more acceptable to many of his 
 readers, had this retrenchment been carried to a greater extent; 
 but it is to he remembered, that the life of the savage, hke that 
 of the civilized man, is made up of a succession of little oc- 
 currences, each unimportant by itself, but which require to be. 
 estimated in making up an opinion of the character of either. 
 Some particulars in Mr. Tanner's narrali\e will douittless 
 cxcile a degree of incredulity, among such a< have never 
 attended particularly to the history and condition of tlie Indian 
 tribes. Many will find their confidence in him mu( '. ,7 paired, 
 wlien he tells of prophetic drt;anH, and of the fulfilnie.it of in- 
 dications, and promises, neces.sarily implying the interference 
 of invisible and spiritual beings. Ke will appear to some, 
 weakly credulous — toothers, stupidly dishonest ; — so would any 
 one among us, who should gravely relate tales, which tlie ad- 
 
 1* 
 
 - ,11 
 
 /. 
 
 /? 
 
6 
 
 TANNF.B'S NAKUATIVlu. 
 
 r T 
 
 vatice of education, and the frcneial intelligence, have, within 
 two centuries, converted from estahlished doctrines, to " old 
 wives fiihles." To ejiforce tins rentnrk, wo need not refer to 
 the exumples of Cotton Muthci, and others of his times, not 
 less renowned for luunan learnints', 'haii for exemplary piety. 
 The history of the human mind in all ajres, and among all 
 nations, alli)rds ahimdant examples of credulity ; ch»sely re- 
 seinl»ling that which we feel disposed to ridicule or to pity in 
 the savaije. It may he of sonii' importance toward a clear 
 comprehension ol the lu ian character, to he nssur.Ml that the. 
 powerful mind of our narrator, was at all times stmngly 
 influenced hy a belief in the uhii|uity, anil frer|uent interposi- 
 (ions in tlie affairs of men, of an over-ruling Providence, His 
 may have been a |)urer and more consistent Theism, than 
 that of many of his untaught companions, but in nian\' im- 
 portant particulars his belief was the same as theirs. If he was 
 less entirely than his Indiiiii associates the dupe of those crafty 
 prophets, who are constantly springing up among them : yet 
 it will l)e found he had not, atall times, entire confidence in the 
 decisions of his own uiind, which tan<rht him to despise their 
 knavery, and to ridicule their preteusinus. In all times of 
 severe distress, or of uruent danger, the [iidiaii<, like other men. 
 are accustomed to supplicate aid from superior beings, and 
 they are often confideni that a gracious answer has been grant- 
 ed to their petitions. 'IMiis belief need not shock the pious ; 
 as it certainly will not appear in any respect remarkable to 
 those who have accustomed themsehes to close observance of 
 the workings of the human iiiind, under all variations of cir- 
 cumstances. We !)elieve there is nothins; inconsistent with 
 true reli<rion,or sound reason, in supposinsr that the same Lord 
 ovcr all, is gracious uvto all who worship him in f^incerity. 
 It will be manifest also, that this inherent principle of ::'Ii£rious 
 feeling is made the instrument, by which superior minds 
 govern and inlluence the weaker. Among the Indians, as 
 among all other races, from the times of tiie philos<i|»bic leader 
 of the lietrent of (he Ten Tiuiusand. to the [)resont day, reli- 
 
 I. i 
 
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 K-s. 
 
 , •?.,- 
 
TANNKRS iNARKATIVi;. 
 
 '* ^m&-^ 
 
 gioii has hceu an ei inc in the liands of the few, vvlio in vir- 
 tue of intellectual or accidental superiority, assume the right to 
 govern the nmny. 
 
 Doubtless inany of the representations in the foilowinsr nar- 
 rative, are somewhat iiilluenced by pcculiiirities in the mental 
 constitution, and the accidental tircunistances of the narr;itor ; 
 yet making all admissil)le allowances, they present but a 
 gloomy picture of the condition of uncivilized men. Having 
 acquired some idea of those things considered most reprehen- 
 sible among us, it would be siupiising if he should not have 
 felt some reluctance to giving an explicit detail of all his ad- 
 ventures, in a conununity whose modes of thinking are ou 
 many subjects so dillerent from ours. Traits, wliich nnist in 
 our estimation constitute great blemishes, he has freely con- 
 fessed ; whether other or greater faults remain nndivulyed is 
 unknown ; but it should not be forgotten, that actions consiiler- 
 ed among us not only reprehensible, but highly ciiminal, arc 
 among them accounted sinning virtues, in no part of hid 
 narrative will he probably appear in a more unfavourable light, 
 than when he details his severity to an unfortunate captive 
 girl, througli whose negligence his lodge, and all his little pro- 
 perty, was consumed by fire, in the midst of winter. Tliis 
 kind of cruelty, as well as the abandonment of the sick, the 
 aged, and the dying, practised so extensively by the ( 'hippe- 
 wyans, and other northern Indian^, and more or less by all 
 the tribes, remind us, how nuich even in what seem spontane- 
 ous and natural courtesies, we owe to the infiuence of civili- 
 zation. The conduct of the Jndians in all these cases, how- 
 ever we may see fit to call it, is certainly not unnatural, being 
 ill strict and implicit obedience to that impulse of nature, which 
 prompts so irresistibly to self-preservation. How admirable is 
 that complicated machinery wliich in so many instances avails 
 to overcome and control this impulse — which postpones the 
 interest, the happiness, or the life of the individual, to tlie good 
 of the associated whole ! 
 
 The sketch which the follov^ring narrative exhibits of the 
 
 
8 
 
 TANNER i5 NARRATIVK. 
 
 K 
 
 \ '■ 
 
 evils and miseries of sav.vicfo life, is pi()])ably fioe IVom exag- 
 rj^eraliou or distortion. Few will read it without some seuti- 
 inents of compassion for a race so destitute, so debased, and 
 Jiopeless; gladly would we lielieve, it may have a tendency 
 (0 call (he attention of an enlightened and benevolent com- 
 nnuiity, to the wants of those who are silting m darkness. In 
 vain do we attempt to deceive ourselves, or others, into the 
 belief that in whatever '• relates to their moral condition and 
 prospects, the Indians ha\e been giiiners by their hitercoiuse 
 with Europeans."* Who can believe that the introduction of 
 ardent spirits among them, " has added no new item to tlic 
 catalogue of their crimes, nor substracted one from the list of 
 their cardinal virtues?'' Few, comparatively, have the oppor- 
 tunity, fewer hove the inchnation. to visit and observe the In 
 dians in their remote haunts, or even on our inunediate fron- 
 tiers ; all who have dont? so, must be convinced that wherever, 
 and for w hatever purpose, the Indian and the white man come 
 in contact, the former, in all that relates to his moral condition, 
 is sure to become severely and irretrievably a sulferer. Every 
 unbiassed in(|uirer, wiio will avail himself of the aljundant 
 means of information before the public, will be convinced, that 
 during more tlum two hundred years, in despite of all the 
 benevolent exertions of individuals, of luunane associations, 
 and of governments, the direct tendency of the intercourse be 
 Iween the two races, has been tlie uniform and rapid depression 
 and deterioration of the Indians. 
 
 Among the most .niive of the extraneous causes which 
 have produced this conspicuous and deplorable change, must 
 be reckoned the trade for peltries, which has been pushed 
 among them from the earliest occu|)ation of the country by 
 the whites. The ensuing narrative will afford some vieM s of 
 the fur trade, such as it formerly existed hi the north west, 
 such as it now exists throughout the territories claimed by the 
 United States. Tliese views are certainly neither those of a 
 
 ♦ N. A. Review, No. CO. p. 101. 
 
 
'*,*;=>•-: 
 
 TANNERS NAHKATIVt. •> 
 
 stuiesmau, oi a political economist, Iwt they may be relied on oi 
 exhibiting a fair exposition of the infinence of the trade upon the 
 aborigines. Recently, the Indians in all that wide portion of 
 North-America, occupied by the Hudson's Bay Fur Compan}', 
 have been, by the consolidation of two rival associations, reh»n'ed 
 alike from the evils, and deprived of the advantages, accruijig 
 from an active competition in the trade. Among other advanta- 
 geous results supposed to be attained by this exclusion of com- 
 petition, one, and probably the most important, is the eflectua! 
 check it interposes to the introduction of spirits into the Indian 
 country. Even the clerks and agents stationed at the remote 
 interior posts, are forbidden to introduce the smallest quantity 
 of spirit or wine, among their private stores. This one mea- 
 sure, incalculably of more value than all that has been effected 
 in times remote or recent, by the interference of government?, 
 or the exertions of benevolent associations, has originated in 
 the prudent foresight, and well instructed love of gain, of an 
 association of merchants; and while it makes us fully ac 
 quainted with the views of those best informed in relation to 
 the effect of the introduction of whiskey among the Indians, 
 it shows the possibility of remedying this great evil. 
 
 In former times, when the whole of the northwest of our 
 continent was open to the competition of rival traders, all the 
 evils and all the advantages of the S3'^stem at present existing 
 in the United States territories, were felt to the remotest and 
 least accessible of those dreary regions. The Indian could 
 probably in all instances realize a higher price for his peltries, 
 than he can hope to do at present. The means of intoxica- 
 ting himself and his family, were always to be had at some 
 rate, and the produce of his hunt was artfully divided, and 
 disposed of in the manner which seemed to promise him the 
 greatest share of this deadly indulgence. During the times of 
 active competition, it was found accordingly, that the fur bear- 
 ing animals, and the race of native hunters, were hastening with 
 (iqual and rapid strides towards utter extinction. The ellect of u 
 competitionary trade, managed, as it will always be, in districte 
 
 2 
 
 -^^Ir 
 

 10 
 
 tanner's KAKKATIVL. 
 
 I 
 
 il 
 h 
 
 5' 
 
 
 fr 
 
 "1' 
 
 for the niosL part or wholly without the jurisdiction ot the 
 governments of civilized countries, upon the animals whose 
 skins constitute the sole object of the visiJs of the traders, must 
 be obvious. The vagrant and migratory habiis of the Indians, 
 would render it impossible for any individual, or any association 
 of men, to interrupt or even to check the destruction of and 
 inals, wherever they could be found. The rival trader was 
 ever at hand to take advantage of any forbearance a prudent 
 foresight might dictate. Thus it will appe.-ir that districts, 
 where game had existed in the greatest abundance, were in 
 the course of a few years so stripped, that the inhabitants 
 I ould avoid starvation only by migrating to st)me less ex- 
 hausted region. Wherever the Indians went, the traders were 
 sure to follow, as the wolves and buzzards follow the buflfaloe. 
 But in the state of things at present existing in the north, the 
 traders are represented to have entire control of the motions 
 of the Indians. The most valuable part of the territories of 
 the Hudson's Bay Company is the forest coimtry. With the 
 Indians of the plains, who subsist almost entirely by hunting 
 th<! buflfaloe, they concern themselves no further than to pur- 
 chase such robes or other peltries as they may, on their visit to 
 a post, offer for ready pay. The people of the. plains having 
 few possessions beside their horses, their bows and arrows, and 
 their garments of skins, are so independent, and the animals 
 they hunt of so little value to the traders, that they arc left to 
 pursue whatever course their own inclination may point out, and 
 at present they never receive credits. With the forest Indians 
 the case is quite dilTerent. Such is their tirgent necessity for 
 amnmnition and g«ms, for traps, axes, wtX)llon blankets, and 
 other articles of foreign manufactiue, that at the api>roach of 
 winter, their situation is almost hopeless, if they are deprived 
 of the supplies they have so long been accustomed to receive. 
 A consciousness of this depondance sufficed, even in times of 
 competition, to some extent, but fur more at present, to render 
 iheni honest, and pimctual in discharging tiie debts they had 
 incurred. The practice of the traders now is, whetiever they 
 
\ 
 
 TANNERS NAKKATlVi;. 
 
 it 
 
 lind the animals m any district becoming scarce; to wilhdratv 
 iheir trading establishment, and by removing to some other 
 part, make it necessary for the Indians to follow. Regions 
 thus left at rest, are found to beconie, in a few years, in a greai, 
 measure re|)lenished with the fur-beiuing animals. The two 
 regulations by which the clerks and agents are Ibrbid to pur- 
 chase the skins of certain animals, if killed before they have, 
 attained their full growth, and by which the use of traps, 
 which destroy indiscriminately old and young, is interdicted, 
 doubtless contribute essentially to the attaiiunent of this im- 
 jwrtant residt. It cannot be otherwise, than that the moral 
 condition of the hunter population in the north, must be 
 somewhat improved, by the severe discipline vvhicli conveni- 
 ence and interest will ecjually prompt the Company |K)ssessing 
 the monopoly to introduce and maintain ; but wlietlier thiy 
 advantage will, in the event, counterbalance the effect of the 
 rigid exactions to which the Indians may l)c compelled to su)> 
 niit, must be for time to determine. 
 
 It is manifest that plans of government adopted and enfoi 
 ced to subserve the purposes of the fur traders, will Ik". framed 
 with the design of keeping the Indians in a state of efficiency 
 as hunters, and nuist thus in the end be directly opposed to all 
 ftrtbrts lo give them those settled habits, that attachment to the 
 soil, and that efficient industry, which must constitute the first 
 step in their advance towards civilization. Such are the cli- 
 mate and soil of a great part of liie country northward of the 
 great lakes, as to render it extremely improbable that any 
 other than a rude race of hunters will ever be found there; 
 and for them it would probably be in vain to lio|H; for a 
 milder government, than such a kind of despoti-in as can be 
 swayed by a company of traders. Hut within the country 
 belonging to the United States, are many rude tribes distri- 
 buted at ijitervals through boundless forests, or along smilhig 
 and fertile plains, where it would seem that industry and civi 
 li/alion might be introduced. Here it is not probable that the 
 fnr tradf can '"vcr I. ;ne a protected and exihisiv e joonopoly : 
 
 
.>:-'**'i»(U^'?**-~v 
 
 (!L> 
 
 '\ 
 
 vz 
 
 iA>NtR's ^ARRATlv^;. 
 
 I 
 
 ! i 
 
 
 and since, while conducted as it is, and as it must contuiue to 
 be, it is the most prohlic sources of evil to the Indians, it may 
 be allowed us, to look forward to the time, wlien many among 
 the remnants of the native tribes, shall escape from its in- 
 lluence, by becoming independent of the means of subsistence 
 it offers them. 
 
 Some change may reasonably be supposed to have taken 
 place in the course of two centuries, in the sentiments of the 
 European intruders towards their barbarous neighbours. In 
 relative situation, they iiave changed places. Those who are 
 now powerful were then wealc ; those who now profess to offer 
 protection, then lookeil with anxiety and trembling, upon the 
 superior strength of the race which has so soon perished from 
 before them. In the early periods of our colonial history, the 
 zeal of religious proselytism, and the less questionable spirit 
 of true philanthropy, seem not to have availed, generally, to 
 overcome the strong hatred of the savage race, produced liy 
 causes inseparable (iom tht; f«;eble and dependant condition of 
 the colonies, and from the nccessily which com[)elled our fore 
 fathers to become hitruders upon the rightful possessions of tht; 
 Indians. In the writings of the early historiiuis, particularly ol' 
 the Puritanical divines of Ncw-llngland, we (ind these people 
 connnonly described as a brutal and deril-drivcn race, wild beastt\ 
 hloodliounds, heathen demons ; no epithet was considered too op- 
 probrious, no execration too dire, to bo pronounced against them.*"' 
 
 
 V, ,.f. , 
 
 
 * "'I'lu' lilllt' AiH^frfoiii'. and ^-^/of/V.-.'," snvH Cotton i\?i)llu'r, " of Ihr groat ineii 
 union^ the Indians, was u iKiworl'iil obstacle to tlic sncrcss of Mr. KUinl's minis- 
 try ; and it is olisorvublo, lliat M'vrrnl ol'tliosp nations wlio (lius rrCuM'd the t'osprl, 
 were quickly al'tor so dcril-drivcn ati to begin an unjnst and liloiHly war upon tho 
 En^liHli, which iMsned in their speedy mid utter e\tir|)ation from the face of (iod's 
 eurth. It was piirticninrly rcinnrkalile in I'liilip, the ringleader of the niostcalanii- 
 touH war ever made upon uh; our Elliot made a tender of the cm lustinif salva- 
 tion unto that king, hut the monster entertained it with contempt ami anger, hiiiI 
 after the Inilinn mode of joining signs with words, he (inik a button u|M)n the coat 
 of the reverenil man, adding, that hr cared for his goapcl as nnnh as he raredjor 
 that button. The world has hoard what lerribli^ ruins soon came u|Kin that nio- 
 uarch and npon all his |>co|ile. It was not long before the h»n<l that now writes, 
 (rpon a ccrtaiji occasion, tuuk ull'tliu jaw fa>ui llie oxi)oscd i>kutl uf that blasphc- 
 

 'lA^^'IiRS KAKftAlUL. 
 
 I'.i 
 
 It may be supposed, that in losing tlie power which made 
 ihem formidable, they became less obnoxious to the hatred ol 
 the whites. Accordingly, we find tliat it wos long since the 
 fashion to profess much good will and com|Kission towards this 
 ill-starred race. Some ellbrts have been made, and many moro 
 have been talked of, for their civilization, and for their conversion 
 to the true religion. Here and there, a Penn has appeared 
 among our statesmen ; an Elliot or a Brainerd auKjng oiu' 
 religionists — some have been incit<;d by motives of pure bene- 
 volence, or by a love of natural justice, to laljour perseveringl)' 
 and faithfully in the work of reclaiming and benefitting the 
 Indians. Could we trust implicitly to the statements of many 
 who in our day write and speuk on this subject, we might 
 infer, that the only sentiment inflnenchig us, as a people, in 
 our intercourse with our Indian neighboms, is an ardent de- 
 sire for the promotion of their best interests. But if we- 
 estimate public sentiment by the surer criterion of public 
 measures, we must admit that the present generation are seek- 
 ing, with no less zeal and earnestness than iJieir forefathers, 
 IJie utter exterminati(ni of these bloody and idohtlmis Canaan- 
 iles. The truth is, it has been, and still is. <:on\enient to con- 
 sider this a devil driven race, doomed by inscrutable desliny tn 
 sudden and entire destruction. This opinion accords well 
 with the convenient dogma of the moral philosopher, who 
 teacher that such as will make the best use of the soil, should 
 drive out and dis|H)ss(>ss those who, froni ignonmce or indo- 
 lence, suffer it to remain uncuhivaled. It is of little im|)ortanco 
 tocfivil at the injustice of sucli a course. The rule of m mnjor 
 .^ccjns- to be with ahnosi ecpial force obligatory on both |>artie.-', 
 
 ■mous ^-ria^/iiDi, luid tlu' rcnowiicil Siiiiiml l.fr lialli since Ihtii n pastor of an 
 En(;liHh coiijirt'iiatioii, soiiM(liii<;!iii<l Kliowiti^r l!n' prm.scs of liravcn \\\H)\i Ihiit very 
 spot of jtroimd wlion- t'liilip mid his Indiaiis wcrr hilclv worsliippititr llir ncvil.'' 
 t'liristiiin iVlayuzinc, p. T)!!. \'ol. I. Boston. Many [Kissairi''', lirciilliiii!; llji'miiio 
 spirit, will at oiico iH-cur to tlic rciollirtion of those who arc faniiliiir with tho 
 wriiiiiijHof the oarly puritaiiH of New-Kii(ilaiid. When such was the lao^uo^c 
 IcurneH dixincH chose to nvord (iir posterity, it is not ditficult to diwover whnt 
 nittBt hovn Iweii tho ccneral lonn of feelinu toward tlm Indian*. 
 

 J 4 
 
 TANNERS NARRATIVE. 
 
 'ill 
 
 i 
 
 
 and it would perhaps be now as impossible for us to avoid d>& 
 placing the Indians, and occupying their country, as for theni 
 to prevent us. 
 
 The long agitated subject, of tlie " melioration of the con- 
 dition of the Indians,"' appears therefore to present two ques- 
 tions of prunary importance : 1st. Can any thing be effected 
 by our interference '? 2d. Have we in our collective character, 
 as a people, any disposition to interpose the least check to the 
 downward career of the Indians ? The last inquiry will be un- 
 hesitatingly answeii'tl in the negative, by all who are acquaint- 
 ed with the established policy of our govermnent in our inter- 
 course with them. The determination evinced by a great part 
 of the jjeople, and their representatives, to extinguish the Indian 
 title to all lands on this side the Mississippi — to push the lem- 
 )iants of these tribes into regions already tilled to the utmost 
 extent their means of subsistence will allow — manifests, more. 
 cJearly than volumes of idle and empty professions, our inten- 
 tions toward them. The vain mockery of treaties, in which 
 it is untleistooil, tliat the nei^otiation, and the reciprocity, and 
 the benefits, are all on one side ; the feeble and misdirected 
 eflbrts we make for their civilization and instruction, should 
 not, and do not, deceive us into the belief that we have eithoi 
 a regard for their rights, where they happen to come in com- 
 petition with our interests, or a sincere desire to promote the 
 cause of moral instruction among tlieni. The efforts of cliari 
 table associations, originating as they do in motives of the most 
 unquestional)lc purity, may seem entitled to more respectful 
 notice ; l)Utwe deem these efforts, as far as the Indians are con- 
 cerned, eijually misapplied, whether they be directed, as in the 
 south, to drawing out from among them a few of their children, 
 and giving them a smattering of "astronomy, moral philo.'^o- 
 phy, surveying, geography, history, and the use of gloltes,"* or 
 as in the north, in educating the half breed children of fur 
 traders and vagabond Canadians, in erecting workshops and 
 
 * L,<>ltrr to Col. M'Kpmicy, from the Priiirii)al of thr [.nnraHtcrian ("hocktaw 
 !^1)<H)I nt tbt' Grent Crossincs. Krntucfiv, iniho Nationnl Intellurencer. Julv. 182S. 
 
 1 ■^ 
 
 u^, 
 
 vf 
 
■* ^i^^aw 
 
 TANNER'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 15 
 
 employing mechanics in our frontier villages, or building ves- 
 sels for the transportation of freight on the upper lakes. These 
 measures nmy be well in themselves, and are doubtless useful ; 
 but let us not flatter ourselves that in doing these things we 
 confer any essential benefit on the Indians. The Chocktaws 
 and Chickusaws will not long retain such a knowledge of as- 
 tronmny and surveying., as would be useful to guide their 
 wanderings, or mete out their possessions, in those scorched 
 and sterile wastes to which it is our fixed intention to drive them. 
 The giving to a few individuals of a tribe, an education, wliich, 
 us far as it has any influence, tends directly to unfit them for 
 the course of life they are destined to lead, with whatever in- 
 tention it may be undertaken, is certainly far from ' iiig an 
 act of kindness. If, while we give the rudiments of a;, educa- 
 tion to a portion of their children, our selfish j)olicy is thriis-ting 
 back into a state of more complete barbarism the whole mass 
 of the people, among whom we pretend to qualify theuj lor 
 usefulness, of what avail are our exertions, or oin* professions 
 in their favour ? We cannot be ignorant, that u» depriving the 
 Indians of the jneans of comfortable subsistence, we take from 
 them equally the power and the inclination to cultivate any of 
 the branches of learning commonly taught them at our schools. 
 Will the Indian youth who returns from the Mission school, 
 after ten or fifteen years of instruction, be likely to become a 
 better hunter, or a braver warrior, (ban those who liave remained 
 at home, and been educated in the discipline of his tribe ? Will 
 he not rather find himself encunilwred with a mass of learn- 
 ing, necessarily as uncurrent, and as little valued among his 
 rude comi)anions, as would be a parcel of lottery tickets or 
 bank notes ] On this subject, as on many others, the Indians 
 are (|ualified to make, and often do make, extremely just 
 reflections. To say that they consider the learning of the 
 whites of no value, would lie to misrepresent theni. On the 
 contrary, they speak in terms of (he highest admiration of some 
 branches, particularly writing and reading, which, they say, 
 ena))les us to know what is done at a distance, to recall with 
 
r>^' 
 
 '"-rr 
 
 IG 
 
 TANNER S NARR\TIVL. 
 
 )! 
 
 i U 
 
 #1 
 
 i'i 
 
 the greatest accuracy, all that we or others have sait!, in past 
 times. 6ut of these things tliey say, as of the reUgion of the 
 whites, " they are not designed for us." " The Great Spirit 
 has given to you, as well as to us, tilings suited to our several 
 conditions ; He may have licen more hountiful to you than to 
 us ; but we are not disposed to complain of our allotment." 
 
 In relation to the other branch of this |)art of our subject, 
 namely, the practical)ility of l)iuiefiting the Indians by our in- 
 structions, a few words may suffice. More than two hundred 
 years have passed, during all which time it has been believed 
 that systematic and thorough exertions were making to pro- 
 mote the civilization and conversion of the Indians. The en 
 tire failure of all these attempts ought to convince us, not that 
 the Indians are irreclaimable, but that we ourselves, while we 
 have built uj) wilh one hand, have pulled down with the other. 
 Our professions have been loud, our philanthropic exertions 
 may have been great, but our sellish 'cgard to our own interest 
 and convenience has been greater, and to this we ought to at- 
 tribute the steady decluie, the rapid deterioration of the In- 
 dians. We may be told of their const itutioiial indolence, their 
 Asiatic temperament, destining them to be forever stationary, 
 or retrogradent ; but while remaining monuments and vestiges, 
 as well as historical records of imquestionable authority, assure 
 us, that a few centuries ago they were, though a rude, still a 
 great, a prosperous, and a happy people ; we ought not to for 
 get that injustice and oppression have been most active among 
 the causes which have brought them down to their present de- 
 ploral)le state. Their reckless indolence, their shameless 
 profligacy, their total self-abandonment, have been the neces- 
 sary consetjuences of the degradation and hopelessness of their 
 condition.* 
 
 * " Therp arc no hcirgars among thcni, nor falherlcssc cliildren unprovided for." 
 Roger Willmm's Koy, eh. 5. 
 
 " Obs. They are as full of Inisincssr, and as impatient of hinderaner, (in their 
 kind,)a» any merchant in Europe. Many of them naturally princes, or else indus- 
 trious persons, arc rich; and the pooro amongst them will say they want nfw 
 
^m^m 
 
 TANNKR.S NAilRATiVE, 
 
 17 
 
 Bor.' 
 
 khrir 
 |duK- 
 
 That there exists, in tlie moral or physical constitution of the 
 Indians, any insuperable obstacle to their civilization, no one 
 will now seriously assert. That they will ever be generally 
 civilized, those who know them intimately, and who have ob- 
 served the prevaihng tone of feeling of both races towards 
 each other, will consider so extremely improbable, ihat they 
 will deem it scarce worth while to inquire what system of mea- 
 sures would be best calculated to effect this desirable object. 
 
 thincr." Williams, ch. 7. " Ohn. The women of the family will commonly rui e two 
 or three heaps [of corn] of twelve, lifteene, or twentie Imsliells a heap, whicli they 
 drie in round broad heaps ; and if she have help of her children or friends, much 
 more." Ch. 16. " I could never rliscerne thr.t exce.ss of scandalous sins amongst 
 them which Europe aboundeth with. Drunkennesse and gluttony generally they 
 know not what sins they lie. And although they have not so much to restrainc them 
 (both in respect of knowledge of God and laws of men) as the English liave, yet 
 a man shall never hear of such crimes among them, of robberies, murthers, adii! 
 teries." Ch. iirZ. Quotations to the the same effect might be adduced from nearly 
 all the early writers. Yet we are told that in all that regards their moral condition, 
 the Indians have been gainers by their intercourse with the whites ! 
 
 It is |)robably within the recollection of many persons now hving, when the very 
 considerable quantities of corn recjuired for the fur trade in the country about Lake 
 yuperior, were purchased from the Indians, by whom it was raised at a place called 
 Kctckawice Seebce, or Garden river, a small stream falling into the struit between 
 Lakes Suiierior and Huron, about six miles below the Sauf St. INiarie. " 'I'lui 
 Indians at the first settlement of the English, performed many acts of kindnesu 
 towards them : they instructed them in the manner of [ilanting and ilressing the 
 Indian corn," and " by selling them corn when pinched with fauiiue, they relieved 
 Iheir distresses, and prevented them from perishing ui a strange land, and luiculti- 
 vated wilderness." 'I\anihnWs Hit lory of Connecticut, Vol. I. Ch. 3. In another 
 place, s|)eaking of a famine among the colonists, he says, " In this distressful situo- 
 fion a committee was sent to an Indian .settlement calli il I'oronitoc^k, where th 'y 
 purchusetl such quantities, that the Indians came down to Windsor and Hartford 
 with fifty canoes at one time laden with Indian corn." Vol. I. Ch. (i. The In 
 dians on Block Island, according to the same authority, " had nlwut two hundred 
 acres of corn." This the English, after two days spent on the Island ''burning 
 wigwams," and " staving canoes," destroyed, and then sailed for the Pequot coun- 
 try, lb. Ch. 5. Charlevoix, a less exceptionable iuithority than most of the early 
 French writers, sayF, that in an incursion into the country of the Senecas, the 
 French destroyed four hunilred thousand minots [1,'2«M),0()() l)usliels| of com. 
 "They also killed a prodigious numlw-r of swine, which caused much sicknes-s. ' 
 Hist, dc la Nuurcltc h'rana; liv. XI. It is urmecessary incite passages, hundreds of 
 which might be add\iced to prove, what few, except the reviewer above <iuote(J 
 ever considered doubtful. 
 
 ?^il 
 

 <<*f 
 
 III 
 
 I 
 
 18 
 
 tanner's narrative. 
 
 Of what advantage could any degree of civilization have been 
 to those unfortunate Seminoles, who were a few years since 
 removed from their beautiful and fertile lands in Florida, to 
 those deep and almost impassable swamps in the rear of Tam- 
 pa Bay, where it has been found not only necessary to con- 
 fine them by a military force, but to subsist them, from day to 
 day, and from year to year, by regular issues of provisions ? 
 Need we give them education, that they may be the better able 
 to estimate our munificence and generosity, in suHering them 
 to roam at large, in cypress swamps, in sandy deserts, or 
 wherever else we may think the soil of no value to us ? 
 
 The project of congregating the Indians, from the extended 
 portions of the United States, in some place not only toest of 
 the Mississippi, but westward of the arable lands of Missouri 
 and Arkansaw, in those burning deserts which skirt the eastern 
 base of the Rocky Mountains, is, perhaps, more pregnant with 
 injustice and cruelty to these people, than any other. Such is 
 the inveterate and interminable hostility existing, time out of 
 mind, between the people of different stocks, portions of wliich 
 are already in too near vicinity, such as the Dahcotah and the 
 Ojibbeways, the Osages and Cherokees, that nothing but mu- 
 tual destruction could be the consequence of crowding them 
 together into a region aheady more than filled with warlike 
 and jealous hunters. The region to which Mr. M'Koy, in his 
 pamphlet, proposes to remove the Indians, would, such is its 
 naked and inhospitable character, soon reduce civilized men 
 who should be confined to it, to barbarism ; nothing but inevita- 
 ble destruction could there await a congregation of fierce, subtle, 
 and mutually hostile savages. 
 
 Of all plans hitherto devised to benefit the Indians, by far 
 the best, though doubtless attended with great difficulty in the 
 execution, is, to let them alone. Were it possible to leave to 
 them the small remnant they still hold of their former posses- 
 sions, to remove from them all the poisoning influences of the 
 fur trade and the military posts, and the agencies auxiliary to 
 it. necessity might again make them industrious. Industry 
 
 \. 
 
TANiNERS NAHRATIVK. 
 
 1«> 
 
 thoroughly le-establishcdj would bring in its iiaiii prosperitj , 
 virtue, and happiness. But since we canirot reasonably hope 
 <hat this plan will ever be adopted, the friends of humanity 
 must continue to wish that some middle course may be devised, 
 which may, in a measure, palliate the misery which cannot be 
 removed, and retard the destruction which cannot be prevent- 
 ed. The first labour of the philanthropist, who would exert 
 himself in this cause, should be to allay or suppress that exter- 
 minating spirit so common among us, which, kept alive by the 
 exertions of unprincipled land jobbers, and worthless squatters, 
 is now incessantly calling for the removal of the Indians xoest 
 of the Mississippi. Many, and doubtless some of those who 
 legislate, may consider the region west of the Mississippi, as a 
 kind of fairy land, where men can feed on moonbeams, or, at 
 all events, that the Indians, when thoroughly swept into that 
 land of salt mountains and horned frogs, will be too remote to 
 give us any more trouble. But suppose those who now so per- 
 tinaciously urge this measure completely successful, let every 
 Indian be removed beyond the Mississippi, how soon will the 
 phrase be changed, to west of the Rocky Mountains '! We 
 may send them into the sandy wastes, but cannot persuade 
 them to remain there ; they will soon become not less trouble- 
 some to the settlers in the countries of Red River, Whit« 
 River, and the Lower Arkansaw, than they are now to tho, 
 people of Georgia; Alabama, Missouri, and Illinois. Is it ab 
 solutely necessary, that while we invite to our shores, and to a 
 participation in all the advantages of our boasted institutions; 
 the dissatisfied and the needy of all foreign coimtries, not stop- 
 ping to inquire whether their own crimes, or the influence of 
 an oppressive government, may have made the change desira- 
 ble for them, we should, at the same time, persist in the de- 
 termination to root out the last remnants of a race who w ^re 
 the original proprietors of the soil, many of whom are better 
 qualified to become useful citizens of our republic, than those 
 foreigners we are so eager to naturalize ? It is certainly by 
 no means desirable that any of the aboriginal tribes who have 
 
'.. *.■» *■ ■. ■'K^ 
 
 20 
 
 TANNER .-^ N AJiRATi \ ti. 
 
 I If 
 ' I 
 
 retained, or acquired, or who shall acquire so much of civihza- 
 tion as to be able to increase in numbers, and to gain strengtli, 
 surrounded by the wliites, sliould be sullered to estabUsh in- 
 dependent governments, which may, in time, actjuire such 
 strength as to be highly troublesome to their neighbours. 
 Could tlie project of colonization be carried into complete efiect, 
 the measure, leaving out of consideration its daring and fla- 
 grant injustice, would be of as (juestionalile \)ol\cy as our una- 
 vaihng attempt to restore to Africa the descendants of her en- 
 slaved children. It is believed by many, that national as well 
 as individual crimes, are sure to be visited, sooner or later, by 
 just and merited punishments. Is it not probable, that despite 
 the efforts of the Colonization Society, the African race, now 
 so deeply rooted and so widely spread among us, must inevita- 
 bly grow to such a magnitude as to requite, fourfold, to our 
 descendants, our own and our forefathers crunes against the 
 aborigines ? 
 
 The past history and tlie present condition of the Indians, 
 make it abundantly manifest, that, if any thing is intended on 
 the part of the United States, except their speedy and utter 
 extinction, an immediate chaiige of measures is loudly called 
 for. The most important particulars of the course to be pur- 
 sued should be, the prevention, as far as possible, of the evils 
 resulting from competition ; the introduction of whiskey, and 
 other existing abuses in the fur trade ; the encouragement of 
 agriculture and domestic industry, which may at length ren- 
 der them independent of that trade. Donations of horses, cat- 
 tle, tools, and farming utensils, handsome clothes, neat and 
 tasteful ornaments, bestowed as marks of honourable distinction, 
 and rewards for successful and persevering mdustry, may, by 
 degrees, overcome the habitual indolence and contempt of la- 
 bour, so generally met with among the Indians. With the ef- 
 forts for the promotion of industry, the cultivation of the mind, 
 not in one out of ten thousand, as at present, but in the whole 
 mass of the children ; and the introduction of the English lan- 
 guage should keep equal pace. No eflbrt should be spared to 
 
 

 TANNERS NAHRATIVi:. 
 
 21 
 
 advance either. We deem it important that they shonld not, 
 only learn the English language, but, at the same time, lay 
 aside and forget their own, and with it their entire system of 
 traditional feelings and opinions on all subjects, Could all this 
 be effected ; could, furthermore, the rights and privileges of citi- 
 zenship be held out as a reward for a prescribed course of con- 
 duct, or attach as a right to the possession of a certain amount 
 of property, the effect would doul)tless be a great and rapid 
 elevation of the Indian character. By a system of measures 
 of this kind, a portion of the remnants of these people might 
 probably be preserved, by V)ecoming embodied with the whites. 
 As separate and independent tribes, retaining their own lan- 
 guages, manners, and opinions, it is probable they cannot long 
 continue in existence. 
 
 .. I 
 
 w 
 
11 >i 
 
1 i 
 
 i t 
 
 TANNER'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Itecollections of early life— capture — ^journey from the mouth of the Miami to 
 Sa-gui-na— ceremonies of adoption into the iiimiiy of my foster parents — harsh 
 treatment — transferred by purchase to the family of Net-no-kwa— removal to 
 Lake Mchigan. 
 
 The earliest event of my life, which I distinctly remember, is 
 the death of my mother. This happened when I was two years 
 old, and many of the attending circumstances made so deep an 
 impression, that they are still fresh in my memory, I cannot re- 
 collect the name of the settlement at which we lived, but I have 
 since learned it was on the Kentucky river, at a considerable 
 distance from the Ohio. 
 
 My father, whose name was John Tanner, was an emigrant 
 from Virginia, and had been a clergyman. He lived long after 
 I was taken by the Indians, having died only three months after 
 the great earthquake, which destroyed a part of New Madrid, and 
 was felt throughout the country on the Ohio, [1811.] 
 
 Soon after my mother's death, my father removed to a place 
 called Elk Horn. At this place was a cavern — I used to visit it 
 with my brother. We took two candles ; one we lighted on enter- 
 ing, and went on till it was burned down ; we then lighted the 
 other, and began to return, and we would reach the mouth of the 
 cavern before it was quite burned out. 
 
 This settlement at Elk Horn was occasionally visited by hostile 
 parties of Shawneese Indians, who killed some white people, and 
 sometimes killed or drove away cattle and horses. In one instance, 
 my uncle, my father's brother, went with a few men at night, and 
 fired upon a camp of these Indians ; he killed one, whose scalp 
 he brought home; all the rest jumped into the river and escaped. 
 
 /■ 
 
UA 
 
 tanner's NARRATIVL'. 
 
 '< I 
 
 
 :i' 
 
 \ 
 
 
 (i 
 
 » I 
 
 In the course of our residence at this place, an event occun-ed, 
 to the influence of which I attributed many of the disasters of ray 
 subsequent life. My father, when about to start one morning to 
 a village at some distance, gave, as it appeared, a strict charge to 
 my sisters, Agatha and Lucy, to send me to school ; but this they 
 neglected to do until afternoon, and then, as the weather was 
 rainy and unpleasant, I insisted on r< inaining at home. When 
 my father returned at night, and found that I had been at home 
 all day, he sent me for a j)arcel of small canes, and flogged me 
 much more severely than I could ; 'ppose the ort"ence merited. I 
 was displeased with my sisters for attributing all the blame to 
 me, when they had neglected even to tell me to go to school in 
 the forenoon. From that time, my father's house was less like 
 home to me, and I often thought and said, " I wish I could go 
 and live among the Indians." 
 
 I cannot tell how long we remained at Elk Horn ; when we 
 jnoved, we travelled two days with horses and wagons, and came 
 to the Ohio, where my father bought three flat boats ; the sides 
 of these boats had bullet holes in them, and there was blood on 
 them, which I understood was that of peojile who had been killed 
 by the Indians. In one of these boats we put the horses and 
 cattle — in another, beds, furniture, and other property, and in tho« 
 third were some negroes. The cattle boat ami the family boat 
 were lashed together; the third, with the negroes, followed be- 
 hind. We descended the Ohio, and in two or three days came to 
 Ciucinnati; here the cattle boat sunk in the middle of the river. 
 When my fatlur saw it sinking, he jumped on board, and cut 
 loose all the cattle, and they swam ashore on the Kentucky side, 
 and were saved. Tlie people from C'incinnati came out in boats 
 to assist us, but father told them the cattle were all safe. 
 
 In one day we went from t'incinnuli to the mouth of the Big 
 Miami, op|)osite wiiich we were to settle. Here was some 
 cleared land, and one or two log cabins, biU they had been de- 
 serted on account of the Indians. My father rebuilt the cabins, 
 and enclosed them with a strong picket. It was early in the 
 spring when we arrived at the nuiuth of the Big Miami, and we 
 were soon engaged in preparing a lield to plant corn. I think 
 it was not more than ten days after our arrival, when my lather 
 told us in the morning, (hat I'rum the actions of th(; hoi'scs, be 
 
 I 
 
 ^ 
 
tanner's NAKRATIVi:. 
 
 '•■'^Bf 
 
 Big 
 
 tome 
 lie- 
 
 1^)111!;, 
 the 
 
 II \vc 
 
 liink 
 ilicr 
 
 perceived there were Indians lurking about inliic woods, and ho 
 said to me, " John, you must not go out of the house to day.'* 
 After giving strict charge to my step mother to let none of the 
 little children go out, he went to the field, with the negroes, and 
 my elder brother, to drop corn. 
 
 Three little children, beside mys-'elf, were left in the house with 
 my step mother. To prevent me from going o\it, my step mother 
 required me to take c;ire of the little child, tlien uol more than a 
 few months old ; hut as I soon became impatient of confinement, 
 I began to pinch my little brother, to make him cry. My mother 
 perceiving his uneasiness, told me to take him in my arms and 
 walk about the h(nise ; I did so, but coi\tii\ued to pinch him. 
 My mother at length took him from me to give him suck. I 
 watched my opportimity, and escaped into the yard ; thence 
 through a small door in the large aate of the wall into the open 
 field. There was a walnut tree at stune distance from the house, 
 and near the side of the field, where I had been in the habit of 
 finding some of the last year's nuts. To gain this tree without 
 being seen by my father, and those in (he field, I had to use 
 some precaution. I remember perfectly well liavina scon my 
 -father, as f skulked towards the tree; he stood in ihe middle of 
 the field, with his gun in his hand, to watch for I?idiaiis, while the 
 others were dropping corn. As I came near the tree, I thought 
 to myself, " I wish I could see these Imlians." I h;id parllv fill- 
 ed Avith nuts a «traw hat which I wore, when I heard a crackling 
 noise behind me; I looked round, and saw the Indians ; almost at 
 the same instant, I w;is seized by both hands, and dragged off be- 
 twixt two. One of 1 hem took my straw bat, emptied the nuts on 
 the ground, and put it on my head. The [ndians who seized 
 me were an old man and a young one ; these v\ ere, as I learned 
 subsequently, Man'to-o-geezhik, and his son Kisli-knu-ko.* Since 
 I retiirned from Red River, I have been at Deiroit while Kish- 
 kau-kf* was in prison there; I have al-io been in Kentucky, and 
 have learned several particulars relative to my rapture, which 
 were unknown to me at the time. It appears that the wife of 
 
 '► The nnmr of this man Tiinnrr pronnjincps frifh-gau-c^o. H« lias suW- 
 qupnlly I'*'*'" w<*H Itnown in Miclvican, niul other |K)rlion» of th« nortli-wrHlorn 
 frontifr, by Iiih iiunierouti niunli-rs and dcpnslulioa". He died in {irison ttt De- 
 iroit, M lately as the full of ih2r>. 
 
 ii 
 
 \\ 
 
 /*'■''« 
 
 •Ik 
 
..»•.-, =_lllL, 
 
 I 
 
 l^tf 
 
 IANNER'S SA.KRAT1VE. 
 
 Manito-0-geezhik had recently lost by death her youngest sou — 
 that she had complained to her husband, that unless he should 
 bring back her son, she could not live. This was an intimation to 
 bring her a captive whom she might adopt in the place of the 
 •jon she had lost. Manito-o-geezhik, associating with him his 
 son, and two other men of his band, living at Lake Huron, had 
 proceeded eastward with this sole design. On the upper part of 
 Lake Erie, tln^y had been joined by three other young men, the 
 relations of Manito-o-geezhik, and had proceeded on, now seven 
 in number, to the settlements on the Ohio. They had arrived 
 the night previous to my capture at the mouth of the Big Miami, 
 had crossed the Ohio, and concealed themselves within sight of 
 my father's house. Several times in the course of the morning, 
 old Manito-o-geezhik had been compelled to repress the ardour 
 of his young men, who becoming impatient at seeing no opportu- 
 nity to steal a boy, were anxious to fire upon the people dropping 
 corn in the field. It must have been about noon when they saw 
 me coming from flie house to the walnut tree, which was proba- 
 bly very near the place where one or more of them were con- 
 cealed. 
 
 It was but a few minutes after I left the house, when my father, 
 coming from the (ield, perceived my absence. My step mother 
 had not yet noticed tiiat I had gone oijt. My elder brother ran 
 immediately to the walnut tree, which he knew I was fond of 
 visiting, and seeing the nuts which the Indian had emptied out 
 of my hat, he immediately understood that I had been made 
 captive. Seaich was instantly made f(»r me, but to no pur- 
 pose. My father's distress, wlien he found I was indeed taken 
 away by the Indians, was, I am told, very great. 
 
 After I saw myself (irndy si'ized by both wrists by the tW(> 
 Indians, I was not conscious of any thing that passed for a con- 
 siderable time. I must have fainted, as I did not cry out, and I 
 can remember nothing that happened to me, until they threw me 
 over a large log, which nuisl have been at a considerable distance 
 from the house. The old man I did not now s»'e ; I was dragged 
 alonir between Kish-kau-ko and a very short thick man. I had 
 probably made some resistance, or done something to irritate 
 this last, for he took me a little to one side, and drawing his to- 
 mahawk, motioned to mc to look up. This I plainly understood. 
 
 i 
 
^»^ 
 
 (1 of 
 out 
 made 
 
 Uvo 
 ron- 
 and I 
 -w me 
 aancc 
 •ufT^red 
 I liad 
 rritatc 
 U9 to- 
 stood. 
 
 tannf.r's nahrativl. 
 
 ^7 
 
 tiom tlie exjiression of his face, and his manner, to be a direction 
 for me to look up for the last time, as he was about to kill mo. 
 I did as he directed, but Kish-kau-ko caught his hand as the toma- 
 hawk was descending, and prevented him from burying it in m\ 
 brains. Loud talking ensued between the two. Kish-kau-ko 
 presently raised a yell ; the old man and the four otiiers answered 
 it by a similar yell, and came running up. I have since under- 
 stood that Kish-kau-ko complained to his father, that the short 
 man had made an attempt to kill his little brother, as he called 
 me. The old chicif, after reproving him, took me by one hand, 
 and Kish-kau-ko by tlic other, and dragged me betwixt them ; 
 the man who had threatened to kill me, and who was now an 
 object of terror, being kept at some distance. I could perceive, 
 as I retarded them somewhat in their retreat, that they were ap- 
 prehensive of being overtaken ; some of them were always at 
 some distance from us. 
 
 It was about one mile from my father's house to the place 
 where tiiey threw me into a hickory bark canoe, which was con- 
 cealed under the bushes, on the bank of the river. Into this thej 
 all seven jumped, and immediately crossed the Ohio, landing at 
 the mouth of the Big Miami, and on the south side of that river. 
 Here they abandoned their canoe, and stuck their paddles in the 
 ground, so that they could be seen from the river. At a little 
 distance in the woods, they had some blankets and provisions con- 
 cealed ; they offered me some dry venison and bear's grease, but 
 I could not eat. My father's house was plainly to be seen from 
 the place where we stood ; they pointed at it, looked at me, and 
 laughed, but I have never known what they said. 
 
 After they had eaten a little, they began to ascend the Miami, 
 dragging me along as before. The shoes I had on when at home, 
 they tcok oil", as they seemed lo think I could run better without 
 them. Although I perceived I was closely watched, all hope of 
 escape did not immedialt K forsake me. As they hurried mc 
 along, I endeavoured, withoii! their knowledge, to take notice of 
 such objects as would serve as Inudmaiks on my way back. I 
 fried also, where I passed long grass, or soft ground, to leave my 
 tracks. I hoped to be able lo escape after they should have fallen 
 asleep at niglit. When night came, they lay down, placing me be- 
 tween the old man and Kish-kftU'ko, so close together, that thp 
 
 I 
 
 ,y M 
 
 '/' 
 
•Jl? 
 
 XANNER S NARRATIVE. 
 
 \ 
 
 t 
 
 I 
 
 dame blankfi covered all three. I was so fatigued that I fell asleep 
 immediately, and did not wake until sunrise next, morning, when 
 the Indians were up and roadj' to proceed on their journey. 
 Thus we journeyed for about four days, the Indians hurrying me 
 on, and I continuing to hope that I might escape, but still every 
 night completely overpowered by sleep. As my feet were bare, 
 they were often wounded, and at length much swollen. The old 
 man perceiving my situation, examined my feet one day, and after 
 removing a great many tlujrns and splinters from them, gave me 
 a pair of moccasins, which afforded me some relief. Most com- 
 monly, I travelled between the old man and Kish-kau-ko, and 
 they often made me run until my strength was quite exhausted. 
 For several days I could eat little or nothing. It was, I think, 
 four days after we left the Ohio, that we came to a considerable 
 river, running, as I suppose, into the Miami. This river was 
 wide, and so deep, that I could not wade across it; the old man 
 took me on his shoulders and carried me over ; the water was 
 nearly up to his arm pits. As he carried me across, I thought I 
 should never be able to pass this river alone, and gave over all 
 hope of immediate escape. WIicu he put me down on the other 
 side, I immediately ran up the bank, and a short distance into 
 the woods, when a turkey flew up a few steps before me. The 
 uest she had left contained a number of eggs ; these I put in the 
 bosom of my shirt, and returned towards the river. When the 
 Indians saw me they laughed, and immediately took the eggt; 
 from me, and kindling a fire, put them in a small kettle to boil. 
 I was then very hungry, and as I sat watching the kettle, I saw 
 the old man come running from the direction of the ford where 
 we had crossed ; he immediately caught up the kettle, threw the 
 eggs and the water on the tire, at the same time saying something 
 in a hurried and low tone to the yo>mg men. I inferred we were 
 pursued, and have since understood that such was tlie case; it is 
 probable^some of my friends were at that time on the opposite 
 side of the river searching for me. The Indians hastily gathered 
 up the eggs and dispersed themselves in the woods, two of them 
 still urging ine forward to the utmost of my strength. 
 
 It was a day or two after this that we met a party of twenty or 
 thirty Indians, on their way towards the settlements. Old Manito- 
 O'geezhik had much to say to them ; subscipieutly I learned that 
 
TANNUR a NARKATIVL. 
 
 ■4.U 
 
 it is 
 )fite 
 !rcd 
 ncm 
 
 they were a war party of Siiawnccse ; that they received infor- 
 mation from our party, of the whites who were in pursuit of ua 
 about the forks of the Miami ; that they went in pursuit of them, 
 and that a severe skirmish happened between them, in which 
 numbers were killed on both sides. 
 
 Our journey through the woods was tedious and painful : it 
 might have been ten days after we met the war party, when we 
 arrived at the Maumee river. As soon as we came near the river, 
 tlie Indians were suddenly scattered about tlie woods examining 
 the trees, yelling and answering each other. They soon selected 
 a hickory tree, which was cut down, and the bark stripped off, to 
 make a canoe. In this canoe we all embarked, and descended 
 till we came to a large Shawnee village, at the mouth of a river 
 which enters the Maumee. As we were landing in this village, 
 great numbersof the Indians came about us, and one young woman 
 came crying directly towards me, and struck me on the head. 
 Some of her friends had been killed by the whites. Many of 
 these Shawneese showed a disj)osition to kill me, but Kish-kau- 
 ko ami the old man interposed, and prevented them. I could per- 
 ceive that I was often the subject of conversation, but could not 
 as yet understand what was said. Old Munilo-o-geezhik could 
 speak a few words of EngUsh, which he used occasionally, to di- 
 rect me to bring water, make a fire, or perform other tasks, which 
 he now began to require of me. We remained two days at th( 
 Shawnee village, and then proceeded on our join*ney in the ca- 
 noe. It was not very far from the village that wo came tu a tra- 
 ding house, where were three or four men who could speak 
 English ; they talked much with me, and said they wished to 
 have purcnased mv from the Indians, that I might return to my 
 friends; but as the old man would not consent to pail v. ith me, 
 the traders told me I must be content to go with the Ind.ans, and 
 to become the old man's son, in place itf one he had lost, promi- 
 sing at the same time that after ten days llu-y would come to the 
 villiige and release me. They treated me kindly while we staid, 
 and gave ine plenty to eat, which the Indians had neglected to 
 do. When I fo\ind I was compelled to leave this house with the 
 Indians, I began to cry, for the lirst tinie since I had been taken. 
 I consoled myself, however, with their promise that in ten days 
 they would come for me. Soon after leaving this trading house, 
 
 w 
 
 1 1 
 
30 
 
 tanner's narrative. 
 
 l! V 
 
 -^ ; 
 
 we came to the lake ; we did not stop at night to encamp, but 
 soon after dark the Indians raised a yell, which was answered 
 from some lights on shore, and presently a canoe came off to us, 
 in wliich three of our party left us. I have little recollection of 
 any thing that passed from this time until we arrived at Detroit. 
 At tirst we paddled up in the middle of the river until we came 
 opposite the < nitre of the town ; then we ran in near the shore, 
 where I saw a white woman, with whom the Indians held a little 
 conversation, but I could not understand what was said. I also 
 saw several white men standing and walking on shore, and heard 
 them talk, but could noHmdorstaud them ; it is likely they spoke 
 French. After talking a few minutes with the woman, the In- 
 dians pushed otr, and ran up a good distance above the town. 
 
 It was about the middle of the day when we landed in the 
 woods, and drew up the canoe. They presently found a large 
 hollow log, open at one end, into w hich they put their blankets, 
 their little kettle, and some other articles ; they then made me 
 crawl into it, after which they closed up the end at which I had 
 entered. I heard them for a few minutes on the outside, then all 
 was still, and remained so for a long time. If I had not long 
 ^ince relinciuished all hope of making my escape, I soon found it 
 would be in vain f(n- me to attempt to release myself from my 
 confinement. After remaining many hours in this situation, I 
 heard them remo zing the logs with which they had fastened me 
 in, and on coming out, although it was very late in the night, or 
 probably near morning, I could perceive that they had brought 
 three horses. One of these was a large iron-gray mare, the others 
 were two small bay horses. On one of these they placed me, on 
 the others their baggage, and sometiuies one, sometimes another 
 of the Indians riding, we travelled rapidly, and in about three 
 days reached Sau-ge-nouir,* the village to which old Manito- 
 o-geezhik belonged. 'I'll is village or settlement consisted of se- 
 veral scattered ho\ises. Two of the Indians left us soon after wc 
 entered it; Kish-kau-koand his father oidy remained, and instead 
 of proceeding innnediately home, they left their horses and bor- 
 rowed a canoe, in which we at last arrived at the old man's house. 
 This was a hut or cabin built of logs, like some of those in 
 
 ♦ Sa-gMi-nct. Th'- wonl San-i^e-nonc^, appears to mean, "the town of the Sail 
 
 Ill 
 

 •lANNER'S NAIlRATIVt, 
 
 31 
 
 uuto- 
 
 if sc- 
 
 T WO 
 
 bor- 
 
 OU9C. 
 
 se in 
 
 Kentucky. As soon as we landed, the old vvomun came down to 
 us to the shore, and after Manito-o-gcezhik had said a few words 
 to her, she commenced crying, at the same time hugging and kiss- 
 ing me, and thus she led me to the house. Next day thoy took 
 me to the place where the old woman's son had l)een buried. The 
 grave was enclosed with pickets, in the manner of the Indians, 
 and on each side of it was a sinootli open place. Here tlicy all 
 took their seats ; the family and friends of Manito-o-geezliik on 
 the one side, and strangers on the other. The friends of the fa- 
 mily had come provided with presents ; mukkuks of sugar, sucks 
 of corn, beads, strouding, tobacco, and the like. They had not been 
 long assembled, when my party began to dance, dragging mc 
 with them about the grave. Their dance was lively and cheer- 
 ful, after the manner of the scalp dance. From time to time as 
 they danced, they presented ine something of the articles they 
 had brought, but as I came round in the dancing to the party on 
 the oj)posite side of the grave, whatever they had given me was 
 snatched from me : thus they continued great part of the day, 
 until the presents were exhausted,when tliey returned home. 
 
 It must have been early in the spring when wc arrived at Sau- 
 ge-nong, for I can remember that at this time the leaves were 
 small, and the Indians were about planting their corn. They 
 ma'aged to make me assist at their labours, partly bv signs, and 
 partly by the few words of English old Munito-o-geezhik could 
 speak. After planting, they all left the village, and went out to 
 hunt and dry meat. When they came to their hunting grounds, 
 ihey chose a place where many deer resorted, and here they 
 besran to build a long screen like a fence ; this they made of 
 green boughs aiul small trees. When they had built a part of 
 it, they showed me how to remove the leaves and dry brush from 
 lliat side of it to which the Indians were to come to shoot the 
 deer. In this labour I was sometimes assisted by the stjuaws and 
 children, but at other «imes I was \> t alone. It n«)w began to 
 be warm weather, and it happened mie day that having been left 
 alone, as I was tired and (hirsty, I fell asleep. I cannot tell how 
 long I slept, but when I began to awake, I thought I heard some 
 one crying a great wav off. Then I trie<l to raise up my head, 
 but cnid<l not. Being now more awake, I saw my Indian mother 
 and sister stauUing by mu, aud perceived that my face and head 
 
 ) 
 
32 
 
 tanner's narrativk. 
 
 ■ ■] 
 
 I*' i 
 
 !!;, 
 
 k 
 
 M 
 
 were wet. The old woman and her daughter were crying bit- 
 terly, but it was some time before I perceived that my head waf^ 
 badly cut and bruised. It appears that after I had fallen asleep, 
 Manito-o-geezhik, passing that way, had perceived me, had toma- 
 hawked me, and thrown me in the bushes; and that when he 
 came to liis camp he had said to his wife, " old woman, the boy I 
 brought you is good for nothing ; I have killed him, ind you will 
 find him in such a place." The old woman and her daughter 
 having found me, discovered still some signs of life, and had stood 
 over me a long time, crying, aiul pouring cohl water on my head, 
 when I waked. In a few days I recovered in some measure from 
 this hurt, and was again set to work at the screen, but I was more 
 careful not to fall asleep ; I endeavoured to assist them at their 
 labours, and to comply in all instances with their directions, but 
 I was notwithstanding treated with great harshness, particularly 
 by the old man, and his two sons She-mung and Kwo-tash-c. 
 While we remained at the hunting camp, one of them put a bridle 
 in my hand, and pointing in a certain direction, motioned me to 
 go. I went accordingly, supposing he wished me to bring a horse; 
 I went and caught the first I could find, and in this way I learned 
 to discharge such services as they required of me. 
 
 When we returned from huixting, I carried on my back a large 
 pack of dried meat all the way to the village ; but though I was 
 almost starved, I dared not touch a morsel of it. My Indian 
 mother, who seemed to have some compassion for me, would 
 sometimes steal a little food, and hide it for me until the old man 
 was gone away, and then give it me. After we returned to the; 
 village, the young men, wlumever the weather was pleasant, were 
 engaged in sj)earing fish, and they used to take me to steer the 
 canoe. As I did not know how to do this very well, they com- 
 monly turned upon me, beat me, anil t)ften knocked me down with 
 the pole of the spear. By one or the other of them I was beaten 
 almost every day. Other Indians, not of our family, would some- 
 times seem to pity me, and when they could without being ob- 
 served by the old man, they would sometimes give me food, and 
 take notice of me. 
 
 After the corn was gathered in the fall, and disposed of in the 
 Sun-je-gwun-nun, or Ca-ches, where they liide it for the winter, 
 <hey went to hunt on the Sau-ge-nong river. I was here, as J 
 
 had 
 
 % 
 
 1- } 
 
Wpsr 
 
 lA.\MiRsi NAKKAl'lM, 
 
 33 
 
 In the 
 
 Inter, 
 a>< f 
 
 had alivays been when among them, much distressed with him- 
 As I was often witli them in the woods, I saw them eatina' 
 
 Cfer 
 
 something, and I endeavoured to discover what it was, but tb 
 carefully concealed it from me. It was some time before I acci- 
 dentally found some beach-nuts, and though I knew not what 
 they were, I was tempted to taste them, and finding them very 
 good, I showed them to the Indians, when they laughed, and let 
 )ne know these were what they had all along been eating. After 
 the snow had fallen, I was compelled to follow the hunters, and 
 often-times to drag home to the lodge a Avhole deer, though it 
 was with the greatest difficulty I could do so. 
 
 At night I had always to lie between the fire and the door of 
 the lodge, and when any one passed out or came in, they com- 
 monly gave me a kick; and whenever they went to drink they 
 made a practice to throw some water on me. The old man con- 
 stantly treated me with much cruelty, but his ill humour showed 
 itself more on some occasions than others. One morning, he got 
 up, put on his moccasins, and went out; but presently returning, 
 he caught me by the hair of my head, dragged me out, rubbed my 
 face for a long time in a mass of recent excrement, as one would 
 do the nose of a cat, then tossed me by the hair into a snow bank. 
 After this I was afraid to go into the lodge ; but at length my 
 inother came out and gave me some water to wash. We were 
 )iow about to move our camp, and I was as usual made to carry 
 a large pack ; but as I had not been able to wash my face clean, 
 when I came among other Indians they perceived the smell, and 
 asked me the cause. By the aid of signs, and some few words I 
 I'ould now speak, I made them comprehend how I had been 
 treated. Some of them appeared to pity me, assisted me to w^asli 
 myself, and gave me something to eat.* 
 
 * Tanner has much of the Indian habit of concealing emotion ; but when ho 
 related the almve to me, the glimmering of his eye, and a convulsive movemcn', 
 of his U|)|)er lip, lietrayed sufliciently, that he is not without the enduring thirst 
 tor revenge which Ijelongs to the people among whom he has s|ient his life. "As 
 HOon,"said he, in connexion with this anecdote, "as I landed in Detroit on my re- 
 turn from Red River, and found a man who could speak with me, I said ' whero 
 is Kish-kau-koT 'He is in prison.' ' Where is Manifo-o-gee/liik, his father .'" 
 'Dead two montlii* since.' 'It is well he is dead.' " Intimating that though mure 
 than thirty years had elapsed, he intended now to have avenged himself for the 
 xpjurv done him when a Ixiy not eleven yean* of age.— -Ef- 
 
 \ 
 
 $^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■''k 
 
 ^4..^ 
 
^.T ■' ..»— JilMJ^.M 1.1 -, , 
 
 \r 
 
 ]i 
 
 
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 h 
 
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 34 
 
 •lANNEK S NARRATIVK, 
 
 \> I ■ I 
 
 ,fr) 
 
 irr 
 
 Often wlien the old man would begin to boat mo, my mothei , 
 who generally treated mc with kindness, wo\dd throw her arms 
 abont me, and he would beat us both together. Towards the 
 end of winter, we moved again to tJie sugar grounds. At this 
 lime, Kisli-kau-ko, who was a young man of about wenly years 
 of age, joined with him four other young men, anu went on a 
 war-party, Tiie old man, also, as soon as the sugar was finish- 
 ed, returned to the village, collected a few men, an(' made his 
 preparations to start. I had now been a year among them, and 
 could understand a little of their language. The old man, when 
 about to start, said to me, " now I am going to kill your father 
 and your brother, and all your relations." Kish-kau-ko returned 
 iirst, but was badly wounded. He said he had been with his 
 party to the Ohio river ; tliat they had, after watching for somi; 
 time, fired upon a small boat that was going dow n, and killed 
 one man, the rest jumping into the water. He [Kish-kau-ko] 
 had wounded himself in his thigh with his own spear, as he was 
 pursuing them. They brought home the scalp of the man they 
 had killed. 
 
 Old Manito-o-geezhik retui-ned a few days afteiwards, bringing 
 an old white hat, which I k.iew, from a mark in the crown, t(» 
 be that of my brother. Tie said he had killed all my father's 
 family, the negroes, and the horses, and had brought mc my 
 brother's hat, that I might see he spoke the truth. I now be- 
 lieved that my friends had all been cut oil", and was, on that ac- 
 count, tlie less anxious to return. This, it appears, had been 
 precisely the object the old man a ished to accomplish, by tell- 
 ing me the story, of which but a small part was true. When 
 I came to see Kish-kau-ko, after I returned from Red River, I 
 asked him immediately, " Is it true, that your father has kill- 
 ed all my relations ?" He told mc it was not ; that Manito- 
 o-geezhik, the year after I was taken, at the same season of the 
 year, returned to the same field where he hac' found me ; that, 
 ns on the preceding year, he had watched my father and his 
 people planting corn, from morning till noon ; that then the) 
 all went into the house, except my brother, who was then nine- 
 teen years of age : he remained ploughing with a span of horses, 
 having the lines about his neck, when the Indians rushed upon 
 him; the horses stm'ted to run; my brother wa? entangled in 
 
 ;l ., 
 
I'ANNEU'.S NARHATlVf.. 
 
 m 
 
 my 
 
 be- 
 
 ac- 
 
 becH 
 
 r, I 
 
 kill- 
 
 inito- 
 
 the 
 
 that, 
 
 his 
 
 the) 
 
 ♦fic lines, and thrown down, when the Indians caught hiiii. Tlko 
 )iorses they killed with their bows and arrows, and took mj' 
 brother away into tlie woods. They crossed tlie Ohio before 
 night, and had proceeded a good distance in their M'ay op the 
 Miami. At night they left my brother securely bound, as tliev 
 thought, to a tree. His hands and arms were tied behind him, 
 and there were cords around his breast and neck ; but having 
 bitten oflsome of the cords, he was able to get a pen-knife that was 
 in his pocket, with whicli he cut himself loose, and immediately 
 run towards the Ohio, at which he arrived, and which he crossed 
 by swimming, and reached his father's house about sunrise in 
 the morning. The Indians were roused by the noise he made, 
 and pursued him into the wo idc ; but as the night was very 
 dark, they were not able to overtake him. His hat had been 
 left at the camp, and this they brought, to make me believe they 
 had killed him. Thus I remai-.ied for two years in this family, 
 and gradually came to have less and less hope of escape, though 
 I did not forget what the English traders on the Mauraee had 
 said, and I wished they might reniemlier and come for mc. 
 The men were often drunk, and whenever they were so, they 
 sought to kill me. In these cases, I learned to run and hide my- 
 self in the woods, and I dared not return before their drunken 
 frolick was over. During the two years that I remained at Sau- 
 ge-nong, I was constantly suftering from hunger ; and though 
 strangers, or those not belonging to the family, sometimes fed 
 me, I had never t-nough to eat. The old woman they called 
 JNe-keek-wos-ke-cheem e-kwa — " the Otter woman," the otter be- 
 ing her totem — treated me with kindness, as did her daughters, 
 as well as Rish-kau-ko and Be-nais-sa, the bird, the youngest son, 
 of about my own age. Kish-kau-ko and his father, and the two 
 brothers, Kwo-ta-she and She-mung, were blood-thirsty anil 
 cruel, and those who remain of this family, continue, to this time, 
 troublesome to the whites. Be-nais-sa, who came to see mc 
 when I was at Detroit, and who always treated me kindly, was a 
 lietter man, but he is since dead. While I remained with them 
 at Sau-ge-nong, I saw white men but once. Then a small boat 
 jtassed, and the Indians took me out to it in a canoe, rightly sup- 
 posing that my wretched appearance would excite the compas- 
 sion of the traders, or whatever white men thcv were. These 
 
 ;i: « 
 
 i 
 
 •»i ■ .» • 
 
:<(} 
 
 lA.NNKRh NARUAHVJ,. 
 
 1 \ 
 
 \- 
 
 i'm 
 
 gave inc bread, apples, and other presents, all wliicli, except one 
 apple, the Indians took from me. By this family I was named 
 Shaw-shaw-wa ne-l)a-se, (the Falcon.) which name I retained 
 while I remained amoni^ the fndians. 
 
 I had been about two years at Sau-ge-nong, when a great coun- 
 cil was called by the British agents at Mackinac. This coun- 
 cil was attended l)y the Sioux, the Winnebagoes, the Meno- 
 monees, and many remote tribes, as well us by the Ojibbeways, 
 Ottawwaws, &c. When old Manito-o-geezhik returned from 
 this council, I soon learned that he had met there his kinswo- 
 man, Net-no-kwa, who, notwithstanding her sex, was then re- 
 garded as principal chief of the Ottawwaws. This woman had 
 lost her son, of about my age, by death ; and having heard of 
 me, she wished to purchase me to supply his place. My old 
 Indian mother, the Otter woman, when she heard of this, prci- 
 tested vehemently against it. I heard her say, " My son has 
 been dead once, and has been restored to me ; I cannot lose 
 bim again." But these remonstrances had little influence, when 
 Net-no-kwa arrived with considerable whiskey, and other pre- 
 sents. She brought to the lodge first a ten gallon keg of whip- 
 key, blankets, tobacco, and other articles of great value. She 
 was perfectly acquainted with the dispositions of those with 
 whom she had to negotiate. Objections were made to the ex- 
 change until the contents of the keg had circulated for some 
 time; then an additional keg, and a few more presents, com- 
 pleted the bargain, and I was transferred to Net-no-kwa. This 
 woman, who was then advanced in years, was of a more pleasing- 
 aspect than my former mother. She took me by the hand, after 
 she had completed the negotiation with my former possessors, 
 and led me to her own lodge, which stood near. Here I soon 
 found I was to be treated more indulgently than I had been. 
 She gave me plenty of food, put good clothes upon me, and told 
 me to go and play with her own sons. We remained but a short 
 lime at Sau'-ge-nong. She would not stop with me at Macki- 
 nac, which we passed in the night, but ran along to Point St. 
 Ignace, where she hired some Indians to take care of me, while 
 she returned to Mackinac by herself, or with one or two of her 
 young men. After finishing her business at Mackinac, she re- 
 turned, and continuing on our journey, we arrived in a few days 
 
 (t 
 
 i 
 
 .•si* 
 
 
1ANN£R S NARRATIVI.. 
 
 ar 
 
 til »Shal)-n-\vy-wy-u-gun. The corn was ripe wlioii we rcachtcl 
 that place, and after stopj)ing a little while, we went three days 
 up the river, to the place where they intended to pass the winter. 
 We then left our canoes, and travelling over land, camped three 
 times before we came to the place where we set up our lodges for 
 the winter. The husband of Net-no-kwa was an Ojibbeway, of 
 Red River, called Taw-ga-we-ninnc, the liimter. He was seven- 
 teen years \ ounger than Net-no-kwu, and had turned oil" a former 
 wife on l)i mg married to her. Taw-ga-we-ninin^ was always in- 
 dulgent and kind to me, treating ine like an equal, rather than 
 as a dependant. When sj)eaking to me, he always called me his 
 son. Indeed, he himself was but of secondary importance in 
 the family, as every thing belonged to Net-no-kwa, and she had 
 the direction in all allairs of any moment. She imposed on me, 
 for the first year, some tasks. She made me cut wood, bring 
 home game, bring water, and perform other services not com- 
 monly required of the boys of my age ; but she treated me inva- 
 riably with so much kindness, that I was far more hap|)y and 
 4;ontent, than I had been in the family of Maiiito-o-geezhik. She 
 sometijnes whij)ped me, as she did her own children ; but I was 
 not so severely and freciuently beaten as I hail been before. 
 
aft 
 
 tanner's narkativi::. 
 
 11. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 First attompi to hunt — mcaKlt's — tra|)i)ing martins— emigration to Red River — 
 death ol'iny foster lather and hrotlier — arrival at Lake \ViunijK'k. 
 
 Early in tlie spriiijr, Not-no-kwa and her liusl)Hn(l, with their 
 family, started to go to Mackinac. They left me, as they liad 
 done before, at Point St. Itriiace, as they woidd not run the 
 risk of losing mc by sulFering me to be seen at Mackinac. On 
 onr retin';i, after we had gone twenty-five or thirty miles from 
 Point St. Igiiace, we were flelained by contrary winds, at a place 
 railed Me-nan-ko-king, a point rnnning tmt into the lake. Hero 
 we encamped with some other Indians, and a party of traders. 
 Pigeons were very mnnerons in the wooiis, and the boys of my 
 age, and the traders, were busy shooting them. I had never 
 killed any game, and, indeed, had never in my life discharged a 
 gun. My mother had purchased at Mackinac a keg of powder, 
 which, as they thought it a little damp, was here spread out to 
 dry. Taw-ga-we-iiinne had a large horse-man's pistol ; and 
 liiiding myself somewliat eml)oldened by his indulgent manner 
 toward me, I requested permission to go and try to kill sonn- 
 pigeons with tlie pistol. My recjuest was seconded by Nti-no- 
 kwa, who said, " it is time for our son to begin to learn to he a 
 hnnter." Acc(»rdingly. my lather, as I called Taw-ga-we-niime, 
 loaded the [lislol and gave it to me, saying, "(Jo, my son, and if 
 you kill any thing with this, you shall immediately have a gun, 
 and learn to hunt." Since t have been a man, I have been placed 
 in didicult situati(nis; Init my anxiety for success was never 
 greater than in this, my tirst essay as a hunter. I had not gone 
 far from the camp, before I met with jiigeon.-., and some of 
 them alighted in the bushes very near me. I cocked my pistol, 
 and raised it to my face, bringing the breech almost in contact 
 Avitli my nose. Having brought the sight to bear npon the 
 pigeon, I j)ulled trigger, and was in the next instant sensible of 
 :i humming noise, like that of a stone sent swiftly through the 
 air. I found the ]»istol at the ilislance of some paces behind me. 
 
 li! 
 
TANNER S NARRATIVl,, 
 
 39 
 
 and the pigeon under the tree on which he liad been sitting. 
 My face was much bniistid, and covered with ijlood. 1 run home, 
 carrying my pigeon in triumph. My face was speeihly bound 
 up; my pistol exchanged for a fowhng-piece ; 1 was acc(»utred 
 with a powder horn, and furnished with shot, and aUowed to go 
 out after birds. One of the young Indians went with me, to ob- 
 serve my manner of shooting. 1 kiUed three more pigeons in 
 tlie course of the afternoon, and did not discharge my gun once 
 without ivilhng. Henceforth 1 begun to be treated with more 
 ronsi(U'ralion, and was aUowid to hunt often, that 1 miglit be- 
 come expert. 
 
 Great part of the summer and autumn passed before we re- 
 turned to Shab-a-wy-wy-a-gun. When we arrived we found 
 the Indians suH'ering very severely from the measles; and as 
 Nel-no-kwa was accjuainted with the contagious nature of tliis 
 disease, she was unwilling to expose her family, but passed im- 
 mediately through the village, and encamped on the river above. 
 But, notwithstanding her precautiiui, we soon began to fall sick. 
 Of ten persons belonging to our family, incluiUng two young 
 wives of Taw-ga-we-ninne, only iVel-no-kwa and myself escaped 
 an attack of this complaint. Several of them were very sick, 
 and the old woman and myself found it as nuicli as we co\dil do 
 to take care of them. In the village, numbers died. b\it all of 
 our family escaped. As the winter approached, tiiey began to 
 get better, and went, at length, to our wintering ground, at the 
 same place where we had spent the former winter. Here I was 
 set to make martin traps, as the otiier hiniters did. The lirst 
 day I went out early, and spent the wlnde day. relurninir late at 
 night, having made only three traps; vhereas, in the siime time, 
 a good hunter woidd have nuide twenty-live or thirty. On the. 
 morning followinj), I visited my traps, and found but one martin. 
 ThuH I continued lo do for some days, but my waitt of success, 
 ami my awkwanliu'ss, exposed me to the ridicule of the young 
 men. At length, my father bej/an to pity me, and he said, " My 
 son, 1 mtist go and help you to make traps." So be went out 
 and spent a day in makinir n large numlier of traps, which he 
 gave me, and then I was able to fake as many martins as (he 
 others. The yotmg men, however, did not forget to tell nu'. on 
 all occasions, ul' the assiHtuncu i hud received iVum my father. 
 
40 
 
 tanner's narrative. 
 
 This winter was passed like the preceding ; but as I becauit 
 more and more expert and successful in hunting and trapping, I 
 was no longer required to do the work of the women about the 
 lodge. 
 
 In the following spring, Net-no-kwa,as usual, went to Macki- 
 nac. Hhe always carried a flag in her canoe, and I was told, 
 that whenever she came to Mackinac, she was saluted by a gun 
 from the fort. I was now thirteen years old, or in my thirteenth 
 year. Bef(»re we left the village, I heard Net-no-kwa talk of 
 going to Ked River, to the relations of her husband. Many of 
 the Ottawwaws, when they heard this, determined to go with her. 
 Among others, was Wah-ka-zee, a chief of the village at War- 
 gun-uk-ke-zee,* or L'Arbre Croche, and others ; in all, six ca- 
 noes. Instead of leaving me, in this instance, at Point St. 
 Ignace, they landed with me in the night, among the cedars, not 
 far from the village of Mackinac ; and the old woman then took 
 me into the town, to the house of a French trader, [Shabboyer,] 
 with whom she had sufficient influence to secure my confine- 
 ment, for several days, in the cellar. Here I remained, not be- 
 ing allowed to go out at all, but was otherwise well treated. 
 This confinement seemed to be unnecessary, as subsequently, 
 when we were ready to go on our journey, we were detained by 
 head winds, at the point now occupied by the missionaries, when 
 I was suffered to run at large. While we remained here, the 
 Indians began to be drunk. My father, who was drunk, but 
 still able to walk about, spoke (o two young men who were 
 walking (tijjethcr, and taking hold of the shirt shieve of one of 
 them, he, without intending to do so, tore it. This young man, 
 whose name was Sug-gut-tiuv-gun, [Spunk-wood,] was irritated, 
 and giving my father a rough push, he fidl on his back. Sug- 
 jfut-tjiw-gun then took up a large stone, and threw it at him, 
 hitting him in (he forehead. When I saw this, I became alarmed 
 for my own safety ; and, as I knew that Me-to-saw-gea, an Ojib- 
 beway chief, was then on the island, with a party going against 
 the whites ; and, as I had understood they had sought opportu- 
 
 
 hud 
 
 • n'm-gun-uk-kc-icc inoitnA, an Tiinnrr wiys, tho lirnt troo; and thr ((iiic 
 which "juvcimmr to Ilic iihicc calli'il liy the Fri'iii'Ii 1,'Arhrc Crihhr, waH Ktanding 
 wjipn hi! firnl viHildl ihni vjlln^r. He s|Kik(' with crrnt iiidiciiHtion of th«In- 
 t\)n who, throiurh inrrc wsn'oimrsH, cut doivn this roiiwrkablo tmr . 
 
 
 ' 
 
 '^ 'V, 
 
lAiNNKK's NAKHATIVU. 
 
 ■J 
 
 41 
 
 allies to kill me, I lliouirlii my situation iin«r.iV. 1 acconlingly 
 made my escape to the uudiIs, where F hid myself lor tlie re- 
 mainder of the day, and the night. On the following day, beinjv 
 pressed by hunger, 1 returned, and secreted myself, for some 
 time, in the low cedars near our lodge, in order to observe what 
 was passing, and to ascertain if I might return. At length, I 
 discovered my mother calling me, and looking for me through 
 the bushes. 1 went up to her, and she told me to go in and sec 
 my father, who was killed. When I went in, my father said to 
 me, " I am killed." He made mc sit down with the other chil- 
 dren, and talked much to us. IJe said, " Now, my children, I 
 have to leave you. I am sorry that I must leave you so poor." 
 He said nothing to us about killing the Indian who had struck 
 him with the stone, as some would have done. He was too good 
 ,1 man to wish to involve lu- family in the troubles which such a 
 course would have brought upon them. The youiiu' man who 
 had woinuled him, remained with us, notwilhslaiuling that Net- 
 no-kwatold him it wouM not be safe for him to go to Red Hiver. 
 where her iiusband's relativ<!s were numerous and powerful, and 
 ili.-posed to take revenge. 
 
 When we eau»e to the Saut of St. Marie, we put all o\n' ba'^ • 
 gage on board the trader's vessel, which was about to sail to the 
 upper end of Lake Su|»erior, and went on o;ns('lves in our ca- 
 noes. The winds were light, which enabled us to run taster 
 than the vessel, and we arrived ten days before it, at the Por- 
 tage. When she at last came, and anchored out at a little dis- 
 tance from the shore, my father and his two sons, Wa-me-gou- 
 a-biew, (he who puts oi; feathers,) the eldest, and Ke-wa-tin, 
 (the north wind,) went out in a canoe to get the baggage, la 
 junjping down into the hold of llie vessel, the younger of these 
 young men fell with his knee upon a knot of the rope tied 
 around a bimdie of goods, and rtctived an lujiay from which he 
 never recovered. The same night his knee was badly sM-(»lleii, 
 and on the next day he was not able to go out \)[' the lodge. 
 After about eight or ten days, we commenced crossing the (irnnd 
 Portage : we carried him on oia- siu)nldrrs, by fastening n blanket 
 to two poles ; but he was so sick that we had to stop often, vvhicli 
 made us long in passing. We left our canoes at the Irading- 
 house, and when we r nnic to the other side of the Portage, were 
 
 (i 
 
 
TANNER i NARKATlVt. 
 
 detained some days to make small canoes. When tliesie were 
 nearly finished, my fiilher sent mc, with one of his wives, back 
 to the tradini^-honse, to brinjr somclhinfr which had been forgot- 
 ten. On our return, we met the two l)oys at some distance, 
 (•oniing to tell mc to hasten home, for my father was dying, and 
 lie wished to see nie before he died. When I came into the 
 lodge, I found that he was indeed dying, and though lie could 
 see, he was not able to speak to me. In a few minutes he 
 ceased to breathe. Beside hii". lay the gun wliich he had taken 
 in his hand a few minutes before, to shoot the young man who 
 had wounded him at Mackinac. In the morning, when I left 
 him to go to the Portage, he was apparently well ; my mother 
 told me it was not until aliernotm, he began to complain ; he 
 then came into the lodge, saying, " I am now dying; but since 
 I have to go, this young man, who has killed me, must go with 
 me. I hoped to have lived (ill I had raised you all to be men ; 
 but now f must die, and leave you j)0(>r, and without any one t<i 
 provide for you." So saying, iie stepped out, with the gun in 
 Ids hand, to shoot the young man, who was at that lime sitting 
 by the door of his own lodge. Ke-wa-tin, hearing liiis, began 
 in cry, and, addressing his fallier, said, " My father, if I was well 
 I could help you lo kill tl\is man, and could protect my young 
 brothers from the vengeance of his friends, after he is dead ; 
 but you see my situation, ai\d that I am about to die. My 
 b.rothers are young and weak, and we shall all be murdered it' 
 you kill this man." My fallior replied, " My son, I love you 
 loo well to refus«' you any thing you request." So saying, In: 
 leturned, laid down his gun, and, after having said a very few 
 words, incpiired for me, and directed them lo send for me, he ex- 
 pired. The old witnian procured a collin from the traders, and 
 they brought my lather's body, in a wagon, to the trading- 
 house, on this side the (Jrand Portage, where they buried him, 
 in the burying ground of the whites. His two sons, as well as 
 the young man who killed him, accompanied his body to the 
 Tortage. This last was near being killed by one of my brothers; 
 but the other prevented him, as he was about to strike. 
 
 It was but a very short time after my father died, thai we 
 started on onr journey to Red River. My brotlier Ke-wa-tiit 
 ^vp carried on ti litter, as we had done before, whenever it whs 
 
 m 
 
 '\X \ 
 
lANXr.R S XAHRATIVF.. 
 
 4:? 
 
 A \< 
 
 you 
 
 S' ^»<" 
 ■y ftnv 
 
 \c ex- 
 
 rrt, and 
 
 iiiling- 
 
 1 liim, 
 
 i\\ as 
 
 i» the 
 
 there ; 
 
 lat wo 
 
 -wa-tin 
 
 it was 
 
 necessary to iako him out of the canoe. \V(> liiui p;ir;se(l two 
 carrying plaros, and arrived at tlie third, caUed ilic Moose car- 
 vying place, when he said to us, " I must die here; J cannot gn 
 iarther." So Net-no-kwa determined to stop here, and the re- 
 mainder ol'tlie party went on. A part of our own family chose 
 to continue on witli those goiny; to Fled River. So that, after 
 they had started, there remained (udy the ohl woman, and one of 
 tlie younger wives t)f Tau-ga-we-ninne, V.'a-me-gon-a-hiew, tin; 
 cUIer brother, Re-wa-tin, the second, and myself, the youngest. 
 It was about the middle of summer, for the small berries were 
 ripe, when w;; sto[)ped here on ihe borders of Moose Lake, 
 which is of cool and t dear water, like Lake Superior. It is 
 small and round, and a canoe can be very j)lainly seen across 
 llie widest })tirt of it. We were only two of us able to do any 
 thing ; and being myself very young, and without any expe- 
 rience as a hunter, we had apprehension that, being left thus 
 jilone, we might soon bo in want. We had brought willi us one 
 iif the nets used about Mackinac, and s»!ttin<> this, the iirst 
 night, caught about eighty trout ami white lish. After remain- 
 ing here some lime, we fouiul beavers, of which we killeil six; 
 also, some otiers and muskrats. We had brought with u< some 
 corn and grease, so that, with the lish we caught, and tlie ganu- 
 we killed, we lived comfortably. But, at the aj)proach of win- 
 ter, the old woman told us she could not venture to renuiin then; 
 by herself, as the winter would be long and cold, and no people, 
 either whites or Iiulians, near us. Ke-wa-tin was now so sick 
 aiul weak, that in going back to the Portag*', we were compelled 
 to move slowly; and when we arrived, the waters were begin- 
 ning t<t freeze. He lived but a montli or two alter we arrived. 
 It must have been in the early part, or before the middle of 
 winter, that he di«'d. The old woman buried him by the side of 
 iier husband, and himn U]) oiu- of her flaos at his grave. 
 
 We now, as the weather became severe, began to grow poor, 
 Wa-me-gon-a-biew and myself being unable to kill as much game 
 as we wanted. He was seventeen years of age, and I thirteen, 
 and game was not plentifid. As the weather became more and 
 n\ore cold, we removed from the trading house, and set up our 
 lodge in the woods, that we might get wood easier. Here my 
 brother and mvself had to exert ourselves to the utmost, to avoid 
 
 %i 
 
44 
 
 1A\NJ;K .S XAUKATIVI.. 
 
 j^lnrv intr. We ii>cm1 to lumt two or ilireo days' distance irom home, 
 jind often rolurned with but litlk; meat. Wo had, on one of our 
 hunting paths, a camp hiiill of codar bousrhs, in which we had 
 Kindh^l lire so often, tliat at lenirlh it became very dry, and at 
 last cauglit fire as we were lying in it. The cedar had become 
 so dry thut it flashed up Hke powder, i)uv fortunately we escaped 
 with little injury. A.s we were returning, and still a great distance 
 iioni home, we attempted to cross a river which was so rapid as 
 never to freeze very sound. Though the weather was so cold 
 that the trees were constantly cracking with the frost, we l)roke 
 in, I first, and at'terwards my brotiu^r; and he, in attempting tu 
 throw himself down upon the ice, w«'t himself nearly all over, 
 while I had at first only my feet and legs wet. Owing to our 
 hands being benumbed with the cold, it was long before we could 
 extricate ourselves from our snow shoes, and we were no sooner 
 out of the water, than our moccasins and leggins were frozen 
 sliir. My brother was soon discouraged, and said he was willing 
 to die. Our spunk wood had got wet when we fell in, and thougli 
 we at length reached the shore, as we were unable to raise a fire, 
 and our moccasins and cloalhes were frozen so stiff that we could 
 nut travel, I began also to think that we must die. But I was 
 not like my Indian brother, willing to sit down and wail patientlj 
 lor death to con\c. [ kept moving about to the best of my jtower. 
 while he lay in a dry place Ity the side of the bank, where the 
 wind had blown away the snow. I at length found some very 
 dry rotten wood, whicl. 1 used as a sul)stiliite for spinik, and was 
 so happy as to raise a fire. We then aj)plicd ourselves to thaw 
 and dry our moccasins, and when jjartly dry we put them on, and 
 went to (collect fuel for a larger lire than we had before been able 
 to make. At length, when night came on, we had a comfortable 
 lire and dry cloathes, an<l though we had nothing to eat, we did 
 not regard this, after the more severe siiirering from cold. At thr 
 earliest dawn we left our camp, and proceeded toM'arda home : 
 hut at no great distance met our mother, bringing dry clothes 
 and a little fiiod. She knew that we oiisrht to have been home 
 on the preceding day by sunset, and was also aware of the dilfi- 
 eull river we had to cross. Soon nfter dark, being con\'inced 
 that we must have fallen through 'he ice, she started, and walk- 
 

 JANNER S NAKKATIVI., 
 
 45 
 
 pry 
 \va> 
 law 
 uud 
 ablr 
 able 
 dirt 
 t tin: 
 
 omi' : 
 ithes 
 
 loinr 
 (lirti- 
 nred 
 
 valk- 
 
 iiisr all night, met us not far from tlu; place where the accident 
 liappeiiPil. 
 
 Thus we lived for some time, in a suflering and ahn<ist starvinii; 
 condition, when a Muskegoe, or Swamp Iruhan, called the Smo- 
 ker,* came to the trading house, and learninir thai we were verv 
 poor, invited us home with him, to his awn v-ouniry, saying h(j 
 could h\mt for us, and would hrinu us hack in the spring. Wo 
 went two long days journey towards the west, and came lo a place 
 called We-sau-ko-ta See-bee, Burnt Wood River, where we found 
 his lodge. He took us into his own Iodide, and wliile we re- 
 mained with him, we wanted for nothing. Such is still the cus- 
 tom of the Indians, remote from the whites ; but the Ottawwaws, 
 and those near the settlements, have learned to be like the whites, 
 and to give only to those who can jias . If any one, who had at 
 that time been of tiie family of Miet-iio-kwa,were now, after so 
 many years, to meet one of the family of Pe-twa\v-we-ninnc, he 
 would call him "brother," ami treat him as such. 
 
 W^e had been but a fvw days at the Portage, when another man 
 of the sanH> band of Muskegoes, invited us to go with him to a 
 large island in Lake Superior, where, he said, were plenty of 
 Caribou and Sturgeon, and where, he had no doubt, he could 
 jirovide all that would he necessary for our support. We went 
 with him, accordingly ; and starting at the earliest appearance of 
 dawn, we reached the islanil somewhat before night, though 
 there was a light wind ahead. In the low rocky points about 
 this island, we found more gull's eggs than we were able to take 
 awav. We also took, with spears, two or three sturgeons, im- 
 mediately on our arrival : so that our want of food was supplied. 
 On the next day, Wa-ge-mah-wub, whom we called our brother- 
 in-law, and who was, in some remote degree, related to Net-no- 
 gua, went to hunt, and returned at evening, having killed two 
 caribou. On this island, is a large lake, which it look us about 
 a day to reach, from the shore ; and into this lake runs a small 
 river. Here we found beaver, otter, and oilier game; and as 
 long as we remained in the island, we had an abundant supply 
 
 * Pe-twaie-ice-ninnr. — This, liovvi'vcr, is n ("r<'<: wi)rd ; tlio luiiio uniDng the 
 Ojil'lipwiiys, IB Siig-gno-s^Fav'-ice-ijinnc. Miiskt'go*' is from .Miif-keek, a nwamp, 
 und ia applied to a l<aud of the OjiblH'Wiiys, enjuyin^ in ffcnetil no very gocxi 
 iiRmo. 
 
 ^ 'iuj. 
 
 . iyK-, 
 
 ''%. 
 
•aiMcilB 
 
 40 
 
 iANNER rt narhativi;. 
 
 \u. 
 
 .k^ i 
 
 I! I, 
 
 «)f provisions. We met here the relations of Wa-ffp-mah-wub in 
 eight (;anoes ; with whom we at length started to return to the 
 Portage. We were ten canoes in ail, and we started, as we had 
 done ill coming, at the earliest dawn of the morning. The night 
 had been calm, and the water, when wv left tlie island, was j)er- 
 I'ectly smooth. Wc had proceeded about two hundred yards into 
 the lake, when tin; canoes all stopped together, and tlie chief, in 
 a very loud voice, addressed a prayer to the Great Spirit, entreat- 
 ing him to give us a good look to cross ihe lake. " You," said 
 he, "have made this lake, and you have made «is, your children; 
 you can now cause that the wat(!r shall remain smooth, while wc 
 pass over in safely.'' In this maimer, he continued praying for 
 five or ten mintites ; he then threw into tin; lake a small <iuanti- 
 ty of tol)acc(t, in which eacii of tlie canoes fidlowed his example. 
 They then nil started together, and the old chief conmienced his 
 song, which was a religious one ; but I cannot remember exactly 
 Ihe meaning of what he sung. 1 had now forgotten my mother 
 tongue, and retained few, if any, ide;is of the religion of the 
 whites. I can remember, that this address of the chief to the 
 Great S|)irit, appenred to me impressive and solemn, and the In- 
 dians seemed all somewhat impressed by it, or perhaps by their 
 situation, beintr exposed, on the broad lake, in their frail bark 
 canoes, they could not but f«'el iheir dependance upon that Power 
 which controls the winds and the waves. They rowed and pad- 
 dled, silently and diligently, and long before night, arrived in 
 safety at the Grand Portage; the lake having remained perfectly 
 calm. At this time, I was suHered to {jo entirely at large, being 
 subjected to no manner of restraint, and might, at almost an\ 
 time, have made my escape from the In<lians : but I believed mv 
 father and all my friends had been murdered, and I remend)ered 
 the laborious and confined manner in which I must live, if I re- 
 turned among the whites; where, having no friends, and being 
 destitute of money or property, I must, of necessity, be exposed 
 It) all the ills of extreme poverty. Among the Indians, J saw 
 that those who were too young, or too weak to hunt for them- 
 selves, were sure to find some one to provide for them. I was 
 also rising in the estimation of the Indians, and bt coming as one 
 of them. I therefore chose, for the present, to remain w'ith them. 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 

 TANNER S NARRATIVE. 
 
 47 
 
 cl ill 
 
 rtly 
 
 K'illfr 
 
 an \ 
 
 I my 
 
 nrcd 
 
 I n- 
 
 iciiiu" 
 
 )OSt'(.l 
 
 saw 
 lem- 
 
 was 
 IS one 
 them. 
 
 biit always intended, at some future time, to return and live 
 among the whites. 
 
 We were now again at the Portage, wlienee we had been 
 twice removed by the friendly hospitality of the Muskcgoes : 
 and were left to consult about the course we would pursue. When 
 our mother had at lengtli v ' up her mind to continue on to 
 Red River, acconhng to l.<r original plan, she heard, by one of 
 the traders, that her son-in-law, the husband of one of her daugh- 
 ters, who had continueil on from Moose Lake, at the time wt^ 
 had been compelled to stop with Kc-wa-tin, had been killed by 
 an old man, in a drunken frolick. The traders had brought the 
 widow as far as Rainy Lake, whence she had sent word to her 
 mother, that she wished her to come and join her. This was an 
 (ulditional inducement to us to go to Red River, and we deter- 
 mined to proceed without delay. 
 
 Our canoe had been lent to the traders, and was sent on tin 
 route towards Red River to bring packs. As they were al)out tt» 
 (lespatcb more canoes, JVe(-no-gua reciuested tjiey would distri- 
 bute us about, one or two to each canoe, s" that we might go on 
 until we should meet our own canoe. Alter a day or two, we met 
 ilie Frenchmen, with our canoe ; but as they refused to give it 
 up, the old womim took it from them without thei>" conscnl, put 
 it in the water, and ])ut our baggage on board. The Frenchmen 
 dareil not make any resistance. I have never met with an Indian, 
 either man or woman, who had so much authority as Net-no-kwa. 
 She could accomplish whatever she pleased, either with the tra- 
 ders or the Indians ; probaldy, in some measure, because she 
 never attempted to do any tliina; which was not riirbt and just. 
 
 At Rainy Lake, we found the old wonum's daughter, in the care 
 of some Indians, but very poor. Net-no-kwa conferred long with 
 her, on our situation ; she talked of all our misfortunes and losses, 
 and the death of her husbaiul and son. She knew, she said, that 
 her two little sons who remained, were young, but they w^'re now 
 becoming able to do something ; and that, since she had come so 
 far, for the purpose of going to Red River to hunt beaver, she 
 was not willing to turn back. My brother and myself, although 
 deeply interested in these consultations, were not alloweil to have 
 any voice. 
 
 It being determined that we should go to Red River, we con- 
 
 1 
 
 f 
 
-I WJI-H-^ IH . 1 
 
 48 
 
 tanner's NAKKA'ilVi:. 
 
 tiiiiiod on to tlio Lal<o of tlio Woods. Tliis lake is called by the 
 Tiuliiuis Pub-bo-kwaw-waunfr-jiiiw Saii-jfi-e-gun, "the Lak(j of tho 
 Sand Hills." Why it is ralifd "Lake of the Woods" by the 
 whites, I cannot tell, as there is not much wood about it. Here 
 we were much endangered by high winds, the waves dashing into 
 our canoe so fast, that I was scarcely able, with a large kettle, 
 to throw out the wat<'r as fast as it came in. 
 
 In the fall of the year, we arrived at the Lake of Dirty Water, 
 called l)y the wliites Lake Wiimepeg.* Here old Net-no-gua, 
 being much cast down with gri(!f, in consc(juence of all the mis- 
 fortunes and losses she had encountered since she left her own 
 country, began to drink, which was unusual with her, and soon 
 became druidi. We, being foolish, and iniaccustomed to direct 
 our own motions, seeing that the wind rose fair, determined to 
 j)lace the old woman in the canoe, and cross to the other side of 
 the lake. The traders advised us not to attempt it in the pr*^- 
 sent state of the wind, but we wouid not listen to them, and ac- 
 cordingly pushed ofl' and raised our sail. As the wind blew di- 
 reclly off the shore, the waves did not there run high; but we 
 had oidy been out a short time, wlien they began to dash with 
 great violence into the canoe. We now found it would be more 
 dangerous to attempt to turn about, and regain the inhere we had 
 left, than to continue on directly before the wind. At this time the 
 sun went down, and the wind began to blow more violently. Wr 
 lookeil upon ourselves as lost, and began to cry. At this time, 
 the old woman began to wake from her drunken tit, and presently 
 becoming conscious of our situation, she sprang up, and first ad- 
 dressing a loud and earnest prayer to the Great Spirit, she a[)- 
 plied herself, with surprising activity, to the use of her paddle, 
 nl the same tinu; encouraging u>*, and <lirecting Wa-me-gon-a- 
 biew how to steer the canoe. But at length, as we came near 
 the shore, and she began to recogni/e the spot we were ap- 
 proaching, she also began to manifest jniich alarm ; and said to 
 us, " my children, it appears to me we nuist all perish, for this 
 shore before us is full of large rocks lying in the water, and our 
 canoe must be dashed ia pieces : nevertheless, we can do nothing 
 
 '^ 
 
 * This word, Win-ne-{)Pg, is derived from win-)ir-bf-a, "dirty water," or trcep- 
 iiu-gum-ma, whieli lias nearly the same meaning. 'I"he lake is called by the In 
 
 (liiiTiK Win-'ir-hr-ii Slav-!^lc-"uv. "Dirtv Water Lake."' 
 
 
 \ 'V 
 
 I 
 
 '-k: 
 

 o:' 
 
 XANNER's NAKKATIVE. 
 
 49 
 
 but to nm directly on, and though we cannot sec where the; rocks 
 lire, \v(! may possibly pass Ijctwocn them." And it so happened, 
 our canoe beinjr thrown high upon a spot of smooth sand beach, 
 where it first struck. We inunediately sprang out, and soon drag- 
 ged it up beyond the reach of the waves. We encam|)ed, and 
 had no sooner kindled a tire, than we began to laugh at the old 
 woman for lieing druidi, and for the apprehension she had mani- 
 fested after she waked. In the morning, we perceived that the 
 shore was such as slie had described, and that in utter darkness, 
 we had landed, where, with such a wind, tlie boldest Indian 
 would not venture by day light. We remained at this camp great 
 part of the next day, which happened to be calm and fair, to dry 
 our baggage, and towards evening, embarked, and ran for the 
 month of Red River. We did not enter the mouth of the river 
 until late at night, and perceiving a lodge, we landed, and laid 
 down without kindling a fire, or making any noise to disturb the 
 people, as we did not know who they were. In the morning 
 they came and waked us, and we found them to be the family of 
 one of the l)rothers of Taw-ga-we-ninne, and the very people 
 we had come to seek. 
 
 7 
 
 Wf 
 time, 
 sently 
 it ad- 
 he ap- 
 laddle, 
 ixon-a- 
 neav 
 re ap- 
 iiid to 
 this 
 nd our 
 ithing 
 
 
 'ill 
 
 ,.*.: 
 
50 
 
 tanner's narrative. 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 Friendly rrroplion anion;; tlic. Indiani^dU tlii-Assiiinclioiu— Hraini;l'i>rtai{c — N(H- 
 no-kwa's (Iroani, luid its t'uHilnirnl — nirct with Pc-shuu-ba, a distiii^'uislicd 
 warrior of the Ollawwaws — journry to Kau-wau-koniiijr, mid rc^idrnct" there — 
 return towards l^ake .Sujierior — war-party against thu Minn»'tauks — mouth ot' 
 Awsinneboin river. 
 
 k 
 
 After a few days, wc staitrd to fjo up the Red River, and in 
 two (lays came- to tlie iiiotilli of the Assimiehoiii, where we foii 
 jrreat ntimbers ol" Ojibbeways and Ottawwaws encamped. A^ 
 tioon a« we arrived, tlie rliiel's met, to take our ease iedo eonsi- 
 deratioii, and to aoree on some method of providing for nf-'. 
 " Tliese, our rehilions," said one of the chiefs, " liave come to us 
 from a distant country. These two little boys are not able to pro- 
 ride for them, and wo must not suffer them to be in want among- 
 us." Then one man after another offered to hiuit for us; and 
 they agreed, also, since we had started to conu! for the jjurposr 
 of hujiting beaver, and as our himters had died on the way, that 
 each shotdd give us some part of what they shotild kill. We 
 then all started together to go up the Assinneiioin river, and the 
 lirst night ue camped among the buflaloe. in the morning, I 
 was allowed to go out with some Indians, who went to hunt 
 buflaloes. We killed one of four bidls which we found. Wc 
 continued to ascend the Assinneboin about ten days, killing 
 many bears as we travelled along. The Assinneboin is broad, 
 shallow, and crooked, and the water, like that of Red River, is 
 turbid ; but the bottom is sandy, wliih> that of Red River is com- 
 monly muddy. The place to which we went on the Assiimeboin, 
 is seventy miles distant by land from the mouth ; but the dis- 
 tance by water is greater. The banks of the river, on both 
 sides, are covered with poplar and white oak, and some other 
 trees, which grow to considerable size. The prairies, however, 
 are not far distant, and sometimes come into the immediate hank 
 of the river. We stopped at a place called Prairie Portage, 
 where the Indians directed the trader who was with them, to 
 
 u^ 
 
JANNEUS NARUATIVl 
 
 51 
 
 
 i.ullil Ins lujiisf, iiml reinaiii during the wintrr. \\c |p(i all our 
 rutidcs, iiiul went up into tiu' country to hunt lor Ixiivcr, amonu; 
 the sMiall strciuiis. Tlie Indians ffwv Wa-nu'-gon-a-ltiew and 
 nivscll'a little creel*, 'vhero were plenty ofheaver, and on which 
 lliey said none hut ourselves should hunt. My mother ;fave mv. 
 three tra])S, and instructed lue how to set them by the aid of a 
 string tied arouiul the spring, as I was not yet able to set thenx 
 with my hands, as the Indians did. I set my tlirec' traps, and on 
 tlu^ loilowing nu)rning found beavers in two of them. Being 
 unabh' to lake tlu'in out myself, [ carried lumu' the beavers and 
 traps, one at a time, on my back, and had the old woman to as- 
 sist me. Siie was, as usual, highly gratified and delighted at my 
 success. iShe had always been kind to me, often taking my 
 side, when the Indians would ultempt to ridicule or annoy mc. 
 We remained in this |)iace about three months, in which time 
 Me were as well jirovided for as any of tlie band; for if our owji 
 game was not sullicient, we were sure to l)e supplied by some of 
 our friends, as long as any thing could be killed. The people 
 that r<'niained to spend the winter with us, were two lodges, our 
 own making three ; but wc were at length joined by four lodges 
 of CJrees. These people are tiie r«dations of the Ojibbeways and 
 Ottawwaws, i)Ut their language is somewhat dilierent, so as not 
 to be readily understood. Their country borders upon that of 
 the Assinneboins, or Stone Roasters ; and though th(^y are not 
 relations, or natural allies, they are sometimes at j)eacc, and an; 
 morc! or less interndxed with each other. 
 
 After we had r nuiined about three months in this place, game 
 began to be scarce, and we all sutlered from hunger. The chief 
 man of our band was called As-sin-ne-boi-nainse, (the Little As- 
 riinneboin,) and he now proposed to us all to move, as the coun- 
 try wiiere we were was exhausted. The day on which we werr 
 to commence our removal was lixed upon, but before it arrived 
 our necessities became extreme. The evening before the day 
 on which we inti^nded to move, my mother talked much of ail 
 our misfortunes and losses, as well as of the urgent distress un- 
 der which we were then labouring. At the usual hour I went to 
 sleep, as did all the younger part of the family ; but I was waken- 
 ed again by tlu! loud praying and singing of the old woman, who 
 <'onfinued her devotions through great part of the night. Very 
 
 H 
 
) i 
 
 .« 
 
 lANNEUS NARRATIVE. 
 
 < ally, '111 tilt' rollowiiiji' morninir, she callotl ut^ all to gel up, and 
 put on our moccasins, and l)e ready to move. She then called 
 VVa-me-gfon-a-biew to her. and said to him, in rather a low 
 voice, " My son, last night I sung and prayed to the (Jreat Spiril. 
 and when I slept, there came to me one likc! a man, ami said to 
 ine, ' Net-no-kiva, to-morrow you Bliall eat a bear. 'J'here is, at a 
 distance from the path you are to travel to-morrow, and in such 
 a direction, [which she described to him,] a small round meadow, 
 with something like a path leading from it; in that path llieie is 
 a bear.' N(»w, my son, I wish you to go to that place, without 
 mentioning to any one what J have said, and you will certainly 
 find the bear, as 1 have descril)ed to you." But the young man, 
 who was not particularly diitil'ul, or apt toregaril what Ids mother 
 said, going out <>i' the lodge, spoke sneeringly to the oth( r In- 
 dians of the dream. " The old woman," said he, " tills me we 
 are to eat a bear to-day ; but I do not know who is to kill it." 
 The old woman, hearing him, called him in, and reproved him : 
 but she could not prevail iipim him to go to hunt. The Indians. 
 accordingly, all moved olT towards the place where they were to 
 «'ncamp that night. The men went first by themselves, eac h car- 
 rying some article of baggage; and when they arrived where the 
 camp was to be placetl, they threw down their loads and went 
 lo hunt. Some of the boys, and I among them, who accoinpa- 
 jiied the men, remained with this baggage, until the women 
 should come up. I had my gun with me, and I continued lu 
 think of the conversation I had heard between my mother and 
 Wa-nu'-iron-a-biew , respj'cting h«-r dream. At lenntb. I i< - 
 .solved to go in search of the place she had spoken of, and with- 
 out mentioning to any one my design. I loaded my gun as for a 
 bear, and set ofl' on our back track. I soon met a woman be- 
 longing to one of the brothers of Taw-ga-we-ninne, and ol course 
 my aunt. This woman ha<l shown little friendship for us, con 
 siih'ring us as a burthen upon her husband, who sometimes gave 
 something for our support ; she had also often ridiculed nu . 
 She asked me immediately what I was doing on the |)ath, and 
 whether I expected to kill Indians, (hat I came there with i,n 
 gun. I made her no answer; and ibinkiiig I must be not far 
 from the |dace where my mother had lidd Wn-me-gon-a-bicw to 
 leave tlie path, I turned olil continuing carefully to regard all 
 
 1 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 1 
 
 !he (1 
 
 ^1 
 
 1 
 
 ;it SOI 
 
 
 ope n 
 
 1 
 
 •<Mliili 
 
 1 
 
 had s 
 
 1 
 
 jila< r 
 
 : 
 
 the Ml 
 
 =; 
 
 nolhii 
 
 , 
 
 the Ik 
 
 . 
 
 rising 
 
 
 Jiai! ill 
 
 1 
 
 bul W( 
 
 the o|) 
 iiiv mi 
 
(tllHMI 
 (•<1 tt< 
 
 aiiti 
 
 I n - 
 
 with- 
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 •(•iirsf 
 
 i;iiv« 
 
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 1 A.MNKr's N AKilATIV I 
 
 5;* 
 
 she ilircctions she had "ivcii. At l('iif>th, I lomnl wiiut appoarfd 
 at some Conner time to h;ive been a jioiid. It wasji small, round, 
 open phice in the woods, now grown up with grass and sonn- 
 -mall hushes. This i thoiioht must l)e the ineadou my mollior 
 had s})oketi of ; and ( .\aminin<r it around. I came to an o[)ea 
 plai'r in the hushes, vvln're, it is probable, a small brook ran from 
 the meadow; but the snow \\as now so dee|) that I could sec 
 iiothiiii;' (d' it. My mother liad nieiiii;tned, that ulun she saw 
 the bear in her dream, she had, ai ilir -ante lime, seen a smoke 
 risinji from the gro'.md. 1 was confi itni ihis was the place she 
 Jiad indirated, and 1 watched lt»ii<r, expectinjj to see the smoke: 
 but weariei! at leniiih with wailiii};, i walked a lew paces into 
 the open place, resemldinji a path, w hen I uinxpeeleilly fell up to 
 iny middle into the snow . I <'\lricaled niyst If without ditrK'uUy, 
 iiiid walked on: but remembering that 1 had lieard the Indians 
 speak of killiiii;' bears in tin ir holes, it occurred to me that it. 
 iiiiuht be a bear's Jnde into which I had fallen, and looking down 
 into it, I saw th«> h«'ad of a i)ear l.\ ing close to the bottom of the 
 liole. I placed the inu/.zh' of my gun nearly between his eyei*. 
 and discharged il. As soon as the smoke cleared away, I took a 
 jiiece of a slick and thrust it into the eyes and into the wouiul 
 in the head *d" thi' liear. and beinu >aii-lied (hat he was dead, I 
 » ndeavoured to lift him out of the hole; but being unuble to do 
 this, I returned houn-, lollowing the track I had made in ci)ming 
 out. As I came near the camp, where the scpiaws hail, by this 
 
 lime, 
 
 set U|) the lod 
 
 ge; 
 
 I met the same wonuin 
 
 I 
 
 Had seen iii 
 
 going out, and slu* innnedialely began ajrain to ridicule me. 
 •■ Have you killed a bear, that you come back s(» sfxm, and walk 
 so fast ?" I ihoiiirht lo myself, "bow does she know that i have 
 killed a bear?" Hut I |tass< d by her without sayinu any thing, 
 and went into my nmther's lodge. After a few minutes, the (dd 
 woman said, " My son, look in that kettle, and you will find a 
 mouthful of beaver nu'al, which a man ga\e me since you left us 
 in the moriung. You 
 
 must leave half of it for Wa-me-tro 
 
 gtm-u- 
 
 bi( \v, who has not yet returned fnuii huntinsr, and has eaten 
 nothing to-day." I accordingly ale the beaver nn-at, and when 
 I hud tinished it, observing an opportunity when ahe stood by 
 herself, I stepped up to her, and whis|)ere(l in her ear, " My 
 mother. I have killed r bear." " What do vou say, my son?" 
 
 Vi I 
 
54 
 
 lANNKR S NARRATIVi;. 
 
 .1 < 
 
 1. V 
 
 i 
 
 said shf. '• I have killed a bear." " Are you sure you have 
 killed him?" "Yes." " Is he quite dead?" " V«'s." She 
 watehed my face for a moment, ami then eauirht me in hc^r arms, 
 hu^jrino ami kissini^ me with {rreat earnestness, and Cora lonff 
 lime. I then told her what my aunt had said to me, hoth j?oint> 
 ami returning, and this heiujr told to her husband when he re- 
 turned, he not only reproved her tor it, but gave lier u severe 
 tlogirinjir. The bear was sent for, and, as beinij the first I had 
 killed, was cooked all together, and the hunters of the whole 
 band invited to feast witii us, aceording to the custom of the In- 
 dians. The sauu' day, one of the Crees killed a bear ami a moose, 
 and gave a large share of the meat to my mother. For some 
 time we had plenty of game in our new residence. Here Wa- 
 me-irou-a-biew killed his tirst bullaloe, on which occasion my 
 mother gave another feast to all the baml. Soon afterwards, 
 ihe Crees left us to go to their own country. They were friend- 
 ]}• and hospitable peo|)le, and we wvvv. sorry to part with ihem ; 
 but we soon afterwards went down )o the place where we had 
 left the trader, and arrived there on the last day of December, us 
 I remember the lollowing was new year's day. 
 
 N»'ar this trading-house we remained for sometime by our- 
 sel\i's; at length, ue received a message from the trader, and on 
 going (i|> foumi lher«' I'e-shau-ba, a celebraletl war-chief of the 
 Ottawwaws, who hud come from Lake Huron several years b» - 
 f(MT. He, it appeared, heard in his own <'onntry of an old Ol 
 tawwaw woman, who, with a family of two wcunen, t\vobo\-. 
 and lliree little cliildreii, liavinii lost their men by death, w<>re on 
 the A^sinneboin, ami sulfering fvoiu poverty. He had conw. 
 villi his three companions, [which were what the Indians <'tini- 
 monly call his young nu n, though one of them was, jierbaps, 
 older than himsfdC] These were, Waus-so, (the li;ih(uini:.) 
 Sug-gil-lo, (he that scares all men,) and Sa-ning-\Mil), (he iliat 
 stretches his wings.) The (dd man, Waus-so, who was himsell 
 rlislingiiished as a warrior, had lallen sick, and had been hfl ai 
 some (lirttance behind. Pe-shan-lia had traced us from |»lace to 
 jdnce, by the reports of the Indians, and at la>l found us at I'rairie 
 Portage. He was a large and v«'ry handsome tdil man, and when 
 we wcri' called in, he imniediulfly recognised Net-no-kwa um a 
 relnlive. But lookiim round njton «s, he said, " Who are iht'Mr'" 
 
 m 
 
 * \ 
 
 -:t\yi 
 
^m^ 
 
 lANNER S VARKAilVl.. ir.y 
 
 JShe answered, " They are my sons." lie looked at me very 
 closely, and said, " Come here, my brother." Then raising his 
 blanket, he showed me the mark of a deep and dangerous wound 
 on the chest. " Do you remember, my young; brother, when 
 Ave were playiujcr together, with ginis and spears, and you gave 
 me this wound ?" Seeing my embarr^snu'iil, he continued to 
 amuse himself for some time, by describing the circumstances 
 attending the woimd, at the time he received il. He at last tv- 
 lieved me from some suspense and anxiety, by saying, it was 
 not myself who had wounded iiim, but one of my brotlicrs, at a 
 place which he menti(nied. He spoke of Ke-wa-tiii, who would 
 have been <if about my age, if he had lived, and impiired parti- 
 cularly to the tin)e and the circumstances of my cajjture, which 
 had happened after he left Lake Huron. 
 
 This was about new year's day, and soon after we started to- 
 gether for the country of I*e-shan-ba, which was at a great dis- 
 tance. The snow was deep, and our route lying, for the most 
 part, through open prairies, we were not able to travel when (ho 
 wind was high. When we commenced our journey, we wen; 
 hungry, and in want of provisions ; but soon found plenty of 
 l)uflitioe, which were very fat and good. Notwithstaiuling the 
 .•^n v was deep, and the weather severe, the buJfaloe co\dd still 
 ; \ nishing aside the snow with their heads, and thus comiu),'; 
 
 a> 'I _,iass below. We had thrown away our mats o( I'uk- 
 kwi,* the journey being too long to admit of carrying them. 
 In bad weather we used to make a little loduc, ami cover it with 
 three <tr four fresh butlaloe hides, and tlnse being soon frozen, 
 made a strong shelter troui wind ai\d snow. In calm weather. 
 we conunonly encanii)ed with no (»lher covering than our 
 blankets. In all this journey, IV-sliHii-ba and Sa-nin-kwub car- 
 ried each one of our sister's little children on their backs. 
 Thus we travelled on as diligently as the weather would pernul, 
 for about two months and a half. In the middle of our jonrne\, 
 we passed the truding-house and fort at Mouse River. The. 
 
 ♦ Puk-kiFi, lilt' rnt-liiil (la^r, (Typha lutifolit},) o( which wo iimdc the coiirRr 
 mnlH nillcil liy the Mfnoiiionii'H (t-fxili-kfuA, Iw ihc < >jililM'wa_v» ot Ihi- Tpprr 
 MisMiBHippi, t)-pali-kvi-ituk. Then Ih a lake on the n»ulc fnini Grfeii Hoy l*» 
 ihe WistxiiiHjui, nill«(| on the iu8|wi /»uc/rawoy, hut the word is) ill Uio count r>, 
 (tronouiiccd Puk-k-rri. 
 
!• 
 
 1 
 
 
 n) 
 
 h. 
 
 m 
 
 lAN'NER s Narrative. 
 
 general direction of our route was a little north of west, till we 
 arrived, at last, at a place called Kau-wau-ko-mig Hah-ki( -gun, 
 Clear Water Lake, from which runs a small stream, called Sas- 
 kaw-ja-wun, (Swift Water ;) but this is not the source or a part 
 of the great river Saskawjawun, [Saskutchawiu,] which is 
 farther towards the north, ("lear Water Lake is not, however, 
 the principal source of the Little Saskawjawun, the head of 
 that river lyinor far to the north. On the bank of this lake was 
 the small log hut of Pe-shau-ba, where he had lived, with the 
 three men I have mentioned, for some years. He had left his 
 wife at Lake Huron ; and the other men, if they had ever been 
 married, had no women with them. Immediately on his arrival, 
 he opened his sun-je-gwun, and took out large quantities of 
 beaver skins, dried meat, dressed skins, &lc. &c. all of which he 
 delivered to the women, saying, " We have long been our own 
 squaws, but we nnist be so no longer. It must now be your bu- 
 siness to dress our skins, dry our meat, make our m(>ccasins, 
 &c." The old won\an herself took charge particularly of the 
 proj)erty of Pe-shau-ba. whom she called her son, and treated 
 as s\ich. The daughter, and the daughter-in-law, made it their 
 business to look after the other three men. Wa-me-gnn-a-biew 
 and myself were, as heretofore, imder the particular care of our 
 mother. In hunting, I was tlie comi)anion of Pe-shau-ba, who 
 was always kiiul to me, and seemed to take pleasure in teaching 
 ine how to become a great hunter. It nnist have been late in 
 winter when we arrived at Clear Water liake; but the weather 
 Was still so cold that water, \\ hen carried out of oin* lodge, would 
 freeze iimnedialely. Whfii tfoing to hunt, we started long before 
 the sun rose, and returned long after it set. At noon, the sun 
 would scarce rise to the tops of the trees, though they are very 
 low there. 
 
 The countr> where we were was mostly prairie, with some low 
 ledar and pine trees f but there are plenty of beavers and other 
 game. It is not very far distant from the coimtryof the Mau- 
 dans, on the Missouri. From Mttusc Hiver a man may walk to 
 the Maudan villages in Coin- days. .lust before the leaves began 
 to a|)pear in the spring, we started with all our peltries, and 
 large (juantities of dried meal, and dried beaver tails, to come 
 ilown to the lradinir-housc>. on Mouse River. In that country 
 
''^KT!^^ 
 
 lANNER S NAURATlVi:. 
 
 57 
 
 kiiir low 
 1(1 olhn 
 Ic Muu- 
 Iwalk to 
 
 ho^, and 
 
 lo conu' 
 
 iountr> 
 
 ihcre is no birch or codur fit for makinir canoos, so that we were 
 <'om|)cllc(l to ?i»ake one for our journey of irrvon moose skin.**, 
 whieli, being sewed together with great care, and stretched over 
 a proper frame, then sntl'ered to dry, niake a very strong and 
 urood canoe ; bnt in warm weather it will not last lung. In a 
 canoe of this kind, which would carry nearly half as nmrh as a 
 cuinmon Mackinac boat, [perhaps five tons,] we all luihurkcd 
 witli whatever belonged to us, the intention ol Net-no-kwa and 
 Pe-shau-ba being to return to Lake Hiuon. 
 
 We descended the Little Saskawjawun for several days. On 
 this river we found a village of Assinneboins, with whom wo 
 -stopped a short time. None of us could understand them ex- 
 cept Waus-so, who had somewhere learned to sjieak their lan- 
 guage. When we came from the Little iSaskawjawun into the 
 Assiinieboin river, we came to the raj)ids, where was a village of 
 one hundred and filty lodges of Assinneboins, and some Crees. 
 We now began to feel the want of fresh provisions, and deter- 
 mined to stop a day or two to kill sturgeons at this j)lace, where 
 we found a plenty of them. We went and stood near the As- 
 s-iimcboins, and saw an old man, when a sturgeon had just been 
 drawn ovit of the water, cut oil the pendant part of his mouth, 
 and eat it without cooking, or any kind of condiment. These 
 pettplf generally apj)ear«'d to us filthy and I)rutal. H )methino 
 of our dislike may |)crhaps ix- attributed to the habitually un- 
 friendly feeling which exists among the ()jibl)eways for iho 
 Abbwoi-mig.* In two days from these rapids wc came to Monk 
 Kiver, where both the Northwest and the Hudson's Bay Com- 
 pany have trading-houses!. Here Pe-shau-ba and his friends be- 
 gan to drink, and in a short time expended all the peltries they 
 had made in their lonjr and successful hunt. Wc sold one hun- 
 dred beaver skins in one day for li([uor. The price was then 
 six beaver skins for a cpiart of rum, but they |)ut a great deal of 
 water with it. After drinkiuu here lor sonic time, we began to 
 make birch canoes, still intending to continue on <Mir jomnev. 
 Hut at this time the Assinneboins,! and Crees, and all the IniliaiiH 
 of this part of the cotmtry, with whom the Maiidans had mad<5 
 peace, were invited by the Mandans to come to their couiilry, 
 
 * Or Spit HcmsttTo, so cuIIih] from their ronstinj; lluir lUPiits on woodni K|>its. 
 i Awianuboiii», Stouo Koasivro, from iiKiiig hutted iJtoac» to boil their provision'' 
 
 III 
 
 / 
 
W<" 
 
 bh 
 
 'iANNKR .S KARRATlVt. 
 
 i.^ 
 
 I 1 'i' 
 
 and join in a war against, tlic people called by the Ojibbeways' 
 A-giitch-a-ninne,* who live two days distant from the Mandant^. 
 Waus-so, hearing of thivS, determined to join the war-party, then 
 assembling at Mouse River. " I will not," said he, " return to 
 my country before I get scarred once more. I will see the peo- 
 ple who have killed my brothers." Pe-shau-ba and Net-no-kwa 
 endeavoured to dissuade him, but he would not listen, and Pe- 
 shau-ha himself presently began to show evidence of excitement 
 at witnessing the t ntliusiasm of his companion. After delibe- 
 rating a (lay or two, lie said to the old woman, " I cannot con- 
 sent to return to the country of the Ottawwaws withuut Waus- 
 so. Sa-ning-wub and Sag-git-to also wish to go with him to 
 visit the neighbours of the Mandans. I will go also, and I wish 
 you to wait for me at Lake Winnipeg, where I shall be in the 
 fall, and you will not fail to have a keg of rum in readiness, as I 
 shall be very thirsty when I return." They left the canoes un- 
 finished, and all went off together with the war-party. Wa- 
 me-gon-a-biew also accompanied them, leaving me only with the 
 three women and three children. Hut this expedition, for 
 which the Mandans had called assistance from such remote re- 
 gions, failed for the Avant of concert and agreement between the 
 different bands. Some of these being the hereditary enemies of 
 the rest, quarrels were sure to arise, and the project was thus 
 disconcerted, the A-gutch-a-ninne being left at peace in their own 
 village. 
 
 After they had gone, I started with Net-no-kwa and the re- 
 mainder of the family for Lake Winnipeg. We were compelled 
 still to use the old moose-skin canoe, as none of the birch ones 
 were finished, and we did not wish to remain any longer at Mouse 
 River. We had left llie trading-house but a short time, when 
 we discovered a sliirg«on, which, by some accident, had got into 
 such shoal water, on a sand-bar, that consitierable |)art of his 
 back was to be seen above the surface. I jumped out of the 
 canoe. ;ind killed him with little ditlicnity : and as this was the 
 first sturgeon I had ever taken, the <dd woman thought it neces- 
 sary to celtbratt' the feast of Oskenetahgawin, or first fruits, 
 though, as we were quite alone, we had no guests to assist us. 
 
 The month of the Assinneboin is a pla«'e much frequented by 
 
 * A-gulcli-a-ninn£-iDug, the ticttlcil [(eoplc, called by the whites Minnetorcc;- 
 
 nver, 
 of a I 
 out to 
 pnrsiKj 
 pose, 
 «ornr 
 brou( 
 we pe 
 Home 
 ul)oiit 
 J Ukj 
 ioiow, 
 Jrightr 
 in abo 
 we (let 
 liers of 
 whicli 
 there w 
 Wit 
 went ( 
 two mc 
 
 
 V> 
 
V .m£^i 
 
 
 lANNBR .S NARRATIVl 
 
 .V.t 
 
 ■3 
 
 tlio Sioiix wav-pavties, wlierc they lie concealed and lire uj)oi> 
 such as are passing. Wc did not approach this place until dark, 
 intending to pass through late at night; it was, accordingly, af- 
 ter midnight, when carefully avoiding eitiier shore, we floated 
 silently out into Red River. The night was dark, and we coidd 
 not discern distinctly any ohj'>ct on shore ; hut we ha<l s<;arce 
 cnlereil Red River, when the silence was l)roken hy the huoting" 
 of an owl, on the left hunk of the Assinnehoin. This was quick- 
 ly answered hy another on the right hank, and presently by a 
 third on the side of Red River, opposite the mouth. Net-no-kwa 
 said, in a whisper scarce audible, " We are discovereil," and di- 
 rected to put th" cat' d)out, with the utmost silence. In obe- 
 dience to her 'Clio. ? ascended with (he ■ ; _.st caution, 
 »ndeavouring to keep near the middle of Red River. I was in 
 the bow of the canoe, and keeping my head as low as I could, I 
 Avas carefully watching the surface of the water before us, hoping 
 to be able to see and avoid any canoe, or other object, winch 
 )night approach, when I saw a little ripple on the surface of the 
 river, following a low, black object, which I took to be the head 
 of a man, swinuning cautiously across before us. 1 pointed tiiis 
 out to the women, and it was inunediattdy agreed that we should 
 pursue, and, if possii)le, kill the man in the water. For this pur- 
 pose, a strong sturg(!on-spear was put into my hand, and we 
 commenced the pursuit ; but the goose, (for it was one, with a. 
 brood of young ones,) soon became alarmed, and Hew. When 
 we perceived our mistake, wc retraced our way up the river, witir 
 Momewhat less of fear ; but could by no means venture to fur?i 
 about, and go on our way. I was, I remember, vexed at what 
 J thought the groinidless fears of the women ; but I do not 
 know, to this day, whether u war-jiarty of Sioux, or three owls, 
 j'rightened tis back. We returned several miles, and expecting, 
 in about ten days, that the traders would be on their way down. 
 wc determined to wait for them. Here we caught jrreat nuui- 
 }>crs of young geese, swiins, and ducks; an<l I killed an elk, 
 which, as it was my first, must be cidebrated by a feast, ihougli 
 there were none but our own family to partake of it. 
 
 With the traders who came, according to our expectation, wn 
 went down to the house at Lake Winnipeg, where we remained 
 two months. When they were about to return to tlie Aysinne- 
 
 LlMi 
 
i^./-'' 
 
 :'W't' 
 
 1'/ 
 
 ()U 
 
 i'AXXER S NAUKATIV£. 
 
 boin, we piiiThac-cd a bark canoe, and accompanied tliena. W e 
 had a good many beaver sUins, and Net-no-kwa bouglit a keg ol" 
 mm Avitb some of tliem, for Pe-sliau-ba. The keg held about live 
 or six gaUons, and we gave six beaver skins for a quart. Many 
 of tbesc beavers I had taken myself. I have killeti as many as 
 one hundred in the course of a month, but then 1 did not know 
 Iho value of them. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 -mi 
 
 (:' 
 
 Elk Iiuntinfi — bcavrr and bniraloe huntinji — cinlanarrcil in killinff a buflaloc cow 
 — i-'all luiliiins — r mm to Hainy 1-akr — Swnnip |{i\er iiixl I'ortui^r — tho Bcgvvi- 
 ouiisko lliwrand Luki' — honesty and (iixul (iiilli in the intiTciursc of the In- 
 dians — hi)»iii(ality — suHbrings tVoni liun^in- — Ki-d Rixcr — loss of packs — kuji- 
 posi'il dislioni'sly of tnidrrs— rapacity of tlio trailers of the N. W. company — 
 ilisasters foilo^^■ing the loss of onr |ieltries. 
 
 Tn the Assinneboin river, at one or two days above the 
 Prairie Portaoc, is a place r;dled Ke-ncw-kau-neshe Wiiy-boaiit. 
 (where they throw down the gray eagle,) at wliieli the Indians 
 frequently slop. Here we saw, as we were passing, some little 
 stakes in the i:;roiiiid, with pieces of birch bark attoched to them, 
 and on two of these the ligtire of a bear, and on the othtM-s, those 
 of other animals. Net-no-k>Aa imnieiiiately recognized the to- 
 tems of Pe-shaii-ba, Waiis-so, and their companions. These had 
 been left, to inform us that Pe-shau-ba had been at this place, and 
 as directions to enal)le tis to lind them. We therefore left the 
 traders, and taking the course itirlicated by the marks which Pe- 
 shiui-l)a had caused to be made, we found him and his ])arty at 
 the distance of two days from the river. They had returned tVom 
 the abortive war expedition, to the trading Jiouse on Mouse River, 
 finished the canoes which they had left incomplete, and de- 
 scended along to Kenewkauneshewavboaiit. where, knowing there 
 were good hunting grounds, they had determined on remaiiung. 
 We found at their camp plenty of game ; they had killed, also, a 
 ?reat number of beavers. About this place elks were uunicrou,^, 
 
 l\ 
 
 H: 
 
 / ». / 
 
•- .w^^ 
 
 XAXVi'T! S NAURATIVt. 
 
 01 
 
 :in(l it was now llio nittinjr sei.son. I rcmoinbrv one day, Pe- 
 sliaii-!)a sent mo with the two youiiitr woimii, ti> l)riii<r Home incut 
 jVom an elk he had killed at some distance. The women, lindin"' 
 that the elk was lar»^e and fat, determined on remaiiiiiiir lo dry 
 the jural liefore lliey carried it home. [ took a load of meal, and 
 gtarled for home l)y myscil". I had my i^un wiih me, and per- 
 rcivintf there were plenty of elk, I loadetl it. and roniealiiiir my- 
 self in a small thicket of hushes, heiran to imitate the call of the 
 female elk ; presently a larsie hiick came houiidinir so directly 
 towards the spot where I was, and with such violence, that he- 
 coming alarmed for my own safety, I dropped my load an' fled; 
 he seeing me, tiirn(>il and ran in an (ipposiie direction. Remem- 
 bering that the Indians would ridicide me for such conduct, i de- 
 termined to make another attempt, and not sutler any apprehen- 
 sion for my own safety lo he the causr- of another failure. So 
 hiding myself again, in a somewhat more carefully chosen place, 
 I repeated my call from time lo time, till at length another huck 
 came up, and him I killed. In thi-; maniuM-, great part of the 
 day had i»een consumed, and I now perceived it was time to has- 
 ten home with my load. 
 
 The ohl woman becoming uneasy at my long absence, sent 
 ^Va-me-gon-a-biew to look for me. He <liscovered me as I was 
 «-oniing out of a ])iece of woods into a li. ,e prairie, lie had on 
 a black capot, which, when he saw me, he turned over his hciad 
 in such a manner as to make himself reseinlde a hear. At first I 
 took it to be a common black bear, and sought a chance to shoot 
 liim ; liiit it so happened tliat h(> was in su(di a situation as ena- 
 bled bim to see me, and I knew he would certainly have turned 
 and fled from me hud it been a black bear. As he coiuinued to 
 advance directly towards me, 1 goncluded it must be a orizly 
 hear, so I turned and began to run from bim; the moie suit'tly 
 I ran, the more closely he seemed to I'ollow. Tluiuifii much 
 frightened, I remeuii)ered l*e-shaii-l)a's advice, never to fire upon 
 one of these animals unless trees were near into '.vliich I could 
 escape ; also, in case of being pursued by om . never to lir<' until 
 he came very close to me. 'I'hree times I Hirned, and raised my 
 piece to tire, but thinking him siill too far olli turned and run 
 again. Fear must have bliiuled my eyes, or I should have seen 
 that it was not a bear. At kiigili, geiliuir between liiin and the. 
 
./' -'-"■ fl^ 
 
 » "i A 
 
 ''■•i 
 
 :"!{li 
 
 ♦W 
 
 TANNKR S NAKKi> IVL 
 
 lodge, I ran witli sucli speed as to outstrij. \, when I lieard a 
 voice behind me, which I knew to be that ol Wa-me-gon-a-l)iew. 
 I h)oked in vain for the bear, and he soon convinced me that I 
 owed all my ternir to the (Hsiriiise which he had effected, with 
 the aid only of an old biaciv coat. This aH'air being related to ihi 
 old people when we came home, they reproved Wa-me-jron-a- 
 biew; his mother telliiiir him, that if I had shot him in that dis- 
 guise, I should have done riirlit, and according to the custom of 
 the Indians she could have found no faidt with me for so doing. 
 We continued here huntinir beaver, and killiuif great numbers, 
 tnitil the ice became too thick ; we then went to the prairies in 
 pursuit of bntiaioes. When the snow began to have a crust upon 
 it, the men said thoy must have me with the women, as they were 
 about to go to Clear Water Lake to nuike canoes, and to hunt 
 beaver on their way down. But previous to their going, they 
 said they would kill something for us to live on while they were 
 gone. Waus-so, who was a great hunter, went out by himsell', 
 and killed one buftiiloe ; but in the night the weather became ver)^ 
 cold and stormy, and the buffaloe came in to take shelter in iho 
 woods where we had our camp. Karly in the morning, Net-no- 
 kwacalled us up, saying, there was a large herd close by the lodge. 
 Pe-shau-ba and Waus-so, w ith Wa-me-ffon-a-biew, Sa-ning-wub, 
 and Sag-git-to, crept out, and took stations so as nearly to sur- 
 round the herd. Me they would not suHer to go out, and they 
 laughed at me when they saw me putting my gun in readiness ; 
 but old Net-no-gua, who was ever ready to befriend me, after they 
 were gone, led nH> to a stand not far from the lodge, near which, 
 her sagacity taught her, the herd would probably run. The In- 
 dians fired, but all failed to kill ; the herd came past my stand, 
 and I had the good fortune to kill a large cow, which was my 
 first, much to the satisfaction of my nH)ther. Shortly afterwards, 
 liavinir killed a considerable number of buffaloes, the Indians left 
 lis : myself, the old W(»inan, one of the young women, and three 
 children, six in all, with no one to provide for them but myself, 
 and I was then very young. Wc dried considerable of the meat 
 the Indians had killed, and this lasted us for some time; but I 
 soon found that I was able to kill buffaloes, and for a long time 
 we had no want of food. In one instance, an old cow which I 
 had woimded, though she had no calf, ran at rae, and I was barelv 
 
 w. 
 
 '■n 
 
 H 
 
 ,•!' 
 
 
 ( 
 
XANNKR's NARRATIVL. 
 
 U3 
 
 able to escape from her by climbing into a tree. She was enra- 
 ged, not so much by the wound I had given her, as by the dogs ; 
 and it is, I believe, very rare that a cow runs at a man, unless sh<? 
 has been worried by dogs. We made sugar this spring, ten miles 
 above Mouse River Fort. About this time I was much endan- 
 gered by the breaking of the ice. The weather had l)ecome mild, 
 and the beavers began to come up through the holes on lo the 
 ice, and sometimes to goon shore. It was my practice to watch 
 these holes, and shoot them as soon as they caine up : once, ha- 
 ving killed one, I ran hastily up on the ice to get him, and broke 
 in; my snow shoes became entangled with some brush on tho 
 bottom, and had nearly diagged me under, but by great exertion 
 I at length escaped. Buflitloes were so numerous about this 
 place, that I often killed them with a bow and arrow, though I 
 hunted them on foot, and with no other aid than thatof dogs well 
 trained and accustomed to hunt. 
 
 When the leaves began to appear upon the trees, IV-shau-ba 
 and the men returned in birch canoes, bringing many beaver 
 skins and other valuable peltries. Old Net-no-gua was now anx- 
 ious to return to Lake Huron, as was Pe-shau-ba; but Waus-so 
 and Sa-niiig-wnb would not return, and Pe-shau-ba was unwilling 
 to part with them. Sag-git-'o had for some time been very siek, 
 having a large ulcer or abscess near his navel. After having drank 
 for some days, he luul a violent pain in his belly, which at length 
 swelled ami broke. Pe-shau-ba said to the old woman, "it is not 
 good that Sag-git-to should die here, at a distance frcnn all his 
 friends ; and since we see he cannot live much longer, I think it 
 best for you to take him and the little children, and return to 
 Lake Huron. You may be able to reach the rajiids, [Saut de St. 
 Marie,] before Sag-git-to dies." Conformably to this advice, our 
 family was divided. Pe-shau-ba, Waus-so, and Sa-ninu-uub re- 
 mained; Net-no-kwa,and the two other women, with Sag-git-to, 
 Wa-me-gou-a-biew, and myself, with a little girl the old woman 
 had bought, and three little children, started to return to Lake 
 Huron. The little girl was brought from the country of tho 
 Bahwetego-weninnewug, th(! Fall liulians, by a war party of 
 Ojibbeways, from whom Net-no-kwa had beught her. The Fall 
 Indians live near the Rocky Mountains, and wander nuich with 
 the Black Feet ; thcii language being unlike that of botli the Si- 
 
 ( 
 
. — :zi-» 
 
 'i 
 
 I M 
 
 U 
 
 TANNKR S NAHRATH C. 
 
 mix anJ the Ojibboways. These last, ami the Crees, are move 
 friomlly with the Mlack Feet, than they are with llie Fall Indians. 
 Tlie little Bahwetifi n'ld lliat Nel-mi-Ixwa had IxMii-ht. was now 
 ten years of a;ire, but liaviii" been sonic liino amonj;- the Ojibbc- 
 ways, h ul learned their laiiiiiKiire. 
 
 When we eaine to Kaiiiy Lake, we had ten packs of beaver of 
 forty skins eaeli. Net-no-kwasoid some otlier peltries for riini, 
 and was drunk for a liay or two. We here met ^oine of the tra- 
 
 iler s eanoei 
 
 on 
 
 their way to Red River ; 
 
 anil 
 
 Wa- 
 
 nie-tton-a- 
 
 biew, who was now eiifhieen years old, bein^ iiiuvilling to return 
 
 to Lii 
 
 il 
 
 uroii, lU 
 
 terniined to 1:0 baek to the north with the 
 
 trader's people. Tlie old woman said inueh lo dissuade hiin, 
 but he jumped into one of the eaiioes, as they were about lo start 
 otl, and allhoiiirh, at the re(juest of the old woman, they endea- 
 voured to driv(> him out, lie wouhl not leav<' the canoe. Net-no- 
 kwa was much distressed, buteould not make u]) her mind to lose 
 
 h 
 
 ler only son: sln^ determined on retunnnii wi 
 
 ith hit 
 
 The packs of bejiver slie wouhl not leav(; vvitji the traders, not 
 having sudicient eonlidence in their honesty. Wt;^ therefore took 
 ihein to a remote jjlaee in the woods, h here we made a sunjc- 
 
 irwun, or dejiosite, in tbe usual mannei 
 
 il 
 
 We then returned to 
 
 ihe Lake of tlie Woods. From this lake the Liidians iiave a road, 
 10 go to Red River, which the white men never follow ; this is 
 ])y the way of the Muskeek, or swamp carryinir place. We went 
 up a river which the Indians call Miiskeego-ne-guni-me-we-sec- 
 bee, or Swamp River, for several days ; we then diagired our 
 canoes across a swamp ("or one day. This swamp is only of 
 moss and some small bushes on the lop of the uater, so that it 
 quakes to a great disliince as people walk over it. Then we put 
 our canoes into a small stream, which they called Heuwionusk, 
 from the begwionusk, or <'ow parsley, which grows upon it : this 
 we descended into a small Sahkiemni,* i-alled by the same name. 
 This pond has no more than two or three feet of water, and great 
 part of it is not one foot deep ; but at this time its surface was 
 
 '< i,-?!l 
 
 * Liikesof the iarficst class are callud by the Oltawwaws, Khchcgawnic ; of these 
 tlipy reckon five ; 01m which they commonly call OjiblK-way Kitcheirawnie, Lake 
 .Superior, two Ollnwwinv Kitclie<»;i\vtiip, Huron ioul .Micliiiriin, aiiil Krie and On- 
 lurio. l.ake Wiai)ijM'>:, and the countless lakes in the nortli-west, they call .Satt- 
 kiesiumun. 
 
 
 ^H^. 
 
 #-» 
 
 ^-K 
 
i'ANNRK:^ NARKATIVI.. 
 
 05 
 
 e went 
 c-see- 
 
 rcd GUI' 
 
 inly ol' 
 tliul it 
 
 wo put 
 piuisk, 
 
 it : this 
 ii;iino. 
 
 1 1 i;iTat 
 
 ict; was 
 
 of these 
 
 nic, Lake 
 
 iiiiil On- 
 
 :h11 Sah- 
 
 lovered with thirks, jrpcsr, swans, and other liinls. IFere we re- 
 inained a lon^ time, and niado four packs of i)eaver skins. When 
 the leuvcs bejran to fall, Sag-jfit-to died. We were now quite 
 alone, no Indians or white men being within four or five days' 
 ioiirney from us. Here we had packs to deposite, as we wero 
 about to h:ave the country ; and the ground l)eing too swampy 
 to admit of burying them in the usual manner, we made a sunjc- 
 gwun of logs, so tight that a mouse could not enter it ; in which 
 we left all our packs and other j)r(»periy, which wc could not 
 carry. If any of tiu- Indians of this distant region, had found it 
 in our absence, tliey would not have broken it up ; and we did 
 not fear that the traders would penetrat*' to so poor and solitary 
 a place. Indians who live remote from the whites, have not 
 learned to value their peltries so highly, that they will be guilty 
 of stealing them from each other; and at the ti>. e of which I 
 speak, and in the country where I Avas, I have often known u 
 hunter leave his traps for many days, in the woods, without visis 
 ing them, or feeling any anxiety about their safety. It wf.:'l(l 
 often happen, that one man having finished his hunt, and left his 
 traps behind him, another would say to him, '• I am going to liunt 
 in such a direction, where are your traps?" When he has nsed 
 them, another, and sometimes four or five, take them in si .;c« s- 
 sion ; but in the end, they are sure to return to th(> right ov ,ier. 
 When the snow had fallen, and the weather began to be cold, 
 so that we could no longer kill beaver, we began to suffer from 
 hunger. Wa-me-gon-a-bicw was now our princi])al dependancc, 
 and he exerted himself greatly to supply our wants. In one oi" 
 his remote excursions in jnirsuit of game, he met with a lodge of 
 Ojibbe.ways, who, though they had plenty of meat, and knew that 
 he and hi^ friends were in distress, gave him nothing except what 
 he wanted to eat at night. He remained with them all nighi, 
 and in the morning started for home. On his way he killed a 
 young Moose, which was extremely poor. Wb-a this small sup- 
 ply was exhausted, we were compelled to g.* a" I encamp with 
 the inhospitable people whom Wa-me-gon-a-biow had seen. Wo 
 found them well supplied with meat, but whatever we procured 
 from them, was in exchange for our orna;;'vnts of silver, or other 
 articles of value. I mention the nigv tr.iliness and inhospitality 
 of these people, because 1 had not before met with such an in* 
 
 9 
 
 ^1 
 
 V 
 
 -V 
 
 ->*>-«i«Hk8# :.(|i('lP«->hi»., 
 
.^»SSP5JM11«"*IS*»*" 
 
 ■<ll«< 
 
 66 
 
 TANSF.n S NAnRATIVE. 
 
 stancr amonp tlin Indians. Tlicv aro ronunonly rrady to divid<' 
 what provisions thry hiivc, with any who conic to thcin in need. 
 Wc had been about tlircc days with these Indians, when they 
 liilU^l two Moose. Thcv calh'd Wa-nie-fron-a-biew and nic to go 
 after meal, l)u( oidy ifa\e us the poorest part ot one h'tr. VV<; 
 bonijht some fat meat Iroiii thcrn, ffivin^r tliein our silver orna- 
 ments. The patience of oM i\el-no-kM a Avas at lenirlh exhausted, 
 and she forhach" ns all lo purchase any thinir more fmin tlieni. 
 Durin^r all ihe lime we remaitierl with these peoph'. we were sui- 
 ferinfj almost the exirrniily of hun<ier. One morning Net-no-kwa 
 rose very early, and tyinjjf on licr blanket, took her hatchet and 
 Avent out. She did not return ihat niijht; but tlie luxt day, to- 
 wards eveninjf. iis we were all lyinir down inside the lod^e, she 
 ranie in, and shakinjj Wa-nu-uon-a-biew by the shoulder, said to 
 him, "f!;et up, my son. ytni arr a jrreal runner, and now let >is see 
 with what speed you will <ro and briuir 'li<' iTi»'at whw h the (treat 
 SS|)irit ^ave me last niirht. Nearly all nijrht I prayed and sunjr, 
 and when i fell asleep near morniiiir, the Sjiirit came lo me, and 
 jjrave mo a bear to feed my hun^rry children. You will lind him in 
 that little copse of bushes in tlu' prairie. (Jo immediately, the 
 bear will nol run from yon. e\t'n shoidd he see you coming u|).'" 
 
 " No, my mother," said Wa-me-fion-a-biew, '* it is now iicav 
 •-veniufr : the sun will soon set, and it will imt be easy to fmd tlir 
 Irack in the snow. In the morniiifj Shaw-shaw-wa ne-ba-si; 
 ^hall lake a blanket, and a small kettle, and in the course of the 
 Hay I may overtake ihe bear and kill him, ami my little brother 
 will come up willi my blanket, and we can spend ihe night where 
 I Hhall kill him." 
 
 The old Woman did not yield to the opinion of ihe liunler. Al- 
 tercation and loud Winds followed : fur \N a-me-^on-a-biew had 
 little reverence for his molhei, and as scarce any oilier Indian 
 wonid h:ive done, he ridiculed her pretensions to nii inlercnurse 
 with the (ireat Spirit, and particularly, for havini; said that the 
 hear w<nild not run if he saw hunters coniimr. The old woman 
 was olUnded ; and after reproachinir her son, she went out of the 
 lod^e, and told tlie other Indians her dream, and directed lliem lo 
 the pliice where sln-miid the bear would certainly be found. They 
 aj{;rerd with Wa-me-fjon-a-biew, llinl it wan too late lo go that 
 iiijrlit ; but aw lltev had I'ontitlencr in the prayers of iIm^ old wo- 
 
 ,«,■ 
 
 --^^ 
 

 TANNKR .S NARRATIVI 
 
 61 
 
 U'v. AI- 
 »i(>\v liatl 
 ■ liiiliau 
 •iciiiirsi! 
 ilijil Un" 
 woiiiiiii 
 It n{ tlir 
 tlwni Id 
 . i'lMy 
 no thut 
 (»l<i wit- 
 
 )riuii, ihcy lt»st no time in I'nlldwiiijL; lier diroclion lU ilio ^'rll•lie^^t 
 ippi-arancr of lijjlit in the iiKimiiiir. 'I'licv Conml llic Inar al llu- 
 place nlie luul indicated, and killed il w itlwMK dillicidty. He wa^ 
 laiu<' and fal. Init VVa-in<'-yi»n-a-l)ie\v, wlioai roinpanied lluni, re- 
 ceived iinl\ a small |)iece tor the poitinn ul' our tamilv. The oiil 
 woman was anirry, and not witinnit just cause; tor althouoh she 
 pretended that ilie hear had liOi-n {riven her hy the (Jreat Spirit, 
 and the place where lie lay pointed out to her in u dreuni, the 
 truth was, she had tracked him into the little thicket, and then 
 i'ir<-]ed it, to see lliiil lie had mil ^oiie out. Artifices ol this kind, 
 to iiiake her people helieve she had inlerctHirse with the Great 
 .* irit, were, I think, repeatedly assay<'d hy her. 
 
 Our suH'erintf from lnmu:er now compelled us lo move ; ami 
 :ifler we had eaten our small portion of the I'ear, we started on 
 ^iiow shoes to jfo to Keil Uiver; hopiiij; lillier lo iiieel smne In- 
 dians, or to finil some irame <mi llu' way. I hud now hecoine ac- 
 tpiainted vtith the method of takini; rahhits in snares : nml when 
 ^\(' ari'ive<l al our first camp, I ran forwar<l on the route I knew 
 we should lake oii tlii' f(dluwin<r day. and placed several snares, 
 inti'iidinir to look at them, and lake llieni up iis we went on our 
 jonrmy. Alter we had supped, for when »euer<' in want of 
 provisi(ms we eommoiiU ale only at evellillL^ all the food we had 
 icmainiiiii, was a cpiarl or inor<- ol' liear's iirease in ii kettle. It was 
 now fro/en hard, and the kettle had a piece of skin tied over il 
 as a cover. In the iiiornin<r, this, ainoii(r other articles, was put 
 on my sled, ami I went torward to look at uiy snares. Finding 
 one rahliil. I tliouohi f would surprise mv motlier, to make u 
 luutfh : >^o I took the ral)liit, and put him ali\e under the cover 
 of iho kettle of henr's frrease. Al iii^lil, after we had encamped, I 
 watched her when she w«'iil lo open tlie kettle lo ml us somelhiii!; 
 to eiit. expeclimr llie rahhil would jump out : hut was much dis- 
 appoinled lo find, that iiolw ith>laiidiii<r the extreme cold weather, 
 llu- yreas 
 
 e was dissidted, and the little animal nearly drowned. 
 
 The old wom.iii scolded me lery severely al the lime; hut for 
 inanv yeais afterwards, she used lo talk and laui>li of this ralihil, 
 and his a|ipearaiice when she opened the kettle. She cdiitinned 
 also lo talk, as Umg as she lived, of the iii(>t>ardly conduct of llio 
 Indians we had then seen. After travelling some dayn, we ilis- 
 covfreil irnces of hunters, and were at ien^lh so forUinalc a" to 
 
 »• * 
 
6» 
 
 VNNCli S \AKKA H\ I 
 
 w 
 
 \ 
 
 
 m 
 
 %■ 
 
 Jlnd the head ol'a biillalot' wliicli tliey hml loCt. This relieved us 
 iVoin tli<> distress of hiirifrer, and we lollowed on in liuir trail, 
 until we came to (he cncanijjnient of some ol our friends on Ked 
 River. 
 
 This was a considerable band of Crees, under a chief raliv^d 
 Assin-ne-boi-nainse, (ihe Little Assinneboin,) and his son-in-law, 
 Sin-a-[)eir.;i-ijriiii. They n't'cived us in a very cordial and friend- 
 ly manner, ifave us |)lenty to eat, aiul supplied all our urjfent 
 wants. Alter we had remained with them about two months, 
 butlaloc and other game became scirce, and the whole encamp- 
 ment was sntlerinir from hunffer. Wa-me-iron-a-biew and my- 
 self started (o cross the prairie, one day's journey, to a stream 
 called I'ond Kivcr. We found an old bull, so poor and olil thai 
 hair would not jrrow upon him ; we could eal only the ton^rue. 
 SVp had travelled very far, iu the course of the d!.y, and were 
 much overcome with faliuue ; the wind was hijrh, and the 
 snow driviuy violently. In a vast extent ot the plain, which w<' 
 overlooked, \\v could set* nt) wood, but some snutll oak bushes. 
 ;«earce a< hijj;h as a num's slmulderM ; but in this poor cov«'r we 
 were ciimjxiled to encamp. The small and {rn-en stalks of the 
 oaks were, with the utmost ilidirullv, kindled, and made but a 
 j)oor (ire. When liie lire had remained some lime in oe.e place, 
 and the ground imder it become dry, we rennived (he brands 
 and coals, and la\ down upon the warm ashes. We spent tin 
 nisfht without -^h ep, and the n<'xt inctrninir. thoiiifh the weather 
 had bec(Mue more severe, tlu' wind haviin; risen, we suirted to 
 11 turn home. It was a hard day's Malk, and, as we were weak 
 through hunjfer and cold, it was late when we reached the lod>re. 
 As we approached hcune, Wa-me-iron-'t-biew was more aide to 
 walk fa-*t llian I was. and as he turned back to look at me, W( 
 peri-eived, at the same time, that each <il iiur lacr^ were fro/cn. 
 When wo came nearly in siitlit of home, as I was notable to 
 walk nuich farther, he left ine, and went to the lodire, and >ent 
 .>^ome of the wcimen to help me to jfet huine. Our hands and 
 liices were much fro/en ; but as we 'md jriiod moccasins, our 
 feel were not at all injured. Ak himi;er continued in the camp, 
 we fnuiul it necessary to separate, and i(o in difl'erent directions. 
 N<t-nokwa determined tt> f(n with her fanuly to tlii^'tfhdinp;- 
 houHf of Mr. Henry, who was since drowned in the Cohiinbia 
 
 II' 
 
■^m^^"'^^^ 
 
 lANNERS NAURATlVl. 
 
 m 
 
 irheri 
 
 Ilivcr, by the upsetting ol a boat. 1 his place is near that wbero 
 a spttli'iiifiit has since been made, called Pembina. Willi tho 
 i)eople of lln' I'ur-lraders, we bunted all llie reiaaimler of the 
 Aviiiter. In (be sprinjr "«' returned, in company «itli these 
 
 lod: 
 
 res o 
 
 f Indians, to lIn' lake where we li;iii leli onr canooi 
 
 We found all out property sale, and baviiifr yol all (oiielber 
 from our snniejrwniis, and all that we h.id broiiLHil from Red 
 River, we bad now eleven packs of beaver, of forty skins eacb, 
 and ten packs of oiher skins. It was now onr intention to re- 
 finti to Lake llnron, and to dispose of our |>('ltries at Vlackinur. 
 We bad still ihe larije sniijeuwiin at Hainy Lake, llie c(mtentK 
 
 of whicli, added to 
 
 .11 
 
 we no 
 
 w bad, would have been sutlicient 
 
 to make IIS weallliN. It will be it'colbctrd, that in a former 
 seasmi, Net-no-kwa had inaile a de|iosii ol \aliiable furs, near the 
 Iradcr'H bouse, on Kainy Luke, not baviiiii confidence emnijrh in 
 Ihe honesty of the lrad<'i. to leave them in bis care. When we 
 returned 'o this spot, we found the simjei:wun had been broken 
 up, and not a pack, or a skin, lefl in it. We saw a pack in the 
 Irader's bouse, which \\v believed to !)«• one of our own ; but we 
 «()uld netcr ascertain wliether ihev or ■^niiie Indians, bad taken 
 
 tlicin. 
 
 The old woman was iiiiirh irritaleil. and did not iiesilHlc 
 
 1oa«'ribe (be tbel't to ibe tr.ider. 
 
 When we reacheil the 
 
 -ma 
 
 II house, at the oih<'r side of the 
 
 (Jrnnd Portatre to Lake Superior, tlie people belonLnnc to the 
 traders urirt'd us to put our packs in the wagons, and have iheiu 
 carried across. Itiit the old woman. kiiowiuL' if they wi-re (Mice 
 in the bands of the Iradern, ii would be ditlicnll, if not impossi- 
 ble, for her to gel them again, refused to comply with this re- 
 ipn-st. It took us several ilays to carry all our packs across, us 
 the old woman woiilii not sntfer Ibeni to be carried in the iiad<T's 
 roail. Nolw itbslandino all this caution, when wr c. one In ibis 
 f-ide the portage, M;. Nl'<iil\tray ami Mr. Sb»bbo\ea, by 
 Ireuting her with much attentiun, ami i>iving her some wine, in< 
 dnced her lo place all Iht packs in a room, which ihev gav«< her 
 to occupy. At first, ihev endeavoured, by friendlv sidicitation, 
 to induce her lo sell her furs; hut fimliiiLf she wns determined 
 not lo part «ilh ihem, ihe\ ibrealened her; and at lenulb, a 
 young man. the -on of Mr. Shabboyea, atlem|)|ed lo lake llietii 
 1>v fuiTti ; but the olil luun iutcrfvrej. and oriierinu his oun to 
 
 i 
 
!^ 
 
 •/A 
 
 70 
 
 TANNER S NARRATIVE. 
 
 I'-:) ,1 
 
 
 '!*•: 
 
 l!j 
 
 desist, reproved liim for his violence. Thus Net-no-kwa vva.s 
 enabled, for the present, to keep poss(!ssion of her property, and 
 might have done so, perhaps, until we should have reached 
 Mackinac, had it not been for the obstinacy of one of her own 
 family. W<^ had not been many days at the Portaj^e, before 
 there arrived a man called Bit-K -gish-sho, (the crookcil light- 
 ning,) who lived at Middle Lake,* acconipaiued l)y his small 
 band. With these people Wa-me-gon-a-biew became intimate, 
 and though none of us, at that time, knew it, he formed an at- 
 tachment for one of the daughters of the Crooked Li rhtning. 
 ^Vhen we bad made all our prt-parations to start for the Saut of 
 St. Marie, and the l)aggage was in the canoe, Wa-me-gon-a-l)iew 
 was not to be found. We sought, in every direction, tor him, 
 nnd it was nSt until after some days, that we heard by a French- 
 man, that he was on the other side the Portage, with the family 
 of Bit-le-gisli-sho. 1 was sent for him ; l)ut could b\ no means 
 induce iiini to return with me. Knowing his idislinacy, the old 
 woman lictran to cry. *' If I had but two children," said she, 
 •' I could be willing to lose this one ; hulas 1 have no other. 
 I must go with him." fShe gave to the widow, her sister's 
 daughter, but who had liveil with her from a child, five |)acks of 
 beaver, one of which was for her own use; the remaining four 
 pHcks, together with sixty otter skins, she told her to take to 
 Mackinac, and deliver them according to her din'ction. .She 
 came d(»wn in the trader's canoe, anil delivered them to Mr. La- 
 jjomboise, ol the North West Company, ami look his due bill, as 
 she was lidd it was, for the amount. Hut this paper was snb.sc- 
 (pientlv lost, by the burniiig of our lodg«>, and from that day to 
 this, Nei-no-kwa, or any of her family, hav*' not nreived the 
 value of a c«'nt lor those skins. The old woman, beinir much 
 dissatislieil at the mi oiiducl ol her son, the disappointment id' 
 lier hopes of returning to Lake Huron, and other misforlunes, 
 began to ilrink. In the cinirsr of a ninglv dai/, s/ir snld itin: 
 huiidnii and twnitij hruvir skins, with o lar:S' ifutintity iif hiif- 
 falin' nihrs, drrssrd nnd snutkid skins, and other articirs, for 
 nun. It was her habit, whenever she drank, to nnike drunk all 
 the lndiKn.s about her, at least as fur an her incanM would extend. 
 
 * Naw-wc-Mh-kie-gujJ. 
 
 I '. 
 
 V i V 
 
W«r 
 
 TANNER P NARRATIvr, 
 
 71 
 
 Of all our large load of peltries, the produce of so many days of 
 toil, of so many longr and difTieull journeys, one blanket, and 
 three kegs of rum, only remained, beside the poor and almost 
 Avorn-out eloathing on our bodies. I did not, on this or any 
 other occasion, witness the needless and wanton waste of our 
 peltries, and other property, with that indillerence which the In- 
 dians seemed always to feel. 
 
 Our return beiuff determined on, we started, with Rit-te-jrish- 
 sho and some other Indians, for tlic Kukv of tin; Woods. They 
 assisted us in making a canoe, crossing portages, &,c. At the 
 Lake of the Woods we were overtaken by coltl weather, and 
 Net-no-kwa determined to remain, though most of the others 
 went on. Here it was found that the atlacliment of Wa-me-jron- 
 a-hiew to the daughter of Hit-le-gish-sho, was not too strong to 
 be broken ; and, iiuleed, it is somewhat doubtlul whether the 
 anxiety of the traders at the (irand Portage, to possess them- 
 selves of our packs, had not as much to do in ocrasioning our 
 return, as any thing on the part of this ycning man. 
 
 After these people had left us, we fomul our condition too 
 desolate and hopeless to remain by mirselves, illy provi(h>d as 
 we were for the coming winter. So we re|)aired to Hainy Lako 
 trading-house, where we <»l)tained a credit to thi' ainomit of one 
 humlred and twenty beaver skins, and thus ftirnished ourselves 
 with some blankets, clothiiiii;, ami other things necessary fof 
 the winter. Here a man joined us, called Waw-be-be-nais-sa, 
 who proposed to hunt for us, and assist us through the winter. 
 We acceiled cheerfully to his proposal ; but soon f<nmd he was 
 hut a pour Imutur, as 1 wha always able to kill mure thuii he did. 
 
imt/M 
 
 n 
 
 tanner's NAUBATIVt. 
 
 i ill hi 
 
 f.uf; 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 \' I 
 
 .(* W 
 
 W'' 
 
 ll 
 
 I'j. 
 
 Medicine hunting — indnleiico of an Indian liunter, and ooiigcc^uent sufTcring oi' 
 his family — rclii-t' iVoin hiiiiiHnc tradors — a tninlcr amputates his own arm — 
 luoosc rhasc — lii).s|iitalitv ul Suli-inuk, and ri'siiK'nc(! ai llainy Lako^arcaso 
 of a imdalotM'ow wiiti'iicd liy a hull — .scmtc tiullL-hiig from cold — luj lodge, 
 and most of my iiroix'rly, dtstroyt'd hy lire. 
 
 With the deep snow ami lliick ice, came poverty ami liiinger. 
 We were no longer able to take l)ea\er in traps, or by the or- 
 dinary metliodn, or kill nioose, llioujrli llure were son)e in the 
 country. It was not uiilii our .sulitrinjrs t'rom hunger began to 
 be extreme, that the old woman had recourse to the expedient of 
 spentlinga night in prayer and singing. In the morning she said 
 to her son and Waw-lu -he-nais-sa, "(J(j and hunt, for the (Jreat 
 Spirit has given me some meat." Utit Wd-me-gon-a-biew ob- 
 jected, as he said the weather was too cold and calm, and no 
 moose could be aj)proached so near as to shoot him. " I can 
 make a wind," answered Net-no-kwa/'and ihougli it is now still 
 and cold, the warm wind shall come helure night, (io, my sons, 
 you cannot fail to kill soim-thing, lor in my dream I saw Wa- 
 nie-gon-a-biew coming into the lodtre with a beaver and a large 
 ioa<l of meal on his back." At length they started, having sus- 
 pended at their heads, and on their shot pouches, the little sacks 
 ol" medicine, which the (dd woman had provided for them, with 
 the assurance that, having them, the\ could not possibly fail of 
 success. They had not been a long time absent, when the wind 
 rose from the south, and scum blew hii>h, the weather, at the 
 same time, bccominif waritier. At nii>lil, lliev returned, loaded 
 with the llesh of a fat moose, and Wa-nu-gon-a-biew witli ii 
 beaver on his back, as the old woman had seen him in her dreum. 
 As the moose was very large and fat, we m(»ved our lodge to it, 
 and maile preparations tor drying the meat. This supply ul our 
 wants was, however, only lem|)orary, though we found u few 
 beaver, and succetided in killing soum'. Afti'r about ten days we 
 were again in «ant of food. As 1 wad one day hunting for 
 
 ri 
 
 of the 
 I did so 
 Iiaving 
 draff the 
 and our 
 tne-gon- 
 help nic 
 woidd n( 
 small sui 
 of some 
 Water 
 our lodiTf 
 Mich arti( 
 ^rndiuir-i, 
 
 '* ' 
 
 J 
 
 f- 
 
- W3»^ 
 
 ly soil;', 
 Wa- 
 lurgo 
 
 (• sacks 
 1, with 
 lail of 
 \v winil 
 r, at lilt' 
 loadt'fl 
 witli a 
 tlrcuiii. 
 t£e to it, 
 y ol oui 
 (1 a few 
 •lays wo 
 
 I AXNEH S NARIlATIVl.. 
 
 73 
 
 tipaveis, at some clislaiicc (Voiii our lodirc, I (uimd ilu' tracks of 
 I'dur moose, I hroko olF the lop of a husli, on \viii( h ihcj had 
 Ixu'ii hrowsiiitr, and carried it ho»ic. On (MUeriiiu llic lodf^c, I. 
 threw it down heCore VV^aw-be-bc-nais-sa, who was Ivinir by iho 
 fire, in bis usual iii(b)hMit manner, sayinir, " Look at this, jrood 
 liunter, and <ro and kill us some moose." lie took up tlio 
 branch, and biokinuf at it a moment, he said, " How many arc 
 there?" I answered, " lour." He rephed, " 1 must kill them." 
 Early in the nu»rniii(r he started on my road, and killed three 
 of the moose. He was a u^(»od hunter, when he could rouse hini- 
 .self to exertion ; but nu)st of the lime he was so lazy that he choso 
 to starve rather tlian ^o far to find <raine, or to rim after it, when 
 it was found. We had now a short season of plenty, but soou 
 became himirry ajrain. It often happened, that for two or tlirer; 
 days \w had nothinij » eat ; tlien a ral)i)it or two, or a bird, 
 ^lould aHord us a prospect of protractina the sutl'ering of lum<rei' 
 for a few days lonjrer. We said much to Waw-be-be-nais-sa, to 
 Try to rouse him to jrreater exertion, as we knew he could kill vamo 
 where any thin<> was to be foimd ; but he commonly replied, 
 ihat he was loo pooi- and sick. Wa-ine-iion-u-biow ami mys«'lf, 
 thiukinir that somethiiiir nii^lit lie fouiul in niori! distant excm- 
 sions tlian we had been iifrA to nuike, started viry early one 
 morning, and travelled hard all day ; ;ind w hen it was near 
 night we killed a y«)un}> beaver, and Wa-me-u^on-a-biew said to 
 nie, '• Mv brother, you must now make a camjt, and cook a little 
 of the beaver, while I tro farther on and try to kill somethinti-."' 
 I did so, and about sunsit he returned, bringing |)lenty of meat, 
 having killed two caril)oii. Next day we started very earlv to 
 drag the two caribou> llinmgh all the long distance between us 
 and our camp. I could not reach home with my load, but Wa- 
 me-gon-a-biew having arrived, sent out th«' young wonniii to 
 help me, so that I arrived betore nddniglit. We now saw ik 
 would lutt be safe for us to renuiin longer by ourselves, and this 
 small sup|)ly cnalding us to move, «e determined to go in cjuest 
 of some people. The nearest trading-house was that ut Clear 
 Water Lake, distant about four or five days' journey. We left 
 our lodge, and taking only our blankets, a kettle or two, anil 
 such articles as were necessary for our journey, started for the 
 trading-house. 'I'he coimlry we had to pass was full uf Ukes 
 
 (0 
 
 i 
 
 n] 
 
■ I iinw iwwWWt-sti 
 
 I rid' : 
 
 «'^ 
 
 i: 
 
 11:;" 
 
 ti 
 
 ^llfi' 
 
 '■• ^^r 
 
 74, 
 
 TANNER S NARHATIVE. 
 
 and islands, swamps and marshes ; htit they were all frozen, so 
 that we endeavoured to taki' a direct rowte. 
 
 Early one inorninir, on this jonrney, Wa\v-be-bc-nais-sa, 
 roused perhaps by excessive huntjer, or by the exercise be was 
 fompclled fo lake, to keep alonovvitb ns. began to sing and pra\ 
 for something to eal. At length he said, " to-day we shall see 
 some earilxui." The old woman, whose temper was some- 
 what sharjiened i>y our long continued privations, and who did 
 not consider Waw-l)e-h«'-nais-sa a ver> enler|)rising hunter, said, 
 •' Anil if von slionld see caribou you will not !)»■ able to kill 
 them. Some men would not have said, * we shall see game to- 
 day,' but ' we shall eat it.'" After this conv Tsaiion, we had 
 gone but a little distance when we saw six ci'ribous, coining di- 
 rectly towards us. We «"oncealed ourselt .'s in the bushes, oil 
 the point of a little island, it ' tliev came within shot. Wa- 
 me-gon-a-biew flashed his piece, when he intended to fire, ami 
 the herd turned, at the sound of the lock, to run off. VVaw-be- 
 be-nais-sa fired as they ran, and brok<' the shoulder of one of 
 them; but though they pursued all day, they returned to camp 
 at night without any meat. Our prosj)ect was now so dis- 
 couraging, that we concluded to lighten ourselves, by leaving 
 some baguage, in order to make the greater expedition. We 
 also killed our last dog, w ho was getting too weak to keep up 
 with us; but the flesh of this animal, for some reason, the old 
 woman would not eat. After several days we were bewildered, 
 not knowing what route to j)ursue, ami too weak to travel. In 
 this emergency, the old woman, who, in the last extremity, 
 feemed always more capable of making great exertions than any 
 of us, fixed our camp as usual, brought us a large pile of wood 
 to keep a fire in her absence, then tying her blanket about her, 
 took her tomahawk, and went off, as we very well knew, to seek 
 for some method by which to relieve us from our present dis- 
 tress. She came to us again on the following day, and resorting 
 to her often-tried expedient to rouse us to great exertion, she 
 said, " My children, I slept last night in a distant and solitary 
 place, after having continued long in prayer. Then I dreamed, 
 and I saw the road in which 1 had come, and the end of it where 
 I had stopped at night, and at no great distance from this I saw 
 the beginning of another road, tiiat led directly to the trader's 
 
* ^ja(¥^ 
 
 TANNKRS NAHKATlVt: 
 
 /*» 
 
 L * 
 
 a 
 
 jiuiisf . In my dream I saw white men ; Icl \is, iliorctoro, lose 
 no lime, for tlic Great .Spirit is now willing to lead us to a gooit 
 lire." Being somewhat animaleil hy ihi- eonlideuce and Ijopc 
 the old woman was in this way able to ins|)ire, we departed im- 
 mediately ; but having at length eome to the end of her path, 
 and i)a8sed a considerable distance beyond it, without discover- 
 ing any traces ol' other human beings, we began to be incredu- 
 lous, some reproaching and some ridiculing the old woman ; Init 
 altewards, to our great joy, we found a recent hunting path, 
 which we knew must lead to the trader's house ; then redoubling 
 our efforts, we arrived on the next night but one, after that in 
 which the old woman had slept by herself. Here we found the 
 same trader from whom we had a credit of one hundred and 
 twenty beaver skins, at Rainy Lake, and, as he was willing to 
 send out and bring the packs, we paid him his credit, and had 
 twenty beaver skins left. With these 1 bought four traps, for 
 which I paid five skins each. They also gave the old woman 
 three small kegs of rum. After remaining a few days, we 
 started to return in the direction we came from ; for some dis- 
 tance we followed the large hunting path of the people belong- 
 ing to the trading-house ; when we reached the point where we 
 must leave this road, the old woman gave the three little kegs 
 of rum to Waw-be-bc-nais-sa, and told him to follow on the 
 hunter's path until he should find them ; then sell the rum for 
 meat, and come back to us. One of the little kegs he imme- 
 diately opened, and drank al)out half of it belV»re he went to 
 sleep. Next morning, however, he was sober, and started to gi 
 as the old woman had directed, being in the lirst place informed 
 where to find us again. Wa-me-gon-a-biew accomj)anied him. 
 After they had started, I went on with tin- women to Sknt-tah- 
 waw-wo-ne-gnn, (the dry carryinu place,) wiiere we had ap- 
 pointed to wait for him. We iiad iieen here one day w hen \Va- 
 me-gon-a-l)iew arrived with a load of meat ; bul Waw-bc-bc-nais- 
 sa did not come, though hi-- little children had that day been 
 rom|)elled to eat their moccasins. We fed llic woman and hci 
 children, and then sent her 1(» join her husband. The huntern 
 with whom Waw-be-be-nais-sn had remained, sent ns an invitn- 
 lion by Wa-me-gon-a-biew to «'ome and live with them; but it 
 was necessary, in the first place, to go and get our lodge, and 
 
 '! 
 
 
 7' 
 
'-*=*■ 
 
 Hi 
 
 1 ANM;(i .-i N Mil; \ I n r 
 
 the properly wi' had h'll there. As we were on iiiir riiiuii \\« 
 were sto|)|)t'(l al the ihy carryiiiir plae<' with t- xlreine hunger. 
 liaviiisr Mil)sist('(l I'dr sonic linic almost cntiri'lv on the in- 
 ner bark o!' trees, and |)artienlarl\ <d' a clindiMiir viiu' tbnnd 
 there, our strcniTlli was nnirli reduced. NVa-me-tfon-a-biew 
 C(ndd not walk al all, and everx one ol' ihe lanidv had lailed 
 inore than the old xionian. She would (asl live or six days, ami 
 set ni to ho iilll) alli'eted hy it. It was only because she (eared 
 llie oilier members oC the Camily would perish in her absenee, 
 thai she now conseiiled to lei me jjo anil try lo <rei some assistance 
 from tlu' tradiim-house, « liicli we believed to be nearer than the 
 cainpo!' liie himtei>. 'I'lie former we knew was abmit Uvo or- 
 dinary days' journey ; bni, in my weak condition, it was doubltul 
 when I eonid reaeh it. I started very early in the niorniiig : the 
 weather was eolii, and the wi.id liiuh. I bad a laroe lake to 
 rross, ami here, as the wind blew more \ iolenlly, I snllered 
 most. I <!;aiiied the olnei- side of it a little belore suiisel, and 
 fat down to rest. As soon as 1 be<>an to leel a little et)ld. I tried 
 lo i^et up. but I'oimd it so di1iic\dt that 1 judi^ed it would not be 
 ,)rndent for nie to rest airain before I should reach the tradin?- 
 lioiise. The nisrht was nol dark, and as there was less wind 
 tlian in the day lime, 1 fuimd ihe Iravellino more pleasant. I 
 Oontinued on nil niiilit. and arrived early next niornin<r Ht the 
 trader's house. As so.m as I opened the dour they knew by m\ 
 face that i was stavvinji, ami imnie<lialely impiired after m\ 
 people. As soon as 1 had jriven the tieees.sary infornialiou, the) 
 despatched a swift Frenehinau, wiMi a load of provisicms, to the 
 iiimily. I had iiet n in ihe trailer's house but a lew hours, when 
 I heard the voice of i\et-no-kwa outside, askinir, " is mv .son 
 here?" And when I opemd llie door she expressed ilie nimosl 
 .sati.^faction al sitrhl cii' me. She had not met the Frenchman, 
 Avh(» had iione by a dillerenl route. The wimi had become vio- 
 jent soon after i left <mr cani|i, and the idd vvoniun. thinking I 
 could nol cros^ the lake, started alter me ; and ihe driltinu snow 
 having (discured my track, she <oidd not f(dlow it. and came 
 quite to the tradinir-honse with the apj)reh(>nsion thai i bad 
 perished b\ Ihe way. After a day or two, Wa-me-gon-a-biew 
 anil the remainder of the lamily came in, haviutr been rflievcd 
 by the FrenchiUHii. It ujtpeured, also, that the Indians had sent 
 
 |b. .; 
 
'lAVVl^WS Vahhativi. 
 
 ?T 
 
 on 
 
 by m\ 
 u r ni> 
 . thr> 
 
 to lllf 
 
 , wlu'ii 
 iiy son 
 
 cliinaii. 
 lie viu- 
 ikiii^ I 
 II snow 
 
 (I CilllU' 
 
 I I had 
 
 -a-liifW 
 iflifvcd 
 i!i(l tsent 
 
 ( 
 
 
 \\a\v-l)c-br-nais-sa, willia load of meat, lo look Inv w-i ;il the dry 
 I'arryiiitf place, as they knew we conld not ick li ihcii ciirainp- 
 monl uifhoiil a snpjily. whicli il was not prohuhh- w«' could pro- 
 cure, lie had heen very near the cain|> oldnrlaiinly iifier I ieCl, 
 hut either ihronirh willidness, <»r Croni sliipiiliiy. I'aileil to tind 
 th(!ni. lie had camped alnmst within call ol them, and eaten :i 
 hearty meal, as they discovered hy the tract s he hit. Al'lei re- 
 inaiiiinjr a lew ihiy> at tin- tradinir house, we all went lotjeiher l<i 
 join the linlians. Tid^ parly consisted of tliree lodges, the |)rin- 
 cipal man Ix'ina; VVah-iic-ivant, (crooked leirs.) 'I'hree ol tin; 
 hesi hnnters were Ka-kaik, (the small lia^vk.) .Meli-ke-n;tnk, (the 
 turtle,) and l*a-ke-kun-n<'-tfah-i>o, (he that sin i Is in ihe smoke.) 
 This last was. at the time I s|)eak ol. a vers di . i.iirnished inniter. 
 .Some tim<' at'terwards he was accidentally wonnded, recei\ inir a 
 w hole char(>i' ol shot in his elhow. hy \\ hich the jinnt and the 
 hones of his arm \iere much shaltered. As the woimd liid not 
 show any tendem-y lo heal, hnt, on the contrary, liecame worse 
 and worse, he applied to nraiu Indians, and to all tin; white men 
 Ji saw, to enl il oil' for him. \s all reliised to do so, or to as- 
 sise him in amputating it hinisidl, he < hose a lime when Ix' hap- 
 pened to he left alone in his lodtfe. and lakinjjj two knives, the 
 edirc ol' one of whitdi he had hacked into a sort of saw, he witit 
 his ri<>ht hand and arm cut oil' his left, and threw it from him as 
 far as he could. Soon after, as he refiteil the sl(n"v him-t If, he 
 fell asleej), in which siiuatiorthe was found hy his iVieinis, haviiiii 
 losta very trreal tpiaiili(\ of hlood : hiil he soon al'terw aids re- 
 covered, and nolwithstandinu the loss of (me arm, he Ix came 
 agiun a frrviW hunter. After this accident, he was commonh 
 called Kosh-kin-ne-kait. (the cnt oil' arm.) With this iiand we 
 lived some time, havinu always plenty Iti rat, thoujrl> NVaw-be- 
 be-nius-sa killed nothin>i. 
 
 When the weatlu r heuan lo he a little warm, we left the [n- 
 dians, ami went lo huiil heaver near 'he Iradinir house, liavinu 
 lately suH'ered so much from huu<rer, we were afraid lo j:o lo an\' 
 distant place, rcdyiiiii tm lar»e iranu' Kn- supptn-t. Here wt found 
 early one niorninji, a Moose track, not far fnnn the iradioL' heuse. 
 There was m»w livinir with us. a man railed I'a-hah-mew-in. (he 
 that <'arries about,) who, totfother with Wa-nie-ijon-a-hiew. started 
 Ji) pursuil. The dotrs followed for an hour or two, and theu to 
 
 n 
 
 'U 
 
"i^ 
 
 lANNER 8 NAKRATIVI':. 
 
 W;i 
 
 ) 
 
 
 
 tiirnefl ; at this Pa-hali-iiiow-in was <liHr«»;r> r**!!, aJhI Uirned l>ack . 
 I)iit VVa-iiie-ir(»ii-H-l)iow still k('|)t on. Tin.- ..Uij* ^ '.hs« cdiiid run 
 very sm ill, and lor a lon^ time In; [)assed a'i ;ht! ilo>fs, one or two 
 <>i' \vlii< li rontiniH'i) on tlif truck. It was alter noon v, lien he ar- 
 rived at a lake wliicli the nioose had attenipied to rros« ; but as 
 ill some parts the ice was (piite smooth, which prevented him 
 IVoMi running so last as on land, Wa-me-fjon-a-hiew overtook him. 
 When he came ver\ near, the Coremosi dou. who had kept at no 
 great distance iVom Wa-me-iron-a-hiew, pass«:d him, and ujol l)elorc 
 the moose, whioii was now easily killed. We remained all this 
 sprinii. about one day from the trading house, taking considera- 
 ble game. I killed by mysell twenty otters, besides a good many 
 beavers and olher animals. As I was one day going to look at 
 my traps, I iotmd some ducks in a pond ; and taking the ball out 
 of my gun, I put in some shot, and began to creep up to them. 
 As I was <Tawlin!i cautiously through the bushe.^, a bear started 
 up near me, and ran into a while pine tree, almost over my head. 
 I hastily threw a i)all into my giui and fired; but the gun burst 
 about midway of the barrel, and all the upper half of it was car- 
 tied away. 'I'he bear was apparently untouched, but he ran up 
 hiirher into the tree. I loaded what was left of my gun, and ta- 
 kinir aim the secimd time, brought him to the ground. 
 
 While we lived here we made a number of packs; and as it 
 Mas inconvenient to keep these in our small lodge, we left them. 
 lV(tin time to lime, with the traders, for safe keeping. When the 
 time came for them to come down to the Grand Portage, they 
 look (»ur packs without our consent ; but the old woman followed 
 after them to Rainy Lake, and retook every thing that belonged 
 to us. But she was prevailed upon to .sell them. From Rainy 
 Lake w« went to the Lake of the Woods, where Pa-bah-mew-in 
 left us. Here, also, Waw-be-be-nuis-sa rejoined us, wishing to 
 return with us to Rainy Lake ; but Net-no-kwa had heard of a 
 murder committed there by some of his relations, that would have 
 been revenged on him ; for which reason she would not sufl'er him 
 to return there. At the invitation of a man called 8ah-muk, an 
 OtUiwwaw chief, and a relative of Net-no-kwa, we returned to 
 Rainy Lake, to live with him. Wa-me-gon-a-biew, with the two 
 women, and the children, went on to Red River. Hah-muk treated 
 (IS with much kindneos. He built and gave us a large bark canoe* 
 
 nv-.^ 
 
 
lANNERS NARRATIVI.. 
 
 w 
 
 - ^fciTI^ 
 
 \ I. ic-k . 
 uid run 
 • or twii 
 I he ar- 
 ; but as 
 otl liim 
 n)k him. 
 ])t ul no 
 )t lu'forc 
 I all this 
 )iisi<lera- 
 od many 
 ) look at 
 3 ball out 
 to them, 
 ir started 
 my head, 
 ^un burst 
 , was car- 
 he ran up 
 in, and ta- 
 
 and as it 
 left them. 
 When the 
 •tage, they 
 n followed 
 t belonged 
 ■om Rainy 
 |uh-mew-ii» 
 wishing to 
 heard of a 
 [vould have 
 gulVer him 
 ih-muk, an 
 eturned to 
 lith the two 
 nuk treated 
 lark canoe- 
 
 intended for the use of the fur iruders, and which we sold to them 
 lor the value of one hundred dollars, which was at that time the 
 common price of such canoes in that part of the country. He 
 also built us ii small canoe for our own use. 
 
 The river which fulls into Rainy Lake, is called Kocheche-sc- 
 bee, (Source River,) and in it is a considerable fall, not far dis- 
 tant from the lake. Here I used to take, with a hook and line, 
 great numbers of the fish called by the French, dory. One day, 
 (IS I was fi.shinn here, a very large sturgeon came down the fall, 
 nnd happening to get into shallow water, was unable to make his 
 escape. I killed him with a stone ; and as it was the first that 
 had been killed here, Hah-miik made a feast on the occasion. 
 
 After some time we started from this place, with a considera- 
 ble band ot Ojibbeways, to cross Rainy Lake. At the point where 
 we were to separate from them, and they were to disperse in va- 
 rious directions, all stopped to drink. In the course of this 
 drunken frolick, they stole from us all our corn and grease, lea- 
 ving us ([uite destitute of provisions. This was the first instance 
 in which I had ever joined the Indians in drinkinff. and when I 
 recovered from it, the old woman reproved me very shar[)ly and 
 sensibly, though she herself had drank much more than I had. 
 
 As soon as I recovered my wits, and perceived into what a con- 
 dition we had brought ourselves, I put the old woman in the ca- 
 noe, and went immediately to a place where I knew there was 
 good fishing. The Ojibbeways had not left us a mouthful of 
 food ; but 1 soon caught three dories, so that we did not sufler 
 from hunger. Next morning I slopped for breakfast at a carry- 
 mg place where these fish were very abundant ; and while thi; 
 old woman was making a fire and cooking one thai I had just 
 caught, I took nearly an hundred. Before we we^re ready to re- 
 cmbark, some trader's canoes came along, and the old woman, 
 not having entirely recovered from her drunken frolick, sold my 
 fish for rum. The traders cimtinued to pass during the day, but 
 I hid away from the old woman, so many fish as enabled me to 
 purchase a large sack of corn and grease. When Net-no-kwa be- 
 came sober, she was much pleased that I had taken this course 
 with her. 
 
 In the middle of the Lake of the Woods, is a small, but hiffb 
 rocky island, almost without any trees or bushes. This was now 
 
 % 
 
'j^" 
 
 80 
 
 I'AXXKR S NAKKATJVl 
 
 ■ i' ' < 
 
 if' I 
 
 \i 
 
 '■■■ ' ^- iS- ■';* 
 
 id i 
 
 1I-. 
 
 ii>i 
 
 rovcrrd with yoiiiiir jriills mid cui ■.:<tiitiits, ot wliirh T killed firreai. 
 miiiilx rs ; kiiockiiitj llifiii dtiwii wilh a stick. We sclcclcd our 
 hundred and (wi'nly ot' tlic laltcst, and dried tin in in the snxike. 
 paeked ihein in saeks, and earried them aionir witii us. Thenen 
 \Vf went h\ May ol the Miiskeeif earryinir phue. to Red Kiver. 
 As we u«re |ias(*in>r down this river, I shut a larue hearon shore, 
 near the brink ol' the river. He sereanied out in a rerv unusual 
 manner, then ran douii iiiio the water, and sunk. 
 
 At this |)hie<-, (sinee eaHed I'endiinah,) where the Neheiiinnah- 
 iip-sehee enters lied Hiver, had rurnuiiv Iteen a trathn^ hnusc. 
 We found no priijih', whiles oi Indiaun; atni as we had not 
 phnty ot provisions, we went on all iii<jht, hopiiii> soon to in<-el 
 M'ilh some peoph>. .Alter snnrisf next morniiii>, we hinih-d, ami 
 ihe i-ld woman, whih ('olhetiiDr wood to make a lire, diseoverod 
 suiiir hullahx's in the woods. (ti\in>i me noliee <d tiiis, f ran u|i 
 and l\ilh>d a hull; hut pei('ei\in<> that he was verv poor, I crept 
 a little tartherand shot a lart>t' laltcow. Mie ran some disianee. 
 and tell in an open prairie. A hull liial l(dlowi'd lit r. no sooner 
 saw me (liter the open prairie, at ihe distance o| three <u- loui- 
 hundred vards Imhii her, than he ran at me witli so much I'lirv , 
 that i thought it |irudenl to retire into the woods. We reiiiuiiied 
 all ilay al this plan-, and I made several attempts lo (ret til tlir 
 cow: hut -<lie was -o xiuilaiiliv watched li\ tlic same hull, that f 
 ^vas at la^tt compelled to leave her. In Ihe rnttin(> seusoii, it in 
 not unusual to see the hiiiU liehavi' in this way. 
 
 Next dav, we met the traders c(miinu up to Nehetiiiiiiah-ne-sr- 
 hre,* and uuvr them a part <•! the meal we had taken Iroin the 
 Itiill. Without any other dcl.is . wr w I iitoii to the I'niirie I'orlam- 
 ot the \-siiiin I'uiii Kiver, where \»e IimiiiiI NN .i-me-ifon-a-hiew 
 and \N aw -l)e-lie-iiais-ha, with the other memliers ol our lainilv. 
 Innii whom we had hien so lonu separated. 
 
 VVaw-l)e-he-tittiH-sa, since tiny hit us, had turned away liiH tbr> 
 imT wile, unil married the daiiu'liter ol .N'tHio-kvvn's sister, who 
 had hi I II hioui'ht up m (Uir lamiK, and whom the old woiniin 
 had alvvavs treated us her own ihild. >Nel-:io-kwii no sooner un> 
 
 » NclMiiimi.di 111' srU't— Hiiili < nimlxTrv Himt ; fiiicc fullid l'i'iiil>iiiali Tin 
 Ilitliini luiiiii- Is (lrri\r(l tniiii Ihiil <<t Uic mIhii'iiiiiii, vmiIi liiri;i' red nlil>lr In rrit ~, 
 MHiH'w hut n<H<>iiiiiliii|! lilt' iTimrii'Trv ; tlicnrc nilleil \. unycjHUJUs. " Hcil JJivM' 
 I* from the Itiiliiin iMiMliwuwuun •m'Wfmilice. 
 
 !i 
 
TANNER S NAHRATIVi:. 
 
 81 
 
 (iin tin- 
 
 -a-liiow 
 tiiinily . 
 
 Iiis lor- 
 r, «lui 
 
 WillllUlk 
 HUT 1111- 
 
 nali 'I'll' 
 U rrii -. 
 Inl Jlivrr 
 
 ilcrsiooil wliat liad taken itlaro, tlian slic took up wlml low arti- 
 rlos she could see in tlir lodir*'. b«'lun^inir lo Waw-br-bo-nftis-sa, 
 ;ui(l tliiouiiifr llu'in out. said lo liiiii, " I liavc Ix'cii starved by you 
 ulrcadv, and I wi.^li to have innhiiitr inorr to do with you. (Jo, 
 and lUDvido lor your «iwn wants; it in more tlian so uiiscrablo 
 a liuiitcr as you aii', is able lo ib». you sball not bavc my ilauirli- 
 tor." f>o biiiiir turned out. be w enl oil' by biinsell' lor a lew 
 flays; biii as Net-i,)-kwa soon b anied lliat bis loriner wit'e was 
 iiiurr'.'d to anotber man, and ibal be was destitute, sbe adinilled 
 liiin aj^Miii into ibe lodire. it was |irobably i'ront tear of tbc old 
 woman, tliat be now beeaiuo a better liunter tliaii be bad boon 
 Itel'ore. 
 
 'I'liat winter I bunted tor a trader, called i)y ibe Indians Aiieeis 
 wbieli means an elm tree. As ibe winter advanced, and tbe 
 weatber became more and more cold, I liMMid it (lil]i<'ub to jini- 
 riire as nitieli I'.aine as I bad been in ibe liabil ol siijiplyinix. and 
 ;is was wanted by tbe trader. I'^rl\ one iiioniiius :diont midwin- 
 ter, I stalled an elk. I |iio^ii(d until iuLilM,.ind bad almost oxer- 
 taken bim : but bi)|ie and slren<>lb lailed inc at tlie same tiiin . 
 Wbat idotbiiiiT I bad on iih . nutwitbstamlinu tiie exlrenie cold- 
 ness of ibe wealber, was ilrem brd w ilb sweat. It was noi b.mjj 
 .liter 1 Imned towards bonie. ibat I felt it stilb iiiii!> about me. 
 Mv lejjains were ol' cbilb. and were loin in pieces in riinniu^ 
 ll*iS»ui>b ibe briisb. I was conscious I wassoimwb.il Irozeii. be- 
 torc 1 arrived at ibe jdace wliere I bad bit our lodge standitii> in 
 ilie inorniiiu. and il was now inidnitdil. I knew it bad been tin* 
 old woman's iiileiilion to move, and I knew wbere .sbewnnld^o; 
 but I had not been inlorined >be would }>o on that dav. As I t'ol- 
 liiwed on tlieir jiatb, I soon ceased lo siiilir rnuii cold, and fell 
 tliat sleejiy sensation w liicli I knew prereded tbe last >|ii<re of 
 weakness in sticli as me of told. 1 redoubleil m\ clbuN, but w ilb 
 in entire coum iousne>> of tbe dan^'er of m\ siiualioii, it was w lib 
 no small dilliiultx ibal I could |irevent in\.->elf from hiuti down. 
 \t leiiirtb I lost all eonsriousiiess I'm' simie time, bow bnii; I can- 
 not tell ; and awakiui! as from a dream. I found I bad been walK- 
 inu round and round in a small circle, not more ibaii twenty oi 
 twi'iily-live yards over. Alter tbe return of my senses, I lookid 
 abt^ul to trv to discover iii\ palb, ;is | bad ini»s( d ji ; but nliile I 
 wa* lookiiiL'. I discovered a lijflil at a di-Mucc. bv wbicb I df 
 
 n 
 
 Vi 
 
y^ 
 
 82 
 
 I ANMK >: \ M!n \X\\ f 
 
 if J*'^^ 
 
 V r 
 
 * 
 
 iik^ 
 
 t 
 
 rocU^d my <'nur-«r, Oiuc iiinir. Im'Iom- I rculicil iho lotljjo, I lo>i 
 my HPlisos ; liiil I ilid nol fall iImwii : if I had, I slxtiild never hiivr- 
 sjol up airniii : Itiil I liui niiiiid and round in a rirrlo as l)of«»rr- 
 Willi; I at lasl ninir inln llic ll)d^^)', I innncdiairly Irll down, hut 
 I did not lose ni\ sell' as liclorr. 
 
 can I 
 
 (in(inl»<r si cinii tin; lliirK 
 and s|)arklin>i mat nl Inisl on tlii' iiisjilr oC the piikkwi lod^e. 
 iind hearin<r mv innthrr say that she had kc|il a hirtfr tire in cn- 
 |iri'talion of inv arrival ; and that shr had not thoii<rhi I slinuld 
 Ml' in the niornin<', Imt that I should havr 
 
 ut\i' tiren so Ion 
 
 known lonj; lirtore niirht ol her haviiiir niovid. Il was a iiionlii 
 liel'ore I was ahle to <{o out ai(ain, my I'aee, hniids, and ie^s, havinir 
 
 •ecu inur 
 
 hi 
 
 roziMi. 
 
 Till' wi-athir was lnMiniiinji to lie a little warm, so that tlu' 
 »ni)w sometimes melted, when I lieiran to hunt auain. (ioint; on<' 
 day with Waw-he-he-nnis-sa, a jrood <iistaiu'e up the A.ssinneltoin. 
 we (omul a lar^r In rd ol prolmldy '^N) ilk. in a littlr prairie, 
 wliifh wasalmost Kurniinidril hy thr riu'r. In the iroru'e, whieh 
 »»as ru> morr than two hundred \ arils aeross. NVaw-he-ln-nais->;( 
 and I >iationid oiirscKrs. and the Iriirlitem-d herd heiny imwil 
 Hum to vrntuir oil ilir -iiiootii lee in ihr riur. \u ^un to run round 
 and round the lilllr prairie. It sometimes happened that oin 
 
 :is pushrd within thr reaeh o| our shot, and in this way Wi 
 
 kill 
 
 eil two. 
 
 our rai;i iiH>s to i>et iirarir, ue advaiu'ei 
 
 d NO til 
 
 viiled. 
 
 towards thr ii titir ol th< prairir, that the hrrd was di 
 
 part lirint> drivni on ihr hi, and a part rseapiiu' to the hit>li 
 
 Wi 
 
 Urouniis. \^ aw-M('-lir-iiitis-sa lollowcil thr laltir. and I run on tn 
 thr iie. 'The rlk>^ on thr rivrr, slippinij on the smooth ice, and 
 luinu mui h (rinhliiird. erowdrd so dose toi;ither that their irreai 
 weijrht hroke thr iii ; and ii- lliey wiiiled townriK thr oppositi 
 -Ihire, iiiid liidi'in oiiri'd in a hody to riNe upon thr irr. it lonliii 
 ui'd to lirrak ht'loir thrill. I ran hiisiijv and thou^litli<ss|\ itliinp 
 thr hriiik ot thr oprii pliier, iind lis the water Wiis not so deep ii 
 to swim the elks, I llioiii>ht I iiiiuht ai-t those I killed, and there 
 lure eontiniied .slioiitiii!; tluin as last as | roiild. When inv I 
 
 lal 
 
 « 
 
 er«- iill e\|ieniliil. I drew rn\ knil'e, iind killed nnr or twu with 
 
 it; hut all I killed in llie water, were in a lew minutes s.vept un 
 der the ire, iind I ;>ot not one ot them. One onh , whirh I .struel. 
 niter he rose upon the iee on the !«hore, i ^aved. This, in aitdi 
 • iiill to the others we had killed on ihe sliore. made Imir : heint" 
 
I ANNtlls N \KKAI l\ I 
 
 SI 
 
 nil \vi' wncalilt l<i lukc out oT a yaiiff oi mil It .>s iliaii ivvo liiiii 
 ilird. VVaw-l»t-lt<-iiais-sa unit iiiiiiioiliatcl). iiiiilrr {\w prctnict 
 ol iu»lilyi"fr ''••' tradns, ami -^old the luiii ilk- a-, his dw ii, lhouir|i 
 )i(' killed ImiI two of tlinii. 
 
 \1 iliis tiiac, \N a-iiH'->ri>u-a-!ii«u was iiiialdc li> Imiil, lia\ iim. in 
 a (Iriinktri IVidick, liirii sti stvcrilv htiiiiiii, tlmt lit- \v;i> iiol alilr 
 1<( slaiid. Ilia U\\ da\s, I wciil afiaiii \*itli Waw -In -Ix-nais-sa 
 to liiinl (Iks. We discuvrrcil sdimc in tlir inairic ; Itiit < raw liii;; 
 ii|i li(liiii<l a lilllr iiu>i|iialily of siirtarr, w liirli iiialilcd ns to <-oit- 
 «»'al oursilvcs, we < aiiic w illiiii a short (listaiicr. 'riicic was a 
 viry lar^t' and iat luick wliirh I wislnd to nhuot, Iml NVaw-ht: 
 hi'-nais-sii )4ai(l, " not so, ni> lirolht r, Itsi you should liil to kill 
 him ; as hf is llu- hist in the hrrd I will shoot him, and you ma\ 
 )rv to kill oiii' in tin sfualhr oms." So I told him thai I would 
 shoot at (MIC that was lsiii<> down; we Itrcd iiolh tooi ihi r, liiil In 
 lliiKHcd and 1 kilUd. Tin- hrrd then lan oil', ami I inirsm d with- 
 out waiting' to huli hrr, or rvni to i xaiiiiin' tin uin I had killrd 
 I continiinl thi' rhasc all day, and hrtori' niuht had killrd two 
 nnn'r, as ihr ilks ucrr so niinli latiumd thai i ranic u|i lo tlirm 
 pretty easily. As it was now ni<ihl, i madr ihr ln">l ol iiu \\a\ 
 huuM', and whrii I arrivnl, I'ouiid that \N aw -hr-lir-nais-sa iiad 
 iirou(r|it honie meat, and had heen ainusinu the lamily lt\ ileseri 
 liin^ the manner in u hieh he said he had killed tin ilk. I said to 
 ihi'Mi, "I am \iiy <|lad hr has killed an elk. lor I have killed 
 three, Hiiil ti -niiirrou' we shall ha\e |drnt\ o| nn ai." Hut as I 
 had soiiu' sn.spieiiiii ol him, I took him ouisidi', :ind askid him 
 alxMil the one he had killrd. ami eas>l\ madr him .leknow Inl^i', 
 that It was mt other than tin om 1 had shot, Irom whieli hi 
 liroU(>ht in some ot tin* imal. lie was st-nt to the iruders to eall 
 men I > hrin^> in (he me.it, and airain sold .ill ihi ' his own. 
 
 when he had not liel|>ed to kill e\fii one ol them. < iie oM wn- 
 nuin, when she hrianie an|uairted uilh thi-' 'omhii '. |'i isii'iiIm! 
 him SI) inueli, that he \»as mdmed to havin-. v\ a-nie-uon-a 
 blow, aJNo, who liad married an (>jihhewa\ Moniiin <n thr i'*. 
 now went to li»i' with his lalher-in-lHW, ai.i! ihe'e retniiiued ii 
 our tamil\, onl\ the old woman and hi\si !i, the How'weli<_' (rirl. 
 Ke-/liik-o-weninne, the son ol Taw-^'a-weninm*. now soim ihiiii 
 
 • it a hoy, and the luo sihhII ehil'dreii. I uas now, for the Itrst 
 
 • iim-. I«>|l lc» pnyi the winter bv mV'elt. with a (ninilv to provid' 
 
I 
 
 M 
 
 r.VN.NKIl > .NAKIIAin I. 
 
 i'or, nml iin tnic lo assist iii(>. \Va\\-l)t'-lu'-iiiiis->ri ciKvinipcdnhoul 
 Olio «luy iVoin us. I Inul, in tlx- Cfviirso oi the liill. killed u n^mnl 
 iiiany heavers ami dllier animals, and we had lor some lime 
 eiKtnirh to supply all our wanls. \> e had also jilentv oC hlaiikels 
 and elolhinjf. One ver\ cold inorninii in the winter, as I was fro- 
 iu^ out tu hunt, I stripped (dVall my silver orimmentH, and hmlg 
 ihein lip in the loilir«'. 'I'he idd wcniian askeil me why I did so ; 
 1 to! ' her that they were mil <-omlorlahle in snch extreme eokl 
 weather; luoreoti-r, tiiat in piirsiiini< <rame I was liahle to lose 
 them. She remoiisiraleil lor some lime, hut I persisted, and went 
 to hunt without them. At the -tme time I started to hunt, the 
 old woman started lor VV»w-!)e-lie-nai^-sa's lodije, iniendinii to 
 be ahsent two da\s. The lodoe was Irt'l in the eare ot Skwah- 
 shish, as the Howwetiu; ifirl was railed, and Ke-/.hik-o-weniime. 
 
 \\h 
 
 ten I returned 
 
 lat< 
 
 at ni>rht, all 
 
 I loiiii am! lm«^lle«•ess 
 
 fill 
 
 hunt. I fttiind these two children slandiu<r shivering uiul n-)in(T 
 I»y the side of the a>hes of our lod'je, m liich, ow iiiM lo their care- 
 lessness, had lieeii Iturned dow n, and cMry lliin;^ \\v had eoiisii- 
 incd in il. My silxrr ornamenl-i, one ul my <juns, several hlaii- 
 l\els, and miieh cdotliiiiir. wen- lost. We had heen rather wealthy 
 amoiii; the Indians of lliat coimfiy ; now we had nothins lelt hui 
 .1 medicine hai: and a ket; of nun. When I saw the ket> of rum, 
 I fell aiinrv ihal only what was ustdess and hiirtliil to us was left. 
 
 \v 
 
 hih 
 
 e every tlimir valnalile hail lieen (jesiroyeti, and lakmu it iiji, 
 throw it to a distance. I then r>trip|ied the hianket from the Itow- 
 weliii tt'r'< i""l ^•■'•' herawn lo >\i\\ hy herself in the snow; tell- 
 iiii: her ihat as iier carelessness had stripped iis ol eve r\ ihiiiif, il 
 Vas hut ri|2;lil she should feel the cidd more than I did. I tiieii 
 look the little liov. Ke-/,liik-o-wenimie, and we lay flown lo- 
 •rether upon ihe warm ashes. 
 
 Very early the mxl morniiiif I started out to hiiiil ; ami as ! 
 Jviiew very well how llu-old woman would hehave when she came 
 to a kliowledire of her misfortune. I did not wish to 
 
 rear 
 
 h h 
 
 ome 
 
 until late at nisihi. W Inn a|iproaehintr the plare where our lodtrr 
 had lieeii, I heanl the tdd wiunan s(oldin<: and heatini: the little 
 j^irl. At leniilh, when ! wen: to the lire, she asked me why I iiad 
 lint killed h«'r w hen I first rame home and found the lodue huriied 
 
 (lowr 
 
 "H 
 
 mee voii diil not, snid slie, 
 
 I 
 
 must now 
 
 kill 
 
 her. 
 
 Oh iiiv luother do nut kill ine. and 1 will pay yuu fur all you 
 

 J anm;k > N.\ui:.vri\ i 
 
 Ni 
 
 AVIiJit have v( 
 
 on to sj;iv«' ? Iiow <';in you pay iric 
 
 It ny, 
 u- \\o\\- 
 iw ; till- 
 
 tllillsr, it 
 
 n\ II to 
 
 mil as ! 
 
 II ( iim<* 
 lioin*' 
 
 ir lo(lu«' 
 
 liic \\n\v 
 
 ly I IudI 
 
 hunictl 
 
 ill ll.T." 
 
 all you 
 
 !iav«' lost. 
 
 ^aitl ilu' old woman. *• I will yivc you ilic Maiiiin,"" saiil tlu; Ut- 
 ile {fill, " tlu' gn'al Manilo shall vonw down to rowanl you, if 
 vou ilo iii'i liill uif." Wc were now destitute of provisions, and 
 almost naked ; but we dctcriiiiiiod to <ro to Aiirel/s Iradinir-housc, 
 at KViiiikauucslu'wayii'iant, where we oiitaiiied credit for the 
 amoiinl ol' one park ot lieaver skins ; and with the blankets and 
 (loth whi<h we piirehuseil in this way, we returned to Wa-me- 
 gon-a-biew'H lu«l)/e, whence he and his wife aecompanied us to 
 our own place. 
 
 We coiniuenced to npair our loss, by buildinif a small grann 
 lodire, in wiiich to slielter ourselves while w<' should p. ?pare the 
 pukkwi for a new wigwam.' The women were very industri- 
 ous in makiniT these, and noiu' more active than Skwah-shish, the 
 IJowwetifT irirl. At niifht, also, when it was too dark to hunt, 
 Wa-me-iroii-a-biew and myself assisted at this labour. In a (f\v 
 days our lodge wa> coin|)lete(l, and Wa-me-gon-H-biew, having 
 killed three elks, left us for his own honte. 
 
 After a little lime, plenty and g(»od hiimou:" were restored. 
 One eveiiinir the old woman called to her ilie little Bowwelig 
 •iirl, and asked her if she remembered what i>romise she had made 
 to her when she was whipped for burniiiir ?he lodge. Skwah- 
 sliish coulil make no answer; iuit the old woman look the op- 
 portimilv to admonish lier of the impropriety of usiiiir llie iian\e 
 uf the Deity in a light and irreverent manner. 
 
 * Prouoiuu'ed bv llie liuliaii«. Wc jo-wlmm 
 
 MX I 11*1 1 \ 
 
 1)1 
 
 i 
 
S6 
 
 lANNKRS NAKKATU I 
 
 i ..[ 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Failure ot' an altnmiit to accoinpariy a war-party to the Missouri — removal to 
 Eik Kivrr— joiiKil in my liiintiiii,' i;rouii;' i by soiui- Naudowiiys, from Lower 
 f'aiiuda — liospilality ol'llic Crccs— pr.ictico oC im'ili"iii«' — (lis|mt«' with a Nau- 
 (lo»a\ — l);iii(l oC Tus-kwaw-!i(i-ii('rs — Hriiii' SpriiiiT, on KIk Hivcr — I rcccivt' a 
 si'vi-ri' injury liy liillinj; I'roin in\ liorsc — involved in (iinioulty liy niv lijHtev 
 brittlier — haliils of the nuxwe-tloer — ran^je ol the moose, the elk, and the rrir 
 deer. 
 
 At this |»ljir»' we rcmaiiind tintil s[)ring, when, at <he o.om- 
 inciicciiiciil ol tiir sni^ar season, wo \v»'iil to Kt'-nii-kau-iio-shc- 
 U'av-lioant. \\v applied lo ilu; Indians \\\vre to give us some 
 Jri't^s to make sii<rar. They giivr us a plaro wlnre wrro a tew 
 
 ^niall tre 
 
 l)iil llie old woiiiaii was dissatislivd, and rettised to 
 
 reiuaiii. We tlierclore travelled two days by ourselvfs, until wr 
 I'oiiud a good plaee to make sugar, ami iii the same (Uslricl were 
 plenty ol heaver!-- as well as bireh lor troughs. When we had 
 been iiere long < !iotij;h to hi-ve liiiislied making sugar. Wa-me- 
 gon-a-biew rauH' to us in distress, with his rather-in-law, and all 
 his large Comily. We were able to give them something, but old 
 TVet-no-kwa did not present him ten ol' my largest and best beaver 
 skins uithoiil remarking, " these, .inri many more, have ill bi'en 
 killed by my little son, who is mneli weaker and less experieiired 
 than either yoursell' or Wa-me-gon-a-biew." She was not verv 
 well phased in uiviiiii, and the old man was a little ashamed t> 
 receive her present. Altera lew days, they lett ns for ilietrading- 
 lumse, and Waw-be-be-nais-sa joined us when we started in rom- 
 pany to jro to the .Mintse Ki\er tradinif-honsc. Leaves w<'r<' out 
 .)!! the trees, the bark peeled, and we were killino siiii-g«;on8 in 
 
 the 
 
 rivers, when then' came a snuw more 
 
 tl 
 
 lan 
 
 nee dei 
 
 anil 
 
 the frost was -in severe that the trees eraeked a> in the middle 
 of V ii.ler. The riv»'r was frozen over, and many trees weri' 
 killed 
 
 At the Mouse River •..iding-hoiise, the Assinneboiiis, ("ri»ep. 
 nnd Ojibhewnys, were uiiain assetnblinc tu go to join tlu.* Nhin 
 

 TA.WKR S NARKAfMI.. 
 
 S7 
 
 dans, in making Avar upon the A-gtilch-e-ninnc-wug, the people 
 i before mentioned. This time I wished to have aecom|)uiiied 
 them, and I said to the old woman, '• 1 will g^o with mv niirles, 
 who are goinjr to the Mundans." She trifd to dis-^uitiie me, h\\. 
 lindinj^ me obstinate, took away my j^iin and n'occasins. This 
 opposition rather inereased my ardour, and I followed ihe In- 
 dians, barefoot ami unarmed, trustinijr tiiat sumc amono iheni 
 would supply me ; but in this 1 was mistaken, for they drove uu; 
 back, ami woidd by no means allow me to a<'(-(im|)any tiiem. f 
 was irritated and <lissatislied, but I had no allerMaiive but to re- 
 turn, and remain with the women and ehildren. I diil not ask 
 the old woman for i.iy gun ajrain ; but lakinif my traps, I went 
 from Innne, and did m>t niurn until I had eauirlil beavers enoujib 
 lo purchase one; but when 1 had done so, my anxiety to over- 
 lake uud aecompany the war-party hail sul)sided. Many of tho 
 women they had left behind, now be<;an lo be huiiifry, and il 
 was not without lurcat exertion on my part, and that of the ver\ 
 lew youuir boys and old nun wlur w,'re left, that tlu !»• want-= 
 I ould be s<i|>pli('(i. 
 
 The war-party .<t leuffth returned, having aceomplisheil little 
 or m)thinj^. We then left them, and in i-om,iany with one nwu, 
 a relalivt of iNet-no-kwa, called VViiu-zhe-traw-inai>li-kuni. (he 
 li)at walks alimy; the shore,) we started to ^^> to |]ik lliver. 
 This man Imi! two wives; the name of one was ,Mt-sau-bis. (gos- 
 Hn'sdowii.) He was also aeeum|)anied by anotln-r distint>uish« 
 .(I hunter, eaUed Kaii-wa-be-nit-to, (he that starts them all.) 
 Our course (rom Mouse Itiver was very near du»' north; and as 
 we had six horses, we travciitd with consulerabh rapidilv ; but 
 it was many <lays i)efore we reached the head o( KIk River. 
 Hi e Wau-zhe-tiaw-inaish-kum left us to jjo lo thf Missouri, on 
 a war-party ; but haii-wa-bc-nil-io remained, and uave us al- 
 ways the timst and liest ol the jame he killed. He directed 
 me abo to i; beaver dam uud poim, at some ili>lance, to which f 
 went one day at evening, and havimr sa; down I lound a road 
 which Uie beavers were then using to bring tnubir into tlie poml. 
 By tins road I sat down to watch, suppttotng I shottM sutm ttr*-. 
 them pass one way or the other. 1 had M-arce sat »''>wu, when 
 1 heard, at no great distance, a sound which I kn(M^ wan that 
 mnde by a wuinaa in dressinu skin-*. 1 was a littk alarmr'tl. n% 
 
 \ 
 
 "■■"^i^M. 
 
8b 
 
 iAVNER S NAKKATIM. 
 
 J 
 
 W- 
 
 W 
 
 !• 
 
 
 
 k i 
 
 I knew of no Indians in that <iiiarlor, and was apprclionsive that 
 some of an nufriondly tribe niiglil liavc conip to encamp there; 
 but being determined not to retiu-n home i;;norant who and what, 
 they were, I took my gnn in my hands, in the position whicli 
 wouhl enable me to tire immediately, and prorethd eautiously 
 aUmg the path, to exaniin«'. My eyes w«re ecmimoidy directed 
 consiih-rably ahead; but I had inH walked far, when lookinir to 
 one side, I saw in the bushes, close to my side, and not one ste|) 
 from the |iath, a naked and |)ainted Indian, lyiiitf tiat upon his 
 belly, but, like myself, li(ddiii[r his trim in the attitude of firing. 
 My eyes no sooner fell upon him, than simultaiu>ously, and al- 
 most without knowinif what I did, I spranir to the other side of 
 the path, and pointed my mm directly at liim. This movement 
 he answered by a hearty lausili, wliicii innnediatcly removed m\ 
 apprehensions, and he soon arose an<l addressed me in the Ojib- 
 beway lanirua<^e. Like myself, he had supposed no other In- 
 dians than bis own family were, at that time, in the country, and 
 he had been waikinii from \i\> own lodt!;e. which stot)d very neai' 
 to the beaver pond, when be was surprised to perceive a man 
 approaching hiuj ilirouiih the buslies. lie had first perceived 
 me, and concealed himself, not know inj^ whether I was a friend 
 or an enemy. After sonu' conv«rsalion he returned home with 
 me, and Nel-rio-kwa discovered that he was a relative of her.-. 
 The family of this man remained with us al)out ten days, and 
 afterwards went to encamp by themselves, at a distance. 
 
 I was now let't, for the second (iine, with the prospect of 
 spendiui: the winter alone, with the «'Xce|)tion of those of our 
 own lamiK ; hut befor<' the counnenceuunt of cold weather tlier« 
 came from Mo-ne-oiiir, (.Montreal.) ncven Naudoway hunters. 
 one of them a nephew of Net-no-kua. They remained with ii>, 
 and in the tall and earlv part of winter, we killed areat lunnber.-- 
 of l)t;iver. l"'"' (■ (d the .Naudowa\s 1 surpassed in huulinj^, ami 
 though they had teii traps each, and I only six. I caught nntre 
 beavers than they did. Tw<» of the >even men could lieal me at 
 almo8t any lhin<r. In the coiuse of lh«' winter, two uutre Nan- 
 doways came to our canij). who were in the interest and employ 
 of the company called by the lndian> (Ijibbewav Way-inet-e 
 goosh-she-wuii, (the ("hippeway Fremhinen.) After these had 
 been some time with us. the uame was exhausted, and we began 
 
 9 
 is 
 
 
SltfC 
 
 t ol 
 
 ol' our 
 •r tlicn 
 
 nil n>. 
 
 |miml>i'r.> 
 
 iriK, ami 
 
 lit iiiort 
 
 at iiH' ai 
 
 Naii- 
 
 .lov 
 
 (111 
 |v-inel-«' 
 
 Bt'''" 
 
 liai 
 
 l)l'2«l. 
 
 lANiNKIt S NAKKAllVI 
 
 m 
 
 to he hnnirry. We a^jjrood all to po oiu> diiy in search of Iniflii 
 lo(>s. At iiitllit, all liad returned exeepl a tall yoiinii man, and a 
 very small old man, ol' the iNaudoways. Next day tlie tall nuni 
 tame home, bringing a new bulliiloe robe, and having on a haiul- 
 some pair oC new moerasiiis. lie said he had (alien in with 
 seven lodires o( Crees ; that at tirst they had not known liini, 
 and it was with <rreat ditliculty he had made them understand 
 liim ; but being received into one of the lodges, and fed, and 
 treated with kindness, he had remained all night. In the 
 morning, he folded up the bulliiloe robe they had given him to 
 sleep on, and would lia\'e left it, but they loid him they had 
 given it to him, niuv observing, at the same lime, that his moc- 
 ••asins were not very good, one of the w«tintni had given him a 
 pair of new ones. This kind of hospitality is much j)rartised 
 among Indians who have liad but little intercourse with the 
 whites, and it is among the foremost of the virtues wliich the 
 idd men inculcate upon the minds of children, in their evening 
 conversations ; but the Naudoway had Ijeen little accustomed to 
 such treatment, in tho coniitry from wliicli he came. 
 
 He liad not been long at home, b«-i'ore llie idd ni:iii arrived, 
 who pretended that he had seen fitly lodges of Assiniu'boins, 
 and had been kindly received by them ; and alllumgh he had 
 nothing to show in proof of his assertions, that they had plenty 
 of meal, and were disj)osed to be very !iiis| it,d)le. he persuaded 
 us, that we had belter go to join them. In tlu' moniiiig we 
 were all ready to accompany him, but he said. "1 cannot go yet, 
 I have first to mer.d my moccasins." One of the young men, 
 iliat there might be no unnecessary delay, gave him a pair ol 
 new moccasins; l)iit in the next place, be said he must cut olfa 
 piece of his blanket, and make liiinself some niitlens. One of 
 them, who had some pieces of blanket, assi.-led him to makt- 
 some mittens ; but Ik; still inv-nliil excn-es fordelaving his de- 
 parture, most of which resulleil in the supplying, by some one 
 of the party, some (if his lillh wants ; !)ut at length we began 
 to suspect him of Iving, and having sent some (Uie to follow his 
 trail, we ascertained that he had neither travelled far, seen In- 
 dians, or eaten a mouthful since he left home. 
 
 Knowing it wouM he in vain lo search for the fifty lodges of 
 \'»«inneb(»ins. we went in pursuit of the CriM^s, whom onr Nau* 
 
 1*,' 
 
 i 
 
 i\ 
 
 rul 
 
n 
 
 :/ 
 
 
 
 n 
 
 00 
 
 I \\M;r.':< NAKI! I n >'. 
 
 II- 
 
 irf 
 
 ,*,r 
 
 downy li:nl Hocii ; l)ul\\t> uiicxprclrdly iiicl \\ ilh aiiollit r haiul 
 of tlir sanir lril)o. Tlics*' wort" slriinifcrs In iis, hut iM(|iiiiiiii; 
 i'ot their rliicC, uc wciii inlii liis lodirc iind - ' duv ?i. 'I'lic wo- 
 jneri iiiiiiuMiiatcly Imiif; the kctllc civit iIm i , aii<l llicn locdv 
 mil (if a sack a suhslancf wincli was then mw and imknown to 
 all of us, and wliicli cxrilcd in our |)ailv • 'iisidrialdr fiiriosit) . 
 When I In' ('imd was |ila(t'd btlcir us. .v ; Mnid it consislcd ol 
 Jittle lislu's, s( arte an inch Iciiii. and all dI Iiic same si/.c. NVIifii 
 |Mit into tlir kciilc. liny ucrc in laiir*' iim>-cs, iVu/t'ii loirdluj 
 Tlu'Sf little lishrs, with the lakiiiij i'nd ratinj; of « liicli \m al- 
 tcrwards bee imic I'ainiliar, arc Ininid in ~ lall huhs which rciiiuiii 
 uixii in the >liali.»w ponds, crowded toi. Iier in sncdi nii iber^: 
 that one nia\ ^> >o|) n|i hundreds of ilu-ni at once, with tin 
 hands. Alter we had linished (MM nn al, the woman who a)i 
 {leared to he the prineijial wile ol the chief, examined onr moc 
 rasins, and jjave us each a new pair. 'I'hese |ieople were on a 
 l<Mirne\. and soon left us. We now determined to make a snn 
 lejfwuii, and deposile stieli of our property as would impede: le 
 ill a loiiij journey, and no to the plains in pursuit of hulfaloe 
 We ai-eoidiui^ly fidlowcd the jialh (»f the Crees, and o\»rtook 
 thrill ill l!ie Prairie. 
 
 It was aliout the miildle of winter, when v\r arri* ed aiium;.; 
 iht'iii, and soini aftcrwai'ds onr tall Nauilowa\ Icll sick. Ili^ 
 I'neiid:^ ap|died to an <dd meijicinc man id the Crees, culled Milk 
 kwali, (the hear,) re<|iii'stin<; him to do soiiiethiiiir for his rcdiel 
 '• (ii\r iiie," said ihc <dd man. " t( n heaver >kins, ami I will ux 
 my art to relie\e him." As we had hit our peltries hehind, and 
 killed hut few heaver >ince w c started, we conlil raise only nine . 
 lint we ; ;i\ e him a piece ol (doth, w hi( h w as more than e(|ual in 
 vuhie t<» one luaver, and he coii>eiited to henin. He prepared 
 his lodifc lor the first days' practice h( foi( the pati( nl was ad 
 Illitled; lie then h* iiii> hroiiuht in, was seated on a mal near tin 
 lire. Old Mukdxwah, who was a veiitrihxpiist of hut iiidillerem 
 power.s, and a iiiedicine iiinn it( no i>reat fame, imitati d, as w( II 
 a» he cuiiid, various S(iuiids, niid endeavoured to make tl> >m 
 staiidiiij« In Ik lieve they |)roceede(l from the hr«'iist of tlie .sick 
 man. At length he said, he Ik ird the sound <d had lire in the 
 breast of the .\aiidowa>, nnd |>uttinir one linitd to his breast, tin 
 (ithrr iind liis month to the back, he eoiitinueil for somn time 
 
 \~M 
 
— 'I^P^^^M 
 
 VSNLU S NAKUAin I. 
 
 yi 
 
 ih aiiolluv baiul 
 IS. I)ut iiKiniiiny, 
 ilusui. Tlic wo- 
 , iiiid llu'ii Uxilv 
 
 ;m(l iinkiitnvii to 
 ilciiiWW ciiriosily- 
 III it (•oiisistcd ot 
 nine M/.<'- Willi' 
 , lio/.*'ii luirrllui 
 r (»!' wliifh w «t- 
 )li s whicli niuaJM 
 
 ill :,ii(li im ,ibri>; 
 it Diuf, with thr 
 • womiui \\l«> iM' 
 xiiiitiiitil our mt)t 
 
 l.(li|llf W»T«' «»> " 
 1, (I ii> iiiiiKf a Sim 
 , wniild iiiipi'tlt "' 
 (llMlil I'l liull'ultM 
 ,.,<, anil uvcrHiuk 
 
 wr ariH'il »<"<'"!^ 
 ,y l.ll si.k. Hi^ 
 ("nfs, nilli'l Muk 
 iiiif lin" 111!* ii'lif' 
 MS. aitil I will »'■'' 
 Itiits l)rliiu(l, iiud 
 ,1 raise uiily nine 
 more tlian nmal in 
 mil. lie |ne|mr«'(l 
 (■ jiatieiU was ad- 
 iiii a mat near tin 
 1 nC Iml iiidi»Vereiii 
 e, iiiiilaled, as \v» 11 
 icd to inakt' til 'M 
 hreasl ol llif si«k 
 I ni bad liif in llir 
 ,i to Ids liieast, tin 
 I. led for some tiio-- 
 
 )ilo\\in£r and ndthinii, wlierilie, as if by aceidcni, dropped a iitlli 
 ball upon theirronnd. Allt r auaiiil»lo\x i!i<rand rniibin^.alternateK 
 dro|)pini> the little ball, and ndibinir it between bis hands, lie at 
 ienirlli threw i' into the lire, where it inirned, with a little w hi/ 
 
 lil. 
 
 /iiiit noi-c, Ml»e iianip pnwite 
 
 This did no! surprise me at all. 
 us I saw lie had taken the precaution to sprinkle a little pnwdcr 
 on that part of the lioor of the lodife wlicri' the ball tell. Per- 
 c(>ivin<f, prid)ably, iiiat what lie bad now dime was not likely to 
 prove satisliietory to his employers, he pretended that there \\a^ 
 a snake in the breast ol the sick man, w hieh he eoidd not renu)V( 
 (ill tin' I'olhiwinj^ day; when with similar preparations, ami 
 -imilar mmnmeries, be seemed to draw i> ol the body of tin 
 "iek iniiti, a small snake. One ol his i<.>Md^ be kc-pt for som< 
 liiiie on the plaee I'roin whii li be pret< i to have drawn tin 
 
 -iiake, as be said the hole eoiild not t\<' muediately. Tli( 
 -inike he refused (udeslroy ; i)nt laid it r. il\ nside for prcsei- 
 
 (alion, lest, as be said, it slionid tsvl into MunebiMly else. Tbi^ 
 rll-cimdmted impi»ition did not fail to excite the ridicule of the 
 Vandoways, and bad no perce|Uilile ellect upon the sick man 
 riiey soon learned to imitate bis several noises, and made him 
 a subject for sarcasm and ridicnic. Smne of ihe more sen-^iblc 
 and rcspectid)le men amonu the Crees, advised ns to lia\c im- 
 >liint; uuivv to say to Miik-kwab, as be was oteemed but a fool 
 tin<mi> them. 
 
 It was altmit this time that I had some ditliciilly with a Nan 
 downy Indian, \\\u) was hmiliiiir for the Ojibbeway NN ay -nn-ta- 
 j^oo-sbe-wiiir. He bad arrived since I had in the country, and 
 his rJLrlil to hunt in any part of it was certainly no better than 
 niim'. He had, it) one or two instances, complained of me for 
 
 bmitinu where he said i had no ri^bl to hunt 
 i 
 
 llavii 
 
 i<r now fiMim 
 
 \ >:;ani; oi iieavers, I set m\ traps lor them, am 
 
 I, as usual, leli 
 
 iliem 
 
 foil. 
 
 till tl 
 
 le next da\ , 
 
 O 
 
 n i^oiiiir mxt morniii 
 
 ir I f. 
 
 oiiiM III Had 
 
 owcil my trail, taken up all my traps, thrown them into the 
 low, and set his own in place id them. He bad caui^bl but 
 
 line 
 
 beaver, which I did not hesitate to 
 
 r\ home 
 
 ll 
 
 I row III 
 
 ill 
 
 IS t 
 
 ia|)s in the 
 
 snow. 
 
 I 
 
 as in\ ow II. 
 
 -■el mine ai>ain as l>e- 
 
 l<n°«'. Till' allair soon became public, iml all ihe band, even lii^ 
 f)Wii friends, tin Naiidoways, sided against him, and assured me 
 they would Mipiiort n\v \x\ the coiirsr \ had taken. In allaii> of 
 
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 WEBSTER, N.Y. MStO 
 
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 I A\M;K a NAUUA'llVl.- 
 
 llii.s liiiul, llu; customs of the tribo are as a law to the Indiau^, 
 and any o;ie who ventures to depart I'roin them, can expect 
 neitfier support nor countenance. It is rare that oppression or 
 injustice in allairs of private right, between man and man, taiie 
 place among the Indians. 
 
 We staid about one month in the prairie, then returned to the 
 lodge where we had left the old woman, thence to our trading- 
 house on Elk River. Here a lodge of Tus-kwaw-go-mces, from 
 Canada, came into our neighbourhood. I had now separated 
 from the Naudoways, and was living by myself. When 1 tirst 
 visited the Tus-kwaw-go-niees, and went into tlieir lodge, I did 
 not know who they were. The man presently went out, brought 
 in my snow-shoes, and placed theni by the lire to dry ; finding 
 they were a little out of repair, he directed an old man to mend 
 them. He then proposed to go and hunt with me, until they 
 fihould be repaired. He killed, in' the course of the day, several 
 beavers, all of which he gave me. The kindness of this liimily of 
 Tus-kwaw-go-mees continued as long as we remained near them. 
 Their language is like that of the Ojibbeways, differing from it 
 only as the Cree differs from that of the Mus-ke-goes. 
 
 When the sugar season arrived, I went to Elk Hiver, and made 
 my camp about two miles below tlfc fort. The sugar trees, called 
 by the Indians she-she-ge-ma-winzh, are of the same kind as are 
 connnonly found in tlu! i)ottom lands, on the I'pper Mississippi, 
 and are called l)y the whites " river maple." They are large, 
 but scattered; for this reason we made two camps, one on each 
 side of the ri\er. I remained by myself in one, and in the other 
 were the old woman and the little children. While 1 was making 
 sugar, I killed plenty of birds, ducks, geese, and beaver. There 
 was n»!ur my camp a large l)rine sj)ring, at which the traders used 
 lo make salt. The spring is about thirty feet in diameler, the 
 water is blue, and, with the longest poles, no bottom «'an be 
 i'ound. It is near llie bank of the I'lk River, between the Assin- 
 ueboin and Sas-kow-ja-wun, about twenty da\s' journey from the 
 trading-house at Lake Winnipt-g. There are, in that part of the 
 country, many brine springs ami salt lakes, but 1 have seen no 
 other as large as this. 
 
 At this trading pttsi I met a gentleman who took nuich notice 
 of iiic, and tried lo persuade me to accompany him to England; 
 
 '9 
 
 
 ■i 
 
 
 
 bull 
 
 
 not b 
 
 
 of tlu 
 
 
 ness 
 
 :'l 
 
 Auioi 
 
 
 the .>i 
 
 
 as us 
 
 
 hunts 
 
 T 
 
 they ( 
 
 
 gallon 
 
\, '"^ 
 
 l\NNEJif> NAKKAilVI,. 
 
 '.»:{ 
 
 lul made 
 
 ••s, callefl 
 
 111 as an 
 
 4sissip|)i. 
 
 n; lars[i', 
 
 on each 
 
 "ic otiici 
 
 making 
 
 TIUTC. 
 
 rs used 
 tr, llic 
 ran be 
 ■ Assin- 
 runi the 
 I ol' the 
 seen no 
 
 I notice 
 !^i Inland; 
 
 but I Was apprehensive he might leave me there, and that I should 
 not be able to reacli my friends in the United Slates, even if an)' 
 of tliem were living. I also felt attached to hunting, as a busi- 
 )iess and an ;Mnusement ; therefore 1 declined his invitation. 
 Among other Indians who assembled at this tniding-liouse, in 
 the -ipring, came our old companion and friend, IV-shau-ba. and, 
 as usual, they expended the products of their winter and spring 
 hunts, their sugar, «fcc. for whiskey. After they had drank all 
 <hey couhl pun base, old >iet-no-kwa gave them an additional ten 
 gallon keg, which she had hid the year before uuder the ashes 
 back of the trader's house. Their long deliauch was attended 
 by mischievous quarrels, and followed by hunger and poverty. 
 Home one proposed, as a method of relieving the pressure of hun- 
 ger, now bec(uning severe, that a hunting nuitch should be made, 
 to see who, of all those that were assembled, could take, in one 
 day, the greatest number of rabbits. In ihis strife I surpassed 
 Pe-shau-ba, who had been one of my first instructors in hunting : 
 but he was yet far my superior in fakin^r large animals. 
 
 From this trading-house we returiu'd l)y the way of Swan 
 River, and the \Ie-nau-ko-nos-keeg, towards Red River. 
 About the Me-nau-ko-nos-keeg and Ais-sug-se-bee, or (Mam 
 River, whose head waters interlock, we stopped for some time 
 to trap beaver, beinir assisted by a young num called iNau-b.i- 
 shish, who had joined us some time before ; but at length falling 
 in with a trace <mi which Indians had passed oidy two days be- 
 fore, I determined to try to see them. Leaving the <dd wo- 
 man and the faniily with Nau-ba-shish, I mounted my best, 
 horse, aiul followed the path through the prairie. After a few 
 hours I passed a place where had been a lodge the day beHne, 
 and my horse was steppinix ovir a log which lay across the 
 path, when a prairie hen flew from umler it. The horse being 
 friirlitened. threw me, and I fell upon the lou, afterwards upon 
 the ground ; but as I still held the bridle rein, the horse stepped 
 with his lore foot upon my breast. For scune hours I was not 
 able to get on my horse ; when I at last succeeded, I determined 
 still to follow on after the liulians, as 1 believed myself nearer 
 to them than to my own lodire. When I arrived aiuouii them I 
 enuld nut upeuk ; but they perceived that 1 had bec-ii hurt, ami 
 
 ) 
 
 ► * ;'« < mw I 1 ^ . w ■-«».■.«- - .__,,^ 
 
^. _aaBif«<y 
 
 I I 
 
 va 
 
 tanner's NARRATIVr.. 
 
 treated mc with kindness. From this hurt, which was very sc- 
 Aore, I have never since recovered entirely. 
 
 A part of my ol)ject in visiting this band, had been to try to 
 
 hear sometiiinif from Wa- 
 
 but thev had not met 
 
 -gon-a-oK 
 
 witli iiim. I now determined to leave the old woman at Menau- 
 konoskeeg, and go to Ked River by myself. I lia<l four horses, 
 one of which was a very licet and l)eautiful one, being considered 
 the best out of one hundred and eighty , which a war-party of 
 Crees, Assinneboins, and Ojibbeways, had recently brought from 
 the Fall IntMans. In this excursion they had been absent seven 
 months; they had fallen njion and destroyed one village, and 
 taken one hundred and fifty scalps, besides prisoners. 
 
 Ten (lays after I left Menaidvonoskeeg on this horse, I ar- 
 rived at the Mouse Hiver trading-hcvise. Here I learned that 
 Wa-me-gon-a-biew was at Penibinali, on Red River. Mr. M'Kee 
 sent a man to show mc the road to the head of the Pend)inah Ri- 
 ver, wlieri I found Ainel), a trader with whom I was well ac- 
 quainted. One day's journey from this house, I found the lodgc' 
 of the father-in-law ol' Wa-me-gon-a-biew, but I saw nothing ol 
 my brother, and the old man did not receive mc kindly. He was 
 living will) a party of about one hundred lodges of Crees. Per- 
 ceiving that something was not as 1 could have wished, I went U< 
 spend the night with an old Cree whom I had seen before. Li tht 
 morning, the old man said to me, " I am afraid they will kill your 
 horse, go and see how they are abusing him." I went as he di- 
 rected, and found that a parcel of young men and boys had 
 thrown my horse down upon the ground, and were beating him. 
 When I canu' uj), I found some were holding him by the head, 
 while »uie num was htandinu' on his body and bealinii him. To 
 this n)an I said, '* my Iriend,* you must come dowi. ;'' he an- 
 swered, '* I wont." '* I shall help you down," said F, and j)usli- 
 ing him down, I to(d\ the bndle fnun those who held him, aiul 
 led him home ; but he had received an injury from which he 
 could never recover. 
 
 I now en<|uired the cause of this unexpect(>d and very un- 
 friendly lrea(nienl,and learned that it was on account of Wa-me- 
 
 I 
 
 f hi f 
 
 ♦ Neoiljrp- 
 Innjiung*', ■ 
 (crxlcd. 
 
 'V fripiul, is coninionly uwd in Iricudly mnvprKntion ; Iml, ns in ow 
 \ usi'cl with a |icciiliur tone and uianncr, when a thrrjtt is in- 
 
 
/evy !><•- 
 
 try to 
 not met 
 Menau- 
 r horses, 
 nsidered 
 party of 
 jIU from 
 nt seven 
 age, and 
 
 rse, I ar- 
 •ned that 
 r. M'Kce 
 binali Ri- 
 
 1 well ac- 
 the lodge 
 otlihig ol 
 
 . He was 
 ■es. Per- 
 , I wentt>' 
 re. In the 
 1 kill your 
 L as he (li- 
 viys had 
 lintr him. 
 the head, 
 nn. lo 
 ;"' he an- 
 nul |)nsli- 
 lini, and 
 which he 
 
 \('ry un- 
 ,1 VVu-mt- 
 
 iiii.ii!* iiifrtii- 
 thrrnt is in- 
 
 iANNERS NAKKAiMVi;. 
 
 [)o 
 
 >fon-a-biew', who had turned away his lornier wile, and quarrelled 
 with his father-in-law. In tins <)iiarrel, tiie old nmn's Ixtrse and 
 dog had been killed ; which injury his young friends were visit- 
 ino- upon my horse. The origin of this quarrel seemed to me to 
 be such as to leave some appearaiu-e of right on the part of Wa- 
 me-gon-a-biew. He had treated his wite as well as is usual among 
 them, and only parted with her bt:cause her father nfiistd to part 
 with her ; insisting that Wa-nu!-gon-a-l)iew should acconqjimy 
 him in all his movements. Rather than do this, lu; chose to leave 
 his wife altogether, and had done so in a peaceable numner, when 
 her relatives showed a disposition to oiler him some molestation. 
 As I was alone, ' feared they might follow me, and try to do me 
 some injury at my next encampment; hut they did not, and on 
 the following day I arrived at the place where Wa-me-gon-a-bieM' 
 was now living with his new wife. The old man, his father-in- 
 law, whom I had seen before, met me outside of the lodge, and 
 was surprised to hear that J had come from Menaidionoskego, the 
 distance being greater than they usually go by themselves in that 
 <ountry. 
 
 Here I remained four days, hunting with my friends ; then I 
 slarted, accompanied by Wa-me-gon-a-biew and liis wife, lo i<- 
 turn. We went to the village wheVe they had tried to kill ni) 
 horse; and though ^he old man had moved lo some distance, he 
 soon heard of us, and came in accompanied by his brothers. We 
 slept at a lodge near ihe trader's lent. I intended to have watched, 
 as I was apprehensive that they would attempt either to roi) or 
 otherwise injure us; hut ihrouirh fatigue, I fell asleej). Late 
 at night I was waked by Wa-me-gon-a-biew, who said the old man 
 iiad been in, and taken his gun frcun over his head. He admit- 
 ted that hv was awake when the old man entered, and had watched 
 him from under his blanket until he went out with the gun. I re- 
 proached him for pusilanimity, telling him he deserved to lose his 
 gim if he wouhl suffer an old man lo lake it away while his eyes 
 were open. Nevertheless, I made an attempt, though an unsuc- 
 cessful one, to recover the gun. 
 
 Before we reached Mouse River, my horse had become so poor 
 ami feeble, that even the woman could not ride him. We rested 
 two days, and then went on. We had sull'ered much from liuiiirer. 
 having for many days killed only one po(u- buHhloe, when we ne t 
 
 ; 
 
■yf^,j#m 
 
 96 
 
 lANNER S NARKATIVL. 
 
 I ■ ■ 
 
 ^A 
 
 with a small band of Crces, under a cliief railed O-ge-mali-wah- 
 shish, a Cree word, meaning chief's son. Instead of relieving 
 our wants, they treated us in an unfriendly manner, and I over- 
 heard them talking of killing iis, on account of some old quarrel 
 with a band of Ojibbeways. They would sell us nothing but a 
 small badger, and we lost no time in escaping as far as we could 
 from them. We were starved for two days nujre, when we met 
 an Ojibbeway, called Wawb-uche-chawk, (the white crane,) wlu> 
 had very lately killed a fat moose. 
 
 With this man we lived about a month ; during all which time 
 we had plenty of food, and slept in his lodge. He was moving 
 in the same direction tliat we were ; he did not leave us until we 
 arrived at Rush Lake River. The old wonuin had gone from 
 the trading house where I left her, to live with Indians, at the dis- 
 tance of four days. My three horses, which, before starting, I 
 had fettered and turned out, that they might become accustomed 
 to the place, had been neglected, and were now dead ; notwith- 
 standing I had given very particular charge to Nct-no-kwa to take 
 off the fetters at the comnieiicenient of winter; but she had neg- 
 lected it. My horse which I had rode to Red River, was also 
 dead, and I had none left. INet-no-kwa having apparently relin- 
 i[uished her claim to me, and Wa-me-gon-a-biew now leaving me. 
 I remained for some time entirely alone, about the trading house. 
 The trader, whose name was M'Glees, at length took notice of 
 me, and invited me to live with him. He said so much to induce 
 me to leave the Indians, that I felt sometimes inclined to follow 
 his advice ; but whenever I thought of remaining long at the tra- 
 ding house, I found an intolerable irksomeness attending it. I fell 
 an inclination t(t s])end all my tiuie in hunting, and a strong dislike 
 fo the less exciting emj)loyments of the men about a trading 
 house. 
 
 At the head of th<> Menaukonoskego river, was a trading house. 
 Mhich I started to visii, in company with five Frenchmen and one 
 Ojibbeway woman, sent by Mr. M'Cilees. We were furnished 
 only \ ith enough meat for one meal ; all of which we ate on the 
 lirst night after we started. About the middle of the third day, 
 we came to a small creek of salt water; and on the summit of a 
 little hill by the side of it, we saw a man sitting. We went up to 
 him. but h(. onve no answer to our questions ; we thon took hold 
 
i.SJ^BBte' 
 
 TAXN'KR S NAKKA'llVK. 
 
 97 
 
 li-wali- 
 'lievin^f 
 1 over- 
 
 ig but a 
 
 ^e could 
 
 we met. 
 
 le,) who 
 
 ich timo 
 moving 
 until wr 
 )n(' from 
 ii tlie dis- 
 tarting, T 
 customed 
 notwith- 
 vu to take 
 had nog- 
 was also 
 Illy n-lin- 
 aving mt". 
 ng house, 
 notice of 
 l() induce 
 to f■ollo^\' 
 t the tra- 
 it. I fell 
 ng dislike 
 a trading 
 
 and tried to rouse him by shaking, but we found him siilVened bj- 
 the cold ; and when we took our hands off him, lie tumbled to 
 the ground as if lie had been frozen entirely stiff. His breath still 
 came and went, but his limbs were no longer flexible, and he ap- 
 peared in most respects like one dead. Beside him lay his small 
 kettle, his bag, containing steel and flint, his moccasin owl, and 
 one pair of moccasins. We tried all the means in our |)o\ver to 
 vesuscilate him, but all in vain. Kegarding him as one dead, I 
 advised the Frenchnieu to return with him to the trading house 
 from which we came, that lie might be properly buried. They 
 did so, and I learned at'terwards that he ceased breathing an hour or 
 two after they started. It appeared that he had been sent awa\ 
 J'rom the tradina: house at the head of the river, as too indolent 
 to be sutlered to remain. He had started almost destitute of pro- 
 visions, and come some distance to Wa-me-gon-a-biew's lodge. 
 Wa-me-gon-a-biew had fed him, and offered him plenty of pro- 
 visions to take with him ; but he declined, saying he should not 
 liave occasion for it. He was then very much enfeebled, and liad 
 been about two days i.i coming the short distance to the place 
 where we had found him. After they started willi him, I went 
 on with the Ojibbeway woman, and soon arrived at Wa-me-gon- 
 a-biew's. 
 
 I had remained here about a month, hunting with my brother, 
 when Net-no-kwa arrived, having come in search of me. Wa-me- 
 ixon-a-biew went by my direction, to a place on Clam Kiver, to 
 hunt beaver, and I relumed with Net-no-kwa to Menaukonos- 
 keeg, where we made sugar. There were ten tires of us together ; 
 and after the sugar making was over, we all went to liunt beavers 
 in concert. In hunts of this kind, the proceeds are sometimes 
 ccpially divided ; but in this instance every man retained what he 
 had l^illed. In three days I ccdlected as many skins as I could 
 carry. But in thes. distant and hasty hunts, little meat could be 
 lirought in. and the whole band was soon suffering of hunger. 
 Many of the hunters, and I, amon^r others, for want of food, lie- 
 lame extremely weak, and unable to hunt far from home. One 
 day, when the ice in the jionds was covered midling deep with 
 water, I reach. J a place about a mile distant from camp, and in a 
 low swamp I discovered fresli moose signs. I followed up the 
 
5«»» 
 
 IWSEU s NAi'.KAj i\ r:. 
 
 i,m ' i 
 
 ' -l» 
 
 ■\i 
 
 
 !;'1,.I iA 
 
 Ifl 
 
 ii; ■ :' I 
 
 It 
 
 % 
 
 m^ 
 
 animal, and killed it ; and as it was tlie first, it was made a least 
 for tJm whole band, and all devonrod in a singlo day. 
 
 Soon afterwards, all the Indians came down, in two days' join 
 iiey, to the mouth of the river, where we were joined by Wa-me- 
 gon-a-biew, who had made a very successful hunt on Clam River. 
 We stopped at the trading house, one mile from the lake, and re- 
 mained here drinking until our peltries were all sold. Then wt 
 started, accompanied otdy by Wa-me-gon-a-biew, to come down 
 to the mouth of the river. The distance was so short, that we 
 did not take the dogs on board the canoes ; us they ran along the 
 :shore, they started an elk, and drove him into the water in the 
 lake, whence we chased hiui on shore with the canoe, and killed 
 lum on the beach. 
 
 About this time, we met with an old Ottawwaw chief, called 
 Wa-ge-to-tah-jrun, (he that has a bell.) more commonly called 
 Wa-ge-toat. He was a relatii e of Net-no-kwa ; and had with him 
 at that time, three lodges and two wives. One of liis sous had alsc 
 two wives. With him we remaijied two months ; and almost 
 every morning, as he was going out, he calhnl me to accompam 
 him to his hunt. Whenever he hunted with me, he gave me all, 
 or the greater part of what he killoil. If e took mtu'li ])ains to tear 1 1 
 me how to take moose and other animals which are difficult ti- 
 kill. Wa-me-gon-a-biew, with his wife, left us here, and went tn 
 Red River. 
 
 There is an opinion ])revalent among tlie Indians, that tin 
 nioos(?, among flu; methods of self-preservation with which he 
 seems better acquainted than almost any other animal, has tin 
 power of remaining for a long time inider water. Two men oi 
 the band of Wa-sre-lo-tah-gun, whom I knew perfectly well, and 
 considered very good and credible Indians, after a long day's ab- 
 sence on a hunt, came in. an<l stated that they had chased a moosr 
 into a small poml, that they had seen him go to the mi<ldle of it. 
 and disappear ; and then choosiuir positions, from which lhe\ 
 could see every part of the circuinlerence of the pond, smoked, 
 and waited until near evening; during all which time, they could 
 see no motion of the water, or other indication of the position ol 
 the moose. At length, beinu' discouraged, they had abandoned 
 all hope of taking him, and returned iiome. Not long afterwards. 
 I ame a stditarv hunter loaded with meal, who related, that haviiiu 
 
 ,/ 
 
 
 . I- 
 
 •ftt*,^^- •■*— - ^ ''J 
 
lAWKItS N.VRilAIUl,, 
 
 9Vt 
 
 ihkI 
 
 wm '\ 
 
 iDH 
 
 IH 
 
 ^: IHl 
 
 1^ 
 
 «^' ^mU 
 
 H . 
 
 wH^^l 
 
 ■■ ' 
 
 7 mi 
 
 •ffl-:' 
 
 ef, callcu 
 ily calU'f^ 
 with him 
 s hail alsc 
 ii(\ ahiiost 
 ccompaiu 
 
 ivo me al'> 
 ns to teai-l* 
 (liiricuU li 
 lul went t" 
 
 lis, that till 
 which hr 
 al, has th< 
 jwo men «^l 
 ly well, and 
 iiir (lay's all- 
 ied a moosr 
 niddle of it- 
 Iwliieh the\ 
 1(1, smoked. 
 |-, they could 
 position o1 
 I abandoned 
 afterwards. 
 Ihal hiuin;. 
 
 >l)ll(J^^cd the track of a moose for some distance, he had traced it 
 fo the pond l)efore mentioned ; nut havino- also discovered the 
 Tracks of two men, made at tin- same time us lliose of tlie moose, he 
 concluded they must have killed it. Nevertheless, approacliinf! 
 cautiously to the margin of the pond, he sat down to rest. Pre- 
 sently he saw tlie moose rise slowly in the centre of the pond, 
 which was not very deej), and wade toward ll;" shore where he 
 was sittino. When he came surticieiuly near, he shot him in the 
 water. The Indians consider the moose shyer and more difficult 
 to take than any other animal. He is more viffilant, and his 
 senses more acute, than those of the buftiiloe or caribou. He is 
 lleeter than the (dk, and nu)re ])rudent and crafty than the ante- 
 lope. In the most violent storm, when the wind, and the thun- 
 dii)-, and the fallino timber, are making the loudest and most in- 
 cessant roar, if a man, either with his foot or his hand, breaks the 
 smallest dry limb in the forest, the moose will hear it ; and though 
 lie does not always run, he ceases eating, and roiises his atten- 
 tion to all sounds. If in the course of an hour, or thereabouts, 
 the man neither moves, nor makes the least noise, the animal may 
 begin to feed again, but does not forget what he has heard, and is 
 for many hours move vigilant than before. 
 
 VVa-ge-to-tah-gtm, the chief with whom we were living, took 
 every opportunity to instruct me as to the habits of the moose 
 and other animals, and showed great pleasure when my exertions 
 in the chase were crowned with success. As we were now about 
 fo part from him, he called out all the young hunters to accom- 
 jiany him for one day ; several young women went also. Hf 
 killed a fat buck moose, which he gave to me. 
 
 The country betw(!en Lake Winneiieg and Hudson's Bay, is 
 low and swampy ; and is the region of the caribou. More to the 
 west, towards the Assinneboin and Haskawjawun, is t'le prairie 
 country, where are found elks and bulUiloe. The ca ,'i).i is not 
 found among the elk, nor the bitter amomr tin; former. 
 
 . I 
 
^rf*^ 
 
 
 1 •' V> 
 
 iPHi 
 
 ■tf: 
 
 •:m 
 
 
 r'l!'' 
 
 MM I 
 
 )ANNf,K S NMiRMlVT.. 
 
 * !l 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1 ivorivt; a proposal from a chief to marry liis daughter — thoft ami drunkenness — 
 iiiauiu'r of pursuing the elk on foot — disease, and great mortality ainoni; the 
 beaver — seeoiid oiler of marriage from an A-go-kwa — liaimted encampmcntj 
 called the " |)lace of the two dead men" — Indian courtship — ihstressing sick- 
 ness — insanity and attempt at suicide — gambling — several otli'rs of young wo- 
 men in marriage — my courtship and marriage with Mis-kwa-bun-o-kwo, (the 
 red sky of the morning.) 
 
 The spring having now come, we returned by the way of our 
 old sugar camp, towards Menaukonoskego ; but as I disliked 
 to be with the Indians in their seasons of (h'unkenness, I dis- 
 suaded the old woman from accompanying them to the trading- 
 house. I talked to her of the foolishness of wasting all our pel- 
 tries in purchasing what was not only useless, but hurtful and 
 poisonous to us, and was happy to find that I had Miflucnce 
 enough with her to take her immediately to the place I had se- 
 lected for my hunting camp. She went to see Wa-ge-tote, to 
 lake leave of iiim ; but when she returned, I readily perceived by 
 her manner that something inuisual had passed. Presently sho 
 took me to one side, and began to say to me, '* My son, you sec 
 that I am now become old; I am scarce able to make you moc- 
 casins, to dress and preserve all your skins, and do all that is 
 needful about your lodije. You are now about taking your 
 place as a man and a himter, and it is right you should have 
 some one who is young and strong, to look after your property, 
 and take care of your lodge. Wa-ge-tote, who is a good man, 
 and one respected by all the Indians, will give you his daughter. 
 You will thus gain a j)owerful friend and protector, who will be 
 able to assist us in times of difficulty, and I shall be relieved from 
 much anxiety and care for our family." Much more she said, 
 in the same strain ; but I told her, without hesitation, that I 
 would not comply with her recpiest. I had as yet thought little 
 of marriage among the Indians, still thinking I shoidd return 
 before I became oldj to marry to the whites. At all events, I 
 
 i ', 
 
 ■,r: 
 
 
 >Vi.' 
 
 ^\^ 
 
 \ 
 
^■H'^^J 
 
 I 
 
 lANNKK S NAKKAliV K, 
 
 101 
 
 ikpnncss — 
 amoni,' tlie 
 campiucnt, 
 
 yoiiiig wo- 
 )-kwa, (the 
 
 ay of our 
 
 I disliked 
 ss, I dis- 
 e trading- 
 
 II our pol- 
 iirtful and 
 
 Ml flu once 
 I I had se- 
 rc-tote, to 
 rcrived by 
 seiitly she 
 II, you sec 
 you moc- 
 all that is 
 iiiuji; your 
 loiihl have 
 property, 
 good man, 
 daughter. 
 10 will be 
 i-ved (Voni 
 p she said, 
 on, that I 
 uirht little 
 Hild return 
 events, I 
 
 assured her I conld n^ti now marry the woman she proposed ti> 
 me. Slie still insisted that I must take her, stalin<r that thr 
 whole afliiir had been settled between Wa-ge-tolc and herselt', 
 and that the younir woman had said she was not disinrlined to 
 the match, and she j)retended she could do no otherwise than 
 bring her to the lodge. I told her if she did so I should not 
 treat or consider lu'r as my wife. The atiliir was in this situa- 
 tion the morning l)ut one belbre we were to separate from \Va- 
 ge-ti)tc and all his band, iitid, without coming to any better tni- 
 derstandinu with the old woman, I took my gun early in the 
 morning, and went to himt elk. In the course of the day I killed 
 a fat buck, and returning late in the eveninu, I hiuig u|) the 
 meat I had brought before the lo<lge, and carefully reconnoitered 
 the inside before I entered, intending, if the y(nnig woman was 
 there, to go to some other lodge and sleep ; but I could see no- 
 thing of her. 
 
 Next morning Wa-ge-totc came to my lodge to see me ; he 
 expressed all the interest in me which he had been in the habit 
 of doing, and gave mc much friendly advice, and many good 
 wishes. After this Net-no-kwa returned again, urging me to 
 marry the daughter, but I did not consent. These attempts 
 were afterwards, from time to time, renewed, imtil the youns>- 
 woman found a husband in some other man. 
 
 After Wa-ge-tote and his baixl had left us, we went to the 
 hunting ground I had chosen, v» here we spent great part of the 
 summer by ourselves, having always plenty to eat, as 1 killed 
 great numbers of elks, beavers, and other animals. Late in the 
 fall we went to the trading-house at Me-nau-ko-nos-keeg, where 
 we met with Waw-/,he-kwaw-n\aish-koon, who had left us the 
 year before, an<l with hiin we remained. 
 
 As the trader was cominji to his wintering ground, the Indians, 
 having assembled in consiilerable numbers, met him at the lake, 
 at the distance of a ivw miles from his house, lie had brouoht 
 a larsre quantity of rum, and, as was usual, he encamped f»ir se- 
 veral days, that the Indians might buy atid drink what they coidd 
 before he went to his house, as they would give him less trouble 
 at his camp. I had the ftresence of mind to purchase some of 
 the most needful articles for the winter, such as blankets and 
 ammunition, as soon as we met hun. After we had completed 
 
 -J 
 
,r 
 
 
 m 
 
 wi 
 
 ianner's narrative. 
 
 ,}^.\ 
 
 'i fi':,vr 
 
 our trade, tlio old woman look ton line beaver skins, and pre- 
 sented tliem to the trader. In return for thin aceuslonied j)reseiil. 
 •she was in tlic habit oC receiving every year a chief's dress and 
 ornaments, and a ten {jallon kejr of spirits; hut when the trader 
 sent for her to dehver his present, she was too dnmk to stand. 
 In this emeri^eney, it was necessary for me to jjo and receive the 
 artich;s. I had been drinkinif sometliiiifr, and was not entirely 
 sober. I put on the chief's coat and ornaments, and takinjr the 
 kejj; on niv shoulder, carried it home to our lodyte, placed it on 
 one end, and knocked out the head with an axe. " I am not," 
 said I, " one of those chiefs who draw litpior out of a .small hole 
 in a cask, let all those who are thirsty come and drink ;" but I 
 took the precaution to hide away a small ketr full, and some in a 
 kettle, probably in all three oallons ; the old woman then came in 
 with three kettles, and in about live minutes the keg war; emptied. 
 This wa^ the second time tlial I had joined the Indians in drink- 
 ing, and now I was guilty of much greater excess than before. 
 f visited my hidden keg frecpiently, and remained intoxicated 
 two days. I took what I had in the kettle, and went into the 
 lodge to drink with \Vaw-zhe-kwaw-maish-koon, whom I called 
 my brother, he being the son of Net-no-kwa's sister. He was 
 not yet drunk ; but his wife, whose dress was profusely ornn- 
 menled with silver, had been for some lime drinking, and wa> 
 now lying by the lire in a state of absolute insensil)ility. Waw- 
 zhe-kwaw-nudsh-koon and myself took oiir little kettle and sat 
 down to drink, and presently an OJibbewaj', of our ac<piaintance, 
 staggered in and fell down by the (ire near the woman. It wa^ 
 late at night, but the noise of drunkenness was heard in everv 
 part of the camp, ami I and my conipanion started out to !^-o and 
 drink wherever we could lind any to give us liffuor. As, how- 
 ever, we were not excessively drunk, we were careful to hide 
 iiway the kettle which contained our whiskey, in the back pari 
 of the lodge, covering it, as we thought, eilectually from the 
 view of any that might come in. After an excursion of some 
 hours, we returned. The woman was still lying by the fin!, in- 
 sensible as before, but with !ier dress stripped of its profusion of 
 silver ornaments ; and when we went for our kettle of rum, it 
 was not to be found. The; Ojibbeway, who had been lying by 
 the fire, had gone out, and some circumstances induced us ii> 
 
TANNKU'S NAItUVTlVl,, 
 
 103 
 
 >usr)fct him of the iIr-I'i, and I .soon imdcrslood that ho liud saivl 
 I had given hiin sonu'lliiiig to (h'ink. i \v«miI next inoi ninjr to 
 Jiis lodfff, iind asked him lor my Htth; kettle, which he ihreeted 
 his squaw tohring to me. Having thus lixed the thel't upon him, 
 Waw-zhe-k\v.i\\-n»iiish-ko(in went and recovered tlie ornanuiUs 
 of his wile's dress. This Ojil)heway was a nutn of considerahle 
 pretensions, wisliing to he reckoned a chief; hut this unforlunato 
 attempt at theft injured his standing in the estimation of the peo- 
 ple. The affair was long remembered, and he was ever after 
 mentioneil with contem[)t. 
 
 About this time, old Net-no-kwa began to wake from^ier long 
 continued drunkenness. She called me to her, ami asked mo 
 whether I had received the chief's dress, and the keg of rum. 
 She was unwilling to believe that I had suifered all the contents 
 of the keg to be expended without reserving stone for her ; hut 
 when she came U) be assurc'd not only that this was the case, hut 
 that I had been drunk for two days, she reproached tne severely, 
 censuring mc not only for ingratitude to her, but for being such 
 a beast as to be drunk. The liulians hearing her, told her she 
 had no right to complain of n\e for doing as she luM'self had 
 taught me, and by way of pacifying her, they soon contribmed 
 rum enough to make her once nu>re completely drunk. 
 
 As soon as their peltries were all disposed of, so that tluy 
 were compelled to discontinue drinking, the Indians began to 
 disperse to their liunting grounds. We went with the trader to 
 his house, where we left our canoes, and thence to the woods 
 with Waw-zhe-kwaw-utaish-koon to hunt. We now constituted 
 but one family, but his part of it was large, he having many 
 young children. Cold weather had scarce commenced, and the 
 snow was no more than a foot deep, when wt* began to be pinch- 
 ed with hunger. We found a herd of elks, and chasing them 
 one day, overtook and killed four of them. When the Indians 
 hunt elk in this manner, after starting the herd they follow thetri 
 at such a gait as they think they can keep for many hours. 
 The elks being frightened, outstrip them at first hy many miles; 
 but the Indians, f(dlowing at a steady pace along the path, at 
 length come insight of them; they then make another efVorf. 
 and are no more seen for an hour or two ; but the intervals at 
 which the Indians have them in siaht, grow more and morn frr - 
 
 '}, '1 
 
 .—i«»«J^I,^^.. ->..•.' »-. T-r— *,. 
 
 .■- ) 
 
f-— .*i ill jpatTffm 
 
 *' / 
 
 f- 
 
 ikf 
 
 -1 
 
 * 
 
 i 
 
 104 
 
 Banner's naruative. 
 
 
 
 quent, and longer and longer, until tlicy cease to lose sight ot" 
 tlicin at nil. The elks are now so nuirh fatigued that they can 
 only move in a slow trol, at last they ran but walk, by which 
 time the strength of tiie Indians is nearly exhausted, but they are 
 conunonly able lo come uj) and lire into the rear of the herd : 
 but the discharge of a gun quickens the motions of the elks, and 
 it is a very active and detf'rmiued man that can in this way come 
 near enough to do execution more than once or twice, unless 
 when the snow is pretty deep. The elk, in running, does not 
 lift his feel well from (he ground, so that, in deep snow, he is 
 easily taken. There are anu)ng the In<lians some, but mtt many, 
 men who can run down an elk on the snu)oth prairie, when there 
 is neither sm)w or ice. The moose and the bulliiloe surpass the 
 elk in ileetness, and can rarely be taken by fair running, by a 
 )nan on foot. 
 
 The flesh of the four elks was dried, but by no means equally 
 divided between us, nor in proportion to the size and wants of 
 our respective families ; but 1 made no complaint, as I knew I 
 was a poor hunter, and had aided but little in taking them. Af- 
 terwards, I directed my aitentitm more to the hunting of beaver. 
 I knew of more than twenty gangs of beaver in the country 
 al)out my can\p, and I now went and began to break up the 
 lodges, but I was much surprised to lind nearly all of them 
 empty. At last I fouiul that some kind of distemper was pre- 
 vaihng among these ai\inuils, which destroyed them in vast num- 
 bers. 1 found them dead and dying in the Mater, on the ice, 
 and on the land; sometimes 1 found one that, having cut a tree 
 lialf down, had died at its roots; sometimes one who had drawn 
 a stick of limber hah' way lo his lodue, was lying dead by his 
 burthen. Many of them, which I tq)ened, were red and bloody 
 id)out ihe heart. Those in large rivers and running water suf- 
 fered less; iihni'st all of those that lived in jxinds and stagnanl 
 water, died. Since; that year the beaver have never been so 
 pleiilifiil in llie country of Red Kiver and Hudson's Hay, as lhe\ 
 used formerly lo be. Those aninuils which died of this sickness 
 we were afraid to eat, bul their skins were good. 
 
 It often happeiu'd while we lived with Waw-zhe-kwaw-maisli- 
 koon, that we wpre suH'ering from hunger. Om-e, after a day 
 anrl night in which we bail iini tasted a mouthful. I went with 
 
lAWER S NARRATlVi: 
 
 1U5 
 
 ghl ot" 
 ley cau 
 wliich 
 lu'V arf 
 i herJ : 
 Iks, and 
 ly come 
 , unless 
 i(Hs not 
 V, he is 
 )t many, 
 en there 
 ■j)iiss the 
 ng, hy a 
 
 ? equally 
 ,vants of 
 I knew I 
 tnn. Al- 
 ii' beaver, 
 e country 
 ik up the 
 ot iheni 
 was pre- 
 vast num- 
 II the ice, 
 nl a tree 
 mil drawn 
 ail by his 
 1(1 bhiody 
 viittr snl- 
 tHiiuanl 
 r been so 
 y, as llu'N 
 Is sickness 
 
 law-maish- 
 Itler a day 
 Lvent with 
 
 him to hum, and we found a lierd of elks; we killed two and 
 wounded a third, which we pm-sued until night, when we over- 
 look it. We cut up the meat and <overed it in the snow ; but he 
 took not a moutliliil for our immediate use, thoiiirh we were so 
 far fiiini home, and it was now so late thai we did not think of 
 moving towards home until the following day. I knew that he 
 liail fasted as long as I had. and tlnnigh my suH'ering from hun- 
 ger was extreme, I was aslianu'd to ask him for any thing to 
 eai, thinking I ccnild endure it as long as he could. In the 
 morning he gave me a litllc meat, but without stopping to cook 
 any thing, we started for honu'. I» was afternoon when we ar- 
 riveil, and Met-no-kwa seeing we had brought meat, said, " well, 
 iny son, I suppose yon have eaten very heartily last tiight, after 
 yinir long fast." I told her [ had as yet eaten nothing. IShe im- 
 niedialely cookeil part of what he had given me, all of which 
 lasted us no more tliaTi two days. I still knew of two gangs of 
 beaver, that had est'aped ihe prevailing sickness, and I took my 
 traps and went in pursuit of ihem. In a day or two I had taken 
 eight, two of wliich i gave to Waw-zhe-kwaw-maish-koon. 
 
 Some time in the course of this winter, there came to our 
 loilge one of the sons of the celebrated Ojibbi-way chief, called 
 Wesh-ko-bng, (tlie sweet,) wh(» li\((lat Leech Lake. This man 
 was one of those who make themselves women, ami are called 
 women by the Indians. There are several of this sort among 
 nuist, if not ail ibe Indian tribes; they are connnonly called 
 A-go-kwa, a word which is e.\pr»'ssive of their condition. This 
 creature, called O/aw-weii-dilt. (the yi'llow head,) was now near 
 fifty years old, and had li^ed with man\ hiisiiands. I do nor 
 know whether she had seen me, or only heard of me, but she 
 soon let me know she had c(»me a long distance to see me, and 
 witli th«' hope of li\ing with me. She often «)flered herself to 
 me, but not being disconrasjed with one refusal, she r(>pe«led her 
 disgusting ad' am'cs until i was almost driven from the lodge. 
 Old Nel-no-kwa was perfectly well ncquainted with her charac- 
 ter, and only laughed at the embarrassment ami shnme which t 
 evinced whenever she addressed nu'. She seemed rather to 
 countenance and enc iirage the ^ellow Head in ninaining at 
 our I'kI e. The lalli ■ was very expert in the various em|d<i\- 
 menis of the women, to which all her lime was given. V» length. 
 
 14 
 
P^^'W 
 
 I If 
 
 \ ' ' i^ 
 
 1 !t 
 
 106 
 
 TAN'NRR S NARRATIVf.. 
 
 r )5 
 
 despairiiifi of success in her iiddrosHOs lo iiio, or i)oiii(r too mnclt 
 pinched by huiii^cr, which wiis coinnionly Icll in onr lodge, shi: 
 disappeared, and was al)senl three or four days. I lu'tran to 
 liope I slioidd l)(^ no more troul)ied with tier, when she came back 
 k)a(Uul witli dry meat. She staled tliat she had Coinid the band of 
 Wa-jre-to-tah-jrun, and that tliat cinef had sent by her an iiwitalion 
 for IIS to join liini. lie had heard of tlie nigirardly con(hict of 
 Waw-zhe-kwaw-maish-koon towards us, and had sent the A-go- 
 kwa to sa\ to me, " my nephew, I (h» not wish you to stay there 
 to h)ok at the meat that another kills, but is too mean to give you. 
 Come to me, and neither you n(u' my sister shall want any thing 
 it is in my power to give you.'" I was glad enough of this invi- 
 tation, and started immediately. At the first encampment, as 1 
 was doing something by the fire, I heard tiie A-go-kwa at no great, 
 distance in the woods, whistling to call me. Ai)proaching the 
 place, I found she had her eyes on game of some kind, and pre- 
 sently I discovere<l a m<iose. I shot him twice in succession, and 
 twice he fell at the report of the gun ; but it is |)robable I shot too 
 high, for at last he escaped. The old woman reproved me se- 
 lercly for this, telling me she feared I should never be a good 
 hunter. But before night the next day, we arrived at Wa-ge-to- 
 te's lodge, wliere we ate as nnich as we wished. Here, also, I 
 found myself relieved from the persecutions of (he A-go-kwa, 
 uliich had bec(»me intolerable. Wa-ge-tote, who had two wives, 
 marrii'd her. This inlroducti(»n of a new inmate into the family 
 of Wa-ge-tote, occasioned some laughter, and produced some 
 ludicr(Uis incidents, but was attended with less uneasim>ss and 
 tpiarreling than would have In-en the bringing in of a new wife of 
 the female sex. 
 
 This baiul consisted of a large nundn'r of Indians, and the 
 country about tliem was hunted poor; so that few even of the 
 best hunters were aide to kill iraine often; but it so happen«'d, 
 that myself ai\d another man, who, like nu', was re|)uted a j)oor 
 Inmter, killed more frei|uently than others. The Indians now col- 
 lected for the solemn ceremony of the meta or mediance dance, 
 in which !Vet-no-kwa always bore a very C(ms|)icuous j>nrt. I be- 
 gun to be dissatislied at remaining with large bands of Imlians, 
 as it was usual for them, after having remained a sht)rt lime iu 
 •A place, to snfj'er from hunger. I therefore made a road for my 
 
TANNKK .> NAKIlATiV 1,. 
 
 im 
 
 inncli 
 ;c, sh«-. 
 jran to 
 \c back 
 iinil of 
 iritiitio" 
 ilurt of 
 p A-go- 
 lv tliero 
 ivi- you. 
 iiy tluiis 
 his invi- 
 >nl, as 1 
 no great, 
 liing the 
 ami prc- 
 ;sion, and 
 I shot ton 
 !d mc so- 
 bp a gooil 
 Wa-s?e-to- 
 IT, alrso, I 
 V..jTo-kwa, 
 wo wives, 
 the family 
 iced somr 
 siness and 
 ew wife of 
 
 s, and tin' 
 ^•(•n of the 
 ia|)i)<'ned, 
 led a poor 
 IS now <•<»!- 
 iH-e dance, 
 )arl. I ''e- 
 ,f Indians, 
 )rl time iit 
 »ad for inv 
 
 1 
 
 m 
 
 self, and set my traps in a fianir of Ix avers. \Vli(ii I sioiiified to 
 Wa-ge-tote my intention of loavini) liiin, he snid he was much 
 afraid I sliould perish of liniigor, if I went far away liy mvsclf. I 
 refused, however, to listen to his advice or persuasion to remain 
 witli him, and he then determined to accompany me to my traps, 
 to see wliat j)lace I liad selected, and judfre whether I shoidd he 
 able to support my family. When we arrived, he fo\nul I had 
 caiijilit one larjfe heaver, lie advised and encourajred mc, and 
 after tellins)' me wliere I should iind his camj), in case of being 
 pressed by poverty, he returned. 
 
 My family had now been increased by the addition of a poor 
 old Ojibbevvay woman and two children, whet bcino destitute of 
 any men, had been taken up by Net-no-kwa. Notwith>tan(lin;L^- 
 iliirf, I thouirht it was still best for us to li\e by ouisehes. 1 
 hunted with considerable ("uceess, and remained by my.self until 
 the end of the season for makinj^ sugar, when Net-no-kwa deter- 
 mined to return to Menaukonoskeejf, while I should jro to the 
 tradiuir house at Red River, to purchase some necessary articlcb. 
 C made a pack of beaver, ami started by myself, in a small bullU- 
 loe skin canoe, only large enough to carry me and my pack, aiul 
 descended the Litth' Saskawjewun. 
 
 There is, on the I)anl\ of that river, a place which looks hke 
 one the rndians vv(mld always ciioose to encam|) at. In a bend 
 of the river is a beautiful laiuling place, behind it a little plain, a 
 thick wood, and a small hill rising abruptly in the rear. Uul with 
 that spot is coniH'cted a story of fratricide, a crime so uiu'om- 
 nion, that the s|iot where it happened is held in detestatiim, and 
 regarded with terror. Mo liulian will land his canoe, much les.s 
 eiH-anip, at ''■ the place of the tmidcad iikii.''* They relate, that 
 many years ag«>, the Indians were encampeil here, when a <|uar- 
 rel arose between two brotb-rs, having she-she-gwi lor totems, 
 One drew his knife and slew the other ; but those of the band 
 who were present, looked upon the crime as so horrid, that with- 
 out hesitation or delay, they killed tlu! murderer, ami bin-i»'d them 
 togetlier. 
 
 As I approached this spot, I thought much of the story of the 
 two brothers, who bore tin; same totem with myself, and were, as 
 
 • .Irbiu({-iier/,li-i>-shiii-nniit — Two (Jrnd Ur tlicrq. 
 
 i 
 
 
ISA* 
 
 10» 
 
 lANNCU S \AUR.\TIV1 . 
 
 ^'l 
 
 thor. I lia<1 heard it said, 
 
 one 
 
 I supposed, related to my Indian nio 
 
 that if any man encamped near llieir <;raves, as some had d 
 soon after ihey were l)uried, they would be seen to eome ont of 
 the jrronnd, and either react tlie (piarrel and the murder, or in 
 some other manner so annoy and disturb their visiters, that they 
 could not sleep, furiosity was in part my motive, and I wished 
 to be able to tell the Fn-Uaiis, tliat / had not only stopped, but 
 slept ([uietly ata place wliicii lliey shunned with so much fear and 
 caution. The sun was jroin^' down as I arrived; and I pushed 
 my little canoe in to the shore, kindled a fire, and after eatins( my 
 supper, lay down and slept. Very soon, I saw the two dead men 
 come and sit down by my fire, opposite lue. Their eyes were 
 intently lixcd upon me, but they neither smiled, nor said any 
 thing. I got up and sat (tpposite iheni I)y the tire, and in this situ- 
 ation I awoke. The night was dark and gusty, but I saw no 
 men, or heard any other sounds, than (hat of the wind in the 
 trees. It i^" likely I fell asleep again, for I soon saw the same 
 two men standing below the bank of the river, their heads just 
 rising to the level of the ground I had made my fire on, and look- 
 ing at me as before. Alter a few minutes, they rose one after the 
 other, and sat down o|)|iosite me; but now they were laughing, 
 and pushing at me with slicks, and using various methods of an- 
 noyance. 1 endeav(tnred to speak to them, but my voice failed 
 me : I tried to fly, but mv feet refuseil to do their office. Through- 
 out the whole night I was in a state of agitation and alarm. 
 Among other things which they said to me, one of them told nic 
 io look at the top of the little hill which stood near. I did so, 
 and saw a horse fettered, and standing looking at me. " There, my 
 brother," said the jebi, " is a Innse which I give you to i ide on your 
 journey to-morrow ; ami as you |)ass here on your way home, you 
 can call and leave the horse, and spend another niiiht with us." 
 
 At last came the morniuir, and I was in no small degree pleased 
 to fmd, that with the darkness of the night these terrifying vi- 
 sions vanished. But my long residence among the Indians, and 
 the frei]uent instances in which I had knowu the intimations of 
 dreams verified, occasioned me Io think seriously of the horse 
 ihe jebi had given me. Accordingly I went to the top of the hill, 
 where I discovered tracks and other signs, and f(dlowing a little 
 distance, found » horso, which I knew belonged fo the trader I 
 
 II 
 
 J... 
 
 :i 
 
TANNKR S NAKRATIVi:. 
 
 100 
 
 mt they 
 [ wiisheil 
 jx'il, hut 
 r«'iir and 
 I piislied 
 aliiii? iny 
 lead men 
 ITS wcro 
 said any 
 lliis situ- 
 I saw no 
 nd in the 
 the samo 
 cads just 
 and look- 
 ? after the 
 laughing, 
 (ids nl'an- 
 lice failed 
 Thronsrli- 
 id alarm, 
 n toKl lac 
 I did so. 
 There, my 
 \v on your 
 lonie, you 
 vith us." 
 ee ph'ased 
 ri tying vi- 
 ians, and 
 \ations of 
 the liorsc 
 if lliehill, 
 uu a little 
 ic trader I 
 
 was going to see. As several miles travel niiirht he saved by 
 crossing from this point on the Little Saskawjewun to the Assin- 
 nehoin, I h'fl the eatioe, am! having raiiahl the horse, and put my 
 loud upon idm, led him towards the trading house, where I ar- 
 rived next day. In all snhse(|uent jonrr ns through this eountry, 
 I carefully siunnied '* tlie plaee of tlie twodearl ;" and theaceount 
 I gave ot what I had seen and stiil'ered there, coutirnied the su- 
 perslilioiis terrors of the Indians. 
 
 After I reinrned IV.mh ti':iilin:,r at the Ued River, I went to live 
 at Naowawifiinwu !jn. the hi!l of the liullidoe cha'^e, near the Sas- 
 ka« icwiin. 'I'lus is a hiiih rocky hill, wliei-c mities may proha- 
 bly he t'ouiul, as tliei'e are in the roeks many sinirnlar looking 
 masses. Here we found sui;iir trei's in plenty, and a tjood jdaee- 
 for piissinu' the spi'inir. (Jame was so almndant, and t) situation 
 so desirahle, that I eonchided to reiniin, instead of ifoi tT with all 
 the Indians to Clear Water Lake, where they assemhled to have 
 tlieir usual drunken frolick. I hud s( nt for VV*a-me-gon-a-hiew, 
 ;ind he miw j 'iM( d us here, with one horse, makinsj our whole 
 luimher three. All these, all otir doirs, anil ourstdves, were loaded 
 vith ihe meat of one moose, which I killed at this time, the lar- 
 gest ind the fattest one I had ev»'r seen. 
 
 Wi-me-aon-a-hiew, after reMiainiiisi with me four days, went 
 to look tor Wa-ge-tote, hut without lellina me any thing of his 
 business. In a few days he returned, and l(dd nu' tliat he had 
 heeii to see Wa-ge-tote on aecoinit of his daniihter, that had been 
 so often ollered to me, and wished tc know if I had any intenlioii 
 to marry her. I told him I liad not. anil that I was very willinii 
 to alllinl him any aid in my power in furtherance of his design. 
 II(> wished me to return with him, probably that I mii;lit remove 
 any inipressiim the old people miuht have, thi.i I would marry 
 the iiirl, ami accompany him in brini^inn; her home, f assented, 
 wilhoul reflection, to thi~^ |)i'o|iosal. ami as we were about making 
 our preparations to starl. I perceived tViun \et-no-kwa's coim- 
 fenance, though she said nothinjx, that the course we were taking 
 (lispleii^ed her. I then rec(dleeted, that it was not the hitsiness 
 of young men to brins: home their wives, an I I told Wa-me-gon- 
 a-l)iew that we should he ridiculed liy all the people, if we per- 
 sisted in our desiLni. " Here," said I, "is cnu' nuither, whose bu- 
 siness it is to Jiiid wives for us when we want ihciu, aud she will 
 
 ♦ J 
 
 \\ 
 
m:: 
 
 I 
 
 
 fl^§ 
 
 . \ 
 
 mii-^ .. 
 
 'I 
 
 V V V 
 
 110 
 
 lANNER » NARRA'IIVi;, 
 
 bring them, and show thorn our places in the lodge, wlienever it 
 is right she should do so." The old woman was manifestly 
 pleased with what I said, and expressed her willingness to go im- 
 mediately and bring home the daugliter of VVa-ge-tote. She went 
 accoriiingly ; ami it so haj)i)ened, thai when she returned bring- 
 ing the girl, Wa-nie-gon-a-hiew and myself were silting inside 
 the lodge. It appeared that neitlier Wa-me-gon-a-biew, nor the 
 oM woman, had been at tiie j)aii)s to give her any very particular 
 infum itioii, for when she came in, she was evidently at a loss to 
 know which of the young men before her had chosen her for ii 
 wife. IN'et-no-kwa perceiving her end)arraissment, told her to sit. 
 down near Wa-nie-gon-a~l)iew, for him it was whom she was to 
 consider her husband. After a few days, he took her home to his 
 other wife, witli whom she livid in harmony. 
 
 In the ensuing fall, when 1 was something more than twentj- 
 one years of agi^ I moved, with W;i-iut;-gon-a-biew, and man\ 
 other families of Indians, to the Wild Rice. While we were en- 
 gaged in collecting and preparing the grain, many among us were 
 seized with a violent sickness. It commenced with cough and 
 hoarseness, and sometimes bleeding fntm the mouth or nose. In 
 a short time many died, and none were able to hnnt. Althougli 
 I did not escape entirely, my atla.'k appeareil at first less violent 
 than that of most others. There had been for several days, 
 no nuat in the encampment ; some of the children had not 
 been sick, and some of those who had been sick, now began 
 to recover, and needed some food. There was but one man be- 
 side myself, as capable of exertion as I was; and he, like myself, 
 was recovering. We were wholly nnable to walk, and could 
 scarce mount our horses when tlicy were brought to us by the 
 children. !lad we b( en able lo walk, we coughed so loudly and 
 so incessantly, that we could iu>ver havt' approached near enougli 
 to any jrame lo kill it by still hunting. In this entergency, we 
 rode into the plains, and were fortunate enough to overtake and 
 kill a bear. Of tlir tlesh of this animal, we could not eat a nmutli- 
 ful, but we took it home, and dislrii)Uted to everv lodge an equal 
 j)ortion. Still I c(mtinued to get better, and was among the first 
 to regain my health, as I sujtposed. In a few days I went out to 
 hunt elk ; and in killinu two of them in the s|)acc of two or three 
 Jjours.I becante somewhat excited and fatigued. I cut up the meat. 
 
3.J 
 
 TANNER S NAKRATIVI. 
 
 Ill 
 
 hcnevev iL 
 manifestly 
 s tu go iin- 
 She worn 
 neil bring- 
 ing inside 
 \v, nor the 
 ' particular 
 at a loss to 
 n her for u 
 (1 iier to sit 
 slie was to 
 UMne to his 
 
 lan twentj- 
 , and man) 
 ve were en- 
 ung us were 
 rough and 
 or nose. In 
 Althougli 
 less violent 
 veral days, 
 n had not 
 now Itegan 
 le man be- 
 ike myself, 
 and could 
 us by the 
 loudly and 
 •ar eno\igli 
 geucy, we 
 eriake and 
 lit a moutli- 
 Xt' an e(|ual 
 iig the first 
 went out to 
 wo or three 
 ip the meat. 
 
 and as is usual, took home a load on my bacli, when f returned, 
 late heartily of some which they rooked for me, liicii lay down 
 and slept; but before the middle of the night. I was waked by a 
 dreadful pain in my ears. It appeared to me that sonieiliing was 
 eating into my ears, and I called Wa-me-gon-a-biew to look, but 
 he could see nothing. The pain became more and inure excru- 
 ciating for two days ; at the end of which tinn; 1 became insensi- 
 ble. When my consciousness returned, which was, as 1 icanu-d 
 afterwards, at the end of two days, 1 fimiul myselt' sitting out- 
 side the lodge. I saw the Indians on all sides (\( me, drinking, 
 some trader having come among them. Some were (juar-elling, 
 particularly a groupe amongst which I distinguished Wa-ine-gon- 
 a-biew, and saw him slab a horse with his knite. Then I imme- 
 diately became insensible, and remained so probablv lor soino 
 days, as I was unconscicms of every thing that jmssed, until llie 
 band were nearly ready to move frniri (he place where we had 
 been living. My strength was not entirely gone, and when I 
 came to my right mind, 1 could walk about. [ rcllected much on 
 all that had passed since 1 had been among the Indians. I had 
 in the main been contented since residiiiir in tlie family of Net-no- 
 kwa ; but this sickness I looked upon as the comineiicement of 
 misfortune, which was to follow me through life. Mv hearino 
 was gone, for abscesses had formed and discharat'd in each ear. 
 and I could now hear bill very imperfectly. I sat down in the 
 lodge, and could see the faces of men, and their lijis movinir, but 
 knew not what they said. 1 took my gun and went to hunt ; hut 
 the animals discovered me before I could see them, and if bv ac- 
 cident I saw a moose or an elk, and endeavoured to gel near him, 
 I found that my cunning and my success had deserted me. F soon 
 imagined that the very animals knew that I had become like an 
 old and useless man. 
 
 Under the influence of these painful feelings, I resolved to de- 
 stroy myself, as the only means of escajiing the certain miser}- 
 which I saw before me. When they were ready to move, Nel- 
 no-kwa had my horse brought to the door of the lodge, and asked 
 me if I was able to gel on and ride to the place where they in- 
 leniled to encamp. I lold her 1 was, and reiiuesting that my gun 
 might be left with me, said I would follow the parly at a liltle 
 di«itanre. I look the rein of mv horse's bridle in mv hand, and 
 
 n 
 
ill* 
 
 112 
 
 XANNEn S NARRATIVi;. 
 
 sitting flown, watched the people, as group after group passed ine 
 and disappeared. When the last old woman, and her heavy load 
 of pukkwi mats, sunk behind llie little swell of the prairie that 
 bounded my prospect, 1 felt much relieved. I cast loose the reins 
 of the bridle, and suflereil my horse to feed at large. I then 
 cocked my gun, and resting the l)utl of it on the ground, I put the 
 muzzle to my throat, and j)rocee(led with the ramrod, which I 
 had drawn for the purpose, to discharge it. I knew that the lock 
 was in good order; also, that the piece had been well loaded but 
 a day or two before ; but I now found thai the charge had been 
 drawn. My pow<ler horn and ball pouch always contained more 
 or less ammunition ; biU on examination, 1 fouiul tli(;m empty. 
 My knife also, which I commonly carried appended to the strap 
 of my shot pouch, was gone. Finding myself baffled in the at- 
 temj)t to take my own life, I seized my gun with both hands by the 
 muzzle, and threw it fn)m me with my utmost strength ; then 
 inounteil my horse, who. contrary to his usual custom, ami to 
 what I had expected from him, had I'emaiiied near me alter bt'iuL;' 
 released. I soon overtook the party, for being probably aware 
 of my intentions, Wa-me-gon-a-biew an<l Net-no-kwa had gone 
 but far eiu)ugh to conceal thtihselves from my view, and had then 
 sat down lo wait. It is prol)able, that in my insane ravings, I had 
 talked of my intention to destroy myself, aiul on this account, 
 tliey had been careful to deprive me of the most ordinary and di- 
 rect means of eflecting my purpose. 
 
 Suicide is not very unfrei|nfnt anuing the Indians, and is effected 
 in various ways; shootina, hanging, drowning, poisoning, &-c. The 
 causes, also, which urge to the desperate act, are various. Some 
 years previous to the tinu^ F now speak of, I was with Net-no- 
 kwa, at Mackinac, when I knew a very i)roniising aiul hiifhly re- 
 spected vounu man of the Ottawwaws, who shot himself in the 
 Indian burying ground. He had, for the lirst tinu^ drank to in- 
 toxication; ami in the alienation of mind produced by the liquor, 
 had torn off his own clothes, and l)ehaved with so much vi(dence, 
 lluU his two sisters, to prevent him fnun injuring himself or 
 others, tied his hands and feel, ami laid him down in the lodge. 
 Next luorning, he awoke sober, and being untied, went to liis sis- 
 ter's lodire, which was near the buryiuir gnmnd, borrowed a gun, 
 under pretence of goiui! to shoot pigeons, jind went into the 
 
 -J 
 
 burj 
 
 awo 
 
 very 
 
 the j 
 
 viole 
 
 the (J 
 
 Tnent 
 
 ducc 
 
 I I 
 
 in un 
 
 it wa< 
 
 healtl 
 
 but m 
 
 TluMlj 
 
 ing, a I 
 
 fiad \h 
 
 anu)na 
 
 plaint. 
 
 deaf, 
 
 casicun 
 
 roeks. 
 
 Most o 
 
 ears, oi 
 
 This di 
 
 to use 
 
 On d 
 white 
 some ai 
 dan vi 
 seeing 
 were to 
 opportu 
 these w 
 Captain 
 ♦he Pat 
 
 Late 
 game w 
 winter, 
 gon-a-bi 
 
 i. 
 
 
 
I 
 
 i'ANNER S NARHATlVi;, 
 
 li» 
 
 burying ground and sliot himself. It is probalde, that when hf 
 awoke and found himself ti«'d, he thought he had done somelhinjr 
 very inij)roj)er in his drunkenness, and to relieve himself from 
 the pressure of shame and mortiticntion, had ended his davs hy 
 violence. Misfortunes and losses of various kinds, sometimes 
 the death of friends, and possii)ly, in some instances, disappoint 
 raent in adiiirs of love, may he considered the causes which pro- 
 duce sincide among the Indians. 
 
 I reproached Wa-me-gon-a-biew for his conduct towards me, 
 in unloading my gun, and taking away my ammunition, though 
 it was [)robably done by the old woman. After I recovered my 
 health more perfectly, I began to feel ashamed of this attempt, 
 but my friends were so considerate as never to mention it to me. 
 Though my health soon became good, 1 did not recover my hear- 
 ing, and it was several months before I coidd hunt as well as I 
 Iiad been able to do previous to my sickness ; but I was not 
 anuiMg those who suflered most severely by this terrible com- 
 plaint. Of the Indians who survived, some were permanently 
 deaf, others injured in their intellects, and some, in the fury oc 
 casioned by the disease, dashed themselves against trees and 
 rocks, breaking their arms, or otherwise maiming themselves. 
 Most of those who survived, had copit)Us discharges from the 
 ears, or in the earlier stages had bled profusely from the nose. 
 This disease was entirely new to the Indians, and they attempted 
 to use few or no remedies for it. 
 
 On going to Mouse River trading-house, I heard that some 
 white j)eople from the L'nited iStates had been there, to purchase 
 some articles for the use of their party, then living at the Man- 
 dan village. I regretted that I had missed the opportunity of 
 seeing them; but as I had received the impr«'ssion that they 
 were to remain permanently there, I though I would take some 
 opportunity to visit them. I have since been informed, that 
 these white men were some of the party of (iovernor Clark and 
 Captain Lewis, then on their way to the Rocky Mountains and 
 the Pacilic Ocean. 
 
 Late in the fall, we went to Ke-nu-kau-ne-she-way-bo-ant, when; 
 game was then plenty, and where we determined to spend tho 
 winter. Here, for the first time, I joined deeply with Wa-inc 
 2[on-a-bie,w and other Indians, in gambling, a vice scarce If-i 
 
 15 
 
 '\ 
 
 '%. 
 
■Jmttm 
 
 f' i4 i'i- 
 
 114 
 
 tavjJer's narrative. 
 
 mm 
 
 W:. 4lA 
 
 hurtful to them than drunkenness. One of the games we nsetl 
 wus that of the moccasin, which is playeil l>y any number of 
 persons, but usually in small parties. Four moccasins are used, 
 and in one of them some small object, such as a little stick, or a 
 small piece of cloth, is hid by one of tiie betting parties. The 
 moccasins are laid down beside each other, and one of the ad- 
 verse party is then to touch two of the moccasins with his linger, 
 or a stick. If tiie one he tirst touches has the hidden thing in 
 it, the player loses eight to the ojiposite party ; if it is lutl in the 
 second he touches, but in one of the two passed over, he loses 
 two. If it is not in tiie one he touches lirst, and is in ihc last, he 
 wins eight. The Crocs play this game ditlVM-ently, putting the 
 hand successively into all the moccasins, endeavouring to come 
 last to that which cojitains the article ; but if the hand is 
 thrust first into the one containing it, he loses eiglit. They fi\ 
 the value of articles staked by agreement ; for instance, they 
 sometimes call a beaver skin, or a blanket, ten; sometimes a 
 horse is one hundred. With strangers, they are apt to play 
 high ; in such cases, a horse is sometimes valued at ten. 
 
 But it is the game called Bug-ga-sauk, or Beg-ga-sah, thai 
 they play with the most intense interest, and the nii- 1 hurtful 
 consequences. The beg-ga-sah-nuk are small pieces of wood, 
 bone, or sometimes of brass, made by cutting up an old kettle. 
 One side they stain or colour black, the other they aim to have 
 bright. These may vary in number, but can never be fewer 
 than nine ; they are put together into a large wooden bowl, or 
 tray, kej)t for the purpose. The two parties, sometimes twenty 
 or thirty, sit down opposite each other, or in a circle. The pla) 
 consists in strikinor the edije of the bowl in such a manner as to 
 throw all the beg-jra-sah-nuk into the air, and on the manner in 
 which they fall into the tray depends his gain or loss. If his 
 stroke has been to a certain extent fortunate, the ])layer strikes 
 again, and again, as in the game of billiards, until he misses, 
 when it passes to the next. The ])arties soon become much ox- 
 cited, and a freepient cause of (|uarrelling is, that one oflou 
 snatches the tray from his neighl)0\ir, before the latter is satislicd 
 that the throw has been against him. 
 
 Olil and sensible people among them are much opposed to 
 mis uame. and it was never until this winter that Net-no-kw!i 
 
 
 '' .:■ 
 
 ""^'TTT 
 
 
r 
 
 TAXNER's NAMRMlvr. 
 
 IK) 
 
 we tiscrt 
 
 iiiber of 
 
 are used, 
 
 Lick, or a 
 
 es. The 
 
 f the ad- 
 
 lis finger, 
 
 I thint? in 
 
 not in the 
 
 , lie U)scs 
 
 li(^ lust, lie 
 
 uUiiig the 
 
 ir to coniP 
 
 c hand i> 
 Tliey tiK 
 
 ance, they 
 
 •metinies a 
 
 ipt to play 
 
 en. 
 
 rii-sah, that 
 
 i,,t hurtful 
 
 2i^ of wood. 
 
 1 old keltl(> 
 
 aim to have 
 r be fewer 
 111 bowl, or 
 mes twenty 
 The pla) 
 an nor as to 
 |e manner in 
 loss. If lii^ 
 layer strikes 
 he misses, 
 |ne much ex- 
 t one often 
 r is satisfii'il 
 
 opposed to 
 Net-no-kw!( 
 
 siiflt'i'ed me to join in it. In the beginning, our party had some 
 success, but we returned to it again and again, until we were 
 stripped of every thing. Wiieii we had nothing more to lose, 
 ihe band which iiad jjiayed against us removed and camped at a 
 distance, and, as is usual, boasted much of their success. When 
 1 heard of lliis, I called togetlier the men of our party, and pro- 
 posed to them, that by way of making an ellort to regain our lost 
 property, and put an end to their insolent boasting, we woidd 
 cro aii<l shoot at a mark with them. We accordingly raised some 
 property among our friends, and went, in a hody, to visit them. 
 Seeing that we had brought sonietliing, they consented to play 
 uilh us. !So we set down to Beg-ga-sah, and in the course of 
 the evening re-took as much of our lost property as enabled us 
 to offer, next morning, a very handsome bet, on the residt of a 
 trial of shooting tlie mark. We staked every thing we could 
 rommand ; they were loath to engage us, but could not decently 
 ilecline. We fixed a mark at the distance of one hundred yards, 
 uid I sliot first, placing my ball nearly in the centre. Not one 
 of either party came near me; of course I won, and we thus re- 
 gained the greater part of what we had lost during the winter. 
 
 Late in the sjjring, when we were nearly ready to leave Ke- 
 mi-k'iu-ne-she-way-bo-ant, an old man, called O-zhusk-koo-koon, 
 (the musk rat's liver,) a chief of the Me-tai, came to my lodge, 
 Ininging a young woman, his grand-daughter, together with the 
 oiiTs parents. This was a handsome young girl, not more than 
 fifteen years old ; but Net-no-kwa did not think favourably of 
 lier. She said to me, " My son, these people vvill not cease to 
 trouble you, if you remain here ; and as the girl is by no means fit 
 to become your wife, I advise you to take your gun and go away. 
 Make a hunting camp at some distance, and do not return till 
 they have time to see that you are decidedly disinclined to the 
 match." I did so, and O-zhusk-koo-koon apjtareiitly relinquish- 
 ed the hope of marrying me to his grand-daughter. 
 
 Soon after I returned, I was standing hy our lodge one evening, 
 Avhen I saw a good looking young woman walking about and 
 smoking. She noticed me from time to time, and at last caino 
 up and asked me to smoke with her. I answered, that I never 
 ^moked. " You do not wish to touch my pipe ; for that reason 
 \ on will not smoke with me." I took her pipe and smoked ft 
 
 \ 
 
 ViV 
 
 I ; 
 
 ,-- * * - 
 
' —>■><«■ 
 
 iKi 
 
 l.VNNKIl S NAKR&TIVI:,. 
 
 •i I 
 
 
 1 
 
 -.*' 
 
 Wi' 
 
 ¥. 
 
 mm ' 
 
 flJi :'"' 
 
 little, lliough I liatl not been in (lui habit oC smokiiiij; before. Shi' 
 reiiiained some time, and tnlked with inc, uiid 1 be^ran tu be 
 pleased with her. After this wo saw each other often, and 1 bc» 
 came gradnally attached to her. 
 
 I mention this because it was to this woman that I was after- 
 wards married, and because the commencement of our accjuaint- 
 ance was not after the usual manner of the Indians. Among 
 them, it most commonly happens, even when a young man mar- 
 ries a woman of his own band, he has |)reviuusly iiad no per- 
 sonal ac(|uaiiitance with her. They have s<'en each other in the 
 village ; he has perhaps looked at her in passing, but it is proba- 
 ble they have never spoken together. The match is agreed on 
 by the (dd people, and when their intention is made known to 
 the young couple, they conmionly find, in themselves, no objec- 
 tion to the arrangement, as they know, should it prove disa- 
 greeable mutually, or to either party, it can at any time b(! 
 broken ofT. 
 
 My conversations with Mis-kwa-bun-o-kwa, (the red sky of 
 the morning,) for such was the name of the woman who olfercd 
 me her pipe, was soon noised about the village. Hearing it, 
 and inferring, probably, that like other young men of my age, I 
 was thinking of taking a wife, old ()-zhusk-koo-koon came one 
 day to our lodge, leading by the hand another of his numerous 
 grand-daughters. " This," said he, to Net-no-kwa, " is the 
 handsomest and the best of all my descendants ; I come to offer 
 Jier to your son," So saying, he left her in the lodge and went 
 away. This young woman was one Net-no-kwa had always 
 treated with unusual kindness, and she was considered one of 
 the most desirable in the band. The old woman was now some- 
 what embarrassed ; but at length she found an opportunity to 
 say to me, " My son, this girl which O-zhusk-koo-koon offers 
 you, is handsome, and she is good ; but you nmst not marry her, 
 for she has that about her which will, in less than a year, bring 
 her to her grave. It is necessary that you should have a woman 
 who is strong and free of any disease. Let us, therefore, make 
 this young woman a handsome present, for she deserves well at 
 our hands, and send her back to her father." She accordingly 
 gave her goods to a considerable amount, and she went homr 
 
 — I ■ml jr 
 
 V '1 
 
 t) 
 
 fl"f.' 
 
iANNiClt'ri NAKRATIVl.. 
 
 iir 
 
 Less fhan u year uflerwards, according to the old woman's pro- 
 diclioii, she diod. 
 
 In llii' mran time, Mis-kwa-l)iin-o-kwa and niystdf were be- 
 coniiriff nidio and more intiniiiti-. It is jjrohahlc lNct-no-U\va did 
 not disa|)|)rov(' of llie {■(iiiivf 1 was now about to lake, as, llioutrh 
 
 said iiothinir l(» lur on the suhji-rt, she coiihl not have been ig- 
 ifcorant of what I vv.i- doing. 'I'hal she was not I i'oimd, when 
 •AUi'r spending, for the lost lime, a eonsideralde part of the night 
 vyith my mi.~iress, I crept into the hidge at a late hum, and went 
 tl) sleej). A smart rapping on my naked feet waked me at tlie 
 fivst ap]iearaiic«' of dawn, on llie foUowing morning. " Up," 
 said the (dd woman, who stood !)y me, willi a stick in her hand, 
 " up, young man, you who are about to take for yourself a wife, 
 lip, and start after game. It will raise you more in the estinui- 
 tion of the woman you wouhl marry, to see you bring home u 
 load of meiit early in the morning, than to see you tiressed ever 
 so gaily, standing about the village after the hunters are all gone 
 out." I could make her no answer, but, putting ou my mocca- 
 sins, took my gun and went out. Returning before noon, with 
 as heavy a load of fat moose meat as I could carry, I threw it 
 down before Net-no-kwa, and with a harsh tone of vmcv said to 
 lier, " here, old woman, is what you called for in the morning." 
 She was much pleased, and commended me for my exertion. I 
 now became satisfied that she was not displeased on account of 
 my affair with Mis-kwa-bun-o-kwa, and it gave mc no small 
 pleasure to think that my conduct met her approbation. There 
 aje many of the Indians who throw away and nejilect their oKI 
 people ; but though Net-no-kwa was now decrepid and infirm, I 
 felt the strongest regard for her, and continued to do so w hile 
 sh»' lived. 
 
 I now redoubled my diligence in hunting, and commoidy came 
 home with meat in the early |)art of the day, at least before night. 
 I tlcn dressed myself as handsomely as I could, and walked about 
 tlie village, sometimes blowing the Pe-be-gwun, or flute. For 
 some time Mis-kwa-bun-o-kwa pretended she was not willing to 
 marry me, and it was not, perhaps, until she ))erceived some 
 abatement of ardour on my j)art, that she laid this affected coy- 
 ness entirely aside. For my own part, I found that my anxiety 
 to take a wife hom« to my lodj^e, was rapidly becoming less and 
 
 5 
 
 :\ 
 
 r •/ 
 
 I \ 
 
 
^M'"''- 
 
 I L 
 
 118 
 
 tanner's narrative. 
 
 , r 
 
 ii'M^ll' 
 
 
 less. I made several efforts to break off the intercourse, and 
 visit her no more; hut a lingeriiiir inclination was too strong for 
 me. Wlien she perreived my growing indiilerencc, she some- 
 times re|)roat'hed me, and sometimes sought to move me by tears 
 a'ld entreaties ; but 1 said nothing to the old woman about bring- , 
 mg her hi>me, and became daily more and more unwilling to ac-j 
 knowledge her jjidjlicly as ms wiCe. / 
 
 About this lime, I had occasion to go to the trading-house oii 
 Red Uivei, and I started ii com|iany with a half breed, l)el(»ngr 
 ing ti» that establishment, who was mounted on a fleet horse. 
 The distance we had to travel has since been called, by tin 
 English settlers, seventy miles. We rode and went on foot by 
 turns, and the one wiio was on Ibcii kept hold of the horse's tail, 
 and ran. We passed over the whole distance in one day. In 
 retinidng, ! was by myself, and without a horse, and I made an 
 effort, intemling, if possible, to accomplish the same journey iit 
 one day; but darkness, and excessive fatigue, compelled me to 
 stop when I was within about ten miles of home. 
 
 When I arrived at our lodge, on the following day, I saw ]VIi>- 
 kwa-bun-o-kwa sitting in my place. As I stopped at the door 
 of the lodge, and hesitated to enter, she Ining down her head : 
 but Net-no-kwa greeted me in a tone somewhat harsher than 
 was common for iier to use to ine. " Will you turn back from 
 the door of the lodge, and put this youiiL^ wtuiian to shame, who 
 is in all respects better than you are. This affair has been of 
 your seeking, and not of mine or hers. You have followed her 
 about the village heretofore ; nctw you would turn from her, and 
 make her appear like one who has atleniptcfl (o thrust herself in 
 your way." I was, in part, conscious of the justness of Nct-no- 
 kwa's reproaches, and in part prompted by inclination ; I went 
 in and sat down by the side of Mis-kwa-bun-o-kwa. and thOs 
 we became man and wife. Old Net-no-kwa had, while 1 was 
 absent at Red River, wilhotit my knowledjrp or consent, made 
 her barirain with the parents of the young woman, and brought 
 her home, rightly supposing that it would be no difficidt matter 
 to reconcile me to the measure. In most of the marriages which 
 happen between young persiMis, the parties most interested have 
 less to do than in this case. The amount of |iresenls which the 
 parents of ii woman expe<'l to receiic in ex<'haniie for her, dimi- 
 in'shes in proportion to lite unmber vi' hiishnnds she may have had. 
 
 '<*• 
 
urse, and 
 trong lor 
 lie some- 
 ; by leare 
 )iit bring- , 
 ing to aC'i 
 
 i 
 -house oil 
 
 1, brlitngr 
 
 >pl horse. 
 
 <1, by th 3 
 
 11 loot by 
 
 )rs(''s tail, 
 
 (lay. In 
 
 I math' an 
 
 oiirney in 
 
 led me to 
 
 [ saw Mis- 
 t tlie dooi 
 her Jiead : 
 isher than 
 back I'rom 
 lainc, who 
 been ol 
 o\\v{\ hei 
 her, and 
 icrseir ill 
 »(■ Nct-no- 
 ; I ui'iit 
 and thils 
 ilr I was 
 lit, ma(h- 
 brought 
 lilt maltei- 
 ges which 
 <t»'d have 
 which the 
 her, diini- 
 hn\ e had. 
 
 'rANN'EIl's KARRATIVr. 
 
 in» 
 
 fhHM 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 l'rp]mrntinns lor a war pxcursion — ticnlri of bulliiloc heard at a ctrt'iit distHnct'— 
 ti'rrililc i(iiniicts:iiiioni; llic hulls— olisiTNiUiccsoI'llii' yoiinjx wiirriors — Kii-/.au- 
 buii-zicli-r-jjiin, ordiviiiiitiori lo diHcovi'r the situation of an enemy — Jeelii-ufr, 
 or iiieiMoriuls of decpiiscd friends to he thrown away on the field of battle ; and 
 the desijrii of the custom — war-party hrokeii u|) hy the iiitert'erence ol' a rival 
 chiefs — stupidity of tlie poreujiiiK' — I save the li(e ol my foster hrolher — Alhino 
 bears — Waw-lM'-no — marria;:,'e of Hi-che-to and Sk wu-shisli — attack id a Sioux 
 war-party, and pursuit to the village ut thief Muuntain, and the head of the St , 
 Peters, &c. 
 
 Four days after I returned from Red River, we moved to the 
 woods; Wa-ine-gon-a-l)iew, with his two wives, and his laiiiily; 
 Waw-be-be-nais-sa, with one wife and several children ; iiiyselt" 
 and wile, and the rainily of Nel-no-kwa. We directed our course 
 towards the ('raiieberry River, [l*eiiii)iiiali,] aswe wished to select 
 near that |)lace a favourable spot where our women and children 
 might remain encamped, it being our intention to join a war-party 
 then preparing to go against the Sioux. When we had chosen 
 a suitable jilace, we applied ourselves diligently to hiintiiig, that 
 we might leave dry meal enough to supjdy the wants of our 
 families in our absence. It liappeiicd. one morning, that I went 
 to hunt with only three balls in my pouch ; and finding a large 
 ])uck moose, I fired at him rather hastily, and missed him twice 
 in succession. The third time I hit, init did not kill him, only 
 WDundiiig him in the shoulder. I pursutMl, aii<! at leiigih overtook 
 him, but having no balls, I look the screws out of my gun, tying 
 the lock on with a string, and it was not till after I had shot three 
 of them into him, that he fell. 
 
 We had killed a coiisichrable tiuanlity of meal, and the women 
 were engaged in drying il, when, fei ling ciiriinis to know the 
 state of forwardness of the war-purly at Pembinnh, and how soon 
 they would start, we loidv our horses and rode down, leaving 
 Wnw-he-be-nnis-sn with the women. When we arrived we 
 
 l 
 
 r 
 

 i( 'J.: ' 
 
 I ' 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 tanner's NARRATIVi;. 
 
 found forty men of the Muskegoos, ready to depart on the fol- 
 lowing morning, and though we had come witliout our mocca- 
 sins, or any of llie usual preparations,- we determined to accom- 
 pany them. Great numbers of Ojilibeways and Crees had as- 
 sembled, but they seemed, in general, unwilling to accompa- 
 ny the Muskegoes, as this band is not in very high repute among 
 them. Wa-me-gon-a-biew was willing to dissuade nje from 
 going, urging, that we had belter put it off, and go with the 
 Ojibbeways in the fall. But 1 assured him I would by no means 
 lose the present opportunity, inasmuch as we could both go now 
 and in the fall also. 
 
 By the end of th<' second day after we left Pembiiuih, we had 
 not a mouthfid to eat, ai\d were beginning- to be hungry. When 
 we laid down in our camp at night, and put our ears close to the 
 ground, we could hear the tramp of bullaloes; but when we 
 sat up we could hear nothing, and on the following uu)rning no- 
 thing could be seen of them, though we could command a very 
 extensive view of the prairie. Xa we knew they must not be far 
 olK in the direction of the sounds we had heard, eight nuMi, ol 
 whom I was one, were selected and despatched to kill some, and 
 bring the meat to a point where it was agreed the j)arty shoidd 
 stop next night. The noise we could still hear in the morning, 
 by applying our ears to the ground, and it st-emed about as far 
 distant, and in the same direction, as before. We started early, 
 and rode scune hours before we could begin to see them, and 
 when we first discovered the margin of the herd, it must hav«' 
 been at least ten miles distant. It was like a black line, drawn 
 along the odfye of the sky, or a low shore seen across a lake 
 The (listaiK-e of the herd from the place where we lirst heard 
 them, could not have been less than twenty miles. But it was 
 now the rutting season, and various parts of the herd w«'re all 
 the time kept in rajtid motion, by the severe tights of the bulls. 
 To tile noise pr(tdu("ed by the knocking together of the two di- 
 visions of the hoof, when they raised their feel from the irronnd, 
 nnd of their incessant tramping, was added the loud and lurious 
 roar of the bulls, 'ogaged as they all were in their terrific ant? 
 ap|)alling conflicts. We were conscious that our approach to 
 the herd would not occafiion the alarm now, that it would have 
 ilone at any other lime, and we rode dirfxtly towards (hem. A»- 
 
\ t 
 
 IANNKR's \-\RRATlVt. 
 
 lai 
 
 we came ueav, we killed a wounded bull, which scarce made an 
 effort to escape from us. He had wounds in his flanks, into 
 which I could put my whole hand. As we knew that the flesh 
 of the bulls was not now good to eat, we did not wish to kill 
 them, though we might easily have shot any number. Dismount- 
 ing; we put our horses in the care of some of our number, 
 who were willing to stay back for that purpose, and then crept 
 into the herd to try to iiiil some cows. I had separated from the 
 others, and advancing, got entangled among the bulls. Before I 
 found an opportunity to shoot a cow, the bulls began to fight 
 very near me. In their fury they were totally unconscious of 
 my presence, and came rushing towards me with such violence, 
 that in some alarm for my safety, I took refuge in one of those 
 jioles which are so frequert where these animals abound, and 
 which they themselves dig to wallow in. Here I found that 
 ihey were pressing directly upon me, and I was compelled to 
 lire to disperse them, in which I did not succeed until I had kill- 
 ed four of them. By this firing the cows were so frightened 
 that I perceived I should not be able to kill any in this quarter ; 
 «o regaining my horse, I rode to a distant part of the herd, where 
 (he Indians had s\iccoedi'd in killing a fat cow. But from this 
 row, as is usual in similar cases, the herd had all moved off, ex- 
 cept one bull, who, when I came up, still kept the Indians at 
 bay. " You are warriors," said I, as I rode u[), *' going far from 
 your own country, to seek an enemy ; but you cannot take his 
 wife from that old bull, who has nothing in his hands." So 
 saying, I passed them directly, towards the bull, then standing 
 something more than two hundred yards distant. He no sooner 
 .saw me approach, than he came plunging towards me with such 
 impetuosity, that kuowiiiff tiie dauirer to my horse and myself, 
 I tuin.^d and fled. The Indians laughed heartily at my repulse, 
 but they did not give over their attempts to get at the cow. By 
 tlividing the attention of the bidl, and creeping up to him on dif- 
 ferent sides, they at length shot him down. While we were cut- 
 ting up the cow, tlie herd were at no great distance, and an old 
 cow, which the Indians supposed to be the mother of the one wo 
 had killed, taking the Hccnt of the blood, came running with 
 great violence directly towards us. The Indians were alarmed 
 md fled, many of them not having their guns iji their hand;;; 
 
 10 
 
 /., 
 
 i. 
 
f h.vf j 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 t ( 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 lAWKR S WRRVIUL. 
 
 but I had carefully ro-loadod mine, and liad it ready lor uhc. 
 Throwing myself down close to the body of the row, and behind 
 it, I waited till the other came u]) within a few yards of the car- 
 ease, when I fired upon her ; she turned, gave one or two jumps, 
 and fell dead. Wc had now the meat of two fat cows, which 
 Avas as much as we wanted ; accordingly, we repaired without 
 flelay to the appointed place, where we found our party, whose 
 hunger was already somewhat allayed by a deer one of them had 
 killed. 
 
 I now began to attend to some of the ceremonies of what may 
 be called the initiation of warriors, tliis being the first time I had 
 been on a war-party. For the three lirst times that a man ac 
 companies a war-party, the customs of the Indians require somt 
 peculiar aud paiiiful observances, from which old warriors maj . 
 if they choose, be exempted. The young warrior must constant- 
 ly paint his face black ; must wear a cap, or head dress of some 
 kind ; must never precede the older warriors, but follow them, 
 stepping in their tracks. He must never scratch his head, or an) 
 other part of ills body, with his lingers, br.t >f he is compelled to 
 scratch, he must use a small stick ; the vessel he eats or drink^ 
 out of, or the knife lie uses, must be touched by no other person. 
 In the two last mentioned particulars, the observances of the 
 young warriors ar«' like those the females, in some bands, use 
 during tlie'r earliest juMMods of menstruation. The young war- 
 rior, however long aiul fatiguing the nuirch, nnist neither eat. 
 nor drink, iu)r sit down by day ; if he halts for a moment, he 
 must turn his face towards his own country, that the Great Spirit 
 may see that it is his wish to return home again. 
 
 At night, they ol)serve a certain order in their encampments 
 If there are bushes where they halt, the camj) is enclosed b\ 
 these stuck into the groiuul, so as to include a sipiare, or oblong' 
 s))ace, « ith a jtassage, or door, in one end, which is always that 
 towards the enemy's country. If there are not bushes, they 
 mark the ground in the same manner, with small sticks, or thi 
 stalks of the weeds which grow in the ])rairie. Near the gate, or 
 entrance to this camp, is the principal chief and the ohl warriors; 
 next follow in order, according to age aud rejtutation, the young- 
 •'r men; and last of all, in the extrenu" end of the camp, those 
 « itli bluekeil t'lice . whi> are makintr their first excursion. Ali 
 
 
 I 
 
1 ANNKR ,S NARKA'l U i.. 
 
 l-^:i 
 
 I- for uht'- 
 id behind 
 f the car- 
 vo jumps. 
 rs, which 
 d without 
 ty, whos(? 
 ; them had 
 
 what may 
 time 1 had 
 a man ac 
 juire some 
 riors ma} . 
 it conslant- 
 ss of som<' 
 How them, 
 ead, or an> 
 impelled to 
 # or dr^nk^ 
 her person, 
 nces of the 
 bands, use 
 young war- 
 neither eal. 
 moment, lu 
 [treat Spirii 
 
 campment> 
 nelosed b\ 
 or oblong' 
 always tliut 
 ushes, they 
 (ks, or thf 
 \\u' jrale, or 
 d warriors; 
 the young- 
 amp, thosr 
 orsion. Ali 
 
 the warriors, both old and young, sleep with their fares toward.- 
 
 their own country, and, on no consideration, howevir uneasy theii 
 
 1 position, or however great their fatiiruo, musi make any ehange 
 
 I of attitude, nor must any two lie upon, or be coverrd by the same 
 
 ' ■' blanket. In their marches, llie warriors, if they ever sit down. 
 
 * must not sit upon the luiked frromul, but must at least liave some 
 grass or bushes under them. They nnist, if possible, avoid wet- 
 
 * ting their feet ; Init if they arc ever compeHed to wade thvongli 
 a swamp, or to cross a stream, they must keep their clothes dry, 
 and whip their legs with bushes or grass, when they come out 
 
 f of the water. They must never walk in a beaten path if they can 
 i avoid it; but if they cannot at all times, then \\\v.y nuist put me- 
 dicine on their legs, which they carry for tliat purpose. A.ny av- 
 ' tide belonging to any of the party, such as his gun, his blanket, 
 tomahawk, knife, or war club, must not be stepj)ed tiver by any 
 other person, neither must the legs, liands, or body of any oin' 
 who is sitting or lying on tlic ground. Should tliis rule be inad- 
 vertently violated, it is the duty of the one to whom the article 
 stepped over may belong, to seize the other and throw him on 
 the ground, and tlie latter nnist sulfer liiinself to hv, thrown down, 
 even slioidd he be much stronger than the other. The vessels 
 which they carry to eat out of, are commonly small liowls of 
 wood, or of birch bark ; they are nnirked across the middle, and 
 the Indians have some mark by which they distinguish the two 
 sides; in going o\it from home they drink invariably out of om- 
 side, and in retin*ning, from the other. When on their way home, 
 and within one day of the village, they suspend all tlu's«! buwl>^ 
 on trees, or throw them away in the jirairie. 
 
 I should have mentioned, that in their em'umpnuMifs at night, 
 the chief who conducts tin; party, sends sonu' (d' his yoniig men 
 a little distance in advance, to prepare what is called I'ushkwaw- 
 gumme-genahgun, the piece of cleared groinnl where the ko/,a i- 
 bun-zichegun, or divination by which the position of the enemv 
 is to be discovered, is to Ik; performed. This spot of (lea.ed 
 ground s prepared by removing the turf from a considerable sur- 
 face, in form of u parallelogram, and willi the hands breaking up 
 the soil, to make it fine and soft, and which is so inclosed with 
 poles that none can step on it. The chief, when he is informed 
 that the place. i« ready, goes and fits down at the end opjioHJto thai 
 
 / 
 
 ^ .iftBri 
 
VZi 
 
 TANNER S NARRATIVE- 
 
 'i • 
 
 
 't 
 
 (^1 
 
 4f 
 
 of the enemy's country ; then, after singing and praying, he placea 
 before him, on tJie margin of the piece of ground, which may be 
 compared to a bed in a garden, two small roundish stones. After 
 the chief has remained here by himself for some time, entreating 
 the (ireat Spirit to show him the path in which he ought to lead 
 his young men, a crier goes to him from the camp, and then re- 
 turning part way, he calls by name some of the principal men, 
 saying, " come smoke." Others also, if they wish it, who are not 
 called, repair to the chief, and they then examine, by striking a 
 light, the result of the kozau-bun-zichegun. The two stones which 
 the chief placed on the margin of the bed, have moved across to 
 the opposite end, and it is from the appearance of the path they 
 have left in passing over the soft ground, that they infer the course 
 they are to pursue. 
 
 At this i)lace of divination, the ofl'erings of cloth, beads, and 
 whatever other articles the chief and each man may carry for sa- 
 crifice, arc exposed during the night on a pole; also, their je-bi- 
 ug, or memorials of their dead friends, which are to be thrown 
 away on the field of battle, or, if possible, tlirust into the ripped u]:i 
 bowels ol' their enemies, who may fall in the fight. If a warrior 
 has lost, by death, a favourite child, he carries, if possible, some 
 article of dress, or perhaps some toy, which belonged to the child, 
 or more commonly .i lock of his hair, which they seek to throw 
 away e-i the field of battle. The scouts who precede a war party 
 into an enemy's country, if they happen, in lurking about their 
 lodges, or in their old encampments, to discover any of the toys 
 that have been dropped by the children, such as little bows, or 
 even a piece of '^. broken arrow, pick it up, and carefully preserve 
 it until they return to the party ; then, if they know of a man who 
 has lost his child, they throw it to him, saying, " your little son 
 is in that place, we saw him playing with the children of our ene- 
 mies, will you go and see him ?" The bereaved father commonly 
 takes it up. and havintr looked upon it awhile, falls to crying, and 
 is then ready nnd eager to go against the enemy. An Indian 
 chief, when he leads out his war party, has no other means of 
 control over the individuals composing it, than his personal in- 
 fluence gives him ; it is therefore necessary they should have 
 some method of rousing and stimulating themselves to exertion. 
 A-gus-ko-gaut, the Mu^kego chief, whom we accompanied on 
 
 T' ^..~-'- 
 
I'ANNER S NARRATlVt., 
 
 u: 
 
 ; he places 
 ch may be 
 les. After 
 entreating 
 ght to lead 
 lid then re- 
 el pal men, 
 vho are not 
 r striking a 
 ones which 
 ;d acrorfs to 
 e path they 
 r the course 
 
 beads, and 
 ;arry lor sa- 
 , their je-bi- 
 3 be thrown 
 le ripped up 
 If a warrior 
 ssible, some 
 to the child, 
 ek to throw 
 a war party 
 
 about their 
 
 of the toys 
 tie bows, ov 
 
 y preserve 
 fa man who 
 lur little son 
 1 of our ene- 
 r commonly 
 
 crying, and 
 An Indian 
 
 r means of 
 
 )ersonal in- 
 lould havf 
 
 to exertion. 
 
 impanied on 
 
 this occasion, called himself a prophet of the Great Spirit, like 
 the one who appeared some years since anions^ the !Shawanee«. 
 He liad, some time before, lost his son, and on this party he car- 
 ried the jebi, with the determination of leaving it in a bloody 
 rield ; but this design was frustrated by the interference of Ta- 
 busli-shah,* (he that dodges down,) who now overlook us with 
 twenty men. This restk'ss aiul anil)ilious Ojibbeway, was unwil- 
 ling that any l)Ul himself should lead a party against the Sioux; 
 more particularly, that any (>f his own daring Hctions should be 
 eclipsed by the prowess of so despised a people as the Muskegoes. 
 But on first joinina: us, his professions manifested ncthing un- 
 friendly to our undertaking ; on the contrary, he pretended he 
 had come to aiil his brethren, the Muskegoes, A-gus-ko-gaut 
 could searce have been ignorant of the feelings and intentions of 
 Ta-husli-shah ; but nevertheless, he received him with the utmost 
 ;ipparent cordiality and pleasure. 
 
 We journeyed on in company for some days, when In crossinti' 
 some of the wide prairies, our thirst became so excessive that we 
 were compelled to vitdate some of the rules of the war party. 
 The principal men were acquainted with the general features of 
 the country we had to pass, and knew that water could be found 
 within a few miles of us, but most of the older warriors being on 
 foot, were exhausted with fatigue and thirst. In this emergency, 
 it became necessary that such of the parly as hatl horses, amoni; 
 whom were Wa-nie-gon-a-biew and myself, should go forward 
 and search l.»r water; and when it was found, make such a sig- 
 nal a.s would inform the main body what course to pursue. I was 
 among the Hrsl to "lisrover a place where water could be had ; 
 but bel'ore all the men could come u]) lo it, the sulVering of some 
 of them had become excessive. Those who had arrived at the 
 spring, continued to discharge tiu'ir guns during the niaht, and the. 
 stragglers dropped in from dilTerent directions, some vomiting 
 blood, and some in a state of madness. 
 
 As we rested at this spring, »< old man called Ah-tek-oons, (the 
 Little Caribou,) made a Kozau-liun-zichegun, or divination, and 
 announced afterwards, that in a particular direction whieh he 
 pointed out, was a large band of Sioux warriors, coming directlv 
 
 ♦ From tub-biiz-zreii. imperative, " Do thou dodije down." 
 
 v1. 
 
 .— j 
 
. ■ . II Mp g -wr 
 
 i \ 
 
 i. 
 
 ■i^ 
 
 
 '^•jitff 
 
 r'f.r 
 
 r^ 
 
 lA.NNEKS NARUAlIVt. 
 
 towards us ; that if wo could turn to the right or to tiie iett, autj 
 avoid inoetinif them, we might proceed unmolested to their coun- 
 try, and be able to do some mischief to the women in their villa- 
 ges ; but that if we suflered them to come upon us, and attack us. 
 w-e should be cut off, to a man. Ta-b\ish-shah affected to place 
 the most implicit reliance on this prediction; but the Muskegoc 
 chief, and the Muskegoes generally, would not listen to it. 
 
 There was now an incij)ient murmur of discontent, and some 
 few openly talked ol' abandoning A-gus-ko-gaut, and returning- to 
 their own country ; but for some days nothing occurred, except 
 the discovery, by some of our spies, of a single Indian, at a dis- 
 tance, who fled immediately on being seen, and was fron\ that cir- 
 cumstance supposed to be one of a Hioux war party- One morn- 
 ing we came to a herd of butfaloe, and i)eing withoiit any food, 
 several of the young men were dispersed about to kill some. W( 
 had iH)\v, since the discovery of the Sioux, been travelling only 
 by night, k(;eping ourselves concealed in the day time. But the 
 unguarded manner in which the Muskegoes suffered their younj: 
 men to pursue the buffaloe, riding about in open day, and dischar- 
 ging their guns, aflorded Ta-bush-shah an opportunity to effeci 
 what was probably the sole design of his journey, a disunion ot 
 the party, and eventually the frustration of all the designs ol 
 A-gus-ko-gaut. 
 
 Our camp being profusely supplied with meat, we had some- 
 thing like a general feast ; the party was regularly and compactl\ 
 arranged, and after they had eaten, Ta-bush-shah arose and ha- 
 rangued them in a loud voiee. " You, 3Iuskegoes," said he. 
 " are not warriors, though you ha-e come very far from your own 
 country, as you say, to lind the Hioux; but though hundreds ol 
 your enemies may be, and probably are, immediately about us, 
 you can never find one of iheni, unless they fall upon you to kill 
 you." In the close of his address, he expressed his determinii 
 lion to ahainlon the cause of a party so bailly conducted, and re- 
 turn to his owi\ country with his twenty men. 
 
 When he had spoken, Pe-zhew-o-ste-gwnn, (the wild cat's head,) 
 the orator of A-gus-ko-gaut, re|died to him. "Now," said he, 
 " we see plainly why our brothers, the Ojibbcways and Crees. 
 were iu)t willing Income with us from Red River. You are near 
 your own country, and it is of little importance to you, whethe- 
 
 I hi ' 
 
 
 \i 
 
TAXNKR S NAKRATlXi:. 
 
 m 
 
 lett, ami 
 leir coun- 
 licir villa- 
 attack u?. 
 I to place 
 Vluskegoc 
 it. 
 
 and some 
 turniiiff to 
 ed, except 
 1, at a dis- 
 ,in that cir- 
 One morn- 
 t any food, 
 some. W(> 
 elling only 
 >, But the 
 ;heir youns; 
 md discbar- 
 ity to effect 
 disunioTi ot 
 
 designs ot 
 
 had some- 
 compacth 
 osp and ha- 
 said he. 
 in vour own 
 inndreds ol 
 Iv about us, 
 1 vou to kill 
 determinh 
 ted, and n- 
 
 ! cat's head,) 
 
 f,'' said he, 
 
 and Crees. 
 
 Ton are near 
 
 lou. whetbp'- 
 
 ^ ou see the Sioux now, or in the fall ; but we liave come a very 
 Treat distance ; we bear with us, as we have long borne, tliose that 
 were our friends and children, but we cannot lay them down, 
 except we come into the camp of our enemies. You know 11 
 that in a party like this, large as it even now is, if only one turns 
 back, 'inother and another will follow, until n.>ne are left. And 
 it i; loi this reason that you have joined us; that you may draw 
 off our young men, and thus compel us to return without having 
 done any thing." After he had spoken, Ta-bush-shah, without 
 making any answer, rose, an<l turning his face towards his own 
 country, departed with his twenty men. A-gus-ko-gaut, and the 
 principal men of the Muskegoes, sat silently together, and saw 
 one after another of their own young men get up and follow the 
 Ojibbeways. In the first moments, this defection of Ta-bush- 
 shah seemed to arouse some indignation in the breasts of some of 
 the vfiung Muskegoes, for they imprudently fi.-ed upon tlu; rear 
 of the retiring Ojibbeways ; but though some of the latter turned 
 to nsent this treatment, their prudent leader repressed their ar- 
 dour, and by so doing, gained the good will of those who might 
 so readily have been rendered dangerous enemies. For the greater 
 part of the day did A-gus-ko-gaut, and the few that remained 
 firm to him, continue sitting upon the ground, in the same spot 
 where he had listened to the speech of Ta-bush-shah ; and when 
 at last he saw his band diminished from sixty to five, the old man 
 could not refrain from tears. 
 
 Wa-me-gon-a-biew had joined the deserting party, and at that 
 lime 1 had removed to a place u few rods distant from the chief, 
 where I remained during the whole time. I now rejoined the 
 chief, and told him, if he was willing to go on himself, I would 
 aocompiiny hint, if no other would. The other three men who 
 remained, being his persomil friends, were willing to have gone 
 on if he had wished it ; but he said he feared we could do very 
 little, being so few in number, and if the Sioux should discover 
 us, we could not fail to be cut off. So the excursion was aban- 
 doned, and every man sought to return home by the most con- 
 venient and expeditious way, no longer paying the least regard 
 io any thing except his own sa^'ety and comfort. I soon over- 
 took Wa-me-gon-a-biew, and with three other men, we formed a 
 )ii)rty to return together. We chose, in om- return, a route ditfo- 
 
 '/ 
 
 
V 
 
 .4 
 
 I I 
 
 'i • ll I* 
 
 \] ' : ^ ' : 
 
 ■ ■ i 1 
 
 iANNKn S NAKKATIVi;. 
 
 rent from that taken by mostuf the party. Game was plenty, 
 ami we did not suffer from hunger. Early one morning, 1 was 
 lying wrapped in my blanket by a deep buffaloe path, which came 
 down through a prairie to the little creek where we were en- 
 camped. It was now late in the fall, and the thick and heavy 
 grasses of these prairies, having long before been killed by the 
 frosts, had become perfectly dry. To avoid burning the gras«, 
 we had kindled our little lire in the bottom of the deep path, where 
 it passed through the corner of the bank. Home of the Indians had 
 got up, and were sitting part on one and pari on the other side of 
 the path, preparing something for breakliist, when our attention 
 was called to some un\istial sound, and we saw a porcupine conio 
 walking slowly md slouchingly down the path. I had heard 
 much of the stupi(Hty of this animal, but never had an opportu- 
 liity to witness it till now. On he came, without giving any at- 
 tention to surrounding objects, until his nose was actually in the 
 fire ; then bracing stiflly back with his fore feet, lie stood so near 
 that the flame, when driven towards him by the wind, still singed 
 the hairs on his face, for some minutes, st« uidly opei)' g and shut- 
 ting his eyes. At leiigth one of the In-liui s, tired of looking at 
 him, hit him a blow in the face with a piece of moose meat lu 
 had on a little stick to roast. One of them then kflled him Avilh 
 a tomahawk, ami we ate some of the meat, which was very good. 
 The Indians then, in conversation respecting the habits of this; 
 animal, related to me what I have since seen, namely : that as i\ 
 porcupine is feeding in the night, along the bank of a river, a man 
 may sometimes take up s 'i/.e of his food on the blade of a pad- 
 dle, and holding it to his nose, he will eat it without ever per- 
 ceiving the presence of the man. When taken, they can neither 
 bite nor scratch, having no protection or defence except what is 
 yii'Ided them by their barbed and dangerous spines. Dogs can 
 rarely, if ever, be urged to attack them ; when they do, severe in- 
 jury anil suileriiig, if not death, is the certain consequence. 
 
 Ill four days after we started to return, we reached Large Wood 
 Riv»;r, which heads in a mountain, and running a long distaiut) 
 through the prairie, and ten inili^s under ground, empties into 
 Red River. Below the place where it disappears under theprai- 
 lie, it ia called by another name, but it is no doiibt the same river, 
 
 
 ^. 
 
^ Vi 
 
 tanner's NAKKA'l'IVE. 
 
 iras plenty, 
 ling, 1 was 
 ivhich came 
 e were en- 
 
 and heavy 
 lied by the 
 r the gras-, 
 pativ, wiiere 
 Indians had 
 iher side ol' 
 ur attention 
 •ujiine come 
 
 had heard 
 an opportu- 
 ving any at- 
 tually in tin; 
 tood so near 
 , still singed 
 
 ^ and shul- 
 f looking at 
 ose meat li( 
 led him with 
 IS very good, 
 labits of this 
 ly : that as a 
 i river, a man 
 ide ol" a pad- 
 lit ever pcr- 
 can neither 
 
 cept what is 
 Dogs can 
 o, severe in- 
 
 juence. 
 arge Wood 
 
 ong distaiUHi 
 mpties into 
 ider the prai- 
 
 le same river. 
 
 Ken- 
 
 Here we killed one of the common red deer, like those 
 tucky, though this kind is not often seen in the north. 
 
 "When I returned to my family, I had hut seven balls left, but 
 as there was no trader near, [ could not at present get any more. 
 With those seven I killed twenty moose and elk. Often times, 
 in shooting an elk or a moose, the ball does not pass quite 
 through, and may bo used again. 
 
 Late in the fail, I went to the Mouse River trading house, to 
 get some goods, and there Wa-me-gon-a-biew determined to go 
 and live by himself, but Net-no-kwa preferred to live with mc. 
 Before Wa-me-gon-a-biew left me, we met at the Mouse River 
 trading house some of the members of a family that in times 
 long past, had quarrelled wit.i ti\e predecessors of Wa-mc-gon-a- 
 biew. They were part of a ccnsiderable band, strangers to us, 
 and in themselves were far toj powerful for us. We heard of 
 their intention to kill Wa-me-gon-a-biew, and as we could not 
 avoid being thrown more or less into their power, we thought 
 best to conciliate their t^ood will, or at least purchase their for- 
 bearance by a present. We had two kegs of whiskey, which wc 
 gave to the band, preseiting one particularly tp the head of the 
 family who had threatened us. When they began to drink, I 
 noticed one man, who, with great show of cordiality, invited Wa- 
 aie-gon-a-biew to drink, and pretended to drink with him. The 
 more elTectually to throw my brother oil' his guard ; this man, in 
 due time, began to act like a drunken man, though I could per- 
 ceive he was perfectly sober, and knew that he had drank very 
 little, if any thing, since we had been together. I had no diffi- 
 culty to comprehend his intentions, and determined, if possible, 
 to protect Wa-me-gon-a-biew from the mischief intended him. 
 We had, with the hope of securing the friendship of the family 
 of Crees, made our fire very near theirs, and as I found Wa-me- 
 gon-a-biew becoming too drunk to have much discretion, I with- 
 drew him to our camp. Here I had scarce laid him down, and 
 thrown his blanket over him, when I found myself surrounded 
 by the hostile family, with their guns and knives in their hands, 
 and I heard them speak openly of killing my brother. Fortu- 
 nately our present of spirits had nearly overcome the senses of 
 all except the man I have before mentioned, and I regarded him 
 as the most formidable among them. As two of them approached, 
 
 ^f 
 
^ff ^ l ^ 
 
 \n'''\ 
 
 'Mill if-' i 
 
 \m 
 
 TANNER S NARRATIVK. 
 
 apparently intending to stab Wa-mc-gon-a-bicw, I stepped be» 
 t\v(!cn and prevented them ; they then seized me by the arms, 
 whieh I allowed them to hold without any resistance on my part, 
 knowing that when about to stab me, they must let go at least 
 with one hand eacli, and intending then to make an ellort to 
 escape from them. I grasped firmly in my right hand, and at the 
 same time kept hid in tlie corner of my blanket, a large and 
 strong knife, on which I placed great reliance. Very soon after 
 they had seized me, the Indian on my left, still holding my left 
 hand by his, raised his knife in his right to strike me in the ribs. 
 His companion, who was somewhat drunk, having felt his belt 
 for his own knife, found he had dropped it, and calling out to his 
 companion to wait until he could find his knife, that he might, 
 lielp to kill me, quitted my riglit hand and went towards the fire, 
 searching for it. This was my opportunity, and with a sudden 
 sj)ring I disengaged myself from the one who still held my left 
 hand, and at the same time showing him a glimpse of my knife. 
 I was now free, and might have secured my own safety by flight; 
 but was determined not to abandon Wa-me-gon-a-biew, in a situ- 
 ation where I knew, for me to leave him, would be certain death. 
 T^'c Indians seemed for a moment astonished at my sudden re- 
 sistance and escape, and not less so, when they saw me catch up 
 the body of my drunken companion, and at two or three leaps, 
 place him in a canoe on the beach. I lost no time in passing 
 over the small distance between their camp and the trading house. 
 Why they did not fire upon me, before I was out of the light of 
 their camp lire, I cannot tell ; ])erhaps they were somewhat in- 
 timidated at seeing me so well armed, so active, and so entirely 
 sober ; which last circiunstance, gave me an evident advantage 
 over most of them. 
 
 Shortly after this, Wa-me-gon-a-biew left me, acccording to his 
 previous determination, and I went to live by myself, at a place 
 on the Assinneboin River. I had been here but a few days, when 
 A-ke-wah-zains, a brother of Net-no-kwa, came to stay at our 
 lodge. He had not been long with us, when we one day disco- 
 vered a very old man, in a small wooden canoe, coming up the 
 river. A-ke-wah-zains immediately knew him to be the father 
 of the men from whom I had so lately rescued Wa-me-gon-a- 
 biew. The old man came promptly to the shore when called, 
 
 I ' 
 
 "fr*""^ r*~ 
 
XANKEn'H NfARUATlVi;. 
 
 i:ii 
 
 eppcd be« 
 the arms, 
 II my part, 
 go at least 
 I cHbrt to 
 , and at the 
 
 large and 
 soon atter 
 ing my left 
 in the ribs. 
 L'lt his belt 
 iir out to his 
 t he might 
 rds the tire, 
 h a sudden 
 leld my left 
 ( my knife, 
 ty by flight; 
 >w, in a situ- 
 ertain death. 
 T sudden rc- 
 me catch up 
 I three leaps, 
 
 in passing 
 adiiig house, 
 
 the light of 
 omewhat in- 
 I so entirely 
 it advantage 
 
 ording to his 
 f, at a place 
 / days, when 
 stay at our 
 le day disco- 
 ming up the 
 e the father 
 ^a-mc-gon-a- 
 ,vhen callp<l. 
 
 but it soon appeared that he was ignorant of what liac? passed 
 between his children and us. A-ke-wah-zains, as he related 
 these adiiirs to him, became excessively enraged, and it was not 
 without (liHicuity 1 prevented him from murdering tlie helpless 
 old man <m the spot. I was content to siillir him to take part 
 of the rum the old num had brought, and i assisted the latter to 
 escape immediately, as I kiK'W it would be unsafe for him to re- 
 jnain aiiHuig us, after his liquor had begun to have its ellect. 
 
 The -ame evening, A-ke-wah-zains asked me for my gnn, 
 whicli was a long, heavy, and very excellent one, in exchange 
 for his, which was short and light. I was unwilling to exchange, 
 though I did not as yet know how great was the dis|)arity be- 
 tween the two pieces; and though Net-no-kwa was unwilling I 
 should ex(;hange, I did not know how to refuse the man's re- 
 quest, such a thing being almost unknown among the Indians of 
 this country. 
 
 Shortly after this, I killed an old she bear, which was perfect- 
 ly white. She had four cubs, one white, with red eyes, and rc(l 
 nails, like herself; one red, [brown ?] and two black. In size, 
 and other respects, she was the same as the common black bear, 
 hut she had nothing black about her except the skin of the 
 lips. The fur of this kind is very fine, but not so highly valued 
 by the traders as the red. The old one was very tame, and I 
 killed her without diflicully ; two of the young I shot in the hole, 
 and two escaped into a tree. I had but just shot them, when 
 there came along three men, attracted, probably, by the sound 
 of my gun. As these men were very hungry, I took them home 
 with me, fed them, and gave each of them a piece of meat to car- 
 ry home. Next day, I chased another bear into a low poplar 
 tree, when I became convinced of the W(.rthlessness of the gun 
 I had from A-ke-wah-zaii\s, for I shot fifteen times without kill- 
 ing the bear, and was compelled, at last, to climb into the tree 
 and put the muzTile of my gun close to his head, before I could 
 kill him. A few days afterwards, as I was hunting, I started, at 
 the same moment, an elk and three young bears, the latter run- 
 ning into a tree. I shot at the young oears, and two of them fell ; 
 as I thought one or both of them must be only wounded, I sprang 
 immediately towards the root of the tree, but had scarce reached 
 it, when I saw the old she bear come jumping in an opposite direc- 
 
 
■' -V> gpl 
 
 18Ji 
 
 'IANNKR's NARHAIIM,. 
 
 i 
 
 tion. Hlic caught up the cub which liad fallen nearest her, and 
 raising it with her paw.s, while she stood on her hind feet, hold- 
 ing it as a woman holds her child ; she looked at it for a mo- 
 ment, smelled the ball hole which was in its belly, and perceiv- 
 ing it was dead, dashed it down, and came directly towards me, 
 gnashing her teeth, and walking so erect that her head stood as 
 high as mine. All this was so sudden that 1 had scarce re-loaded 
 my gun, having only time to raise it when she came within 
 reach of the muzzle. I was now made to feel the necessity of a 
 lesson the Indians had taught me, and which I very rarely neg- 
 lected, namely, after discharging my gun, to think of nothing 
 else before loading it a>;ain. 
 
 In about a month that I remained here, I killed, notwitlistand- 
 iiig the poorness of my gun, twenty-four bears, and about ten 
 mo(»se. JJaviiiir now a great deal of bear's fat, which we could 
 not eat, I visited llie suiijogwuii I had made, where I killed the 
 twenty moose, with seven balls, and put the fat into it. At 
 length, when provisions became very scarce, I returned with my 
 family to this place, expecting to live until s|)ring on the meat 
 I had saved; but I found that Wa-me-gon-a-biew, with his own 
 family, and several others, had been there, broken it oj)eii, and 
 taken away every pound of meat. Being thus reduced to the 
 apj)reliension of imn.ediate starvation. I was compelled to go iu 
 pursuit of buiValoe. Forluiiatidy, the s»'verily of the winter now 
 drove these animals in towards the woods, and in a very few day> 
 I killed plenty of them. I was now joined by Wa-nie-gon-a-biew 
 and other Indians. We were encamped at a little grove of tree? 
 in the prairie. It happened one night, that the old woman, as 
 well as several others of our family, dreamed of a bear close to 
 our lodge. Next morning I searched for him, und fountl him in 
 his hole. I shot him, and waiting a moment for the smoke to 
 clear away, as I saw him lying at the bottom, I went down head 
 foremost to ilraw him out. As my body portly tilled the h(dc. 
 and excluded the light, I did not perceive that he was alive until 
 I laid my hand on hiiM. lie then turned and sprang upon inc. 
 I retreated as tisHt as I could, bnt all the way lie was snappintr 
 his teeth so near me that I felt his breath warm on my face. Ilf 
 might have seized 'iw at any moment, but did not. I caught in\ 
 gun as I leaped fr nn the nioulh of the den. the bear pursuing ine 
 
 
 - I 
 
'JANNKR .S \AKKATIVE. 
 
 I.f3 
 
 St her, and 
 teet, hold- 
 lor a mo- 
 [1(1 perceiv- 
 jwards me, 
 id stood as 
 e re-loaded 
 line within 
 •essity of a 
 rarely neg- 
 ol' nothing 
 
 twithstand- 
 d about ten 
 h we could 
 I killed the 
 nto it. At 
 0(1 with my 
 111 the meat 
 ith his own 
 it open, and 
 iuced to the 
 ml to go in 
 winter now 
 ry (ew (lay> 
 -goii-a-biew 
 ove of trees 
 woman, as 
 ear rlose to 
 ouiid him in 
 le flmoke to 
 down head 
 1 the hole. 
 is alive until 
 ^ upon me. 
 as snappintr 
 y fare. Ilf 
 I rau}rht ni\ 
 pursuing liif 
 
 very closely. As soon as I ihouglit 1 had gained a little dis- 
 tance, I lired behind mc, ami JjrolxC his jaw, and soon killed him. 
 At'terwanls I became more cautious alxnil going down into bear's 
 holes, before 1 had ascertained that the animals were dead. Late 
 in winter, the butlaloe were so plenty aixtut us, lliat we Uilled 
 tliem u'itli bows, and caught some of the younger ones with 
 nooses of leather. 
 
 As (be sugar season came on, we went to Pe-kau-kau-ne Sah- 
 ki-e-guii, (Hul'iiloe Hump Lake,) two days" journey from the 
 head of Pemiiiuah River, to hunt beavers. We took our wives 
 to the lumting grounds, but left old Net-no-kwa, with the chil- 
 dren, to make sugar, it was now our object to kill beaver 
 enough to enable us to purchase each a nood horse, intent'ing to 
 accompany the war-party against the Sioux, the ensuing sum- 
 mer. In ten days I killed forty-two large and fine beavers, and 
 Wa-nic-gon-a-biew about as many. With these we rejiaired to 
 the Mouse River trading-house, to buy horses. Mr. M'Kie hiul 
 pnnnised to sell me a very large and beautiftd horse of his, which 
 I had before seen, and I was much dissatistied when I found the 
 horse had been sold to the North West Company. I tidd him, 
 since the horse had gone to the north west, the beavers might 
 go there also. So crossing to the other side, I bought a larwc 
 gray mare for thirty beaver skins. This was, in some respects. 
 as good a horse as the other, but it did not please me as well. 
 Wa-uie-gon-a-biew also bought a horse from the Indians, and 
 then we n'turned to (Jreat Wood River, to look for old Net-no- 
 kwa; but she had gone to Red River, whither we followed her. 
 As we rentained for s(une time at tin- mouth of the .\ssiunc- 
 boin, many Indians gntheretl iironnd us, and among others, seve- 
 ral of my wile's relatives, whom 1 harl not before seen. Among 
 these was an uncle, who was a cripple, and had not lor years 
 been able to walk. As he had (miy heard (hat I «as a white 
 man, he supposed that I could not hunt. When he saw my wife, 
 he said to her, " Well, my dansrhter, I bear you are married ; 
 does your husband ever kill any game ?" '• Yes," said she, ** if 
 n moose or an elk has lost his road, or wants to die, and comes 
 and stands in his path, he will sometimes kill him." " lie has 
 gone to hunt to-day, has he not ? If he kills any thing I shall 
 s:o and brim; it iu, and you will give me the .skin to nuike some 
 
 Mil 
 
 5n/ 
 
i i* 
 
 ill- 
 
 I f 
 
 iu 
 
 TAXNF.R'S XARRATIVK. 
 
 iQocrasins." This he saul in derision, but I gai'e him the skiij 
 of" the elk I killed that day, to make hi.s inorcasius, and ron- 
 liniiiiijr to be successful, i ^ave frame to all my wife's relatives, 
 and soon heard no more of (heir ridicule. After some time, the 
 game was exhausted, and we found it necessary to disperse iu 
 various directions, i went about ten miles up the As'^iinuboin, 
 wlure we foutui two lodges, under a man called I*o-ko-tau-ga- 
 maw, ((he li((le pmid.) 'I'licse people were rela(ives of my wife. 
 When we (irst arrived, the wile ol I'o-ko-taw-iia-maw happened 
 to be cooking a moose's tongue (or her luisba(ul, w ho had not 
 yet returned from hunting. 'I'liis she gave us innnedia(ely, and 
 would, perhaps, have farther relieved our distress, had not (Ik; 
 man then arrived. After this, they gave us nothing, tliough (nir 
 little children were crying for hunger, and they had plenty of 
 meat about their lodge. It was now too late, and 1 too much 
 iadgucd (o <ro a huudng (hat evening ; neverllieless, I would m)l 
 suller the women to buy meat fnnn (hem, as they wished to do. 
 A( (he earliest appearance of dawn, o\\ (he ensuing morning, 1 
 tcxdv my gun. and s{anding a( (he door of my lodge, I said piu- 
 j)osely in a loud voice, " Can [U)ne bu( Po-ko-taw-i>a-maw kill 
 elks ?" .'My w ife canu- out of my hidge, and hanihd nu a piece 
 of dried nieat, abouf as large as my hand, which she said her sis- 
 ter had s(olen to give to her. Ky this (ime, manyof the people had 
 come out of the lodges, and I threw the piece of meat from uu'. 
 a(nontr the dou-;, saying, "Sliall such food as this be ollired tn 
 my children, when there are plenty of elks in (he woods.'" He- 
 lore noim I had killed two fat elks, and re(ui'ne(i to my lodgt 
 with a heavy load ol meat. 1 soon killed great nmnbers of bulla- 
 Iocs, and we dispersed mirselves about to n; ike dry meat, |irepa- 
 tory to leaving (Uir lamilics to go on tlie |)roposed war-|»arty. We 
 then rettiriu'd to (he woods, to select scnne nood elk and moose 
 skit(>, for moccasins. The skins of animals living in (he op<'u 
 pruiries are teiitler, and do not nuike good lea(her. 
 
 As we were one day travellitig thnnigh (he prairie, wt looked 
 back, and saw a( a distance a nuin loaded with baggage, and 
 having two of the large 'ra-wa-e-gim-num, or drums used in the 
 ceremonies of the Waw-be-no. W»' looked to our yointjj wiMneii 
 fur an explanaticm, as we soon recognised the approaching (ru- 
 veller to he no oth«'v than I'ich-e.-to, one ol' the. hHiid of inhuspi- 
 
 vV 
 
 \- 
 
rANN'KU's N'AKR*TtVr. 
 
 13S 
 
 the skill 
 111(1 con- 
 relatives, 
 timi", the 
 spcvse iij 
 iiiiu'li'iin, 
 .o-tiiw-sii- 
 r 111) wife, 
 liappi'iied 
 u) had not 
 aicly, and 
 ad ii(»l the 
 hmiirli our 
 I ph'iiiy ol' 
 too much 
 would not 
 slu'd to do. 
 iiioniiiii:. I 
 I said piir- 
 )ii-nia\\ kill 
 iiu' a piece 
 ^aid litr sis- 
 X opie had 
 Iroiii me. 
 (tlleied to 
 r Be 
 my lodut 
 ^oritutlii- 
 (•;it, pvepa- 
 iiirly. NVe 
 and moose 
 n llie op«'U 
 
 we looked 
 rirage, inid 
 used in ihe 
 iiii; women 
 laeiiinn lia- 
 t inhoMpi- 
 
 tablc relatives we Iiad lately left. The face of Skwaw-shish, 
 the Bow-we-tig girl, lietra ed the consciousness of some know- 
 ledge respecting the motives of Pich-e-to. 
 
 At this time, the Waw-be-no was fasliionahle among the Ojib- 
 bewavs, but it has ever been considered iiy the older and more 
 respectalile men, as a false and daiigrrous religion. The cere- 
 monies of the Waw-be-no dillir very essentially from those of 
 the Melai, and are n-uallv accompaiiieil by much licentiousness 
 and irregularity. The Ta-wa-e-irim used for a drum in this 
 dance, dilli-rs from the VVoin Ali-ki^ek, or Me-ti-kwaw-keek, 
 u.sed in the Me-tai, it being made of a hoop of bent wood, like a 
 soldier's drum, while (he latter is a portion of the trunk of a tree, 
 hollowed by fire, and having the skin tied over it. The Slie- 
 zhe-gwun, or rattlt<. dilfers, also, in its constriiclion from that 
 used in the Metai. In the VVaw-lie-no, men and women dance 
 and sing together, and there is much juggling and playing with 
 fire. The initiated take coals of lire, and red liot stones, in 
 their hands, and sometimes in their mouths. So.netimes ihey 
 put powder on the insides of iheir hands, (irst moistening them, 
 to make it stick ; then by ruldiiiiij them on coals, or a red hot 
 stone, they inaki; the powder burn. Somelimes ime of the prin- 
 cipal performers at a V\'aw-b(>-no, ha^, a kettle brouj;lit and set 
 down befiu'e him, whicii is taken boiling from the lire, and be- 
 fore it has lime to cool, he plunges his hands to the botloin, and 
 brings up the head of the dog, or whatever other animal it may 
 be which had bi'en juirposely jiut there. He then, while it re- 
 mains hot, tears off the (lesh with his teeth, at llir same time. 
 singing and dancing madly about. After devouring the meat, 
 he dashes down the bone, still dancing and capering as before. 
 They are able to withstand the (fleets of fire and of heated sub- 
 stances, by what they would persuade (he iiiiioraiil to be a super- 
 natural power; but this is nothing else than a certain prepara- 
 tion, ellected by iIh- application of heriis, which maki- the parts 
 to which they are apjdied, insensible to tire. The plants they 
 use are the Wa-be-no-wusk, and I'e-zhe-ke-wusk ; the fmnier 
 grows in abundance on the island of Mackinac, and is called 
 yarrow by the jieople of the United Stales ; (he oilier grows 
 only in the prairies. These ihey mix and bruise, or chew to- 
 gether, and rub over their huiids and anus. The Waw-he-no- 
 
 .'• 
 
;.^?= -'|M"MM 
 
 \ 
 
 136 
 
 tanker's NARKATIVL. 
 
 
 1 ' 
 
 ■ 4 
 
 1 
 
 t: 
 
 ■ '1 
 
 i. 
 
 Jl 
 
 Wiisk, or yarrow, in the form of a poultice, is an excellent reme- 
 dy for burns, and is much used by the Indians ; but the two, 
 when mixed together, seem to give to the skin, even of the lips 
 and tongue, an astonishing power of resisting the effects of fire, 
 Pich-e-to, with his two Ta-wa-e-guns, at length came up, and 
 stopped with us. Old Net-no-kwa was not backward about in- 
 quiring his business, and when she found that his designs extend- 
 ed no farther than to the Bow-we-tig girl, she gave her consent 
 to the match, and inarrieil tiieni immediately. Next morning, 
 Waw-be-be-nais-sa, who, as well as Wa-me-gon-a-biew, had come 
 with me from the mouth of the Assinneboin, killed a buck elk, 
 and I a moose. I now made a change in my manner of hunting, 
 which contributed much towards the skill I finally acijuired. I 
 resolved that I would, whenever it was possible, eve at the 
 expense of the greatest exertions, get every animal I should shoot 
 at. When I came to look upon it as necessary that I should kill 
 every animal I shot at, I became more cautious in my approaches, 
 and more careful never to fire until my prospect of being able to 
 kill was good. I made this resolutitni in the spring, and hunted 
 much, and killed many animals during the summer ; I missed 
 only two that I fired at. It recptires much skill, and great cau- 
 tion, to be able to kill moose at all, particularly in summer. Ah 
 I began to be considered a good hunter, Waw-be-be-nais-sa be- 
 came envious of my success, and often, when I was absent, he 
 went slily into my lodge, and bent my gun, or borrowed it un 
 der pretence of his own being out of repair, and returned it tt» 
 me bent, or otherwise iftjureil. 
 
 Very early in the spring, we had niiu-h severe thunder and 
 lightning. One night, Pich-e-to becoming much alarmed at thr 
 violence of the storm, got up and offered some tobacco to thr 
 thunder, intreating it to stop. The Ojibbeways and Ottawwaws 
 believe that thunder is the v«iice of living beings, which they 
 call An-nim-me-keeg.* Some considering them to be like men, 
 while others say they have more resend)lance to birds. It is 
 doubtful whether they are aware of any necessary connexion 
 between the thunder and the lightning which precedes it. They 
 
 ♦ An-iiim-tiic-kirff tms-rc-tali goo<i-e-viik\ (Ottawwaw,) it lliunders. — Xi- 
 ■mah-kc-wuk kuu-kc-lo-ituk, (Mpnoiiiiiif,) it tliumliTf.— They are butb, howevrr, 
 4'luriil nonunttion-*, and have vcrlw in the plural. 
 
 -A-, 
 
lent reme- 
 It the two, 
 af the lips 
 cts of fire, 
 ne wp, and 
 I about in- 
 rns extend- 
 ler consent 
 :t morning, 
 J, had come 
 1 buck elk, 
 of hunting, 
 c(iuired. I 
 ve at the 
 hould shoot 
 [ should kill 
 approaches, 
 eing able to 
 and huntetl 
 r ; I missed 
 d great cau- 
 nmmer. As 
 e-nais-sa be- 
 s absent, he 
 rowed it un 
 eturned it ti> 
 
 tliunder and 
 
 armed at the 
 
 )bacco to thf 
 
 Ottawwaw~ 
 
 which they 
 
 be like null, 
 
 birds. It i^ 
 
 ry connexion 
 
 es it. They 
 
 itiunders.— .Vi- 
 ; butb, howevrr. 
 
 JANMJKS NAKRATIV);. 
 
 think the lightning is fire, and many of them w ill assert, that by 
 -earching in the ground, at the root of the tree lliat has been 
 struck, inime<liately after the flasli, a ball of fire may be found. 
 I have myself many times sought for this ball, but could never find 
 it. I have traced the path of the lightning along the wood, al- 
 most to the end of some large root, but where it disappeared I 
 was never able to find any thing more in the soil than what be- 
 longed there. After the storm which I first mentioned, we found 
 in the morning an (dm tree still burning, which had been set on 
 lire by the lightning. The Indians have a superstitious dread 
 of this fire, and none of them would go to bring some of it, to 
 replace our^, which had been extinguished by the rain. I at 
 last went and brought some of it, though not without apprehen- 
 sion. I had fewer fears than the Indians, but I was not entirely 
 free from the same unfounded apprehensions which so constant- 
 ly pursue them. 
 
 After we had killed and dried large quantities of meat, we 
 erected a sunjegwun, or a scaffold, where we deposited as much 
 as we thought would supply the Vi ants of our wcjmen in our ab- 
 sence. Befitre we had entirely finished the preparations for our 
 journey, we were fallen upon by a war-party of about two hun- 
 dred Hioux, and some of our people killed. A small party of 
 Assinneboins and Crees had already gone out towards the Sioux 
 country, and falling, by accidc^nt, on the trace of this war-party 
 of two hundred, had dogged them for some time, coming re- 
 peatedly near enough to see the craiu''s head, used by their chief 
 instead of stones, in the Ko-sau-bun-zitch-e-gun, or nightly divi- 
 nation, to discover the position of the enemy. This little band 
 of Crees and Assinneboins, had not courage enough to fall upon 
 the Sioux, but they sent messengers to the Ojibbeways, by a cir- 
 cuitous route. These came to the lodge of the principal chief 
 of the Ojibbeways, who was hunting in advance of his peo|)le ; 
 but this man scorned to betray fear. By retreating immediatelv 
 to the trader's fort, he might have escupeil the threatening dan- 
 ger. He made his preparations to move, but his old wife, being 
 jealous of the younger one, which was now in higher favour 
 than herself, reproached him, and complained that he had given 
 more to the young woman than to her. He said to her, "You . 
 have for a K)n<r time annoyed me wi»h vour jealousy, and your 
 
K-^-4»V>>0» 
 
 m^rV 
 
 138 
 
 FANXKR .s NAKRATIVF.. 
 
 lit' 
 
 m\ 
 
 ft 
 
 complaints ; but 1 shall lioiir no more of it. The Sioux are near, 
 and I shall wait for thcin." Ih- accortlingly remained, and con- 
 tinned hunting. Early one morning, he went up into an oak 
 tree that stood near his lodge, to look out over the prairie for 
 buffaloe, anc' in descending he was shot from below by twu 
 young men of the Sioux, that had been concealed there grcai 
 part of the night. It is ])robiilile they would have fallen upon 
 him sooner, but for fear. Now the trampling of horses wa-; 
 heard, and the men who were with the chief had scarc(! time Id 
 run out of the lodjre, when the two hundred Sioux, on thci; 
 Jiorses, were at the door. One of the two runners who had 
 come forward, and had been concealed in the hazle bushes, was 
 an uncle of Wah-ne-taw,* at present a w ell known chief of iht 
 Yanktongs, and the party was led by his father. Wah-ne-tau 
 himself was of the party, but was then less distinguished than Ik 
 lias since become. The fight continued during the day ; all tli( 
 Ojibbeways, about twenty in number, being killed, except .\is 
 ainse, (the little clam,) a brolber of tiu^ chief, two women, and 
 one child. 
 
 Mr. H., the trader at l*end)inah, gave the Ojibbeways a tci 
 jjallon keg of powder, and one hundred pounds of balls, to pur 
 sue after the party that had killed the chief, his father-in-law. 
 Of the four hundred men that started, one hundred were Assii, 
 jieboins, the remaining three lun^dred Crees and Ojibbeways, 
 with some Muskegoes. In the course of the tirst day after we lefi 
 Pembinah, about one hundred Ojibbeways deserted and went 
 back. In the ibllowing night, the Assinneboins left in conside- 
 rable numbers, having stolen many horses, and, among other>. 
 four belonging to nu' and W'a-mc-gon-a-biew. I had taken Init 
 seven pairs of moccasins, having intended to make the whole 
 journey on horse back, and it was now a great misfortune for 
 me to lose my horses. I went to Pe-shau-ba, who was chief oi 
 the band of Ott(twwaws, to which I belonged, and told him that 
 I wished to make reprisals from the (vw Assinneboins still br- 
 longing to our party; but he would not consent, saying, veiy 
 
 ♦ The nanip of this di8linguiKli<Ml t-liicf is t^ix-ll in " Major Long's Seronil ES' 
 pfHlilion," \{'a-no-tan. To an Knjrlish roadrr, this orthography conveys as iiicm- 
 rflct an idfa of tho Kound of his naine, lU! the engraved portrait in that work, doe? 
 of his haiitlRomo face and j)cn?cm. 
 
 \ 
 
 ■.A- .. 
 
I'ANNKK W N'AHHATIVK. 
 
 IJi) 
 
 IX are near, 
 .'(1, and ton- 
 into an oak 
 e prairie for 
 low by two 
 I there grcai 
 fallen upon 
 horses was 
 :arce time Id 
 iix, on the!, 
 ■rs who had 
 ! bushes, was 
 chief of lilt 
 Wah-ne-taw 
 shed than in 
 day ; all tin 
 , except Ais 
 women, and 
 
 beways a Ici: 
 balls, to pur 
 father-in-law. 
 
 were Assin- 
 
 Ojibbeways, 
 y after we let; 
 Led and went 
 ft in eonsidc- 
 niong others, 
 ad taken Init 
 ke the whok 
 nisfortune for 
 ) was chief ot 
 
 told him that 
 loins still be- 
 
 saying, ver)' 
 
 mg'H Sprond Ex 
 convoys as iiicoi- 
 n tiiat work, doe? 
 
 justly, that the dissension growing- out of such a nuasiirc, on my 
 jjurt, might lead to tjuairels, which woidd entirely interrupt and 
 frustrate the designs of the whole party. His advice, though I 
 knew it to be good, as far as the interest of tlie whole was con- 
 cerned, did notliing to remove my private grievances, and I went 
 Innn one to another of the Ottawwaws, and those whom I con- 
 .-idered my friends amono- the Djibbeways, and «'ndeavoured to 
 persuade them to join me in taking horses from the Assinneboins. 
 None would consent, but a young man called (jish-kau-ko, a 
 lelative of him by whom I was taken jji-isoner. He agreed to 
 watch with me liie thirteen Assinnei)oins remaining with our 
 parly, and, if an opportunity offered, to assist in taking horses 
 from them. Soon after, f saw eight of tliese men lingering in 
 the encampment one morning, and I believed it was their Miten- 
 tion to turn back. I called (Jisli-kan-ko to watch them with me. 
 and when most of th(^ Ojibbeways had left the camp, we sau 
 rlu ni ifi't on their hor'\s, and tmii their faces towards home. 
 We followed after them, though they were well armed. As \\c 
 knew we could not lake their horse-; by violence, we tlirew down 
 our arms in our camp, and followed them with nothing in our 
 bands. One of them stojipcnl sonte distance in the rear of the 
 retiring party, and dismounted, to hold a parley with us ; but. 
 tiiey were too wary and cautious to give us any opportunity of 
 taking their horses. We tried entreaties, and at last, as I saw 
 there was no hope, I t<dd them their five companions that were 
 left in our camp, woidit not be safe among us; but this, instead 
 of ha\ing any good effect, oidy induced them t(( send a messen- 
 ger on their swiftest horse, to warn thos«' men to beware of me. 
 We returned to the main party on foot, and took the first op- 
 portunity to visit the cani[» of the live remaining Assinneboins ; 
 but they were notified of our approach, and fled with their 
 horses. At a lake near Red Kiver, we found hanging on a tree 
 in the woods, the body of a yoimg Sioux, called the Ked Tlum- 
 der. We wi-re now on the path of the retiring war-party, 
 which had killed our chief, and to which this young man had be- 
 longed. The Ojibbeways threw down the body, bent, kicked, 
 and scalped it. IV-shau-ba forl)ade me and the other young 
 men of his party, to join the Ojibbeways in these unnianly out- 
 rag. «. Not far from this place we fotmd a prisoner's pole. 
 
I4(» 
 
 ■1ANM.R 
 
 NAKKAII^K. 
 
 I." 1 ' i 
 
 
 I ■ 
 
 ft 
 
 
 
 ■ir' 
 
 I 
 
 where thoy had danrcd some prisoners, whicli first convinced up 
 that some of onr friends had been taken alive. The trail of the 
 party was still recent, and we thought ourselves but two or three 
 days behind them. 
 
 At Lake Traverse, our number had (^iminished to one hundred 
 and twenty ; of these, three men were half breed Assinneboins, 
 about twenty Crees, and as many Ottawwaws, the rest ()jil)be- 
 ways. Many of the party had been discouraged by unfavou.a- 
 ble divinations; among others, one by Pe-shau-ba, the Oltaw- 
 waw chief, made on the first night after we left Pendiinah. He 
 told us, that in his dreuni he saw the eyes of the .Sioux, like the 
 sun ; they saw every where, and always discovered the Ojibbc- 
 Tvays before the latter came near enough to strike them ; also, 
 that he had seen all our party returning, unharmed, and without 
 scalps ; but he said, that on the left hand side of Lake Traverse, 
 opposite our road, he saw two lodges of .Sioux by themselves, 
 which he intended to visit on his return. 
 
 Due Avest from Iiake Traverse, and at the distance of tAVu 
 days' travel, is a mountain, caller! O-ge-mah-wud-ju, (chief moun- 
 tai?i,) and near this is the village to which ilu; party we were 
 pursuing belonged. As we approached tliis mountain, we moved 
 in a more cautious and guarded manner, most coiinnonly lyin^ 
 hid in the woods during the day, and travelling at night. When 
 at last we were within a few miles, we halted in the middle of 
 the night, and waited for the approach of the earliest dawn, the 
 time the Indians commonly choose for an attack. Late in the 
 night, a warrior of high reputation, called the Black Puck, took 
 the reins of his horse's bridle in his hand, and walked on towards 
 the village, allowing me to accompany liim. We arrived at 
 early dawn, at the little hill which sheltered our approach from 
 the village. Raisinj/ his head cautiously, the Black Duck saw 
 two men walking at some distance before him. He then de- 
 scended the hill a little, and tossing his blanket in a peculiar 
 manner, made a signal to the Ojibbeways to rush on. Then fol- 
 lowed tearing off of leggins, stripping off of blankets, and in an 
 instant the whole band leaped naked to the feet of the Black 
 Duck; and now they moved silently, but swiftly, over the crest 
 of the hill, and stood upon the site of the village. The two men. 
 whpn they discovered the war-party, instead of liying, came de- 
 
 I! 
 
 V 
 
TANNKR's NARRATH'l 
 
 141 
 
 invinced ue 
 trail of the 
 ivo or three 
 
 ne hundred 
 siiineboins, 
 est Ojihbe- 
 unfavouia- 
 ihe Ollaw- 
 binah. He 
 iix, like the 
 the Ojibbe- 
 them ; also, 
 and without 
 e Traverse, 
 themselves, 
 
 nice of twu 
 chief moiin 
 rty we wen 
 1, we nu)ved 
 monly lyino 
 rht. When 
 e middle ol 
 St dawn, the 
 ate in th< 
 ~)uck, tooK 
 on toward^ 
 arrived at 
 )roach from 
 Duck saw 
 e then de- 
 a jieculiar 
 Then fol- 
 and in an 
 the Black 
 r the rresl 
 le two men. 
 . came de- 
 
 liberately towards them, and presently stood before the leaders — 
 two of the youn^ men of their own band. They had left the 
 party when they halted, and, without «riviiiof notice of their in- 
 tention, <rone forward to reconnoitre wlial they supposed to be 
 the position of the enemy; but they tomul the camp had been 
 deserted many hours bH'ore, and when the paily cuine up they 
 were wallvinj^ about, an'' carinji away tlie wolve-^ (roni among 
 the rul)bisli. The Sjis-sah-kwi, (m- war whoop, was raised by 
 the whole !)and, as they rushed up. 'I'his loud and jnercino- 
 shout intimidates and overcomes the weak, or those who are sur- 
 prised without arm.5 in their hands, while it r.iuses the spirit of 
 such as are prepared fv)r battle, [t has also, as I have seen in 
 many instances, a surprisiiicr etl'ect iij)on animals. I have seen a 
 buiialoe so frii|;hteneil I)y it as to fall down in his steps, beini! 
 able neither to run, nor to make resistaiu'e ; and a bear, at hear 
 ing il, is sometimes so terrcn'-stricken, as to (piit his hold, and 
 fall from the tree in utter helplessness. Tlie chiefs whom wo 
 Ibllowed, were m)t willinji to reliiKjuish the objects of the jour- 
 ney, and we still followed, from day to day, alonir the recent 
 trail of the Sioux. We found, at each of their encampments, the 
 j)lace of their ko-sau-bun-zitch-e-irun, from the appearance ol 
 which we were able to infer, that they knew accurately our po- 
 sition, from day to day. There was now maidfesl amonj^ the 
 )'^oun)r men of our party, a previiiiinir disposition to desert. This 
 the chiefs laboured to prevent, by appointing certain person;^, 
 whom they could trust, to act as sentiind-^, both in the encamp- 
 ments and during ilio marches ; but this measuns thouirh often 
 tried, is always so far from being elleciual, that it seems greatly 
 to increase the number of desertions, |)erhaps because the young 
 men despise the idea of restraint of any kind. They, on this oc- 
 casion, became more and more restless and trovd)lesome, after 
 we had crossed over to the head of the river St. Peters, in pur- 
 suit of the Sioux. The traders have a fort somewhere on the 
 upper part of this river, to which the Sioux had (led. When we 
 arrived within a day's march of this [dace, fear and hesitancy be- 
 came manifest nearly throughout the band. The chiefs talked 
 of sending youmr men forward to examine the position ol the 
 enemy ; but uo young men oflered themselves for the under- 
 taking. 
 
 
 i. li 
 
 / .;^v 
 
 i <f'.. 
 

 (.* ■ - 
 
 
 < T 
 
 ' ri u 
 
 w 
 
 i'Wr-Kk 
 
 ]4» 
 
 TANNER S NARRATIVr. 
 
 We remained some time stationary, and the opportxmity was 
 taken to supply the wants of some who were delicienl in niocca- 
 sinti, or other important articles. Any man who is on a war party, 
 and whose supply ol mocciisiiis, or o!' powder and ball, or any 
 other common and necessary article, has failed, takes a little of 
 what he stands in need, and if it he moccasins,, he takes a single 
 moccasin in his hand, and walks about the encampment, pausing 
 a moment before such of his companions as he hopes will supply 
 his demand. He has no occasion to say any thing, as those who 
 happen to have plenty of the article he wants, are conunonly 
 ready to furnish him. Should this method fail, the chief of the 
 party goes from one man to another, aiui from those who have 
 the greatest cpuintity, he takes as much as may be necessary, of 
 the article re(]uiied. He is, on these occasions, dressed as for 
 battle, and accompanied by two or three young warriors. 
 
 After a delay of two days, on that part of our path nearest tho 
 Sioux trader's fort, we all turned back : but not entirely relin- 
 quishing the objfct of our journey, we returned to the vicini'y of 
 the village at the Chief Mountain, hoping we might hnd some of 
 our enemies there. We had many horses, and the young men 
 rode so recklessly and noisily about, that there was no chance of 
 coming near them. After leaving I'hief Mountain, and proceed- 
 ing some distance into the plain, in oin* way t wards home, wc 
 found we were fidlowed by a party of about one hundred Sioux. 
 
 At the (iaunenoway, a considerable river which heads in the 
 Chief Mountain, and runs into Red Fiiver, several days' journej' 
 from Lake Traverse, Pe-shau-ba (|uarrell('d with an Ojibl)ewa\ 
 called Ma-nien-o-guaw-sink,on account of a horse I had taken from 
 some Crees who were the frieiuis of the Assinneboins, l)y whom 
 I had long before been robbed of mine. This man having killed 
 a Cree, was now anxious to do something to gain friends among 
 that people. It happened that Pe-shati-l)a and myself were tra- 
 velling together, at a little distance from the main body, and I was 
 leading the horse I had taken, when Ma-nie-no-guaw-sink came 
 uj) to us, accompanied b\ a few friends, and demanded the h(»rse. 
 Pe-shau-ba, cockiuiJ his gun, placed the muzzle of it to his heart, 
 and so intimidated him by threats and reproaches, that he de- 
 sisted. The Ottawwaws, to the number of fen, now stopped, Pc- 
 shau-ba remaining at their head, and fell in the rear of the main 
 
 
tanner's nakkativk. 
 
 143 
 
 ity was 
 
 mocca- 
 
 r party, 
 or any 
 
 liltle of 
 
 a sinfflo 
 
 jiausing 
 
 1 supply 
 
 lose who 
 
 numonly 
 
 ef of the 
 
 vho have 
 
 ssary, of 
 
 5ecl as for 
 
 rs. 
 
 earrst tho 
 
 ely reUii- 
 
 'ioini'y of 
 
 (1 some of 
 
 [)uni!; men 
 
 chiinre of 
 
 i\ proceed- 
 home, wo 
 
 lieil Sioux, 
 ads in i\w 
 s' journey 
 
 lOjihheway 
 taken fiom 
 hy whom 
 king killed 
 nds among 
 If were tra- 
 , and I was 
 |-sink camo 
 the horse. 
 |o his heart, 
 lat he de- 
 Lopped, Pe- 
 lf the main 
 
 body, in order to avoid farther trouble on account of this horse, 
 all of them being apparently unwilling that I should relinquish it. 
 
 There were four men of this war party, who walked, in six 
 days, from the Chief Mountain to Peml)inah ; but our band, tliough 
 many of us had horses, took ten days to travel the same distance. 
 One of the four was an old man, an Ottawwaw, of Wau-gun-uk- 
 kezze, or L'Arbre Croche. When I arrived at Pembinah, I fotmd 
 my family liad gone down to the mouth of the Assiiuieboin. After 
 the separation of our party, most of my parlindar friends having 
 left my route at Penibinali, my horse was stolen from me at nigiit. 
 I knew who had taken him, and as the man was encamped at no 
 great distance, I took my arms in my hands, and went in the 
 morning to retake him ; but on my way I met Pe-shau-ba, who, 
 M'ithout a word of enciuiry, comprehended my j)urpose, and pe- 
 remptorily forbatie me to proceeil. Pe-shau-ba was a g(jod man, 
 and had great influence with the people of his band. I might 
 have gone on to take my horse, contrary to his positive injunc- 
 tion, but I did not choose to do so, and therefore returned with 
 him on my way. I had now no moccasins, and felt so much irri- 
 tated on account of tlie loss of my horse, that I could not eat. 
 When I arrived at home, in two day's walk from Pembinah, I 
 founrl I was worn out with fatigue, my feet swollen and raw, and 
 I found my family starving. Three months I had been absent, 
 my lime having been occupied in long and toilsome marches, all 
 ■'^suiting in nothing. 
 
 It was necessary for me to go to hunt immediately, although 
 the condition of my feet was such, that I could not stand without 
 great pain, and I had the good fortune to kill a moose the first 
 time I went out, on the morning after my return. The same day- 
 snow fell about two feet deep, which enabled me to kill game in 
 great plenty. 
 
 ^ 
 
 Ml 
 
 \ 
 
 ii 
 
%!.<:< '• 
 
 ^J 
 
 fd4 
 
 tanner's NARKAXIVB, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Visit to sp.veral Assinnrboin villages, in pursuit of stolen horsps — peculiar customs 
 — I Bcizc a horse Ix-longing to an Assinnrlioiii — war excursion lo Turtle Moun- 
 tain — battle at a village of the Mandans — doctrines of the SJhawncse prophet — 
 drunkenness, and its eflects. 
 
 W'. i 
 
 
 I HAD been at home btit a short time, when I heard that the 
 Assinneboins had boasted of takini; my horse. As I was iirepa- 
 ring to go in pursuit of them, an Ojibbeway, who had often ♦ried 
 to dissuade me from any attempt to recover him, gave me a hoi -c, 
 on condition that I would not attempt to retake my own ; ac- 
 cordingly, for some time, I said no more about it. 
 
 Having spent the winter at the month of the Assinneboin, I 
 went to make sugar at (ireat Wood River ; but here it was told 
 me that the Assinneboins were still boasting of having taken my 
 horse from me ; and I, with some persuasion, prevailed upon Wa- 
 me-gon-a-biew to accompany me in an attempt to recover him. 
 At the end of four day's journey, we came to the first Assinne- 
 boin village, ten miles from the Mouse River trading house. 
 This village consisted of about thirty leather !■ dges. We were 
 discovered before we came to the village, as tlie Assinneboins, 
 being a revolted band of the Sioux, and in alliance with the Ojib- 
 beways, are in constant apprehension of attacks from the former, 
 and therefore always station some persons to watch for the ap- 
 proach of strangers. The quarrel which resulted in the separa- 
 tion of this band of the Bwoir-nug, or "roasters," as the Ojibbe- 
 ways call the Sioux, originated in a dispute concerning a woman, 
 and happened, as we are informed, not many years ago. So many 
 Ojibbeways and Trees now live among them, that they are most 
 commonly able to understand something of the Ojibbeway lan- 
 guage, tliough their own dialect is very unlike it, resembling 
 closely that of the Sioux. 
 
 One of the men who came out to meet us, was Ma-me-no^ 
 
i'ANNER's NARRATIVF- 
 
 145 
 
 uliar custoiua 
 rurtli' Moun- 
 Bse prophet— 
 
 rd that the 
 was irepa- 
 lofii II 'ied 
 me a hill ^c, 
 iV own; ac- 
 
 sinneboin, I 
 ? il was told 
 II g taken my 
 ed upon Wa- 
 lecover him. 
 irst Assinne- 
 uling house. 
 We were 
 ssinneboins, 
 th the Ojib- 
 II the former, 
 for the ap- 
 11 the separa- 
 the Ojibbe- 
 ng a w oman, 
 go. So many 
 ,ev are most 
 libbeway lau- 
 L resembhng 
 
 Is Ma-me-no- 
 
 Kwaw-sink, with whom Pe-shau-ba had quarrelleil, some time be- 
 fore, oil my arrouiU. When ho eame up to us, he asked whither 
 we were ffoiuir. I told him, " I am come for our horses, wliieh 
 the Assiriiioborus stole." "You had better," said he, »• return as 
 you eaiiie, for if you go to the village, they will take your life." 
 To these threats I j)ai(l no attention, l)ut eiKjuired for Ba-gis-kim- 
 nung, the men of whose family had taken our horses. They re- 
 plied they could not tell ; that Ba-gis-kuu-nuug and his sons had, 
 soon at'ter the retiun of the war |)arty, gone to the Mandans, and 
 Jiad not yet come hack ; that wlicn they came among the Man- 
 dans, the former owner of my mare, recognizing the animal, had 
 taken her from the son of Ba-gis-kun-nung ; but that the latter 
 contrived to remunerate himself, by stealing a fine black horse, 
 with which he escaped, and had not been heard of since. Wa- 
 me-gon-a-biew JH-ing discouraged, and perhaps intimidiitcdhy the 
 reception wo met in this village, endeavoured to dissuade me from 
 going farther ; and when he found he coidd not prevail, he left 
 ine to pursue my horse by myself, and returned home. I woidd 
 not he discouraged, but determined to visit every village and camp 
 of the Assinneboins, rather than return without my horse. I went 
 to the Mouse River trading house, and having explained the ob- 
 ject of my journey, they gave me two pouiuls of powder and 
 thirty balls, with some knives and small articles, and directions 
 to enable me to find the next village. As I was pursuing my 
 journey by myself, I had occasion to cross a very wide prairie, 
 in which I discovered at a distance, something lying on the ground, 
 resembling a log of wood. As I knew there could be no wood 
 in such a place, ludess it were drop})ed by some person, I thought 
 it was most probably some article of dress, or perhaps the body 
 of a man, who might have ))erished on a journey, or when out 
 hunting. I made my a])proach cautiously, and at length disco- 
 vered it was a man, lying on his belly, with his gun in his hands, 
 and waiting for wild geese to fly over. His attention was fixed 
 in the direction opposite that on which I approached, and I came 
 very near him without being discovered, when he rose and dis- 
 charged his gun at a flock of geese. I now sprang upon him ; the 
 noise of hawk bells, and the silver ornaments of my dress, notified 
 him of my appuoach, but I caught him in iny arms before he had 
 
 time to make any resistance, his gun being unloaded. When he 
 
 10 
 
 
 >} 
 ) i 
 
 ■r 
 
 , iX 
 
 I i'^ '. 
 
I4ti 
 
 TANNKR S NARKATIVK. 
 
 saw hiiiiseil captured, hv crird out " Assiniiehoiu," and f au- 
 Mwercd, "Ojibhpway." We were both jilad to find tlint we could 
 ireat eaclj other as Irioiids ; and tiioiijrh wi' rmdd not conversfc, 
 on account of" till' dissinnlarily of our dialects, I motioned to him 
 to sit down upon the jjround beside mo, willi which re(iuest ho 
 immediately com])li(>d. 1 ^ave him a ^oose I had killed not lon^; 
 holbro, and after restin<rfora f«'w moments, signified to him that I 
 wo\dd accomj)an> him to his lo<l}re. A walk of about two hours, 
 iirou^rhi us in sijrlu of his villajfo, and when we entered it, 1 fol 
 lowed him immediately to his lod{fe. As I entered after him, { 
 'saw the old nutn aiul woman cover their heads with their blan- 
 kets, and my companion immediately entered a small lodge, 
 merely larf;o enough to admit <nu', and to conceal him from tlx 
 remainder of the family. Here he remained, his food beiiii. 
 handed to him by his wife ; but thoujrh secluded from sight, li< 
 maintained, by cctnversation, some inferco\n'so with those wiili 
 nut. When ho wished to pass out of the lodj^e, his wife jravi 
 notice to her j)ari'nls, and they concealed their lieails, and ajrain. 
 in the same manner, when he came in. 
 
 This formality is strictly observed by the nuirried men ainoiiL 
 the Assinneboins. and I believe aiuonir all the Hwoi-nuL^ or Daii 
 ko-tah, as they call tluniselves. It is known to exist amoiiii tin 
 Omowhowsof the Missouri. It affects not only the intercoms 
 between men and the parents of their wives, but that with tluii 
 aunts ami uncles ; and it is the business of all parties alike, ti 
 avoid seeinif each other. If a man enters a dwi'lliutf in whid 
 his son-in-law is sealed, the latter conc<'als his face until he ii( 
 |)arts. While the younif men remain with the parents of tlin: 
 wives, they have h little separate lodj^e within, or a part dividn 
 off by Huspendin<r units or skins ; and into this little apartment ili 
 wife retires at niirlit; by day she is the orifan of conimunicalin; 
 with those without. A man rarely, if e\or, meiilimis the uniiK 
 of his father-in-law, and it is considered hiifhly indecorous iiiiil 
 ilisresj)ectfnl for him to do so. This custom does not exi>t iii 
 any shape amonjr the Ojibbeways, and they look upon it as a 
 very foolish and troublesiune one. 
 
 'i'lie people o| this lod>>c tieateil me with niu.h kindnifo 
 VotwitlHtamliuif the ureal scarcity of corn in the country, tliev 
 had a little reserved, which ihev cooked and l'Hvp me. Tl'' 
 
 10 star 
 on a t 
 Wl 
 
 ol'ri'p, 
 
 I had 
 
 ihey h 
 
 used l( 
 
 l)oin,) 
 
 killed. 
 
 lollowit 
 
 liear 
 
 Fill, 
 into noi 
 
 i<) HOC i 
 
 Id" the 
 <hu-t. in 
 
 I 
 
 Ml 
 
lANNKR S NAIMl.V'l 1\ I.. 
 
 M7 
 
 and I au- 
 at wc could 
 t converse, 
 )nod to liiiii 
 
 rf<ivH'st li'' 
 til not lonji 
 1) him that I 
 I two hours, 
 •rod it, 1 M 
 alliM- ]nn\, \ 
 I tht'ir blau- 
 small h)dgc. 
 iin> from thi 
 < food bt'iiis; 
 oin sitrht, Iw 
 li those willi 
 his wife tra\i 
 lis, and agiuii. 
 
 d men amoiis: 
 
 i-nutr. or l^'*'' 
 
 isl innon^ tin 
 
 he intereour-i 
 
 lilt with tlitu 
 
 ities alike, u 
 
 iii^r in whirl 
 
 until he di 
 rents of lluii 
 
 part ilividi'i 
 Hmrtnienl iln 
 •onvniunieatim 
 Dus the uaiiii 
 uleeorous ain' 
 •s not exi>t ill 
 
 ti|)on it ;i< 1 
 
 ui.h kini'iit'i'^ 
 ronntry, i'"'^ 
 Hve me. Th' 
 
 \ ouug nuni mid them how much he had been friglileiied by me 
 in the prairie, at whieli tlity all laughed heartily. This village 
 i-onsisted of twenty-five lodges ; but although I iiKpiired of many 
 <jf them, none knew where Ba-gis-kun-nung was to be found. 
 There was another village at the distance of about one day's jour- 
 ney : he ndght be there. I renuiined a little while at the lodge 
 of the young man I had found in the prairie, anti then went out 
 to start f(»r the next village, (ieese were Hying over, and I raised 
 mv gnu and shot one. It fell in the nndst of a nund)er of Assiu- 
 nehoins. Seeing there a very old and miserable looking man, 
 [ motioned lo him to go and get it. Hut he must fir.st come up 
 to me to express his gratitude, by a method 1 had not before seen 
 iise»l. lie came up, and placing both haiuls on the lo|) of my 
 head, jiassed them .several tinu's down the long hair that himg 
 over my shoulders, at the same lime saying sonu-lhing in his own 
 iiuiouage, which I could not imdt^rstaml. He then went and took 
 lip the goose, and returning, connnunicated to nu' by signs which 
 I iiad no dittictdty to understaml, that 1 must goto his lodge and 
 <'at with him, before I could leave the village. While he Avas 
 looking the go(»se, 1 went about from lodge to lodge, to look ai 
 iheir horses, thinking I might see mine among them, but i did 
 not. Some ot the young men uf the village accoin|)anie(l mv, hiil 
 \iithoiit any arms, and all seemed friendly ; but when I was ready 
 10 start (or the next village, I noticed that one of them, mounted 
 on a fleet horse, starlt-d to |)rece(le me. 
 
 When I arrived al this villajre, no one took the slightest notice 
 i»f ii'p. or even seenud to si'c nu-. They were a baud with which 
 I had previously had m» acipiaintance, and I could p«'rceive that 
 they had bi'en prejudiced against me. 'I'heir chi«'f, whom we 
 used lo call Kali-(»ge-uiaw-we( t Assinncboin, (llie ciiief Assiune- 
 l)(un,) was a distinguished hunter, but he was soini afterwards 
 killed. He had been unusually long absent from honu , and b) 
 following his track, they found he had been attacked by a grizzly 
 bear in the prairie, ami killed. 
 
 Fiudiuti the peoph> of this baud decitledly unfriendly, I weni 
 into none of their lodges, bin stood about, watchiiii: th«'ir horses, 
 io see if I conhl discover mine among them. I had heard nnicb 
 id" the fleetnesrt and beauty of a young horse belonging to the 
 ' hief. and I s«ion recoifnized this animnl. known to me onlv by 
 
/;•■ ,' if 
 
 * < 
 
 . \ 
 
 148 
 
 lANNKU !S XARHAllVt. 
 
 W ' ' . 
 
 hi :'( 
 
 flescription. I had a lialter under my blanket, and watching u 
 favourable opportunity. I slipfx'd it on llic head of this horse, 
 mounted him, and Hew ratiier than fled. I was excited to this 
 action, principally by a ieelinffol' irritation at the unl'riendly con- 
 duct of the people of the villaire, as it had not been my intention 
 to take anv liorse but the one which beionjred 1(» me. When the 
 horse and myself were out of breath, 1 slopped to look bark, and 
 the Assinneboin lodges were scanv visible, like little specks on 
 the distant prairie. 1 now rellected that I was doing wrong, to 
 steal away the favctnrite horse of a man who hail never absolutely 
 injured me, though he had refused the customary dues o( hospi- 
 tality towards a stranger. I got down and let't the liorse, but 
 had scarce done so, when 1 saw thirty or forty men on horseback, 
 who had before been concealed in a depression in the prairie ; 
 they were in pursuit, and very near me. 1 had scarce time to 
 fly to a thicket of low hazel bushes, when they were upon me. 
 They rode about for s(»me time on horseback searching, and this 
 delay gav«' me some little time to choose a place of concealment. 
 .4t length they dismounted, and dispersed themselves in variou> 
 directions, seeking for me. Sonu' came near me, and then turned 
 ofl' Id search in other directions. My position was such that I 
 could watch their motions without the risk of exposing myself 
 One young man stripped himself as for battle, sung his war song, 
 laid aside his gun. and canu' with only his war did) direcii\ 
 towards the spot where I lay. He was witlun about twenty step^- 
 of me, my gun was <(i(ked and aimed at his Inarl, when lie 
 turned and went back. It is not probable he 8aw mc ; but the 
 idea uf being watched l)y ati imseen enemy armed with a gun, and 
 whose position he could not hope to ascertain until he was al- 
 most over iiini, pr«bubly overcame his res(dution. They con 
 tinned their unavailing search until mar night, and then returned, 
 takiiur the chief's horse to their village. 
 
 I travi lletl towards home, rejoicing in my escape, and without 
 slopping for the nijrht. either on ihut or the succeeding one, and the 
 third night arrived at the Mouse Kiver trading house. The tra- 
 ders told me I wan a fool that I had not brought the chief's 
 horse; they had heard much of his ipialities, and would, as they 
 nniti, have paid iin> a hiuh price for him. 
 
 In the Assinneboin village, ten miles from iIiIh trndiiig houi»r. 
 
 .<' 
 
I'ANNER S NARRATIVK. 
 
 149 
 
 [filing u 
 1 horse, 
 
 lu this 
 idly con- 
 nlenliou 
 VI ion the 
 mr k, and 
 pocks on 
 vroug, to 
 bsolulely 
 of hospi- 
 lorse, l)Ut 
 orst'buck, 
 B prairie ; 
 e tinu' to 
 upon nic. 
 tr, antl this 
 icealnitnl. 
 ill variolic 
 H'li tnnu'cl 
 lull that I 
 lljr iiiysill 
 ; war song. 
 il) direr I ly 
 
 iMity sli'p>- 
 
 wlu'n lit; 
 
 \v . hut tin 
 
 a ginii ami 
 [he was al- 
 
 riicy I'on- 
 
 ji relumed, 
 
 Lid without 
 
 [lie, and the 
 
 The tra- 
 
 he «hit'fV 
 
 Id, as they 
 
 lliiig houur. 
 
 J. had a friend called Be-na, (pheasant,) and when I had passed 
 throu'rh I recpM^sted him, while I should he absent, to endeavour 
 lo discover my horse, or at least to ascertain, and be able to tell 
 me, where I could lind lia-iris-kun-iiiiiijf. When I returned 
 thither, after visiting Mouse River iradiiiij; house, Ue-na took mo 
 immediately into a lodge wh( re a couple of old women lived, 
 and looking through the crevices, he pointed out to me the lodgo 
 of Ba-gis-kun-nunir, and those of his four sons. Their horses 
 were feeding about, and amoiiir them we distin<riiished the tine 
 black one they had brought frnm the Maiidaiis in place of mine. 
 VVa-ine-ffon-a-blew had been lo the trading house, but returned 
 thence to the village belore I arrived, and was now waiting for 
 me at tlu" lodge of smne of the sons of a br'ilher of Taw-ija-wc- 
 niime, who wei«' of course his cousins, and were very frieiidiy to 
 jiim. He had sent messengers to Ba-gis-kun-nung, otleriiiir him 
 a good gun, a <liief's coal, and all the |>ro|)erty he had about him, 
 for a horse to ride home on. But when I heard this, I reproved 
 liim severely, and told him that if Ba-gis-kun-nimt> had accejited 
 his ])r<'sents, it wmild only have (iccasi(uied addititmal tr<nible to 
 me, as I should have been c om|ielled to take not only a horse, but 
 those presents also. 
 
 Soon after my arrival in the village, I went to Ba-gis-kun-nung. 
 -;'d to him, "I want a horse." "I shall not give you (uie," 
 n vered. "I will tiike one from you." "If you <lo I will 
 .ioot you." With this I returned lo the lodge of B«'-na, and 
 made my preparations for siartiiiir at an early hour in the morn- 
 ing. Be-na gave me a new bidlaloe r(die to ride home on, and I 
 got from an (dd woman, a piece of leather thong litr :t lialler. 
 havinnr left mine on the chief'-i horse. I did not sleej) in Be-iia's 
 loda^e. but with our cousins, and very early in the inorniiiir, as I 
 was reaily to start, I went to Be-iiu's lodo(>, but he was not awake, 
 I had a very irnod new bliinkel, whi<h I -|»nail over him without 
 makinu any noise; then, loixellier with Wa-me-guu-a-biew, I 
 aturted. When we came in siirlii (d" tlir lodirc of Ba-t,ns-kun-nim>{, 
 we s;iw the eldest of his sous silliiiif dm the oiilside, and watching' 
 the horses. Wa-mc-gmi-a-biew endeavoured lo dissuade me from 
 the desiirn of allempting lo lake (»ne, since we could not do it 
 withoiii being seen, and liad every reason to believe they were 
 prepared to uhp violent measures to prevent us from succeeding 
 
ij 4. ■ 
 
 ^m f 
 
 150 
 
 TAN'NKr's NAURATIVi;. 
 
 r 
 
 1 i 
 
 1l. 
 
 '. u 
 
 in the attempt. I told liini I would not listen to liis advice, but 
 consented to go witli him two hundred yards on our road, and la> 
 down our bagiriiae ; then we were to return together, and take 
 the h(»rs(?. When we liad proceeded as I'ar as I thought neces- 
 sary, I laid down my load ; but Wa-me-gon-a-biew, seeing me re- 
 solute in my determination, began to run. At the same lime that 
 he star?f>d to run from the viilaiie, I ran towards it, and the son 
 of" Ba-gis-kun-nung, wluii he saw me coming, began to call out 
 as loud as he could in his own language. I could oidy distinguish 
 the words " Wah-kah-towali," and " Shoonk-ton-gah," (Ojibbe- 
 way — horse.) 1 siip|)ose(l he said, "an Ojibbeway is taking a 
 horse." I answered, " Kah-ween-gwautch Ojibbeway," (mu al- 
 together an Ojibbeway.) The \illagewas instantly in motion. 
 In the faces o(" most of those who gathered round, 1 could see no 
 settled determination to act in any way ; but there was en- 
 coiiriigement in the countenances of m\ friend Hc-na and a luiin- 
 ber ot I'rees who were al)oiit him. There was manitest hostility 
 only in the Ba-gis-kun-nungs. 1 was so agitated that I could not 
 feel iny feet touch the ground, but i think I was not afraid. 
 Wlii-n I had got my halter on the head of the black horse. I stood 
 for a moment hesitating to get on liim; as in the act of doing so. 
 1 must for llie nutment, deprivi- myself of the power oi t'sing m\ 
 arms, and could not avoid exposing myself to an attack behind. 
 But recollecting (hat any thing like indeci-ioii, would at this time 
 hav<' a most uidiivonrable effect, I jiave a jump lo moinit th, 
 horse, but jiimpeil so much higher and farther than was neces- 
 sary, that I fell sprawling on the gruuiid on the other side of the 
 horse, my (run in one hand, my bow and arrows in the other. I 
 regained my feet as soon as I could, and looked romid to watch 
 the motions of hiv • nemirs ; but piesetitly an imi\eisal shout ot 
 laughter, in whicii all joined but the Ba-gis-kun-nunirs, gave nic 
 !S<Mne C(m!'dence, Mid I procee 'ed more deliberately to mount. 
 I knew if ibey could hav«! ventured to nuike any open attack on 
 me, it WMuld have been at the tinu- I was lying on the gromul. 
 and not in a situati(ni to make any danger(Uis resistance. The 
 loud and hearty laut^hter of the Indians, c(mvinced me also, tlinl 
 whul I was doing wns not generally (dli-nsive to them. 
 
 When I turned lo ride ofl', I saw Wa-me-gon-a-biew still rui\- 
 nine like a t'riuhtenod turkey : he was almoHtout of siiihl. When 
 
 ••% 
 
 iL 
 
XANNKli's NARKATIVK. 
 
 151 
 
 and lay 
 ul tako 
 L neces- 
 r me rc- 
 ime that 
 
 tlie son 
 
 call out 
 ainfiuisli 
 (Ojibbe- 
 lakiiig a 
 ' (not al- 
 
 niotion. 
 ik! SCO no 
 
 was cn- 
 1(1 ii luim- 
 t hoslilitv 
 cotiltl nm 
 lol afraid, 
 sc, I stood 
 f doing so. 
 
 csing •»> 
 
 k behind. 
 \ tViis time- 
 monnl thi 
 was ncces- 
 
 sidc of till' 
 
 other. 1 
 
 1(1 to watfh 
 
 il shout of 
 
 s, gave nu 
 til nuxiiii. 
 
 |u attack uu 
 
 ic ground. 
 
 knee. The 
 
 [«■ also, that 
 
 l\v still riiit- 
 Lhl. "When 
 
 1 overtook him, I saidv " My brother, you must be tired, I will 
 lend you my horse," and we went on together. At length, we 
 saw two men coming on horseback from the village, to pursuit 
 us. Wa-me-gon-a-biew was alarmed, and would have rode olV. 
 leaving me to settle the difliculty w iih them as i could ; but per- 
 ceiving his intention, 1 called to him to leave the horse, which 
 he did, and resumed his race on foot. Wiieix the two men had 
 approached within about half a ndle of me, I got down from tlif 
 Jiorse. aiul taking the halter in my hand, stood with my face to- 
 wards tliem. They stoj)peil in the j)aih, at a distance frotn me. 
 and looking around in the other direction, I perceived that VVa- 
 me-gon-a-biew had concealed himself in the bushes. The two 
 men stood in the road, and 1 remained holding my horse nearly 
 in the same place until near noon. The people of the village 
 stood, in great numbers, on a little elevation close by the lodges, 
 anil watched to see what woidd be done. The two IJa-gis-kun- 
 nunirs, after they W'cre tired of standing, sei)arated, aiut one 
 came round on one side, the other on the other, and came up op- 
 posite to me ; and it was then 1 thought they woulil approach me. 
 one on one side, the other on the other, and thus get an opportu- 
 nity to shoot me down ; but after coming near me once or twice, 
 they went on, aiul got together in the road, between me and Wa- 
 me-gon-a-biew. I now began to tire of their pusilanimous be- 
 haviour, and getting on my horse, 1 rode toward them ; but they 
 Imiied out of my way, and went around to the village. In this 
 iilVair, I foimd Wa-iiie-gon-a-biew more cowardly than it was 
 usual even for him to be; but it hap|)ened that the chiefs, and 
 the considerate men of the band to whom Ba-gis-kun-nung be- 
 lomred, were glad I had come to take a horse. Ua-gis-kuii-mmg 
 and his sons were considered troublesome and bad men ; hence 
 it was, that I was able to ,arry throiigii this enterj)rise without 
 any assistance from \N a-me-jjon-a-bicw. 
 
 After tlm two men turn«'d hack, I rode along, and Wa-me- 
 gon-a-biew joined me fr<tm the bushes, where he had been con- 
 cealed. We found that niglit the lodire of our old friend, NVaw- 
 ao, who used formerly to live with Pe-shau-ba. The horse I 
 Iwd taken I concealed in the woods, and did not wish to tell Waw- 
 so of what I had done. Hul in the mid le of the night, after I 
 fell aslec)). Wa-me-uon-a-biew begai» to relate to him all that hud 
 
 .•'^: 
 
 .f. 
 
 ^4 
 
152 
 
 tanner's narrative. 
 
 W f 
 
 I '<:■. 
 
 t < 4 
 
 i \ 
 
 \ 
 
 happened the preceding day, and when he came to hear of my 
 juniping over the horse, ol" which I had tohl Wa-nie-gon-a-biew, 
 the ohi man waked me with liis loud and hearty laughter. 
 
 We spent the night with Waw-so, and next morning continued 
 on our journey, towards Ko-te-kwaw-wi-ah-we-se-be, where I 
 lived. 1 had now two horses, and a friend of mine coming 
 along, who had none, I promised to give him one ; but as he was 
 not then going home, he del'eired taking it unlii he should pass 
 again. In the mean time, the horse 1 had intended for him, 
 died of a brok( n lilood vessel, so that I had none remaining but 
 the black horse, which I called Mandaii, and to which I had be- 
 come much attached ; but when the man returned, 1 could do no 
 otherwise than give him this one. My wife cried, and 1 felt 
 much regret at parting with iliis valuable horse. 
 
 Three months alter this, the Crees sent tobacco to the Ojibbe- 
 ways, to accompany them to the Mandans, and join in an attack 
 on some of the Bwoi-nug, in the country of the Missouri. As 
 these messages were going about, I recived word Irom Ua-gis- 
 kun-nung, that he did not wish to liave me join in the war-j)arty. 
 This amounted to a threat to take my life if I went, but 1 i)aicl 
 no attention to it. 
 
 In six days 1 could go I'rom my place to Turtle Mountain, 
 where the Crees were assembling, in considerable numbers. I 
 had been waitins; about one month, when Wa-ge-tole arrived 
 with sixty men, on his way to IIk' rende/vous. Here eit[ht of us 
 joined him, and ga\e wliat assistance we could in j)rovisiuns, to 
 his party, who ha<l been starving for some lime. Soon we were 
 all suffering alike ; we bad liavcllcd on two or three days, when 
 twenty young men were selected t<i go and hunt biilliih»e. Wn- 
 ge-tt)te insisted that I must go witli them, but I declined. He 
 urged it upon me rejiealedlv, and, at last, taking my load on his 
 own shoidders, lie said, " i\ow, my mpliew, you must go, audi 
 will curry your load (ny \iiu, till you join us again." I went 
 forward a short distance, and Inul tin good foilime to kill an elk. 
 Th«' Indians fell on it like hmiiiry dogs, and so(»n not a particle 
 of it was left, tlnMigh 1 believe not more than half of those that 
 were in a starving condition tis.ed of it. The twenty men tliut 
 had been sent out, returned without having killed any thing. 
 They now becfune so weak from hunger, that nund)ers were loO, 
 
 ^* 
 
1'ANNKr's NARRATIVi;. 
 
 I5B 
 
 ■ ot my 
 -a-biew, 
 
 )ntinued 
 whoro I 
 cdining 
 IS he was 
 )ulil pass 
 lor liim, 
 iniiiii but, 
 I hail l)c- 
 iild do no 
 ami I felt 
 
 ic Ojibbc- 
 aii attack 
 iouii. As 
 mi Ba-gis- 
 \var-j»iirly- 
 but I paid 
 
 !)eing unable to walk. For many days we had no other food 
 than the roots of the Me-tush-koo-she-min,* (grass berry,) an 
 esculent root, called Pommeblanch by the Frenchmen. I was 
 myself about to fail, when late one night, as all were asleep, an 
 old man, a relative of my wife, waked me, and put carefully 
 into my hand a small quantity of pemmican, which he had car- 
 ried concealed about him. This enabled me to reach the Turtle 
 Mountain, to which place, probal)ly, about half of Wa-ge-tote's 
 band arrived at the same time. Of those that had parted from 
 us, some afterwards joined, some returned to their own country, 
 und others were no more heiird of. 
 
 The Assinneboins and Crees whom we had expected to meet 
 at Turtle iMount mi, ' eft it some time before ""'' wc had fol- 
 lowed on their ! bui "'w days, when we }u *nem return- 
 ing. They related to us, that they had arrived at the Mandan 
 village just as a war-party of the Sioux had reached the same 
 jdace, with a design to attack the town. The Mandan chief said 
 lO them, as soon as they came, " My friends, these Sioux hav»! 
 come hither to put out my fire. They know not that you are 
 here. As they have not come against you, why should your 
 blood flow in our quarrel ? Remain, therefore, in my village, 
 and you shall see that we are men, and need no help when they 
 come to fight us at our own doors." The Mandan village was 
 surrounded by a wall of pickets, and close to these the Sioux 
 fought all day. At length, an intermission took place, and the 
 Mandan cliief, calling to the Sioux from the inside, said to them. 
 " Depart from about our villa^re, or we will let out upon you 
 our friends, the Ojibbeways, who have been sitting here all day. 
 and are now fresh aiul unwearied.*' The Sioux answered, "This 
 is a vain boast, made willi a design to conceal your weakness. 
 You have no Ojibbeways in your house, and if you had hun 
 dreds, we neither fear nor regard them. The Ojibbeways arc 
 women, and if your village were full of them, we would, for that 
 reason, the sooner come among you." The Crees and Assinne- 
 boinfl, hearing these taunts, became irritated, and ran out to at- 
 
 ■i 
 
 I 
 
 i| 
 
 ♦ ThiH is one of the sperioit of Pwiriilen, so ahuiulunl in the open countries of 
 the MistMturi. When tioiled or roiihtod, the rootB arc exceedingly palatable and 
 nulriticiuHi but the exclusive UHe of them commonly ocuusionti deruigement cf 
 'he bowels 
 
 90 
 
 !^/"^ 
 
VIM 
 
 I * 
 
 454 
 
 iANNER S N&KKAl'lVi::. 
 
 f . 
 
 i 
 
 (j.F 
 
 lack the Sioux, which the latter perceiving, fled in all directions. 
 The Ojibbeways, though they had little share in the fight, were 
 ^llowed to have some of the scalps taken during the day, and 
 one of these fell into the hands of onr chief, Wa-ge-tote, though 
 he had not been within several days' march of the scene of ac- 
 tion, and with this trophy he returned towards his own coun- 
 try. When we reached Turtle Mountain, on our return, we 
 were all suffering the extremity of hunger, and many were quite 
 unable to travel farther. VVe were, therefore, compelled to stop, 
 and of the whole party, there were found only four who had 
 strength and resolution enengh remaining, to undertake to hunt. 
 These were an old man, called (iitch-e-weesh, (big beaver lodge,) 
 two young men, and myself. Gitch-e-weesh, the old man, was 
 in high spirits, and expressed the utmost contidence that he 
 should kill something. " When I was yet a little boy," said he, 
 " the Great Spirit came to me, after I had been fasting for three 
 days, and ;old me he had heard my crying, and had come to tell 
 me that he did not wish to hear me cry and complain so often, 
 but that if ever I was reduced to the danger of immediately 
 perishing of hunger, then I sho\dd call uj)on iiim, and he would 
 hear and give me something. 1 have never called before, but 
 last night I spent in prayer and singing, and I have assurance 
 that I shall this day be fed by the boimty of the (Jreat God. I 
 have never asked before, and I know that he will not forget his 
 promise." We all started at the same time in the morning, but 
 went to hunt in ditferenf directions. I hunted all day without 
 finding any thing, and so weak was 1, that I could traverse but 
 a very small «'Xtent of groimd. It was late when I came in ; the 
 two young men were in before me ; all began to desi)air; but old 
 Gitch-e-weesh was still absent. At a very late hour he arrived, 
 bending under a heavy load of meal. I was selected to cook 
 and make an emial division of what he had brought. Next day 
 we went to the place where the moose had been killed, all the re- 
 mainder of which we soon devoured. 
 
 Near this place, Wa-me-gon-a-biew discovered a large quanti- 
 ty of property, which had been left by a band of Assinneboiiis, 
 as a medicine sacrifice. Property left in this way is called me- 
 tal sas-sah-ge-witch-e-gnn, or puk-ketch-e-gun-nun, and may be 
 taken Iiy any friendly party. Rut the ofl'erinifs made to ensure 
 
 
IANNKR'H NAKHATIVI., 
 
 iory 
 
 success in war, commonly called sah-sah-gc-wiich-c-jorun, may 
 not be taken from the place wliere they are left. Wa-me-gon-a- 
 biew having been in the top of a tree, at the time he made this 
 discovery, and having pointed out the place to the Indians im- 
 mediately, was so late in coming down, that every blanket, every 
 piece of cloth, and, indeed, every thing of vahie, was seized and 
 appropriated before he came up. He said little of his dissatisfac- 
 tion at this, though it was evident enough. He went aside and 
 s-it down by himself on a log. Disturbing with his foot a pile of 
 dry leaves, he found buried under it a brass kettle, inverted, and 
 covering a quantity of valuable offerings to the earth. These he 
 of course seized upon for himself, and his portion was more 
 valuable than that of any other. The blankets, robes, strouding, 
 etc. &c. were suspended in trees; but the quantity was largeF 
 than is usually seen in places where such sacrifices have been 
 made. The Assinneboins had worshij)ped here, when on tiieit 
 way to the country of the Sioux. In travelling from this place 
 to my home, I killed no more game, and was of course nearly 
 famished. When I arrived, my family were in the same situa- 
 tion ; but next day I had good luck, and killed an elk ; after- 
 wards I was able, by my own exertions, to procure a plentiful 
 supply. 
 
 It was while I was living here at Great Wood River, that 
 news came of a great man among the awneese, who had been 
 favoured by a revelation of the mind and will of the Great Spirit. 
 I was hunting in the prairie, at a great distance fiom my lodge, 
 when I saw a stranger approaching ; at first, I was apprehensive 
 of an enemy, but, as he drew nearer, his dress showed him to be- 
 an Ojibbeway ; but v\hen he came up, there was something ver}' 
 strange and peculiar in his manner. He signified to me, that 1 
 must go home, but gave no explanation of tlie cause. He rv- 
 fused to look at me, or enter into any kind of coiiv< isation. I 
 tho\ight he must be crazy, but nevertheless accompanied him to 
 my lodge. When we had smoked, he remained a long time si- 
 lent, but, at last, began to tell me he had come with a message 
 from the prophet of the Shawneese. •' Henceforth," said he, 
 " the lire must never be suflered to go out in your lodge. Sum- 
 mer and winter, day and night, in the storm, or when it is calm, 
 von must remember that the life, in your body, »nd the fire in 
 
 \ 
 
 ^■'^iv 
 
 r--' 
 
* n 
 
 r ■ ' 
 
 I 
 
 loH 
 
 lANNK 
 
 NAUKATUl:.. 
 
 A our lodgr, arc the same, and i, the same date. K you sutter 
 your lire to be extiuf^uislicd, at ih, ' n M-nt your life will bv at 
 its end. You must not nufler a di live; you must never 
 
 strike cither a man, a woman, a eiiild, or a dojf. The prophet 
 himself is cominjf to shake hands with you ; but I have come be- 
 fore, that you may know what is the will of the (Jreat Sjiirit, 
 eommunicated to ua by him, and to inform you that the jM-eser- 
 vation of your life, for a single moment, de|)ends on your entire 
 obedience. From this time forward, we are neither to be drunk, 
 to steal, to lie, or to go against our enemies. While we yield an 
 entire obedience to these commands of llic Great Spirit, the 
 Sioux, even if they come to our country, will not be able to see 
 us : we shall be protected and made happy." I listened to all 
 he had to say, but tohl him, in answer, that I could not believe 
 we should all die, in case our lire went out ; in many instances, 
 also, it would be dillicnlt to avoid punishing our children ; our 
 dogs were useful in aiding us to hunt and take animals, so that I 
 could not believe the (treat Spirit had any wish to take them from 
 us. He continued talking to us until late at night ; then he la) 
 down to sleep in my lodge. I happened to wake first in the 
 morning, and perceiving the tire had gone out, I called him to 
 get up, and see how many of us were living, and how man\ 
 dead. He was prepared for the ridicule I attempted to throw 
 upon his doctrine, and told me that 1 had not yet shaken hamls 
 with the prophet. His visit had been to prepare me for this im- 
 portant event, and to make me aware of the obligations and 
 risks I should incur, by entering into the eUf^agement implied in 
 taking in my iuind the message of the prophet. I did not rest 
 entirely easy in my unbelief. The Indians, generally, received 
 ihe doctrine of this man with great humility and fear. Distress 
 and anxiety was visible in every countenance. Many killed 
 their dogs, and endeavoured to practice obedience to all the 
 commands of this new preacher, who still remained among us. 
 But, as was usual with me, in any emergency of tliis kind, I 
 went to the trarlers, firmly believing, that if the Deity had any 
 communications to make to men, they would be given, in the 
 first instance, to white men. The traders ridiculed and despised 
 the idea of a new revelation of the Divine will, and the thought 
 that it should be given to a poor Shawnee. Thus was I conlirm- 
 
TANNKR S NARitATlVI.. 
 
 157 
 
 )\\ sutler 
 ill be at 
 rtl never 
 prophet 
 •ome be- 
 ill Spirit, 
 i proser- 
 lur entire 
 ie ilruiik, 
 ^. yield an 
 ■Spirit, the 
 l)le to see 
 ned to all 
 lOl believe 
 instances, 
 dren; our 
 ?, so that 1 
 them from 
 lien he lay 
 irst in the 
 led him to 
 how man\ 
 1 to throw 
 a ken hands 
 ior this im- 
 ations and 
 implied in 
 Ilid not rest 
 y, received 
 Distres? 
 llaiiy killed 
 to all the 
 amonjr us. 
 lis kind, I 
 Ity had any 
 |ven, in the 
 lul despised 
 the thtMight 
 Is 1 conlirm- 
 
 ed in my infidelity. Nevertheless. I did iioi openly avow my 
 nnbeliet to ilie Indians, only 1 n'fiised to kill nty dojrs, ami show- 
 ed no {Treat dejfree ol" anxiety to comi)ly with his other reiiuire- 
 nients. As lon^ as I remained amoM{Lr the Indians, 1 made il ni) 
 business to eonlbrm, as far as a|)peared eonsisteiit with my im- 
 mediate eonvenienee and comfort, with all their customs. Many 
 of their ideas I have aiiopted ; but I always found amon^' them 
 opinions which i could not holil. The . sjihbeway whom I havo 
 mentioned, remained sonu' lime -.mtini!, the Indians, in my iieiffh- 
 bourhood, and gained the attention of the principal men so elVec- 
 tually, that a time waH appointed, und a lod^'C j)repared, for the 
 solemn and public esponsinjr of the doctrines ol' the prophet. 
 When the iK'ople, and I amonsr them, were brought into the lonff 
 lodire, prepared for this solemnity, we saw something caref\dly 
 concealed under a blanket, in figure and dinu'nsions bearing 
 some resemblance to the form of a man. This was accom|)unied 
 l>y two young men, who, it was understfiod, attended constantly 
 upon it, made its bed at night, us Hir a man, ami slept near il. 
 But while we remained, no one went near it, or raiserl the blank ''t 
 which was spread over its imknowii contents. Four strings of 
 mouldy and discoloured beans, were all tin' remainintr visil)Ie in- 
 -iirnia of this important mission. After a lon^j haranoiie, in 
 which lli<f prominent features of the new rev lalion were siat<'d 
 ;iml urged upon the attentiiUi of all. the finir slrintrs of beans, 
 which we were tctld were made of the Ue-h itself of the projjhet. 
 wen; carried, with muili solemnity, to each man in the lodiie. 
 ;ind he was expected to take hold of each string at the top, a. id 
 draw them gently through his hand. This was called shaking 
 hands with the proi»het. and was .-onsidered as solemnlv engaging 
 to obey his injunctions, and accept his mission as iVom the Su- 
 preme. All the Indians who touched llie beans, had previoiislv 
 killed their dogs: they gav( up their me ne hairs, and show- 
 ed a disposition to comi)ly with all that should he r''i|uired of 
 them. 
 
 We had now been for some time assembled in considerable 
 numbers; much agitation and terror had |)revaileil among us, 
 and now famine began to be felt. The faces of men wore an 
 aspect of unusual gloominess ; the active became indolent, and 
 the spirits of the bravest seemed to be subdued. I started to 
 
 
 1 \i 
 
 ^; 
 
^---^^muKBtmmmm 
 
 S' "' 
 
 > 
 
 t 
 
 
 158 
 
 I'ANNER's) NAnRATlVib'. 
 
 < I, 
 
 i' 
 
 hunt with my dogs, whu-h I had ronsiaiitly rrfuserl to kill, ok 
 sufler to be killed. By thrir assistance, I louiul and killed a 
 bear. On returning home, I said to some of the Indians, ** Mas 
 not the Great Spirit giv»^n us our <logs to aid us in proruring 
 what is needful lor the support of our life, and can you believe 
 he wishes now to deprive us of their services ? The prophet, 
 wi are told, has forbid us to sutler our fire to be extiiiL^uished in 
 our lodges, and when we travel or hunt, he will not allow us to 
 use a Hint and sle<'l, and ue are told he recjuires that no man 
 should give tire to another. Can it please the (Jreat Spirit that 
 we should lie in our hunting camps without tire ; or is it more 
 agreeable to him that we should make lire by rubbing togetlier 
 two slicks, than with a Hint and a piece of steel f" But they 
 would not listen to me, and the serious enthusiasm which pre- 
 \ailed among them so far atU'Cted me, that I threw away my tiint 
 and steel, laid aside my medicine bag, and, in many particidars, 
 rom])lied with the new doctrines ; but I would not kill my dogs. 
 I soon learned to kindle a lire by rubbing some dry cedar, which 
 I was careful to carry always about me; but the discontinuance 
 of the use of Hint and steel subjected m;iny of the Indians to 
 jnuch inconvenience and suH'ering. The inlluence of the Shaw- 
 nee prophet was \ ery sensil)ly and painfully tell by the remotest 
 Ojibbeways of whom I had any knowledge ; but it was not the 
 common impression among them, that his do<'trines had anv 
 tendency to unite them in the accomplishment of any human 
 purpose, f'or two or three years drunkenness was much less 
 frequent than formerly; war was less thought of, and the entire 
 aspect of affairs among them, wa-< somewhat changed by the in- 
 lluence of one man. But gradually the impression was obliter- 
 ated, medicine baLf^^, Hints, and steels, were resinned ; dogs were 
 raised, women and children were beaten as before, and the 
 Shawnee proplut was despised. At this day he is looked upon 
 by the Indians as an impostor and a bad man. 
 
 After the excitement of this afl'air had somewhat subsided, and 
 the messengers had left us to visit remoter ba»uls, I went with a 
 larjie party of Indians to some of the upper branches of Red 
 River, to hunt beaver. I know not whether it was that we were 
 emboldened by the promise of the prophet, that we should be 
 invisible to the Sioux, but we went much nearer than we, Imd 
 
IANNKR's narrativk. 
 
 169 
 
 kill, or 
 kilU'tl a 
 i, " Has 
 rocuring 
 1 holW-vc 
 j)ri>\)ln'ti 
 iiiislu'tl in 
 ow us to 
 t no man 
 spirit that 
 is it nutiT 
 r totfollier 
 But they 
 •liich pre- 
 ly my tlint 
 ,arti(Milars, 
 1 my (h)<!;^. 
 liar, which 
 oiilinuancf 
 Indians to 
 ■ the Shaw- 
 lie remotest 
 as not thf 
 ^s hatl any 
 any human 
 nnieli less 
 the entire 
 hy the in- 
 « as ohlilev- 
 ilogs were 
 1', and the 
 oked upon 
 
 ibrmerly ventured to their country, it was here, in a border 
 region, where both they and ourselves had been afraid to hunt, 
 that we now found beaver in the gr«'atest abundance ; here, with- 
 out the aid of my gun, I look one hundred large beavers in a 
 singh' month, by trapping merely. My fainilj was now ten in 
 nuud)er, six (tf whom were cnphan children, and although there 
 was no one but niystdf to hunt or trap, I was able, for some time, 
 to supi)ly all their wants. At lengtii, beaver began to grow 
 scarce, and 1 was comi>elled to shoot an elk. My family had 
 been so long unaccustomed to hear guns, that at the sound of 
 mine they left the lodge and fled to the woods, believing the 
 Sioux had tired upon me. I was compelleil to carry my trajis to 
 a greater distance, and to visit ihem only in the middle ot the 
 (lay. My gun was constantly in my hand ; if I had occasion to 
 do any thiiijr, I held my gun in one hand and lalwured with the 
 other. 1 slept a little by day, but during the night, and every 
 night, I watched around my lodge. Heing agal out of meat. I 
 went to the woods to hunt moose, and in one day killed four. I 
 butchered and cut them open without laying down my gu.i. A > I 
 was cleaning the last, I heard a gun not more tha.; two hue Ired 
 yards from me. I knew that I had advanced nearer to the fron- 
 tier of the Sioux than any Ojibbeway, and I did not believe there 
 were any of the latter tribe living near me. 1 therefore bc'Vved 
 this must be the f?un of a Sioux, and immediately called out o 
 him, as 1 sujjposed he must have heard my tiring ; but ko an- 
 swer was returned. I watched about me more anxiously than 
 before, and at the ap])roach of night stole toward home as silent- 
 ly and as cautiously as I could. On the f(dlowing day, I ven- 
 tured to examine in the direction of the place where I had heard 
 the gun, and found the tracks, which proved to be those of an 
 Ojibbeway, who had fired upon a bear which he was pursuing, 
 probably with too much eagerness to hear me call. Soon after 
 this, I found many tracks, and ascertained that I was not far dis- 
 tant from a place where the Ojiiibeways had built and fortified a 
 camj). Three times I received messages fr to the chiefs of the 
 band living in this camp, stating that my s,' ' lon was too ex- 
 posed and dangerous, and urging me to come in. I disliked to 
 live in a crowded place, and it was not until I discovered the 
 fracks of some Sioux, that had been n i-onnoitering my camt^ 
 
 s ' 
 
 4^ **. 
 
.4 • f 
 
 i' 
 
 tannkr's narrative. 
 
 that I (Iptermiiipd to lly into this work. The ni^ht before my 
 (h'(»arliirc, uan one, at my lodfre, of terror and alarm, greater even 
 than is conunonly iVIi ainonir the Indians. I had mentioned tlir 
 tracks tliat I had se«>n, and I did not doul)t tliat a |)sirty oi llie Si- 
 onx were in my immediate n*'iy:liliourhood, ai\d wouKl fall ni>oii 
 me hefore mornin)r. More than lialf the iii^ht had jmssed, and 
 not one of us had slept, when we heard a sudden riishinu; wilhoiil, 
 and our do^rs came runnin>r in in e\ iihiil alarm, i tohl my ihil 
 dren that the time was come for us all to die lojidluT. I jdaced 
 myselt in the front part of mv lod^e, an<i raisiii^r the door a little. 
 put out the muzzle of my ^un, and sat in momentary ex|u>elation 
 of the approach of the enemy. K(»otsleps were distinctly audi 
 ble : hut the ni^hl hein^ dark, I could as yet see iiothin<r. Ai 
 length a little hiack ohject, not larger in appearand' than a man's 
 head, came slowly and «lirectly towards my lodge, litre agaii. 
 1 experien<ed how much tear iidliiences the power of sight ; foi 
 this little ohject, as it came near, seemed at oiw instant to shoui 
 up to the height of a man. and at the next, to he no larger tliaii 
 it really was. When I was tiitirely convinced that it wa« nothini; 
 but a small animal, I stepped out, and limiing it to Ix* a porcii 
 |)iiie, killed it with a tom.diawk ; the remainder of the night wn- 
 spent in the same itutimer as the heginning. Karly next morn 
 ing, 1 lletl to the fortified camp, (hi my arrival, the chiefs coiin 
 eilled, and sent two young men to look after the property left iii 
 uiy lodoe ; hut as I knew the Simix wer«' lurking in thai direr 
 lion, and that, slhuild the yoiiiii; men he killed, or injured, theii 
 friends would <'(/iisider me the caus«' of t!ieir mislortime, I wein 
 hefore ihem, hut )i\ a circuitous route, determining that if an 
 tiling happened, I would lie present, uml have a part in it. I 
 found my lodge safe, and we experienced no molestation in n 
 moving in\ liai>i>ai>e to the tort. 
 
 The Sioux, Iroiii lime lo lime, came near and looked at imi 
 work, hut never ventured toaltack it. When the spring arri\iil. 
 all the Ojihlicwavs left it in one da) ; hiil I whs roiiipelled to n 
 main, liavinu taken < liarge of some packs for a trader who u.i- 
 then uliseiit, and which I could not reinov<'. The (hiels irmini 
 slraled, telling me it was little heller ihaii throwing mvself auiiv. 
 lU rRiiiain, an the Sioux would immediately know when the iiiuin 
 hodv left, ami would not looe the upportuiiitv of falling on mi 
 
 . • 
 
 t 
 
IANNKR'k NAKRATIVi.. 
 
 101 
 
 [ore my 
 tcr even 
 >n«tl the 
 i' the Si- 
 
 r wilhnul, 
 1 ,uy ••!\il- 
 I jih»c<'<i 
 „ui» liuh'. 
 sju'itiUioii 
 
 jelly «"•'' 
 tliinst- '^'^ 
 •an H ini"»'' 
 [l.rf auaii' 
 
 ml U< shoot 
 laijrcr tluiii 
 was nolliin;; 
 hi' tt |>t»n(i 
 le ni^ht was 
 iifxl morn 
 ,hu fs ntuii 
 .p. rly l«t» ii 
 u iluil (Urtt 
 iiitirnU tlifii 
 luur. I Wfii' 
 lliul if itn 
 Hill in it- ' 
 iiiliiin ill I' 
 
 when I should 1)P h'ft ah>nt'. The sailiUniiiij anil aliirnung t'ffect 
 of llu'sc ailnionilions was somewhat inrn-ascil by the many in- 
 stances they relali'ii of nun, wonu ii, and chiUlren, tlial iiad been 
 kilhMl on this very spot by the ^Si()ll.\, but I was eonipeMed to re- 
 main. At nifjhll closed the entranees to the eanip as eHeetually 
 as I could, ami cautioning my family to remain entirely silent, I 
 stationed myself by the wall to watch. The nijrht was but little 
 advanced, when by tlie liuhl of the moun, which then slume 
 bri^fhlly, I discovered two nu n, who came directly towards the 
 usual entraiH'e, and findiiiL' it closed, beijan to walk ar<»und and 
 look at the wall. Fear slronjily prompted me to shoot then» 
 uilhout liailiiifj; but recidleclinjr liuit they mif^ht not be Sioux, 
 I took an opportunity, when I could aim my ^un directly at 
 till I) without Ix'in^ mu<-li exposed, and called out. They proved 
 to be the trader cm whose account I had stayed back, and a 
 Frenchman. 1 gladly opened my fort to let them in, and with 
 tlii-; aildition of streujrih, spent a pretty (juiet nijiht. Next morn- 
 in>r we moved, taking the trader's packs, and following the path 
 of the Ojibbeways. 
 
 I did not wish to rejoin this band, but went t«) live for .some 
 linu'. I)y myself, in the woods; alterwards I joined sonu* lied 
 Kiver Ojibbeways, under a chief called He-gwa-is, (he thai cut-; 
 up the beaver lodge.) All the hunters ol this liaud bad lieen for 
 r'oine days trying to kill an old buck moose, who had become no- 
 torious among them lor his shyness and cunniug. 'i'he first day 
 that 1 went to hunt, I saw this moose, but could uol kill him; I 
 liowever killed auotluM', and next da\ retiiriu'd to the piusuit. 
 with the full determiualion lo kill him if possible. It so hap- 
 pened, that the weaiher and wind were favourable, and I kiMeil 
 the l)uck moose. My siieri-ss was attributable, in a great measure. 
 t<i ai'cident, or lo circinnstances beyond my eonlr(d ; but (he In- 
 dians gave me credit lor "upenor skill, and I was thenceforth 
 rprknned the best hunter in that hand. 
 
 We now started, twelve men in number, under Be-gwa-is, to go 
 to the Sioux rountrv, lo hunt beaver, leax inir our women beliind. 
 O'l this hunt nil tlie Imlians became snow-blinil, mid I being the 
 otdy <me able lo hunt, fed and took <iire of (hem for si-veral days. 
 Ah soon as the snow went ofl' in the spring, ihcy hegnn In grt 
 *irlt»»r. We then separated iiiio three portimt ; one, of whirh hr. 
 
 21 
 
Irt'^ 
 
 lANNKR S \AUI!A1I\ K. 
 
 !' ■» 
 
 •■1 
 
 •f 
 
 / . 
 
 « 
 
 l.i 
 
 ingtbnr in mimlicr, wont to BiilUiloc River, wlu'rc tliey were at- 
 tacked by the Sijtiix. hi'd one niaii killed, and another wounded 
 nnd ni;ide prisoner. 
 
 I had Avounded myself l>y aecideni, in niy aneie hone, with a 
 lomahaAvk, and heranie, in ('onseipienee, unable to travel last. 
 About this time my eoinpanions iie( ame |)aine struck, si _'|)osin» 
 ijie Sioux to be near us, and on our trail. They paid not the least 
 i'eptrd to my situation, but lied with all llu' speed they ccndd 
 make. It was now early in the s|)rinij: ; rain and snow had been 
 tallinij throu}fhout the day, and at night the uinil be^an to l)l<^\\ 
 I'rom the north-west, aiul the water to iree/e. I lollowed my 
 co;, pan'Oiis, thouirh ,\\ a (li>liin( c. and came up with them late ai 
 )iiy;ht, when 1 lound them peiishin!> in their c(un)orlless cau\p : 
 ihey being the disciples ot'tlie propliet. and not havinjr ventured 
 to .'Strike a lire. Wa-mo-ffon-a-biew was (uie of these men, and 
 ?ie, as well as the rest oC them, was wiiliutr to desert nw. when- 
 ever there was any appreliension ol' dauirer. Next morning ice 
 was stronir eiunifrh in the ri>er to walk upon, and as this cold 
 had been preceded by warm weather, we siillercMl severely. We 
 >pent lour days at the sugar camp of our women, ami then started 
 to retin-n to the Sioux country. On our way we met the two whd 
 had escaped, of the party on which the Sioux had lalleii. Their 
 appearaiu'e was that o| extreme misery aiul sUirvation. 
 
 We met also, in this jotirney, an American trader, whose nurm 
 I do not now recollect. l)Ul m ho treated me with nnich allenlion. 
 and ur<;ed me to leave the Indians and return with him to tin 
 Stales. But I was poor. Inuiiiu lew pellries ol any value ; I hail 
 also a wife and om- i liild. Me told me the governmenl, and tin 
 ])eo|>le of the Tnited Stales. w(i\dd be generous lo iiU', and he liiiii 
 s(>lf |)ron)ise<| to ri ii(h'r n\e all the aid in his power; but I dr- 
 clined acceptin0 his odir. |)rel'erring for llie present to remain 
 amonir the Indians, ihouijrh it was still my w isli and intention, ul- 
 timately lo Ic.ive them. I heard fnun this man, llmt Hoiiie of rn, 
 relations had l)een as far as Mackinac in search of me, and I dir- 
 taled a letter to them, which this gentleman undert(*ok to hiu 
 eon\eyed toils destiiuition. Whm about to part from ns, lie 
 gave lo VVn-in«'-g(Hi-a-birw nnd myself, each a bark < unuc, ami 
 some oilier valuable presmts. 
 
 \s we were iravollinir townrili* Red River, our principal in«" 
 
 ..>■. 
 
V 
 
 I ANNKK'> S auk a IiV I. 
 
 )o;{ 
 
 /eve at- 
 oundcd 
 
 , with a. 
 vol fast. 
 •iHtsing 
 llic liHist 
 (.y could 
 htul tii't'i* 
 „ to l)l<-w 
 lowc<» my 
 iMU lait' lU 
 ess «'ami) ■■ 
 |r vtntured 
 i- nuMi. anil 
 lUf. Avlu-n- 
 loi-ninii; !<■'■ 
 ,s this «-»>l'> 
 iTfly. We 
 i\w\\ slartoil 
 Uii- two \\\w 
 lien. Tlu-ir 
 
 111. 
 
 uliost! iiami 
 
 ,li utimtioii. 
 
 1 him to lli< 
 
 |v;il»u- ; \ 1'"'* 
 
 Kill, ami lilt 
 
 , iukI hr him 
 
 L; hm \ 'l*"- 
 
 L to rt'inuiii 
 
 inlfiilion, "1 
 
 [t SOllU' »>t '"' 
 
 inc. ■A\\*\ 1 "iif- 
 [ilook ti» hiiu 
 \\ tVoin "I*. ^'* 
 k <ttnoc, 8U*^ 
 
 l)rinri|»»\ '""'' 
 
 Wv-ong-je-cheweon, to whom wo liad roitimillcd ilu diroctiou oi 
 our party, became alarmed. We wcrr iidlowinii a lony iiv«'i 
 which discharges into lied River; 1 saw liiiii anxiously looKinii 
 about, on one side and tbe other, and atteniivolv watcliiiii; lor alt 
 lliose indications of tbe jiroxiinity of' men, wliicli could be al- 
 ibrded by the tracks of animals, tbe Hitrlit of birds, and otber 
 marks, which they so well know bovi t(t iinderstaMd. lie said 
 nollnn>( of fear: an Indian in such cii'cunislancrs. rarely, if cm r, 
 does. liut when he saw me, at niaht, IryiuL'^ to kiudU' a lire for 
 our encampment, he rose up, wrapped bis blanket alxuil him, and 
 without sayuiir a word, walkeil away. I watched him until i saw 
 liim select a place, combininif (he re<piisile.s for the entire C(ui- 
 cealment of his person, and atfordini; biui tin power of overlonk- 
 inff a considerable extent otCouiitrv. KnowiuL^ llie motive which 
 had occasioned this, I followed his evampie. a-; diil the remain- 
 ing men of mu' pariy. Nevt mornini; we met. and ventured 
 (o kindle a lire to prepare a little breakliist. Oin- kettle was bin 
 (list bnn^ over the tire and (illed. when we dis<'overed the Sioux, 
 fui a point not half a mile behind us. We da-ihed the content^ 
 (»f the kettle mi the lire, and lied. \t <ome di' aiice beiou. we 
 built a stronjr «'am|). nnd I set my traps. 
 
 Amonir the presents I had received tVom the Xniericaii trader, 
 was n small keg «'(Mitainini> i\t( en ipiarts oi sinuig rum. which I 
 liad brought thus far on my back. \Va-me-u(>n-a-lii<'w and the 
 other Indians had often hegnred me for a taste of it. which I had 
 constantly refused: tellinir them the I'bl men. and the ihiel-*. and 
 ;dl, should taste it toufelher, « hen we reaeheil home. Itiit iion 
 tliey look an oppiniimity when I wa* ab-;ent to look at m\ trap-, 
 tu optui it; and when I retnnied. I found them ,dl dnnik, and 
 qiiarrtdlimi with each other. I vvasauare ol mir ilangermis and 
 exposed situ.ition. and felt wniiiewbat alarmed, when I fonnd >o 
 many 'd' us totally disabled by intoxication. I tried, how«\er, to 
 quiet their n<dse : but in so doinir, I endauL'ered mv own safetv 
 As I held two of them apart, otu' in one band, the other in the 
 Other, the third, an old man, came behind and made a thrust ai 
 my bai'k with a knife, which I virv narrow K avoided. They 
 were all alii onted, as I had reproached them w ith cowardice : 
 trlliiig them they prcfern'd remaininL^ like rabbits, in their hide, 
 and darod nei liter vontiirr out lo iruuirainst their enemies, or even 
 
r • 
 
 I i 4 
 
 ■ I 
 
 m\ [ 
 
 164 
 
 1ANNEK3 NAUKATIH,. 
 
 to liiint (in- pomcthinfr to rat. In fact, I had for some time icd 
 and supporter! tluin, and I was not a little vexed at their foolish- 
 ness. We had, however, no more alarms immediately, and the 
 Indians at length venturing to hunt, we met with so mueh success 
 as nearly to load one canoe with skins. The remainder of my 
 little cask of rmn, which I had used great care to keep out of their 
 way, caused them one more drunken frolick, they having stolen 
 it in my absence. 
 
 After we had completed our hunt, we started down together. 
 Approaching Red River, we heard great numbers of guns befr re 
 us, and my companions, sujiposiiiir them to be those of the Sioux, 
 left me and (led across land, in which way tliey could reach home 
 in less than a day. As i was determined not to abandon our 
 property in the canoe, I continued on by myself, and in about 
 four days, arrived safely at home. 
 
 The Indians were now about assembling at Pembinab, to dis- 
 pose of their peltries, and have tJH'ir usual drunken frolick. f 
 had but just arrived at the encampment of our band, when they 
 began to start; some going forward by land, ami leaving the 
 women to i)ring on their loads in the canoes. I tried to persuade 
 Wn-mc-iroii-a-biew and ollii rs, which were particularly mv 
 friends, not to join in this toolisb and destructive indulgence, but 
 1 could not prevail \\\ui\\ them; they all w«'nt on in advance of 
 me. I moved slowly along, hunting and making dry meat, and 
 did not reach Pcmbiuah, until most of the men of the hand had 
 passeil several days there in drinking. As soon as I arrived, 
 some Indians came to tell me that Wa-me-gcm-a-biew had lost 
 jiis nose; another had a large piece bitten out of his cheek; one 
 was injured in (me way, another in another. 
 
 I learned that my br(»lher, as I always called Wa-nie-gon-a- 
 biew, had but just arrived, when he happened to go into a lodge. 
 where a young man, a son of Ta-bush-shish, was beating an old 
 woman. Wa-me-gon-a-biew held his arms ; but presently old Ta- 
 bush-shish coming in, and in his drunkenness, probably misappre- 
 hending the nature of my brother's interference, seized him by 
 the hair, and bit his nose off. At this stage of tin' affair, Be-gwa- 
 is, an old chief who had always been very friendly to us, came in, 
 and seeing that a scuffle was going on, thought it necessary to 
 join in it. Wa-me-gon-a-biew perceiving the loss of his nose. 
 
 »1f '•, 
 
 t 
 

 lAwr.R's XAnuATivi;. 
 
 106 
 
 mc led 
 ioolish- 
 iiid the 
 
 SllCCCSS 
 
 : of iny 
 of their 
 5 atolen 
 
 oRother. 
 ,s bef' re 
 le Sioux, 
 uh home 
 ndon our 
 in about 
 
 lb, to Jis- 
 rohck. I 
 ,vheu they 
 •avina; th<' 
 i» persuade. 
 »\larly my 
 l(ren<'e, but 
 idvaiice of 
 uieat, and 
 band had 
 arrived, 
 w had lost 
 \eek; one 
 
 -me-gon-a- 
 ito a h)dge. 
 ling an ohl 
 ily o\d Tu- 
 niisapprc- 
 zed him by 
 r, Be-gwa- 
 u«, came in, 
 iccHHary to 
 f his nohe. 
 
 suddenly raised his hands, though still slooping his head, am! 
 seizing by tlic hair the head that was nearest him, bit the noso 
 off. (t happened to l)e that of our friend He-ir\va-is. After his 
 rage had a little abated, he recognized his friend, and exclaimed, 
 " wall ! my cousin !" Be-g\va-is was a kind and good man, and 
 being perfectly aware of the erroneous impression ui\der which 
 Wa-me-gon-a-!»iew had acted, never for one moment betrayed 
 nnv thing like anjrer or resfntinent, unvards the man who had 
 thus been tlx' unwilling cause of his nnitilation. " I am an old 
 man," said he, "and it is but a short lime that they will laugh at 
 me for the loss of my nose." 
 
 For my own part, I felt much irritated against Ta-bush-shish, 
 inasmuch as 1 doubled whetht'r he had not taken the present op- 
 |)(trlunity to wreak an oM grudge upon \Va-me-gon-a-biew. I 
 u ent into my brother's lodge, and sat by him ; his face, and all 
 his clothes, were covered with blood. For some lime he said 
 nothing ; and when he spoke, I found that he was perfectly sober. 
 ■'To-morrow," said he, "I will cry wiih my children, and the 
 next day I will go and seeTH-bush-shish. We must die together, 
 ;is I am not willing to live, when I must always expect to be ridi- 
 culed." 1 told him I would join him in any attempt to kill Ta- 
 bush-shish, and held myself in readiness accordingly. Ihit a little 
 ■sober reflection, and the day's time he had given himself to cr\ 
 with his chihlren, diverted Wa-me-gon-a-biew from his bloody 
 intention, and like Be-gwa-is, he res»)lved to bear his loss as well 
 ;is he could. 
 
.?:, 
 
 
 m 
 
 r** 
 
 i 
 
 MHOi 
 
 KrtM 
 
 JH6 
 
 TANNER « NATinATIVE. 
 
 CIIAPTEH X. 
 
 Prcsfncp ol' mind and eplf-dcviilfdnr«.s in an Indian motlipr — Indian warlarc — 
 convi rsiiliciM 111 a cliict' — winlt'r hunt uii tin' lii'mviouuskn Uivc r — Mi' dii'ini- 
 hnniinL' — cuslmris, in fuse-; ot nianslaiisilitcr — sunlu'lir, iir |ii>'tnrp writing — 
 death oi' I'l'-slianUi — ilisasl.T at Spirit l.alir, and doath ol'tiu' Littjp C'lain. 
 
 Within a lew days alter lliis ilniiikcn (jiiarrcl, Ta-l)nsli-shisli 
 was spizt'd uitli a violnil sirkm ss. He Iml (or many flays a 
 biirnina I'l'Vcr. his llc^li wasu'd. ainl lie was a|>|)ari'iiily near tly- 
 ilij^, vvlu'ii lie sent •(• \Va-inc-Lf<>!i-a-l>i('\v tun kclllfs. and otlirr 
 ])r('S('iiI-<. ul" coiisidf lahlc v diii . uilli a nMssair*'. " !My iViriid, f 
 liaM' made von look nirlv. and \(iii iiaxc made ine sick. I hiivc 
 
 siitrcrrd iniK li, and il 
 
 ilic now mv V 
 
 hild 
 
 rt'U mils 
 
 t sill) 
 
 »'r m 
 
 iicli 
 
 more I have sent yon this |ir<scnl, I'lal yon inav let inr live." 
 \V'a-nif-Lfon-a-hi(\v instrnclcd his mcssfnL'f'r to say to 'I'a-hn-^li 
 
 ^liish. •• I ha\r not made \on siik. 
 
 cannot rcslort' von 
 
 to h< alth. 
 
 ;tnd will not arcc|il yonr presents." He liiiirprctl lor a monili oi 
 more in a >ial<' of -^nr li severe illness, that his hair nil Cell Iroiii 
 
 IIS head 
 
 All 
 
 (■r Illl^ 
 
 lie t)ec; 
 
 in to aintMid, and when he was near 
 
 \ \\> 
 
 II. 
 
 renin\e(| io the prairie; Iml were scaKeredal 
 
 )otir 
 
 in dilli'ieni dire( lions, and at consideruhle distances iVoin eacli 
 olher. 
 
 Alter oin- spritiir ImnliDjir, we hriran Io think of iroinsi aiiain 
 
 the Si 
 
 lonv. and an inconsiderahl • party asseinhled. anion!/ Ilmsi 
 who lived iinmediateh ahoiil mr. Wa-me-fion-a-liiew and I ac 
 etnnpaniel them, and in loni days we ;irrived at l!ie htllo \illai;. 
 wlicri" 'I'li-hnsh-shish then lived. Helore oiir arriial here mi 
 
 )ia.l I 
 
 )een 
 
 joiiH'd liy NV'a-ufe-loie, with ^ixh men. 
 
 A I 
 
 ter we liml 
 
 rested and eaten at oin' encampment netir Ta-luish-shish's lodm'. 
 and Mere ahoni Io start, we saw him come oul naked, hut p.ainl- 
 0(1 and ornamented asfma war, iiiid haviiii; his arms in his haini- 
 Hp rnme slalkinu up to ns with a very anjjry face, hut none ni 
 ii« fullv comprehended his desijrn. nnlil we saw him no up hiiI 
 
tanner's NARKATlVi:. 
 
 167 
 
 warlart'^ — 
 -lU'Jii'ino 
 
 w riling— 
 
 (.'lam. 
 
 lish-sliisll 
 V ilays ii 
 
 near ily- 
 ainl titlin 
 
 tVit'inK t 
 i. I lvav( 
 ilVt-r imi<l> 
 , ine livi'." 
 , Ta-biisli- 
 1 to h( alth. 
 
 I monlli oi 
 
 II itll Innii 
 wasnrai- 
 rcd aliniu 
 'iMMii fa<!i 
 
 I. afiaiii-' 
 
 Ollif tllOSl 
 
 ,inil I I'- 
 1.- \ill;i- 
 
 • r \\v tiiiii 
 ll's IdiIu' ■ 
 hut |;a'nii- 
 his hallll^ 
 )Ut none t»l 
 
 1 ;r(» U|) Hlv' 
 
 III 
 
 j)ri*!«Piu the muzzle of liis jriin to Wa-inc-gon-a-bicw's bark. 
 " My liioiid," said he, "we liavc lived loiitr <'iiou^l., and liave 
 o-jvi'ii trouble and distress enougli to each oiher. I sent to you 
 my renuest tliat yon would be satisfied wilh tbe siekn< s.i and 
 pain you had made me sulier, but you refused to listen lo me; 
 and the evils you continue to iiilliet on me, rendei- my life \v( ari- 
 souie ; let us therefore die toirether." A snn of \Vii-ir<-tcte, 
 and another youn>f man, seeing ilie intention nf 'ra-bush-slnsli, 
 piesented the point of their spe.ns, (jne lo one o; his sides, the 
 Othei- to the other; but lie look no O'liici; ol" tiuui, Wa-uie- 
 iron-a-biew w.is iiilimidated, and d.ueil nol rai>e Ins head. Ta- 
 tiush-shish wished to have foiii:hl, ami to have ^iven NVa-me-gon- 
 a-hiew an equal ehanee for his lite, but the latter had nol enura^c 
 enough to accept his oiler. Henceforth 1 esieemed Wa-me-gon- 
 a-biew less even than I had formerly done, lie had less of 
 bravery and generosity in his disposition than is (onmion among 
 the Indians. iN'-ilh . Ta-bu.^h-shish nor any of his band joined 
 in our war-party. 
 
 We went on, wandering about from place to place, and instead 
 of going against our enemies, spent tin; greater part ol the sum- 
 mer among the l)nlIiiloe. In the fall, i returned to Pend)inah. 
 my intention being to go thence to lln' winiciiiig iiromid ot tlie 
 trailer :ibove menti'»i\ed, who had proposed to assist me in mtiing 
 to the slates. I Uiiw heard of the wai' heluci n th<' I niieu States 
 an>'i (ireat Hrilain. and of the <'a|>lure of Mackinac, aiiil ihis in- 
 telligence deleiri'd me from anyain mpl In pa«;s ihrongh the fron- 
 tier of the I'nited States territory, which were then ihe scenes of 
 warliki- operations. 
 
 In the ensuing spring, there was a very sreneral movement 
 among the Ojibbeways of the Ited lliver. toward llie Sioux coun- 
 try ; but the (iesi<iii was not, at least avowdly, lo liiii upon or 
 molest the Sioux, but to hunt. I oavelled in <omi>any w illi u 
 lar^e band, unde; the diieclMui of \is-aiiise. (ilie lillle clam.) 
 Hi-< l>rolher, called Wa-ge-lonc. was a ;i.im of considerable con- 
 seipicnce. W'c had ascended Ked Hiver about one hundred 
 miles, when we met Mr. Ilaiiie. a trader, who gave u- a liltie 
 rum. I lived, at this time, in a long lodg*', having two !>•• three 
 fires, and i occupied it in common wilh several olher men, with 
 tlieir fanulics, ni(»sllv the relatives of mv wil'c. ft w«> inidni:>hl. 
 
'rf r ^?**iM-" * J ^ 
 
 
 
 1i 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 Uh 
 
 'i 
 
 i. 
 
 
 ! 1 
 
 \ 
 1 ' 
 
 
 • i« 
 
 S" 
 
 Ij 
 
 168 
 
 TANNEK's NAKKATIVt. 
 
 or after, and I was sleeping in my lodge, when I was waked by 
 some man seizing me roughly by the hand, and raising nie up. 
 There was still a little fire Inirning in the lodge, and hy the light 
 it gave I recognised, in the angry and threatening eounlenancc 
 whieh hung over me, the lace of Wa-ge-lone, the brother of the 
 Little Clam, our principal chief. " 1 have solemnly |)romised," 
 said he, "that if you should come with us to this country, you 
 should not live ; up, therefore, and be ready to answer me.'" 
 He then went on to Wah-zhe-gwun, the man who slept next me, 
 and used to him similar insolent and threatening language ; but. 
 by this time, an old man, a relative of mine, called Mah-nuge, 
 who slept beyond, had comprehended the purport of his visit, 
 and raised himself up, with his knife in his hanil. When Wa- 
 ge-tone came to him, he received a sharp answer. He then re- 
 turned to me, drew his knife, and thre;(tened me with instant 
 death. " You are a stranger," said i.:-, "and one of many who 
 have come from a distant "^vniry, to feed yourself and your chil- 
 dren with that which doc.N not belong to you. You arc driven 
 out from your own country, and you come among us because you 
 are too feeble and worthless to have a home or a country ot 
 your own. Y(»u have visited our best hunting grounds, and 
 wherever you have been you have destroyed all the animab 
 which the (Jreat Spirit gave us for our sustenance. (Jo back, 
 therefore, from this place, and be no longer a burthen to us, or I 
 will certaiidy take your life." 1 answered him, that I was not 
 going to llu- country ue were iniw about to visit, particularly to 
 hunt beaver, but that even if I were to do so, I had an ecpial 
 riohi with him, and was as stnnig to maintain that right. Tin- 
 dispute was becoming s(»mewhat noisy, when (dd Mah-nuge 
 came iij), with his kriif<' in his hand, and drove the noisv and 
 h.ilfdnniken Wa-ge-tone out of the lodge. We saw this man 
 no m<M-e for a long time, but his brother, the Little Clam, told u- 
 (o think nothing of what he said. 
 
 Here a niesseiiirer overtoitk us to bring to the Ottawwaws llu 
 informalion that Mid\-kud-da-l)e-na-sa, (the black bird,) an Ot- 
 tawwaw of Waw-giui-uk-ke-zie, or I/Arbre Croche, had arrived 
 from Lake Huron, to call us ail home to that country. So wc 
 turned back, anil one after another fell back, till Wa-ge-tone only 
 n-as left, and he went on and joined a war-party ol" Ojibbewayt 
 
 Jng to 
 
 ♦ Gah 
 straw.') 
 I'lunts, shr 
 
tawf.r's narrativk. 
 
 16d 
 
 iked by 
 me lip- 
 he light 
 ilenaiu'c 
 ■r of the 
 jmiHetl," 
 itry, you 
 ■er me.'" 
 next me, 
 Lgc ; but, 
 iah-miy;e, 
 his visit, 
 -hen Wa- 
 e then re- 
 i\\ instant 
 nany «lu> 
 your ehil- 
 are driven 
 ■cause you 
 c«nmtry »tt 
 junds, and 
 .he aniniaW 
 do hark, 
 to lis. or I 
 1 was not 
 licularly to 
 (1 an eijual 
 jrht. Thi- 
 Mah-nuiTi' 
 noisy auil 
 w this num 
 him, tohl u- 
 
 llien starting I'rom Leerh Lake. A part ol" this baud stoppi'd at 
 the Wild Rice River,* and went into the Corl, or fortified camp 
 before mentioned. Here they began to hunt and trap, and were 
 heedlessly dispersed about, when a large party of tSioux came 
 into their neighbourhood. 
 
 Ais-ainse, the Ojibheway chief, returned one evening from a 
 successful hunt, having killed two elks; and on the following 
 jnorning, his wife, with her young son, started out to dry ihe 
 meat. They had proceeded a great distance from the lodge, 
 when the lad first discovered the Sioux partVi at no great dis- 
 tance, and called out to his mother, " the 8ioux are coming.'' 
 Tlie old woman drew her knife, and cutting the belt which 
 bound the boy's blanket to his body, told him to run for home 
 with all his strength. She then, witli her knife in her han<l, ran 
 to meet theapprtiaching war-party. The boy heard many guns, 
 and the old woman was no more heard of. The boy ran long, 
 when, perceiving that his pursuers were near, he lost <'«)nscious- 
 ness ; and when he arrived at the fortifier! cam]), still in a state 
 of mental alienation, the Sioux were about one hundred and 
 fifty yards behind him. He vomited blood for some days, and 
 never recovered his health and strength, thougli he lived about 
 one year afterwards. 
 
 Several of the ()jibl»cways were hunting in a different direction 
 from that in which the wife of the Little Clam had met the war- 
 partv. As soon as the Sioux disappeared from about the fort, 
 young men were sent out, who discovered that they had taken 
 the path of the hunters, and one or two, taki ig a circuitous di- 
 rection, reached the Little Clam just as the Sioux were creeping 
 up to tire upon him. A liirht ensued, which lasted a long tin.e, 
 without loss on either side. At length, one of the Ojibbeways 
 being wonnded in the h'H, his companions retired a little, in order 
 to give him an opportunity of escaping under cover of soma-' 
 bushes; but this movement did not escape the notice of the 
 Sioux. One of their nmnber followed the young man, continu- 
 ing to elude the notice of the Ojihbeways while he did so, killed 
 
 * Gith Menoinonif. gah-vun-zhc-guir-vic xcr-hci; (the river of the wild rico 
 straw.") (iau'-uuii-jr, or guiC'Wun:li, is iipplicatilo tn tlie stalks or trunks of many 
 )ilants, slirubs, &c. us Mrt-iia-gatr-ttungr, (whortk'ljerry bu£b|)or, in the plural, 
 Meena-gaw-iea-checn. (whortleberry bushes.) 
 
170 
 
 lANNKKS .NAKKAi'lVb. 
 
 
 ,! 
 
 1 
 
 
 ^P\ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 him, and took iiis sciil|) Hitd mrdal, lie hpin^ u favourite boii oi' 
 Ai.s-aiiiKe, the Ojilibcway chid : then returning, he Hhook ihtHjc 
 trophies at the t)jibl)eways, with some exulting and vaunting 
 words. The enraged lather, at sight of the scalp and medal, 
 rushed from his cover, shot down one of the Sioux, cut ofl" his 
 head, and shook it exultingly at the survivors. The other Ojib- 
 heways, being emi)oldened at this conduct of the Little Clara, 
 rushed forward together, and tlie Sioux Ihd. 
 
 Another considerable man of the Ojibbew ays, who was also 
 named Ta-bush-shish, had becti hunting in a ditlercnt direction, 
 accomi»Hiiied by one man, and had heard the firing, either where 
 the old woman had been killed, or where Ais-ainse was fighting, 
 and had returned home. The Indians said of him, as, indeed, 
 they often say of a man after his death, that he had some pre- 
 sentiments or forewarnings of what was about to happen. On 
 ihe preceding evening, he had come home, as the Indian hunter 
 nflen comes, to be aimoyed by the tongue of an old wife, jealous 
 of the attentions bestowed on a younger and more attractive tmc. 
 On this occasion, he said to her, " Sc(dd away, old woman, for 
 now I hear you the last lime.'' He was in the fort when some 
 one arrived, who had skulked and fled with the news of the tight 
 (he Little Clam was engaged in. Ta-bush-shish had two fine 
 hor8e.s, and he said to one of his friends, " Be-na, I believe you 
 area man; will you take one of my horses, and go with me to 
 see what Ais-ainse has been doing all day ? Shall we not be 
 ashamed to let him light so long, within hearing, and nevei 
 attempt to give him assistance ? Here are more than one hun- 
 dred of us, who have stood trembling within this camp, while 
 our brother has been fighting like a man. with only four or five 
 young men to assist him." They started, and following a trail 
 of the Sioux, it brought them to a place where a party had kin- 
 dled a fire, and were, for a moment, resting themselves around 
 if. They crept up near, but not thinking this a favourable op- 
 portunity to fin . Ta-bush-shish and Be-na went forward on the 
 route they knew the party would jmrsue, and laid theniselve;- 
 down in the snow. It was now night, but not very dark. When 
 the Sioux began to move, and a number of them came near the 
 place where they had concealed themselves, Ta-bush-shish and 
 Be-na ro«e up togethei'. and fired upon theni< and the latter, a;- 
 
 
 ^ ■ -i 
 
tannkh's SAKHM I\ I.. 
 
 171 
 
 ; bOll of 
 
 ik the«c 
 aunting 
 1 niediil, 
 I oft' his 
 ler Ojib- 
 le Clara, 
 
 was also 
 lirection, 
 ler where 
 fighting, 
 s, indeed, 
 some i)rc- 
 pen. On 
 iin hunter 
 t'e, jealous 
 ictive one 
 M)man, for 
 /hen some 
 )f the tiglit 
 il two fine 
 •eheve you 
 ivith me to 
 we not bl- 
 and neve I- 
 jii one Inm- 
 imp, while 
 four or five 
 wing a trail 
 ty had kin- 
 ves arouiul 
 iiurable op- 
 !var«l on the 
 ihemselve;- 
 .rk. Whtu 
 me near the 
 ih-shish and 
 he latter, a>- 
 
 1 
 
 jie had been instructed \o do, iiisfiintly llid. When ;ti a consi- 
 derable distance, and finding he \va>i mil iiiirr<uiil, lie st(>|)i>('d to 
 listen, and for groat pnrf of the ni/ht licanl now and linn a <j;u\u 
 and sometimes tli«> shrill mid scdilary sali-sah-Kwi of 'I'a-hiisl* 
 shish, shifting from place to place ; at last, many guns discliarycd 
 at the same momeiit; then the shouts and whoo|)s of ilic SioiiN 
 at the fall of their enemy; then all was silent, and lie leturneil 
 home. These were all that were killed at that time, the old wo- 
 man, Ta-l»ush-shisli, and the son of Ais-aiiise. 
 
 It was on the same day, as we afterwards heard, thai (he war- 
 party from Leech Lake, wliich Wa-gp-tone had joined, fell upon 
 forty Sioux lodges, at the htiig prairie. They had tought for 
 two days, and many 'vere killeil on each side. Wa-jre-tone \va> 
 the first man to strike a Sioux lodge. Wa'i-ka-zhe, the brother 
 of Muk-kud-da-be-na-sa, met those Ottawuaws who returned 
 from the Wild Rice Kiver, at Lake Winnipeg. He had lieen 
 ten years in the Rocky Mountains, and the country near them. 
 but now wished to return to his own people. He had, in tin 
 course of his long life, been much among the whites, and wa- 
 well acquainted with the different methods of gaining a subsist- 
 ence among them. He told me (hat I woiiM lie much better si- 
 tuated among the whites, but that 1 could not become a trader, as 
 I was unable to write ; I should not like to submit to constani 
 labour, therefore I could not be a farmer. 'I'here was but one 
 situation exactly adapted to my habits and ipialilications, that ot 
 an interpreter. 
 
 He gave us, among other information, some account of a mis- 
 sionary who had come among the Ottawwaws of Waw-gun-iik- 
 kezie, or some of the Indian settlements about the lakes, and 
 urged them to renounce their own religion, and adopt that of 
 the whites. In ccmnexion with this subject, he told us the an- 
 ecdote of the baptized Indian, who, after death, went to the gate 
 of the while man's heaven, and demande<l admittance ; but the 
 man who kept watch at the gate told him no redskins could be 
 alloweil to enter there. " (io." si id he, " for to the west there 
 are the villages and the hunting gruunds of those of your own 
 people, who have been on the earth before you." So be dejyart- 
 ed thence ; but when he came to the villages where the t'eud of 
 his own people resided, the chief refnscfl him admitf>»nce, "Yon 
 
 i) 
 
 * 1 
 
 
 

 I* 
 
 h 
 
 i 
 
 '-i 
 
 f?' 
 
 \n 
 
 i.vWKKS NAKKA'l'IVt. 
 
 have bc'fii ashamod of lis while you lived ; you have ehohtu 
 lo worship tho while inan's (Jod. (»•) now W hiss village, 
 und let him provide lor you." Tin ' vvas ni»?cted by both 
 parties. 
 
 Wah-ka-zhe heinjr the most consideri : <«) r'^ian anionp us, it de- 
 volved on him to direct our movements; but throiifih indcdenee, 
 or perhaps out ol' rcfrard to me, he determiiieii that not oidy 
 himself, l»ut his band, sluudd, for the winter, be (guided by mc. 
 As we had in view no object beyond i)are sidtsistence, and as I 
 was reckoned a very good hunter, and knew this part of the 
 country belter than any other man of the band, his course was 
 not an im|)()litic one. 
 
 It was in conformity to my advice ihat we went to spend the 
 winter at the He-gwi-o-nush-ko Fliver. The He-gwi-o-nu.^h-ko 
 enters Red River, about ten miles below Pendunah, and at the 
 <ime I speak of, the country on it was well slocked vvitii game. 
 We lived here in greal plenty and comfort, and Wah-ka-zhe often 
 boasted ot his sagacity in choosing me to direct the ujotions of 
 his party. But a j)art of the winter had passed, when Wa-me- 
 jron-a-l)iew began to talk of saeriticing Wah-ka-zhe, the latter 
 being in some manner connected with the man who, many years 
 before, had killed Taw-ga-we-ninne, Wa-me-gon-a-biew's father. 
 1 refused to join, or in any manner countemince him in this un- 
 dertaking; but notwithstanding my remonstrances, he went one 
 day to the lodge «»f Wah-ka-zhe, with his knife in his hand, in- 
 tending to kill him ; but as he was entering, Muk-kud-da-be-na- 
 sa, a son of Wah-ka-zhe, perceived his intention, and prevented 
 him. He inmiediately tried to provoke Wa-me-jron-a-biew to 
 engage him in single combat, but he retreated in his accustomed 
 manner. I not only reproved Wa-me-gon-a-biew for this unman- 
 ly conduct, but proposed to Wah-ka-zhe to have him driven from 
 the band, aiul Jio longer considered him my brother ; but Wuh-ka- 
 zhe was a considerate and friendly man, and unwilling that trouble 
 or disturbance should be made, and therefore forgave his oH'ence. 
 
 One of the young men, the son of Wah-ka-zhe, was accounted 
 the best hunter among the Indians of this band, and there was. 
 between us, while we resided at Be-gwi-o-nuah-ko, a friendly ri- 
 valry in hunting. O-ke-mah-we-nin-ne, as he was called, killed 
 Xiiuf teeu moose, one beaver, and one bear ; I killed seventeen 
 
 ■V;, 
 
 i 
 
TANVER'h NARnATlVi;. 
 
 n:{ 
 
 iiioosr, one huiulie*! hc-avers. ancJ seven hears; but lie was con- 
 ^idoreil the lietter hnnU-r, moose hciiijr the niosi (liflirult of ''I 
 Muiniiils H) kill. Tliere are many Iiidiiins who hunt tlironirh tlie 
 M'inler in that roimlry, ami kill no more than Iwo or three moose. 
 ;ni<i some never are al)h! to kill one. 
 
 We had plenty oltrame at the Be-|r\vi-o-iuish-ko, unti] another 
 hand of ()iil)he\vays came upon us, iii irnal nuiuliers, and in a 
 fttiir\ inir eoudititin. While \\v were in this siiuatiun, and man\ ot' 
 tliosf who had recently joined us on the point of perishing with 
 hunjfcr, a man called (Jish-ka\v-ko, the nephew ol' hitn by whom 
 I was taken prisoner, went a Inintiny;, and in one day kilhd two 
 moose, lie call'd ine to i;,, with him and nvl sonu- nuat, at the 
 same timi' sifrnit'yinsf his intention to keep his succ«'ss concealed 
 from the remainder of the hand ; hut I refused to have any part 
 with him in such a transaction. 1 iinmediat* ly started on a hunt 
 with Muk-kud-da-he-na-sa, and one or twt) other.s. and we having 
 (rood luck, killed four bears, which we distributed amonjr tho 
 huiiirry. 
 
 We now found it necessary for our large party to disperse in 
 various directions. With .Muk-k\id-da-be-na-sa, RIack Bird, and 
 Wah-ka-zlie, and one other man, 1 went and encam|)ed at the dis- 
 tance of two days' journey fnun the place where we had been 
 living. While here, we all started together one morning, to 
 hunt, but ill the course of the day scattered from each other. 
 Late at night [ returned, and was surprised to find, in plac«' of 
 our lodge, nothing remaining but a little pile of the dried grasr? 
 we had used for a bed. Under this I found Black Bird, who, 
 having come in but a little belore me, and after the removal of 
 the lodge, had laid down tosh'ep, su|)|)osing himself th»' only one 
 Ict't Ixdiind. As we followed the trail td" (»ur companions on the 
 succeeding dav. we met messcnireis cnnii'iir to intorm us that the 
 sow of ^ah-aitch-e•gum-lne, the man who, with Wah-ka-zhe, 
 had left us so unexpectedly, had kilhd himself by an accidental 
 discharge (d'his gun. 'PWy()un>r man had been rcstinir can h-ss- 
 ly on the muzzle of his jint, when the butt slip|)inir from tho 
 snow-shoe on which he had placed it, it had fired, and the con- 
 tents passing through the arm-pit, had entered his head ; but 
 though so shockingly wounded, ifn young man lived twenty 
 davH in a state of stupor and insensibility, and then died. The 
 
 it 
 
 -i 
 
 l.^:. 
 

 
 .>f 
 
 lilm •: 
 
 *» 
 
 i 
 
 174 ianner's Karrativk. 
 
 Indians attribuloil to a presentiment of evil on the part of Nali- 
 <7it(-h-e-<rinn-iiie a;><| \Vali-ka-/.he, tlieir abrupt abandonment ui 
 Black Hird and niVHcll. 
 
 Slicrlly after this, we were so redure<I l)y bunker, that it was 
 tlniiiifht neci'>*-<arv lo have reeoiirse to a rnedirine hunt. Nah- 
 giirh-e-4.nnn-nte sent to me and (>-<ie-niah-w»:-ninne, the two best 
 hnnt»rs of the band, each a htlJe leather sack of medicine, consist- 
 in^r iif certain roots, pounded fine and mixed with red paini, lobe 
 aj)plinl to the litiie iniaces or figures »d'the animals we wished in 
 kill. I'recisidv the same method i.- practised in tliis kind of bnntinir 
 at least as fur as the use of medicine is concerned, as in those in- 
 stances where one Indian attem[)ls to inllici disease or siiliirinj; on 
 
 anoti 
 
 ler. 
 
 A dm 
 
 iwiiiii, ora little ima<rt', is maoe lo repres<'iil llie man 
 
 le lo 
 
 the M oniaii, or the aniinal, on « lii<h tin jiower ot'the medicine in to 
 be tried ; tlun the part represeniiiitr the heart is pnnrtnred with a 
 sharp iiislrimient, it' the disiirn lie to cause <leath, and a little ol 
 the medicine is applied. The drawinir or imatre ol an animal 
 used in litis ca>e is called mii/./i-iie-neen, miiz/i-Me-iieen-iii>, (pi.) 
 anil the same name is applicable to the little liifiires of a man oi 
 W(»maii, and is som«'limes rudely traced on birch bark, in dlhe; 
 instances more carefiillv carved of wood. VVc started witli miicli 
 eonlidencc of soccers, bnl NVab-ka-/.lie bdlowed, and overtakiii!. 
 IIS at noine distance, cautioned ii> airain>t usintr the mediiin< 
 ISah-iritchf-jriim-me had jriven iw, as he said it wmuII be ihi 
 means ol niiscliief and misrr\ to us, not at present, but when ui 
 «'ame to die. VVc therefore <lid n il make nst- of ii, but, never 
 theiess, Iiap|ieninir to kill some iraine, Nab-iritcli-e-irum-me thnuulii 
 himself, on account ol the supposed eHlcaey of IiIk medicim-, en 
 titled to a h.imisoine share of il. Findinii ihai himiriT was like 
 to |)r«'ss severely iijion us, I sejiarateil from tlie band, and m imii 
 to live by iiiysell, feeliiii; always conli<lenl that by so doinu I 
 could ensure a plentiful siippiv for the wants of my tamilv. Wih- 
 ka-/he and Dlack Itird came to Lake Winnipei;. from whenrr 
 they ilid not return, .^ I had expected the\ would. 
 
 After I hail tinisbe.j my hunt, and a! about the u-<u.il lime fm 
 ussembliii(r in the spriiiir, I bejran to descend the lie-i;wi-o-nush-ke 
 to go to the traders on Ki'd Kiver. VIost of the IndiatiK hud led 
 thrir rumps, and ironc on before inf>; ax I wiim one morniiiir pasx 
 ing uitt^ of our usual cnrHinpinir placeH, I saw on nhore a httle 
 
 !.)i 
 
 » 
 
lANNKR S NAUHAilVK. 
 
 rt of Nali- 
 oniiiont ot 
 
 :liat it was 
 ml. Nah- 
 
 IC I wo lust 
 
 ic, consisl- 
 |)i»int, to l)r 
 (• wishetl 10 
 uf liiiniin;:^ 
 ill tluixc in 
 <)il)('ritii> oil 
 >iil the man. 
 t'dicim' in If 
 lun'il with a 
 I ii little ol 
 r III) iiiiimnl 
 
 nf a mail or 
 ik, ill nlhc: 
 il Willi nuK'Ii 
 ovfiliikiiii 
 lie mcdicini 
 Miilil I'O iht 
 ml \\ lull \V( 
 
 l)lll. IM'VCl' 
 
 nir tliim!:lii 
 "(liriiii', I'll 
 •r wax liki 
 , anil \» cm 
 •'Il (liiiiii; I 
 iiilN. NViili- 
 iiiu whrncr 
 
 u,il time loi 
 , i-o-mixh-ki' 
 iaiiK liail li'tt 
 .riling paHH- 
 ihiire H IimI' 
 
 17& 
 
 slick Btandin^ in the bank, and altailicd to llir ioj) ol' it a piece of 
 liinli liurk. On cxaminalion, I toiind tlu- mark of n rattle snake 
 with a knilc, the handle tou('hint> the snake, and the puinl stick' 
 inf,' into a bear, the head of the latter beiiif? down. Near the rat- 
 tlesnake was the mark of a lieaver, one of its dugs, it being a 
 li'iiialc, touehiiiK ihe snake. 'I'liis was left fur my information, 
 uu>l 1 learned Ironi it, that Wa-me-gon-a-bieM, wluise totem was 
 She-slie-gwali, the rattlesnake, had killed a man whose totein 
 wa> Miik-kwah, the bear. The miirdeier could be no other than 
 \Va-m«'-goii-a-biew, as it was specified that he was the son of a 
 woman whose lol.in was the beaver, and this I knew could be 
 no .tlh/r than Net-no-kwa. As tJiere were but few of the bear 
 totein in our band, 1 witscoiitideiit the man killed was a young mail 
 lulled Ke-zha-zhoons ; tliat he was dead, and not wouiuled mere- 
 iv, was indicated by the drooping down of the head of the bear. 
 I was not ileterred iiy this iiilnrmation from continuing' my jour- 
 ney i on the contrary, I hastened on, and arrived in time to wit- 
 ness the interment of the youii^ man my brother hud killed. 
 Wa-me-goii-a-liiew went liy himself, and dut: a !£ra\ e w ide enough 
 lor tw(i men ; then the Iriends of Ke-/.ha-/lio(ins brought his 
 'iiidy, and when it «as let down into the gra\e, NVa-me-trmi-a- 
 hicw took oil uli his clothes, exee|it his bree< h ilolli, and sitting 
 iliiwii naked at the head of the urave, drew his knile, and oller- 
 i-d the handle to the nearesi male relative ol the deceased. 
 ■Mv Irieiid," said he, "I have killed your brother. Vou 
 >t'e I have made a grave wide enoiiuh lor both of us, and I am 
 now ready and willing to sleep with him." The first and He- 
 aind, and eventually all the friends of the murdered young man, 
 icliised the knife which Wa-im-tfon-a-bieu oHired them in siic- 
 lession. TIh- relations of V\ii-iiie-gon-a-biew v\ere powerful, 
 and it was tear of them which now saved his life. The ollenco 
 of the young man whom he killcii, had been the calling him "cut 
 nose." FindiiiK that none of the male relations ot the deceaHed 
 were \n illing to undertake publicly the piniishmeiit of his mur- 
 derer, Wa-me-gon-a-biew said to them, " iroiilde nie no more, 
 now or hereafter, about this business ; I shall do again as I liave 
 HUH duiw, if any uf you venture to jyrive me similar provucu- 
 liun." 
 The molliud by wliich iuromialiuii of ihitiairMir WHscoiiiinuni 
 
 I 
 
 r i 
 
4 i 
 
 
 ii'i!;', 
 
 ^ 
 
 >i 
 
 'if 
 
 J7« 
 
 TANNRR A NARRATIVE., 
 
 i-ated to mp at a distance, is out' in coniinon use among the In- 
 dians, and, in most rases, it is perffctly cx(iii('il and salislacUtry. 
 Tlu' men of the same tribe are extensively acquainted with the 
 totems which belong to each : and it un any record uf this kiiitl, 
 the figure of a man apjxars without any desigiuitory mark, it is 
 immediately understood that he is a iSioux, oral leasl a straniier. 
 Indeed, in most instances, as in that al>ove mentioned, the figurt'< 
 of men are not used at all, merely the totem, or sirname, bi in^f 
 given. In -ases where the information to he conummicaleil 
 is tlial the party mentimied is st;irviiiir, ihc figm-e of a nuin 
 is sometimes drawn, and his mouth is jiainted white, or white 
 paint may be smeared about the mouth of the uniinal, if it hap- 
 pens to be one, which is his totem. 
 
 After visitinir the irader mi Red River, I startet! with the in- 
 tention of ruining to the Siat(< ; but at Lake Winnipeg i heani 
 that the war between <M(at Hritaiii and the rnited Slates still 
 continued, with such disturbances on the frontier as would render 
 it ditVicult for me to pass with safety. I was therefore com)>ellp<l 
 to stop by myself at that place, where I was after some tiiiu' 
 joined by Pe-shau-Iia. VVaw-/,h<-kah-maish-koon, and otlx-rs, 1 1 
 the number uf three lodges. The tdd coni|ianion and ass<iciiitr 
 of Pe-shau-ba, Waw-so, had been acci<lenially killed by iin A 
 siiineboin in liunting. Here we lived in pbniy und contentment, 
 but Pe-sliau-ba, upon whom the death of Ins friend Waw-so hail 
 made some impression, was soon taken vi<d«'ntly ill. He wa- 
 C<uiscious that his end was approaching, and very fre<|iientlv 
 told IIS he should nui live lonu. One da\ he -aid tome. *' I 
 remember liel'ore I came to live in this world, i was with tin 
 (ireal Sjiirit above. And I olten looked down, and saw iiit h 
 upon the earth. I saw many gooit and desiraide things, an<l 
 amone others, a beautiful woman, and as I looked day after <l:i\ 
 at the wmnan, he said to iiie, ' Pe-shiiu-bii, do you love the wn- 
 mull \ on an' -^o olten lookiiii: at f I (old him I did : then h' saitl 
 to me, ' (io down and spend a few winters on the earth. V<mi 
 cannot stay long, and you must remember to be always kind uiM 
 good to my children whom you see below.' So I came down. 
 but I have never forgotten wliui was said to me. i have alwuV': 
 stood in the smoke between die two bands, when my people lm\c 
 fuuffiil with their enemies. 1 have not Htruckmy iVifiids la thi-i' 
 
 J., 
 
tanner's NAUKATIVi:. 
 
 m 
 
 vith the in- 
 P)j I lu'iinl 
 Stall's still 
 (iiiltl render 
 V ctiinpellpil 
 some till!' 
 il olheri*, II 
 nil assoeiali 
 1 liv a II A- 
 oiitentiueiii. 
 \Viiw-«o liail 
 He wii-^ 
 lioi|iieiillv 
 || III me. " 1 
 rt as with till 
 |i\)l saw nun 
 lliinifs, iw\ 
 
 [lay al'lei- 'l^t^ 
 love iIm' \mi 
 llien \\r xanl 
 earth. Y'ni 
 lays kiiiil iiiiii 
 raiue down, 
 have alway-i 
 lieojile huM' 
 Lends ill ll»«*'' 
 
 |o(l|TeH. I have disrofirarded the foohshness of yoiiii^ men who 
 AVould have ofl'ended me, hut have always heeii ready and willing 
 to lead our brave men against the Sioux. I have always gone 
 into battle painted black, as I now am, and I now hear the same 
 voice that talked to me before I eame to this world ; it tells me I 
 can remain here no longer. To yon, my brother, I have been a 
 protector, and yon will lie sorry when I leave you ; but be not 
 like a w<Mnan, yon will soon follow in my path," lie then put 
 on the new rloth*'- I had liiven him to wear below, walked out 
 (if the lodtre, lookeil at the sun, the sky, the lake, and the distant 
 hills; tht n came in, and lay down composedly in his place in th«! 
 iodfie, and in a fow miiinles c»'as<'d to breathe. 
 
 After the death of Pe-shau-ba, I wished t(» have inadi another 
 attempt to come to the States; but Waw-xhe-kah-maish-koon 
 prevented me. I lived with him the remainder of the winter, 
 and ill the fsprinff vv.nl to Ne-bo-wese-be, (Dead River.) where wc 
 |.hiiited corn, and spent the stimmer. in the tall, after the com 
 was Leathered, we went to onr hunting jircnmrls. 
 
 An old Ojibbeway, ^-alled Crooked Fiiurer, had been livlny in 
 my lod^re about a year; In all that time, havinjr never killed any 
 ihintr. When I started to hunt biilhiloe. be follovveil nie, and wc 
 tame at the same time in view of a larire bcnl, when the old man 
 nuleavonred to raise a ipiarrel about my riirht to use those hunt- 
 iiH( urminds. "Yon Ojiawwaws," said he. " have no riyht \\y, 
 this part of the country ; and lliouLfh I eannol control all of yon, 
 I have you, at last, ni>w in my power, and I am dilerinined, that 
 if ynu do not yo back to your own country from this very spot. 
 I will kill y<>u." I had no apprehension on account of his thrent. 
 and I defied him to injure or mol«>st me. Alter an hour or more 
 (tf idtercati(m, he crept up. and at lei.irih besran to shoot at the 
 herd of iintliiloe. Soon alter lie had left me, tw o Oilawwaw--. 
 who had overheard the ipiarrel as ihey were comiiiu up, and haii 
 concc il-'d themselves in ibe liushes near, joim-n m The old 
 iiiuii, after three or lour misuccessful shots ..i tl e h Ulaioe i'.jrne»I 
 an<l went home, ashamed alike of hi^ in<(deiice \' ;.ie, and of hi-) 
 ftuiii of sincess. Then I went forward with the iwu yom.ir Ot- 
 tawwaws who had joined nie, und we killed on;>inerHble iio:<>- 
 her of fat eown. 
 
 •Shortly after this, when i had been huniiufir all day, on reluvn- 
 
!r '-:f*m 
 
 ^Tr 
 
 
 I, 
 
 f' 
 
 ♦ 1 
 
 ^»';-' 
 
 ? t 
 
 i 
 
 ITS 
 
 TANNKR S NAUKATlVr. 
 
 ing home late at niglit, I lound a very imusiiul >iloomin«»sK in tht; 
 (^ounteiiaiu'cs of nil tin- inmates of my lodiro. I saw tlu're a niau 
 named Cliik-ali-t<», who was almost a stranger to me. He, and 
 all the rest of llu'm, seemed as if east «lowa by some sudden and 
 unexpected bad news ; and when I asked my wife the rausc of 
 this apparent distress, she returned me no answer. At len^ilh, 
 VV'aw-zhe-kah-maisIi-koon, in re|)Iy to my earnest impiiries, told 
 me, with the utmost seriousness, anil a voice ol' solemn emieerti, 
 thm the (neat Spirit bad e<Mne down asrain. " What, has he 
 come again so soon ?" said I ; " lie eomes ot'ten of late ; but 1 sup- 
 pose we must hear what he has to say." The lisiht ami irreve- 
 rent manner in whirli I treated the subjeet, wa- very ollensive t(j 
 many of the Iiulians. and they a|)parently all determined to 
 withhold iVom me all coinnumieations respeeling it. This was to 
 me a matter of little ronsei|uence, and I went, as usual, to my 
 huntinjr, on the followinir nutrninu. Mv own indillerenre and 
 eonlempt for these preleiideil revelations of the Divin.- will, kejH 
 me in ignoraiice, for some time, of llu- purport ot the present (Mic. 
 But at a subsequent period of my life, I found, that thoutrh my 
 skeptirism might not be olfensiv*' to the (ireal (Jod, in whosn 
 name these revelations were made to us, still it was liighly so to 
 those who were pleased to stile themselves his messengers ; and 
 that, by ineurrinu; their ill v.ill, 1 exposed m).self to much iiicoi'.- 
 vcnienre and danger. 
 
 Ill the s[iring of tlie year, after we had assembleil at the trading: 
 Jjouse at reinbinah, tlie rliiel's built a liieal lodirc, and I'alled .ill 
 the men logelber to receive some inl'orinatioii eoiieerninj> lli.' 
 newly revealed will ol the (Jreat Spirit. The messenger of ihiv' 
 revelation, was Maiiito-o-geezliik, a man of no great faiiK-, Inn 
 well known to most of the (>iibbe^tays of that eoimtry. He had 
 disap|)eareil lor about (me year, and in that time, he pretended In 
 have visited the abode of the (Jreat Spirit, and to have listened 
 to his instriK-tiiHis : but some of the traders informed me, he had 
 only been to St. liOiiis, on the Mississippi. 
 
 The l.illle Cliim loolx it upon him to explain (he object ot 
 ^\^^ iiieeliiiti. He then sung anil pra\ed, and proceeded to ik- 
 tail the principal features of the revelation (o !Manito«(i-gcc- 
 zhik. The Indians were no more to go against their enemies; 
 they tnuft bo longer steal, defraud, or lie ; they must neither Ni 
 
 
IANNKR's NAKHATIVl,, 
 
 179 
 
 <iruiik. noF eat their fcuul, mtrtlriiik lluir tnvuli wlicii ii was lini. 
 Few ot" the injiiiiftions ul" Miiiiit(i-(i-<r((/.liiL were li()iil)le!i(tme 
 or (liHicult «»f Obs'^rvaiiet', like ihosi- ol' the Shiiw lui' prophet. 
 Muiiy of the iiiaxiins and iiistructiniis eoiiiinniiieateii to the In- 
 chaiis, at this time, were of a kiixl to he permiinenily and valua- 
 bly useful l«) them; and liie elii-cl of ihcir influcnre was manifest 
 for two or three years, in the more orderly eoiidnet. and some- 
 what amended condition of the Indians. 
 
 When we wire ready to scparalc (Vom the tradinij-house, Ais- 
 ainse, (the little <lam,) invited several o| us, myself in partienlar, 
 tu areompany hint to his residence at Maii-e-to Sah-iri-e-sinn, or 
 Spirit Lake,* hut I would not join him, as I wished lo remain iii 
 a woody connlry, for the purpose of hunlinir the fnr-l)earin>: ani- 
 mals. 'l\'\\ nwn, amonif whom were VVa-i;«'-lone and <ii-ah-<(e- 
 jrit, together with ^real numbers of women, aeicpiel his invita- 
 tion, and went with him. A yinmi; man. a fri(Mi<l of the Little 
 Clam, named Se-trwnn-oons, (-iirimr deer.) l)efor(> tiny sejiaraleil 
 from us at I'einbinah, predicted that he would be killed al Spirit 
 Lake, ^kany other predicli(Hi-< he made, which were verified 
 from day to day, until the Indians cam«> to ha\e such < ontideiire 
 in him, that his admonitions ot' impending; danu;er to those who 
 sliould t5<» to Spirit Lake, liei>an to be so much reijarded, that 
 ^V;!-lne-^on-a-i)iew, and many others, became alarmed, and re- 
 turned. Last ol all came Malch-e-loons. a I'tndish ami lyinj; 
 youn^ man, who reported ihat the indications of danirer thick- 
 ciiinti around the Little Tlam and his band, he had >ttden away 
 ill the ni^rht, and <.he next mornin<i, thouah he had lied a consi- 
 derable distance, hi' heard the jiuiis of the Sionx at tiie camp hr 
 had left. We did not innnedialely creilit the acemmt of tlii.>« 
 man, but waited anxiously, from day to <fay. till at last the chiefs 
 fin rmin«'d to send twenty UKn, to ascertain whether there wnt^ 
 any louiulation lor his statement. This jiarly, when they ar- 
 rived at the |)loce where lh<' Little Clam had been encamped, 
 found that the whole band had been cut oil'. First, and in ad- 
 vance of all the camp, lav the body of Se-trw un-oiuis, the vftimp 
 Oitiu who had |)redicU'd the attack before he left reml)inah. 
 .Near hiiu lay some young men of iiis own age, and farther back 
 
 Lt neither b-i 
 
 » JDc'rfi LoAf. ujwl on the Norih VVivst Compunv's map, (iijd'g J^tJ<r 
 
 Jl 
 
ir^ -^l. 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 '1 
 
 1>0 
 
 •lANNEH rt NAKRATIVr.. 
 
 the stoiil l)(»(ly of the Little Clam, stuck full of arrowsi. In tin- 
 camp the tiroimil was strewed with the iKuiies of tlie women and 
 chiltlrei). At a distance was llie liody of one of the Sioux, in a 
 siltinjf posture, and covered willi the puk-kwi, or mats, which 
 Iiad bell red to the ()jii)heway Iodtf«s. Not one escaped cxcejx 
 Malch-e-toons, but some afterwards doubted whether he had not 
 fled in lli<' lime of the furhi. insleail ol (he eveninif before, as ht 
 iiad stated. Thus died the l^iille ('him, tiu' hist of liie considera- 
 ble iiwn of his ajre, l>eion)iin!f to the Ojibiu ways of Red River. 
 Our villajfc seenu'd thsidalc after the recent hiss of so many men. 
 
 We then went down lo Dea.I I{iver, |)lanled corn, a'«l sjteni 
 the suninitr tlure. Sha-awaw-koo-sink, an Oltawwaw, a friend 
 ol nunc, and an <dd niaii, first introduced the cidlivation uf corn 
 ailion^r the Ojibbeways of the Red River country. 
 
 Jn the tnsuin^ fall, when we w<';ii lo our hunting irrounds, the 
 wolves were unusually nuiuerous and troublesome. 'I'hey at- 
 tacked and killed my hor.^e, anti s( xeral ol my doirs. One day. 
 when I !iad killed a nioos(>, and mmv with all my lamily to briiiij 
 in the meat, 1 found, on m>> return. liu> wolves had pulled down 
 my lod>;e, carried oil inunv skins, carrying-straps, and, in line, 
 whatever articles of skin, or leather, they could come at. 1 kill- 
 ed ((real numbers, but they still coiilitiiied to trouble me, parti 
 culurly an old doir wolf, who Imd l)eeii so often at my door lliai 
 I knew ! s appearance, and was perfectly actpiainted with In- 
 habits. He used, w h< i!c\er he came, to advance boldly ujton m\ 
 (logs, and drive them in ; he would then prowl about, to sei/- 
 whatever he could find of lood. At last, I loaded mv (run. nm 
 went out, when he spruiii; directly at me; but I shot Intu In 
 furc h« JihU time lu fastvn ujiun niu. Hull' ht» hair hud fuileti oil 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 , » 
 
lANSERS NAHHATIVK. 
 
 m 
 
 In th« 
 iiiiru und 
 oux, ill a 
 
 fd except 
 t> had not 
 ,re, urt he 
 •oiisiilora- 
 led llivir. 
 uiiiiN nun. 
 ((■id i^\)vu\. 
 V, u friend 
 oit ot com 
 
 •ounds, thr 
 
 Th«'y i>t- 
 Oni' diiy. 
 i!y tt> hrini: 
 »ill»'d down 
 lid. in linr. 
 at. I kill- 
 iiir, parti 
 y »l»)«»r ihm 
 I'tl with hi- 
 lly upon w) 
 il, lit sri/' 
 IV (iun. ai" 
 ol hini l)r 
 d Ittlh-n "'1 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Rapncitv r.f the triidrrs — rcvclalioii of .MitnilK-o-gci-zliik — ijretonsions ol As- 
 kiiwlia-wis — (■r('iliilit\ nl the Iinliniis— <i)liiiiy :il |{cil K'lvrr, |.liiiiti'.l hy the 
 lliiil-itn's l!n\ traders — lar^t' \var-|iarty iissriiilili'd ;it 'I'urtli Muuntaiii — want 
 (if iliriciplinr. 
 
 IVIu. IIknrv had traded tpu y^ars at Peinhinah; he was suc- 
 fccfh'd l)y a Mr. M'Kcnzic, who rrniained Imt a sliort tiiiip, and 
 iifttr him cjimi.' Mr. VVtdls, <-all«Ml l)y the Indians (iah-sc-moaii, (a 
 >:iil.) from the runndncss and fulness of his person, lie huiit a 
 slroim^ lorl on Hi d Uiver, near the inoiilh of the Assinnehoin. 
 The Hudson's Hay ( niiipiiny Inid now no post in that part of 
 iln- country, and the Indians were soon made conscious of the 
 idvantajre whieh had formerly resnlK'd to them front the rompe- 
 ilioii htlween rival tradinif eoinnnnies. Mr. ^V ells, at the com- 
 iiieiieeiiieiii of winter, <'alled n^ all together, mive <lie Indians il 
 '.en s;alloii !'e)r of nmi, and sonie tohaeco, tellinsr them, at ihc 
 
 f-Hine time. It oiild not ere<lil one of them the value of a sinjjlc 
 
 heedle. *Vh« n they hroiiirht skins, he wotdd l>ny them, and 
 irive in exehani>e such urtieles as were ne«'«'ssar lor their eoin* 
 tort and sid)sist«Miee diirini> llir winter. I was not with the In* 
 diiin.' •vhen litis i dk was held. NVhen it was reporlf! to mc, 
 iiiil a i.hare of the [iresenls oHered me, I not only reluseil to ac- 
 K plans thiiiLN hnl repricic' ed the Indians f r tlseir pn lanimity 
 ill ■iidnnitli:!^ to siiehiitis. They had een aenistoined, tor 
 nnuiv years, to receive eredits in lln* fall; iliey were now en- 
 tirely destitute not of elotliintr merelv. hut of ammunition, and 
 many of the of ^uns and traps, li • \ were they, without 
 die neeiisioined aid from thi< iiaders. to siihsi-^t heinselves and 
 their familie-^ diiriiiii the en uniif w inter ? A tew days afuru ariis, 
 I went to Mr. WellH, ami tidd hini t i I wbh poor, with a liari^ 
 family l" supixirt by my own exertions, and tlui I muM no* 
 ^uiilnbly sullier. and perha|>s peritth. unless hi wnold ffivr me 
 
i'r 
 
 
 ■y^ 
 
 i' 
 
 It y 
 
 183 
 
 'fANXEn'b N4RRATIVB. 
 
 eucli a rrrdit as I had always, in tlie fall, been accustomed to re- 
 ccivc. lit' wtiidd not listen to my rf|ircs«-iitation, and told inr, 
 roughly, to i>v gone from his house, i then took eight silver 
 heaveis, siuh as are worn by the women, as ornuments on their 
 dress, and which 1 harl purchased the year before at just twice 
 the price that was coiinaiinly given lor a capote; 1 laid tiiem be- 
 for«- him, on the table, and asked him to give me a capote for 
 (hem, or retain tlu ni as a pU-dge for the pa\menl of the price of 
 the garment, as soon a> 1 could procuri' the peltries. He took 
 up the ornaments, threw them in my face, anil told me ne\er to 
 come inside of lii-< house again. The <-(dd weather of the winter 
 had not yet s«'t in, and I wint imnuMliately to my limiting ground, 
 killed a numl)er of moose, and set my wife to make the skins into 
 siicli garments as were best adapted to the winter season, and 
 uhi( h 1 now saw we should be compelled to sul>stitute tor the 
 bliiiikels and woollen ilothes we liad been accuslomeil to receive 
 from the traders. 
 
 I continued my hunting with good sueress, but the winter had 
 not half passed, when I lieanl thai Mr. Ilanie, a trader for the 
 Hudson's Hay people, had arrivi-d at I'endiin.ih. I went imme- 
 diately to him, and he uave me all the credit I asked, which wa-; 
 to the anmunl (d' seventy skins. Tln'ii i went to Muskral Kiver, 
 where 1 hunted the riniainder of the winter, killinn great num- 
 bers of martens, beavers, otters, «5te. 
 
 Karlv in the siirinif, I sent word by some Indians to Mr. Ilanie. 
 that 1 would go down to the imnith of the A-isinneiioin, and iir ct 
 him there, to pay my credit, as I had skins more thait enough for 
 tliis puipos«'. 
 
 When I arrived at the Assiiuieboin, Mr. Ilanie had not yri 
 passed, and I slopped to wait for him ojipusite Mr. VV( H's tradiii;j 
 hcMise. An idd {''renchman nl]ei'ed me a loiJMini; in his house, 
 and I went in and d p ite ' ni. peltries under the place he gave 
 me to sh-ep in. Mi. W. lis, having card of my arrival, sei\i 
 thr<'e li es, urii'ng me ti> - ome and sec him. At last, I yiiddcrl 
 to the s'-'icilations of rny brother-in-law, and crossed over wilh 
 him. Mr. Wills was glad to see me, and treated me with much 
 politeness ; he afVered me wine and provisions, and whatever his 
 house Htlorded- I had taken nothinir except a little tobacco. 
 >vhen I saw his Frenclinian eome in with my packs. They car- 
 
V 
 
 lANNKRS NAUKATlVi: 
 
 ISiJ 
 
 ricd them past me into Mr. Well's bed room ; lie then locked the 
 door, and lookout the key. liiunediiitely his kiiidiiess and at- 
 tentions to me rcla.xed. 1 said nothing, but tVii not ihe h'ss 
 anxious and uneasy, as i was very unwilling to be deprived of 
 the means of paying Mr. llanie his credit, still more so to have 
 my property taken from n»e by violenee, or without my own con- 
 soiit. 1 watched about the house, uikI at length luunii an oppor- 
 tunity to slip into the bed room, wliile Mr. Wells was then lakii^; 
 fiometiiing from a trunk. He tried to drive me, and al'terwa.-ds 
 to push mc out, but 1 was too strong for him. Alter he had 
 proceeded to this violence, 1 did not hesitate to take up uiy packs, 
 but he snatched them I'roin me. Again I seized them, and in 
 the struggle that ensued, the thongs thai boimd them wero 
 broken, and the skins strewed about the tloor. As 1 went to 
 gather them up, he drew a i»i»tol, cocked it, ami presented it to 
 my itreast. For a moment I stood motioidess, thinking ho would 
 cerlaiidy kill me, as i saw he was much eiiiauH d ; then 1 seized 
 his hand, and turned it aside, at the same moment drawing iVoin 
 my licit a large knife, which I grasped tirmly in my right hand, 
 still holding him by my left. Seeing himself thus sudilenl\ ;inrt 
 entirely in my power, he called lirsl for his wife, tlu'ii for his in- 
 terpreter, and told them to put me out of the house. To this, the 
 interpreter answered, " You are as able to put him out as I am.*' 
 H(une of the Frenchmen were also in the house, but they refused 
 to ifive him any assistance. Fimling he was imt likely to in- 
 timidate or overcome sue by \ iolence, lie had rfcoursc onco 
 more to milder measures. He (diered to divide with me, and to 
 allow me to retain half my peltries for the lluilsmi's Bay people, 
 " You have always," saiil he, " bcloiicred to the north west ; 
 why should yon now desert us for the Hudson's \V,\\ I"' He 
 then proceed) d t<> count the skins, di\ idiii>^ tin in into two par- 
 cels ; but I told him it was unnecessarv, as I was delermlMed he 
 should not have o'le of them. "I w«'nt to you,'' said I, '■ last 
 fall, when I was huuLny and destitute, and you drove nx', like a 
 dog, fiMun your floor. The ammunition with which I killed 
 these animals, was credited to me by Mr. Hanie, and the skins 
 belong to him; hut if this was not the case, you should not 
 have one of ihetn. You are a coward ; you have not so much 
 courage as a child. If you had the lieart of a si^uaw, you wouM 
 
1} 
 
 I' 
 
 I ■' 
 
 ili - 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 • '1 
 
 ls4 
 
 TANNtn's NARKATIVC. 
 
 not have pointed your pistol at my I)rea3t, and have failed to 
 shoot me. My life whs in your powi r, and there was mitliiiig 
 to prevent your lakinfr it, not even the fear of my friends, f(ir 
 you know that I am a stranger here, and not one among tlie In- 
 dians would raise his hand to avenge my death. You miglit have 
 thrown my body into the river, as you would a dog, an<l no one- 
 would have asked you what you had i iie ; but you wanted the 
 spirit to do even this." He asked me il 1 had not a knite in my 
 hand. I then showed him two, a I r .<• and a small oiu>, and told 
 him to beware how he provoked me t.» use thein. At last, wea- 
 ried with this altereation, he went and sat down o|)posite me in 
 the large room ; thouirh he was at eon-iderable distance, so great 
 was his agitation, that I rould distinctly hear his heart lieat. ^^Ilc 
 sat awhile, then went and began 'o walk hack and forth in the 
 yard. I collected my skins togetlx . and the inter; -eter helped 
 me to tie them up ; then taking them on my back, I walked out, 
 passed close by him, put them in my canoe, and returned to the 
 old Frenchman's house, on the other side. 
 
 Next mornino, il appeared that Mr. Weils had thought better 
 of the subject, than to wish to take my property from me by vio- 
 leiue, for he sent his intcroreter to otl'cr me his horse, which was 
 u very valual)le <me, if I would think no more of what lie h;ul 
 done. " Tell him," said I, to the interpreter, " he is a child. 
 and wishes to tpiarrel ami forget his ijuarrel in one day ; but he 
 shall not find I am like him: I luive a horse of my own; I will 
 keep mv packs; nor will I foruet tlial Ik pointed bis pistol at 
 my breast, when lie lind iioi tlie coiirat:e to shoot me." 
 
 On the following morning, one ot the clerks of the North West 
 Company arrived from the trading-house at Mouse River, and 
 he, i! ai)prared. told "Mr. Wells, wInn he liranl what had |>assed. 
 that ho wcMilil lake my paiks from me; and llmugh Mr. Well- 
 eauti.>ned him against it, Ik determined on maixing the attempt. 
 It was near noon, when the old Frenchman, after looking out of 
 his house, said to ute, " My friend, I believe you will lose your 
 packs now ; four men are cominu this way, all well armed ; their 
 visit, I am sure, is for no gooii or friendly purpose." Ilraring 
 this, i placed my packs in the middle of the tioor, and Uiking u 
 beaver trap in my band, sat down on them. When the clerk 
 e«ine in. arcompauied by three youug mou. he a-sked mc for ins 
 
V. iV 
 
 I-ANNKU's NAIillATlV t\ 
 
 i-5r> 
 
 and have (&\M to 
 there was uotliiug 
 of my IVitnils, iov 
 one amonil the In- 
 1. You mishl have 
 1 a iU)tf, antl n<» oiu; 
 but you wanted tlu; 
 111 not a knil'e in my 
 
 small one, and told 
 hem. 'Vt last, wea- 
 lown opposite me in 
 lie ilistanre, so preat 
 
 bis lu-arl heat. ■5^110 
 uk and forth in the 
 IH' interv eter helped 
 
 back, I walked .ml. 
 , and returned to th« 
 
 Is had thought better 
 )crty from me by vio- 
 ; his horse, whieh was 
 uore of wbal be li;id 
 ■vU-T. " he is a ebilil. 
 el in one day ; hnt he 
 se of my '»wn ; I will 
 pointed bis pistol at 
 ;liool me." 
 llvsoftbe North West 
 at Movisr Kiver, ami 
 Lard what had passed. 
 Ll tliMiigh Mr. Well- 
 |, maiviii}! the attemi>l. 
 I. after looking out ol 
 V,. you will lose youv 
 I, all well armed; their 
 V purpose." H.aiiiifr 
 be tioor, and Uikinij f 
 lu'in. 'VVheii the elerk 
 u. he a.skcd me fur im 
 
 'tacks. " What right have you," said I, ♦' lo (Ifioanil liiein *"' 
 • Vou are indebted to inc," said he. "When did 1 owe the 
 \..rth West any tliintr, that was not paid at the time airreed on?'' 
 '■Ten years ago," said be, ")()iir brother, Wa-me-gon-a-bie\v, 
 had a criMJit Ironi ine, which he paid all but ten skins; those arc 
 sUlldue, and I wish you to pay them." "Vory well," said I. "f 
 will pay your demand, but you nnist, at llie .^ann- time, pay mr 
 for those four packs of beaver we sent to you from the (Iraud 
 Porlaire. Your due bill was, as yini know, burned with my 
 lodge, at Kc-nu-kaw-ne-she-wa-bo-ant, and you have never paid 
 me, or any member of our family, the value of a single needle 
 for those one hundred and sixty l)eaver skins." Finding this 
 method would not succeed, and knowing, though he disregarded 
 it, the justice of my reply, he tried the eH'ect of violent measures, 
 like those used on the preceding day bv Mr. Wells ; but when 
 he perceived these were and would Ix ■ .|ually unavailir)g, he rc- 
 turred to the fort, without having k«-n a single marten skin 
 from me. 
 
 When I ascertained that it would ume time before Mr. 
 
 Hanie would arrive, I went down (o Dead Ki\ ( i , and whih' I was 
 waiting there, killeil four hundred nniskrats. \l last. Mr. lianip 
 arrived at the place where 1, with another man, bad been waiting 
 for him. He told me that he had passed Mr. Wells' trading- 
 house, at the moutli of the Assinneboin, in the middle of the dav. 
 with his crew singing. Mr. Wells, on seeing him, had immedi- 
 ately started after him, with a canoe strongly maimed and armed. 
 On perceiving this pursuit, Mr. Ilani*' went on shore, and leaving 
 his men in his canoe, went up aliout twenty yards into a smooth 
 prairie. Hither Mr. Wells followed him, attended l)y several 
 armed men; but Mr. Hanie made him stop at the distance often 
 yards, atid a long dispute lollowed, which ended in bis permit- 
 ting Mr. Hanie to pass down. I related to him my story of the 
 treatment I had received, and paid him his credit. I traded with 
 him for the remainder of my peltries, and after we had fmislied, 
 he gave me s(une handsome presents, anumg which was a valua- 
 ble gun, and then went on liis way. As I was re-ascending Red 
 River, I met Mr. Wells. He was destitute of fresh game, and 
 asked me for some, which I should h.ave given, had it been in 
 my power ; but he attributed my refusal to ill will. Afterward'^, 
 
 ti4 
 
 / 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 
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 (716) 173-4303 
 
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 I VNXKU S NAKHAIH 1.. 
 
 tlioiigJi I \vas livinir at a distance from liim, he .sent his horse ly 
 ine, and ajrain subsequently to Pembinali, but I constiuitly refused 
 (o accept it. Notwithstanding my steady and repeated refusal, I 
 ^vas informed lie always said the horse belonged to me, and after 
 his death, which happeinpd three years later, the other traders 
 (old me I ought to take the horse ; but I would not, and it fell 
 into the hands of an old Frenchman. After the death of Mr. 
 Wells, I returned to the North West Company, and traded with 
 them, as before : but never while he lived. If he had shot me, 
 and wounded me ever so severely, I should have been less of- 
 fended with him, than to have him present his pistol, as he did, 
 lo my breast, and take it away without firing. 
 
 Esh-ke-buk-ke-koo-sa, a chief of Leech Lake, came after this 
 <o Pembinali, with alioui forty young men, and I went, by invi- 
 tation, from the Be-gwi-o-nus-ko, with others, to hear him give 
 some account of the recent revelation from the Great Spirit to 
 Manito-o-geezhik. We were all assembled one night in a 
 long lodge, erected for the purpose, to dance and feast, and lis- 
 len to the discourse of the chief, when suddenly we heard two 
 guns, in quick succession, in the direction of the North West 
 Company'strading-housc, now unoccupied, except by two French- 
 men, who had that day arrived. 'I'he old men looked at each 
 other in doubt and dismay. Some said the Frenchmen are kill- 
 ing wolves, but Esh-ke-l)uk-ke-koo-sa said, " I know the sound 
 of the guns of the Sioux." The night was very dark, but all the 
 voung men took their arms and started immediately, and 1 among 
 the foremost. Many getting entangled among logs and stumps, 
 made but little progress. I kept the path, and was still foremost, 
 when a dark figure shot past me, and, at the same moment, I 
 iicard the voice of the Hlack Duck, saying, neen-dow-in-nin-nr, 
 (1 am a man.) I had often heard of the prowess of this man. 
 and in one instance had seen him at the Sioux village, at (,'hief 
 Vlountain, lead in what we all supposed would be an attack. 
 Now 1 delennified to keep near him. We had advanced within 
 .ibout gun shot of the fort, when he began to leap, first to one 
 <\(\(\ and then to the oilier, thus moving in a zig/ag line, though 
 lapidly, towards the gate of the fort. I followed liis example, 
 ,ind when he leapt into the open gate of the fort, it was with a 
 •>in'pri)5inff efi'ort of arlivily, which carried his feet near two 
 
 I r 
 
 Ih 
 
 Wf 
 

 rANNtU .S NAllUAl'n i;. 
 
 i!?; 
 
 hovse ic^ 
 y refused 
 refusal, I 
 
 aiul after 
 BV traders 
 uul it fell 
 th of Mr. 
 aded with 
 1 shot me, 
 en less of- 
 
 as he did, 
 
 B after this 
 It, by invi- 
 r him give 
 at Spirit to 
 night in a 
 ast, and lis- 
 hcard two 
 North West 
 .wo Fronch- 
 »ked at eacli 
 nen are kiU- 
 vv the sound 
 i, hut all the 
 and 1 amonir 
 and stumps, 
 lill foremost. 
 c moment, I 
 )W-in-nin-nr. 
 of this man. 
 jre, at Chief 
 )e an attack, 
 anred within 
 first to one 
 line, though 
 lis example. 
 I was with a 
 ( t near iwf' 
 
 \ards from the ground. We saw witliin llie Ibrl a liniisc, at tin- 
 window .ind door of whicli we perceived a hri'^iit light. Tli< 
 JMack Duck had a huflaloe robe over his shoulders, the dark co- 
 lour of which enabled him to jiass tho wiiidou' undiscovered by 
 the man who was watching within ; but my white blanket be- 
 traying me, the muzzle of a gun was instantly presented to my 
 head, but not Uischarged, for the Black Duck at that instant 
 caught in his arms the aH'righted Kniuchman, who had mistaUot 
 me for one of the Sioux, and was in the act of firing upon mo. 
 The second Frenchman was with the women ami children, who 
 were all lying in a heap in th>' corner of the room, crying through 
 fear. It appeared that the one who was watching l)y tlut window, 
 who was the most manly of the two, had, a i"ew minutes before. 
 i)een driving his horse out of the fort, to give him water, when 
 the animal had been shot dead in the gate by some men concealed 
 near at hand. He at first thought we were the poo[)le who had 
 :>hot his horse; but he was soon convinced of his error, as we did 
 not even know that the body of the horse was lying at the gate. 
 having jumped entirely over it when we entered. This French- 
 man would not leave the fort : but the Black Duck, who was ii 
 relative of one of the women, insiste.i that they should be taken 
 to the Indian camp. Others of our young men had by this tiin<^ 
 come up, and we determined to watch in the fort all night. Next 
 morning wc found the trail of the two men who had crossed tho 
 Pembinah river, a considerable Mar party having l)een concealed 
 on the other side. The two men were the celebrated Yauktong 
 chief, Wah-ne-tow, ami his uncle. They had concealed them- 
 selves near the gate of the fort, with the determination to shoot 
 down whatever came out ;ir went in. The first that [)asse(l, hap-- 
 pening to be the Frenchmaii's horse, he was shot down ; and the 
 two men, probably without knowing whether they had killed man 
 or beast, fled across the river. 
 
 When it was ascertained that the Sioux war party was not ;i 
 very large one, many were disposed to pursue after it, but Ksh- 
 ke-buk-ke-koo-sha said, " not so, my brethren ; Maiiito-o-geezhik. 
 whose messenger I am to you, tells us we must no more gn 
 against our enemies. And is it not manifest, that in this instanco 
 the Great Spirit has protected us. Had the Sicuiv come about 
 our lodge when we were fi'Hstinjr >n pecurify. M'ithout our arm"- 
 
 u 
 
,:i 
 
 
 ■4 
 
 i»» 
 
 TANM;K -S NA.RUA.TlMi. 
 
 ill our hands, liow easily inighl they huvc killed all of lis; but 
 ihey were misled, and made to mistake a Frenehman's horse for 
 an Ojibbeway. 80 will it continue to be, if we are obedient to 
 the injunctions we have received." I began to be apprehensive 
 for my family, having left them at home, and fearing that the Si- 
 oux might visit them, on their way to their own country. " Go," 
 said Esh-ke-l)uk-ke-koo-sha, when I tohl him of my anxiety, " but 
 do not fear that the Sioux can do any injury to your wife or chil- 
 dren ; but I wish you to go, that on your return you may bring 
 me your medicine bag, and I shall show you what to do with the 
 contents." I did accordingly, and he ordered the contents of m\ 
 medicine bag, except the medicines for war and hunting, to be 
 thrown into the tire. " This," said he, " is what we must hence- 
 forth do ; if any one is sick, let them take a bowl of birch bark, 
 and a little tobacco; the sick person himself, if he is able to walk, 
 otherwise his nearest relative, and let them go to the nearest run- 
 ning water. Let the tobacco be offered to the stream, then dipj)iu(: 
 (lie bowl in the same direction in which the water runs, let them 
 take a little, and carry it home, for the sick person to drink. But 
 if the sickness l)c very severe, then let the person that dips up 
 the water, plunge the bowl so deep that the edge of it shall touch 
 (he mud in the bottom of the stream." He then gave me a small 
 hoop of wood to wear on my head like a cap. On one half ol 
 this hoop, was marked the figure of a snake, whose office, as the 
 chief told me, was to take care of the water ; on the other half, 
 tlie figure of a man, to re()resent the (Jreat Spirit. This band, 
 or fillet, was not to be worn on ordinary occasions — only when I 
 .should go to bring water for some of my family or friends who 
 f^hould be sick. I was much dissatisfied at the destruction of the 
 contents of my medicine bag, many of them being such roots and 
 other substances, as I had found useful, in the disorders incident 
 to my situation ; and I was still more displeased, that we were 
 not, henceforth, to be allowed to use these remedies, some of 
 which I knew to be of great value. But all the Indians of the 
 band were in the same situation with myself, and I was com- 
 pelled to submit. 
 
 When the spring came on, I went to fulfil an appointment I 
 liad made the preceding fall, with Sha-gwaw-ko-sink, to meet him 
 at A cert^i place. 1 arrived on the spot at the time appointed. 
 
 I ' 
 
 r 
 
 I !■ 
 
 
Uis ; bvtt 
 horse for 
 lediem to 
 rohensivc 
 lat the Si- 
 •. "Oo," 
 iety, " bvil 
 ife or chil- 
 may bruig 
 lo with the 
 ents of my 
 ting, to be 
 lUSt hence- 
 birch bark. 
 )le to walk, 
 learest run- 
 len dipping 
 lis, let them 
 drink. But 
 that dips up 
 , shall touch 
 ; nic a small 
 one half ot 
 )frice, as the 
 other half. 
 This band, 
 [only when I 
 friends who 
 liction of the 
 ;h roots and 
 ers incident 
 |hat we were 
 [OS, some of 
 Idians of the 
 I was com* 
 
 kpointment I 
 to meet him 
 appointed. 
 
 TANV'KR's NARnATIVK. 
 
 180 
 
 and shortly afterwards, the old man came, on foot and alone, to 
 search fur me. llv had encamped about two miles distant, where 
 he bad been for two days, and tbey had plenty of fresh meat, 
 which was particularly grateful to me, as for some time past I 
 had killeil l)Ut little. 
 
 I lived with him during the summer. Slia-gwaw-ko-sink was 
 now too old and feei)le to hunt; but he had some young men with 
 him, who ke|)t him supplied, while iraine was lobe ha I ; but late 
 in the fall, the hunting grounds about us liecame poor. The 
 weather was very cold, and the ground hard frozen, but no snow 
 fell; so that it was diflicult to follow the tracks of the moose, 
 and the noise of our walking on hard ground and dry leaves, gave 
 the animals timely .varning of our a|)proacli. This state of things 
 continuing for some time, we were all reduced nearly to starva- 
 tiiiu, and had recoiusc, as a last resort, to medicine hunting. 
 Half the night I smig u-id prayed, and then lay down to sleep. 
 I saw. in my dream, a beautiful young man come down through 
 the hole in the top of my lodge, and he stood directly before me. 
 •• What," said he, "is this noise and crying that I hear? Do I 
 not know when you are hunffry and in distress ? I look down upon 
 you at all times, and it is not necessary you should call me with 
 such loud cries." Then pointing directly towards the sim's setting, 
 he said, " do you see those tracks?" "Yes," 1 answered, " the\ 
 are the tracks t)f two moose." " I sive you those two moose to 
 eat." Then poii\ting in an opposite direction, to\vards the place 
 of the sun's rising, lie showed me a bear's track, and said, "that 
 nlso I give you." He then went out at the door of my lodge, and 
 as he raised the blanket. I saw that snow was fallin<? rapidly. 
 
 I very soon awoke, and feeling too much excited to sleep, I 
 railed old Sha-gwaw-ko-sink to smoke with me, and then pre- 
 pared my Muz-zin-ne-neen-suk,* as in the subjoined sketch, to re- 
 
 ♦ MtiT-zin-TW-ncen, mut-Tin-nf-nrcn-s'ii^ — siiiffuliir and plurn!. Mrxhe-nin- 
 nc-shdh, Menhc-iiin-ni-sltuk — .MciiDiiinniiMliiiloft. Tht'so little imiincs, or draw- 
 ings, tor they arc called by Oie same iiaiiit'R, wlirthor of carvpil wood, or rags, or 
 onlv rudely sk."t('hrd on Inrrii liark, or men trai'cd in sand, are niuch in use among 
 si'veriil, and proiiably all the Aluonkin Irilx's. Their use is not eontined to hunting, 
 hut extends to the making of love, and the irratifieation of hatred, revenge, and all 
 maliirnant passions. 
 
 It is a prevailing belief, to whirh the influene* of eBtabliahed 8U|iprBtition has 
 |hv en aaastorii»luiig (wwvi, that the necronwnccrn. men and women of medicine. 
 
 
 ]■! 
 
JK^^" 
 
 \m 
 
 TANNER 9 KARRATfVK. 
 
 i i« 
 
 irj 
 
 % 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 N 
 
 « 
 
 «) 
 
TANNER S NARRATIVE. 
 
 JUl 
 
 present the animals whose tracks had been shown me in iiiy 
 dreani. At the earliest dawn, I started from the lodge in a heav^- 
 i'all of .inow, and taking the course pointed out to me, long be- 
 fore noon I fell on the track of two moose, and killed them both, 
 a male and a female, and extremely fat. 
 
 or those who arp acquainted with the hiilden powers of their wusks, run, l\v pi'ac- 
 tisins u|)on the Muz-8iii-nc-neence, exercise an unlimited control over the IkkIv and 
 mind of the person represented. As it may have been, in former times, among the 
 people of our rare, iruiny a simple Indian <;irl (rives to nomeeraftv old squaw her 
 most valued ornaments, or whatever property she may [)ossess, to purchase from 
 lirr the love of the man she is most anxious to please. The old woman, in a casn 
 of this kind, commonly makes up a little ima<ie of stained wooil and ruffs, to which 
 .«he gives the name of the )X'rson whose inclinations she is expected to control ; and 
 to the heart, the eyes, or to some other part of this, she, from time to time, ajjplies 
 hrr medicines, or professes to have done so, as she may lind necessary to dupe and 
 encourage her credulous employer. 
 
 But the influence of these images and conjurations, is more frequently tested in 
 rases of an opposite character ; where the inciting cause is not love, hut hatred, and 
 the object to be attaintid, the gratification of a deadly revenge. In cases of this 
 liiiid, the practices are similar to those above mentioned, only ditferent medicines 
 lire used. Sometimes the Muz-zin-ne-nnence is pricked with a j)in, or needle, in 
 various parts, and pain or disease is supjwsed to be proiluced in the corresponding 
 prt of the person practised upon. Sometimes they blacken the hands and mouth 
 f.t' the image, and the effect expected, is the change which marks the near ap- 
 jiioach of death. 
 
 In the sanguinary chapter of the Calica Puran, we find reference to a similar 
 ^uporstition among the Asiatics. 
 
 '• Let a figure he made, either of barley m(!al or earth, representing the person 
 with who.m the sacrificer is at variance, and the head of the figure struck ofi'. 
 After the usual texts have been used, the following is to be used in invoking th<^ 
 ;ixe on the occasion : KffunK, rffuse blood ! be terrific, be terrific .' .n'i:e, seize ! 
 destroy, for the love of Ambica, the head of this enemy. Having struck ofl' the 
 bead, let him present it, using the texts laid down hereafter f<)r the occasion, con- 
 iluiling with the word phat. Water must Ik? sprinkled on the mral or earthen 
 victim, which represents the sacrificer's enemy, using the text conmiencing with 
 Rada, draibaih, (i. e. by streams of blood,) and marks must be made on the fore- 
 iiead with red sanders ; garlands of red flowers must be. j)Ut round the neck of the 
 image, and it must be dre-^sed in red garments, tied with red curds, and girt with 
 a red ginlle. Then placing the head towards the north, let it be struck olFwitli 
 on axe, using the Si'anda text." 
 
 So general and prevalent, among the Indians, is the confidence in the efficacy 
 (if these charms, and of those practised by means of a hair from the hcatl of the in- 
 U'luled victim, that the Wlicf in them, lias extended to many of the more igno- 
 rant of the Canadi. .s who reside with the Indians, and even to some of tin- (rii 
 ''•'IN Instances in which a iiair is used in place of the image, or niu/.-ziu-ne-neeni<- 
 
 M 
 
?•*'■■ 'J-!?^ 
 
 f'VT 
 
 192 
 
 tanner's narhative. 
 
 The songs used on occasion of those medicine hunts, have re- 
 lation to the religious opinions of the Indians. They are often ad- 
 dressed to Na-na-boo-shoo, or Na-na-bush, whom they intreat to 
 
 i .<; 
 
 if 
 
 u. 
 
 are frcquptitly those of young women ; and various, and sometimes dreadful, are 
 the consequences su|)|K)sed to result. So confident are the representations ol' 
 whites, and tliose even of some shrewdness, and so stronfi the lieliefot the Indiang, 
 in the power of tliesc drawings, as to enlorco the conviction, that effects have been 
 proiluced, in connexion with thes<' mummeries, eitlier hy the intluence ot'imagiiia- 
 tion, or the still more |iowert'ul and ci-rtain operation of poison, admini ,tcred se- 
 cretly. Poisoning is a crime of perhaps greater frequency among the Indians, than 
 could ha\e been ex|)ected from their situation ; and they attribute ecjual guilt to 
 the poisoner, whether he actually and craftily administers some powerful drug, or 
 whether, at the distance of one or two hundred miles, or at any placi*, however re- 
 )notc, he so applies medicine to the Muz-zin-ne-neence, or to a hair, as to produce 
 pain, 8i('kness, death, or other .suirerinsi, in his enemy. The inlluence of these 
 superstitious and absurd fears, is l)0un<lless, and would, periiaps, surpass compre- 
 hension and bi-lief, if we could not look back to the time, when the minds of our 
 own race were similarly enthralled ; and when the dread of supernatural powers, in 
 the hands of the malicious or the en\ious, formed one among the most s(>rious and 
 real evils, in the hie even of the most enlightened and inde|>endent. Many cases 
 of sudden sickness ocrur among them, arul many deaths hap|H-n entirely in tiic 
 way of nature, which they, l)eiiiu; vnnorant of the true cause, attribute to poison, ur 
 more frequently to bad medicine ; but enough of well authenticated instances exist 
 to {)rove that they, in some cases, practice upon each other by poison ; sometinip^ 
 using such noxious jilants, or other substances, as their own country affords, and 
 in other instances prorurinsi ars<'nic, or other drugs, from the whites. To destroy 
 life in this way, is perfectly in accordance with their ideas of bravery, or tough- 
 ness of heart, (Soiig-ge-d.i-win ;) he being often esteemed the braveft nian, wiio 
 destroys his enemy with least risk to his own life. 
 
 The C'hippcwyans, wliose bleak and inhospitable country, affords neither hircli 
 bark or other similar article, indeed nothing from the vegetable kingdom to serve 
 as a substitute for the birch bark, and whose extreme rudeness has left them igno- 
 rant of any method of pre])aring from stones or earth, any thing suitable to wile 
 or delineate figures upon, use, in their i)reparafions for the me<licine hunt, tin; 
 scapular bone of the rein deer, or such other animals as are found in their country. 
 With an apparent poverty of languatre, corresfKinding to the meagerness of tlii'ir 
 .soil, and the bluntness of their intellects, they denominate the drawing used in 
 this kind of hunting, Kl-kul-lah ki-ecf-ze, (th^ shoulder blade Iwne.) It woulil 
 apj)ear, also, that tiie accopijHinying ceremonies of this su|)erstition are pro|K)rtii)ii' 
 ably rude and inartificial. After awkwardly sketcliing the rein deer, or whatevf; 
 unimalthey may happen to consider as indicated to them by their dream, they cast 
 the bone on which the dniwinj; is made into the fire, if, by chance, they hnjiifn 
 to have one ; and this fulfils all those imjiorfant ends, whi 'li, in the imasrination of 
 the Ojibbewiiv hunter, are de|K'ndant u|)on the proper application of his mecticinci:| 
 iind the patient chanting of his prayer*:. 
 
 r^ 
 
 ' '.4 
 
 V 
 
I'AXNKR's NARRATlVt;. 
 
 mi 
 
 , have i'«- 
 
 » often ad- 
 
 intreat to 
 
 dreadful, aiP 
 5i-ntatioi\s ol' 
 ,( tlie Indians, 
 ■cts havf iH'en 
 cc ot ima|Tina- 
 iniiii.tercd sc- 
 > Indians, than 
 ' P(iual guilt to 
 verful drug, or 
 Tie, however rc- 
 r, as to produce 
 luence of these 
 ;ur\>ass compre- 
 w mindt* of ouv 
 tural powers, in 
 nost serious and 
 Lt. Many cases 
 I entirely in tho 
 3uU- to pois*)n, ur 
 d instances exist 
 lison ; sometimcj 
 ntry affords, and 
 iites. To destroy 
 ravery, or tovigh- 
 raveft man, wlw 
 
 irds neither hireh 
 kingdom to serve 
 as left Ihem igno- 
 auitahle to wito 
 licine hunt, tin 
 in their oountn . 
 oatrerness of tlifir 
 drawing usi'din 
 \>one.) It would 
 in are pro|>ortion- 
 deer, or whatever 
 ir dream, they cast 
 anee, they hnpiicn 
 
 ;he imaiiinii'i"" °^ 
 mofhismedicuiff, 
 
 he their interpreter, and coininnniciite tlunr reqiiesls to tlie Su- 
 preme ; oftentimes, also, to Me-suk-kum-mik 0-k\vi, or the 
 earth, the great-ifiand-mother of all. In these sonsrs, they relate 
 h(»w Na-na-bush created the ground, in obedience to the com- 
 niands of the Great SSpiril, and how all ihinirs for the use, and to 
 .sup|ily tiic wants of the uncles and aunts of Na-na-bush, (by which 
 live meant men and women,) were committed to the care and 
 Keeping of the great mother. J\a-na-bush, ever the benevolent 
 intercessor between the Supreme Being and mankind, procured to 
 be created for their benefit, llit> animals whose flesh should be for 
 their food, and whose skins were for their cloiliing. He sent 
 ilown roots and nu'dicines, of sovereign power, to heal their sick- 
 )iesses, ami in times of hunger, to enable them to kill the animals 
 of the chase. All these things were committed to the care of 
 Me-suk-kmn-mik O-kwi ; and that his uncles and aunts miglit never 
 call on her in vain, the old woman was directed to ri'main con- 
 stantly at home in her lodge. Hence it is, that good Indians nevev 
 dig up the roots of which their medicines are made, without at 
 the same time depositing in the earth something as an offering to 
 3Ie-suk-kum -mik O-kwi. They sing also, how, in former times, 
 the Great Spirit having killed tl\e brother of Na-na-l)ush, the 
 latter was angry, and strengthened himself against the Su[)reme. 
 Na-na-bush waxed stronger and stronger, and was likely to prc- 
 va against Gitch-e-manilo, when the latter, to appease him, gave 
 him the Me-tai. With this, i\a-na-bush was so pleased, that he 
 brought it down to his uncles and aunts on the earth. 
 
 Many of these songs are noted down, by a method probably 
 peculiar to the Indians, on birch bark, or small flat pieces of 
 wood ; the ideas being conveyed by end)lematic figures, some- 
 what like those before mentioned, as used in counnunicating or- 
 dinary information. 
 
 Two years previous to this time, a man of our band, called Aiji- 
 kaw-ba-wis, a (piiet and rather insignillcaiit person, ai> > poor 
 hunter, lost his wife by death ; and his cliildreii began, even iiiore 
 than formerly, to sutlisr of hunger. The death of his wife was 
 attended with peculiar circumstances, and Ais-kaw-ba-wis became 
 melancholy and despondent, which we attributed to the sluggish- 
 ness of his disposition ; but he at length called the chiefs to- 
 gether, and vvitii much solemnity, announced to them that he had 
 
lill 
 
 HI 
 
 '^^ ■ ! A' 
 
 wm 
 
 194 
 
 iANNKK M NARKAllVh, 
 
 been favoured by a new rovclaliou from the (ircat JSpint. He 
 .showed thciii a round ball of earth, about four or five inches in 
 diameter, or more than half as large as a man's head, rolled 
 j-ound anil smooth, and smeared with red j)aint. " The Great 
 Spirit," said he, "as I sat, from day to day, cryinjf, and praying, 
 and singing in my lodge, at last callei! to me, and said, ' Ais- 
 Jiaw-ba-wis, I have heard vour prayers, 1 have seen the mats in 
 your lodge wet with yoiu- tears, and have listened to your re- 
 qtiest. I give you this ball, and as you see it is clean and new, I 
 give it to you for your business to make the whole earth like it, 
 even as it was when Na-iia-i)ush first made ii. All old things 
 must be destroyed and done away ; every thing must be made 
 anew, and to your hands, Ais-kaw-ba-wis, I commit this great 
 work.' " 
 
 I was among those wliom he called in to listen to this iirst an- 
 nunciation of his mission. It was not until after he dismissed 
 us that I said any thing ; but then, in conversation with my 
 companions, I soon betrayed my want of credulity. " It is 
 well," said I, " that wc may be made acquainted with tlie whole 
 mind and will of the Great S|)irit, at so cheap a rate. Wc 
 have now these divinely taught instructors springing up among 
 ourselves, and, fortunately, such men as are worth nothing for 
 any other purpose. The Shawnee prophet was far off. Kc- 
 zhi-ko-we-ninne and Manito-o-geezhik, though of our own tribe, 
 were not with us ; they were also men ; but here we have one 
 too poor, and indolent, and spiritless, to feed his own family, yet 
 he is made the instrument, in the hand of the Great Spirit, as he 
 would have us believe, to renovate the whole earth." I had al- 
 ways entertained an imfavourable opinion of this man, as I knew 
 him to be one of the most worthless among the Indians, and I 
 now felt indignant at his attempt to pass himself upon us as a 
 chosen and favoured messenger of the Supreme Spirit. I hesi- 
 tated not to ridicule his pretensions wherever I went ; but not- 
 withstanding that bad luck constantly attended him, he gained a 
 powerful ascendancy over the minds of the Indians. Ilis inces- 
 sant beating of his drum at night, scared away the game from 
 our neighbourhood, and his insolent hypocrisy made him offen- 
 sive to me, at all times ; but he had found the way to control 
 the minds of many of the people, and all my efforts in opposition 
 to him were in vain. 
 
 
 't'S^ 
 
 -■f*-^... . - 
 
-.-■■■ .r^errrara . •^y.^ajy ' _ 
 
 TANNEK S NAllUAI'lV 1 
 
 lur. 
 
 s first aii- 
 
 with m> 
 » It if 
 the whole 
 rate. We 
 up among 
 nothing for 
 r off. Kc- 
 own tribe, 
 e have one 
 family, yet 
 Spirit, as he 
 I hail al- 
 ,, as 1 Unev 
 lians, ami I 
 pon us as a 
 lit. I hesi- 
 |it; but not- 
 he gained a 
 His inces- 
 game from 
 him offeu- 
 ly to control 
 n opposition 
 
 i)i\ one oeeasion, wliile \vc reiTMined at ihir; placo, and hvn\ 
 been suffering some d.iys I'ntin liiiniier, I went out to hunt, and 
 wounded a moose. On my return, I related this, and said 1 be- 
 lieved the moose was so hadly wouiuled that lie must die. Ivirlj 
 next morniup, Ais-kaw-ba-wis came to my lodtrc, ami, with tlu 
 utmost seriousness iti his manner, said to me, tliat the Great 
 Spirit had been down, and told him of the moose I had wound- 
 ed. " He is now dead," said he, " and you will lind him in 
 such a place. It is the will of tlie (ireal Spirit that he shoidd be 
 broujrht here and cooked for a sacrifice." 1 ihougiit it not im- 
 j)robable tlat tlu^ moose was killed, and went in search of him 
 accordingly, Init I found he was not dead. This a Horded me 
 another opportunity to ridicule the pretensions of Ais-kaw-bn- 
 wis ; but all seemed in no degree to impair the confidence of tiie 
 Indians. Verj'^ shortly nflerwards, it ha|)pened that I again 
 Avmnided a moose, and went liome williout i>etling it. "This," 
 said Ais-kaw-ba-wis, "is the moose which the Great Spirit sliow- 
 ed me." So i went out and brought him in, and as I knew man\ 
 of the Indians were hungry, I was willing to make a feast, though 
 not out of deference to Ais-kaw-ba-wis. As we were too few in 
 number to consume all the meat, we cut it off the hours, and 
 these were heaped up before Ais-kaw-ba-wis, care l)eing taken 
 tliat not one of them should be broken. Tliey were afterwards 
 carried to a safe place, and hung up out of the reach of the dogs 
 or wolves, as no bone (»f an animal offered in this way nuist, by 
 any means, be broken. On the following day, I killed another 
 fat moose, on which occasion Ais-kaw-ba-wis made a long ad- 
 dress to the Great Spirit, and afterwards said to me, " You see, 
 my son, how your goodness is rewarded ; \-ou jrave the first 
 you killed to the Spirit; he will take care you shall not want." 
 Next day I went with my brother-in-law, and we killed each one. 
 and now Ais-kaw-ba-wis extillerl much in the efficacy of the sa- 
 crifice he had caused me to make, and his ascendancy over the 
 superstitious minds of the Indians was confirmed. Notwith- 
 standing this higli degree of favour he had <d)tained by his cun- 
 ning, he was a man who, once in his life, had eaten his own wife 
 for hunger, ami whom the Indians would then have killed as one 
 unworthy to live. 
 
 When the snow began to harden on the top, at the approadi 
 
 'A 
 
 ^ . 
 

 M: 
 
 
 >,> 
 
 
 !|1, 
 
 
 ill' 
 
 i it 
 
 
 \' 
 
 V^ X 
 
 liti; 
 
 IANNKR's NAKKAl'IVl. 
 
 of the sprino-, the men oC our Iniiid, Sha-<nvnu'-koo-siiik, Wau 
 /ht'-<finv-iTiai-!li-ko(>ii, Ha-|)o-\vasli. (Jisli-knii-ko. myscll', and somr 
 ollu'i's, went to make a liuntinjr vnmp a» sonic distanco, f(»r the 
 purpose of tnakinir dry moat, and left only Ais-kaw-ba-w is at 
 liomi; witli llic vvonun. We kill»'<l mncli <:ann>, as it is very 
 easy to lake moose and elk at lliat season; tlio erust on ilir 
 snow, while il will hear a man, alnntsl (lej)iives them of the 
 power of motion. Al leiiir'Ji, (iish-kau-ko went home to see his 
 faniilv, and on his return he hroujrht me a little tobacco troin 
 Ais-kaw-ba-wis, with this messajne, " Your life is in danger." 
 " My life," said I, " belongs neither to Ais-kaw-ba-wis nor my- 
 self; it is in the hands of the (Jreat Spirit, and when he sees fit to 
 place it in dantrer, or brinir it to an end, I shall have no cause to 
 complain ; but I cannot believe that he has revealed any part of 
 his intentions to so worthless a man as yVis-kaw-ba-wis." Fiul 
 this intimation alarnied all the Indians who were with me, and 
 they made the best of their way to the place where Ais-kaw-I)a- 
 wis was encamped with the women. 1 took a circuitous route 
 by myself, to visit some of my traps, and havinnf caught an otter. 
 I took him on my i)ack, and arrived at home s(une time aflci 
 them. Here I found all our lodges converted into one largi 
 one; the women and children, together with the men who had 
 arrived long before me, were shivering with cold by a fire in tlir 
 open air. When I inipiired the meaning of all this, they told 
 me that Ais-kaw-ba-wis was preparing for some im|)ortant com- 
 munication to be given through him from the (Jieat Spirit. M( 
 had been a long time in preparing the lodge, during wliich ever\ 
 one was excluded, and he had arran<red that at a certain siiinal 
 Ba-po-wash, who was to lead the dance, should enter, and tlu 
 others were to follow him, and after having danced four times 
 around the lodge, to sit down, each in his place. Hearing this, 
 I immediately entered the long lodge, and throwing down my 
 otter, seated myself by the fire, Ais-kaw-ba-wis gave me one 
 angry and malicious look, then closed his eyes, and affected lu 
 go on with a prayer that I had interrupted. After s«nne time, he 
 began to drum and sing aloud, and at the third interval of si- 
 lence, which was the signal agreed upon with Ba-po-wash, th( 
 latter came dancing in, followed by men, women, and children; 
 and after circling the lodge four times, they all sat down in their 
 
 ■L. 
 
■IANNKR's XAKUATIVi;. 
 
 ur, 
 
 plare:^. For a fow momonts all was sileiirr, wliilo Ais-kaw-ba- 
 wis roiitiniird siltiiiir with liis eyes closod, in tlic middle of tin 
 lodnc, by a spot oC smooth and suit irroiind, wliich he had pro- 
 ()ar('d, lilvP that iiscd by the war chill's in their Ko-zati-biin-zitch- 
 f'-kiiii ; then he betran to call the men, one l)y one, to come and 
 jiit down by him. I/ist of ail, lie called me, and I went and sat 
 down as he directed. Then addressing himself to me, he said, 
 " Sliaw-shaw-wa ne-ba-sc, my son, it is |)rol)al)le yon will now 
 be iVififhteneil. as I have very un|)leasant inluniialion to jrive you. 
 Tlif (Jreat Spirit has, as yon, my friends, all know, in former 
 times, faV(nn'e(l me with the free coinmiiuication of his mind and 
 will; lately he has been pleased to show me what is to happen 
 to each of us in fntini-. For you, my friends, [to Slia-juwaw-go- 
 ntick and the (ither Indians,] who have been careful to rejrard 
 and obey the injunrtions of tiie (ireat Spirit, as conniiunicated by 
 me, to each of you he has <riven to live to the full aj^e of num : 
 ihi; loniT and straitjlu line is the imatfe of your several lives. For 
 you, Sbaw-shaw-wa le-ba-se, who have turned aside from the 
 rijrht |>ath. and despised the admonitions you have received, thi- 
 short and crooked line represents your life. Yon are to attain 
 only to half of the full aije of man. This line, turning; off on 
 the other side, is that which shows what is determined in rela- 
 tion to the yountf wife of Ba-po-wash." As he said this, he 
 showed us the marks he had made on the irround, as below. The 
 lonsr, straiirht liiu*, a, representino;, as he said, the life of the In- 
 dians, Sha-jrvvaw-koo-sink, VVan-zhe-gaw-maish-koon, &c. The 
 short crooked one, /), showing the irregular course and short con- 
 
 } I. 
 
 11 
 
 Li. 
 
 ^gig^ 
 
I9ii 
 
 lANNKR S XARRATIVt. 
 
 tinuance of mine; and the abniplly terminating one on tlie oiiai 
 side, showinj^f tlic life of llie favourite wife of Ba-po-wash. li 
 liappeiied that Ba-po-wash Iiad ch-ied tfie clioice i»arts of a fit; 
 bear, intendiiiir, in the spring, to make u feast to his medicine; 
 and a iew days previous to ihi- tiii;e; 'vhile we were absent at 
 our hunting eanip, Ais-kaw-ba-wis iiad suiii lo the old woinun, 
 the mother of Ba-pu-washV wife, " 'I'lie tireat S])irit has si<fnifieil 
 to ine, that all lliiiiiis are not as they should be; send out and sec. 
 therefore, if liie fat bear wliieli your son has hung U|» for a fcasi 
 to his niedieine, is all where it was hit.'" She went out acconl- 
 ingly, and found that the feel of the l)ear ere gone, Ais-kaw- 
 ba-wis himself, who was a great gl Hon, having stolen them, 
 This .as now lusak' known to B>i-po-wash, who was niucii 
 a'arnied at the threatened evil, and to avert it he not only gavr 
 Ais-kaw-ba-wis the remai'i er of ilie l)ear, but a large f|uantily (il 
 marrow he had saved for his least, and other valual)le preseiil-, 
 After this, we started In eonie to an island railed Me-nau-z!ic 
 taw-naun, in t!ie Lake of the Woods, wher-' we had rtniplirU-d t.. 
 jdant e<un, instead of our <dd fields, at Dead River. On our 
 vay we sto|)pe at a plaee t ■ make sugar; then v went to visit 
 the traders, Icavinu Ais-kaw-ba-wis with our women. hn]i- 
 
 peued that the wife of (Jish-kau-ko had left her eltle at the sii- 
 gai ramp, some distaiiec from the plare where they were td 
 wait for our return. Sometime after the men had gone, Ai.»- 
 kaw-ba-wis, who lived by himself, in a little lodge, pretendina \i> 
 be 00 holy to go into a ■■ nun n hol!^e, or to ingle with 
 men in their ordinary pursuits, sent for the wife of (lish-kau-lvn. 
 and when she eame to him, he said. " The Great Spirit is iki: 
 pleased that yon should abandon and lose your pro|)erty. (.ie, 
 therefore, aiul get thi' kettle that ymi ha e left at the suiiiii 
 eantp." The W(Mnan obeyed; :ind he, soon after she had left iIk 
 ramp, took his yun, and under the pretence of going t ) hunt, 
 went out in a dlH'erenl directi(»u; but lie bud no sooner got out 
 of sight of the lodtres, than he turned, and by a <'rruitous routr 
 enme upon the track of the wife of ('ish-knu-Vo. She, who hiid 
 been before annoyed l)y his particular attentions, and siirmiscii 
 the real object he had in view, in sending her for the kettle, kept 
 a look out behind her, ami when «he snw him come running after 
 her. she bfgau to run also. .Inst at this lime I wnn returninir 
 
 I , 
 
 
 ,^f^ 
 
the ollifi 
 \vasl\. It 
 
 ■; ol' a I'll I 
 
 iiu'ilioinc -, 
 abst'iil at 
 
 tl WOllliUl, 
 
 IS sigiiilicil 
 ml and !<('C, 
 
 ft)!- a tVusi 
 jul acctii-d- 
 , Ais-kuw- 
 oleii llu'm. 
 
 was nuii'l' 
 I only ijavc 
 
 (|U!iiitity ol 
 
 lie |H•^>S^Mlt^. 
 
 Me-navi-z!u 
 'onclu'lcil til 
 :^r. On (tur 
 wont to vi.^ii 
 rn. '■ 1»"1'- 
 le at the su- 
 n>y were U< 
 
 •otonilinti '" 
 iiiglo wiili 
 is!i-lvaii-l>" 
 )irit is no\ 
 )crly. t^«" 
 tlic svi!:;iir 
 
 liiul ll'l'l till 
 
 HIT I 1 hunt 
 ncr !i"t "tit 
 viilcnis nttitc 
 It', who liixl 
 ntl snnnisotl 
 ketllc, Ivt'pt 
 
 IV' 
 
 rnnning 
 
 aClti- 
 
 fnn rftnrninir 
 
 XANNI^Ii S NAUKATIM.. 
 
 iity 
 
 from the trading-house u itli the other [ndiaiis, w lion we descried 
 this chase at a distance. It occasioned us much alarm, when 
 wc saw first a woman, then a man, running with so inu<'h appa- 
 rent earnestness ; we thought notliing less than thai tiic Siuux 
 had come to the country, and were murdering our women and 
 thildren. But when we came a little marer, the pretended pro- 
 phet gave over his pursuit of the woman, and came and sal down 
 with us, to drink of the rum which the Indians hail bruughl from 
 thf inuhng-iiouse, ami which they gave him very liberally. The 
 woman was, however, a iter her arrival at home, compelled to 
 irive some account of the race, and she acknowledged that Ais- 
 kiiw-ba-wis had often sought similar opporluinlies to be alone 
 ivitli her, though such was her fear of him that she never dared 
 make any disclosure, or offer any other resistance than an at- 
 tempt to escape by flight. This discovery occasional no dis- 
 tiiibance, and seemed, in no degree, to diminish the inllneiuc of 
 \is-kaw-ba-wis, A large proportion of the rum we had broniihl 
 Iroin the trading-house was seta|»art lor him, but when the prin- 
 cipal man among us sent lor him to come and receive it, he re- 
 turned for answer, that he could not come. " Ttdl the chief," 
 faid he, " that if he has any business with me, he em come to 
 my lodge." The liijuor was accordingly carried to him ; but 
 its effect seemed to render his ilisp i-ilion somewhat more social 
 and condescending, for about the middh- of the night he came 
 staggering into the lodge where I was, without the least cover- 
 ing on any part of his body. To mr bis a|ipearance was ludi- 
 iTOiis in the extreme, and 1 did not refrain from a good deal of 
 irreverent merriment (m the occasion. 
 
 After this, we came to the Lake of the Woods, where 1 hunt- 
 nl for about a month, then went back into the country I had left, 
 ill the Indians remainint> behind to clear the ground where thev 
 iiilcnded j)lantingcorn at Me-naii-zhe-laii-nauiiir. I now began to 
 experience the inconveniences resulting from having incurred 
 lilt' ill will of Ais-kaw-ba-wis. Itoitwas who prejudiced the 
 Indians so much a, ainst me, and particularly the relatives of my 
 wife, that my situation at Me-nau-z'ie-tau-itainiif was uncomforta- 
 bir, and I was compellpti to return to Hed Kiver. 
 
 It was about this time thiit the Scots people, to the numlier of 
 tne hundred or more, ar '"'^d to settle at Uod Kiver, under tin 
 
 ■I' 
 
 y 1 
 
r- •! 
 
 
 4 11 • 
 
 |ini^ ! 
 
 f 1* •' 
 
 Ik 
 
 •JOO 
 
 tanner's NAKRATIVt, 
 
 protection of the Hudson's Bay Company, and amon^ these I 
 «a\v, for the first time in many years, since I had become a man, 
 a white woman. Soon after my arrival, I was taken into tlie 
 employment of the Hudson's Bay Company, and Mr. Hanie, the 
 agent, sent nie, accompanied bv Mr. licss, an interjjreter, and 
 some men, to kill builiiioe. The butJiilof were, at that time, ai a 
 gre.il distance, and the Scots people in great distress for want of 
 provisions. I hajjjjened to lind and kill two bulls near home, 
 and after sending back the nu'at, 1 went on to the herds. 
 
 I had hunted here a few days, when our number was increased 
 to four clerks and about twenty men, the latter employed in 
 bringing in the meat I killed to my lodge, whence it was carried 
 in carts to the settlement. All of these lived in my lodge ; but 
 one of the clerks, named IM'Donald, was very abusive to iiiy wile 
 and children. Mr. Hess repeatedly checked him for this cou- 
 dud, but as lie continued it, lie coiiijilained t(j Mr. Ilaiiie, wlm 
 sent M'Donald to a place several miles distant, where the In- 
 dians had killed about twenty bufUiloes, which it was not eon- 
 venient, at present, to bring out, and there he remained by him- 
 self for two mouths, having no oilier occupation m amusement 
 than to scare the widves away from the meat. Mr. M'Ken/ic 
 was one of the three remaining clerks who lived in my loi'go. 
 and he was so ditlbrent from M'Domild, that at the end of foiii 
 months, when the greater part of the peojile were called in to 
 the .MUtleinent, he stdicited and obtained from Mr. Hanie j)cr 
 mission to remain lonncr wilii me, to improve hi self in tlu 
 Ojibbeway language, and he did not leave me until after the 
 sugar season. 
 
 I killed, in the four months ihat I hnnted for the HudsonV 
 Bav Company, about one hundred butlaloes ; bill as part, or nil 
 of many of these were eaten in my own lodge, I d«'liveied onl) 
 forty entire and fat ones (o the company's jieople, for which 
 Mr. Hanie |mi<l me, in the spring, three hundred and ten dollar>. 
 Those Scots labi'iirers who were with me, were much mon 
 rough and brutal in their mannrrs than any (leople I had before 
 seen. F.veii when ihey had plenty, they ate like starved ilogs, 
 und never failed to ipiarrel o\er llu'ir meat. The clerks fie- 
 ipiently lieat and punished them, but ihey would still (juarrel. 
 
 Mr. Hanie, and the ftovernor for the Hudson's Bay'.** Conip!' 
 
 I 
 
 0H 
 
»-«B.3r "-^ag" 
 
 lANNKR S NAUKATIVJ:;, 
 
 *^i 
 
 r these I 
 ic a man, 
 into the 
 [anic, the 
 eler, and 
 tiiae, ai a 
 ,r want ol" 
 ear home, 
 
 s. 
 
 , iiirrcased 
 
 iployecl in 
 vas carrunl 
 lodge -, but 
 
 to :uy wife 
 ,1' iliiri <"un- 
 llanie, wlio 
 liere the In- 
 viis not t'on- 
 ned V)y liim- 
 
 aniurtemenl 
 
 Ir. M'Wenzie 
 
 in my lot'u,p. 
 
 . Olid ol' foiM 
 
 called ill t" 
 
 Hanie jum- 
 
 sell' in tlu 
 
 jilil alter thi' 
 
 tiy, proposed to me to hiiild ine a lionse, and engage me perma- 
 nently in their employment: but I delayed aeeepiing their otl'er, 
 as I thouglit it doubtful whether llieir attempt at settling the 
 country would finally sneceed. Some of the Indians whom I 
 liad left at the Lake of the Woods, had followed me out, spent 
 die winter witli me, and returned long ago. I was still by my- 
 self at Red River, when Wa-irc -tote came from Me-nau-zhe-tau- 
 iiauiig, with a message from my father and mother-in-law. They^ 
 liud lost several of their ehiMren by death, and feeling lonely, 
 they sent for me to come to them. This message Wa-gc-totc 
 delivered to me in the presence of the traders, and some other 
 persons : but afterwards he called me out by myself, and said to 
 me, " Do not bidieve that your father-in-law calls you to Mc- 
 nau-7,he-tau-naung, to be at peace, or with any kiiul intention. 
 When the children were sick, they called Ais-kaw-ba-wis to do 
 something for them, and lie having made a ehees-suk-kon, said 
 lie had called you into his »'ii(dos(ire, and made you confess that 
 vou had shot bad medicine at the children, though you was at 
 tiiat time at Red River, He made your tiitlnr-in-law believt; 
 that you had the |)owe>- of life and (hath over his children, ami 
 he continues to btliive, as do nnisl of the Indians of the band, 
 diat it was your medicine which killed them. He assured, there- 
 fore, that they call you thither with du' desiiiii of killing you." 
 Notwithstanding this admonition. I started immediately, as 1 
 knew if I did not they would be but the move confirmed in their 
 unfounded opinion ttf my culpability. 
 
 I had bought a shirt from sonu' of the Scots jieople at Red 
 River, which I put on as I was abmit to start on this jinirney. 
 Probably it was frcmi this I contracted a diseas(> of the skin, 
 wliieh became so troublesome and violent that I was eompelled 
 to stop at the Be-gwi-o-nns-ko River. Here I remained lor a 
 month, beinii for a hnig lime unable to mo\e. AVIieii I fust 
 stopped I set up my lodire on tli^' brink of the river, and after I 
 was unable to walk, I subsisted niysi If and family by lying in 
 my canoe uinl fishing. After being placed in my canoe, some- 
 times I lay there for three or four days without being moved, 
 covering myself with a mat at niglit. My wife was not so se- 
 vere!/ ad'ected, being, though very sick, still able to walk. 
 When 1 began to get a little better, I tried all sorts of raedicine«! 
 
 W 
 
 S^ 
 
 I 
 
 'lii 
 
 \ J 
 
'Mi 
 
 iawkr's naurativk. 
 
 I It 
 
 iPv' 
 
 m 
 
 I could procure, but none seemed to do mc so much good aa g\in 
 powder, moistened a little, and rubbed upon the sores, which 
 were very large. This disorder, caught originally from tlic 
 Scotch people, spread among the Indians, and killed numbers of 
 them. 
 
 After I had recovered, I went up the Bc-gwi-o-nus-ko, to the 
 small lake of the same nau)e, v\ here I stopped to hunt, and killed 
 plenty of meat. While 1 remained here, there came one day to 
 my lodge, four young men from our village at Me-nau-zhe-tau- 
 naung. In one of the , who was painted black, I recognized my 
 brother-in-law. The three other children being dead, grief, and 
 a feeling of loneliness, intluenced him to leave his father, and 
 start in searcii of some war party, that he might accompany them 
 against their enemies, and thus have an opportunity of sacrilicing, 
 lionourably, a life that had become irksome to him. The three 
 young men his companions, being imwilling to see him depart 
 alone, had voluntarily accompanied him. I ^r;ive him my horse, 
 and then went uj) to tiie Lake of the Woods to y father-in-law, 
 where I remaincnl a few days. As it was then the time when the 
 wild geese, having cast their cpiills, arc unable to fly, wc caught 
 great numbers of them. 
 
 After four days, I said to the old people, " I cannot remain 
 here, while my little brother has gone crying about, with none to 
 protect him. I know there is danger in the path he will walk, 
 and I ought to follow, to shi>w him where it lies. He wishes to 
 join a war party, that he may walk in a dangerous road ; but there 
 is often danger where we least expect it." I knew that Wa-n!c- 
 gon-a-biew woidd fall upon this boy, and insult, or perhaps kill 
 him, on account of his renu»te relalionshij) to the man wlm 
 wounded Taw-ga-we-ninne, at Mackinac, or at least with this pre- 
 tence. Hha-gwaw-koo-sink, hearing my determination, and thi 
 reas(ms I giive for it, said he woidd iiccompaiiy me : so we started 
 together, and on our arrival at Red Kiver, we heard that Wa-nic- 
 gon-a-biew had taken from the boy the horse I gave him, and 
 had already threatened to kill him. I went inuiiediately to Wn 
 ine-gon-a-biew, and a (]uarrel would probably have taken pliire 
 at once, on account of the young man, had iu>t old Net-no-kwa 
 come between and separated us, as we were about to come to 
 blow- We were all now about to join the (Jrees and Assinne- 
 
amm 
 
 niaB'aiy#y' jU !» Ei : 
 
 TANNER S NAURATIVt,, 
 
 '^Ji 
 
 boin?;, to go against the Sioux, and I cuutioiicd inv \ ouiig bro- 
 lier-in-law to he, on this journey, always watcliful of the move 
 nients of Wa-ine-gon-a-bie\v. We were about forty men in num- 
 ber when we started from Red River. As we j)assed along 
 tiu'ough the Crec and Assinneboin encampments and villages on 
 our route, our party was augmented to the ntunber of two hun- 
 dr(!(i men, long before we arrived at Turtle Mountain. While we 
 were encamped near one of the ('ree villages, Wa-gc-tote and th« 
 principal chiefs being called away to a feast, Wa-me-gon-a-biew 
 began to talk of my brother-in-law; and as I did not like to hear 
 him, I went out and walked about at a distance from the camjv 
 When 1 thought the chiefs had returned from the feast, I re-en 
 icred the camp; but from the expression of concern and interest 
 visible in the faces of those about me, I immediately compre- 
 hended that something had happened. I went to search for the 
 young man, on whose account particularly I felt an ous ; and 
 finding him safe, was returning to my own place, when I disco- 
 vered in the hands of an old man, who was trying to replace them 
 in their original shape, the splinters and fragments of my new 
 gun. I was at no loss to comprehend the nature of the accident 
 which liad deprived me of tlie use of my gun, at a time M'hen it 
 was likely to prove so important to me; and in the first moment 
 of irritation, I seized the barrel, and was walking towards Wa- 
 me-gon-a-biew, to beat him with it, when [ met Wa {jje-tote, who 
 interfered to prevent nte from striking him; though Wa-ge-tote 
 himself, as well as the other chiefs, expressed the greatest dis- 
 satisfacti(»n at what he had done. 
 
 But notwithstanding the h»ss of my gun, I did not turn back. 
 Arming myself with my gun barrel in place of war club and spear, 
 I went on. In two days from this camp, we arrived at the head 
 of Turtle Mountain, beimr now about four hiind-ed men. Thii^ 
 was the place agreed upon for the assembling of all wh(» should 
 join in the party ; and we had sujjposed that those we should 
 meet here, wouM be few i > number in oom)>nrison with ourselves. 
 We were theret'ore somewriat surprised, when we found already 
 on the ground, one thousand Assinneboins, Crees, and Ojibbe- 
 ways. 
 
 We stopped at a little distance, and some comnumication took 
 place between tbft chiefs, respecting the ceremony of salntatiou 
 
 'P 
 
 m 
 
 #p. 
 
WIV i 
 
 Tl- 
 
 (t^ 
 
 
 i % 
 
 
 'l(Vi 
 
 J a\m;k 
 
 NAliKATH I.. 
 
 <() 1)0 Tisoil. If is rnstoinary fi)r v.ar j)aitit'S, ono'ogpd in llicsumc' 
 cause, ov friondly to oacli other, wlicii tlioy noct, to oxcliauirc 
 a few shots by way of a sham l)alllp, in whidi they use all th( 
 iuin|)iii<i, the \v]ioo|)in<r, and yclliiii>- of a real lighl. 15ut on this 
 occasion holh bands were so lar<>e, undone so much larirer ihaii 
 the other, that the chiefs ihoufiht it more pru(U'ut to >ise a d lifer- 
 ent method of exchaiiaiiii;- coMiplimenls on meetinjr. It was 
 agreed, on the pari of Match-a-to-uie-wub,* the principal chief, 
 that his younsr nien should all remain in tlieir lodges, and that 
 twenty warriors of our baiul slionll salute tlieir encampment, l)y 
 practising the manoeuvres of allackiug a village. A large lodge 
 was set up for them to cut in pieces by their tiring. I was one 
 of the twenty selected for this performance, having supplied my- 
 self with a gun, which I i)roc\U'ed from a man who turned back. 
 It was not without the utnu)st exertion of all my strength, that I 
 kej>t even pace with my companions, in running, leaping, loading, 
 and yelling; and though we rested four times, when we arrived 
 at the chief's lodge, and hail Idowu it to fragments, I was entirel) 
 ex!iauste<l with fatigue. A man of our own party, imprudently, 
 and without any authority, exi)osed himself in the villaije. while 
 this salute was in progress; but his clothes were blown ami 
 scorched oft' his back, his lodge slioi down, and himself nnicli 
 hurt. Hut as the exposiwe had been altojiether voluntary on his 
 part, ami the notice taken of him rather honourable than othcr- 
 M'ise, he had no cause of comj)laint. 
 
 On the lirst night after we came together, three men of the 
 Ojibbeways were killed ; on the next, two horses behmging to 
 the Assinneboins, and on the third, three more. When such num- 
 bers of men assemble from diirereiU and r»'niote parts of the coun- 
 try, some must be brought into contai't, between whom old 
 grudges and enmities exist; ami it is lutt sinprising, that the iin- 
 .stable power and inftuence of the chiefs, should be insuHicieut to 
 prevent disturbances and bloodshed. On this occasion, men were 
 'jl assend)led from a vast extent of country, of dissimilar feedings and 
 dialects, and of the wIkjIc fourteen hundred, not one who would 
 acknowledge any authority superior to his own will. It is true, 
 that ordinarily they yield a certain deference, and a degree of 
 
 * Malrh-a-to-gf-irub, (in tlipCrce, MaU-clia-to-ke-wub,)intheO)ihheYi»y, ineons 
 ntmly " Many Eagles sitting." 
 
 y mr 
 
 .>\. 
 
TANNER S NAKRATIVl. 
 
 •^0,') 
 
 e all th( 
 t on tlii- 
 •jTor iliaii 
 ;• a (lilVer- 
 It \va^ 
 l)iil fliiff, 
 , and tliiit 
 |)in('i\l, by 
 irj>c Unhv 
 I was onn 
 iplietl iny- 
 ncc' liack. 
 Till, lluil I 
 g, loading. 
 \vr arrived 
 •us cntiri'l) 
 ipnidently. 
 lai;o, whilf 
 blown 11 nil 
 iiscir nniol) 
 ilary on lli^ 
 than olhcr- 
 
 iiu«n ol" thr 
 loiijiinir to 
 such nuni- 
 )!' the roun- 
 whoin old 
 hat tlu' nn- 
 iitllciont to 
 . men wore 
 |(('linns and 
 who would 
 It is true, 
 (Icijree of 
 
 lUiwaVf ineons 
 
 obedience to the cliief each may have umlerliiken to follow; but 
 this obedience, in most instances, c.ontinnes no lonircr lliaii the 
 will of the chief corresponds entirely with the inclination of those 
 he leads. In this party, were some who had iiecii a year on their 
 iourney to reach this place. Two lumdred lodges had their 
 women with them. 
 
 Soon alter we joined the main body at Turtle Mountain, a 
 Creo, of I'raiiie Fort, adopted uie into his family, taking my ba<r- 
 giiire. and invitiiiii me into his lodoe. He called me constantly 
 Ni'-je.* (my friend,) and treated me with great kindness. Many 
 other men who were without I »dges, were in like manner taken 
 inio the families of those that had. 
 
 But a I'i'w days had passed, when tlie little boys commenced. 
 in the lirst instance a very small iiundier, by kicking at each 
 otiier in playfulness merely ; but it happent'd that on one side 
 wtre Assiruieboin children only, and on the other (^rees and 
 Ojibbeways ; by degrees larger and larger boys, and at last men, 
 iiiiiied in on either side, and what had commenced in l>lay, was 
 like to terminate in a serious and bloody brawl. Malch-a-to-ge- 
 ^\ id> ran between the combatants, exerted his voice and his hands; 
 iifterwards VVa-ge-tote and all the other principal chiefs, but the 
 young men paid little or no reirard to them. Th(> excitement 
 which had kindled among them, was maddening to raue, and llu; 
 chiefs were running about in the utmost distress and fear, when 
 ;in old man, whose head was white as snow, and w ho was so bent 
 down with age that he walked on two sticks, and looking more 
 like a dotr ihan a man, came out ; and thouiih his voice was too 
 feeble to lie heard at any distance, he no sooner apjieared, than 
 all the Assimnd)oins desisted entirely from tlieir violence, and t le 
 ([uarrel ended. Of those that were wounded and injured in this 
 iifiair, only two died immediately ; but many were so mm-h in- 
 jured, that tliey were sent back to their own country. Had not 
 the greater number entered into the allray withoni their arms, 
 inure extensive mischief would have resulted. Thouirh I iiKpiired 
 iiiiich, I could neither learn the mime, or hear any ihintr satisfac- 
 tory of the history of the old man, by whose interference this 
 adiiir was brought so timelv to an end. Vague, ami proliably 
 very extravagant reports, circiilatfd among us respecting him. 
 
 * .Vc-je, luv fheiul, uaeU to lualue; and nin-dong-gioa, used by tnuuJi« (o onf> 
 (mother 
 
 # 
 
 ! ii 
 
mms*. 
 
 tiO« 
 
 lAXN'KnS NABRATIVI 
 
 •1^ 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Siipprstitions of the Indians — violent and unjust prcjudicn — family misibriuiics- 
 reinarkahip Ifnacily of lilt' in I lie otter, and some otlier small animals — disliir 
 biinces between the Hudson's Hay and North West Fur Companies. 
 
 ,^ 
 
 In the evening after this affair, the chiefs walked throna^h iIk 
 village, and addressed all the people. Theanionnt of what the, 
 .said, was to direct, that instead of remaining lunger to (nuind 
 with and destroy each other, we should all move on the follow 
 ing morning towards the Sioux country. Accordingly, the canij) 
 was broken up, a})out half the number returning towards honu. 
 the remainder continuing on. It was now late in the full, ain! 
 we had travelled only two days from Turtle Mountain, whin 
 there came on a cold and violent storm of rain and snow. Tu. 
 horses perished, and many men were near sharing the pame faU; 
 but most or all or the Ojibbeways, carrying each man on his ba(k 
 a puk-kwi of birch bark, large enough to afford a partial coveriii;: 
 for three men, and all being disposed to extend to the destitiiii 
 all possilde assistance and relief, many of them were sheltered. 
 
 It was immediately after this storm that some one told iin 
 Ba-jris-kim-nunsr was cominji to see me about the horse I liail 
 taken away from him. "Very well," said I, " I believe Ba-ijis. 
 kun-nung has one or two nu)re horses, and if he gives me am 
 troidde about the one I have taken, I will take another." Ai 
 noon he came, but VVa-ge-tole, Ke-me-wim-iiis-kmig, and other 
 men of my friends, had pre|)ared themselves to resist any vio- 
 lence he might attempt to |)ractise on me. He walked up to iiir 
 !is I was roasting some meat, and stood a very long time, I should 
 say two hours, regarding me sternly, without saying a single 
 word, and then walked off. 
 
 Two days afterwards, two hundred of the Assinneboins turned 
 back. They were reviled and insulted at parting, by those who 
 still continued on ; but this seemed not in the least to shake theiv 
 
 t•,^^ 
 
am^-rtlf^-y^- '- 
 
 
 TANNKR'si NARllATlVt. 
 
 !A>7 
 
 .letermination. Desertions, in small bodies, wvw. now very nu- 
 merous, and the rem.iinincr chiefs, with the hope of clieckiuir it, 
 appointed fifty of the best of the young men to art a^ sentinels 
 over the others; but this nieusiu'e was productive of no benefit. 
 When at last we arrived within two days' march of ihe viihijirc 
 it was our intention to attack, four hundred men were all that 
 remained, and the next day very few of these were found williiiir 
 lo follow Match-a-to-tre-wub. He started at the usual time, and 
 walked on by himself, but when at the distance of almut a mile, 
 he saw that none followed him, he sat down in the praiiie. 
 From time to time, one or two men woiild start forward to join 
 him ; but for one who went forward, twenty or more would com- 
 monly start to go back. With my younj^ brother-in-law I stood 
 at the camp to see what would be the result, and when, at last, 
 I saw that of the four hundred, only about twentywere willing 
 (0 follow the chief farther, we determined to join them. We 
 had proceeded but a little distance, when one of the Assinnc- 
 hoins, who had turned back, purposely set fire to the prairie, and 
 wc now all turned back excej)t the chief and one or two men. 
 He went on to the Sioux village, and was lurking ab(jut it for one 
 or two days, when, finding himself discovered, he fled without 
 attempting any thing. The Sioux juirsued on our trail, and 
 came in sight of us, but ofl'ered no molestation, and, in due 
 time, we all arrived at home in safety. Thus eudeil this war ex- 
 cursion, for which such extensive pre|)arations had been made, 
 and from which so much had been expected. On the way home, 
 Kc-me-wun-nis-kung look away the horse of the Assinneboin 
 who had set the prairie on fire, and beat him, he daring to make 
 no resistance. 
 
 When we returned to Pembinah, there was, as is usual on a 
 return from a war-party, a drunken frolick, in which I joined, 
 though not to very great excess. After I had drank a little, { 
 heard some one speak sneeringly about my gun, which Wa-me- 
 gon-a-biew had broken. I had lent my knife to some one to 
 cut tobacco, but there was lying by the fire a pointed stick, on 
 •which meat had been roasted. Tliis I seized, ran out, and find- 
 ing his horse standing by the door of his own lodge, I stabbcrl 
 liim with it, psing, at the same time, in a loud voice, the same 
 
 

 k 
 
 aoH 
 
 I'ANNKU S NAKUAini;. 
 
 words I had been told lie had spoki-n wlion lie broke iny jriai. 
 The horse tell iininediiilely, but did not dii- uiilil next nioi iiing^. 
 
 There were six of us to return together to the Lake of ilic 
 Woods, and our principal man, She-f{\vavv-koo-sink, being ahinn- 
 ed, took a little canoe and set oH' in the night. I would not start 
 then, nor even early in the morning, h'sl Wa-me-gnn-a-bi('\v 
 should think I was afraid ol him. I remained near his loi.^rc 
 until I had seen him and i\et-no-kwa, and shaken hands witli all 
 my friends, and at al)out noon I was ready to follow fShe-gwaw- 
 koo-sink, whom I found wailing for me in the woods. Wa-nic- 
 gon-a-biew made no complaints of my having killed his horse; 
 probably he was perfectly satisfied that I liad done so, as an In- 
 dian always expects any outrage he commits shall be retaliated, 
 according to their customs, and a man who omits to take proper 
 revenge is but lightly esteemed among them. 
 
 Heavy snow and severe cold came upon us at the Muskeeg' 
 carrying place ; the trees cracked with tliecold, but the water in 
 the swamp was not yet frozen hard enough to bear ; our canoes, 
 however, could not be pushed through. The utmost exertion oi' 
 our strength would no lunger avail to move them. We wen; 
 hmigry and much fatigued, and sat deliberating what was best 
 to be done, when we discovered our women coming from the 
 Lake of the Woods, and dragging their light canoes through 
 water, ice, and snow above their knees. When they came up, 
 we found they were my wife, the wives of She-gwaw-koo-sink 
 and Ba-po-wash, and my mother-in-law. Three of our j)arly. 
 whose women had not come, had to continue on to the Lake of 
 the Woods. Our wives laughed at us, telling us it was mon 
 like old women, than like warriors returning to their village, ti> 
 sit shivering in a canoe which coidd move neitln-r way, thrt»ugh 
 fear of a little water and ice. They had brought us a supply of 
 corn, sturgeon, and otlier food, and with them we relume ' to 
 our last encampn\ent, where we rested a few days, then went 
 down to Red River, with the intention of spending the winter 
 there. 
 
 There was now no snow on the ground at Red River, though 
 the weather was very cold, and the ground so hanl frozen thaf 
 it was nearly impossible to kill any game. 1 hunted day after 
 
 * Mus-kceg, a marsh or KWiun4r 
 
 
 v.! 
 
 ' ^ 
 
 NVi 
 
"*^^ 
 
 I'AiVNER S NAKKAilVL. 
 
 m> 
 
 iliiy vviiliout the least success, and wc were reduced to extreme 
 lumger, when one day I found a moose, and alter I had, with 
 the ^rreatest difficulty, crept near, I was about to shoot him, 
 when my host dog, which I had confined at home, came runnino- 
 pajit me, and scared the moose away. I returned home, and 
 calling my dog to me, outside the lodge, 1 told him that it was his 
 fault that there was now no food for my children. 1 then killed 
 and gave him to my family to eat. 
 
 Other families heside my own being in distress for the want oi 
 food, the Indians called on me to make a medicine hunt. 1 ac- 
 loidingly told Me-zhi(;k-ko-naum to go for my drum, and as pre- 
 paratory to the commemement of my prayers and songs, I di- 
 rected all my family to take such positions as they could keep 
 ibr at least half the night, as, after 1 began, no one must move 
 until I had finished. I have always been conscious of my entire 
 dependence on a superior and invisible Power, but I have fell 
 this conviction most jjowerfully in times of distress and danger. 
 ] now prayed earnestly, and with the consciousness that I ad- 
 dressed myself to a l?eing willing to hear and able to assist, and I 
 called upon him to see and to pity the sufferings of my family. 
 The next day I killed a moose, and soon after, a heavy snow 
 having fallen, we were relieved from the apprehension of immc 
 iliatc starvation. 
 
 But though wc were temporarily relieved, plenty did not re- 
 (urn to us. I was about this time hunting one day, and fell on 
 ilie track of a l)ear. My dogs f()ll(»weil for three days, antl most 
 of the time I kept nearly even })acc with them ; but at the end of 
 tliat time they had not overtaken him. My moccasins and leg- 
 ijings were worn out, and I was almost in a state of starvation. 
 I was compelled to return home, having killed nothing but eight 
 plieasants. Me-zhick-ko-naum, Ba-po-wash, and the other In- 
 dians, now left me by myself, and I was soon able to kill enough 
 to sup])ly the wants of my family. I si)ent the winter here, and 
 ill the spring my friends rejoined me, and we returned together 
 io our village at the Lake of the Woods. 
 
 At Me-nau-zhe-tau-naung great niisfortime-i aw ited me. I 
 omitted to mention an event of some importance, which hapj>en- 
 od long before the time I have now arrived at, being a very short 
 lime after the death of 'mv friend Pe-sluui-ba. I was then at 
 
 !'■' 
 
 M 
 
IM 
 
 
 ^ilijL... 
 
 W •. 
 
 
 l1 
 
 310 
 
 TANNT.R S NARKATIVF. 
 
 r 
 
 ■ r; 
 
 
 i:1i 
 
 
 ;' 'i; 
 
 Dead River, at our cum fields, where nn Ojibboway of Red Lake, 
 railed (ii-ah-jte-\v!i-go-mo, eame to my lodge in my absence, and 
 took away one of my sons, a boy six years old. On my return, 
 my wife told me wiialliad iia|)])ened, and I immediately pursued, 
 and overtaking (li-ah-ge-wa-go-mc* at llie distance of one day's 
 journey, wiliiout his consent took one of his horses to i)rinp; 
 my son back. 1 threatened iiini, that if he should make any 
 .similar attempt in future, he should not escape unpunished. Bui 
 about four months after, when the snow was on the ground, 1 
 returned home from my days' hunt to hear the same acco(mt of 
 my son being taken away by Gi-ah-ge-wa-go-mo. I now felt, 
 much irritated, and having incpiired from the men in my lodge 
 what horse he rode, I mounted my best, and pursued after him. 
 They had lately moved from the place where I found them be- 
 fore, but following on, I overtook them on their journey. As I 
 was coming near their party, I discovered Gi-ah-ge-wa-go-mo 
 and another man, called Na-na-bush, watching for me in the 
 bushes, a little behind their party. Before I came within gun- 
 shot, I called out to let them know I had discovered them, and 
 holding my gun in my hand, cocked, and in a position for imme- 
 diate use, I passed them, overtook the [)arty, and discovering my 
 little boy, without dismounting I stooped down and lifted him 
 into my lap ; then turning back, went to meet Gi-ah-ge-wa-go-mo 
 and Na-na-bush. 'JMn^y had now left the thicket, and were stand- 
 ing in the path, the former holding his favourite horse by the 
 halter. When I rode up to them, I left my son on the horse, 
 with the reins in his hand, got down, and stabbed Gi-ah-ge-wa- 
 go-mo's horse twice, with a large knife I had carried for the pur- 
 pose. He clubbed his gun, and was about to strike me, but I 
 caught it in descending, and wrested it out of his hands. He 
 threatened he would shoot my horse whenever he could get a 
 gun. I handed his own to him, and told him to shoot the horse 
 now ; but he dared not. " It seems,'' said I, " you have forgot- 
 ten what I told you four months since, when you took away my 
 son before ; but I have not forgotten it, as you see. I am dis- 
 posed to kill you now, but as you are so much frightened, I will 
 let you Jive, to see if you will steal away any of my children 
 hereafter." With this I left him. My friends could scarce be- 
 lieve I had killed his horse, but they did not blame me, neither 
 
..«r. 
 
 TANNRR S NAKllAllVl . 
 
 ill 
 
 1(1 Lake, 
 nee, and 
 y return, 
 pursued, 
 me day's 
 i to bring 
 nuke any 
 led. Bui 
 crrouiul, 1 
 iccount ol' 
 now fell. 
 my Iodide 
 after liim. 
 1 them be- 
 ley. As I 
 -wa-go-mo 
 me in tin- 
 i^ithin gun- 
 [ them, and 
 1 for imme- 
 overing my 
 lifted him 
 i3-wa-go-mo 
 were stand- 
 orse by the 
 I the horKC, 
 li-ah-ge-Wii- 
 for the pur- 
 ? me, but I 
 ands. He 
 ;ould get a 
 it the horse 
 [lave forgot- 
 ik away my 
 1 am dis- 
 jeued, I will 
 ny chihhcn 
 scarce he- 
 me, neithn- 
 
 (lid Gi-ah-go-wa-go-mo ; at least I never lieiird that lie coniplinn- 
 ed of it, and at the linu- ho molested nie no more. 
 
 It was on my return to Me-nau-zhe-lan-nanng. and w hen I was 
 about clearing for myself a Held there, that I foinni tin- ill will of 
 the Indians, intluenced, as I liiought, prinei|)ally by the unl'riend 
 ly otiices of Ais-Uaw-ba-wis, bet'oniinj,' -o strong against '.iie that 
 I determined to leave llu-in. itnt at this lime an accident hap- 
 pened to me, which lisabled nu for many months. I had as- 
 cended a large tree, lo eut oil' the limbs, and having trimmed off 
 the greatest |)art, I went np to nit the toj) oil". Some of the up- 
 per branches struck the lop of another tree, and threw the trunk, 
 which I had cut oil', against my breast, by which blow I was 
 thrown off, and fell from a great height to the ground, where I 
 lay for some time insensible, and wlu'ii consciousness returned I 
 could not use my voice, so that it was some time before I could 
 make the Indians understand that I wished them to bring me 
 water. I fainted three times in attemj)ting to reach the lodg(\ 
 where I then lived. 
 
 Several of my ribs being broken, it was long before I recovered 
 so as to walk about withoui assistance. Dr. M'Laughlin, a tra- 
 der at Rainy Lake, hearing of my situation, sent Mr. Tace, with 
 instructions to take me to his house, at White Fish Lake. For 
 a long time I vomited blood, and felt, if moved, the sensa- 
 tion of a hot liquid in the cavity of my body. At Rainy Lake I 
 experienced much attention aiul kindness from Mr. Tace, and 
 other gentlemen belonging to the North West Company. In 
 the latter part of the ensuing winter, I was better, but when the 
 warm weather of the spring came on, I again relapsed, and be- 
 came unable to hunt. 
 
 In ascending the long rapids of Rainy Lake River, in the 
 spring, our canoes sunk, and I carried my children ashore on 
 my back. Mr. 'Face's canoe sunk also, but all the men were 
 saved. A few days after this, we reached the trading-house of 
 Dr. M'Laughlin, at Rainy Lake. This gentleman f-ave me a 
 room in his house, where my children took care of me for some 
 lime. Every thing necessary was furnished me, and the Doctor 
 would have had me remain with him a year ; but I felt lonely 
 ;ind dissatisfied, and determined on going back to the Lake nf 
 
 ,«?' 
 
 

 i'f, 
 
 \ 
 1 1 
 
 J 
 
 
 t 
 
 
 if 
 
 
 . 1 
 
 'ihl 
 
 
 ■. 
 
 i 
 
 .llttVJ' 
 
 ^1' 
 
 rAXXF.u s XAniiATivi:. 
 
 the Woods, where my wife was, ho])iiiff that thelrouhlc Ais-kaw 
 ba-wis hiul raused me, miglit now be at an end. 
 
 My reeej)ii()n was not swh as I could have wislied ; butnever- 
 iheleris, I remained in the vilhige until tlie corn was planted ; then 
 wo went to colh^'t and dry the bhie berries which grow in great 
 quantises in that country. Altcrwards to the rice swamps; then 
 We ntnrned to gather our corn. Thus we were busy during all 
 the sunnner. 
 
 Late in the fall I became sick again, not having yet recovered 
 from the hurt I had received in falling from the tree; and at abouf, 
 the same time some kind of su'kiiess became frei|nent among the 
 lu'iians. I \\'as one day lying in my loilge, unai)le to sit up or 
 walk about, and the women were at work in the field, when my 
 mother-in-law unexpectedly ranie in with a hoe in her hands, and 
 began to beat me on the head wiih it. I was unable lo maki 
 much resistance, and as I did not attempt il, I eiideavctured to re- 
 concile myself to die, as I believed she' would certainly kill me. 
 While at work in the field, she had beirun to cry for her children : 
 and probably thinking that the man who liad catiscd their death 
 was 1U1W in her power, she ran in with the determination of kill- 
 ing me ; but for some reason unknown to me, she desisted aftei 
 she had beaten me for sonn^ time, and as [covered my head willi 
 my blanket, and \\ilh my bands and arms warded ofl' the blow-: 
 after the hist, I was less severely injured, than I had cause toa[)- 
 prebend. iSo entire was the confidence my mother-in-law re- 
 posed upon the representations of .\is-kaw-i)a-wis, that she did 
 not doul)t but I was in reality gnilf' of the ileath of her children: 
 and as I well knew that this was the rase, I blamed her less fui 
 Iter conduct, than I should otherwise have done. Hut notwith- 
 standing she forbore to take my life, the unfriendly let lino on her 
 part, and that of my wife, was becoming every day more and 
 more manifest. This might have been in some measure owiiij; 
 lo those misfortunes which had now impaired my health, anddis- 
 iiualilied me for making so comfortable provision for ni) familv 
 us I formerly had done. Ilut n.ttwitlistandingall the disciMinigiii:; 
 and distressing circnmstances attendant mi my present situation. 
 I gradually recovered health and strength, and late in the fall. 
 when tlie Indians were about to move to visit a trader, 1 wasabh 
 '0 nccoiiipanv ihein. 
 
 • 
 
 i' r 
 
 
 
 \^ 
 
 \ N 
 
 \ 
 

 \ 
 
 
 TAXNKR fl NAKRATIVK. 
 
 vii:{ 
 
 V.is-ka\\ 
 
 ut ncvev- 
 ted; then 
 ill greal 
 ips ; then 
 luring all 
 
 rccovcrpd 
 1(1 at ahnul 
 iiaong llic 
 sit up or 
 
 whei\ m> 
 hands, and 
 If f.> niiiU' 
 mri'd to ro- 
 ily kill mc 
 ■ !• children : 
 
 their deatli 
 lion ol' Kill- 
 csisled at'tev 
 IV head with 
 
 the blows 
 •ause to a\)- 
 -in-law re- 
 
 lat she dill 
 
 leiuldren: 
 HI- less tu\ 
 
 It nt>lwitl\- 
 iliniT on her 
 
 \,- nM)re and 
 asiire owini; 
 
 111), anddis- 
 iiiy laniily 
 
 iseitunigin^i 
 
 nl sitnntiini. 
 in llie liill. 
 r. I was a 1)1' 
 
 1 had a small ranoe of my own, in which I embarked myself 
 ■.\\u\ my children, but my wife and my mothet-in-law were in the 
 lartre canoe, with the provisions, and the baooage. During the 
 (irst day of our journey, I went forward, with others of the In- 
 dians, leaviiiu the women to come up to the encamping place, 
 after we had sto|)ped. [ cut aiiil put up the poles fur my lodge, 
 but no |)ukivwi, iu> provisions, and no women can\e. Next day 1 
 was ashamed to tell the Indians I had nothing to eat, though my 
 children began to cry of lumger; antl for the same reason, I 
 would not encamp with diom. I iiucw that my wife had deserted, 
 and ( had no reason to suppose she would immediately rejoin 
 me. I therefore kepi ahead of the Indians, and went, before I 
 -topjied, beyond the place where I knew they would encamp. 
 Jlere I killed a fat swan, and was able l(» give my children some 
 food. The weather was now becoming very c(dd, ami 1 had 
 about thi'i time a wide traverse to cross. The weallu r was some- 
 Avhat rough, but as I did not wish to remain to he overtaken by 
 the Indians, I made my childnii lie down in the canoe, and co- 
 vered the whide, as well as I couM, with a bullaloe skin. The 
 wind blew more and more violently, and the waves broke over 
 my little canoe. The water froze upon the sides, and the chil- 
 dren getting wet, sutl'ereil severely. I, also, was so much over- 
 powered by the <'(>ld, that I could not manage the canoe properly, 
 ami it struck and was daslied in pieces on a rocdiy >lio.d, not far 
 from the shore where I wished to land, rorfiinately the wat( r 
 was not dee|) about the rock, nor betueen it and the land, und 
 though a (hill ice had formeii, I wa-; able to break it, and carrv 
 mv children on shore. Hut here we had nearly perished from 
 fold, as my spunk wood was wel, and I had no means of kindling 
 a tire, until I thought to split open my powder limn, wlien i 
 found in the middle (d' the mass of powder, a lililc which the 
 vvaier had not reiched. This en.ihled me i > kindle a fire, and 
 was the means of savino all our lives. Next ii>;y, Mr. Siyre, at 
 the trading house near by, heard of my situation ; or al least the 
 Indians having come up, and reported that I was hist, he sent out 
 some men, who found me, and assisted me to reach the houHC. 
 Here I look a credit for my whole lamily. not knowing but my" 
 Mile would join me ut some future lime. 
 
 The chief »il" llmt country, from whom I had previously ob- 
 
At- 
 
 •■r 
 
 \>' 
 
 ff'M 
 
 
 •'-if ' ' 
 
 •^11 
 
 TANNER S NAUKATIVE. 
 
 taincd permission to hunt in a little i)iece of ground whicli I 
 had selected, and a promise that none of his people should inter- 
 i'ere with me there, now endeavoured to dissuade me from going 
 to spend the winter by myself. I ought, he said, either to remain 
 near the Indians, or t(» take some other woman for a wife; as my 
 children were young ami unable to assist me, and my own health 
 Homewhat uncertain, he thought it would be very imprudent for 
 me to attempt wintering alone. But 1 would not listen to his ad- 
 vice. At present, I had no inclination, either to remain with the 
 Indians, or to take another wife. I therefore began to make a 
 road immediately to my wintering ground. First I took the 
 goods I had purchased, and carried them forward, then returned 
 and brought up my children. My daughter Miirtlia was then 
 three years old, and the other children were yet small. In two 
 or three days I readied my hunting groiuul, but was soon after 
 reduced to great distress, from which I was relieved by a medi- 
 cine hunt. 
 
 I had no pukkwi, or mats, for a lodge, and therefore had (n 
 build one of ])oles and long grass. I dressed moose skins, madt 
 my own moccasins and leggins, antl those for my children ; cut 
 wood and cooked for myself and my fanuly, made my .snow shoes. 
 &c. &.C, All the attention and labour I had to bestow about 
 home, sometimes ke|)t me from hunting, and I was occasionallv 
 distressed for want of provisions. I busied myself ai)out my 
 lodtre in the lught time. When it was suiliciently light, I would 
 bring wood, aiul attend to other things without; at other limes 1 
 was repairing my snow shoes, or my own or my children's 
 clothes. For nearly all the winter, I sh'|)t but a very small pari 
 of each ni'^lit. 
 
 I was still living in this way in the sprinjr, when a young man 
 called Se-bis-kuk-gu-un-na. (lough legs,) a son of Wau-zhe-gaw- 
 maish-koon, who was iu)w dead, came to nn-. Me was in a 
 starving condition, as were his friends, who were eu«'an)ped at no 
 jrreat distance from me. My dogs were mow so well trained, Ihni 
 thpy could draw half a moose. I put on a full load of meat, and 
 told him to go with ihe letim, meet his people, and l»ring them to 
 Jive with me. In three days they arrived; but thouuh their hun- 
 i^er had been relieved by the .supply 1 sent ihem, iheir appearance 
 
 » ' 
 
 t||: 
 
mm 
 
 'Inch 1 
 I inter- 
 im goinu 
 remain 
 . ; as my 
 a heallh 
 idont fov 
 
 Ills ad- 
 wilh the 
 
 1 make a 
 took the 
 
 rclurnoil 
 was tluMi 
 . l\i two 
 soon after 
 )y a nu'tli- 
 
 ,re had to 
 
 kins, mad< 
 
 iMrcn ; en' 
 
 ;no\v shoes. 
 
 stow ai)OVit 
 (•jisionally 
 about nn 
 it, I \vo<dd 
 vr limes I 
 tdiililren's 
 small part 
 
 young ma\i 
 lu-zhe-gaw- 
 If was in a 
 |tinp«'tl i^t "'^ 
 |raii\e<l, that 
 LC meat, and 
 ling them to 
 li their hvm- 
 aj)|)earaiu"e 
 
 rANKER S VARRATIVV;. 
 
 "-J15 
 
 wa9 extremely miserable, and it is probable they must have pe- 
 rished if they had not found me. 
 
 As the spring was approaching, we returned to the Lake of the 
 Woods. Ice was still in the lake when we arrived on the shore 
 of it ; and as I, with my companions, was standing on the shore, 
 I saw an otter coming on the ice at a distance. I had often heard 
 the Indians say that the slron<;est man, without arms of some 
 kind, cannot kill an otter. Pe-shau-ba, and oiIut strong men 
 and good hunters, had told me this, but I still doulited it. I now, 
 therefore, proposed to test the truth of this common opinion. I 
 caught the otter, and for the space of an hour or more, exerted 
 myself, to the extent of my power, to kill him. I beat him, and 
 kicked him, and jumped upon him, but all to no purpose. I tried 
 to strangle him with my hands; but after lying still for a time, 
 he would shorten his n»!ck, and draw his head down between my 
 hands, so that the breath would pass through, and I was at last 
 compelled to acknowledge, that I was not able to kill him with- 
 out arms. There arc other small, and apparently not very strong 
 animals, which an unarmed man «'annot kill. Once while on a 
 war parly, in a sort of bravado, I had tried to kill a pole cat with 
 my naked hands, but I had nearly lost iny eyes by the means. 
 The li(juid which he threw upon my face, caused a j)ainful inflam- 
 mation, ami the .skin came off. The white crane, also, is danger- 
 ous, if approached too near ; they can, and sometimes do, inflict 
 mortal wounds with their sharp beaks. 
 
 After I had killed this otter, I went in pursuit of a bear. I had 
 now three dogs, one of which was not yet fully grown. This 
 (log, which was of a valuable breed, and had been given me by 
 Mr. Tace, escaped from his haller at lunne, and came after me. 
 When he came up, he passed me and the other dnirs, and imme- 
 diately assailed the bear's head ; but the enraged aninnil ahm)st 
 instantly killed him, caught him up in his mouth, and carried him 
 more than a mile, until he himself was oviTcom'^ and killed. 
 
 It is usually vcrylate in the pring. before th<' ice is goiu' from 
 the Lake of the VVoIral. When I arrived at our village with the 
 son of Wau-zhe-gaw-inaish-koon, the Indians who were there 
 had been for a long time sulfering from hunger ; but I had my 
 i'an(»e loaded with provisi(»ns, which I innnedialely distril)nteil 
 Inr their relief. On the day after my arrivBl, came my wife and 
 
 %" 
 
 i 
 
 ft. 
 
 VII 
 
If 
 
 liV'4 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 • m 
 
 It 
 
 :iHi 
 
 tanner's NARKATIVL. 
 
 ]»er mother. She laughed when she saw me, and came to live 
 with mc, as heretofore. She-gwaw-koo-sink and Ais-kaw-ba-wis 
 Averc both there, and both nnlriendly to me, but I made it niy 
 business to seem wholly ignorant of the many attempts ihev 
 made to injure me. About planting- time, tjie traders of ilu 
 North West Company sent messengers and presents to all thr 
 Indians, to call them to join in an attack on the Hudson's IJay 
 establishment at Red River, F()r my own part, I tlioujrht llusc 
 ({uarrely between relalives unnatural, and I wished to take no 
 share in them, though I had long traded with the people of the 
 North West Company, and considered myself as in some measun 
 belonging to thein. Many of the Indians obeyed the call, and 
 many cruelties and nninlers were connnitted. On the part of 
 the North West were many half-l)reeds. among whom, one called 
 Grant, distingui'^hed himself as a leader, Home of tlie Iluilson's 
 Bay people were killed in open fight, others were murdered after 
 being taken prisoners. 
 
 A iMr, M'Donaid, or M'Dolland,* wlio was called a governor 
 for tlie Hudson's Hay, was waylaid, and fell into the hands of a 
 Mr. Herschel, or Harshield, a clerk of the North West. This man 
 sent him in a canoe with some Frenchmen and a half-breed, willi 
 directions to kill him and tlirow him into the water. When the\ 
 luul gone sonu' distance, the hall-breed, whose name was Maveeii 
 wished to have kilUd hini, but the Frenchmen would notconseni, 
 Tiiev Icl't hiin on a ssnall roeky island, from which he had nu 
 jneans of escape, ami where they thought he must perish; but 
 be was discovered and laken up by sonu^ Miiskegoe Indians, wlm 
 ^et him at lilf^'rty. Mr. Harshield beat and abused the Frencli- 
 men for having neglecletl to kill the governor when Jie was in 
 their power, and despatched (tther men in pursuit of him. Wlun 
 again taken, he entrusted him to tlu^ half-breed Maveen, and oik 
 
 * Sonic ol'tiu' I'ilcumcitiiiirc.sot'lluH niurtltr, sci'iii li» identity it witli that of K( ■ 
 veiiv, li>r wliifii (harli's Dc Kiiiilianl and Anliilmlil Mi."ll:iii wcro Iriiil at Uiic 
 I'l'c, ill IHIH, and till' loinu'r i-oiKl(Miiiiod to ilralli. Ue Reinharil, Maim illc, mid 
 Jow, (ir Joseph, all Indian, ollierwise (ailed thnSon of the While I'arlridjfo, Heoni 
 tohave U'Pii the iiiiiiiediute lu'tors in this a'liiir. It is not Hiirprising that 'rainier 
 who was then, as tar as opiHirlunilieK tor parlieular intiirnmlion on llim Kulijcii 
 were eoncerned, (in a |inr with the wildest liuliun, Hlioiild have iniHiakcii forei|;ii 
 names, as* wfll as the eoiiipiirntiv(! rank mid iinporlaiict! of (lirt'iiriiers in tli' 
 I'liiinlrv. 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 <\^ 
 
 v\ 
 
 . ^ 
 
lANN'BU S NARRATlVt:^ 
 
 ^17 
 
 e to live 
 w-ba-wis 
 lie it nu 
 ipts ihcy 
 
 to all thf 
 soil's Bay 
 ijrht these 
 D take no 
 iplu of the 
 le jueasuvi 
 e call, and 
 he [)art ol' 
 , one called 
 e Hudson's 
 rderoil after 
 
 a governor 
 ' liands of ti 
 i. This mail 
 r-bi-ced, Willi 
 When lhe\ 
 was Maveeu, 
 not conseni. 
 1 he had no 
 perish; bill 
 udians, who 
 the Fvenrli- 
 I) he was ill 
 him. When 
 (-011, and oiu' 
 
 Iro tried sit Uiic 
 
 ll. Miiinvillc, aii.l 
 
 Iraririili:'', *'>'<'i'> 
 
 (ngtiiat 'rniiniT 
 
 on tliw Hulijfii- 
 
 Lshikcn fi)rri(!ii 
 
 Lieiuuers in !'»' 
 
 Avhite man, who had been a soldier, but whoso well known cru- 
 elty of disposition made him fit to be chosen for such business. 
 These two murdered him, in a manner too cruel and shameful to 
 be particularly narrated, and then returned with the account of 
 what they had done to Mr. Harshield. 
 
 After the settlement at Red River was reduced to ashes, and 
 ihe Hudson's Bay people driven out of the country, the Indians 
 and half-breeds in the employ of the North West, stationed thcin- 
 rielves at a place called Sah-gi-uk, at the outlet of Lake Winni- 
 peg, to watch for, and destroy, any of the Hudson's Bay people 
 Ai'Iio should attempt to enter the country in that direction. Ba- 
 pi)-wash, my brother-in-law, was at length tired of starving there, 
 and started by himself to come to our village, where I remained, 
 lel'using to take part with either side. On his way up, he met a 
 Mr. M'Dolland, of the Hudson's Bay Company, who, with Mr. 
 Bruce for his interpreter, was going into the country. This gen- 
 tleman wad slow to listen to the advice of Mr. Bruce, who being 
 better acquainted with the state of affairs in the country, had 
 many fears on his account. On meeting Ba-po-wash, whom he 
 tt'ell knew, Mr. Bruce, by pretending to be still in the interest of 
 the North West, was able to gain full intelligence of all that had 
 passed. Being convinced of the truth of this information, Mr. 
 M'Dolland was persuaded to turn back, and probably saved hi,s 
 life by so doing. 
 
 He came to me at Me-nau-zhe-tau-naung, and I confirming the 
 4atement of Ba-po-Avash ; he; hastened back to the Saut De St. 
 Marie, where he met liord Selkirk, then coining into the country 
 to settle the affairs of the two rival companies. 
 
 For my own part, I spent the sunimer in the usual quiet inan- 
 wr, being occupied with huntinij, and the employments about 
 our cornllelds; in gathering wild rice, and fishing. Wlien we 
 upre returning trom the rice swamps, I stopp.ed on one of the 
 -mall islands in the route towards Rainy Lake, to hunt a bear 
 with whose haunt 1 had loiio been aciiuainted. Late at night, 
 after I had killed my bear, and as 1 was lying cpiietly in my 
 lodge, I was sur|>rise(l to hear at the door, a voice, which I knew* 
 immediately to be that of the Mr. Harshield I have already men- 
 iioned. [ soon learned that he was on the look out (ur some one 
 .'u; had not found. Having discovered my light at » distnuce, hf- 
 
 2f^ 
 
 ti 1 
 
■ -i, " III' 
 
 lis t 
 
 318 
 
 TANNKR's NARflATlVE. 
 
 lir ,M 
 
 I 
 
 •■«. 
 
 Willi'*' ^ 
 
 wm 
 
 it',-. 
 
 MM- 
 
 had supposed it to be that in the camp of Lord Selkirk, and had 
 crept up with the stealth of an Indian warrior, or he could not 
 have approached my lodge without my beincr aware of it. He 
 did not immediately mention his intention of killing Selkirk ; bu). 
 I knew him and his companions, and was not at a loss to compre- 
 hend his purpose. Nor was I ignorant of the design with which 
 he, with mu(;h art, endeavoured to get me to accompany him to 
 Rainy Lake. But when he found that insinuations and dubious 
 hints wotdd not eflect what lie had in view, he openly avowed 
 that it was his intention to kill Lord Selkirk, whenever he should 
 meet him, and he then called uj) liis two cunoes, and showed 
 them to me, each with ten strong and resolute men, well armed. 
 He tried many methods to induce me to join him, but I would 
 not. 
 
 After leaving me, he went on to Rainy Lake, to the tradinp 
 house of Mr. Tace ; but that gentlenian being less inclined to vi- 
 olent measures, advised him to return immediately to his own 
 country. What argvmients Mr. Tace made use of I know not. 
 but after two days Mr. Har.shield returned towards Red River. 
 leaving concealed in the woods near the trading house, the soldier 
 who had taken part with Maveen, in the murder of the governor 
 the year before. It was not certainly known among us whai 
 this man's instructions were, but it ajjpeared he did not like hi^ 
 solitary residence in tlic woods, for after four days he returned to 
 the fort. 
 
 In the mean lime. Lord Selkirk had taken Fort William. 
 which was then held by Mr. M'Gillivray, for the North West. 
 From Fort William, he sent on an ofHcer, with some troops, u< 
 take possession of Mr. Tace's trading house, in which the soldier 
 who had killed governor M'Dolland was found. He was senl. 
 Avith others who had attempted to rise after they had surrendered 
 at Fort William, to Montreal, and I have heard that he was luiiij;. 
 
 About this time, I made uj) my mind to leave the Indian coun- 
 try, and return to the States. 1 had many difliculties to encoim- 
 ter, originating in the ill will which had been raised against iiiu 
 among the Indians, particularly in the family of my father-in-law, 
 by Ais-kiiw-ba-wis. Mr. Bruce, with whom I now met, gave me 
 much information and advice ; he had travelled more, and seen 
 iTjore of white men than 1 had. and his sfatemonta encowatred 
 
 A 
 
" ■ WJ - J-J 
 
 and had 
 ould not, 
 it. Ho 
 kirk ; bui 
 ) comprc- 
 ith wliich 
 ny him to 
 id dubious 
 ly avowed 
 • he shoukl 
 nd showed 
 p'ell armed. 
 )ut 1 wouW 
 
 the tvadinfi 
 dined to vi- 
 r to his own 
 1 know not. 
 i Red llivcr. 
 c, the soldicv 
 the governor 
 long us what 
 Li not like hi^ 
 relumed to 
 
 "ort Williaiu. 
 North West. 
 ine troops, tc 
 •h tlic soldiiM 
 He was sent' 
 d surrendered 
 he was huiiv;. 
 Indian eouu- 
 IPS to encouu- 
 xl against luc 
 lalher-in-law, 
 met, gave uu 
 lore, and seen 
 Its encouraued 
 
 iANNERS NAUKATlVi;. 
 
 •^in 
 
 me. Tlie war of 1812 was now over, and there was, I thought, 
 no insiirmountabh! obstacle in the way of my return to my own 
 coimtry. 
 
 f had a fine crop of corn, and plenty of wild rice; and as I 
 wished to move to Rainy Lake, where 1 could spend the winter, 
 Mr. Bruce, who was going the same way, agreed to take twent) 
 Hacks of my corn, and at length I followed with my family. 
 Wiicn I arrived near the trading-house at Rainy Lake, and where 
 I expected to have found Mr. Tace, being as yet ignorant of the 
 changes that had taken place, I foimd the captain I have before 
 nientioned. He treated me with much attention, and would have 
 given me some goods ; but all those left in the house by the 
 North West, had already been disposed of to the Iiulians. After 
 several days' conversation with me, he succeeded in convincing 
 nic that the Hudson's Bay Company was that which, in the pre- 
 sent quarrel, had the right on its side, or rather, was that which 
 was acting Avitli the sanction of the British government ; and bj 
 ])romising to aid mc in my return to tlie states, by liberal pre- 
 sents, good treatment, and fair promises, he induced me to con- 
 sent to guide him and his party to the North West Company's 
 house, at the mouth of the Assinneboiii. The winter was now 
 coming on, and had already commenced, but Cupt. Tussenon, 
 lor that was his name, as nearly as I can recollect, said his party 
 could not live at Rainy Lake, and it was necessary for him to gu 
 mmediately on to Red River. 
 
 I started with twenty men in advance, and went to Be-gwi-o 
 iius-ko Sah-gie-gun, (»r Rush Lake, whence the horses were sent 
 back, an<l the captain, with the remaining fifty men, came up. 
 \t Rush Lake we had snow shoes made, and engaged Shr- 
 i^waw-koo-sink, Me-zhuk-ko-nong, and other Indians, t«> ac- 
 company us, as hunters, and as we had great (juantities of wild 
 rice, we were pretty well supplied with food. We had, howe- 
 ver, a long distance to travel over the prairie, and the sin)W was 
 deep. When we were out of meat, there was occasionally some- 
 thing of a mutinous disposition mu:. lest among the soldiers, but 
 little serious difficulty occurred. Ii> forty days after we left 
 Rainy Lake, we arrived at Red River, and took the fort at the 
 iijouth of the Pembinah, without any diillculty, there beinjf fev 
 
 
 
 ' i 
 
 
 .'tl 
 
 v'.l 
 
 \Jv^.,. 
 
•^20 
 
 1 AXN'KR sJ NARKAin K. 
 
 W%^ 
 
 or no persons there, except sijuaws and chililren, and a few old 
 French. ..eit. 
 
 From rembinah, where I loll my children, we went, in four 
 days, to the Assinneboin, ten miles above tlie mouth, having 
 crossed Red River a short time before. Here Be-gwais, a prin- 
 cipal man of the Ojibljeways, met us, with twelve youn|ir men. 
 Our captain ami governor, who was with us, though they un- 
 derstood there were no more than tweh'e men in the INorth 
 West Company's fort, at the mouth of the Assinneboin, seenietl 
 at a loss to know in what manner to attempt its reduction. 
 
 They counselled with Be-gwais, and he advised them to 
 march immediately up to thi' ft)rt. uud show their force before it, 
 which he thought vvould lie sutKcient to insure immediate siu'- 
 render. When ("apt. Tussenon had engaged me at Rainy Lake, 
 I had told him I could make a road from that place to the door 
 of Mr. /•arshield's bed rooai, and considering myself able to dii 
 .so, I was dissatistied that they took no notice of me in these 
 consultations ; and at night, we at that time having approachoil 
 very near, I communicated my dissatisfaction to Loueson No\\- 
 lan, an interpreter, who was well ac(|uainted with the countr). 
 and who had a half brother in the fort, a clerk for Mr. Harshickl. 
 We talked together, as we left the place where they had been 
 counselling, and after we had lain down by our own fire, and 
 Nowlan agreed with me that it woidd be in the power of us two 
 to go forward, and surj)rise, and take the fort, and we determin- 
 ed to attempt it ; but we comnuinicated our intention to sonit 
 soldiers, who followed us. There were no hills, bushes, or 
 other objects, to cover our approach ; but the night was dark, 
 and so extremely cold, that we did not suppose the people within 
 could be very vigilant. We made a ladder in the way the In- 
 dians make them, by cutting the trunk of a tree, with the liinb 
 trimmed long enough to serve to step on, and placing it agaiiisi 
 the wall, we went over and got down on the inside, on the top ol 
 the blacksmith's shop, whence we descended silently, one after 
 another, to the ground. When a suflicient number of the mcu 
 had got in, we went to find the people, first cautiously placing 
 two or three armed men at the doors of the occupied rooms, to 
 prevent them from getting together, or concerting any meHn< 
 of resistance. 
 
 ' Li 
 
 r.' 
 
 m*''.i 
 
tannkr's xarrativl. 
 
 '».) 
 
 21 
 
 We (lid not discover the bed room of Harshicld until day lighf . 
 When he loiind we were in the fort, he came out, stronf>ly arm- 
 ed, and attempted to make resistance, l)Ut we easily overpower- 
 ed him. He was at first bound, and as he was loud and abusive, 
 the governor, who, with the rt plain, had now arrived, dirt ' 
 us to throw hin. out intu the snow ; but the weather bein<f too 
 cold for him to remain there without much dan^^or of being fro- 
 zen, they allowed him to ctime in, and lie was j)laced by the fire. 
 When he recoguised me among his captors, he knew at once 
 that i must have guided the party, and he reproached me loudly 
 with my ingratitude, as he pretended formerly to have done mc 
 many favours. I told him, in reply, of the murders he had com- 
 milted on his own friends, aud the people of his own colour, and 
 that it was on account of them, and his numerous crimes, that I 
 had joined against him. " When you came to my lodte last 
 fall, and I treated you with kindness, it was because I did not 
 then see thai your hands were red with the blood of your own 
 relatives. I did not see the ashes «d' the houses of your brothers, 
 which you had caused to be burned down at Red River." But 
 he continued to curse and abuse not only me, but the soldiers, 
 and every one that came near him. 
 
 Only three persons were kept in confinement, of those that 
 liad been captured in this trading-house. These were Mr. Har- 
 shield, the half breed boy, Maveen, who had been concerned in 
 the murder of the Hudson's Bay governor above; mentioned, iind 
 one clerk. The rest were suflered to go at large. Joseph Ca- 
 dotte, the half brother of Nowlan, made a very humble and sub- 
 missive apology for his conduct, and promised, if they would 
 release him, he would go to his hmitiiig, and be henceforth no 
 more concerned with traders. He was accordingly liberated, 
 but instead of doiuo as be had promised, he went immediately to 
 Mouse River Iradiug-house, and having collected forty or fifty 
 half breeds, he returned to retake the place; l)Ut they approach 
 ed no nearer than about a mile distant, where they remained foi 
 some time in camp. 
 
 After twenty days, I returned to Pembinah to my family, and 
 then went, with Wa-ge-tote, to hunt buHiiloe in the prairie. I 
 now heard that many of the iialf breod people in the country- 
 were enrau,ed against me, for the part I had taken against the 
 
 
 1 M 
 
 \ t 
 
 .'i[ 
 
fmm 
 
 I. .i- 
 
 ^>i 
 
 t 
 
 'ir^Z 
 
 lANNKU S NARUAllVi;. 
 
 North West Company, anil iVoin some of the principal men I 
 heard that they inteniUid to take «ny lii'e. I sent ihcni back for 
 answer, tiiat they must fall on me as I had done on the peoph 
 of the North West, when I was sleeping, or they would not hi- 
 able to injure me. They came near, and were several times 
 lurkinjT about, with intention to kill me, b^ t they were never 
 able to ell'ect their object. I spent what remained of the win- 
 ter among the Imlians, and in the spring returned to tlie A»- 
 sinneboin. Lord Selkirk arrived from Fort William in the 
 spring, and a few days afterwards Mr. Cumberland, and anollier 
 clerk, belonging to the North West, came up in a canoe. As they 
 did not stop at the fort, Lord ^Selkirk sent a canoe after them, 
 and they were brougiit back and placed in coniinement. 
 
 The people of ihc Mouse River trading-house, belonging In 
 the North West Company, came down about this time ; but be- 
 ing afraid to pa^^s by the fort, they stopped and encamped at jm 
 great distance above. The Indians from distant parts of tht 
 country, not having heard of the disturbances and changes thiii 
 had taken place, now began to assemble ; but they manifested 
 great astonishment when they found tliat heir old ti..ders wcrr 
 no longer in possessior, of the fort. 
 
 A letter was this spring, or in the earlj part of summer, re- 
 ceived from Judge ('odnian, offering two hundred dollars reward 
 for the apprehension and rlelivery of three half breeds, who had 
 been very active in the preceding disturbances, namely, Grant. 
 the principal leader of the l^df breeds for the North West, Jo- 
 seph Cadotte, and one cpUe.! Assinneboin. These were nil 
 taken by a l)arty from our fi i , aided by the interpreter, Nowlaii. 
 but they were released upon their promise to appear again when 
 Judge Codman should arrive. This party had sc rce return- 
 ed home, when Assinneboin came and surrendered himsell'. 
 at the same time giving information that Grant and Cadotte had 
 fled the moment Nowlanand his parly turned their backs. Thev 
 went to the country of the Assinnebnins, from whence they did 
 not return initil thev were sent f )r, md brought to attend tlic 
 court; but tlie man who had given himself up was pardoned. 
 
 Lord Selkirk had, for a long time, expected the arrival of the 
 judge appointed to try those accused of capital crimes, and to ad- 
 just the dispute between the two rival companies : and becoming 
 
 ♦II 
 
 
 Iht. , "v 
 
 
f. : 
 
 lANNKR S NAllRA'llVL. 
 
 'i£i 
 
 \«ry impatient, he despatched a messenger to Sah-gi-iil vritli 
 provisions and other presents, who was instructed to pro<^t d «u 
 until he shouW meet the judge. At one of the North West Com- 
 pany's houses, beyond Sah-gi-uk, tliis man was taken prisoner, 
 and severely beaten by the company's agent, Mr. Black ; but 
 about this time the judge arrived, and Mr. Black, with a Mr. 
 M'Cloud, fled, and secreted themselves among the Indians, si) 
 that when Judge Codman sent lor them from Red River, they 
 were not to be found. 
 
 Th« trial continued a long time, and many prisoners were, 
 from day to day, released ; but Mr. Harshield, and the half breed 
 Maveen, were loaded with irons, and put in more rigorous con- 
 finement. The judge had his ramp in the middle, between our 
 fort and the camp of the Norl.i West Company's people, proba- 
 bly that he might not seem partiril to either- 
 One morning, as I was stand'.ng in the gate of the fort, I saw 
 the judge, who was a large, fat man, come towards me, attended 
 by Mr. M'Kenzie, and a half breed, called Cambell, and an old 
 Naudoway Indian. They came into the house, looked from 
 room to room, and at last entered the one in which Selkirk then 
 was. Cambell followed the judge in, and having a paper in one 
 hand, he laid the other en Selkirk's shoulder, and said something 
 I did not understand. Much discussion followed, all of which 
 was incomprehensible to me ; but I observed that Mr. M'Kenzie 
 and Cambell wero standing near the whole day. It was nearly 
 night when Nowlan told me that the judge had fined the North 
 West a considerable sum, I think either three hundred or three 
 thousand dollars, and that Lord Selkirk was released from arrest. 
 After this, Mr. M'Kenzie and Cambell went out, and were much 
 insulted on the way to their camp, by the people belonging to 
 the Hudson's Bay ; but the judge remained to dine with Lord 
 Selkirk. 
 
 Col. Dickson, who was now at Red River, sent a man for the 
 Sioux, as it was thought desirable that they should be called in, 
 and made acquainted with the state of afliiirs. In the preceding 
 winter, after I had returned to Pembinah, two Ojibbeway women 
 had arrived there, with pipes from the Sioux country, to invite 
 (he Ojibbeways to make peace. These women had been prison- 
 ers among the Sioux, and their" release, as well a.s the messagr 
 
vc 
 
 i t 
 
 : J 
 
 n 
 
 •-W4 
 
 tanner's NAKRATIVK. 
 
 /it. 
 
 t'^ 
 
 I :' .-* 
 
 they bore, was considered as indicative of a disposition on tho 
 part of the Sioux to bring about a peace with the Ojibbeways. 
 
 One of these women had been married to a Hioux, and l\ei- 
 husband had become attached to her. When the common voice 
 of his people made it necessary she should be sent back to her 
 own country, he sent a mesHajre to her husband, among tlic 
 Ojibbeways, offering to give him, in exciiange for her, which- 
 ever of his own wives the Ojibbeway might choose to take. Hut 
 this man was not disposed to accept the olfer of the Sioux, and 
 there was no one to return to answer the messages the women 
 had brought, until Mr. Bruce, the interpreter before mentioned, 
 offered his services. These negotiations, though they had pro- 
 duced little apparent eflect, had pre))ared the minds of the Sioux, 
 in some measure, for the message from Mr. Dickson, and the\- 
 sent, according to his request, twejity-two men, and two Ojibbeway 
 prisoners, that were to be given up. One of these prisoners was a 
 young woman, the daughter of Gitche-o[)e-zhe-ke, (the big bufliiloe,) 
 and she also had been married among the Sioux. Her husband, 
 who was one of the twenty two who now arrived, was a young 
 man, and was extremely fond of his Ojibbeway wife. The chiefs of 
 the party, when they were about to return, tried to persuade him 
 to leave her ; but this he obstinately refused to do, and the}- 
 were at last compelled to abandon him, though it was evidently 
 at the imminent peril of his life, that he ventured to remain by 
 himself among the Ojibbeways. After his companions had left 
 him, he went out, and wandered about, crying hke a child. See- 
 ing his distress, I called him into my lodge, and though, on ac- 
 count of difference of language, I could not say much to him, I 
 endeavoured to console him, and make him believe that he would 
 find some friends ev»'n among the Ojil)beways. On the follow- 
 ing day, he deternuned to follow his companions, and to return 
 to hi^ own country. He started out, and followed along their 
 path two or three hinidred yards, tluMi he threw himself down 
 upon the ground, cried, and rolled about like a mad man ; but 
 his affection for his wife getting the better of his wish to return. 
 and his fears for his own life, he came back, and would have re- 
 mained among us. But about this time we heard of other Ojib- 
 beways, who had threatened to come and kill him, and we well 
 Ttnew th»t it would be scarce possible for him to remain loni 
 

 TANNKU S .>AUU.VllVi:. 
 
 ««5 
 
 ainou" us, wiihmit nllenipts hinng made against liis lite. Wa- 
 ge-tote and Bo-g\vais, our chit-fs, intcrlVrcd tu send liim a\vay» 
 and having selected eiirht trusty men, of whom I was one, di- 
 rected that he should be taken (uu; day's journey towards the 
 Sioux country. We were compelled to drag him away by vio- 
 lence, nor could we urge him forward in any other manner, un- 
 til we arrived at the crossing place of the Assinneboin River, 
 where we met a party of two hundred Assinneboins. The young 
 Sioux hai" taken the precaution to dress himself like an Ojibbe- 
 wav, and when the thief of the Assinneboins asked lis where we 
 were going, we told him our chiefs liad sent us to hunt buflaloc. 
 This man, Nc-zlio-ta-we-nau-ba, was a good and discreet chief, 
 and although the terror of the young Sioux immediately made 
 him acquainted with the deception we trie<l to practice upon 
 him, he appeared to take no notice of it ; he even placed him- 
 self in such a situation as to divert the attention of his own peo- 
 ple from the young man, until the band had passed. He then 
 addressed the Sioux in his own language : " Fly, young man," 
 said he, " and remember if you are overtaken before you rcacli 
 your own country, there are few among the Assinneboins, or 
 Ojibbeways, who Avould not gladly take your life." The young 
 man started to run accordingly. At the distance of one hundred 
 yards we heard him burst out crying ; but afterwards, we under- 
 stood that he overtook his party at Pembinah, and returned in 
 safety to his own country. 
 
 Much was said of this peace between the Sioux and Ojibbo- 
 way.i, and Col. Dickson often boasted that the Sioux would not 
 be the first to violate the treaty, as he said they would venture 
 to do nothing without his consent. He was even boasting in 
 this way, when a chief of the Ojibbeways, with forty men, ar- 
 rived, having in their hands the still bloody arrows they had 
 taken from the bodies of those the Sioux had recently killed at a 
 trading-house belonging to Mr. Dickson himself. This, for some 
 time, checked his boasting. Lord Selkirk, also, about the same 
 time, called all the Indians together, and presenting them a quan- 
 tity of tobacco, spirits, &c. &c. made (»ne of those long and fa- 
 tlicrly speeches so common in Indian councils. " My children," 
 said he, " the sky which has long been dark and cloudy over 
 ^onr heads, is now once m<)re clear and bright. Your great 
 
 '?0 
 
 \ 
 
 r 'V 
 
 !'l 
 
7:*^-"^ 
 
 m 4 
 
 aati 
 
 lA.NiNtR 6 .NAKRAin i;. 
 
 if 
 
 :/• 
 
 1 
 
 l 
 
 4 
 t 
 
 111 
 
 f 
 
 ( 
 
 ■ ( 
 
 1 
 
 
 \ ^ 
 
 i 
 
 I'athor beyond tlie waters, who lias ever, as you know, ueaiesi 
 his licart the interests of his red chikhen, has sent me to remove 
 tlie briars out of your patli, that your feet may no more bleed. 
 We have taken care to remove from you those evil minded whiU; 
 men who sought, for the sake of their own prolit, to make you 
 forget your duty to your great father ; they will no more 
 return to trouble you. We have also called to us the Sioux, 
 w ho, lliough their skins are red, like your own, have long been 
 your enemies. They are henceforth to remain in their own coun- 
 try. This peace now places you in safety. Long before your 
 fathers were born, this war began, and instead of quietly pur- 
 suing tlie game for the sui)port of your women and children, yon 
 Jiave bettn murdering one another ; but that time has passed 
 away, and you can now hunt where you please. Your yount; 
 men nuist observe this peace ; and your great father will consi- 
 der as his enemy any one who takes #ip the tomahawk." 
 
 The Indians answered with the usual j)romises and pro- 
 fessions, and being about to leave the fort that evening, they 
 stole every horse- belonginir to Lord Selkirk aiul his party. In 
 the morniiiir, not a single horse was left, and the Indians had 
 most of ihem disappeared also. ' 
 
 It was now so late that I could not come that fall to the stati'>. 
 Lord Selkirk having, jn ihaps, heard souHUiiing of my history, 
 began to be attentive to mv. ile inijuired about the events nl 
 my past life, and 1 related many things to him, parti«'ularly llic 
 part I had borne in capturing the fort. Judge; Codman,* also, 
 
 * -Miiiiy ot'ilif iiaiiics (irwhilo nioii, in tlir uortli wp.-.t, and in ntlirr purls til'lhi 
 country, wliii'h sire infiiiioni'd in tins narrative, arc grossly inisspclt ; tlu-Mim 
 |irniri|)l(' liavinij licrn t'ollnvvt-d in writinir IhiII) l'(prt'ii;n and Indian names, in ah 
 in>tanccs where llie name the narrator intendi'd to nienlion did not iinnieili,i!ii 
 recur to the reeolleetion oil lie writer. 'I'hus t'odmanishere written for Coll uutii , 
 ill other placets Maveen for \Iaii\rilh' ; 1'uKiienon liir D'Hrsonnrns; &c. It is 
 oUo not iniprolialile lliat names iiiny lia\e iM'coiiie e.iiil'oiiiided in the mind of our 
 hunter himself, wiio apfiears to ha\e Ihtu more conversant with Indians tli.iu 
 wlutenien. Thus, in liis account of tiip murder of a (rovernor of the Hudson's li.iy 
 (onipany, of llie nameof M'DoiiaM, or .M'llollaiid, he may (nissilily have used mu 
 of these names in place ol thni of .Mr. Seinple, who was one of the victims to llial 
 spirit of liliMidy tivulry which (xrasioneil Ihesi- troubles lirlwern tho tmihiiucoin- 
 jmiueH. This wnnt of precision, particularly in the s|(ellini;of name.-, will not, 
 t«ith tliee.indid. imp.in' liie crcilil<diiy oftliis linml<lc nurraliM' 
 
 ■ V 
 
 .\N 
 
lAXNtR S NARRATlHi. 
 
 aat 
 
 wlio remained tliere, often spoke to Lurk Selkirk rrsipectius; nic. 
 " This man," said he, " conducted your party from the Lake of 
 the Woods hither, in the winter season, and performed a very 
 important part in the taking of this fort, at the expense of great 
 labour, and at the hazard of his life, and all for the sum of forty 
 dollars. The least you ought to do is to make his forty dol- 
 lars eighty, and give him an annuity of twenty dollars per year 
 for life." Lord Selkirk did acordingly. The annuity for tlic 
 five first years has been paid mi". 'J'hc second five have not jet 
 expired. 
 
 Lord Selkirk was not able to leave the month of the Assinne- 
 buiii so early as he had ii\lendfd, fur tcir of the North \Ve>i. 
 They had sent men, disguised as Indian-^, iinioiig whom was one 
 they called Sacksayre; they hitd also sent Indians, with in- 
 structions to waylay and nuirder him. Htariii!' of tlii-;. lie . 
 thought it best to despatch Col. Dickson to the Sionx country 
 (or a guard of one hundred Sioux, ami it was not until these m- 
 rived, that he dared venline out. Tin ii he escaped i'rom the 
 tort at night, and joined Dickson at Pembiiuih. 
 
 He took with him a letter, wiiich he had himself written fur 
 me, ami in my name, to my fi ieiu!« in the states, ijiviiiji scmie ul 
 the most prominent of the particulars of my early hisiury. Ilr 
 had tised much persuasion to induce me to accompany him, aiul 
 1 had inclination enough to do so; but 1 then belit \tti lliat 1110^1 
 of my near relatives had been nuirdered b\ the Indians; ami il 
 any remained, I knew that so onat a lap-^e ipf time must liu\e 
 made us, in ail respects, like strangers to cnIi other. lie alsu 
 |iroposed to take me to England with hin>; but my attachnn-uls 
 were among the Indians, and m\ homo was in the Indian c.ouU' 
 tiv. I hat! spent great part of m\ lil'e there, and I knew it wa« 
 iP() late for me to form new association^, lie howe\( r sent six 
 uu'n to take me to the Lake of the Wood^. where I arrived late 
 111 the tall, after the corn was gatiu'red. In the begiiming of 
 winter, I wtnt to the Be-gwi-o-nus-ko Lake, thence, when the 
 >iiow had fullen, to the prairie, to hunt bullalMe. 
 
 The Indians gathered annmd, one aftrr another, until we be- 
 came a consid'Table band, and then we began to snller of hunsier. 
 The weather was very severe, and our suHiring iiu'reased. .V 
 voimg woinnti was the first lo die of hunuer. Suun nfter tbi>'. a 
 
'^^ 
 
 J a.\M:;r ft; NVRiiAin i;. 
 
 young man, her brother, was taken with tliat kind of deUriuni, 
 i»r madness, which precedes death in such as die of starvation. 
 In this condition, he had left tlie lodge of his debilitated and 
 desponding parents ; and when, at a late hour in the evening, I 
 returned from my hunt, they could not tell what had become of 
 him. I left the camp about the middle of the night, and follow- 
 ing his track, I found him at some distance lying dead in tlie 
 snow. 
 
 i : ■ ^^ ' 
 
 Ai^ ' ' 
 
 •<: ■: 
 
 'I- -'* , 
 
 ■' 4 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Sufl'frinjis of llip Ojibboways from liungrr — persecutions of Waw-lio-bi'-nai-sa, and 
 unkiiidncssof my Indian rdiitivos — journoy to Detroit — Governor Cass — coun- 
 cil at St. Mury, on the Miami. 
 
 All the men who were still able to walk, now determined U> 
 yitart after buffaloe, which we knew could not then be very near 
 us. For my own pari, I chose to remain, as did one good huntor 
 besides, who knew that the prospect of getting buffaloes was not 
 good. We remained beiiind, and in a sliorl lime killed live 
 moose; all the flesh af whicli being immediately distributed 
 among the sufl'ering women and children, alTorded some reliel. 
 and checked the progress of death, wliich was making extensive 
 havoc among \is. The ni* u rcttinioil one after another, more 
 worn out and reduced than when they had left us. Oidy a single 
 buffaloc had been killed. As the most incessant, and the inost 
 laborious exertions alone, could save us from perishing, 1 went 
 immediately out lo hunt again, and having ^•tilrted a bear, I pur- 
 sued him for three (lays, Milhout b< iiiL,^ able to come up with him. 
 At the end of this time I found myself so fur exhausted, tiiat 1 
 knew I could never overtake the bear, and I should not have 
 reached home, liad not some Indiuiis, litllo less miserable and 
 hungry than myself, happened t.i meet with me. I had slopped 
 at night, and being in\a!)le to make a camp, or kindle a tire, I 
 was endeavouring to reconcile myself to the immediate u|)proacli 
 of death, which I thought inevitable, when these people unex- 
 pectedly found me, and helped me to return to camp. This !•< 
 but a fair epecimcn of the life which many of the Ojibbcways of 
 
 \ 
 
 
-^ am 
 
 '■*i^e=^ ■#- -.*^.^«»*-ie . ^ 
 
 \.>^ 
 
 TANNER si N'AKUATIVt:. 
 
 'i'iU 
 
 delirium, 
 tarvation. 
 tateil and 
 jvening, I 
 ecome of 
 11(1 follow- 
 cad in the 
 
 termincd to 
 
 )e very noiir 
 
 jvood huutor 
 
 loos was not 
 
 > killed livo 
 
 distributed 
 
 some relicl. 
 
 ntr extensivr 
 
 ither, niovf 
 
 D,ilyasi»^l<- 
 
 11(1 tlie nio-t 
 iin<l, 1 wem 
 bear, I \m\- 
 
 up with liiui. 
 
 lUsted, that 1 
 
 lid not have 
 
 iserablc ami 
 
 had slo\)l>eil 
 
 ndle n lire, I 
 
 iite u])i)roaeli 
 
 n'ople unex- 
 
 |)np. This i^ 
 
 lihbcways of 
 
 the norili lead during the winter. Their barren an<l inhospitable 
 fountry affords them so ^ antily the meaiis of subsistence, that 
 it is only with the utmost exertion an«l activity, that life can be 
 sustained ; and it not unfrequentiy happens that the strongest 
 men, and the best hunters, perish of absolute hunger. 
 
 Now the Indians again determined to move all together, to- 
 wards the buffaloes, and endeavour to reach them with their fami- 
 lies. Only Oon-di-no, the man who had remained with me be- 
 fore, wislied to stay, that his women might dry the skin of the 
 last moose he had killed, so that they might carry it with them, 
 to be eaten in case of the failure of all other supplies. I conclu- 
 ded to remain with him ; but in the middle of the first night after 
 the Indians left, the distress of my children became so great, that 
 I could no longer remain in my lodge. I got up and started, and 
 told liim that if I could kill or procure any game, I would return 
 to his relief. I pursued, iaj)idly as my strength would permit, 
 the path of the Indians, and about morning came up with their 
 ramp. I had no sooner arrived, than I heard the sounds of a 
 feast and going up to the lodge, I Jicard the voice of an old man, 
 llianking the Great Spirit for the supply that had been bestowed 
 ill the time of their necessity. He did not mention the animal 
 by name that had been killed, only calling it Manito-wais-sc, 
 which means nearly " Spirit beast." From this I could not as- 
 certain what had been killed, but from another source, I learned 
 i: was an old and poor buffaloe. From this I inferred that herds 
 must be near, and two young men being willing to join me, wc 
 went immediately in tlie direction in which we believed the herd 
 would be found, and after having walked aliout three hours, as- 
 rended a little hill, and saw before us the ground black with buf- 
 faloes. We crawled tip, and I killed immediately two fat cows. 
 As I was cutting these up, I began to hear the guns of the men 
 of our party, they having followed me on, antl being now arrived 
 among the buffaloes. It Avas somewhat late when I was ready to 
 go to our camp, most of the men were in before me. I had ex- 
 pected to have heard t!ie sounds of feastinuf and rejoicing ; but 
 when I entered the camp, not a voice was to l)e heard. No wo- 
 men and children were running about, all was silent and sad. 
 Can it be, thouglit I, that this relief has come too late, and (hat 
 our women and children are all dead. I looked into one lodire 
 
 •A 
 

 r I 
 
 llrir 
 
 jj30 
 
 i'AXNERS NARRATIVE. 
 
 after another; in all, the people were alive, but none hail aii\ 
 thing to eat. The men having most of them come from a forcsi 
 country, anil having never hunted buffaloe before, all failed to 
 kill except myself. The supply I had brought, I having loaded 
 the two young men that were with me, somewhat allayed the 
 hunger that was prevailing. 
 
 There was at this time with us, a man called Waw-bebc-nal- 
 sa, (White Bird,) ivitli whom I had formerly been somewhat ac- 
 quainted, aiul whose jealousy and ill will against me, seemed lo 
 be excited and irritated by my success in hunting. It was on ac- 
 count of this man, and because I wished to avoid all ostentation, 
 that I now forbore to make a feast in my own lodge, as woiilt! 
 have been proper for mo to have done on this occasion. Never- 
 tiieiess, one of the younu men who had been with nie inado . 
 least, and I, after reserving sutFicient food to allay the prcssinir 
 hunger of my own children, sent the remainder to the faniilit- 
 about me. The young num who made the feast, called, amonii 
 others, Waw-bt!>e-nais-sa, the man I have mentioned. In tlii 
 course of the evening, he said, as I understood, much to prejudici 
 tne in the opinion of the Indians ; accusing me of pride, insolence, 
 and of having in various ways done mischief among them. Hi; 
 1 remained in my own lodge, and at present took no notice ol 
 this, further than to contradict his unfair statements. 
 
 Next morning, long before the dawn, the women started 1',.: 
 the remains of the two bullaloe 1 had killed: aiul several of tin 
 men, most of them having obtained from me some instruction 
 iihcnit the part to be aimed at, again went in pursuit of the henls, 
 iind this day several of them killed. We soon had pkntv d! 
 meat, and all that were sick and near death recovered, except om 
 woman, who having gone mad with hunger, remained in a slitl 
 of derangemenf f<a* more than a month. 
 
 The principal man (tf this band was called O-poih-gini,* (iiii *' 
 pipe.) He, with llirec lodges, remained with nn-, the otlicis 
 scattered here and there in pursuit of the bullaloe. One of tin 
 mm who remained back with me, was Waw-bebe-nais-sa, and 
 another his son-in-law. I killed great nimdx-rs of fat IiuDIiIik. 
 and the choice parts of forty of them I had dried. We had su;- 
 
 •) (xnh-jjuii— i)i|)o ; 0-)H)ili-Run-niin — jtiiK*.". 
 
 1 j 
 
 , • 
 
^ 
 
 JAN^tRS XARKAllVi;. 
 
 231 
 
 had any 
 a a lorcsi 
 
 tailed tit 
 nu loaded 
 ilaycd llu: 
 
 ,'-bcbe-nui- 
 newhat ae- 
 secmed to 
 was on ac- 
 islenlatioii, 
 e, as woiilil 
 ,n. Nevev- 
 nie, made ■ 
 Lhc prossiiKi 
 llip lamilii« 
 lUcd, amonu 
 lU'd. In ill. 
 I to prejudici 
 ]v, insolence. 
 r thoni. Rii 
 no iioliee ut 
 
 n started lo 
 several of tin 
 ic instruetit)!! 
 «>f thfi lienl^. 
 ad \'>\v\\\\ o! 
 d, exeeptoiii 
 u<d in a stut 
 
 ,ih-i>uii/ (lii' 
 ., the otliei' 
 One nl' tin 
 -nais-sa, ami 
 If fat liulValne. 
 \Vi! had sill- 
 
 j'ered so much from hunger, tliat I wislicd to secure my family 
 af^ainst a rctmn of it. I also still had it in contemplation to make 
 my way to tlic States, when I knew it would be necessary for mo 
 to leave them for some lime, without any one to hunt for tliem. 
 1 made twenty large sacks of pemmican ; ten kegs of ten gallons 
 eacli, which I procured from the Indians, I filled with tallow, and 
 jireserved, besides, a considerable number of tongues, &c. 
 
 It was not immediately that I discovered Waw-bebe-nais-sa's 
 design in remaining near my camp, which was solely to, annoy 
 ;ind molest me. I had such large quantities of meat to carry, 
 when we came finally to move, that I was compelled to return 
 M'ith my dogs four time!5, to carry forward to my camping place, 
 one load after another. One day he contrived to meet me alo^e^V 
 at the place where I deposited my loads, and I had no sooner 
 slopped, tlian he thrust both his hands into my long hair, which 
 ihen hung down on both sides of my head. " This," said he, '' is 
 the head of your road, look down and see the place where the 
 wolves and the carrion birds shall pick your bones." I asketl 
 Iiim why he ofTered me this violence. "You are a stranger," 
 said he, "and have no right among us; but you set youself up 
 for the best hunter, and would make us treat you as a great man. 
 For my own part, I have long been weary of your insolence, and 
 T am determined you shall not live another day." Finding that 
 lemonstranee was likely to have no eflect upon him, but that he 
 was proceeding to beat my head against a po])lar tree that siooi! 
 there, by a sudden exertion of strength, I threw him uptm the 
 j;round, and disengaged uiy head at the expense of part of my 
 iiair. But in the struirgle, he cauglit three of the fingers of my 
 light hand between his teeth. Having sunk his strong teeth <\uite 
 til the hones of my fingers, I could not draw them out of his 
 mouth, but witli my left haml aimed a blow at one of his eyes ; 
 his jaws flew open, and he leapt instantly to his feet. My toma- 
 hawk was lying near me, and his eye happening to fall upoi\ it. 
 lu^ caught it in his hand, and aimed so hearty a blow at my head, 
 that as I eluded it, his own \ iolence brought him to the ground. 
 I juinped upon him, wrenched the tomahawk fVnn> his hand, and 
 ilirew it as far a> I could, while I contii\ued to hold him fast in 
 the gr(»und. I was uuieh enraged at his uiiproAol<ed and violeni 
 attack n|.oi, me: nevertheless I would nut kill him. but sei iiiu 
 
 
 '■' 
 
 1 
 
 -V , 
 
! ■ iV. ' 
 
 TANNER 3 NARRATIVJ.. 
 
 there a piece of a stout lodge pole, I caught it in my hands, and 
 told him to get up. When he did so, I commenced beating him; 
 and as he fled immediately, I followed, and continued to beat him 
 while he ran two or three hundred yards. 
 
 When I returned to my load, his son-in-law and two other 
 young men belonging to him, having heard his cries, had come 
 up. One of them said angrily to me, " what is this you have 
 done ?" and immediately the three rushed upon me, ard I being 
 already overcome »vith fatigue, they threw me upon the ground. 
 At this time Waw-bebe-nais-sa had returned, and he caught mti 
 by a black silk handkerchief that I wore about my neck, stran- 
 gled, kicked, and beat me, and thrust me down in the snow. I 
 remember hearing one of them say, " he is dead," and as I knew 
 I could not hope, while I was down, to make resistance against 
 four, I endeavoured to encourage this opinion. When they took 
 their hands olT me, and stood at a little distance, I sprang upon 
 my feet, and seized a lodge pole, probably very contrary to their 
 expectations. Whether through surprise or fear I know not, 
 they all fled, and seeing this, I pursued Waw-bebe-nais-sa, and 
 gave him another severe beating with uiy pole. For this time 
 they left me, and I returned once more to hang up the meat I hud 
 brought. But Waw-l)ebe-nais-sa and his people returned to the 
 lodges, where my dogs, which my wife had taken back, were 
 lying, much fatigued, before the door. He drew his knife, and 
 stabbed one of them. My wife hearing the noise, ran out, but 
 lie threatened to kill her also. 
 
 jNoxt (lay, as .Vaw-bcbe-nai.-s-sa was much bruised and sore, 
 and his face in particular very badly swollen, I thought probable 
 he would remain in his lodge; and apprehending danger to my 
 wife, if she should be left alone in the lodge, I sent her to cany 
 forward meat, and remained myself at home. But I was much 
 fatigued, and being alone in my lodge, about the middle of the 
 day I fell asleep. Suspecting, or perhaps knowing this, Waw- 
 bebe-nais-sa crept slyly in with his knife in his hand, and was 
 almost near enough to strike me, when I awoke and sprang up. 
 As I was not unarmed, he started back and fled, but I did not 
 pursue him. lie still continued to fhreaten and molest me. 
 Whenever he met me in the path, he would not turn aside, thou<;li 
 lie was unloaded, and I might have a heavy burthen on niv bad. 
 
 U 
 
 i' ■fM 
 
 ^Xl 
 
 s\\ ^ 
 
'■\1 
 
 rANXER's Narrative. 
 
 '^33 
 
 ids, anJ 
 ng him; 
 )eat him 
 
 \io other 
 lad come 
 /^ou have 
 I 1 being 
 i ground, 
 aught me 
 ck, stran- 
 snow. I 
 as 1 knew 
 ce against 
 I they took 
 rang upon 
 ,ry to their 
 know not, 
 \ais-sa, and 
 ir this time 
 ! meat 1 had 
 rned to the 
 back, were 
 knife, and 
 •an out. but 
 
 His eye was I'or many days so swollen that he could not sec out 
 of it, and his whole appearance very ludicrous, he being at best 
 lint an awkward and homely man. Once, after an unsuccessful 
 uttcmpt to slab me, he went home, and in the impatience of his 
 Ijullled rairp, nuide the S(juaw's gesture of tonlempt towards my 
 lodge,* which exposed him to the ridicule, even oi his own friends 
 among the Indians. 
 
 His persecutions were, howev<'r, troublesome to ine, and I en- 
 deavoured to avoid him. One day I had j)receded the jjarty, and 
 as we were tni veiling in a beaten i)ath, which I knew they would 
 follow, I turned a little out of it, to place my camp where 1 should 
 not necessarily be in the way of seeing him. But when hecanio 
 (o the fork of my road, with his little son twelve years old, I 
 lieard him say to the lad, "stop here while I go and kill thin 
 white man." He thei\ threw down Iiis load, and though his son 
 entreated him not to do any thing, he came up within about lifty 
 yards of me, drew his gim from its ca-e, cocked it, and jiointed it 
 at me. Having lield it in this position some time, and seeing h»? 
 (lid not excite my fears, he began to appro.uh me, jumping from 
 -ide to side, and yelling in the manner of warriors when they ap- 
 proach each other in battle. He continued pointing his gun at 
 me, and threatening me so loudly, that I was at last irritated, and 
 caught up my own gun. The little boy ran up, and throwing his 
 arms about me, entreated me to spare his father, though he wai? 
 a fool. I then threw down my gun, seized the old man, and took 
 his from him. I reproa»'hed him for his obstinate perseverance 
 in such foolish practices. " I have," said I, '• put myself so often 
 in your power, that you ought i)y this time to know you have not 
 coin-age to kill me. You are not a man; you have not the heart 
 oven of a scpiaw; nor the coinage of a ilog. Now for the first time 
 I si)eak to you. 1 wish yon to know that I am tired of your fool- 
 ishness, and that if yon trouble me any more hereafter, it will be 
 at the hazard of your own lil'e." 
 
 He then left me, and with all the others, except my own family, 
 went on in advance. Next day I followed, drawino; a loaded sled 
 myself, and driving my dogs, with their loads, before me. As we 
 
 / 
 
 { 
 
 * 
 
 * > 1 
 
 ■ -S. 
 
 i 
 f 
 
 I' 
 
 It,'' 
 
 • A'»«-«i-Aun-ji'-^a kivi-uk wc-ke-viah-mik: Sf-enole at theendof tke volunlf, 
 01 tlio ixipnoiiionio woitl Ki'-kUh-ko^lL-kav-pe-vii 
 
 I 
 
 ■■•**h 
 
\vr. ■ 
 
 
 I f 
 
 CM 
 
 W -^'^ 
 
 4 
 
 ' ? 1^ I'- 
 
 HMr 
 
 234 
 
 TANNER S NARRATIVE. 
 
 
 approached a thicket of bushes, I cautioiied my daughter Martha, 
 that Waw-bebe-nais-sa might probably be lying in ambush some- 
 where among them. Presently I saw lier leap several feet from 
 the ground, then she came running towards me, witli her hands 
 raised, and crying, " my father ! my father V I seized my gun 
 and sprang forward, examined every place for concealment, passed 
 the lodge poles, and the almost extinguished fires of their last 
 encampment, and returned witliout having discovered any thing. 
 AVhen I inquired of my daugliter wliat had occasioned her alarm, 
 she said she had " smelt lire." So great was the terror and ap- 
 prehension with which her mind was agitated, on account of the 
 annoyances Waw-bebe-nais-sa had given us. 
 
 I was 80 glad to be released from the persecutions of this trou- 
 blesome man, that I now resolved to stop at Rush Lake, and re- 
 main there by myself, as I thouglit it was the intention of Waw- 
 bebe-nais-sa and the other Indians, to proceed immediately to 
 the Lake of the Woods. So I selected a place where I intended 
 to establish my camp for the remainder of the winter. Here I 
 left my children to take care of tiie lodge, and my wife and my- 
 self returned to bring up loads of meat. On coming home at 
 night, the children told us, their grandmother had in our absence 
 been to see them, and had left word, that her daughter must come 
 on the following day to see her ; and that there were, in that 
 place, three or four lodges of our friends encamped together. I 
 readily gave my consent to this arrangement, and as my mother- 
 in-law had left a message particularly for me, I consented to ac- 
 company her, saying that we could bring up the remainder of the 
 meat after we should return. But that night I dreamed, and tlir 
 same young man whom I had repeatedly seen in tlie preparations 
 for my medicine hunts, came down as usual through the hole in 
 the top of my lodge, and stood directly before me. " You must 
 not go," said he, " l(} the place you propose to visit to-morrow ; 
 but if you persist, and will disregard n»y admcmition, you shall 
 see what will happen to you there. Look there," said he, point- 
 hig in the opposite direction, and I saw She-gwaw-koo-sink, Me- 
 zhuk-ko-naun, and others of my friends coming. Then pointing 
 upwards, he told mr to look, and I saw a small hawk with a 
 banded tail, flying about over my head. lie said no more, but 
 turned and went out at the door of my lodge. I awoke mufh 
 
 
 
FAN NEK 8 NAKUATIVEc 
 
 aaft 
 
 troubled in my mind, and could sleep no more. In the morning. 
 I told my wile I could not go witii her. " Whut is the reason," 
 said she, " you cannot accompany me, as you pr(»miscd yester- 
 day ?" I told her my dream, but she accused me of i'ear, and as 
 she continued her solicitations, I finally consented to go. 
 
 In th(! morning, I told my children that their uncle ami other 
 Indians would come to the lodge that day. 'I'hat they umst tell 
 them, if I returned at al! would be by noon : if I did not come 
 then, they might conclude I was dead. I then started with my 
 wife, but I had not gone two hundred yards, when I looked up 
 and saw the same small hawk that had appeared to me in my 
 dream. I knew that this was sent to forewarn me of evil, and 
 again I told my wife I could not go. But though I turned back 
 to go towards my own lodge, she again reproached me with fear, 
 and pretended to ridicule my apprehensions. I knew, also, the 
 strong prejudice that existed against me in the family of my mo- 
 ther-in-law, and the tendency of my refusing, in this case, to visit 
 her, would be to confirm, and make them stronger. I therefore, 
 though contrary to my better judgment, consented to go on. 
 
 When I arrived at the lodge of my mother-in-law, I h'I't my gnu 
 at the door, went in, and took a seat ijetwccn two of the sisters 
 of my wife, who were the wives of one man. They had young 
 children, and 1 was playing with two of these, with my head 
 down, when I heard a loud and sudden noise, and immediately 
 lost my senses. I saw no one, and I remembered nothing, till I 
 began to revive ; then I found several women holding my hands 
 and arms, and I saw the expression of terror and alarm in the 
 laces of all about me. I could not comprehend my situation, 
 and knew nothing of what had happened, until I heard on th(^ 
 outside of the lodge, a loud and insulting voice, which I knew to 
 be that of Waw-bebe-nais-sa. I now began to feel .something 
 like warm water on my face, and putting my hand to my head, 1 
 laid my fingers on my naked skull. I at length broke away from 
 the women who held me, and pursued after Waw-bebe-nais-sa ; 
 but I could not overtake him, as the Indians assisted him in keep- 
 ing out of my way. Towards night I returned to my lodge, 
 though very severely wounded, and, as I Ixdieved, with the bones 
 of my skull broken. A very little blood had run down upon mj 
 fiicc when I was first wounded, but for a considerable time after 
 
 t 
 
 ( 
 
 ' M 
 
 I 
 
 i, 
 
 !i; 
 
 i 
 
 .^,.- 
 
 { 
 
 /' 
 
 T5gl.»;-'., «-■' 
 
'^^f^i^ ^' 
 
 ,»': ■ 
 
 :l 
 
 \'» 
 
 im 
 
 IANNF.r's NAUnATIVi:. 
 
 wards nono ilowod, and Uxjujrh I Iioard -flranirc noises in my head, 
 I did not lixint or fall down until I reached my own lodge. My 
 gnu Waw-bcbe-nais-sa iiad taken from the door of tlie lodge ot 
 my mother-in-law, and I had to return without it. 
 
 Ai my loilge, 1 found She-gwaw-koo-sink, Me-zhuk-ko-naim, 
 and Nah-gaun-e.-sh-kaw-waw. a son-in-law of Wa-ge-tote, more 
 commonly called Olo-i)un-ne-l)e. Tiie moment I took She-gwaw- 
 koo-sink by the hand, the blood si)outed in a stream from my 
 head. " What is the matter my son T' said he. " I have been at 
 play with another man, and the water of the J3e-gwi-o-mus-ko 
 Jiaving made us drunk, we have j)layed rather roughly." I wished 
 io treat the matter lightly, but as I inunediately fainted away, 
 they saw the extent of the wouiul I had received. Oto-pun-ne- 
 l)e had formerly been an acquaintance of mint-, and had always 
 fshown a friendly disposition towards me. He now seemed much 
 flflerted at my misfortune, and of liis own accord, undertook to 
 punish Waw-bebe-nais-sa for his unjust violence. This man, to 
 ■wlunn I was often under obligation for the kindnesses he be- 
 stowed upon nn;, has since exj)erienced the fate which overtakes 
 ^o many of all characters and descriptions of peojjle among tin; 
 Ojibbeways of that country: he has perished of hunger. 
 
 When I had entered the lodge of my mother-in-law, I had 
 omitted to pull off the hood of my thick moose-sl in capote, and 
 it was this which prevented me from noticing the entrance of 
 Waw-beb'e-nais-sa into the lodge, or seeing, or heating his ap- 
 proach towards me. It is prol)ablc also, that had not my head 
 been thus covered, the blow, had it been made, would have proved 
 instantly I'atal to me, as the force of it nnist have been somewhat 
 broken by this thick covering of leather. But as it M'as, tlie 
 skull was fractured, and there is still a large ridge upon that part 
 <?f it where the edge of the tomahawk fell. It was very long be- 
 fore I recovered from this wound, though the immediate confinr- 
 nient which followed it, did not last so long as I had feared il 
 must. 
 
 Waw-bebe-nais-sa fled immediately to our village at Me-naw- 
 7he-tau-naung ; and the remainder of the people, having never 
 hunted in the prairie before, now b(!came panic struck, at the 
 idea that the Hioux would fall upon their trail and pursue them. 
 I was too weak to travel, and moreover I knew well we were in 
 
 ii! 
 
 
 ( 
 
 v^ 
 
s, 
 
 \ 
 
 Tanner's naiirativk. 
 
 •43't 
 
 )io (larifff r from the Sioux ; but my mothrr-in-law found much 
 fault because 1 was not williuj^ to sUut willi the Indians. I i<new 
 that my mollu'r-in-law, and I had reason t((siij)j)osc that my wife, 
 liad been willing to aid Waw-bebe-nais-su in his attein[)l on my 
 hfe, and I therefore told them both to leave me if they wished. 
 They went accordinjrjy, and took all my childicn with them. The 
 only person who did not desert me at ihi^ tinus was Oto-pun-ne- 
 he, as he was called t'roni his bear totem, with his cousin, a lad 
 o( fourteen years old. These two remained and perlMined for 
 me those offices of attention and kindness which my situation 
 retjuired, while those who should have been my li lends abandon- 
 ed nu' to my fate. Alter the lourlh day, I became much worse, 
 and was unable to sit up, aiul almost to move, until the tenth 
 daj', \\ hen I befraii to recover. 
 
 After I had srained a little streutrth, we left the lodges as they 
 liad been abaniloned by the Iiuiians in their fright, all standing, 
 some of them filled with meat, and other valuable property, and 
 started together for the villaire. Our trader lived at some dis- 
 tance from the village, and when we arrived at llie |)lace where 
 llu' roads forked, I agreed with ()to-pun-ne-bc that 1 would meet 
 lum at an appointed place, on the day which he named, as that 
 on which he would return from the village. I went accordingly 
 to the trach-r's, and he to the Indian's camp. We nu't again at 
 the time and place agreed on, when he related to me, that he 
 nent to the village, entered the lodge of one of the principal 
 (.aiefs, and sat down. He had not been lonif there, when Waw- 
 behe-nais-sa came in and sat down opposite him. Alter rc- 
 ganling each other for some time, Waw-bebe-nais-sa said to him, 
 "You, Oto-pun-ne-be, have never been in our village before, and 
 I am not ignorant of the occasion which has brought you so far 
 to see us. You have no brothers of your own, the Long Knives 
 having killed all of them ; and you are now so foolisi) as to call 
 the man whom I beat the other day your brother." " It is not 
 true," saiil Oto-pun-ne-be, " that the Lons)- Knives have killed 
 any brother of mine ; hut if they had, I would not suffer you t't 
 fall upon my friend, who is as one of us, and abuse and injure 
 him, as you have done, without cause or j)rovocation. It is 
 true, I call him my brother, and I will avenge his cause as if he 
 irere such ; but 1 will not spill blood in the lodge of this chief. 
 
 • i 
 
 ll 
 
 
 
 :1 
 
Y^^' 
 
 
 ;l I 
 
 »■■ J 
 
 I 
 
 {'.?}' s 
 
 
 ^ f i w 
 
 v' 
 
 23W 
 
 I'ANNER's NAKRATIVL. 
 
 who has rprpived mo as a frinid." So sayinj^, be took Waw-bc- 
 l)c-tiai.s-sa by tlio haiul, diagjrod him out oC the loiljro, and was 
 about to phjiifrc th«' knil'*' to his heart, wlion tlic chief, who \va« 
 a slronff man, eaut^ht his hand, took away the knife, and broke 
 it. In the senllh: whieh ensued, three or four men were at once 
 uj)oii Ot()-[)un-ne-l)e ; l)ul he beiiiir a piMverful man, and not for- 
 gettinjf tlie object of his journey, kept fast his gy\\iv upon Wavv- 
 bebe-iiais-sa, and (Hd not (juit him until two of his ribs were 
 broken, and he was otherwise severely injured. Oto-pun-ne-he 
 was a (piiet man, even when drunk, aiul if he ever entered into 
 a <iuarrel, it was more commonly, as in this case, in the cause of 
 his friend, rather tlian Jiis own. 
 
 I was content witli (he pimishment that had been thus be- 
 stowed upon Waw-bebe-nais-sa, as I thought two broken ribs 
 about e(|ual to the broken head he had given me. We fe led 
 together on game I had killed, so rapid liad been my recover 
 and then returned to the deserted camp, where we found tli. 
 lodges all standing as we had left them. After about ten (lay^ 
 more, the people began to come back to look after their proper- 
 ly. Oto-pun-ne-be took my canoe and retm-ned to Red River. 
 Avhere he lived. 
 
 All our peoi)le returned, and removed their lodges and their 
 property to Me-naw-zhe-tau-naung. 1 had now a great store ot 
 meat, suflicie?»t, as I knew, to sup|)ly the wants of my family for 
 a year or more. Alter making the best disposition I could of 
 all my allairs, \ took a small canoe, and started by myself, with 
 the intention of coming to Mackinac, intending to go thence to 
 the states, and endeavour to fuid some of my relatives, if any re- 
 mained. 
 
 At Rainy Lake, I fell in with Mr. (Jiasson and others, in ihe 
 employ of the Hudson's Bay Company, who told me it would 
 not be safe for me to suffer myself to be seen by any of the Nortli 
 West Company's people, as they were all much enraged against 
 me, on account of the course I had taken. Nevertheless, F 
 knew well that the Hudson's Hay people, having no occasion to 
 go to the lower end of Lake Superior, could not conveniently 
 aid me themselves, and that if I altemjited to go alone, I must 
 tmavoidably fall in with some of the North West; I went, there- 
 fore, directly to the trading-house at Rainy Lake, where I found 
 
 I'; 
 
 ,» 
 
 A 
 
 ^^dvssk; 
 
tanner's narrative. 
 
 239 
 
 'aw-be- 
 nd was 
 ho was 
 1 broke 
 at once, 
 not Ibr- 
 n VVaw- 
 ibs were 
 nn-no-bc 
 'rod into 
 cause ol 
 
 rs. in the 
 e it would 
 the Nortli 
 cd afj;ainst 
 rtliclcss, I 
 ccasion to 
 iiveniently 
 ic, I must 
 ent, there- 
 re I found 
 
 my old trader, Mr. Taec. He was standing on the bank when I 
 came up with my little canoe. He told »ie to come into the house, 
 and I followed him in accordingly; he tlien asked me, rather 
 sternly, what I had come to him for. " Why do you not go," 
 said he, " to your own people (»f th(! [fudson's Hay Company?" 
 I t<dd him I was now wishing to go to the states. " It would 
 have been well," he replied, " had you gone long ago." 1 wait- 
 ed there twenty days, receiving all the lime the kindest treat- 
 ment from Mr. Tace. He tinii brought me in his own canoe to 
 Fort William, whence Dr. M'Laughlin sent me in one of his 
 boats to the Saut l)e Ht. Marie, and thence Mr. Krmatinger 
 brought me to Mackinac. All the people of the North West 
 Company, whom I saw on this journey, treated me kindly, and 
 no one mentioned a word of my connexion with the Hudson's 
 Bay. 
 
 Major Puthuff, the United States Indian Agent, at Mackinac, 
 ^ve me a birch bark canoe, some provisions, and a letter to Gov. 
 Cass, at Detroit. My canoe was laslied to the side of the schoon- 
 er, on board which I sailed for Detroit, under the care of a gen- 
 tleman, whose name I do not recollect, but who, as I thought, 
 was sent by Major Puthuff expressly to take care of me on the 
 way. lu live days we arrived, and the gentleman tellinjj me to 
 wait until he could go on shore and return, he left me, and I 
 heard no more of him. Next day I went on shore by myself, 
 and walking up into the street, I stood for some time gazing 
 around me. At length, I saw an Indian, and going uj) to him, 
 asked who he was, and where he belonged. He answered me, 
 "An Ottawwaw, of Saw-ge-nong." " Do you know Gisli-kaw- 
 ko?"saidI. "He is my father." "And where," said I, " is 
 Manito-o-geezhik, his father, and your grand-father ?" " He 
 died last fall." I told him to go and call his lather to come and 
 see me. He called him, but the old man w ould not come. 
 
 Next day, as I was again staniling in the street, and looking 
 one way and the other, I saw an old Indian, and ran after him. 
 When he heard me coming, he turned about, and after looking 
 anxiously at me for a few moments, caught me in his arms. It 
 was Gish-kaw-ko ; but he looked very unlike the young man 
 who had taken me prisoner ho many years before. He asked 
 me, in a hurried manner, many questions ; inquired what had 
 
 m 
 
 n » 
 
 K.; 
 
 I *• 
 
W^' ^" 
 
 r ^r'-) 
 
 it 
 
 
 iAO 
 
 i ANNER S NAKRATIVL. 
 
 happened to me, and where I had been since I left him, and 
 many sueh (questions. 1 tried to induce him to take me to the 
 houtie of Gov. Cas;?, but he appeared afraid to iro. Findinir I 
 could not j»revail upon him, I took Major PutiiuH's letter in my 
 hand, and having h'arned lioni tiie Indians in whicii iiouse iho 
 governor Hved, I went toward the gate, till a soldier, who was 
 walking up and down before it, slopj)ed nie. I could not speak 
 English so as to be at all understood ; but seeing the governor 
 witting in his porch, 1 held up the letter ti>wards him. He then 
 told the soldier to let ine pass in. As soon as he had opened tlui 
 letter, he gave me his hand, and having sent for an interpreter, 
 he talked a long time with me. (iish-kaw-ko having been sent 
 for, confirnK'd my statement nsptcting the circumstances of my 
 caj)ture, an<l my two years residence with the Ottawwaws oT 
 Saw-ge-nong. 
 
 The governor gave me clothing to the amount of sixty oi 
 seventy d»dlars value, and sent me to remain, for the present, at 
 the house of his interpri tcr, mor»' than a nnle distant, where lie 
 told nu- I must wait till he should assend)le many Indians and 
 white nu^n, to hold a council at St. Mary's, on the Miami, whencr 
 lie would send nu' to my relatives on the Ohio. 
 
 1 waited two months or nn»re. and becoming extremely im- 
 patient to no on my way, I started with He-nais-sa, the brotlici 
 of (lisli-kaw-ko, and eight oilier men, who were going to the 
 couiu'il. I went without (he knowledge of (Jov. Cass, and wa^ 
 therefore destitute of any supply of provisions. We suflereii 
 much iVom faliuue. and still more from huiiirer, particularly aflpi 
 we jiassed the rajiids of the Miami, w here we b'ft our canoe. 'I'lic 
 Indians amoni; whom wv |)assed, oflentimes refused ti> give ih 
 any thing, thoULdi tliev had plenty. Sometimes we stopped id 
 nleep near a white man's corn lleld, and thouir|i {\\c corn was nnu 
 lit to roast, and we alnn>st perishinij willi himiier. wc dared iioi 
 take any tiling. One niirlil, w( stopped near a good lookiiii; 
 house, where was a large and line corn held. The Indians, he 
 ing very hungry, said to me, '• Slmw-shaw-wa ne-ha-se, m)ii 
 have route very far (o Hee your relations, now go in and sec 
 whether they will give ynu any ihinir to eat." 1 vent ami 
 stood in tin- door, but the peo|)le williin, who were then eaim?, 
 drove ine away, and on my return the Indians laujiheU at mr 
 
im, and 
 to ihr 
 ndiiiff I 
 r ill iuy 
 juse the 
 x\w was 
 lot speak 
 
 lU- ihou 
 
 been sent 
 oes of my 
 rtwaws ol 
 
 of sixty ov 
 
 t, where he 
 lutUans and 
 inii, whencf 
 
 itreiiu'ly im- 
 the brother 
 {ruing to thi- 
 lass, antl wa- 
 \Vi- siilVenMl 
 i.ularly al'lfi 
 cunoe. '!'!>'' 
 ■tl to ^nve vi-^ 
 J. stopp'"'! In 
 ,)iii was imw 
 we .lare.l iiol 
 Tuiul hiokiiii; 
 Indians, Ih' 
 c-ha-se, y<'»i 
 o in and sci 
 I vent and 
 . llien eating. 
 bed at iHf 
 
 tanner's nakrativi;. "^1 
 
 Some time after this, as wo wore sleepino; one night in the 
 road, some one came np on horsel)ark, and asked ns, in the ()t- 
 lawwuw dialect, who we were. Oni; ol" the Indians ai;swered, 
 •' We are Ottawwaws and Ojihheways. and have with ns one 
 Long Knil'e. from Red Uiver. wlio was taken iirisoner many 
 years ago by (iish-kaw-ko." He tohl us. after he understood 
 who we wen-, and where we were i;oini>, that his name was 
 Ah-koo-nah-goo-zik. " If you are brisk iraveUers," said he, 
 '• you may reach my liouse lu xl (hiy after to-morrow, at noon, 
 and then you will lind plenty to lat. It is necessary that I 
 should travel on all night, that I may reach home to-morrow;" 
 and thus he left us. Next day. my strength failed so much that \. 
 was only ahlc to keep up bv l)i'iug released Iroin my load. One 
 look nty gun, another my blanket, and we reached that night the 
 forks of tlu' Miami, where was a settlement of Indians, and a 
 trading-house, as well as sev«'ral lamilies of whiles, I applied 
 to the trader, and stated my situation, and that of the Indians 
 with me, but we could obtain no relief, and on the next day 1. 
 was totally unable to travel. We were indebted to the Indiana 
 for what relief we obtained, which was sullicient to enable us 
 the day after to reach the hospitable dwelling of Ah-koo-nah- 
 goo-zik. 
 
 This man had two large kettles ol' corn and venison ready 
 conked, and awaiting our arrival. One he placed before me, 
 with some wooilen dishes, and sjxtoiis; the other before He-nais- 
 sa. After we had eaten, he told tis we had better remain with, 
 him ten or fifteen days, and refre-li ourselves I'rom our long 
 jounu'v, as he had plenty of corn, and fat venison was abundant, 
 about him. I told him. that tor my own part I had for many 
 years been wishing to make the journey I had now so nearly 
 iiccoinplished, and that I was exlrimely impatient to see v|i«'thev 
 or not any of my own relatives were still alive; but that I should 
 lie glad to rest with him two or three days, and afterwards to 
 Ixu'row one of his horses to ride as far as Kau-wis-se-no-ki-ng, ov 
 St. Mary's. " I will tell you," said he. After two or three days. 
 IS we wire, early one morniiit;. makitig up inn- loads to start, he 
 came to me, leading a line horse, and putting the halter in m>' 
 liand, lie said, " I give you this for your jonrnoy." I did not 
 agnin tell him I would leave if at hau-wis-se-no-ki-ug, as 1 hnd 
 
 31 
 
 J 
 
r^T-- 
 
 !i'i 
 
 JANNKR's NARRATlVt, 
 
 .'i .• \ 
 
 11 
 
 H 
 
 ;ilrp.'uly toiil him tliis, nnd I knew tliat in sncii rases the Indian? 
 do not wish to hofir nuirh said. In two da\s I arrived at the 
 jdafc appointed for the council. As jet, no Indians had assein- 
 l)led, bnt a man was stationed tliere to issue provisions to such 
 as should come. I iiad been hi.a a sliort tinu' at this place, uduMi 
 I was seized with lever and ague, which, ihou^ili it ditl not con- 
 lino mo all the time, was yet extremely painful and dislressini;. 
 
 After ahont ten days, a noumit man, of the Ollawwaw 
 
 s, whon> 
 
 Be-nais-sa had frjveri me to cook for me, and assist alxnit me in 
 my sickness, »ent across tin? creek, to a camp of the Po-ta-\va- 
 lo-niics, who had r«cenlly arrived, and were drinkiuff. .\t mid- 
 night, he was broufjht into the lodye drunk, and one of the men 
 who came with him, said to me, as he pushed him in, " lake care 
 of y(nir yomi;? man, he has been doing mischief." I immeili 
 ately called Be-nais-sa to kindle a tire, when we saw, 1)\ the 
 light of it, the young man standing with his knife in his iuind, 
 and that, together with his arm, and great |)art of his body, co 
 vered with blood. The Indians coul I not make him lie down, 
 but Avhen I told him to, he obeyerl immediately, and I forbad" 
 llwm to make any inquiries about what he had done, or take anv 
 notice of his bloody knilV. In the morning, having slept sound 
 ly, he was perfectly unconscious of all that had passed. He said 
 he believed that he had been very drunk, and as he was m»w 
 hungry, he must hurry and get ready soiuelhing to eat. lie wa- 
 astonished ami confounded when I t<dd him he had killed a man 
 He remembered only, that in his drnnlanness, he had began to 
 • rv for his lather, u ho had been killed on that spot, se^»'ral venr- 
 before, by white men. He <x|)ressed much C(nH'ern, and weni 
 lumu'diately to see the man he hnil stabbed, who was not\( 
 dead. NVe learmd from the Po-ta-wato-niies that he had fonnn 
 (he young man sleeping, or lying in a stale of insensibility from 
 jnto.vication, and had slabbed him, without an\ words havin;; 
 bi'cn exchanged, anil ap|)aienlly without knouii'ir who he wa>. 
 The relations of the wounded man >aid nothing to him, but tin 
 interpreter ol (Jov. Cass reproved him ver\ sharply. 
 
 It was evident to all, that the young man he had woundn! 
 could not recover; indeed, he was now nninifestly near his end. 
 When our companion returiUMl, we had made up a eonsiderabli 
 present, one giving a blanket, onon piece ofslrouding. soine (>n> 
 
 . > 
 
- *■ 
 
 V 
 
 XANNitR S NAKKAilV i.. 
 
 '^3 
 
 ihiiig, and some anothor. Willi these lu' imintdiaul) retuvnod. 
 and placing iliein on the ground beside the wdinided man, lu 
 -aifl to llie relativ'»?s, who were standin>i, iiiioiit, " My triends, I. 
 liave, as }ou see, killed this, yonr itrother; hnl I know not wliiu 
 1 did. 1 had no ill will against him, and w !icn, a lew days since, 
 he came to our camp, I was glad to see him. IJiil drunkemiess 
 j;iaile ;ue a fool, and my life is justly forl'i ited lo vo\i. I am 
 poor, and among- strangers; but some oi' those who came from 
 my own coimlry with me, would gladly l)riiig me i)ack lo my 
 parents; they have, thereibre, sent me with this small present. 
 .M\" life is in your hands, ami' my present is hel'ore you, take 
 u hl.h ever you choose, mv I'riendy will have no < ause to com- 
 plain." He then sat down beside the; wounded man, and st.)op- 
 mg his head, hid his eyes with his hands,. and wailed !'(;r them lu 
 strike. But the nn)thi'rot' the man he had wounded, an old wo- 
 man, came a little forward, and said, " For Knysellatul my chil- 
 dren, r can answer, that we u isli not to take vour life ; but I 
 laniioi promise lo protect yon frcnn the re.sentnienl of my Ims- 
 Ijand, who is now absent; ntverlheless, I will accept yr»nr pre- 
 sent, and whatever inllnence I njay have with him, I shall not 
 tail lo use il in yonr beliidl. [ kin)w that it was not from dt.- 
 ;>ign, or on acccnmt of any prex ions haired, that you have done 
 ihis, and why should your mother be made lo cry as well as m\- 
 
 |i '" She look the |)resents, and the whole affair iieinsj re- 
 .ed to (lov. Cass, he was satisfied with the course liuil iiad 
 been taken. 
 
 On the folliiwing day, the wounded man died, and soineof oui 
 party assisted the younjr man who had killed him, in making his 
 !j;rave. When this was coni|)leled, the govcrn(»r gave th«' dead 
 man a valuable present of blank<'l-, cloth, •.Vc. to he buried with 
 him, accordinu to the Indian cnsttnn, and tinse were broughl 
 and heaped up lui the brink (d' the urave. Hut the old wnman, 
 iii>tead of havinj: thcni biuied. pro|)osed lo the v(Mmg men tn 
 play for them. As ihe articles were somewhat numerous, va 
 lions jrames were used, as shootinif at the mark, leajting, wrest 
 linir. «!tc. but the hamlsome'^l piece of cloth was reserved as the 
 l>ri/.e for tlu' swiftest in the loot race, and was wmi by ihe >oung 
 man himself who had killed the other. The old woman imme- 
 diately al'ierwards rullnd him to Iter, and said, " Vomig man. he 
 
 ? 1J 
 
 \% 
 
 ri 
 
 P'. (' 
 
 r 
 
 i t 
 
 > , 
 
 I 
 
1 i 
 
 1 «l 
 
 :iU 
 
 iAWtU S NAURAXlVi.. 
 
 •i 
 
 -f 
 
 who was my son, was very <1oar to me, and I fear I shall cry 
 much and often for him. I wftuld he glad if you would consent 
 to he my son in his stead, to love me and tako care of me as he 
 did, only I fear my liushaud." The yoiing man, who was 
 irrateful to her for the anxiety she showed to save his life, imme- 
 diately consented to this arrangement, and entered heartily upon 
 it. But the governor liad heard that some of the friends of the 
 deceased were still determined to avenore his death, and he sent 
 his interpreter to the young man, to direct him, witiiout loss of 
 time, to make his escape, and fly to his own country. He wa^ 
 unwilling to go, hut as Be-nais-sPt and myself concurred with the 
 governor in his advice, and assisted him in his preparations, he 
 went off in the night; but instead of going imnunliately home, 
 «s he had l)een directrd to do, he lay concealed in the woods, 
 only a few hiuidred yards from our lodiic. 
 
 Very early next morning, 1 saw two of tiie friends of the 
 young man that was killed, coming towards our lodge. At lirsi 
 I was somew^iat alarmed, as I supposed they came with the in- 
 tention of doing violence: init I soon perceived they were with- 
 out arms. They came in, and rmt a long lime silent. At last 
 one of them said, " Where is onr hrother .' VVc are sometimes 
 lonely at home, and we wish to talk wilhhim." I told them, he 
 luxd but lately gone out, and woidd soon return. As they re- 
 mained a long tinu\ and insisted on seeing him, I went out, with 
 llie pretence of seekini.'^ for him, hut without the remotest ex()ec- 
 lation that he would he foinid. lie, howiver, had ()l)served, from 
 jiis hilling place, the visit of tin- two young men to our lodge, 
 and not believing it t(» have been made with any unfriendly de- 
 sign, discovered himself to me, and we returned together. The\ 
 shook hands with him, and treated him with great kindness, and 
 we soon afterwards ascertained that all the reports of their wish- 
 ing to kill him were faNe, 
 
 i 1 
 
 
 1' 
 
 V 
 
 
JANNKRS NAUBATIVK, 
 
 )i4o 
 
 shall cry 
 cl conseni 
 me as he 
 who was 
 f'e, inline- 
 rtily upon 
 ids or the; 
 he sent 
 III loss ol' 
 He was 
 with the 
 lions, he 
 I'ly hoiTir, 
 U' woods. 
 
 Is of the 
 At lirsi 
 h the in- 
 ert' witJi- 
 At las I 
 Dinetinies 
 them, he 
 they re- 
 oul, with 
 si expec- 
 ''t'd, from 
 ur lodjro. 
 ■iidly (le- 
 r. I'hev 
 H'ss, and 
 fir wish- 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. . 
 
 Journpy toKfiitucky — liospitiiliticsot' tlic wliitcs — ri'turn to Dftroit — Jackkou — 
 St. Louis — (u'lieral Clark — return to the I.aUt'ol' tin: SVojils — Col. Dickson — 
 second journey to St. Louis, hy Chikiigoaiul Fort Clark — kindness of the Fota- 
 Avattoniies. 
 
 AnouT the time of the conclusion of the council, Gov. Cass 
 culled ine to dine w ith him ; ami as many trenllemen asked me to 
 drink wine with them, I was, alter dinner, .scarce able lo walk 
 home. A few days alterwards, the inter|)reter told me the gover- 
 nor had a curiosity to know whether I had ac(piired the same 
 fondness the Indians nsnally have liir intoxicating li([uors, and 
 whether, when drunk, I would behave as they did. But 1 had not 
 fell the intluence of the wme so miuh as to fortrel mysell, or be- 
 come unconscious of my situation, and I went immediately to m\ 
 Iodide, ami lay there til I was «'ntireiy sober. 
 
 Some of the Potawattmnies had stolen (he Innse that was lent 
 ine on the road l)y the friendly old man, culled Ah-koo-nah-iroo- 
 zik : but he was recovered by the younir men who followed :n) 
 friend Ue-nyis-sa, and I rest(M-ed him to the owner, who was at the 
 council, liovernor Cuss, umlerstandinir how kind tliis man had 
 been to me, directed that a very handsome ami valuabl',; saddle 
 shtndd l)e jrjven him. The old man for sonn- time persisted in 
 dedininir this present; but at last, when prevailed upon to re- 
 ceive it, he expres>fd much uruiiiudc. "This," said he, " is that 
 which was told me by the old men who jrave me instrtiction many 
 years a^fo, when I w.i a rhjld. They told u e to be kind, anil to 
 do ;ro(»(l to all men, particularly to the strauner who should cinnc 
 from a distant country, and to alt who were destitute and afllifted ; 
 saying, if 1 did so, the (Jreat Spirit woidd also remember me, to 
 do good to me, and reward me for what I had done. Now, thougit 
 I have d(me dO little for this man, how amply and honourably am 
 I rewarded !" lie would ]iave (jersiiadvd me to take his horse. 
 
 Ui 
 
S i 
 
 •^0 
 
 lANNERri NAKKATIVL:. 
 
 W J 
 
 kt. 
 
 i¥ 
 
 fr-, 
 
 Uf t 
 
 'i\ 
 
 »?, 
 
 i k 
 
 
 I 
 
 as he said he Iiad more, ami the saddle was more valiiai)ie tliiui 
 llic horse he hail lent me; and ihoujfh I deeliiied his oilir, siiH 
 he insisted upon it, until I eonsented that he should cunsiiUr it 
 as heliniiiinsr to me. and should lake oare of it (uitil I relurnci 
 and ealled for it. Here tlie governor jiave me -roods to the anioim! 
 of one hundred and tueiitv dollars value, and as I had slili a nu: 
 siderahle joiu'tiey t» make, I purchased a horse for eighty doilut<. 
 for which f jrave a |);irl of the "oods I had received. There wevi- 
 al the council, anumo- others, two men from Kciitncky, who Knev, 
 something' of my rclati>n>, one of tlieni iiaviui; livxl Iroinuchiiil 
 in 'he family of one of my sisters. 
 
 Willi these luo men i started, thouoli my healtii wa--' stiil verv 
 poor. In a few days [ had hc^come so much worse, that I eouii' 
 )iot sit on my hmv-^e, and they concluded to purcha-c a skill", an.', 
 one (d'theni to take me down hy watt=r, while llie oilier went wiih 
 the horses, by tlu" usual roiitt . In that pari of the IW'j Miiun^ 
 are many mill-dam<, ami oilier (disiruciions. u liicli rendered i-ve:i 
 this method, not only slow and laliorii.u-;, jjui extremely disire 
 injjlo me, on account ol niy ill iu'altii. At last I \\.\: ;educed ;. 
 such a slate of weakn<'ss, as to lie (juite unablr to nujve, and ! 
 stopped at the hou^-e ol'a poor man, who lived on the hank oi 
 the riv er, and as he seemed srreatly to pity me, and was disposijd 
 lo do all in his power lor my ndicl". I determined to remain will; 
 him, the man with whom I had travelled thus far, nnd^m!.'- me im 
 dersland that he would iroto the Ohio, ami either come hack him 
 self, or send some one after me. 
 
 This man with whom I st>>[»f)ed, tould speak a li w word-, i' 
 Otlaw waw. and he diil every thinix in his power to rcmler m* 
 sitnati(m comt'orlaide, until m\ nephew, «liowas the person si-n' 
 ))y mv iVi'Mids in Kentucky, came for nn-. I>y him I iu'ard oi 
 the death ot' my father, ani also scmie particulars of my sur\ i\ in;; 
 relatives. I i. fore I saw (iish-kau-ko, at Detroit, 1 had alwav- 
 supposed thil the <ireater part, if not all of m\ liilher's ('imilv. 
 had lieen nnu'dered hy Manito-o-ireezhik and his part\,lhe >ear 
 subsetiueni to my caplme. 
 
 Our journey was very tedious and dillicult to Cincinnati, wlierr 
 we rested u little. Theiwe we descended the Ohio in a skill". My 
 fever conlimied to return daily, and when the chill connnenced, 
 we wpre comptlled to .stop for some tiinr^ st» that our j)rouire«-« 
 
 I !- 
 
 il 
 
 
 1 1 ^. 
 
 -.^^* 
 
««■ 
 
 i ANMIl .; NAKK.Vl M ;.. 
 
 :W7 
 
 IMC fill- 
 
 cr III! 
 -on .scir 
 ;ir(i (It 
 [•\ iviiiH 
 alv\,i\ ^ 
 limils. 
 I' year 
 
 « li« rr 
 li: My 
 need, 
 rotfrp*? 
 
 uan not rai»i(i. VVc won- accoinpaniiMl by mw man, wlio assistcil 
 iny nophow to put mo in and take mo oiit of ihi- skill, for I \vai« 
 now reduced to a mere skeleton, and had n(jl stivuirih cnoujih to 
 valk or stand by myself. 
 
 Ah the iii;rlit was eoniinar on, after a very dark and cloudy day. 
 we arrived at a handsonn' farm, where was a kir^re and rather 
 •rooil htoking house. It was (initedark when we were reat'.v to 
 Iciive (he skill"; they dieii raised me by the arms, and led, or ra- 
 ther •■arried me to the house. My nephew told l!ie man our 
 -ituation, and stated that I was so unwell, it would be extremch 
 .lilllrult, and must even endanij;er mv lil"e, if we attempted to oo 
 farther; but ho told us we eould wd stay at iiis bouse all niylit; 
 iind whin my nephew persisted in bis request, he drove us 
 'ouiihly and vi<>'' t! (d" the bouse. The ni ■ ' d oow eon- 
 
 Milerably advai.i , .., an. .e di-^tanee to the ue^i bouse was a 
 mile and an half; but as it stood ba<'k front the river, we could 
 not. i^o to it in our skill". 'I'hey aeeordinoly supported nu' lie- 
 iween ihrMU, and we went on. It was pudtably after midniirhl 
 when we arrived at a large brick house; the j)eoji!e witl'.iu were 
 ill ill bed, aiul all the windows wiTe dark, but my nephew knocked 
 It the door, and after a little time a man came out. When he saw 
 me be took hold of me, and assisted me to i>o in; then be called 
 \ip hi-, wife and dauifhter-', and gave some supper to my eonijia- 
 iiioris. For me he prepired some medicine, and then made me go 
 to bed, where [ slept very i|uietly until late in the morning. At 
 this house I reimiiued nearly all the next day, and was treated 
 widi the utmost kindness. From this time I began to gel a little 
 iiclter, and withotit mutdi more difliculty. I rcaidied the plac«^ 
 nhere my -;isti>r's (hildren were living. I staid one lugbt at the 
 house of one of my mphews, who-e name was .lohn ; then [ went 
 to the house of another brother, where I lay sick about a snontli. 
 
 A Ktter was m»w received, which they nuidc me umlers'aml 
 was for me, but though they rea 1 it to me rejteatediv, I could not 
 cumprfdiend a siniile word of the contents. All the time since- 
 my arrival here, I had lain sick, and no one being tor any C(m- 
 siderable part of the time witii me, i had not learne either to 
 understand, or make inys( If understood ; but as I was now some 
 better, an ' able (d'len to walk about, when a second letter came, 
 I could imderslaud from it, thut my brotlier Edward, whose name 
 
 
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 iwnH 
 
 Kll: 
 
 Iffl 
 
 H w ) 
 
 fiH 
 
 1 
 
 m 
 
 1 
 
 11 
 
 W ! 
 
 /, 
 
•f^i 
 
 'iAH 
 
 tanner's NARRA'iln;. 
 
 i- i 
 
 r-i '^ 
 
 I had never forgotten, had gone to Red River to search lor me. 
 Also, that one of my uncles, who lived one hundred miles distant, 
 had sent for me to come to him. 
 
 My greatest anxiety was now on account of my brother Ed- 
 ward, and I immediately called for my horse, intending to return 
 towards Red River and search for him. Twenty or thirty of tin: 
 neighhuurs asseml)le(l around me when they heard that 1 wished 
 to go back, and I could comprehend that they wished to dissimdo 
 me from going. But when they found I was obstinate, they gave 
 me each a little money : some one shilling, some two sliilliiig:>, 
 and others larger sums, and I got upon my horse and started. I 
 had rode about ten miles, when fatigue and sickness overcame 
 me, and I was compelled to stop at the house of a man, whose 
 Jiame, as f afterwards learned, was Morgan. Here I staid four 
 days, and when I again called for my horse, the neighbours, as 
 before, began to gather round me, and each to give me some- 
 thing. One gave me some bread in a bag, another tied a youii" 
 pig behind my saddle, and among them all, tliey furnished nw 
 with a good outtit of ])rovisions, and some money. I wished tii 
 return to Detroit; but as I was still very weak, Mr. Morgan uc- 
 com|)anied me to (Jincinnati. 1 had found that it made me sick 
 to sleep in a house, aiul on this journey I constantly refused to do 
 so. Mr. Morgan would sleep in the houses where we stopped at 
 night, but I chose a siood place outside, where I lay down and 
 slept, and I found the advantage of doing so, by the partial re- 
 covery of my health. After Mr. Morgan returned from Cincin- 
 '"nati, I travelled on alone, and was before long destitute of pro- 
 visions. About this time, an old man who was standing by tlir 
 door of his house, when lie saw me, called out stop ! come ! I 
 could understand no more than these two words, but I knew t'rom 
 the expression of his countenance, and his manner, that his design 
 was friendly, and accordinsily went into his yard. He took uiv 
 horse and jjave him |)lenty of corn, and I accompanied him into 
 the house, where, tlioui>li they placed lood before me, I could not 
 eat. Seeing this, he gave me some nuts, a few of which I ate. 
 When he saw that my horse had eaten, and I was impatient to 
 start, he put on the saddle, and brought the horse. I oll'ered him 
 money, but he would not take it. 
 
 \ «lay or two afterwards. 1 stopped at a house witere I saw !\ 
 
 ij. J 
 
 ,» 
 
 ^^M 
 
 -t 
 
 
f ANNEU d NAKKATlVJc. 
 
 -Mit 
 
 for ine. 
 
 j distant, 
 
 )thov Ed- 
 to rctdru 
 rty of the 
 I wished 
 D cUrfsvuuhi 
 they <fave 
 I shillings 
 itartod. I. 
 overcame 
 lan, whoso 
 staid four 
 jhbours, as 
 me somo- 
 ,ed a young 
 rnislujd nie 
 I wished to 
 Morgan :u',- 
 ade me sick 
 •efiiriod to do 
 c stoppPtl at 
 ,y down ami 
 partial rc- 
 roni Cincin- 
 Uite of pro- 
 iding- by tlir 
 \ come '. 1 
 I knew from 
 ut hisilesiirn 
 Ic took my 
 it-il him into 
 i, I could not 
 Iwhifh I ate. 
 limpatient to 
 : offered him 
 
 kiere I saw ;\ 
 
 oveat quantity of corn lying in the yard. My hovHe was very- 
 hungry, therefore I got down, and taking a dollar out of my 
 pocket, I handed it to the man who stood there, and then I 
 counted ten ears of corn, and took them and laid them before my 
 liorse. I could not make the pt^ople comprehend that I was hun- 
 gry ; at least they seemed determined not to understand me. I 
 went into the house, and the woman looked displeased ; but see- 
 ing there part of a loaf of corn bread, I pointed first to it, next to 
 my moutli ; but as she appeared ni)t to understand my meaning, 
 I took it in my liand and raised it to my mouth, as if I would eat 
 it. Seeing tliis, she called to the man outside, and he coming in, 
 took the bread from me, pushed me violently out of the house, 
 then went and took the corn from my horse, and motioned to me to 
 be gone. I came next to a large brick house, and hoping I might 
 meet gentler treatment, I determined to try here. But as I was 
 riding up, a very fat man came out and spoke to me in a loud 
 and harsh tone of voice. Though I could not understand his 
 words, his meaning, which I thought was very evident, was, as I 
 supposed, to forbid my entering the yard. I was wilhng to pass 
 on, and was about to do so, when he ran out and caught my 
 horse by the bridle. He said much to me, of which I under* 
 stood little or nothing. I thought I could comprehend that he 
 was cursing me for an Indian. He took hold of my gun, and 
 tried to wrench it out of my hand. I c since understood that 
 lie kept a tavern, and was a magistrate ; but at that time I was 
 sick, and hungry, and irritable, and when I found that he wanted 
 to take my gun from me, I became angry ; and having in my 
 hand a hickory stick, about as large as my thumb, and three or 
 lb\jr feet long, I stiuck him over the head with it, so hearty a 
 blow, that he immediately ([uitted his hold on my gun, and 1 rode 
 off. Two young men, whose horses were standing by this house, 
 and wh(> appeared to me to be travellers, soon overtook me, and 
 we rode on together. 
 
 This journey was a painful and unpleasant one to me. I 
 travelled on, from day to day, weak, dispirited, and alone, meet- 
 ing with little sympathy or attention from the people among 
 whom 1 passed, often suffering from hui ger and from sickness. 
 I was willing to sleej) in the woods, as 1 constantly did ; but it 
 was not easy to kill any game, nor did the state of my health al> 
 
 33 
 
 '\ 
 
 
 
 
--T'- 
 
 ,♦ 
 
 vc 
 
 
 
 1250 
 
 'J'AN^■ER^ NARKATIVt, 
 
 ^..■i.' 
 
 
 t 
 
 1 1 
 
 low me to go far from the road to unt, I had ascended nearly 
 to the head ol" tlie Big Miami, when ^' "'fht, after having of- 
 fered a dollar to a fanner, and been drivv way without refresh- 
 ment for myself or my horse, I lay dowi in the woods near by, 
 and after I supposed them to be asleep, 1 took as much corn as 
 was sufhcicnt to feed my horse. I iiad, some time in the course 
 of the preceding day, bought a chicken for twenty-live cenis, a 
 part of which 1 now ate, and llic next day 1 began to feel a little 
 stronger- I had now arrived where the intervals between the 
 settlements were very wide, and seeing a gang of hugs in the 
 voods, I shot one, skinned him, and hung the meat on my sad- 
 dle, so that I was, for some time, well supplied with provisions, 
 ^t the forks of the Miami of Lake Erie, was a trader with whom 
 I was well acquainted, and who spoke Ottawwaw as well as I 
 did ; but when I asktvl him for something for my horse, he told 
 me to begone, as he would give me nothing, though he offered to 
 sell me some corn for my bear meat, as he called the pork I had 
 hanging at my saddle ; but I disliked him, and therefore went 
 across the river to sleep in the woods. 
 
 This night I was again taken very sick, and when in tin- 
 morning I found that my horse had escaped and gone back, I 
 was scarce able to follow him. When 1 arriveil at the river op- 
 posite the trader's house, I saw the horse standing on the ollur 
 side, and calling to the trader, I asked him to send or bring thi 
 Jiorse over to me, as I was sick. When he replied that he would 
 not, I asked him to bring me a canoe, as being sick myself, 1 did 
 not wish to go into the water ; but this In; refused to do, and I 
 was compelled to swim across. I took my horse and returned 
 to my camp, but was too sick to travel forther that day. 
 
 On the day after I resumed my journey, and had the good 
 fortune to come to a house where the woman treated me kindly. 
 She led my horse, and then ortired me some salt pork ; but as I 
 could not eat this, I returned it to her. Then shi- brought iiic 
 some fresh venison, and I took a shoulder of it. She made 
 signs to me to sit down in the house ; but as I preferred the 
 woods, I declined her offer, and selected near by a pleasant 
 place to encamp, and there cooked the meat she had given inc. 
 Before my supper was cooked, she sent a little boy to bring mf 
 rfome bread, and .«onie fresh and sweet butter. 
 
 I:! 
 
warn 
 
 hen iu the 
 one back, I 
 he river oy- 
 >n the other 
 or bring th*^ 
 lat he would 
 my self, I JW 
 to (h), ii'"^ ^ 
 anil returned 
 
 (lay. 
 
 lail the good 
 ,\ lue kiuilly. 
 ,vk ; b"t as I 
 u. V>rought nic 
 It. She madd 
 Ipreterred the 
 ly a pleasant 
 |iad given inc. 
 ,y to bring taf 
 
 banner's narbative, 
 
 Next day my route was principally out of settlements. At 
 rhe villafre of Ah-koo-nah-goo-zik,, [ would not stop, as I was aJ- 
 peady under sufficient obligation to him, and I thought he would 
 again urge me to take his horse. I had arrived within about one 
 hundred ndles of Detroit, wlien I was airaiii taken very sick. 
 Feeling wholly unabh* to travel, I (h'termined to take some 
 euietic tartar, whieb 1 had carried for a long time about me, 
 having received it from Dr. M'Liughliii, at Rainy Lake. Soon 
 after I had taken it, rain begaii to fall, and as the weather was 
 now somewhat cold, and 1 was unable to avoid getting wet, the 
 cramp atfected me very violently. After the rain had ceased, 
 the creek near which I was encamped froze over, but as 1 was 
 suffering >mder a most violent fever, I broke the ice, and plunged 
 nn self all over into the water, (n this situation I remained for 
 some time, totally unable to travel, and almost without a hope 
 of recovering. Two men passed me with the nuiih one of whom 
 could speak a little Indian ; but they said they coulil do nothing 
 for me, as they were com[)elled to proceed on their journey with- 
 out loss of time. 
 
 But at length, 1 was a^rain aide to travel, ami resumed my 
 journey. [ was two days* journey from Detroit, when I met a 
 man in the road, with a Sioux pipe in his hand whose strong rc- 
 scmblace to my father inmc iliately arrested my attention. I en- 
 deavoured to make him stop and take notice of me, but he <niVe 
 )ne a hasty look, aiul passed on. When 1 arrived, two days af- 
 terwards, at Detroit, I learned that this man was, as I supposed, 
 uiy brother ; but the governor would not allow mc to return after 
 him. as he knew that my havinjj passed towards Detroit would 
 be known at the Indian traders' houses on the way, and that my 
 brother, who would incniireat all of them, would very soon hear 
 of me, and return. His opinion appeared to have been well 
 foimded, for about three days afterwards my brother arrived. 
 He held me a lonsj time in his arms ; but on account of my igno- 
 rance of the Rnglish lanjruaire, we were unable lo speak to each 
 other, except throuirh an interpreter. He next cut off my long 
 hair, on which, till this time, I had worn strings of broaches, in 
 the manner of the Indians. We visited (Jov. Cass together, and 
 he expressed much satisfaction at my having laid aside the In- 
 dinn costume. But the dress of a white man was extremely on- 
 
.ff 
 
 
 1;,^ 
 
 1vM«'i''^.'f 
 
 TANNKR 3 NARRATIVE. 
 
 i'omfortable to nic, so that I was, from time to time, compelled to 
 resume my old dress for the sake of convenience. 
 
 I endeavoured to persuade my brother, with whom I still con- 
 versed through an interpreter, to accompany me to my residence 
 at the Laiie of tlie Woods ; but to this he would by no means 
 consent, insisliiiji that 1 must ^o with him to his house, beyond 
 the Mississippi, and we set oft' together accordingly. From the 
 military connnandant at Fort Wayne, we received much friendly 
 attention, and our journey was, in the main, a pleasant one. For- 
 ty days brought us to the Mississij)pi, iifteen miles above New 
 Madrid, wliere my brother resiiled. Another of my brother's 
 lived near by, and they botli accompanied me to Jackson, fifteen 
 miles from Cape (iirardeau, where two of my sisters were living, 
 From this place we started, six or seven in number, to go in 
 Kentucky; and crossing the Mississippi, a little above Cape Gi- 
 rardeau, we went by the way of (iolcouda, on the Ohio, to Ken- 
 tucky, where many of my relatives lived, not far from the small 
 villages called Salem and Princeton. 
 
 ?Iy sister Lucy had, the night before my arrival, dreamed that 
 -she saw me coming thnnigh the corn field thpt surrounded her 
 house. She had ten children. Relatives, friends, and neigli- 
 Jjours, crowded around to witness my meeting with my sister.^, 
 and though we could converse together but little, they, and 
 most of those who assembled about us, shed many tears. On 
 the Sabbath day after my arrival, greater numbers than usual 
 came to tny sister's house, and divine worship was performed 
 there. My brother-in-law, Jeremiah Rukker, entleavoured to 
 find in my father's will some provision for me. He took me to 
 the court at Princeton, and showed me to the peo|)le there ; but 
 nothing could be accomplished. My step-mother, who lived 
 near by. gave me one hundred and thirty-seven dollars. 
 
 I went, accompanied by seven of my relatives, some men. 
 some women, to Scottsville, where I had an uncle, who had sent 
 for me. Here the people collected and gave me one hundred 
 dollars, and on my return. Col. Kwing, of Hopkinsviile, raised, 
 in about one hour that I remained with him, one hundred dollars 
 more, which he gave me. This gentleman showed me very dis- 
 tinguished attention and kindness, and remains, to this day. a 
 •^ordikl and active friend to mc. 
 
mm 
 
 lAXXEP. i NAURATIVE, 
 
 iJ6:{ 
 
 pelleil Id 
 
 still con- 
 residence 
 10 means 
 3, beyond 
 From the 
 h friendly 
 one. For- 
 bore New 
 f brother's 
 son, fifteen 
 irere living. 
 r, to go to 
 re Cape Gi- 
 lio, to Ken- 
 m the small 
 
 [reamed that 
 rounded her 
 , and nei},di- 
 ^ my sister-. 
 they, and 
 tears. On 
 than usual 
 performed 
 iivoured to 
 took me to 
 > there; but 
 who lived 
 
 ars. 
 
 some men, 
 
 who had sent 
 
 one hundred 
 
 sville, raised, 
 
 indred dollars 
 
 me very dis- 
 
 Ito this day. ^ 
 
 From llopliinsville I returned to the house of my step-mother, 
 where I nuule my preparations to jio to tlie Lake of llie Woods. 
 Part of my relatives, who had accompanied me from beyond the 
 Mississippi, had returned to their own homes ; but my brother 
 and his wife stayed to travel with me. From my brother F.d- 
 wurd's house, near New Madrid, 1 went aj^ain to Jaikson, where 
 I was taken sick. My stock of money had now increased, 
 through the voluntary dDiialions of those friendly and charitable 
 people anions whom I had passed, to live hundred thdlars, and, 
 this being all in silver, world, my brotlier tliought, be the means 
 of exposing me to danger, and l)ringinir me into didiculty, should 
 I travel by myself; he, therefore, rel'used to leave me. 
 
 From Jackson we went together to St. Louis, where we saw 
 Gov. Clark, who had already given much assistance to niy brother 
 in his journeys in search of mv. lie received us with grent kind- 
 ness, and odi-red us whatever fissistance we niiiiht think neces- 
 sary III accomplishing the ohject 1 now had in cw, which was, 
 1o bring my family from the Indian country. My brother wished 
 to accompany me, and to take a considerable number of men. lo 
 :iid, if it shoidd l)e necessary, in taking my children froi, the 
 Indians; but I went one day to (Jov. Clark, by myself, and told 
 him he must not listen to my brother, who knew little of the 
 country I was going to visit, or of wliat was needful to mv suc- 
 cess in the altem|)t to bring out my family. In truth, I :ul lot 
 wish my brother, or any other white man, to accompany n.e, as f 
 knew he could not submit to all the hardships of the journey, 
 and live as I should be compelled to live, in an Indian lodge, all 
 winter. Furthermore, I was aware that he would be rather an 
 incumbrance than any help to me. tiov. Clark wished tf send 
 nie to tlie Lake of the Woods by way of the Upper Mishissippi; 
 but I was not willing to go that way, on account of the Kioux, 
 through whose country I must pass. He gave me a Mackinac 
 boat, large enough to carry sixty men, with a sufficient crew, 
 three barrels of flour, two of hard bread, guns, tents, axes, &c. 
 &c. Having prevailed on my brother to refrn, I set oil". The 
 current of the Mississippi, below the Misaonn vioon convinced 
 me that my larue and heavy boat was not well adaj)ted to the 
 nature of my undertaking, and at Portag«^ De Sioux 1 left if. 
 
 U' 
 
 *^ i 
 
..« A ■■rtf^-r. 
 
 'm .. 
 
 
 .'1,1 >■ ,.t.i 
 
 354 
 
 TANNER S NARRATlVt. 
 
 ^ i 
 
 •M 1 
 
 1 ' 
 
 mi" II Mil '•! 
 
 V ■ .' ; / 
 
 From tfiis place I procrodtMl in a winall ranor, with two men, fy 
 tlu; licad of the Illinois Hivcr, llicnro to ("liikatio. 
 
 I had a letter Croin («ov. Clark to Mr. M'Kenzie, the Indian 
 sment at ilial {»laee, and as lliere was no vessid ahont to sail Hir 
 Maekinac, lie lilted onl a hark cantu', with a crew of Indians, tci 
 lak«i nu' on n\y jonrney ; hut the Indians st()|)ped lo drink seve- 
 ral days, anil, in (lie niean lime, a vessel arrived, in whieli [ 
 Hailed oti her return. I had waited ten days at Mackinac, when 
 C'a|)t. Kn;i|)|>, <>[' the re\enue cutler, ollered nu' a |)iissaire to 
 Driiininoiiii'r- Island. Here Dr. Mil(iiell, and the Indian aucni. 
 <!ol. Aiuleisoii, treated me in a \eiy Iriendly manner, until the 
 hUler liMil an i>|)|MtrlMnity to send me to the Saiit Dv Si. Mario. 
 
 At the Sam I remained iwo <n' three months, as (;<d. Dickson. 
 M'ho was there, would not alliivv me to <ro up Lake Superior in 
 (he iNorth West (*i)nipan\'s vessel, which went and returned 
 three linns while I \\a~ iletaine<l uaitintr lor him. At last. In 
 \\as ready to start, and I went on hoard his hnat. We w«'re no 
 so(mer out l'i<nn shore, than he handed me an oar. and thon:ili 
 my health was very poor, ho loinpelled me to row as lonu a-: I 
 was aide to set up. Iiein&) at last ipnte disahled, ho lot't me on 
 sliore, at a spot twenty miles ahove l'\)rl William, where wi 
 tbmid Mr. (iiarson, who was there to take care ol" some propert} 
 tor the Hudson's l<;i\ pei pie. I was much dissatisli<<d with tin 
 treatment I ri'c<ixed Iroin ('(d. Dicksmi. and at partiiiir I loM 
 liim, that notwitlisiandinL! lie leCt mo so liir (Vom (he end of iii\ 
 joiirnev, I would still reach Me-naw-/he-Iau-naun!i helore him. 
 .\ll mv liairiiajre I led in the care o( Mr. tiiarsim, and wt'n( on in 
 a small ( anoe. w illi one old Kietichman, w Imm I hired, and havii 
 ^ood link to cross thr lake, I ,irri\ed helore him. 
 
 Mv tiimily were all well. Next day, -ome one tuld ine i|i;ii 
 the red heailed t'.n!.'li-hmau. as thev called Col. Dickson, was 
 eoiiiiu!.' up to my lodi<o. I (old him, withoiil iroinu ou(, (ha( In 
 need not <'oiiie in. " Von liinl me here in my loiliie." said i, 
 "tliouuh \ oil ahandoned me on (he lake shore, when verv fir (Vom 
 my home, or fnnn any place wliere I coiild have oxpeelodio (InrI 
 help; hilt my lodifo in not lit for such uh you, tlioreforo I lio|ie 
 yon will n i( ccnie in." f knew lie wished (o nsk mo for some 
 thinv; tu ohI, hut I wax deicniiinrd not to t*oo him. or i;ivc him 
 
 '1 
 
 V V 
 

 IAN'VER':* naukativl. 
 
 255 
 
 men, Cu 
 
 10 liitVum 
 I sail li)r 
 idians, t(i 
 rink si-vc- 
 i \vhi<l> I 
 
 )iissatft' to 
 liaii airi'Ul. 
 I-. uniil llic 
 1. Mario. 
 ,1. DicUsiiii. 
 Sii|H'ri<)r ill 
 „| ifiunnil 
 
 At la^«' •" 
 \Vr wen- iiu 
 
 anil lli">m'i 
 as lonif "■* ' 
 „. lot! »»•• oil 
 I. wlicri' \\i 
 |.,„o |)roi>fily 
 
 hmI w i»l> >1" 
 .,,.,, im I t"lil 
 ,. , ml of iin 
 
 1,1 r.irr liiiii. 
 
 ,1 Willi on ill 
 (l.antllmviii.; 
 
 inld mt' 'li:" 
 >i(|,-<.ni, \v;i« 
 
 L ,.ul. tliK' '" 
 L,.." saiil I. 
 Imiv Oh- iV.im 
 |„.,.|,.<h.> liii'l 
 111. ire 1 li"l"' 
 line f'»'" '«'i'"' 
 or i{ivc him 
 
 any thing. He left our villatre, ami went by tlu- Iniliaiis' road to 
 Red Hiver, tliouirh, as the walir was uniisimlly low. we licaid ho 
 had a journey of exlrenu; dillienliy, and had nearly perished of 
 hunjfer. There was, on the way, an enilosed luiryiny; ground, 
 where one of my hrother's-in-law, a tiauuhter of Oto-jmn-ne-be, 
 and others of my friends and acijuaintanees, had be<>n linried. 
 Many ol (lu'se jriaves wire well eovered, Init (id. Dit kson broke 
 down the |)ailin!rs, and destroyed the htlle houses that had btiMk 
 raised ovt-r 'he jiraves; at whith ((inrluii tin- Indians \\«ie niuili 
 ollended. They threalmed to lake his lilt, and mii;ht liavedono 
 so had an opportunity olleied ; he went to l\'iiii)inah. ihenee to 
 Lake 'I'raverse, and relurm d no more iiilo tiie i:oiintry of the 
 Ojiblieways. 
 
 A few days after :ny arrival at Me-naw-zhe-lan-naunti, one of 
 mv ehildren sickened and died of the measles, a eoinplaint nl that 
 lime very fatal amonir the Indians. The oihers were subsc- 
 (|uently attaeked, but 1 now knew i)elter how to take care of 
 tiiein, and no more died. Soon alter this, provisions beeamo 
 scar» e, an I I was, with Me-zhuk-ko-iiaim, niakiiiir preparations 
 for a medieine hunt. In my dream i saw the same yount; '^i'*^" I 
 ]ind betorc seen on .-limilar oeeasions, eoine down in the usuni 
 inaiiner, ant stand before me. lie reproved me with more than 
 usual harsliness for my eoiii|ilaints, and iieeausc I rrird lor the 
 cliild I had reeently lost. " lleiieelorth," said he, "you shall 
 see me no more, and that whi< h remains before \ou, of your 
 path, shall be full of briirs and thorns. It is on aeeoiint of the 
 iiuiny erimes, and the Itad ecnidnet ol vcMirwifr, tiiat all y(Mii- 
 (tnninu days are to be filled with Iroi.ble. Ni verlheless, as you 
 liavi" ealled in< this linir. I uivi \ on soniethiiiir to cat." When 
 lie said this, I looked and saw before iiu> many dueks covering; 
 the surfaee of the waltr, and in another place a stiirirenn, in u 
 third a raindeer. This dream was lidlilled, as Usual, at least as 
 iinieli of it as related to in\ hunting and lis|iin<>. 
 
 As the winter came on, I went to Ked Kiver to hunt bullhlor, 
 and make dry meat, ami early in the spring; I started to eome to 
 the slates. From my first wife I had parted ten years beforr" 
 the time I now speak of; but the urueney o| ilie Indians, and. in 
 [mrU ihu necesiiily ul' uiy Hiluatioii, iiad cuiupellrd lun lo lake 
 
 •♦« 
 
 ll 
 
 I : 
 
 I 
 
d')> 
 
 ^6 
 
 tanner's NARRATIVt. 
 
 •i 
 
 
 ii 
 
 \":! i 
 
 I 
 
 another.* By tliis woman I liiul thrco children ; those by niy 
 former wiff were not at present in the village. My wile rclusinc 
 to accompany me, I took the three children and started without 
 her. At Rainy Lake she overtook me, and agreed to accompa- 
 iiy me to Mackinac. 
 
 On niy way down, I was assisted hy the Noith Wes't Compa- 
 ny. At Drunimoiid's Island ' was disappointed of large p -scnts 
 given me when on my wav to (he Liike of the Woods, I)mI which, 
 as I did not then wish to take, were promised me on my return. 
 The cinnmandiiig otlicer who had shown me so much kindness, 
 had heen relieved by another, of a very diflerent character, one 
 who s('»'nipd to iiml tio satisfaction in doing any iliiiig for any 
 person connected with the Indians. This man refused to see mc, 
 or afl'ord me any assistance. By the kindness, however, of Mr. 
 Enimtinucr, of the Saut l)e .St. Marie, 1 was enabled to reach 
 Mackinac. 
 
 Col. Boyd, the Indian agent at that time at Mackinac, called 
 me to him* and wished to hire mc as a striker in his smith's 
 shop ; but not liking the employment, I did not wish to remain. 
 He gave me one hundred pnumls of flnnr, the same quantity ol 
 pork, some whiskey, tobacco, Ac. There were two vessels 
 about to sail for Cliikatro, but neither of them would take nic 
 as a passenger, ihouuh i had money enouijh, and was willing Id 
 pay them. As I had no other alternativ<', T was rompelled to 
 pur<'hase from the Indian^ a poor and (dd biirk canoe, for which 
 1 gave sixty ilollars, and I cnifaijed three Frenchmen to acconi- 
 
 panv me ; but Col. B would not |)ernnt them to go. He 
 
 gave me, however, a letter In Dr. Wolcolt, who was now Indian 
 agent at Chikago, ami I -tarti d with onl\ one man to assist nic. 
 
 At tlie (Utawwaw settlement of Waw-gtm-nuk-kiz-ze I stop- 
 ped for a -"Imrt tirn*', ai\d fnidiui; ihat n y cinoe was t<'o trail 
 and leaky to perform the voyage, I purchased another, a now 
 one, for which I gave eighty d<dlars. Several of my ac(|uaiiit- 
 
 * The piiinl'iil tii|iir of iloiiH-tiic iritulilcit, ;inil tho iniwonilurt of jursona rii'Hrly 
 allii'il to him, m'i'iiisIo JK'llir onlv one on wliicli llitMiurrulor IiiimiioI s|M>kcn hii' 
 cJeHriirhs. TlH'rc is, in rrlition to lhif« miIijci'I, somr wmil ot'dintiiictrifSD ; liulii 
 is bcU«*v<Hl tliiK will not Im> iliciuirlit in .iiliti tin- rrt'ililuJitv of ttu- niin:iiivi>, iiuii- 
 luucli iiM wr ilincoviT no ili-jmrtuni I'roui trulii, uiiIub» the bU|i|ir(!S8iou c<f some liici* 
 'nn Iw con»iii«Tf(| •nirli 
 
 (■; 
 
 , t 
 
 *' 1 
 
 V 
 
mms 
 
 I'ANNER S NAKKATlVk:. 
 
 'J&1 
 
 by my 
 clusinfi 
 without 
 'compa- 
 
 Compa- 
 
 . "sents 
 
 i\ v/\\n'\h 
 iv return. 
 Uintlnt's*'. 
 acter, one 
 pr for any 
 to see. mc, 
 cr, of Mr. 
 il to reach 
 
 iiac, raUed 
 
 his smith' r^ 
 1 to remain. 
 
 quantity ol 
 
 two vessels 
 ,„h\ take me 
 
 ,s willinp; t" 
 
 cmipelhMl to 
 
 ,e, for which 
 11 to arconi- 
 to }I0. Hr 
 MOW IncVwii 
 to assist mc. 
 i/.-ze I stoiv 
 was too frail 
 ,ther. a new 
 my ttcipiaiii' 
 
 ^,f ,M rsons ni'Htly 
 \,. u» luiivp,"'"'- 
 
 ■jnces union^ the Otawwaws, determined to unouipaiiy me, and 
 started accordingly, eitrKf men in one canoe, and six in another, 
 with some women. They went on with me until we arrived 
 within one or two days' journey of ("hikuixo, when meeting 
 iilliir ln(hans, with discourairing accounts of the state uf the 
 water in the Illin<iis, ihey left me and went back. My wife re- 
 turned with them. 
 
 When I arrived at ("hika^ro, I was sick of a fever, and my pro- 
 visions beiu^^ exiiiiuslerl, I was in ifrcat distress. 1 went to Dr. 
 Wnlcott to present liim tlie letter from ('id. Hoyd, the Indian 
 aijcnt at Mackinac, l)ut he would not receive it, nor take any 
 notice of me. He km w well who I was, as he had seen me. 
 when f passed Cliikatio Ik lore, and I could not tell why hr re- 
 fused iiie assistance. I had nty tent set up at a little distance 
 iroin his house, near a wild rice swamp, and lor several days, 
 ilimiirh I was so much nnire unwell ilial I was scarce aide to sit 
 up live minutes at a tini< , I sidisisted mv children liy shooting 
 llic hiack hirils as tlu'j came ami settled on llu' rice. When I 
 uas afram aide, with the aid of two sticks, to crawl to the houst; 
 of Dr. Wolcott, I went to re|)reseril to him thai my «hildreu 
 \uiein danuer of perishinn of hunger; hut he drove me harshly 
 .iWiiy. When I left his door, i shed some tears, whieh it wa.s 
 not connntm tor me to do : hut I was rendered womanish hy my 
 sickness. Three or fmu' linus I (ainled. and lay lonir hy th«; 
 road side, *m the way tVom his house to my tent. Hut my snf. 
 icrin^s, and those ol ui\ children, were shortly afterwards re- 
 ijrved hy a l-'renchman, who had heen to <'arry sonu- boats across 
 lie I'ortaize. His wife wa^ an ()|il>heway woman, and eoninu)!!- 
 h accompanied him when he went to take an\ boats across. 
 Tliou^[h his horses were now nmch worn out with the lonij jonr- 
 lay from which he had retinned, he atrreed to take me and my 
 i;iiioe sixty miles, and if hi> hor»es eonlil Indd out, the wlioln 
 (iMc hundred and lweut\, which was, at the present sta>i<' of wa- 
 irr. the ien>{tli <if the Portaue, for which I aifreed to pay him 
 agreeable to his di nuind, which I thonulil ver\ moih'rale. Ho 
 lent me, also, a yoimu horse to ride, as I was far t»»o weak to 
 think of walkini*, and he ihouuht I could ride on horseback much 
 more conifortablv than in the carl with the canoe. Before wo 
 irrivcd at the end of the eixlv mile^. he wos taken sick, and as 
 
 !,^ 
 

 
 A r 
 
 I5& 
 
 lANNKKS NAKKATIVK. 
 
 there was now a liulc wator in tlie river, I conciniied to put my 
 canoe in, and try to ilesrend in it. Ills yonufr Imrse, the niffht 
 after I gave it up to him, was :Uoh'n by tlie Po-ta-wato-mies. 
 He was seized with the bh)ody fhix, hut as he had a young man 
 with him, 1 rendered him what assistance I couhi in starting, and 
 let him go back. My Frenchman iiad deserted from me soon af- 
 ter I h'ft Chikago, and I Iiad now nw person to assist me excej)! 
 an ohi Indian, caHed <ios-so-kwaw-waw, (the smoker.)* We pui 
 llie canoe in the water, but we couhi not get into it ourselves, 
 only sometimes llie chihiren were put in, anri we took them 
 down, one walking at the bow, the other at the stern of the ca- 
 noe. We had proce«'ded no more than three iiiles, when I 
 Ibund that this method was likely to prove so laborious and 
 slow, that I thought best to encase a Po-ta-wat(i-mie, whom 1 
 met there, and who agreed for a blanket and a p-'ir of leggins, to 
 lake my baggatre and my children rm his horses (o the moiitli 
 of the An-num-mun-ne Se-be, «ir Yellow Ochre River, a distance 
 of sixty miles. The An-num-ninn-iie comes from towards tin 
 Mississippi, and below it there is always, in the Illinois, wattr 
 enough for canoes. I felt somewhat afraid to trust the Po-ia 
 wato-inie wilh my children, and the bag^riij>e, which contained 
 some valuable [)ropert\, but old (Jos-so-kwaw-waw was ol 
 opinion that he would prove hcmest. When he put the childrcii 
 on the horses, he said, '* In three days I shall be at the mouth w 
 (he An-num-muii-iie River, and shall wail for you there." 
 
 Without an\ farlhcr words, we parted, and the old Sntokci 
 and myself coniiiiiUMi our laborious anil ditlicull route almig tlu 
 bed of the Illinois. Most of the country, on both sides the route, 
 from Chikago to the Yellow Ochre River, are prairie, in wliicli 
 liorses and carls can be driven willio\it any diflicidtv. On our 
 arrival at the place appointed, we found ihe Po-la-wat(»-inif 
 there, and all safe. 
 
 We now embarked ever) iliirii; together in the canoe, uiul wrnt 
 down to Fort Clark, which is on a narrow neck of land, betworu 
 two lakes, aiul is ihence called by Ihe Indians Ka-gali-guia- 
 ming,t (ihe islhmns.) Here I lound some ac(|uaintances, (H 
 rather those who rlaimeil relationship in consequence of thcii 
 
 ♦ SuKKUH-HWnw-wiiw — ihr .'^inuktr, in Ojibbowoy. 
 
 f Ka-jfa/i-»um-mif>!r. oliiuNif watpr 
 
 ( . 
 A 
 
 \ 
 
 . 't 
 
 t.^^ 
 
;) put uiy 
 he nijflit, 
 ato-inics. 
 jung man 
 rtinu;, and 
 le soon al- 
 mc t'xrept 
 )* Wt- pui 
 ourselves, 
 took llieni 
 , of Ibc fa- 
 PS, when I 
 l)orious anil 
 ie, whom 1 
 ,f h'jigins, t(t 
 , the moiitli 
 r, a tlistanco 
 towards thi 
 Hinois, wattv 
 isl the Po-lii 
 eh contained 
 kvaw wdA of 
 t the ehihlrn, 
 the mouth I" 
 \ere. 
 
 ,. ohl Snuikci 
 iiite uh)ntr tin 
 ,lfs the route. 
 I vie, in wliifli 
 uliy. On oui 
 '.».ta-wtiU»-in'' 
 
 iiiop. autl w rm 
 hiixl, hetweru 
 Ka-t;uh-irum- 
 iiaintunees, i>i 
 luencc of tlicii 
 
 lANNtU S NAUK.\1'1\ I.. 
 
 'Zb\i 
 
 having been in somo measure connected with iho lamiiy tliat T. 
 belonged to among llie Indians. Here was a Taw-ga-we-nin-ne, 
 a son of him that had been the husband of Net-no-kwa, and some 
 of the relatives of one of my wives. One of ihes(\ :ia old woman, 
 ffave nu! a sack of \Viskol)inun( nidi, or that sort of corn which is 
 jilucked green, boiled, and tlien dri<'i). 'J'wo or three miles 
 beyoni! this, as I went on my way, I saw a man standing on the 
 bank, who, as I came opposite to him, called out, "my friend, do 
 yon love venison .'" When I told liim I did, and had put my 
 canoe in slu)re, he lifted a lartie and fi»t deer into it, saying, 
 •'perhaps y(tu will like to eat some o'' this, which I have just now 
 Icilled." He was goinji to turn away, when 1 called him hark, 
 anil thonifh he refused any compen-^atiun for the deer, I irave him 
 a little powder and shot, and some llinis, for which he appeared 
 very thankful. 
 
 About this tinu', when 1 was one day warm at work. 1 sliol a 
 crane, and got into the water to lake it up. Shortly after I fell 
 somewhat unwell, l>ut iu)t retlectinir on the cause of my illness. 1 
 went again into the water to sret r<omethin<r I had shot, when im- 
 mediately I fell down, and was unable to get up. Mv fever rr- 
 iiirned upon me with such violenc*-, that being in immediate ex- 
 pectation of death. I t;ave the Old Snu)ker directions to take my 
 children to (io\crnor ("lark, who, I was conlident, wonid assist 
 them in reaching my relatives. Uui contrary to my expectation. 
 1 became gradually better, andalUT somi' days was ai)le to goon 
 my journey. We jmssed great numbers of I'otawallomies, their 
 lodges standing manv to'rither, in almost every bend of the river. 
 Sonu' ol them siarud out in their canoes occasionally, and ac- 
 companied me some distance on my way. One day a man came 
 iinming from his lodge to the bank ol the river, and asked me 
 who I was. When I had told him, be in<;nired if my children 
 could eat h(UU'\ ; and w hen I tolil him I b< lirved they could, be 
 sent two young men, each with a large wtntden l)owl lull, whicli 
 ibey bromrht wading into tin water, and banded to me. 
 
 In this manner 1 descended the Illinois Hiv<'i, killing plenty of 
 sfanu', and bavinu at all times enouirb to eat ; my health, also, 
 graduall\ inijiroving, until I came to St. I^onis. Here (iovernor 
 <!|urk showed his wonted kindness, not only to ine and mvcliil- 
 drfn, hut to the Old Snmkrr, who had been so oervieenbie to mr 
 
 X 
 
 J: . 
 
 .iH' 
 
 V 
 
 n 
 
 f •; 
 
 .1. 
 
p % 
 
 yi5e 
 
 TANNtRS NAKUAl'IVl.. 
 
 1^ w .1^ 
 
 < f^k 
 
 U,i ijfi, 
 
 ll 
 
 k'. 
 
 in my .jovirnr\ . Al'tnr irivinjr tlir old man a Iiandsoiur pvesoni, 
 ho' provided (or }iis return to his own country, and dismissed lijin. 
 J was detained loiifrer at St. Louis than I h;id wisheil, as new 
 clothes were to he tna(U" for my rhildren. Some of these not 
 havinir hccn etnnpieted in time for me to take with nie, the (In- 
 vnrnur sent liien) afterwards to Keiitncky. rrom Si. Louis, [ 
 ■went to Capeliuirardeau, in my hirch l)ark canoe, having; a leilei 
 from (Jovernor ("lark to the IndiaM iiiient at that place. 
 
 At Cape (iuirardeau. wliere I lel't my canoe, and where I re- 
 mained i)ut a very short time, I saw scnne of the frciitlemen nf 
 Major Lonji's j)arty, then on their return from tlu' liocky Moiiu 
 tains. This was in the fall of the y(ar li^'^O, and was alxmi .nir 
 year a ;er mv lirst arrival on ihe Ohio, in i^^li). Frinn the tiiiic 
 of my <apture hy Manito-o-j:rezhik aiid (iish-kaw-ko, just iliirt\ 
 years liud ela|)- d, lieforc f siartiii in tin' sprintr ot IHI9, Inun thf 
 Lak<> of the Woods. So that it inusi iiave heen in the spriny: <M 
 the year !7*^'.>. that i was taken prisoner. I am now forty-seven 
 years idd. 
 
 Four months I remained with my sisters at .fackson, fiftern 
 miles from ('ape (Juirardeau ; then I went t(» Kentuckv, and tin 
 m^xt fall I retin'ued to St. Lotiis, to see (Jovernor ("lark; hnt In' 
 was not at home, and as many |)eopl«' uere then dvinsr in Si. 
 Louis of fevers, 1 made tun a short sia\. t)n my 'Aa\ home, I 
 Jell siek of a violent fever at the (Jrand I'rairie, which is cinhh 
 miles from the place wher*- I had left mychihiren. FortunatiK 
 I tell into the hands ol a woman who trcat'd me \\ilh inncli li<i- 
 manitv and kindm-ss, and i soon heiran to reenvir. I now hean! 
 that my children were dyiuif with the fever which prevailed sn 
 •renerally thnnijrhont the coimtry, and notwilhstandinir mv own 
 iniserahle and dehilitnted eondiliim, I hastened home. Onh mio 
 of my children died. The othe.s, tiiouirh very sick, at last ir 
 covered. Hut I was not alone in this aliliciion. Seven died oiit 
 of the eirclf of my near relatives, with whom I then lived, amliiii 
 alarmiiur nuutality prevailed throuirh(mt that part of the state. 
 
 On the eiisuinir sprin":, an attempt was made to recover sonu- 
 lliinir for my heiielit. from the estate of m\ talher: hut my step- 
 mother sent several of the m'uroes, which it was thouuht mi lit 
 fall to me, to the island of (^uha. where thev were stdd. Tlii- 
 
 ill 
 
 'I 
 
 .1 
 
 V ^. : 
 
 \\ 
 
 ■\\ 
 
-^^ 
 
 r\r 
 
 pvesent, 
 ssoil him. 
 \, as new 
 tlit'si' not 
 
 0, tllf tiu- 
 
 1. liiHiis, I 
 ing 11 liiViei 
 
 1 \XXER S NAUUATIVK. 
 
 •^61 
 
 Jivisinoss is yet. unsettled, and iTiiiaiiis in the lianils oC the 
 lawyers. 
 
 In the sprinjr of 1822, I started to tin a^ in t(» the north, not 
 findinif lliat I \ias ((Miteril aniDnu my tViends in Kenlueivy. I went 
 iiy the way of ihe (irand Prairie, and haviiiif irivrn rnv eaiioe to 
 )ii\' hrutlicr. I look horses, ami pultinir ni\ ehiidren iin iheui. I 
 eaine to !Sl. Louis, ihenee hy way of the llhiuiis, lowarils Clii- 
 Jvaji'o. 
 
 The Indian anient for F<>rt ('iarl\ liv(>d at tliis time at a jjhice 
 ealh'd 1,1k Heart. s(inie distance lieiuw. Jle. as well as most of 
 the j)i ii|ih! on this route, had heen kind, and had shmvn a dispo- 
 sition to as.^isl me whenever I nci'ded any ihini:. On tliis joiir- 
 uey I sloppvd at i Ik Heart, at the hou-e of tlie a-j-ent, and thou^ili 
 he was not himsc ll at home. I liad my liorses l\'{\. and was sup- 
 plied with what relVeshment I ne<'ded for myself and ehiidren. 
 iVee of expense. On the lollowinii day, I met the airenl on his 
 way dome from Foi . »'lark.nnd told him nf the reeeption i had 
 met at his hou.-e in his alisenee. lli- was tflad to liear of tliis. 
 and he tol-i me tliat I shouhl soon eoni<' to a had river to cross ■ 
 *• hut," said he, '* there is a hoat now (m this side, in which I have 
 Vist crossed. The man to whom it lKdon«is, lives on the other 
 >ide. Y(ni must use the hoat to cross, and then tell him to lakf 
 it around to the other river, which is heyond his house, and hcl() 
 vou to cross that, and \ will pay him for his trouhle." We crossed 
 accordiiiifls, hut my daiisrhtt-r Martha heinn m»w sick, we stopped 
 all day near the house of the man to whom the canoe helonjred. 
 i had one very handsome horse, whicli had hi"n ijiven me hy my 
 hrolher, and which this man said he was determined to have from 
 me. He tdl'ered to hiiy it: hut I Itdd him the horse was iieces- 
 sary '<> niy journey, and I coidd hy no nn'aiis part w ilh it. Still 
 he insisted, and said, unless I would let him have the hor>e, [ 
 should not have his ranoe to cros^, the oilnr rixer. He cursed 
 and ahused me, hut all the means he could use, did not induce me 
 to yi\c up the horse. The canoe had l.itM laktMi arotntd to the 
 iiv«'r I had to cross, for the use ol' some other person, and wheit 
 I was ready to no I started, (•xpeclinii; lo fnid il there, lint nw my 
 way to the ferrv , I met tin" man <m horsehaek, who said lo me, 
 •' i havt taken awa\ the canoe, atid \oii cannot <'ross," Without 
 vc'iardina this, 1 went on. and wiien i arrived, 1 found the cnnno 
 
 
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 , I 
 
 
 

 I' (■■ 
 
 !* 
 
 ■f I. 
 
 id 
 
 ' ' i 
 
 '\ 
 
 •i&z 
 
 lANNtRS NAKKATIVi:. 
 
 was iiiclecil gone, and thai then" wore no loijs, or othrr niatcriaN 
 to niai-yaralt. Frarini^ to t'U(lan!<t'r llic children, liy s\viiiiuiin<; 
 them across on the horse's backs, [ sioorl fcr some time in (lonlit 
 what to do. At last 1 rccoUccted, that if lie had hid the canor. 
 as was tnosl |)roi)ably the case, his track wo(dd h-ad nic tu it. 
 Tliun iroini; Itack to the road, a ooiisidoraldc disiaace Iroin tin 
 river, 1 I'onnd his track cuniiritr into it. This i luiiovvcd, until I 
 found the caiKic hid in ihick hii-hcs, ahout a mile hclnw the i'crrv, 
 Takiiio- it up to the cn.-sinir |)lace, I carried my children, and led 
 the horses over; then irivinir ihi' canoe a j)u«-li into the str»'ani. 1 
 said to it, " ifo, and stay where your master hides yon." 
 
 At Chika-fti, I was comixdied to sell inv horses (or nnndi less 
 than tiieir value, to ('a[)taiti Hradh>y and a Mr. Kenzie, who wa* 
 then ajreiit in place oC Dr. Wolcnil, as they 'old me I conld iioi 
 gel them taken t(» iVIackinac. Oncfdd horv.'. wlii:h I IctY as ix in;: 
 of little or no value, I afterwards received lifieen dollars for, from 
 sotnc (jfcntiemen who wish > make use ol' him, hut \vhr> niiahi 
 hav(! had him tor noihiiiix. \Vhen (-"a|»lain Keith, in the schoo- 
 ner Jackson, arrived, he told me, on seein;r the paper jriven iik 
 by (iovernor Clark, (hat lie would hav<' taken my horses to Mack 
 inac for nolhinir; but it was iiuw ton late, as they were sold, 
 
 A ])riiici|)al partof inv desitrii in retiirninjr to Mackinac, waste 
 fUiratre m\ self to Col. Hoyd, the Indian aLniil there, as an inter- 
 preter; he havinj) very often expressed a wish that I shoidd dc 
 .so, whenever I had acipnreil such a knowlediie ol' the Kn-ilish Ian 
 ffua^e, us would fiualify me to dis<diarire ihe dinies of ihal stu 
 tion. It was now. therefore, a dis.'ippidntment to nu'. to be in 
 formed that I had come too late, an interpreter havinir recrulh 
 been hired to till the |)Iace. He iiifdrnu'd me, however, that ai 
 ageni to be statiom-d at ihe .Saut Jle St. Mary, woidd probaliK 
 arrive in the steam l)oal which was expected iinmediahdv, iind 
 Col. Iloyd thoiiirhl i miiilit nbtain tin- situation of interpreter for 
 Iiim. When Mr. Schoidcrafi, the ircntleman e\-))ecte 1, arrived 
 at Mackinac, he r»'adily a<ce|>ieil my proposal. Hiil as he wav 
 to stay but an Innn- (m* two nu (he inland, he direrted me to make 
 my pre|)aratiiins and follow him, allowing me four davs after his 
 arrival at the .Saut, before it was nec«'ssarv for me to be there. 
 I made my [)rep nations accordini,dy, and was nearly ready to 
 start, when a letter ranie from Mr. Schoolrrnft. stating that hf 
 
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 toriui- 
 
 canoo. 
 
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 vinlil I 
 10 iVrvy. 
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 Uram. I 
 
 iANNKU la NAKKA'lIVK. 
 
 263 
 
 Imd loiuitl an interpreter at the 8aul, anil tlieroforc iliil not wish 
 jue to juin iiiin. 1 carried buck to the traders ihc luriiiture and 
 other articles which i had purchased with the expectation ot' re- 
 siding at the aJaut, and they villiiigly restored me my money. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 rraiiiactioiisol ilic aftcnla iiml clerks of tho Aiuprican Fur C'oinpniiy, in ihc counlry 
 alM)Ul ilif Lille of the Wmxls — trcaclicr\ of tin Imliaii woman — i:iislbrtuai'K at 
 trndunt on an.ittoni)it to liriiii; iny cliililrcn from tlu- Iiuliart romitry. 
 
 Being now destitute of empK>yment, I engaijed to Mr. Stewart, 
 the agfent of tlie American Fur Company, to go with the traders 
 into the Indian country. This I preferred to remainiii<r with the 
 Indian ajreiit, thouf^h he a^ain proposed to hire me for a striker 
 in his smith's shoji. For my services with the people of the. 
 American Fur ('ompany, 1 was to receive two iiundred ami 
 twenty-five doUars per year, and a suit of ciotlies. 
 
 My children I placed at school at Mackinac, and went to the 
 Saiit He St. Marie with Mr. Morrison, one of the <onipanyV 
 prii\cipal clerks. Thence they sent me, in a boat, with some 
 Frenchmen, to Fond |)u Lac. I was unacipiainlcfl with the man- 
 ners of these people, and should have sutlered, and perli;ips pe- 
 rished for want of jirovisions, had I not |)iirchased sume oc<'u- 
 .-it>nallv from the crew. From Fom<I Du Lac I went to Rainv 
 Lake with Mr. Cote ; !)ut my iijnorance of the business ja whi< (i 
 1 had embarked, exposed me to much inconvenience. I had still 
 -ome of my (raps with me, witli which I took a consideral)lc 
 iiuml)er of musk rats on tills journey, ami I was init less surprised 
 than dis|)leased, to be told that the >kins did not belonj^ to me. 
 IJut f was not only compellerl to jiive these up: I was made to pad- 
 tile by myself (1 canoe, heavily loaded with wild rice, and to sub- 
 mit to variotis other laborious employments, which I <Iid very 
 reluctantly. 
 
 When we arrived at Rainy Lake, I went to hunt, but killed 
 nothine. Soon afterwards, they sent nic to the rapids of Kniny 
 
 
 
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 I 
 
 .'■ ', 
 
 « 
 
 •i64 
 
 lANNEUS NAKKATIVE. 
 
 Lakf River; iiml before llie ice liad I'orimul so as» to put an end 
 to the fishing, I had taken om? hiiiidreil and tiCiy sitirijcdns. Tho 
 winter had now comnienrcd, and Mr. (Unv sent mv, with one 
 clerk, tour Frenchnuii, and a small ouUit of jrirnds, ii|ual to one 
 hundred and sixiy dollars in value, to tradi' anicinu; the Indians. 
 We were furnislied with no other food than wild rice, at the rat* 
 of ei^rliieen (|iiarts |)er man, and insiructcd not to return until wo 
 should have exchanjrcd for [xdtries all our {roods. As I knew wo 
 slioidd l)r compelled to travel far before we found the Indians, I 
 requested <d' Mr. Cote |)ermissiun to remain w Idle I could |)re|)are 
 a train and harness for two good dogs which belonged to me ; 
 also snow shoes for ourselves, but he would not hear of a mo- 
 ment's delay. 
 
 Four days alter we started, a heavy snow fell, and our wild 
 rice being all e\|)endiii, the <derk and three of the Krciwhmen 
 left me and returned to the P'ort. There was now only myself 
 and one Frenchman named V<'iage, who houever was a hurdy, 
 |)ati«iil, and most exct llent nnm, and we struggleil through tlu: 
 snow with oin- hea\ \ I. ..ids as \ve might. 
 
 After sonu- days, ami when we were extremely reduced through 
 uani of provisions, we found some lodges of Indians, but they 
 also were in a starving condition. With these I left Veiaije, ami 
 with a few goods, went to visit another encampment at some dis- 
 tance; these also I found perishing of himger. On my return to 
 the place where I had left my companion, the lodtres were re- 
 moved, and no person remained. Here my strength failed en 
 tirely, and I sat down expectini; to perish, as the niiiht waN very 
 cold; but an Imlian who had < ome ba(k to look at his traps, 
 found me, made a lire, and after he had raised me up, assisted uk 
 to his lodge. He had taken one beaver, and (his was now to Ik 
 divided ammig twenty persons, not one of whom had eaten a 
 mouthful in two days, and all ucre in a starvini< condnioji. 
 
 Soon after this, ;is I continued on my journey according to nu 
 strength, 1 loinid the lodge of my friend Oto-pun-ne-be, the man 
 who had taken my pat I in the alliiir with VVaw-bebe-nai.s-sa. 
 His wife began to cry when she saw the ( \irenie misery of my 
 condition, s(t much was I reduced and chanired in a])|)earanro 
 by hun;ii'r ami fatigue. About this lime eisfht starving French- 
 men cuine upon us, who had been sent by Mr. i'uic, he suppn 
 
 r^ 
 
 / rt 
 
• 
 
 TANM::U ;> NAUKAltV i.. 
 
 •Mb 
 
 Miig lliat I liad loiinti liiiflTalor, itml iniisi liy ilii-, umc liave nuai 
 ill groilt abiiiidaiuT. One (il my <loirs ilicil, iiiid \\v ate him. We 
 were travcllinjr on tlio old trail of llio Indians, but a deep snow 
 liad fallen since they passed. Under lids snow we found several 
 lead doirs, and other lliiiiifs llir(»\vu auay or left !>v the iudiaus, 
 such as bones, worn out moccasins, and |)ieces of leather. With 
 these we were able to sustain lil'i'. We killctl also, and ale m\ 
 l;ist dojr ; bill we had yet a long distuiico to travel before we 
 could reach the bulliiloe, and a< we W(!re all rajiidly failinix, wo 
 consulted together, and determined to kill one of the Fur Com- 
 pany's dogs. Wc did so, and this enabled us to reach the buHii- 
 loe, when our distress was for the present at an i^iu\. 
 
 After I had killed many buflidoes, and meat had for some 
 uiiie been jilenty in our camp, the Krenchmeii became lazy and 
 insolent, and refused to l^) for im at, to carry | ks, or render me 
 ;ii\y assistance wlintever. When we were ready to return to the 
 tradinir lumse, every one of these men refused to take any load 
 init his own blanket and |)rovi^ions, excejit Veiaife. and u'ith him 
 1 divided our peltries, which in all weiirlied six luinrlred pound'-. 
 \Vp were of course a considerable time in carryin<r liicsc heavy 
 Iliads to the Fort. 
 
 Vlieii I arrived, I accounted for my whole outfit: ha\in<r the 
 peltries I had pun based in exchan^ie for every artiile, except 
 >iime powder and shot, which we had ourselves expemled in 
 !imitin]ff. The price of this was tleducted from my pay, in my 
 linal settlement with the aj^ent of the American Fur flompany ; 
 ihcii ten dollars, the price .tfthe doo we had killed in the extre- 
 mity of our hunger, ami which had i)een t tie means of saving, 
 !!0t my life only, but that of the nine Frenchmen that were 
 with me. FJut Mr. ("otc <Iid not consider my return* a good one, 
 md complained of me for Iiavin<r refused to take whiskey with 
 iiiv (lutlit. I told him tiiat it I had taken w hi-:key, I could cer- 
 tainly have obtained a much greater tpiaiitil\ id' peltries, but I 
 wasuverseto tradinur with the Indians when intoxicated, and did 
 not wish to be one, on any occasion, to introduce whiskey 
 among them. But a'j he had determined on sending me out 
 
 • Tills word, in the langimfiP of Ihc fur trailers si^^nilics not the coniiiie back of 
 iliiilcrk or iKTsoiisfiit out Imt llir iK'ilries iiri|uir(<l liy llic outlit, and tt fMjtjdlv 
 '•>h\ if ilif iniilor never rcliirn.s in juthui Icj Iur cin]>lovi r 
 
 II 
 
 'i 
 
 I 
 
 
( 
 
 I i 
 
 
 26t» 
 
 TANNER S NARRATIVE. 
 
 »■ 
 
 • I; ( «t 
 ■fill. 
 
 t \ 
 
 again, nnti iiisistod [ should tiikr wliiski-) , I told him I Wouhl lur 
 once, conform ciilirpiy !•> his iiislnictions. which wav "tousr 
 overy method to proriin; the jrrt';»'vsJ f: s'sildr (jiiimlity uf skins, 
 at theh)U('st price." 'I'his time I ^wn. tjo ttii' foiiiitry about tlie 
 Lake of the Woods, ;ind with an ov; : • vaKuil U two huudrcil 
 Hollars, I purchased, by means of whiskt^y, more than double tlie 
 anionnl of peltries I had iiefore brotiuhl in. J^av Mr. Cole cx- 
 presst'd the hiirjiest satisfaction at my success; but I told hiai. ji 
 he Mishcd to have his jroods s(dd in that way, he must eniplov 
 .«oine otluT |)erson, as I could not consent to l)e the instrunicnt 
 ef such fraud and injuslice. I had !)een so lonu anioiifj the In- 
 dians, that many of tlieiii were personally my friends, and ha\ inir 
 ween the exti'iit of the mischiefs occasioned l)y tlie introduction 
 of intoxicating li(piors, I liad become desir(Uis of preventin<f it. a-j 
 far as in my power, at least; I was not willinir to he myself active 
 in spreading such poison amonji them ; nor was I willing to ii>i 
 the advantage, their unconquerable appetite for spirits might uivr 
 me, in bargaining \\ ilh them, as i knew, that llnnigh they niiirh' 
 easily be defrauded, any fraud thus practised must be known i.i 
 them, and they would feel resentment and dislike, in proportion 
 as they were made to suller; more particularly against me, whom 
 they looked upon as one of their own number. 
 
 I remained lifteen months in l)ie American Fur Company'- 
 employ, during all which time, I sle|)t oidy thirteen nights in iln' 
 house, .so active and laborious were my occupations. It had bctn 
 an iti'in in mv ajrreement with Mr. Stewart, that I should bi; al- 
 lowed to go to lied Itiver to .see n\y chilihen, and make ana- 
 tempt to bring them out with me. Accordingly, when the tradir^ 
 were about to make their yearly visit to Mackinac, I was alloweil 
 to go by myself; but having been disappointed of moccasins and 
 other articles that liad been proiiiis(>d me by Mr. Cote, 1 suHlreii 
 much inc«>nvenience, travellinj;as I did !)> myself in a small canoe. 
 My children were three in inimber, two daughters and one son. 
 and had been a long time separated from me, even before I tir?: 
 left tlie Indian country. 
 
 Mr. Clark, of the Hudson's Hay Company, who was now sla 
 lioned at Red Fliver. and to whom I had a letter, refused to uiv 
 me any assistance in recovering my children. In the mornini;. 
 when I arrived there, I had left my blanket in his JUou.sc, expcc • 
 
 V 
 
 :\v 0-. 
 
mm 
 
 Llio was now sla 
 |r. rol'iisea to L'iv | 
 In the mornins;- 
 Lis house, exi)e«- 
 
 lA^MiK8 NAKKATlVt. 
 
 Hat 
 
 iDL'. al Icasi. liml 1 slmulil sltTji tlicri' ; liiit wliou at the approacia 
 oi iiiirlit I was altoul to jjo in, he sent tin- lilaiiktt (iiit to nii 
 (•'i"m tlin iiianiicr in uhicli this was lionc. 1 knew if I went iii 
 jcr;iiii. it would only he to he drivfii out, ami I wt-iit inimctliatrl)- 
 tn sflcct a placi' to sU'c|) in tju- woods at a liltic (listaiicf. liul 
 Ml. Hrucr, lite interprt'lor wlunn I liavi' het'orc iiuntioiird, saw 
 mi', and calliiii^ nu into his liiiluc, iiuilni me (o remain, and 
 while 1 liid so, treated nie in the most iVieiullv and liospiuihle 
 iiianner. Knowing that I had no reason to expect any assistance 
 I'roin Mr. Clark, v, ho was soon to leave the eountry, I went to 
 ('a|)lnin hiilt^cr, ilu' military ronuiiandant, to stale my biisincHs, 
 :iii(I received from him a nuist attentive and tViendly liearini^. 
 Iiiunediately on my calliiiix l<* ^^K' hinu he a-^ked mv where 1 had 
 sji jtt. as he knew ihat I had arrived the <lay helore. When he 
 liiard lliat I had l>een refused a lodjjinii in the tradiiif^ house, he 
 invited me to eoine and eat with him, and sloop in his honso as 
 Idiiir as I slioidd remain there. Me knew of my business to the 
 riniiilry, and a.-.ked me if 1 eotdil tell where my children were. 
 I liad uscorlained that they were vvitli iho Indians about tlie 
 Cnirie Poriajic. 
 
 Some Indians aliout the Fort, told mo tliat those of the band 
 vith vvhont my childrou were, had heard of my arrival, and wore 
 •ictrrmined to kill me if I slwndd attempt to take nty cliihlron 
 from them. Nevertheless, I visited that band as soon as I oouUi 
 make the journoy, and went into the h)dt;o of tho principal chief, 
 wlio treated luv kindly. I remained some time, always staying 
 II ihe lodge with my children, who appeared pleased to see me; 
 liiit I easily discovered that it was by no nu-ans tho intention of 
 ;!ir Indians to siilVer me to take them away. (iiah-<ro-wa-go-mo, 
 Jic man who had lon<f bofor<' stolen away my son. and whom I 
 !ia(l been compelled to beat, as well as to kill his horse, now 
 treated mo with some insolence, and threatened even to lako my 
 iilp. I said to him, " if yon had been a man, yon would have 
 killed nto lonuf a^o, instead of now threateninir mo. I have no 
 uar of you." But beinu entirely alone, I coidd accomplish no 
 more at present, than to induce the band to remove, and encamp 
 mar the fort al iled liiver. This was a considorablo journey, 
 and on all of it, my children and myself wore made to carry heavy 
 htirlhen?. and were treated like slaves. They did not indeed give 
 
 i 
 
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 N; 
 
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 )iA- 
 
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 tt^ 
 
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 I VNM:K S .NAKHAIU I. 
 
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 Ur»- 
 
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 h 
 
 Wi 
 
 »* 
 
 me 
 
 a luad to car>'\, h\il tlirv were (arcliil >o liir to ovorloml 
 
 ni\ 
 
 thililiTii, thai wliri. I hail taken as imicli as I cdiild move iiiiilcr, 
 tlicH' Merc licavv l(»a(ls In. '-ir ilicin. Aricrlhcy liad (•iicaiiipnl 
 near llic toil. I asked tliem tor my eliildn ii. iuit llicy iitteily ir- 
 I'uMcd to jrive lliem up. (Jiali-L'-c-wa-Lro-iiio uas the |triiiei|)ul man 
 ulio was ai live in resisliiifr me. and with liiin tlie dispute hii,! 
 Siroun lo so o|ten a t|narre!. lliat I was al>nin to proet ed lo vio- 
 leiil measures, but I Ik tliiMijIit me tiiat I should do \vron<>; lu ii|. 
 tempt to shed bhuxl uiihout fir.sl niakinir my intention known t.< 
 
 a plain 
 
 liuL' 
 
 er, ulio 
 
 had 
 
 oxpresst'd so much iVicndly lee 
 
 towards me. i went accordiuulv, and ndd him mv siiiiaiin 
 
 II. 
 
 aiul tliai I was now convinced I ctudd nol lake my cnildren with 
 out ii-'mfi viidcut measurer- wilh (iiah-i>e-Ma-t;o-iii •. He approvci 
 
 of mv 
 
 hav 
 
 iniT 
 
 told 
 
 mm w 
 
 ha I 
 
 was ahout lo d 
 
 ami iinmei 
 
 !i:iliK 
 
 scnl Mr. Hrucr to call mv children into ihc lurt. 'ri\e\ camc;i.'. 
 cordluiil',, ami stood helorc his house, i)iit will) tenor twelve!:] 
 tiiuns accompany in:( ihem. and who were caretiil Id stand iii;i 
 hy on each siile oi lliein. ilaxiiiir pointed out my children ; 
 him, the captain direcled his scrv ar t lo leed ihem. Sometliiiii 
 uns accoriliiiiily lirouiihl Irnin his own lahle, he havino just ilm 
 rat<*n, ntid uiven lo ihem: hul the imlian> immedjalely -^iiahlin 
 It away, hiuini!' them not a luoullilnl. A lual oi' hread was ihci 
 ?>rontfhl. Iiiit il went in the same way. not a particle ot it hcin. 
 li'fl lo thiin. Captain Hidiicr now direcled a store house hi lir 
 
 opencil. am 
 
 ) lol 
 
 (1 me to uo m ami )rel Ihem -oim tluiiir in r..] 
 
 th 
 
 I'indiii^Mln re simie hai.'- <>| pemtmcan, I look the liall o| ii;m 
 ithout twenly pimmls. and makimr tlieiii sit ihtwii. ull purtdnj. 
 • It' it. 
 
 'I'lu- Indians refused the children lo the (h'luand of ('apt, Hul 
 <rer, as ihey had done to me; hut next dav he called all the prin 
 cijiiil men, and amont; others tiiah-iic-wa-iro-mo, to come aini 
 cutim-jl with him. The chief man of the hand was very williii<' 
 liuit I should take away the children, and when we all weiii inir 
 ilu'ccnmcil room, he inok a seal with r'aplain Hulirer aiul my>rli, 
 iherehy placing; the lour men who were primipailv active in ilr 
 lainiiiiT tiieni, in the situaiioti ot persons who were Hciing in o|ifi\ 
 c(»ntrnvenlion to Iuh wixlien. 
 
 I'rPii'iilf to tlip amuiiiit ol' ubont on« imiidrrtl dollars in vnhir. 
 
 *v-j 
 
90-91 
 
 -^ 
 
 JANNkRil AAnKAIUi::. 
 
 \niy 
 
 orloail i\i\ 
 lovc iiiiilcr, 
 
 I turaiMpi'd 
 iitWily n • 
 
 'ni('i|)ul niiiii 
 dispute liiiil 
 [•I'l'tl l<» vio- 
 
 III Umi>\\ii t ' 
 iidly t"(Tlii\', 
 nv sium>i<m. 
 iiildrcn with- 
 III- :i|ipriivni 
 
 iiiiiiu'di 111 U 
 'li.'N camt;!- 
 (.I- iwtdvcln 
 
 II slan'l WW 
 
 IV rliildnii 1 
 
 . SoliH'thini 
 
 viiiu i"!*' 'I'll 
 ,tcl\ <na1(lnM 
 nad was \\u\ 
 lie til it liciii. 
 •V \w\iM' <" III" 
 tiling Id r;ii 
 hall't'l "'I' 
 all pailoi'l' 
 
 .1 ('ap'- '*"' 
 I all lii«'pnii- 
 til coiiif am' 
 
 vrr> williM" 
 all MflU nil' 
 1 and myxli. 
 
 artivr in tl<' 
 atiiii^ in oprn 
 
 dlaru in valnr. 
 
 were brou<rlit in. and plarcd on ilic lloor betwcpii the two par- 
 ;iud. Caplaiii Hnlt^cr llicn >:iid to tin' lndian(<: 
 
 "My cliiMrcM. I iiavi* canscd to lie placed Ik fori' yon here, a 
 jiipc lull of tiiliacco. uol lu'rausc I am willing to lia\»' you siij)- 
 •(tosc 1 <\iiul'l piirclia«i(' (Voui vcnia liLilit I'T tliis ui;in tocorncuud 
 
 lake what is his own. hut ti 
 
 ;ii!l\ lo Villi, liiai I ..(ill Imld vol! 
 
 by the liaiiil. as Iuml' as vi.ii are icaily to li-irii aiUuiiM'ls lo my 
 \Mnds. As lor tl!i.> miiii. he comes to vou iml iii hi-, own iiainr> 
 
 oiilv, and speMKiiiy 
 
 hi^ 
 
 OV\ll WOl'i 
 
 bill li 
 
 <p 
 
 iks tl 
 
 10 w orils lit 
 
 \oiir irrea 
 
 I lath 
 
 '1 -It. Ill M lliwc ll;i||ii ue a 
 
 M ho is li 
 
 • nd ll 
 
 If « 
 
 aiers, and ot ihe (ireal 
 
 and w bo c;av •' llie-e i 
 
 iiih 
 
 ren to 
 
 hi hi>. Voii mnsi, iherefore. uillioul viiiliirinir lo j;ive 
 
 him 
 
 my 
 
 t'arlber trouble, deliver to 'liin his rhildron, ami take lliese jire- 
 -'eiils, as a memorial of llie iroml will iliat subsist- bf twee n us.'" 
 The liidiaiiA b(<^aii to delibi rate, and were aboiii to make a 
 reply, vvlieii tliey saw a considerable armed (orcr briuiiibl am! 
 (laradeil bclore the door ol the coir.iei! house, and lindin(j; them- 
 I l\es romplelt Iv surrounded, iliey accepted the pres< iits, and 
 jirtunised to surrender the children. 
 
 he mother o 
 
 d tl 
 
 lese ( 
 
 liild 
 
 ren was no\r an oM \\ inn.-in. ami as 
 
 • ho said she wislud lo accompany tlnin, I readily r-oiiscnlrt 
 The buy. who uas o( "iiii- to »,•{ (up himself, prelerred to remain 
 anioii>> the Indian-", and as ibe linu lor L^ivinu liiin an eduealion, 
 am! Iitlin<r him to live m any otln r maniiei thin .ts the imlian> 
 do, bad passed, I conscnied he '.hoidd act a^ be llioiiolii best. 
 Several Indians accompanied lis lour days' journey on tmr re- 
 liirn, ihen all went bai k, eMcpl my iwo danulilers and their 
 mollier. 
 
 I did not retmn lo ihe hake o| ilie WooiU by the \\a\ oT ihr 
 Me-mvi-o-inis-ko Se-be, but cbuse aiiolher route, in whi.li I had 
 lo lra\el a part ol' the way by wiiler, a part b* land. In asci ml- 
 iul' iIu Had Kivcr. there is a sli.'rt road by what is called Stiir- 
 j:eoii Uiver, iiml a jiorlaue lo coincauaiii into ihi; principal river. 
 Not liir I'rom the moiiili of Siiirjieon Uiver was. at ihis lime, an 
 I IK iimpiiinit. or villaur, ol' six or seven Indues, .\ yoiniL' mnii 
 Iiclonirin;.' to (hat baml. and whose name v\as Ome-zhuli-uwiit- 
 onus, had noi lontr prrvious lo llijx been whipped bv Mi. Cole, 
 /'or Hoiiir real or alletred misromiucl about the Irnding-houtip. 
 >w\ ferlinii di'SBlislied. he wlien )ie heard 1 liad pBH^ed up Stur- 
 
 *'K' 
 
 /. 
 
-X •- 
 
 l,i 
 
 >» 
 
 y70 
 
 lANNKR U NARRATIM.. 
 
 /( 
 
 i I 
 
 It 
 
 a 
 
 gcon Rivrr, started alii r iiii' in his liilli- fanoi*, iind soon ovcr^ 
 Uiiik inc. After lir had |oiiinl nu . h<- showed, i thought, an imii- 
 biial dis|)()>iti(in to talk lo nir, and rlaiimd to lie, in sonu' man- 
 ner, rehiled to nic. lie en<'ain|Hil wiih ii« that niuhi, an<l the 
 UCXl inoi'iiinir we started (»n loijelher. '11 
 
 ns day. when we slop, 
 jx'd, and \\ei-e resting on -hnre, I n"lifed ihai he look an opjior- 
 Uuiily lo meet one of my daiii;liier> in tlie l>nsh<s ; hiil she re- 
 turned nninediatelv, sonieuhal a^ilaied. Her inollier. also, was 
 (sexeral (inns, ni llu' loiirse ol ihr day. in ehise conversaticm 
 with her; liei ihr \ouni: woman emitiniied sad, and was several 
 times eryinii- 
 
 Ai niiihi. afler we slo|>|;ed to enran\|>, (he \ onnjj man very 
 soon h'll ns ; hii( .i> lie renianied at a liiile distance, appaieully 
 iniirh liiisied ahinn somelhin<r, I went and (onnd him with his 
 inedieincs ,ill (({icned alii nl liiin, and he was iiiseriinir a thon^' 
 of deer's .sinew, alioni li\i inches in len>rih, inloa hnllel. i said 
 
 (o linn, ' 
 <fiv( 11 mi 
 
 M 
 
 ill 
 
 \ iirollKi 
 
 III 
 
 I lor 1 1 
 
 ll:< W 
 
 a> (he name he had hinis<'|t 
 
 if \ on want powder, or 
 
 halh 
 
 Its, I h 
 
 ave 
 
 |>len 
 
 i\ , aiiil w ill iine \ on a- 
 
 nnch as \ on wish. 
 
 Ih 
 
 suiil 
 
 thai 
 
 wa' 
 
 also Ii;id plenty, and I lell hiin and returned to camp. Il 
 siniu- time hefore he came in: when at la>t In- made his appear- 
 ance, he was dressed and oiiiamented as a warrior tor Imtlle. He 
 I (Mitinned. dnrinu: the first part ot the iii;:ht. to watth me much 
 loo cioselv. and ni\ suspicions, which had been already excited, 
 were now more and mine coiifiriiied. Itiil he coiKinneil to be 
 iis talkative, and lo seem as frienilU a- etcr. Ill' asked me foi 
 iiiy knite, .is he said, lo cm sinni' (ohaeco, and iiwd'ad ol redirii- 
 imr il lo me. ^lippe'l it into his own hell ; hii( I lhoiii.'lit, perliap-. 
 
 lie won 
 
 hi n (nrn it to me in the iiioriiiiijr. 
 
 I laid iiivsejf (low II at ahont ihe nsiial limr, as ( wmild not np- 
 pear to suspect hi'< inteiiliiin-^. i had noi put up ni\ tent, linini: 
 (Hilv ihe lillle shelter aliorded liv a piece ol painted cloth ihal 
 
 I ch 
 
 Use 
 
 had heen <ii^eii me ,ii Ked Kiver. VN hen I hi\ down 
 >iich a pnsiliim as would enahle me lo wad h (he voiiiitf man's 
 motion-. I (oiild set, a- he siii opposiit (he (ire. (hat his e\es 
 were open ami waiclHiil. and (hat he tel( iio( (he least imdiiialinri 
 to sleep. NVIien a( leimlh n llninder shower commenced, he aji- 
 piMireil more anximis.niid i-i-xdeHH than before. When the rnin 
 IiTffnn to fall. 1 Hsketl him to come and place hiinsell'lienr me. ^'i 
 
 \ > 
 
fAXNKR S N'ARRATIV I.. 
 
 •271 
 
 OVt'l* 
 
 I unu- 
 man- 
 
 ,(\ ihc 
 
 ;' SlOp- 
 
 ■ lio rc- 
 
 iO, WHS 
 
 •rsation 
 srvi'ral 
 
 Mnr mo. 
 
 aw to fnjoy the bcnclil, of my sliollcr, iiiitl lie did so. The shower 
 was very heavy, and entirely cxtiiiffiiishcii cnir lire; hut soon 
 after it had eeased, llie inos(|iiiliies liccniniiiif vt-ry trouhiesoinc, 
 Oiiie-zhiih-awut-odiis ivkiinlied ii, iiiid liicaixititr oil' a liraneh of 
 a l)iish, he sal and dinxc iheiii away liiiii nie. i was (•oiisciniis 
 tliat I ouifhi iiHi to sl( <|i ; Imt druwsiness was j>ainiriir some htdd 
 on uw. when another thinider show or. more vioicnl th;in the 
 first, arose. In the inlcrval nl' the showers, 1 hiy as one slecp- 
 iii).', hut ahiiost uithoul uiovinir or o|i('nini; uty eyes. I watched 
 ihe motions of the \iimu_r man: at ime time, when an uiuisuallv 
 h)ud elap uf ihinnhr alarmed liim, Iw wuuid throw a iiitle lidiar- 
 co itito the fir*', as un olicriiiff ; at another, when he seemed to 
 sii))])ose me asleep. I saw him w)ilehin:!ine like a eat ahoul to 
 sj)rinir on its prey; hnl I did not -iiller ni\ self lo sleep. 
 
 II*' hreakfasted with us as usual, then started liy himself, be- 
 fore I was tpiile ready. My dautiht«T, whom he had met in the 
 liushe.s, was miw a|)|)arently more alarmed ihaii helore. and ah- 
 S(dulely refused to enter the canoe; hut her mother was very 
 nnxions to i|ni<'t he. hi^ilaiion. and appartiilly Ner\ desirous to 
 prevent my payiiij; any parti<'ulrtr attitilion to her. Al lasl. she 
 was induced to aet into the canoe, and we went o'l. The youn^' 
 man kepi alonu helore u", niu\ .it a little disiimce, nn'il alxnil l.'^ii 
 o'ehiek, wlien, al lurnin!.' a |>oinl in a dilliculi ami rapul part t)f 
 the river, ami jraininy a xiew of n eimsiderahle retieh above, I 
 was snrjtrised that ( could ^ee neither him nor hi> eanoe. Al this 
 place the river is about ei(>lil\ \ards wide, and ihtre is, about ten 
 yaids frmn the point before mentioned, a small island ol naked 
 rock. I had taketi oil my coal, and I w.is, with tire:!! eUbrt, 
 |)Usliintr lip my canoe auainsi the pow* ritil curreiil, which eom- 
 j)elled me to keep Mrv m'ai the -.iKMe, when the dischiirtre of u 
 <;im at my siile airesird inv proure>-. I heard .1 bullet whistle 
 pa>t m\ iiead, and lelt my side louched, at the .m » iiistanl thai 
 the pMldle lell from my ri^'ht hand, and the ham. -.elf dr-ippnl 
 powerh'ss to my ride. The bushes were idtscurrl Ia lh<' -.mnko 
 of the gun, Init at a seeoiid look I F<nw (Mne /.|.un-i;wut-o<MiH r^- 
 rupiiit;. Al thai lime the screams of my cliiidren cirew ,.e nt- 
 tenlion to the canoe, and I found every p. ri .1^ it •.* ts heeoininu; 
 covcrecJ with bhtod. I emleavoured, will, my Irfi hand, to pwHJi 
 fhA r.aaor in f*lKirr, that 1 iui|r|il piir^iir aficr him; but ihr fif 
 
 M 
 
 ). 
 
.■r tr. 
 
 'H'Z 
 
 lANNKR S NAKUAllVt.. 
 
 li 
 
 rent being too powerful for mo, took my caiioo on the oilui 
 side, and threw it airainsl the small rocky island jjelort; mention- 
 ed. 1 now «r<)t onl, pulled tin- caiioc a little on to the rock, with 
 my left haml, and then made aii atl('iii|>t to load my <run. l)el'or( 
 1 could liiiish loailiiiy i lainled. nn 1 Icll on the rock. When J 
 came to niysell' a;/ain, I was alone on ilie island, and the canoe, 
 with my (Uiuiihltrs, wii,s just i>(>ini> oulof fsitrln in the river helow 
 Soon alter it (Iis.ip|M nrcd. I lainled a second lime; but coji 
 ficioiisiu'ss at Iniiiih miirnc'l. 
 
 As 1 believed that the man v Iio had shot me was still watchinj; 
 from liis coM<'eiiliMeril, I exiiiiiru J my wounds, and lindinfi in\ 
 situation dcspi r.ilc, my ri'^ht arm beiiipf much shattered, and tlii 
 l)all haviii!,' mti'ri'd iiiv body, in liu' direction to reach m\ lnnn<. 
 and not havin<r |)as.-<k'd out, I called to him, reiiuestiiiir him to 
 come, anil by putiinu; an immediate v\u\ to my life, to release 
 me from the pro;ract((! sulli-rinii I had in pros|K>ct. -• Yon have 
 Uilled me." Mill I; "'»iit thun;;h the hurl yon have yiven iiu- musi 
 be inorial. i tear it may be some lime belore I shall die. (!ome. 
 therefore, if yon area man, am! shoot me atrain." Many times) 
 called to him, !>,il hr rcliirneii me no answer. My iiody wa'^ 
 now almost naked, as I had im, wlnti .>hoi, beside my pantaloons, 
 only a very old and rain:eil shirt, and miiili of this had been torn 
 oil' in the course of the morninii;. i lay exposed to the sun, and 
 the idack and irreeii he.tded Hies, on a naked rock, the j/reotei 
 part ol a day in .lidy it \ni:iisi, and s.in no pri.>pecl before me. 
 hut that of a liiiiri rinj; death ; liut as tlie sim went down, my 
 hope and strenL'th bei.'aii to ri". ive. and plniiuinir into the river. 
 } ^u.iin across in the other <idi'. W hen I reached the shore, \ 
 I'oiild stand on my lict, and i raised the sas-sali-kwi, or win 
 whoop, as ;i civ ol exultation and deiiancc to my enemy. Dii' 
 th(! additional loss of Idood, occasioned b\ the excriioii in swim 
 ininjr the river, raiised me anotlier fiiiiitiiitr lit, Iroiii which. «hen 
 f recoxerid, I coiicealed myself near the bank, lo ualch for him 
 Presently I sav, <hiii-/.hiili-irwut-nons citine from his liiditiL 
 place, put his canoe into the water, embark, and begin to d«'Heeiid 
 the ri\er. lie caincvery m-ar inv hidiiit! phu'C, and I fell te!n[< 
 ed to make n s|irini;, and i tidea.onr to sei/.e and straimic him ii^ 
 the water; but I'l arintf ;hal my siren^'th miuht not Ite eullirieni, 
 I 'el him pa«i without tliscovrrinc myself. 
 
 i 
 
r0Sammm^0' 
 
 
 i\SSk,U S NAKKAllV I.. 
 
 '^T3 
 
 oilui 
 miun- 
 , wilh 
 
 hen 1 
 
 cunoc. 
 
 ruchiuu 
 
 ami tht- 
 ly liiiia;'. 
 ; liim to 
 
 r'lui liiivc 
 1 iMi'iniiJ-i 
 t'onio. 
 ly limosl 
 body wit" 
 niUiilocn'- 
 borntdvii 
 V sun, nn«i 
 
 t„. iriH-alOl 
 
 i,i>('itrt' \w- 
 |(l.)\v\i. m\ 
 
 till river. 
 ir shore, * 
 
 1. or w:i 
 
 L hi Kwim 
 lliiili. wln'ii 
 1, tor hiiK 
 lliis liiiiii '. 
 to il»';»<-oiit 
 I, It UMlip' 
 ii,ilt' l>i»" '" 
 siilVirioi'. 
 
 I M'iis MOW lovinciilod with iho must •■xccssivT thivfit, and as 
 the bunk was steep iind rocky, I eoidd not, w iih my wounded 
 arm, lie down to drink. I was therefore eompeUed to go into 
 file water, au«l let my body down inio it, iiMtiJ I broujflit my 
 iiioulh to a level wilh ihe surlaee. and thus I was able to drink. 
 Hy this tune, the cveniny i.ndwiiij< soiiicwhal cooler, nn strength 
 was, in part, restored ; but the blood seemed to (low nu)re freely. 
 1 nuw ap|)lied mysril to dressiiiir the wound in my arms. I en- 
 deavoured, tlnuiiih tiie tlesh was already imudi swollen, to re^ 
 plaee the I'raunu ills ol' the bone ; to accomplish which. I lore, 
 in strips the remainder of niv shirt, and will) my leeih and my 
 left hand I ccmlrived to lie tli<se around my arm, at first loosely, 
 but by dejrrees tiirhter and tJLditer. iiniil I thouehl il had assumed. 
 as nearly as I could Li^ive il. the pro|)er form. I ihcii lied on 
 small slicks, whicii I broke from the blanches of trees, to serve 
 as splints, and then suspended my hand in a siriiit{, which 
 passed arouiul my neck. After this was emnpleted, I took sonie 
 of the bar! of a choke cherry bush, whicli 1 observed there, and 
 chewini: it fine applied it to ihe uoimds. hopiii<>- Ihiis to chock 
 iheflowiiiir ol the Ijlood. Tlie bnslio .dtoiii me, and for all the 
 (listance between me tiid ihe ri\er. wen covered with blood. 
 As niirht came <»ii, I chose a place where was piLiily of moss, l<i 
 lie down on, wilh the Iriiiik of a fallen iree for my pillow. \ 
 wa> careful to select a place near the ri\er, that I miffht have a 
 thance <if seeinir any ihinu ihal iniirhl pass; also, lobe near the 
 water in case mv thirst should ajrain become uryoiit. I knew 
 lliat oiu- trader's canoe was expected, aluuit this lime, to pass this 
 place, on the way towards l*ed Hiver. and il was this canoe 
 frtun which I vxpecled relief and assislaiK e. 'i'liere were no In- 
 dians nearer than the villa<;«' from which Onu'-zhuh-jrwul-oons 
 had followed me, and he, with m\ wife and daiiirhters, were the 
 only persons that I hud any reu.soi: to su|>poRr w«'re within many 
 milc'* (d me 
 
 I I'lid myself down, and prayed to ihe firoat Spirit, that hr 
 wmiid sec and pity my condition, and send help to inc, now in 
 ihc time of my distress. \n I continued prayinir, thr mu8(|ui' 
 foes, which had settled on my naked body in vast luimherR, and 
 wcrp. by their slii;ir^, adding greatly to the torment I suflVicd, 
 htgan to rire, and nftrr huvcring at a little dietancc «bove i ntl 
 
 » 
 
 :.\ 
 
0^:iT 
 
 •^4 
 
 I'ANNKR M NAKRA'llVl,. 
 
 .1 
 
 around me, disappeared entirely. 1 did not attribute this, which 
 was so great a relief, to the inimediato interposition of a Sui)crior 
 Power, in answer to my prayer, as the evening was, at that time, 
 becoming something cool, and I knew it was entirely the effect 
 of change of temj)erature. Nevertheless, I was conscious, as I 
 have ever been in times of distress and of danger, that the Master 
 of my life, though invisible, wad yet near, and was looking upon 
 me. I slept easily and quielly, but not without interru|)ti(in. 
 Every time I auoke, f re!nenil)ered to have seen, in my dream, u 
 canoe with white men, in the river heforc me. 
 
 It was late in thr nii'lit, probably aiier midnight, when I henni 
 female voices, wlvrli I sup|)08ed to be those of my daughters, not 
 more than two humlred yards from me, hut partly acr(»ss th<' 
 river. Ibelieved tliiit Ome-zhuh-gwut-oons had discovfred iheii 
 hiding place, and was, perhaps, olli-i ing tli<in some violence, ti- 
 the cry was that of distress ; but ho great was my weakness, 
 that the attempt to afford them any relief seemed wholly beytmu 
 my power. I learniMl afterwar';., that my cMldrt'o, as soon as I 
 fainted and fell on the rook, ^iijUHisinsf me deail, had been in 
 flufuccd by their mother to turn thr ranue d<isvn tin; riv<'r, ami 
 exert themselves to make their escaj;*-. They had noi pro- 
 ceeded far, when the woman steer-jd the canof into a low point 
 of bushes, av 1 threw out my m i, and some otht-r articles. Th< ; 
 then ran on a consit'craM*^ listnncc, and coiucaled themselves: 
 but here it occurred to the woman, that she might have done bet- 
 ter to have kept the property belonging to m*;, and aecordinul- 
 returned to get it. It was wIh'h ihey carne to se ' thjsi^ thin*; 
 lying on the shore, that tlie child.' ii burst out crying, t'nd ii v,a 
 at this time that 1 heanl them. 
 
 Bef»»re ten o'clock next morning, I heard human voices on tie 
 river above me, ami from the situation I had chos<n, 1 could m-i 
 n canoe coming, like (hat I had seen in my dreian, Joatietl uii!, 
 white nu>n. Tiny landed it a lillle distance aiiove nu", and hi 
 gan to make preparation^ for breakfast. I knew that this wa 
 the canoe belonging to Mr. Stewart, of the ilndsmi's Hay Com- 
 pany, who, together with Mr. (irant. was expected about itii* 
 time; and being conscious ibut niv appearance wtndd make .: 
 pair ' impreHsion upon them, 1 deternuned to wait until they 
 had breajifasied, before 1 ahowcd myself to thrai. After ihr 
 
 |. ■ 
 
 / ^, 
 
I'ANNUHii NARRMIVE. 
 
 »/U 
 
 which 
 ipcrior 
 it tunc, 
 c cfl'ect 
 us, as I 
 Mas lev 
 n& "pou 
 •ruption- 
 ilveuiu, •». 
 
 n I hcaru 
 htcra. not 
 icros!* ih'' 
 
 Lilfnc«s »" 
 
 lly l)Cy(»lH! 
 
 ^ soon as^ I 
 a Itpcn in- 
 i, v\M't, am' 
 1(1 noi pro- 
 a low poii^i 
 
 . 
 .11 
 
 
 H< 
 
 u'lnrtiAve.- ^ 
 ,. ,lnl\.' hpt- 
 
 orilins*": 
 Vlv-hr thini; 
 
 iMul il ^'•» 
 
 uicJ-s on til' 
 
 llml l»>if ^^'' 
 •^ Hay Com- 
 
 v(l iiboul llii- 
 
 uil until lln-y 
 \lier iltf 
 
 Ik 
 
 liati taieu, ami put llieir can(»e again in tlic water, i wailed out a 
 little distance into llie river, to attract tlioir attention. As soon 
 iis they saw me, the Frenclinien ceased paddlinjj, and lliey all 
 td£ei\ at me, a.s if in dotibt and amazeiuent. As the current oi" 
 die river was carryinir tliem rapidly jm.sl nie, and my repeated 
 calls, in the Indian iangua<;e, seemed to )>roduce no etlect, I 
 called Mr. Stewart by name, and s|ioke a tew words of p^nglish, 
 which I could command, ref)iR^sling iheni to come and take me. 
 In a nH)nient their paddles were in the water, and they bri light 
 llie canoe so near where i stood, that I was able to gvl into it. 
 
 No on(! in the canoe recognised me, though Mr. Stewart and 
 Mr. (irant were both well known to me. I had not been able to 
 wash the blood <»H my body, and it is probable that the suH'eiing 
 t had untlergoi'c, hud much changed my appearance. They 
 were very eager and rapid in their inquiries, ami soon ascertained 
 who I was, and also became ac()nainted wlh the principnl tacts 
 I have related. They made a bed !'or me in the canoe, and at 
 
 oy urgent recpiest w»iit to search (or my children, in the direc- 
 tion where 1 had heard tluin crying, and where I told ihnn I 
 feared \vc should lind ihev had been murdered ; but we sought 
 here, and in other plans, to nt) purpose. 
 
 llavinii ascertiiii.( d who it was that had woimded me, these two 
 naders agreed to lake me immediately to the village ol" (Mne- 
 zhvdi-ifW\it-oons, anil they were determined, in case of discover- 
 ing and taking him, to aid me in taking my revenge, by putting 
 riim innneilialiK to death. They therefore concealed me in the 
 
 aiMie, and jit iandiiiir near the Indues, an old man cam ■ down 
 ',o the shore, and askerl them, " what was the news in the coun- 
 
 rv they cai?ie from ?" '* All is well there," answered Mr. Stew- 
 aii; " \\v have no oth' =• news." "This is the manner," said 
 the tdd iJ^an, " in which white people always treat us. i know 
 very well soinethini: has happeneil in the countrv you have come 
 frtnn. bol vuu Mill not tell iisoi it. ()me-zhuh-ifwul-o.>ns, one ol" 
 our vouiiii men, has been tip the ri\er two or three days, and he 
 tells us that the Long Knife, railed Shaw-shaw-wa-ne-ba-se, (the 
 
 falcon.) w lio passed here a fiu da\>* sinc«'. with his wife an<t rhil- 
 iir<'n, has murdered them all ; bii' am learfnl that he himsrlf f»«* 
 
 heiMii!oiiii>somethiiiu:wronLr. tor he is watchful andr^<tie»ii, and Hm 
 
 lUst fled from this place before vou arrived." Mr. Stewart and Mr. 
 
'-»»(? 
 
 iahnkr'k NABRVnVt., 
 
 i i 
 
 i J ■ 
 
 :■> 1 
 
 Grant, notwithstanding this representation, sought for him in ali 
 the lodges, and when convinced that he had indeed gone, .said 
 to the ohi man, " It is very true that miscluef ima been done in 
 the country we come from ; hut the man whom ()me-zhnh-|/wut- 
 oons attempted to iiill, is in our canoe with us; we do not yet 
 know whether he will live or die." They then showed me to 
 the Indians, who had gathered on the shore. 
 
 We now took a little time to refresh ourselves, and to examine 
 my wounds. Finding that the hall had entered my hody, iiiiine- 
 diatclv undir ilie hroki-ii part of uiy arm, and gone forward and 
 lodued against the hreasi hone, I tried to persuade Vlr. (trant to 
 cut it out; but ncitlur lie nor Mr. Stewart being willing to make 
 the atteni|)t, I was roin|><'iled to do it myself, as well as I roiild, 
 with my Irfl hand. A lanct-t, w lii( h Mr. (irant lent ini-, wa** 
 broken innncdiatcly, as was a pen knilc, the tlisli ol that |>art of 
 the body being very hard aiul touirli. Thev next brought me u 
 large white handled ra/nr, and mIiIi this I suceeeded in extract 
 ing the ball. It was M'r\ mm ii ll;iii( iicd. and ilie ihoin! of lierr'^ 
 t'inew, as ««'llas ihe medicines tMnc-zboii-iiwiu-nons lunl ins( ried 
 in it, were left in my body. Moiwiflisiaiidinir this, when I found 
 that it had intl passed nniler my rd>s. I began tu hope that I 
 should finall\ recover, thoiiirli I had reason to suppose, that lln 
 woinid brinu poisoned, il would lie Ioiil'' in lii'alin<r. 
 
 Alter litis was done, and the wound in my breast taken care 
 of, we went on to Ab-kee-ko-bow-we-tig, (the Kettle i'".il|,) to 
 the villa>re of the chief NVaw-wisli-e-irab-lio, the lirnilier of Omr 
 /ludi-gwiil-Mons. Here Mr. Stewart used the sai .e precaution 
 of hiiiinu me in the canoe, and then trivin<r tobacco, wh. h In 
 called every man in the villatre, by name, lo receive; but when 
 there appeared no prospect of fMidinii birn, tliev m.idc me airain 
 stand up in the canoe, and <uu> of llieni told the chief that il was 
 his own brother who had atleinpli'd to kill ine. The cbiel' hini! 
 his head, and to iheir int|uirii's abnnt Ome-zhnli-irwut-oons be 
 wotdd make mt answer. We, however, ascertained l.om other 
 Indians, that my daut^hlers and their nioiber had stopped here a 
 moment, in their way towards l{ainv Lake. 
 
 When we arrived at the North NN est ("ompanv's house, al 
 Rainy Lake, we f'lmid that m\ dauL^liters and their mother had 
 b^fln detained hv the traders, on acoounl of su8])iciuns arisuiu 
 
 friendly 
 
 f ( 
 
■iMM 
 
 lANNKRH NAKRATMK. 
 
 a77 
 
 I in all 
 
 c, i^aid 
 lone in 
 i-jrwut- 
 nol yet 
 I me to 
 
 pxamiuc 
 ', iiiiinc- 
 
 liraiil to 
 to inukc 
 1 I couWl, 
 „„•, wa« 
 It |)nrt •>!' 
 mill iiK' "^ 
 n rMiiirt 
 
 .'. ins( rted 
 (Ml 1 I'tuind 
 ope ilr.it • 
 <o, ihutlh- 
 
 lakon ravo 
 I.. i'MI.) <«' 
 
 piTClHllillll 
 
 wli, h lu 
 
 l)iit •.vlini 
 
 .■ me ;iL'iiiii 
 
 that it >*•'> 
 
 llt-llOII') ll*! 
 I, lltl oiluf 
 
 iptil here II 
 
 IS liovme, at 
 jiuiiilier liail 
 Ions ari»ii>i> 
 
 Irom their manifest aifitation and (error, and iVom the know- 
 ledge tlial I had pas.srd nj) with th« ni l)ul a t'tw da\s before. 
 Now, when I lir«t eanie in sitjht of tlie fori, the old woman lied 
 to the woods, takinir the two jrirls with her. But the (Compa- 
 ny's people sent out and brought them in airaiii. Mr. Stewart 
 and Mr. (iranl now left it to me to say what puiiishmeni siiould 
 beinflieted on this woman, who, as we all very well knew, had 
 been guilty of aiding in an attempt to kill me. They said they 
 considered her C(|ualiy criminal with Ome-zhuh-gwut-oons, and 
 thought her deserving of death, or any other punishment I might 
 wish to see inflicted. Hut I told them I wished she might i>e sent 
 immediately, and without any provisions, away from tiie fort, 
 an"! never allowed to return to it. As she was ihe mother of my 
 chiiilrcH, I did not wish to see her hung, or beaten to death by the 
 labourers, as ihey proposed; but as the sight of her had beeome 
 Iiaieful to me, I wished she might be removed, and they accord- 
 ingly dismissed her without any punishment. 
 
 Mr. Stewart left me at the Rainy Lake trading house, in the 
 ■•are oi Simon M'dillevray, a son of him who many years ago 
 was so important a partner in the North West ('ompany. Ho 
 (ravi- me a small room, where my daughters cooked J'or me, and 
 ilres'ied my wounds. I was very weak, and my arm badly swol- 
 Vn, fragments of lione eomiiig out from time to lime. I had lain 
 liere Iwi iily-<'iirlit days, w lien Major Delalield, the Ihiited States 
 i-onuni><si(»ner fiu' the iiomidary, came to the trading house, and 
 having heard something of my history, proposed to l)ring me in 
 ills canoe to Mackinac. Ibii I was loo weak to midertake such a 
 JDUrnex , thouirii I \\islit"! to have accompanied hini. I'indin^' 
 lliiit tliis was llie cise, Miijiir Deialielci oa»(' nie a larjre suppl\ of 
 ixceiieiit pr(»visions, two pounds o| tea, some siiijar and other ar- 
 ticle^. ■■< li'Ml. lid soiiif i-l'ihiiiLT. iUiil li'l't me. 
 
 Two days after this. I pulled oui of m\ iiriii the llioiia ()f deer's 
 sinew wliitli had liet n atiiiclied, as i have belorr staled, to the 
 huliel. it was still ahutit ti\e inches lono, bin nearly as large ns 
 my linger, and of a ur»'eii colour. ()ine-zluili-ir«iit-tii»iis had two 
 Imlls ill his gun at the lime he >liot ine ; mie had jiassed near my 
 head. 
 
 Immediately after ihe deparlnre of Major Delalield, the un- 
 friendly disposition of Mr. M'Ciilleviay made itsolf nianife«i : it 
 
 )|- 
 
 •\ 
 
^ 
 
 
 i 'i 
 
 iiiUi, '^^ 
 
 
 I 
 
 inn 
 
 /AN NJ.U > NARItAl 1\ JL. 
 
 Iiail bot'ii only t'rar of Major P.'lafu-lil that had indiu-til Iijh, 
 hillit.'rl(» to Ileal me with some iitUMiioii. Insults and almso 
 Were heaped upon nic, and at last I was lonibly turned out ol 
 the house. But sonuiofthe Frenrlimen had so niueh roinpassioii 
 as to steal out at niiiht, and without Mr. M'(iillevray's knowlcdi/c, 
 furuisii tf'Mt poles, and sn up my (cut. Thanks to the bounty 
 of Major Delalicid, I had a supply of i\<ry thine needl'ul, iind 
 my (huiirhter- still remained with inc. ihoiiirh .Mr. M*(jillevray 
 repeatedly thruateiu-d that he wuuid i <Tnuve them. His jxisc- 
 culions did not abaie when I let', the lori, and he went so Car a- 
 to take my ilawtfl'ters trom nn;, and semi ihem to sleep in ilic 
 (piarters of the nu.-n ; but they escaped, and lied l(i the house ol' 
 an old frenchman, near by, who nas Mr. M*(iillevray's luther-in- 
 law, and with whose dau^^hters mn had heroine iuti/nate. 
 
 Forty-tlirt'c days | had lain in and m-ir this iradiiiir h(Mtse,aml 
 was now m i most miserable comiition. havinir lucn Cor soim 
 time entirely dej)rive(l ol the assistance ol my claiijjhters, wIicm 
 my Conner aeijuainlance and Criend, Mr. Uruee, unexpectedly en- 
 tered my tent laic in the eveniinj. He was with MajtM- l.otiL'. 
 and w par;y <d' sientlemen then retuniiiiir Crom LaKi- V\ iimiptsi. 
 who. as Mr. iJruce thou£r|it, would be wiilinif and able to alion' 
 !iie some assistaiiee in takiii" my daujrhters out oC the hands of 
 Mr. M"<iillevray, and perhaps in {relling out to Maekinae. 
 
 'I'bree times I \isitetl Major Long at his cam p, at lliat late hour 
 of the nifilil, tboui,di I was srarre ai)h' lo wilk, and each lime lie 
 lobl me that bis canoes were Ctdl. and timt he rould do inMhiii!: 
 lor me ; but at leiisflh becomintr a little arcpiainied with m, lii«. 
 torv, be srcpied to take more interest in nu-. and when he sa\i 
 ilie papers i had Crom tiovrriior (,'lark and otliers, he loi I me ! 
 was a t'lol noi to have shown him tliese before. He had, he said, 
 taken me C<ir one nC ihotf worlldess white nun, who remain in 
 the Inilian eounirv from inil(d:'nct'. ami for the sake of marryiiii'^ 
 M.^uaw-: but now that he understood who I was, he would try In 
 do somelhirnf fitr me. He went hiitisell, wiih several men, am! 
 sonfibl in the iiailiuir house C(»r my dauixhters. He lunl intended 
 to siart early the next mornin!.' after his arrival : but haviiis/ been 
 -lirrinsr marl) all ni:.di) in my alliiirs, he deiirinined "> reiiiain 
 over ihc next day. and make larther exerlions Cor the recovery 
 of mv f Inldren. All the search we could make for niv daugli 
 
 ■^ 
 
 jt ?* 
 
had im\u<Mil luiii 
 Insull!* iiiiil almsi'^ 
 •ihlv Uirnetl out ol 
 ,o much r»>m|wssioii 
 It.vrsw'sUiwiwIi'tliic. 
 mks to 111*' bouiuy 
 iliinir n«!ftlt'"U a>"^ 
 rh Mr. M'<iill<viay 
 I llifiii. ili>^ l'''i>^- 
 ,„i Ik- wcHt so tar :i- 
 hi-ni to hU-»l' i'> ll"- 
 
 t\,.,l (I. ill'' '»••"*'■ *'' 
 ■(;illevrayMi»t!uM-iu- 
 
 ;'Com*' ii>ii">''''*'- 
 ,1s irmVmir l«<Hl^(^ 'W"! 
 avins l.'iMi for «ouk 
 ; ,ny (laii^rlilors. wluMi 
 uce, uMrxpfctt-aiy <ii- 
 viis Willi Major l.oni> 
 ,V„m LuKf NN i'u>il"u 
 linir and a»>»«^ t" »"'^^"' 
 rs out of i1h> hai»'l« ol 
 ml io Ma.Uinac. 
 
 , ,\k, ami tiK-h liin»> !'< 
 al lir rould tlo no»hii)|: 
 ,,uaini»"<l with my hiv 
 ,iu'. i-.i>il \vh<'ii he sa>A 
 ,.;.,th.MV. ho toM uiel 
 .,• „t.. 11,. h;ul, he ^itiii. 
 
 iiuo. "I>" vi-'"»'"> '" 
 ,,. x\\v saU<- or murrym-: 
 J wns 1>«' wouhi iry l" 
 wiih srvt-ral men, an'! 
 ,,.rH. lie hu.l iiUfn-led 
 rrivttl ; hut haviiiL' !» on 
 a.'l.Tmii.."! ". n-mam 
 riions for thf rorovrry 
 U luake lor mv ilauiih 
 
 'lANMCRM NAKUAl'lVt., 
 
 :i7« 
 
 lor^, at and about tlie tratUntr hoiit«r, rci<uU«;*l in the conviction, 
 that lhrou)yfh tho aircncy of Mr. M'JJiilcvray, and the family of his 
 fathiT-in-lu\v, they had faiicn into the hands of Kau-l)t'Cn>tiiHh- 
 kwaw-nau, a rliicf of mir vihaiff iit Mc-iiaii-zhc-laii-naiiiiir- Tiiis 
 briny; tlio rase, I was compcHtMl to r«'hiniiji;^h llif Ih>|)0 nf Ininiriu.'i' 
 tht'in out the (iresent year, aod mist-nihlv as I was siiualcd, ) 
 »9«s anxious •oidnic to my own |ioo|i|<', and to my three ilijl Iron 
 at MacK'nac, to spend the winter. 
 
 I knew the eharacti-r nf Mr. M'(iilievray. and al>o that tli< tra- 
 ders of the Nortli W( st ("on\|mn\ neneiiiily, iiad ie-s rau.se to 
 feel friendly towards me, tlian tiny mi^ht have had, if 1 had not 
 toneerned myself with Lord Sellurk'^ part), in iIk e.i|iiurft of 
 tli'-ir |).isl at Red Ivivei. I knew, nl^ii. that my ()eruliar siiualion 
 with r<'sj)eei lo the Indians, would makt; it verv dithenlt for me to 
 gain permission lo remain at or near «itln of the houses of the 
 North West, or of tiie Ameriran Fur ("oi cjianv . I had l>een sr- 
 verely and dantreroiisly womuledhyai ■ Uan, and aeeurdinir to 
 iheir eustoms, 1 was Ixnmd. or .it least « led, to av»'ni;e I'ly- 
 
 >elf on any ol the same iiaiid that mi^t ,.dl in tity way ; and 
 should it lie Known ilial I was al either oi iht iradinji houses, 
 very few Indians would venture to visit ii. Ti.kiiitf these tidngf; 
 iiit(» etHi-.ideration, I determined to a< cepi the frieiidlv (dlir of 
 Major Ijoiiy;. lo iM'iiiy nie to ihe Slates, and aceordinjjiy took a 
 place in one of Ids canoe s. IJut after proceedini! on our way an 
 hour or two. I hecanu; convinced, as did .Major Lonir and the 
 ^entleiiien uith him, that I could not salel\ uiidertak«' so long 
 niid diirn ult a journey in my present situation. Aeccrdiniily they 
 jiut me in charire of some people helonging to the traders, and 
 H'M ine litck t.i the fort. 
 
 i knew that the doiu's of the Noitji West Company's hons^* 
 wtniM he closed auaiiisi nie, and accordiijMlv made application to 
 my late employrs, the Ain.'rican Fur ( 'ompany. ^ imiu;; Mr. 
 Davenport, in whose care the house then was, trranteil a ready 
 compliancr with my reijnest, and ijave me a room ; hot as pro- 
 visions were scarce on that side I was supplied daily by Dr. 
 M'Laui/hlin, of the North West, who liad now taken the place of 
 Mr. M*<Jillevrny. He sent fvery day as much as sulFiced to feed 
 me and Mr. Davenport, titgether with his wife. 
 
 1 had not been lonjf here, wlien Mr. Cote arrived, nnd look 
 
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 charge of the house in place of Mr. Davenport. Mr. Cote caiiio 
 to my room, and seeing me on the bed, only remarked, " well, 
 you have been making a war by yourself." That night he al- 
 lowed my supper to be brought me, and early next morninjr 
 turned me out of doors. But he was not content with driving 
 me from the house; he forbade me lo remain on the 'Inited States 
 side of the boundary ; and all my entreaties, together willi the 
 interference of Dr. M'Lauahlin, coulii not influence Mr. Cote to 
 change his determination. In this emergency. Dr. M'Laughlin, 
 though he knew that the success of his post in the winter's trade, 
 must be injured l)y the measure, consented to receive me on tlic 
 British side, where he fed and took care of me. Early in the 
 winter, my wounds had so far healed, that I could hunt a little, 
 holding my gun in my left hand. But about new-yars, 1 went 
 out one evening to bring water, slipped and fell on the ice, and 
 not only broke my arm in the old place, but also my collar bone, 
 Dr. M'Laughlin now took tbe management of my case into hi> 
 own haiuls, it having been left entirely to my own treatment be- 
 fore, and I was now confined as huig as I liad been in the fall. 
 
 In the sj)ring, I was ayjain able to h\mf. I killed considerabl 
 numbers of rabbits, and some otiier animals, for the skins ol 
 which the Doctor paid me in money, a very liberal price. As tin 
 time ai»proached for the traders to leave the wintering grounds, 
 he told me, the North West had no boats going to Mackinac, but 
 that he would oblijje Mr. (Jotr to cany me out. It was accord- 
 ingly so arranged, and Mr. Oote promised to take me to F(tn<l Dii 
 Lac in his own canoe. But instead of tins, he sent me in a boat 
 with some Frenchmen. In the route from Fond Du I<ac to the 
 Saut De St, Marie, I was dependent tipon Mr. Morrison ; hut the 
 treatment I received from the boatmen was so rough, that I in- 
 duced them to put m(^ on shore, to walk thirty-tive miles td the 
 Saut. Mr, Schoolcraft now wished to engage mc as an inter- 
 preter, but as I heard that the little property I had left at Mack- 
 inac had b»'en seized to pay my children's hoard, ami as I knew 
 their situation rei|uired my presence, I went tliither accordinrly. 
 and was engaged by Col, Boyd as Indian interpreter, in which si- 
 tuation I continued till the summer of 1*^28, when being dissatis 
 fied with his treatment, I left Mackinac, and proceeded to New- 
 York, for the purpose of making arraneements for the publication 
 
 J 
 
« H J.u 
 
 lote ca»ii(' 
 
 h1, " well, 
 
 ighl he al- 
 
 t mormn<r 
 
 ith (hivinir 
 
 lited Stales 
 
 :.r with ihc 
 
 yir. t'ote to 
 
 ►rLavighlin, 
 
 liter's trade. 
 
 e mc on the 
 
 Early in the 
 
 hunt a little. 
 
 oars, 1 weni 
 
 1 the ice, ami 
 
 r collar bone, 
 case into hi> 
 
 treatment hi ■ 
 
 in the fall. 
 
 il consiilerabl 
 the skins ol 
 
 price. As thr 
 
 crinir gronnds. 
 Mackinac, bill 
 
 lit was accord- 
 e to Fond D" 
 ,t me in a boat 
 On T.ac to the 
 •vison; hut the 
 lugh, that I in- 
 e miles u< the 
 ic as an inter- 
 h left at Mark- 
 
 ftn«l as ^ '*"^^^' 
 ler accordin.rly. 
 |or, in which si- 
 being (lissatis 
 jcede.l to New 
 the publication 
 
 TANNER S NARRATIVE. 
 
 281 
 
 of my narrative ; and upon my return to the north, was employed 
 by Mr. Schoolcraft, Indian agent at the Saut De St. Marie, as his 
 interpreter ; to which place 1 took my family, and have since re- 
 sided there. 
 
 Three of my children are still among the Indians in the north. 
 The two daughters would, as I am informed, gladly join me, if 
 it were in their power to escape. The son is older, and is at- 
 tached to the life he has so long led as a hunter. I have some 
 hope that I may yet be able to go and make another effort to 
 bring away my daughters. 
 
 36 
 
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 PART II. 
 
 
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 PART II. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 01' feasts — of fasts and dreaming — their idea of the human soul, and of a future 
 existence— customs of burial — of their knowledge of astronomy — traditions 
 concerning the sun and moon — of totems — of tlieir acquiiintonce with plants, 
 animals, and minerals. 
 
 OF INDIAN FEAST!?. 
 
 Among the Indians, the man wlio gives many foasis, or \vln>, 
 in the language of their songs, " causes the pcojile to waii^ about 
 continually," is accounted great. In times, therefore, when 
 game is abundant, feasts are multii»ii(!d. IJefore the whites in 
 troduced among them intoxicating drinks, it is probable the a. 
 sembling together for feasts, Mas tlmir principal and most f 
 vourite source of excitement in times of peace, and coniparativi 
 inactivity. They have several kinds offcasts: — 
 
 1st. Metai-we-koon-de-win — Medicine feast, or that feast- 
 ing which forms a part of tlioir great religious ceremony, the 
 IVIetai. This is under the direction of some old men, who on- 
 called chiefs for the Metai,* and the initiated only are admitted. 
 The guests are invited by u Me-zhin-no-way, or chief's man of 
 business, who delivers to each of the guests a small stick. In tlic 
 
 ♦ Some discussion has heretofore taken place concerniiij^ the. existence of a pricst- 
 liood among the Indians. A little inquiry will convince any one, that the medicine 
 men area set of crafty impostors, who subsist, in a great measure, by practising on 
 their credulity ; by seUing them medicines, or charms, for ensuring success in 
 hunting, for enticing the females, and for other purposes. Wlien one of these has 
 been so fortunate as to gain an astiendance over their superstitious and credulous 
 minds, he sometimes sets up for a prophet, and claims intercourse with BUjierior 
 j.nd invisible beings. 
 
 h I 
 
rJSO 
 
 INDIAN FEAsr?. 
 
 
 ■ii^ 
 
 i^' t. 
 
 ■'M I li'i 
 
 ^\I-i^ 
 
 U, W-r 
 
 :iouih thpy use small pieces of cane; in the north, quills air 
 sometimes substituted, which are died and kept for the purpose. 
 \o verbal message is delivered with this token. The numerous 
 preparatory measures, and the various steps in the performance 
 of this ceremony, need not be here detailed.* Dogs are always 
 rhoscn for the feast, from a belief, that as they are more saga- 
 cious and useful to men, so they will be more acceptable to their 
 divinities, than any other animals. They believe that the food 
 they eat, at this and sonic other of their feasts, ascends, though 
 in a form invisible to them, to the Great Spirit. Besides the 
 songs sang on occasion of this feast, and some of which have 
 been translated for this work, they have numerous exhortations 
 from the old men. Among much of unintelligible allusion, and 
 ridiculous boasting, these addresses contain some moral precepts 
 and exhortations, intermixed with their traditionary notions con- 
 lernin;:- \a-n;i-hush, and other personages of their mythologv. 
 Whene\-er tlie name of the Great Spirit is uttered by the speaker, 
 all the audience, who, if they remain sober, seem wrapped in the 
 deepest attention, respond to it by the interjection, Kwa-ho-ho- 
 ho-ho-ho ! the first syllable being uttered in a quick and loud 
 (one, and each of tlic additional syllables fainter and quicker, 
 mtil it ceases to be heard. They say the speaker touches the 
 Jreat Spirit, when he mentions the name, and the effect on the 
 udience may be compared to a blow on a tense string, which 
 vibrates shorter and shorter, until it is restored to rest. This 
 peculiar interjection is also used by the Ottawwaws, when thev 
 blow or shoot with their medicine skins, at the persons tc be ini- 
 tiated. 
 
 2d. Wain-je-tah We-koox-de-win — Feast called for bv 
 dreams. Feasts of this kind may be held at any time, and no 
 particular qualifications are necessary in the entertainer or hi*- 
 ;j;uests. The word Wain-je-tah means common, or true, as they 
 often use it in connexion with the names of plants or animals, as 
 Wain-jc-tah 0-muk-kuk-ke., means a right or proper toad, in dis- 
 tinction from a tree frog, or a lizard. 
 
 '''f 
 
 * A copious account of the Medicine Diince, or Metai, .is it exists amonff th^ 
 .Me-no-mo-nies, is contained in a manuscript paper, entitled, " Remarks on the 
 -Muhology of the A!i;oni\ni.s," &c. comnmnicated to the New- York Historical Sn- 
 ii( t\ . in lS27, bv the Editor of ttiis nurrstive 
 
 \ V 
 
 
 , s. 
 
 .^-A 
 
 ^-s«?^ 
 
ijuills air 
 I purpose, 
 numerous 
 rformance 
 ire always 
 nore saga- 
 Die to tlieir 
 it the food 
 ids, though 
 Besiiles the 
 ,vhich have 
 ixhortalions 
 Uusion, and 
 ral precept? 
 notions con- 
 
 mytholosy. 
 the apeakei. 
 •apped in the 
 , Kwa-ho-ho- 
 ick and loud 
 and quicker, 
 • touches tho 
 
 effect on the 
 
 tring, whicli 
 ,o rest. This 
 when they 
 
 Ions tc be ini- 
 
 ailed for by 
 time, and no 
 plainer or hi"^ 
 true, as they 
 lor animals, as 
 Ir toad, in dis- 
 
 lexistB amona thf 
 
 ' Remarks on th> 
 
 lork Historical f^"- 
 
 INDIAN FF.ASla. 
 
 :{d. Ween-dam-was-so-win — Feast of giving names. These 
 are had principally on occasion of giving names to children, and 
 the guests are expected to eat all, be it more or less, that is put 
 into their dish by the entertainer. The reason they assign for 
 requiring, at this and several other feasts, all that has been cook- 
 ed to be eaten, is, apparently, very insuflicient ; namely, that they 
 do so in imitation of hawks, and some ntlier birds of prey, who 
 never return a second time to that they liave killed. 
 
 4th. Menis-se-no We-koon-de-win — War feast. These 
 leasts are made before starting, or on the way towards the ene- 
 my's country. Two, four, eight, or twelve men, may be called, 
 but by no means an odd number. The whole animal, whether 
 deer, bear, or moose, or whatever it may be, is cooked, and they 
 are expected to eat it all ; and, if it is in their power, tliey have a 
 large bowl of bear's grease standing by, which they drink in 
 place of water. Notwithstanding that a man who fails to eat all 
 his portion, is liable to the ridicule of his more gormandizing 
 companions, it frequently happens that some of them are com- 
 pelled to make a present of tobacco to their entertainer, and beg 
 him to permit that they may not eat all he has given them. In 
 ihis case, and when there is no one of the company willing to 
 oat it for him, some one is called from without. In every part 
 of this feast, when it is made after the warriors leave home, they 
 take care that no bone of the animal cafen shall he broken ; but 
 iifter stripping the flesh from them, they are carefully tied up, 
 and hung upon a tree. The reason they assign for preserving, 
 in this feast, the bones of the victim unbroken, is, that thus they 
 may signify to the Great Spirit, their desire to return home to 
 their own country, with their bones uninjured. 
 
 5th. Gitche-we-koon-de-win — The great feast. This is a 
 toast of high pretensions, which few men, in any band, and only 
 those of principal authority, can venture to make. The animal 
 is cooked entire, t !-r as they are able to do ir. This kind is 
 sometimes called iWe? ziz-a-kwa-win. 
 
 6th. Waw-bun-no We-koon-de-win — Wawbeno feast. This, 
 and the other mummeries of the Wawbeno, which is looked 
 upon as false and mischievous heresy, are now laid aside by 
 most respectable Indians. These feasts were celebrated vt'ith 
 iimch noise and disturbance ; they were distinguished from all 
 
I 
 
 M ii Mo t.. _ 
 
 
 
 288 
 
 rxSTS AND DREAMIN'U. 
 
 other feasts, by being held commonly in the night time, and the 
 showing off of many tricks with tire. 
 
 7th. Je-bi Naw-ka-win — Feast with the dead. This feast h 
 eaten at the graves of their deceased friends. They kindle a 
 fire, and each person, before he begins to eat, cuts off a small 
 piece of meat, which he casts into the lire. The smoke and 
 smell of this, they say, attracts the Je-bi to come and eat with 
 them. 
 
 8th. CHE-BAir-KOo-CHE-nA-wiN — Feast for his medicine. 
 During one whole <lay in spring, and another in autumn, every 
 good hunter spreads out the contents of his medicine bag in thr 
 back part of his lodge, and feasts his neighbours, in honour of 
 his medicine. This is considered a solemn and important feast, 
 like that of the Mctai. 
 
 9th. 0-sKiN-NE-oE-TAH-OA-wm — Boy's feast. This might Ix 
 called the feast of the tirst fruits, as it is made on occasion of ;i 
 boy, or a young hunter, i<illing his first animal, of any particular 
 kind. From the smallest bird, or a fish, to a moose, or buffaloi', 
 they are careful to oliserve it. Numerous instances of it occur 
 in the foregoing narrative, therefore it need not be dwelt upoii, 
 
 OF FASTS AM) DRFAMING. 
 
 Utuoiious and long continued fasting is enjoined u])i)n youiii; 
 and unmarried persons, of I)oth sexes, ami they begin at a very 
 early age. The parent, in the morning, offers the child the usual 
 iireakfast in one hand, and charcoals in the other; if the latter is 
 accepted, the parent is gratified, and some commendations, or 
 marks of favour, are bestowed on the child. To be able to con- 
 tinue long fasting, confers an enviable distinction. They, there- 
 fore, inculcate upon their children the necessity of remaining 
 long without food. Sometimes the children fast three, five, 
 seven, and some, as is said, even ten days ; in all of which timr 
 they take only a little water, and that at very distant intervals. 
 During these fasts, they pay very particular attention to their 
 dreams, and from the character of these, their parents, to whom 
 they relate them, form an opinion of the future life of the cliili] 
 
>, and the 
 
 lis feast 13 
 ^ kindle a 
 ifl' a small 
 invoke and 
 id eat with 
 
 medicine, 
 lumn, every 
 ic bag in tho 
 n honour of 
 portant feast, 
 
 'bis miglit 1m 
 orxasion of " 
 any particxdar 
 ,e, or bviffaloc, 
 ;s of it occur 
 ,P dwelt upon. 
 
 led upon youiv: 
 ,egin at a very 
 child the usual 
 ; if the latter i^ 
 mendations, 01 
 be able to con- 
 They, therc- 
 ty of remaining 
 [fast three, fivf- 
 I of whic^^ timr 
 istant intervals, 
 tention to their 
 arents, to whom 
 life of the chilli 
 
 LASTS AND DKKAMING, 
 
 Dreaming of tilings above, as birds, clouds, the sky, &c. is con- 
 sidered favourable ; and when the child begins to relate any 
 thing of this kind, the parent interrupts him, saying, '• it is well, 
 mv child, say no more of it." In these dreams, also, the chil- 
 dren receive impressions, which continue to influence their cha- 
 racter through life. A man, an old and very distinguished war- 
 rior, who was some years ago at Red River, dreamed, when 
 fiasting in his childhood, that a bat came to him, and this little 
 animal he chose for his medicine. To all tlie costly medicines 
 lor war or hunting, used by other Indians, he paid no attention. 
 Throughout his life he wore the skin of a bat tied to the crowu 
 of his head, and in his numerous war excursions, he went into 
 battle exulting in the confidence, lliat the Sioux, who could not 
 hit a bat on the wing, would never be able to hit him. He dis- 
 tuiguished himself in many battles, and killed many of his ene- 
 mies ; but throughout his long life, no bullet ever touched him, 
 all of which he attributed to the protecting influence of his medi- 
 cine, revealed to him, in answer to his fasting, in boyhood. Of 
 Net-no-kwa, his foster mother, the author of the foregoing nar- 
 rative relates, that at about twelve years of age, she fasted ten 
 successive days. In her dream, a man came down and stood 
 before her, and after speaking of many things, he gave her two 
 sticks, saying, " I give you these to walk upon, and your hair I 
 give it to be like snow." In all her subsequent life, this excel- 
 lent woman retained the confident assurance, that she should live 
 to extreme old age, and often, in times of the greatest distress 
 from hunger, and of apparent danger from other causes, she 
 cheered her family by the assurance, that it was given to her to 
 crawl on two sticks, and to have her head like the snow, and 
 roused them to exertion by infusing some part of her own con- 
 fident reliance upon the protection of a superior and invisible 
 Power. 
 
 The belief, that communications take place in dreams from 
 
 i superior beings to men, is not peculiar to this people, or this age 
 
 of the world. Men, particularly, when their minds are little cul- 
 
 livated, are ever ready to believe themselves objects of particular 
 
 attention, and the subjects of especial solicitude to their divinities. 
 
 I .\mong the Indians of the Algonkin stock, many, and perhaps 
 
 II, believe that not only their prayers, in times of distress, are 
 
 37 
 
'^'.tu 
 
 lASTS AND DREAMING. 
 
 ••5* 
 
 ;iski M' 
 
 h' ' 
 
 ■^'tK 
 
 lit'urd aMil iiiif^wfied, hut llioy lliink, that io some among fhcm, 
 ;nr roinrniniicatcd in dnnnis intinialions of things which are 
 lo happen in ronioto linu-s, and even after death. It Ih probable 
 llirir traditional belief of a fntiire slate, and of the circnmstancfs 
 .iltciidintr it, have made s(» wtronff an impression on the minds of 
 children, that iIk y may oflcii dream of it, and eontinuc to do ao, 
 at intervals during life. Aecordingly, several may he found 
 among them, wlio, having in extreme sickness had their thoughts 
 paitirnlarly directed to this subject, and having, perhaps, been 
 reduced so low as lo be considered in a desperate condition — [of 
 a person in Avhicli situation they speak as of one dead]— .may- 
 have dreamed, or imagined the impressions of their early child- 
 hood to have been realized. Hence, wc hear them relating, 
 Midi confidence, that such and such persons have !)eendcad, and 
 have travelled along tlie path of the dead, till they have come to 
 the great strawberry, which lies by the road, this side the river; 
 they have seen the river itself, some have even passed over it, 
 jind arrived in the villages of the dead. Dreams of this kind 
 ^rrm to have bee;) frequent among them. But they have, most 
 comnionly, to tell of vexation, annoyance, and disappointment. 
 They have come to the great strawberry, at which the .le-bi-nff 
 refresh themselves, on their journey ; but on taking up the spoon, 
 and alteinpling to separate a part of it, the berry has become ii 
 ruck, (which, with the people about Lake Superior, is a soft, red 
 sand rock, because the type exists in their country.) Thov 
 have then gone on, have been much alarmed at the Mc-tig-ush-r- 
 ]io-kif, (the swinging loo,) on which they have to cross, or at the 
 great dog, who stands beyoiul it. They have received taunt?, 
 and gibes, and i.-.sidts, amon^jr their friends ; have been ii cired 
 at, and called Je-bi ! have had ashes and water given them, in 
 ])lnce of Mun-dah-min aw-bo, or corn broth, bark for dried 
 meat, and O-zluish-kwa-to-wuk, or the large puckwi, called pud" 
 bulls, for squashes. Some men have commonly seen, in that, 
 country, onh^ squaws, numbers of wliom liave competed for them, 
 »•< an husband, and the dreams of all have been tinged with some 
 !>liade of colour, drawn from their own peculiar situation. How 
 liiose ]ieo|'le came first in possession of their opinions respectins; 
 the country <tf the dead, cannot, jierhaps, be known; but haviiiii 
 ii. v\e shuiiU! not be surprised that it influences their dream?. 
 
aMHh 
 
 cKiir.MuXlDs \i inti;kmi;n IS. 
 
 )iOl 
 
 long tlitm. 
 
 wliich arf- 
 
 18 prolmblc 
 
 ■cumstnnces 
 
 he minds of 
 
 luc to do so, 
 
 vy be found 
 
 leir thou^rbls 
 
 crhHps, hm\ 
 
 ,n(Ution— [of 
 
 ! dcadl—niay 
 
 ir early child- 
 
 .hem relating, 
 
 loen dead, and 
 
 have come to 
 
 side the river; 
 
 passed over it, 
 
 9 of this kind 
 
 icy have, most 
 
 liHappoinlmcnl. 
 
 ch the Je-bi-ns 
 
 pg lip the spoon. 
 
 y has become ii 
 
 K, is a soft, red 
 
 ountry.) They 
 
 ic Me-tig-ush-f- 
 cross, or at the 
 received taunt?, 
 ve been 'id red 
 given them, i» 
 bark for dried 
 kwi, called puff 
 y seen, in ('^'^ 
 npcted for theifl, 
 tinged with some 
 situation. How 
 uiions respcclins; 
 own-, but bavins 
 their dream?- 
 
 In connexion uith this subjecl, wo nmy <ltvoit' a monuiil u< 
 the consideration of llieir dcu of the human soul, or us they cull 
 it, the shadow.* 'Diey think tliis bect)tuts iinscllhui, or as it were 
 detached from the body in violent sii'kin.'ss ; and tlu'v look upon 
 r person who is very low, as one already dead. Hence it is nol 
 unusual to hear them speak of such and such n person, as beini;- 
 now dying, and yet to lind him survive, not only many days, but 
 years ; and when told of this, they seem conscious of no impro- 
 priety in the expression : on the contrary, they often say of ;i 
 person, he died at such a time, but came aguui. 1 have also 
 heard them rcproacli a sick person, for what they considered im- 
 prudent exposure in convalescence ; telling him that his shadow 
 was not well settled down in him. and tliat therefore he was in 
 danger of losing it. It would seem, liowcver, that altlioutrji tlitv 
 believe the soul leaves the body previous to the coinmonci ineni 
 of dissolution in the former, yet that it is not removed fur iVom 
 it until ions after death. This is mai\ifest from tlieir usage in the 
 feast of Che-bah-koo-che-ga-win, and from some of the cercmd- 
 nies of interment, particularly in the case of women, wU^n tlnii 
 husbands are buried. 
 
 In the spring of the year 1826, a man of the Mtiiomoniesdicil 
 and was buried, very nea-r ihu encampment of a part of the liflli 
 regiment of United States infantry, on the hioli prairie in the rear 
 of the village of Prairie Uu Ciiein, on the i\Iississi|)pi. 'I'he body 
 was attended to the grave by a considerable number of the friends 
 and relatives, and when it was let down into the shallow grave, 
 the wife of the deceased approaclied the brink, and after lookiiiu 
 down on the lude cofFm, she stepped upoa it, and imineiiialcly 
 across, taking her course over tlte plains, towards the bhili's iherr. 
 about a mile distant. This is a comnn>n practice of the women 
 of that tribe; and the mourner is careful, if she contemplates a 
 second marriage, never to look baek towards the grave she ha-^ 
 left, but returns to her lodge by some devious and circuitous 
 route. It is done, as they say, that the ('ha-pi (Je-bi of the Ojib- 
 heways,) or the dead person, may not l)e able to follow litem at- 
 
 * O-jce-rJmu-go-mau — Schoolcraft. Tlii.s is the sulistuiilivo without :tiiy in 
 separable pronoun. It in comnicuy uscil in coinbimition, ms nc-tuhrlmk, my 
 tliadow; ke-tah-chul:, thy shadow ; o-ioh-rhvl:. \\U nhail'iw. aiimiiL'' the .Afciio 
 monies. 
 
 (i 
 
 % 
 
 I ■! 
 
 I I 
 
 V" 
 

 ■>. 'f 
 
 
 I ! 
 
 V : 
 
 393 
 
 ( i;kemonies ax intehments. 
 
 J' ^ 
 
 m 
 
 w 
 
 V 
 
 icnvart]!'. If ihc woman should look back, they believe she 
 would cither fall dead immediately, or beromc insane, and remain 
 so ever after. On some occasions, but rarclj'. another person ac- 
 rompanics the mourner, carrying a handful of small twines, and 
 following immediately after her, flourishes it about her head, as 
 if driving away flies. The verb applicable to this action, is in 
 the third person singular, Wai-whai-na-how, the more general 
 one applicable to the whole ceremony, Ah-ncuk-kun-new. 
 
 In the instance above mentioned, the woman walked rapidly, 
 and without looking back, across the wide prairie, in a direction 
 almost oppoisite that leading to her lodge ; but her loud and bitter 
 lamentings could be heard at a great distance, seeming to contra- 
 dict the action by which she professed to seek an everlasting se- 
 paration from the deceased. 
 
 The more common and well known observances paid to thr 
 dead by these people, seem not to indicate such a destitution oi' 
 affection as the ceremony just described. In many of their cus- 
 toms relating to the treatment of the dead, we can discover, not 
 only the traces of kind feeling, but a strong confidence in a future 
 existence, and the belief that their departed friends can know and 
 estimate the value of friendly oflices rendered them after their 
 departure. At the time of the great council at Prairie DuCheiii. 
 in 1825, a 8ioux chief, of the remote band of the Sissitong, sick- 
 ened and died of a bilious fever. He had been a distinguished 
 man among his own people, and, as he had cornea great dislanct 
 from his own country, in obedience io tlie call of our govern- 
 ment, the military commandant at that post, was induced to bury 
 him with (he honours of war. The men of his band were frathernl 
 around his body, in the lodge w here he died, and when the escort 
 arrived, they raised him upon his bier, a hundred manly voirr< 
 at tlie same time cluintinfr forth a requiem, thus rendered bv u 
 person well acquainted with their laniruage: 
 
 Grieve not, ourbrotlirr! tin- j!;'.!!) thou nrt walking 
 Is that in wliich we, ainl all inrti mimt llMlow. 
 
 And this they continued to repent, until they nached the (rravi 
 There is something impressive and allecting in their habit of pri- 
 serving and dressing u|) the je-bi, or memorial of the deail, wliirli, 
 like our weeds and crapes, finds a place in many a dwelling wherr 
 little of mourning iii visible. Yet. though the place ", '""h drnl!- 
 
 ,r*- 
 
■ftii«w 
 
 fKREMONIF.S AT INTERMENTS. 
 
 •.itKj 
 
 had made vacant in their hearts, may have been filh^d, tliey seem 
 never to forget the supply they consider due the wants of the de- 
 parted. Whenever they eat or drink, a portion is carefully set 
 apart for the je-bi, and this observance continues for years, 
 should they not, in the mean time, have an opportiuiity to send 
 out this memorial witli some war party ; wlien, if it be thrown 
 down on the field of battle, as they aim always to do, then their 
 obligation to the departed ceases. 
 
 Of the ('hippewyaus, the Sarcees, the Strong Bows, and other 
 tribes inhabiting those dreary regions which border on the arctic 
 circle, it is related, that they in many instances omit to bury their 
 dead, and that they frequently desert their relatives and friends, 
 whenever, from sickness or old age, they become unable to 
 endure the ordinary fatigues of their manner of life. There is no 
 more reason to question the accuracy of these statements, than 
 of those in relation to the cannibalism, sodomy, and other shock- 
 ing vices of more southern tribes. But as the destitution of na- 
 tural afl'ection manil'ested in the conduct of many of the American 
 tribes, towards their relatives in sickness and decrepitude, is un- 
 doubtedly that among their vices, which is most abhorrent to the 
 feelings of civilized men, so we sliall find the instances of rare 
 occurrence, except where the rigour of the climate, or other na- 
 tural causes, impose on them a necessity, to which we ourselves, 
 in the same circumstances, should probably yield, as they do. 
 The horrible practices to which men of all races have been driven 
 in besieged cities, in cases of shipwreck, and other similar emer- 
 gencies, should admonish us that the Ind' ns, as a race, deserve 
 no peculiar detestation for crimes erowinu unavoidably out of 
 ihcir situation. 
 
 •\\ 
 
 In 
 
:\ ( 
 
 394 
 
 PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 
 
 , r 
 
 #' * P: ^ ' 
 
 
 J » 
 
 II ^ 
 
 'VI ' 
 
 
 ' / ' 
 
 h f 
 
 n { 
 
 CATALOGUE OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS 
 
 Found ill the country of the Ojihhcways ; with English names, 
 as far as these could be ascertained. 
 
 Metik-goao — Trees. 
 Shin-oo-bekk — Ever greens, or cone bearing trees. 
 
 Ma-ni-hik — Norway pine. 
 A-nee-naun-duk — Balsam fir. 
 
 Kik-kaun-dug — Spruce. The black pheasant feeds on the 
 leaves. 
 
 Mus-keeg-wah-tick — Harkmatack, swamp wood. 
 Kaw-waun-duk — Single spruce. 
 Mis-kwaw-wauk — Red cedar. 
 Ke-zhik — White cedar. 
 Kaw-waw-zheck — Juniper bushes. 
 Kaw-waw-zheeti-sha, or Ah-kaw-wun-jc — Ycm. 
 Kaw-kaw-ge-wingz — Hemlock sjiruce. 
 Puk-gwun-nah-gfl-muk — White pine, (peeling bark.) 
 Shin-gwawk — Yellow pine. 
 
 Ne-bish-un — Trees with broad leaves. 
 
 Nin-au-tik — Sugar maple, (our own tree.) 
 
 She-she-gum-maw-wis — River maple, (sap flow.s fast.) 
 
 Shah-shah-go-be-muk — Lnw-grouiul maple. 
 
 Moons-omais — Striped maple, (moose wood.) 
 
 Shah-shah-go-be-muk-oons — Spiked maple, (little shah-shali- 
 go-be-muk.) 
 
 Wc-gwos — White birch. 
 
 Weeii-cs-sik — Black birch. 
 
 Buh-wi-e-me-nin aw-gaw-wunje — Red Cherry, (the wood of tliu 
 shaken down fruit, or berry.) 
 
 Sus-Ruh-way-meen ah-ga-wunje — Choke cherry. 
 
 Ruh-wi-me-iiah-ne-gah-wnnje — Black Cherry. 
 
 .\ai-eo-wim-mc-nuh ffaw-we./heen — Sand-chcrrv buphe«. 
 
 I 1, I 
 
PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 
 
 a95 
 
 ; wood of tilt: 
 
 Me-tik-o-meesh, (Mait-e-ko-nia, Menomonie) — Black oak, 
 (wood cup.) 
 
 Meesh-a-mish — White oak. 
 
 Ah-sah-tia — White poplar. 
 
 Mah-nu-sah-tia — Balsam poplar, (ugly poplar.) Mat-heh me- 
 toos — Cree. Franklin's narrative, p. 78. 
 
 Be-zhew-au-tik — Cofl'ce bean tree, (wild cat tree.) Found only 
 'n the south. 
 
 Way-miche-ge-meen-ah-ga-wunje — Honey locust, southern. 
 
 Uz-zhuh-way-inish — Beech ; none northward oi" Mackinac. 
 
 Me-tig-wawb-awk — Smooth hickory, (smooth wood bow tree.) 
 
 Nas-kun-nuk-a-koosit Me-teg-wawb-awk — Hickory, (rough 
 bark bow tree.) 
 
 A-necb — Elm, white. 
 
 0-shah-she-go-pe — Red elm, two varieties : the bark of ono 
 only used for sacks. 
 
 Wa-go-be-mish — Linn, (bark tree.) 
 
 Bug-gaun-awk — Black walnut. 
 
 Ke-no-sha bug-gaun-awk — Butternut, (long walnut.) 
 
 Ahn-za bug-gaun-awk — Pecan, southern. 
 
 Suz-zuh-widi-ko-niist — Hackberry. 
 
 As-seme-nun — Pawpaw. 
 
 Boo-e-auk — White ash. 
 
 We-sug-auk — Black ash 
 
 Bug-gaun-ne-me-zeesh-ah — Hazle busli. 
 
 Waw-bun wah-ko-meczh — White arrow wood. 
 
 We-ah-ko-meczh — Arrow wood. 
 
 Mus-kwaw be-muk — Red ozior. 
 
 O-to-pe — Alder. ()-to-peen — Alders. 
 
 Sisse-go-be-mish — Willow. 
 
 Bug-ga-sah-ne-mish — Plum tree, 
 
 Mish-she-min-nnh ga-wunje — Crab apple tree. 
 
 Mish-ghe-niin au-tik — Oab apple wood, or tree. 
 
 Ne-be-min-ah-ga-wunje — High cninebi'rry bush. 
 
 Tah-tah-te-niun-ah-ga-wunje — Black h:iw bush. 
 
 Ke-teg-ge-manito — New-Jersey tea, (red root.) 
 
 Koose-gwaw-ko-inizhc-ga-wunje — High blue berry bush. 
 
 0-zhu8k-ko-mi-zheen — Musk rat berries. 
 
 Be-mah-gwut — Grape. 
 

 J^^'r'^' 
 
 296 
 
 TLANTii AND ANIMALS. 
 
 r' 
 
 if J: 
 
 «1 ' i 
 
 n'lu 
 
 h^ 
 
 We-gwos-bo-mah-gwut — Bircli grape. 
 
 Manito-be-niah-gwut, or manito-ineeii i-gah-wunje — Cissus, u 
 climbing vine, with scattered berries, somewhat hke grapes. 
 
 Mus-ke-ge-min* — Cranberry, crane berries, (swamp berries.) 
 
 Sa-zah-ko-mc-nah gah-wah-zheen, pi. — Saccacommis, or arbu- 
 tus. The leaves of this plant, the uva ursa of the shops, are 
 commonly used by the Ojibbeways, in whose country it abounds, 
 to mix with their tobacco. 
 
 Waw-be-ko-meen-aJi-ga-wunje — Nine bark, or spiraw. 
 
 "Wis-seg-ge-bug, sing, wis-seg-ge-bug-goon, pi. — Bitter leaf; an 
 andromeda, very highly esteemed by the Indians, as a remedy, 
 and by them said to grow only about the Grand Traverse, in Lake 
 Huron. 
 
 Ne-kim-me-nun — Swamp whortle berries. 
 
 Shug-gus-kim-me-nun — Thimble berries, or flowering rasp- 
 berries. 
 
 Kaw-waw-be-ga-koo-zit — White bark, a small tree at Lak<^ 
 Traverse. 
 
 Ut-tuh-bc-ga-zhin-nah-gook — A shrub said to be found only in 
 the north. 
 
 Pah-posh-geshe-gun-au-tik — Red elder, (popgun wood,) ver\ 
 common about Me-nau-zhc-taun-naug, and the islands in thr 
 Lake of the Woods. 
 
 Bwoi-iim-me-nah-ga-wunje — Whortleberry bush. 
 
 Ne-kim-mc-nah-ga- wnnje — High blue berry bush. 
 
 Mus-keeg o-bug-goan — Labrador tea, (swamp leaves,) one of 
 the most esteemed of the products of cold and swampy regions ; 
 used in decoction as tea. 
 
 Pe-boan-meen-ah-gaw-wunje — Winter berry bush, a prinos, 
 
 Mun-no-mun-ne-chee-beegt — Red paint root. 
 
 Me-nais-sa gaw-wunje — Thorn apple. 
 
 Buz-zuk-ko-me-nais, sing., buz-zuk-ko-me-nais-ug, pi. — A kind 
 of thorn apple growing in the north, which sometimes kill bears 
 
 » Mns-ge-kwi-iuin-all — Zeis. p. 83. 
 
 (■'1 
 
 i'i 
 
 t A substance is brought by the Indians from a place called Na-kaw-wudj, on 
 the shores of Lake Superior, which, when bruised, imparts a bright carnation 
 < olour. It is a small root, prolably that of a species of Chenopodium, which i- 
 ••'•mctimrfi met with on the borders ofswampn about St. Marks. 
 
mmmmtii 
 
 '.-- --ii'""?^^'^'^''^'" 
 
 PLANTS ANU ANIMALS. 
 
 297 
 
 pes. 
 errie8.) 
 , or arbu- 
 liops, are 
 abounds, 
 
 r. 
 
 if leaf; an 
 1 remedy, 
 e, in Lake 
 
 ing rasp- 
 
 e at Lak<' 
 
 ind only in 
 
 ^ood,) very 
 nds in thr 
 
 es,) one ol' 
 >y regions ; 
 
 when they eat them in large quantities. The Indians suppose 
 that it is in consequence of t)ie strongly adhesive quality of the 
 pulp, that they have tliis deleterious property. 
 
 Meen — Blue berry ; meen-un — Blue berries, (fruit.) This is a 
 word that enters into the composition of almost all which are 
 used as the names of fruits or berries of any kind ; as me-she- 
 min, or me-she-mecn, an apple, o-da-c-min, a strawberry, or heart 
 berry, &c. The word ga-wuuje, added to the name of any fruit 
 or berry, iidicatcs the wood or bush. 
 
 Mcen-ah-ga-wunje — Blue berry, or whortle berry bush. 
 
 Ma-ko-meen-ah-ga-wunje — Black currant bush. 
 
 Mish-e-je-min-ga-wunje — This is a bush growing at and 
 about the Lake of the Woods, which bears red currants, like 
 those of the gardens ; but the currants arv3 beset thickly with 
 hairs. 
 
 Shah-bo-min- nil — Goose berries; Shah-bo-min ga-wunje — 
 the bushes. 
 
 Mis-kwa-min — Raspberry : mis-kwa-min-nug — Raspberries. 
 
 Gaw-waw-ko-mcesh — Black raspberries. 
 
 0-dah-tah-gah-go-min — Blackberry ; 0-dah-tali-gah-go-me-mig' 
 — Blackberries. 
 
 Muk-kwo-mc-nug, or muk-kwaw-mc-nug — Bear berries ; Muk- 
 ko-mc-nah-ga-wunjc — The mountain ash, or American service 
 tree. 
 
 0-gin-ne-mee-nahga-wunjc — Rose bush. The fruit is much 
 eaten in winter by the starving Indians in the north. 
 
 All these arc called Me-tik-goag, or woody plants. 
 
 1 / 
 
 a pnnos. 
 
 Weah-oush-koan* — Wecis^ or herbaceous plants. 
 
 I.— A kind 
 h.s kill bears 
 
 Lkaw-wudj, on 
 
 light carnation 
 
 lium, which i- 
 
 Me-zhus keen, (Ma-zhus-koon of the Menomonies) — Grasses. 
 
 Na-bug-U8-koaii — Coarse swamp Grass. 
 
 Anah-kun-us-koan — Bull rush, (matt grass.) 
 
 Be-gwa-wuii-us-koan — Soft coarse grass. The name of the 
 Be-wi-o-nus-ko River and Lake, called Rush River on some of 
 the maps, is from this word. This word seems, in some districts. 
 to be used as the name of the row parsley. 
 
 • Probably from H'rah-gmh-ke. dust; or that which i* mixed togethw. 
 
 \r 
 

 '■ i i 
 
 298 
 
 PLANTS AND ANIMALiU 
 
 As-ah-gu-nus-koaii — Biig-gusk — Iri>-. 
 
 Puk-kwi-usk-oge — Flags. 
 
 O-zhusk-gwuf-ie-beeg — INIiiskrat root, (a gratis.) 
 
 The follow? II if are not called Mc-zhu3-keeu. 
 
 Muz-zha-nush-koan — Nettles. 
 
 ykib-waw-wc-gusk — Artichoke, a species of sim flower. 
 
 Ke-zhe-bun-iish-koau — Rushes. 
 
 O-kun-dum-moge — Pond lilies. 
 
 Ma-ko-pin, Ma-ko-pin-eeg, sin. and p!. — Chinkapin, or cyainus. 
 
 Waw'-be-ze-pin-neeg — Arrow head, (swan potatoes.) The 
 roots of the common saggittaria, as well as the bulbs of some oi' 
 the crest flow i^rirg lilies, which are eaten by the Indians, rcceivf 
 this name. 
 
 Mus-ko-ti-pc-neeg — Lily, (juairie potatoes.) 
 
 Sah-sah-way-suk — Turkey potatoes. 
 
 O-kah-tahk— Cicnta. 
 
 Ma-ni-to O-kah-tahk — Sison.' heracleum .' 
 
 O-saw-wns-kwun-wees — Green small balls. 
 
 Siig-gut-ta-bo-way — Sticking burs ; hounds tongues, tScc 
 
 Nah-nia-wiisk — Spear mint, (sturgeon medicine.) 
 
 Wis-se-giche-bik — Indian's physic, (bitter root; Callistachiit.) 
 
 Mis-kwe-wis-chc-bc-kilg-guk — Blood root. 
 
 A-zhush-a-way-skuk — Square stem scrophularia. 
 
 Bc-zhew-wusk — Wild cat medicine. 
 
 Ke-na-beek-o-me-nun — Snake berries ; Dracaena borealiy. 
 
 Main-wake — Angelica, or cow parsley. 
 
 Me-(ush-koo-se-n>in —Apjde of the Prairie of the Canadians. 
 (Psorulia,) much eaten by the Crecs and Assiinieboin.s, in whoM 
 country it abounds. 
 
 Mah-nom-o-negah-wah-zhecn, pi. — Wild rice, (the grass.) 
 
 Muk-koose-e-mee-nun — Yomig bear's berries. 
 
 We-nis-se-buff-goon — Wintergrecn. 
 
 Mus-kee-go-bug-goon — Swan)p winter green; perhaps the lit 
 tie rough wintergrcon. 
 
 Be-na-bug-goon — Partridge flower. 
 
 Mus-ke-gway-me-taus — Side saddle flower, (swamp bottles, in 
 allusion to the pitcher shaped leaves.)* 
 
 * More probubly compoumlej of Muh-kt-cg, (a swamp,) uiid Mi -l;iiis, (nlr;: 
 tjin,) from \^* rpsi'inblHnce folhf* Icjijins worn by the Iiit?i.in^ 
 
 I I 
 
 V > 
 
X 
 
 cr. 
 
 )rcyamu>. 
 es.) Thr 
 of some ol" 
 ns, rcccivf 
 
 borcali:^. 
 
 (ic grass.) 
 [rliaps tlic lii 
 up bottles, ill 
 
 ri.ANi- .\M< A -,ni.vi> 
 
 •JO'.t 
 
 :\luk-kud-(Ja-\ve-cho-be-kiig-gul; — Black iooi>. 
 
 Ta-ta-sis-koo-see-men — The flower that follows tlie sun. 
 
 Pe-zhe-kc-wu.sk — Bullaloe medicine. Wild carrot ? 
 
 Shc-wa-bug-goon — Sweet cicely, (sour leaf.) 
 
 A-nich-e-mc-nun — Wild pea vine. 
 
 O-da-na-me-na-gaw-wun-zhecn, pi. — Strawberry vines. 
 
 Se-bwoi-gim-nuk — Corn stalks, (chaw sweet.) 
 
 0-pin — Potatoe. 0-pin-neeg — Potatoes. 
 
 O-guis-c-mauu — Squashes. O-zaw-waw-o-guis-se-maun — Yel- 
 low squashes. 
 
 Mis-kwo-de-sc-min — Be«n. Mis-kwo-dc-se-me-iiug — Beans. 
 
 As-ke-tuin-moon^ — Melons. 
 
 (jitche-un-ne-beesii — Cabbage, (big leaf.) tiitche-ne-beesh-uu 
 -great leaves. 
 
 Skush-kun-iluh-niin-ne-kvvi-iik — Plantain ; the leaves of thi- 
 arc particularly observed by hunter, as they show, better than 
 any thing else, the age of the tracks of game. 
 
 Shig-gau-ga-uin-zheeg,* pi. — Onions, (•^knnk weeds.) 
 
 0-kau-tauk — farrot<. 
 
 Kitche-mus-kc-ke-mcen — lied pepper, (lireat medicine berry.) 
 
 Ba-se-kwuuK — This is a red aslringenl luot, much valued b) 
 ihe Indians, as an application to wounds. Aveiis root? 
 
 Shah-bo-ze-gim — Milkweed. 'I'hc Ojibbeway word signitie> 
 purffatifc, 
 
 Waw-be-no-wusk — Yarrow, (Wawbeno n\edicine.) 
 
 Ke-zhe-bun-ush-kon-sun — Stnall rushes, in prairie. 
 
 Nah-nah-gun-o-wushk — Fern. .\ah-nah-<Tim-ne-wtish-koan — 
 Ferns. 
 
 We-se-bain-jah-ko-nun — I .-nac(j. 
 
 Wah-ko-nug — Lichi n^ ; the edible gyrophora. 
 
 Ween-de-go-wah-ko-nug — (Jyrophora inedible. 
 
 Waw-bah-sah-ko-nick — Spliairiutn, used by the women t(t 
 make a bed for young childrrn. 
 
 Ah-sah-ko-mik — Marchantia, and green mosses, on the idiady 
 sides of trees. 
 
 0-zliusk-kwa-toan-suk — Iltiindeer moss, citrariac, &,c. 
 
 * From Shig-gaa-ga-uinjc, this woni, ia tin' siiicrular numbrr, some derive 
 Iho name Chikago, which is commonly i)roiioiiiici .1 by tho Indians Shig'-f^au-ic 
 -• Shie^-gau-f^o-onsf, at Chikajio. 
 
/?•- **r 
 
 sm 
 
 I'LAMS AND ANIMAL?. 
 
 0-zm:sH-KWA-To-wiTG — Fvmri- 
 
 r>„if iH 
 
 •■ 
 
 
 
 Waw-but-to — Pine touch-wood. 
 
 Me-tik-o-mish 0-zhusk-kwa-to-\viig — White oak touch-wood- 
 much used to burn mortars for pounding corn. 
 
 Sug-guh-tah-gun — Spunk. 
 
 Je-bi-e-push-kwa-e-gun — Xylostroma ; dead peo» le's mocca- 
 sin leather, is the literal meaning of this word, which is applied 
 to the leather-like substance in the iissurcs of old trees. 
 
 0-je-bi-e-muk-ke-zin — Ghost or spirit moccasin; puff ball; 
 dead man's shoe ; sometimes called Anung-wug — stars. 
 
 Aii-WES-siE-uo* — Animals. 
 
 The diminutive termination is used for the young of animak, 
 and is, in the Ottawwaw dialect, generally in the sound of ns, or 
 7ice, when the noun ends with a vowel. Thus;, Gwin-gwaw-ah- 
 ga, a. wolverene; Gwin-gxLiaw-ali-gaincc, a young wolverene; 
 the c, in the last syllable, retaining the same sound as in the 
 word without the diminutive termination. "When any distinction 
 of sex is made, it is commonly by prefixing the words i-ah-ha 
 onAno-zha, very similar in signification to our male and female, 
 thus I-ah-ha Gwin-gwaw-ah-ga, is a male wolverene ; No-zha 
 (rwin-gwaw-ah-ga, a female wolverene. 
 
 G\vin-gwaw-ah-ga — Wolverene, (tough beast.) Carcajou. 
 French, northern glutton, a very sagacious and mischievous 
 animal, but not of common occurrence ; now principally found 
 among the lakes. 
 
 Na-nah-pah-je-nc-ka-se — A mole ? (foot wrong way.) 
 Bo-taich-che-pin-gwis-sa — Gopher, (blow up the ground.) 
 Manito Muk-kwaw — Great grizzly bear, always found in tlic 
 prairie. 
 
 Ma-mis-ko-gah-zhe-muk-kwaw — Red nail bear; very fierce ami 
 dangerous, more feared by the Indians than the former, who very 
 rarely attacks a man, unless wounded ; but the red nailed bear 
 attacks when unprovoked, and pursues with great speed. }[•■ 
 lives in rocky places in woods. 
 
 * A-wes-sie-sae, Del. Zeisb. 2d ed. p. 46. 
 
MHttMli 
 
 ruffs^ 
 
 I'l-ANTS A\U AMMALJS. 
 
 Ml 
 
 ach-vvo Oti- 
 
 s' s mocca- 
 . is applied 
 s. 
 puff ball; 
 
 of animals, 
 mil of ns, or 
 in-gwaw-ah- 
 
 wolverene ; 
 id as in the 
 ly distinction 
 vords i-ah-ho 
 
 anAfemaki 
 cne; No-zho 
 
 Carcajou, 
 miseliievons 
 cipally found 
 
 ay.) 
 
 ground.) 
 found in tlif 
 
 ery fierce and 
 iier, who ver\ 
 cd nailed bear 
 at speed. H<' 
 
 J Badger. 
 
 Muk-kwaw — Common bear ; Ou-wash-ah, of the Menomonics. 
 
 Muk-koons, or Muk-koonce — Cub ; Ou-wa-sha'Sha, of the Me- 
 nomonies. 
 
 I-aw-ha-koons and No-zha-koons, are used by the Ottawwaws 
 and Ojibbeways to distinguish the male and female bear, where 
 the Menomonies would use Ou-xca-shah E-nai-ne-wow and On- 
 wa-shah Ma-tai-mo-sh uh. 
 
 Me-tun-nusk, Ojib. — Toothless, 
 
 Mish-she-mo-nalj-na, Ott. — Great burrower, 
 
 Mus-ko-tai Chil-ta-mo — Prairie squirrel. 
 
 Mus-ko-tai Ah-gwin-gwoos — Prairie striped squirrel ; smail 
 squirrel, with stripes and spots, burrowing in the prairie, some- 
 times with the chittamo. 
 
 Ah-gwin-gwoos — Cliijiping squirrel. 
 
 Atch-e-ilah-mo — Red squirrel. 
 
 O-zhug-gus-kon-duh-wa — Flying squirrel, (strikes flat on a 
 tree.) 
 
 Sun-nah-go, and Muk-kud-da As-sun-nah-go, and Mis-kwaw- 
 sun-nah-go — The grey, black, and fox squirrels, not found in the 
 country north of Lake Superior. 
 
 Uk-kuk-koo-jees — Ground hog, smaller than in the states. 
 
 Me-sau-boos — Hare, white in winter. 
 
 Waw-boos — Rabbit. Meezh-way, Meezh-way-ug, sin. and 
 pi. — Southern rabbit. 
 
 Pish-tah-te-koosh — Antelope. This is reckoned the fleetest 
 animal in the prairie country, about the Assinneboin. 
 
 Pe-zhe-ke — Buffaloe. No-zha-zha-pe-zhe-ke — A cow that has 
 a young calf following her. 0-neen-jah-nis-pe-zhe-ke — Farrow 
 cow. 
 
 Jah-ba-pe-zhe-ke — Bull. Pe-zhe-keence — A young calf. 
 0-saw-waw Koo-shance — A cal^ while the hair is red. Poo- 
 nah-koosh — Calf, a year old. Ah-ne-ka-boo-nah-koosh — Two 
 years old. 
 
 Gitche-pe-zhe-ke — Fossil mammoth. 
 
 Ma-nah-tik — Big horn. 
 
 Gitche-mah-nish-tah-nish -Rocky mountain sheep. 
 
 M. 
 
■^Ic.^ 
 
 iil 
 
 t'l.AN'is AM) A.MMAI >. 
 
 An-ne-moo-shug — Doga. 
 
 t . 
 
 I« 
 
 Small wolf, in prairie countries. 
 
 Na-ne-mo-w liy, Ott. 
 Mish-luh-lah-si, Ojib. 
 Mi-een-gun-iiug — ("omnion wolves. 
 Mi-een-gun — Common wolf. 
 Muk-liii(l-da-mi-ecn-gun — Black wolf. 
 Waw-be-mi-een-gun — White wolf. 
 Shoon-slio — Long eared hound. 
 An-ne-moosh — Common dog. 
 Ta-tah-koo-gaut-ta-was-sim — Short leg dog. 
 Be-gwi-wa-was-sim — Long haired dog ; Newfoundland. 
 Ke-wis-kwa-mi-een-gun-nug — Mad wolves, sometimes .sorii. 
 hut rarely bite, unless attacked! 
 
 Waw-goo-shvg — Foxc.-'. 
 
 If ^f I 
 
 O-saw-waw-goosh — Common red fox. 
 Muk-kud-da-waw-goosh — Black fox. 
 Muk-kud-da-waw-goo-sliug — Black foxes. 
 Wa-whaw-goosh — White fox, fur long, but of no value. 
 Ne-ke-kwa-tug-gah-wa-waw-goosh — Grey fox. 
 Pis-tat-te-moosh — Swift fox, (small dog.) 
 
 m 'mi 
 
 Kah-zhc-gainse — Common house cat, (little glutton.) 
 
 Pe-zhcw — Wild cat. 
 
 Ke-tah-gah-pe-zhew — Lynx, (spotted wild cat.) 
 
 Me-she-pe-zhew — Panther, (big wild cat.) 
 
 Ah-nieek — Beaver. Naub-ah-meek — Male beaver. Noazli- 
 
 ah-meek — Female beaver. Ah-meek-koanse — Young beaver. 
 
 Kin-waw-no-wish-shug, Cree, } m ^ 
 
 ^. , , , , I • ^v ■■, I Black tailed deer. 
 
 Muk-kud-da-waw-wasli-gais, Ojib. ) 
 
 Waw-wash-gais — Red or Virginian deer. 
 
 O-mush-kooiis, Ojib. 
 
 Me-sha-wav, Ottaw. / i o i • c 
 
 • t iMe Saskawjawun,«Scc. 
 
 W^aw-was-kesli, l-ree, J 
 
 Ah-dik--Rein(lcer. Ca-ri-bou, French. The feet very larirc 
 
 and broad, fitting the animal to travel over smooth ice, or dec p 
 
 snow; fmuid on all the >^lini(s of Lake Superior, and sometinn > 
 
 ^ Elk. On Red River, Mouse Rivtr. 
 
 .V 
 
PLANTS AND AMMAL^. 
 
 'M\i 
 
 fies. 
 
 anil, 
 limes sefi'' 
 
 ;&\\io. 
 
 Ion.) 
 
 Ivcr. ISoazli- 
 ing beaver. 
 
 deer. 
 Imousc Rivti, 
 
 red very larii*' 
 \h ice, or dcq« 
 land sometini. . 
 
 .It the upper end of Lake Huron ; but most IVcquent farther 
 north. 
 
 Mooze, or Moonec, Ojib. ) Moose. Tlie nasal sound, at the 
 
 Moon-swah, ('roe, S end of this word, is common in 
 
 these dialects ; but it is didicult to represent, by the letters of 
 our alphabet. 
 
 I-aw-ba-mooze — Buck moose. No-zha-mooze — Deer moose. 
 Moonze-aince — Little moose, &,c. 
 
 A-yance — Opossum, only in the south. The word a-yance, 
 means crafty. 
 
 Shin-goos — Weasel, two kinds. 
 
 Shin-goo-sug — Weasels. 
 
 Ne-gik — Otter. Ne-gik-wug — Otters. 
 
 Kwaush-kwaush-ko-tah-be-ko-sheezh. 
 
 Kecn-waw-no-wa waw-Avaw-bc-gun-o-jc — Long tail leaping 
 mouse. 
 
 Waw-waw-bc-gun-o-je — blouse. 
 
 Ah-mik-waw-waw-be-gun-o-je — Reaver, or diving mouse. 
 
 Kah-ge-bin-gwaw-kwa — Shrew. Two species are conmioti 
 about St. Maries, in Avinter. 
 
 Kahg — Porcupine.* Kahg-wug — Porcupines. 
 
 Shong-gwa-she — Mink. 
 
 Wah-be-zha-she — Marten. Woapckccs, Z. p. IH, 
 
 A-se-bun — Raccoon. 
 
 She-gahg — Skunk. 
 
 O-zhusk — Muskrat. 
 
 Ah-puk-kwon-ah-je — Bat. 
 
 O-jeeg — Fisher weasel, a very stupid animal, easy to kill. 
 
 * The j'oung of tluK aniinni, if taken out of the uterus with care immcdiati'ly oi i 
 killing the dam, and put upon a tree, will cling to it, and otlrn live. The Indinns 
 relate, that the porcupines, in the prairie countries of tht north, pasi? the winter.-^ 
 on oak trees, where they oftentimes have no hole, or any other protection from 
 the weather, than is atForded by the trunk of the tree. 'I'hey strip all the hark oil' 
 one tree, before they go to search for another, and one may pass the greater part of 
 the winter on a single tree, if it happens to be a lartrp one. They also pretend ti) 
 latten the porcupine in the summer, whenever they r:\n i'md him in some hole, 
 where he has cimstructed his nest, which is of his own excrement. This, they 
 s.iy, he eats, and never fails, when tlius confined, to beeon\e very fat. The por- 
 I'upine is not disposed to make any other resistance, when attacked by a man, than 
 Ids spiny skin aflbrds, and the Indians have a saying of this anima], and of the ra! • 
 liit. that those whom they bite will live to a irreat a^v. 
 
 ,v*- 
 

 ^-i!r1 
 
 
 
 304 
 
 PLANTS ANU ANIMALS. 
 
 Ba-bah-mo-ta-jf.eg — Reptiles. 
 
 Nau-to-way — Thick, short rattle snake. [Sha-no-wc-naw — 
 The rattier ?] 
 
 She-she-gwa — Common rattle snake. Both these arc occa- 
 sionally kept tame by the Indians. They sometimes make feasts 
 to them, and they are said to be very docile and intelligent. 
 
 Me-tik-o-she-she-gwa — Adder. 
 
 Na-wa — Moccasin snake. 
 
 Pih-kim — Prairie snake. At the head of Mouse River, and in 
 the prairies towanis the Missouri, these snakes are more than six 
 feet long, and proportionably large. Pih-kun-un are common 
 snakes, but never half so large as the above. 
 
 Mis-kwan-dib — Red head ; copper snake ? 
 
 0-zha-\vus-ko Ke-na-beek — Green snake. 
 
 Muk-kud-da Ke-na-beek — Black snake. 
 
 O-mus-sun-dum-mo — Water snake. 
 
 Wa-in-jc-tah Ke-na-beek — Garter snake, (right or true ge-Uii- 
 bik.) 
 
 0-kaute Ke-na-beek — Lizzard, (legged snake.) 
 
 Gee-kut-tiHi-naung — Lizzard of some kind. 
 
 Que-\ve-zains — Little boy, (also a lizzard.) 
 
 Nib-be-kc O-muh-kuk-kc — Orbicular lizzard? (medicine frog. j 
 
 Wain-jc-tah O-muh-kuk-ke — Right frogs, or common frog. 
 
 Dain-(la — Bull frog, and hannie, Z. 19. 
 
 Mis-ko-muh-kuk-ke — Red toad.* 
 
 Be-go-muh-kuk-kc — C'ommon toads. These two last, at tlu 
 approach of winter, place themselves erect on the surface of thf 
 ground, on their hams, and by turning themselves round and 
 round, they sink into the ground, which closes over them, and 
 they keep below the frost. They are often found, several within 
 two or three feet of each other, buried deep in the earth, but 
 keeping constantly their heads erect. 
 
 0-shaw-wus-ko-muh-kuk-ke — Tree frog. 
 
 Me-zhc-ka, Ottaw. 
 
 Me-kin-nauk, Oji 
 
 Ta-ta-be-ko-nauk — Soft shelled tortoise. 
 
 jib. \ ^""'^^ 
 
 tortoise. 
 
 ♦ Prom O-muk-kuk-ke, (Uy&A,)ajaA Ah-koo-se-win, (sickness,) is probably d«- 
 rmvlthe \'nrd Ma-muk-ke-zc-win, (the small pox."^ 
 
i-wc-naw — 
 
 e arc occa- 
 make feasts 
 Uigcnt. 
 
 liver, and in 
 nore than six 
 are common 
 
 or true gc-u,>- 
 
 medicinetVog.i 
 )mmon frog. 
 
 Lwo last, at till 
 ^e surface of the 
 Ives round and 
 over them, and 
 I, several within 
 the earth, but 
 
 less,) is pw^*^'^''*" 
 
 Winter hawli. 
 
 P1.AM6 AND AMMAl.S. 
 
 l5oort-kut-la-\vi.sh — A tortoise with roimild(i|i sliell-:. 
 Mis-kwaw-tais-sa — Terrapin. 
 Siig-gus-kwaw-ge-iuii — Leech. 
 
 Be-nais-se-wug — yj/'n/.v. 
 
 Ive-neu — War eagle ; the master of all bird <. 
 
 Me-giz-ze — White hcadod eagle. Me-giz-ze-wiig, plural 
 
 Ka-kaik — Spotted iiawk. 
 
 nc-ho-no-sa, Otta\v. ^ 
 
 Ke-bu-niiz-/e, Ojih. ^ 
 
 No-je-ke-na-bcck-we-zis-sc — Marsh hawk, (snake eating.) 
 
 Wa-l>e-no-ie Ke-na-beck-we-zis-sc — White marsh hawk. 
 
 Mis-ko-na-ne-sa — lied tail hawk. 
 
 Pish-kc-ne\i — Black tail hawk. 
 
 Muk-kud-da-kc-neu — Black liawk. 
 
 J5ub-be-nng-go — Spotted tail hawk. 
 
 ['r-na-sern's — Small pheasant hawk. 
 
 Clia-ecn-sa — A small hawk, so namtul IVoui ils er\ . 
 
 I'e-pe-gc-wiz-zain's — Smallest hawk. 
 
 VVe-nong-ga — Turkey buzzard. 
 
 Kah-gah-ge, Ojib. i 
 
 dau-ffau-ge-she, Ott. ) 
 
 On-daiu; — Crow. On-daie-wno — (^rows. 
 
 As-sig-ge-nawk — Black bird. 
 
 Mis-ko-min-gwe-gun-nah Sig-go-nank — Ktil wing blackbird. 
 
 O-pish-kah-gah-gc — Magpie. O-pish-kah-gah-ge-wug — Mag- 
 jiios. 
 
 Gwcen-gwe-slia — Similar in habits and locality to the former, 
 nnd closely resembling, in size and colour, the following.* 
 
 Teen-dc-se — Blue jay. These begin to lay their eggs before 
 the snoAV is off the ground in the spring. 
 
 Bc-gwuk-ko-kwa o-wais-sa — Thrush. 
 
 * The Gwpcn-gwc-sha is met with about the Saut DeSt. Marie, in the winter 
 season. It is a littie smaller than tlie bhio jay, and of a icaJen eolonr on the twck, 
 the lower part of the nerk, and the wings ; a few of the feathers about the belly 
 arc a dirty wliite above, but plumbeous below, as are those on the forward part of 
 the neck, and about the insertion of the beak. It appears to be the Cormis Ca- 
 ''vknsu!o( Rees' Cyclop. It is snid to have been found as far south in tli« 
 Iiiili'il Ststrs, as the Lilllf' FiiIIh ofllie Mohawk. 
 
 :{0 
 
 Kah-gah-ge- wug 
 
3oa 
 
 PIANTS AND ANIMALS. 
 
 r.. V; 
 
 Ah-luk — Similar to the tlirinh in habits. 
 
 W«?cii-dr-}To bc-nais-HH — Kinir bird, (the bird that eats his own 
 Kind.) 
 
 O-pe-oIic* — Robin. 
 
 Ma-mah-t\va — Cat bird. 
 
 diaum-ma-wai«-shc — Anothc: ol' the same size. 
 
 Kos-ko3-ko-na-rhini^ — firoiind bird ? A small bird so named 
 iroin its note. * 
 
 Put-fas-se-uis. 
 
 AVaw-bc-uing-ko-su — Snow birds. 
 
 Che-ki-chc-gau-na-sa — A very small lively bird, peculiar to the 
 jiorth. 
 
 Mis-kobr-na-sa — Red bird. 
 
 Sa-ija-bun-wau-nis-sa — Waxen cliattercr. 
 
 J 
 
 ■ 'I'liis sociiil little hial srpjiis to bn uot less tlw fiivoiiritc and comp;iiiion of llip 
 Indian than of tlir wliiti' man. Tliry relate, that long ago, t^oon after Nanabush 
 bad made the ground, fhorc was an old chief, a great and j;tK)d man, who, with hi-, 
 wife, had one son. Uut this young man disrcfjardetl the advice and adnionitinns 
 of his [larent.s ; particularly he neglected to fast and pny, as all young men anil 
 women are enjoined to do. For many successive days, had his father pr«>senlrd 
 him hi;! breakfast in one hand, and in the other offered charcoals with which lu 
 paint his fi»cc ; but the ungracious son had steadily preferred the venison, or thn 
 broth, to the coals. One morning hii directed the old woman to mako a choice 
 kettle of Mun-ilah-min-uw-bo, or corn broth, and taking a bowl full of it in one 
 hand, and as nnual some coals in the other, he presented them both to his son. Tlu' 
 young man chtwsnng the broth, the father returned to the fire place, atid takini; ,i 
 handful of ashes, thri'w it into the bowl. The young man then took the coals, aiid 
 rubbing them in hi.s hands, jiainted his face, and retired to the bushes near bj 
 After he had lain thri-e or four days, his father ofliTed him something to eat, but 
 he would not accept it. Thi.-. was rcptated from time to time, until the t«mth day ; 
 then the young man still reniuiTiing in the buslus, cidled his father, and his niotluT, 
 and his relatives, and addressed them thus : " .My friends, it has liei'ii unpleasant 
 to you to see me eat so much as I have e^iten ; hcreafler I shall eat less ; but altlinurrli 
 I can no longer live with you in the lodge, I shall remain near yon, and it shall be 
 my busines.s lo forwam you when any stranger is B])proaching." He then took 
 some red paint, and put it on his face and hi-* breast, to signify that his fast was 
 finished, and was immediately changed to a bird calle<l 0-i)e-c,he. Still he deligliLs 
 to live near the lotlgesof those who were his relatives; and oftentimes lakini^a 
 iitand on the highest branch of a tree, Ii(> cries out n'doini-wateh-i'-go, n'lloati 
 nutch-e-go, to forelel that someone is coming. Ibit having found that his pn 
 diction often proves falsi-, he is ashamed as soon as he lias uttered it, and llyin^'. 
 down, he hides hiiii'-elf ir\ thick tiushc. <>r on the ground, crying o\if chel civ' 
 ^he! rhe! 
 
 \ . 
 
,8 his own 
 
 I so named 
 
 culiav to tlic 
 
 flmpuuioiioftlip 
 after Nanabush 
 111, who, with \i\> 
 uiul adnioniliciis 
 1 yoiinj? men and 
 s fiitlioT prfscntrd 
 a\s with whicli lu 
 10 veniBon, or Ww. 
 to make a choic- 
 ,\ fuU of it in one 
 ithlohisson. 'I'lif 
 Llaor, and tailing » 
 [look the coiilx, and 
 L- bushes nrar by. 
 acthins •" <'a'i ''"<■ 
 nlil the Uinth duy ; 
 IcT, niiJ hit* nuilht'v, 
 a botMi unjdcasiint 
 Irs't ; but alllioupli 
 [you, and it shall I)*' 
 ijT." He then li>>V 
 [y llnit hirt tas-l was 
 Still he d«ligUt--i 
 (flontimes taking a 
 iitoUi'H". "''!«•'" 
 „\md that hisi'f> 
 [dred It, and llvmr. 
 iii.^ out i-hel fh"' 
 
 VI.AXTS AND AXIMAl.>'. 
 
 <)-zhah-wus-kobc-na-s:i — Green bird. 
 
 0-zaw-we-be-na-sa — Yellow bird. 
 
 Ma-ma — Red headed wood pecker. 
 
 Paw-paw-sa — Spotted wood pecker. 
 
 Muk-kud-da paw-paw-sa — Black pawpawsa. The male of this 
 kind, has a bright yellow spot on the top of the head. Tliey are 
 found about Lake Superior in winter. 
 
 Mo-ning-gwun-na — Yaml, (highhold.) 
 
 Ke-ke-ba-na — small spotted wood pecker. 
 
 Chc-gaun-do-wais-sa — Brown wood pecker, confined to cedar 
 countries. 
 
 Shin-go-beek-ai-sa — Cedar bird. 
 
 Gitchc-o-gish-ke-mun-ne-sa — Great king fishrr. 
 
 O-gish-ke-mun-ne-sa* — Common king fislirr. 
 
 Shaw -shaw-wa-ne-bais-sa — Swallow. 
 
 0-so-bun-gc-gush. 
 
 0-kun-is-sa — Loxia enudeator. found at Lake Superior in Feli- 
 ruary. 
 
 Pc, sing. Pe-ug, pi. — A fringillu, smaller than the waxen ciiui- 
 terer. The female has a spot of red on the top of the head ; tin 
 male, the whole head and neck of the same colour. The tail 
 feathers are bent outwards near thr ends. Found about Lake Su- 
 perior in the winter. 
 
 Mara-mah-twa. 
 
 Bosh-kun-dum-moan — Parakeet, (croch perons.) 
 
 Moash-kah-o-se We-kum-mo, (Menomonie) — Stake driver, 
 (bittern.) 
 
 Kun-nuli waw-be-mokee-zhis wais-sa — Fly up the creek, (s>iu 
 ^azer.) 
 
 Me-mom-i-ne-ka-she — Rail, (rice bird.) 
 
 Pud-(lush-k(»n-zhc — Snipe. 
 
 Gitrhe-pud-dush-kon-zhe — Wood cock. 
 
 Cni:-cHi;i;^-cHr.-Mi:-fK — Wader.-. 
 
 Mo-voke — ('urliew, [a foreign word.| 
 Alus-ko-da chc-checs-k«-wa — I'plimd plonr. 
 
 *' /islvemaiiiH. /ein. liii. 
 
..■?:.*»»-.> 
 
 ;J0^ 
 
 IM.ASrs AMI AM.MAJ, 
 
 Yh i 
 
 : I 
 
 Wain-jc-lah clic-rliocs-kowa — Yellow leg piovrr. 
 
 Che-to-waik — Bull licad plover. 
 
 Chc-nhccs-kc-wais — Tern. 
 
 WaM'b-uh-che-chawk — White Crane. 
 
 0-saw-waw-che-chawk — Sand hill crane. 
 
 Mc-zin-sa — Tin-key. 
 
 Be-na — Pheasant. 
 
 Mush-ko-da-sa — Grouse ; confined to pine and cedar countries, 
 
 Ah-gusk, ((|jib.) Ke-waw-nc, (O ,.) — Prairie hen. 
 
 O-nie-me — Pigeon ; o-me-ineeg — Pigeons. Amemi, Z. 10. 
 
 Ko-KO-KO-OGE* Owls. 
 
 Waw-wain-je gun-no — Great horned owl. 
 
 Wain-jc-tah koko-koho — Uight owl. 
 
 Koko-oanse — Little owl ; gokhotit, Z. IS. 
 
 Bo-dah-wah doani-ba — Size of a pigeon, (memhrnm virile.) 
 
 Kaw-kaw-bc-sha — Bro\rn owl. 
 
 Wan-be-ko-ko — Snow owl, very Inr^e. 
 
 "Waw-o-nais-sa — Whippooiwill. 
 
 Baish-kwa — >'ig1it hawk. 
 
 m 
 
 Sii[>siii>nn. 
 
 ■Piid... 
 
 . V. 
 
 V'f 
 
 ■•'.S 
 
 NVaw-be-zco — Gre;\t Swan. 
 
 Mah-nah-be-zee — Smaller swan, not common. Their cry n 
 ■iemblcs the voire of a man. The word means ugly or ill look 
 Jig swan. 
 
 Ne-kuh — Brant ; iir-kug, pi, 
 
 Pish-ne-kuh — A smaller brant. 
 
 Wa-wa — Goose ; >Va-\vaig — (Jeese; Waw-bc-wa-wa — Wliiii 
 goose ; Waw-be-wa-waig — White geese. 
 
 An-ne-nish-shecb — Unrk and mallard. 
 
 Tah-gwaw-ge she-sheob — Fall duck, rod neck. 
 
 Mah-lo-gun she-sheeb — Scrajier bill duck. 
 
 Scah-mo — Wood duck. 
 
 Wa-weeb-ge-won-gn — Blue wing teal, (swift winged.) 
 
 ( ' 
 
 * Gnklios. 7. 1 1 
 
 \ « 
 
f countries. 
 
 , Z. i«. 
 
 m virilo.) 
 
 rheir iry i' 
 Iv or ill look 
 
 ,;,-wa—Wn'' 
 
 Wed.) 
 
 I'LANTS AND A.M.HAI-?. 
 
 Ive-uls-tc-no-kwa sheeb — Crec woman duck. 
 
 Muk-kud-da shecb — Black duck. 
 
 Kitclie-waw-wc-bif^-wa-wya — Large blue wing duck. 
 
 Pe-gwuk-o-she sheeb — Large bill, or blunt arrow duck ; frO!ii 
 {)e-gwuk, the blunt or unbarbed arrow. This species has a largo 
 bill, and head of a leaden colour. They are found throughout 
 the winter, in the rapids between Lakes Superior and Huron. 
 
 Ma-muh-tway-ah-ga — Wliistling wing. 
 
 Kee-no-gwaw-o-wa sheeb — Long neck duck. 
 
 A-ha-wa — House duck. 
 
 Wah-ka-we sheeb — White duck. 
 
 Claw-waw-zhe-koos — Shell duck. 
 
 Ah-zig-wuk — Fishing duck. 
 
 Sah-gah-ta — Mud hen. 
 
 Shin-ge-bis — (trrebc ; Gitche-shin-ge-bis — Large ercr br. 
 
 !Mahng — Loon. 
 
 (\-sha-mahng — Small loon. 
 
 Gau-gau-geshf! shecb — Cormoraiil. 
 
 .Sha-da — Pelican ; sha-daiir — Pelicans. 
 
 Shub-slnih-<rah — Blue h( ron. 
 
 Gi-ArsiiK-wi'G —Gull.<. 
 
 <iiiche-gi-aushk — Great gull. Gi-as-koo-sha of the Oltawwaw>. 
 Paush-kaw gi-aushk — Black headed gull. 
 Vas-so-waw-gwini-nus-kitte-kwah-gi-aushk — Fork tailed gull. 
 Muk-kud-da gi-aushk — Black gull. 
 
 MAN-E-TOANSE-srCi* — I/lffCCts. 
 
 Bo-dush-kwon-c-she — Large dragon tly. 
 Bo-dns-kwon-t-shcense — Small dragon iK . 
 Gitche-me-ze-zaidit — Largt; horse lly. 
 M(!-zauk — Cunirnoii horse lly. 
 Mr-zauk-oons — Nat lly. 
 
 ' .Mnn-r-loans(<-su;i, or iimn-c-toaiisc-ug, wnall spirits ; not rxartlv synonoinoin 
 ):i tliisniipliciiitoii with our word insects, but usoil to tlfsiffuate, indiscrimiiiatrK , 
 ill very Hiiiall aiiiiiuils. 
 
 t Mesissachowak. Zci"*. 81. 
 
^{I0 
 
 VLANTS AND ANIMALS, 
 
 K< ; > 
 
 jnr 
 
 Gitche-ah-ino — Humble bee. Atnoe, abee, Z. 10. 
 
 Ah-mo, sing., ali-maag, pi. — Wasps, hornets, &,v. 
 
 Wa\v-\vaw-lais-sa — Lightning bug. 
 
 An-ne-me-ke wid-de-koam* — Miller, sphinx, thunder's louse. 
 
 Pah-puk-ke-na — Grasshopper. 
 
 Ad-de-sah-wa-a-she — Locust. 
 
 Mow-wytch-e-ka-se — Beetle, (dung worker.) 
 
 Gitche-o-mis-kose — Great water bugs. 
 
 0-mis — Common water bug. 
 
 Ma-maing-gwah — Butterfly. 
 
 Metig-onishe-moan-ka-she — (He that sleeps in a stick.) Found 
 in the bottom of springs. 
 
 Sha-bo-e-ya-sa — Rowing water bug. 
 
 Man-e-toanse o-ke-te-beeg pe-me-bui-toan — Literally, the little 
 f creature or] spirit that runs on the water. 
 
 O-mush-ko-se-se-wug — Grass bugs. 
 
 0-o-chug — Blowing flies and house flies. 
 
 Sug-ge-ma — Musquito. 
 
 Pin-goosh, pin-goosh-ains-sug — Gnats and sand flies. 
 
 Alat-wa-nuh-kai-moag — Swarming flics. 
 
 8ub-be-ka-.Hhe — Spider, (net worker.) A-a-be-ko — Large bladv 
 spider. 
 
 An-e-go — Ant.t 
 
 Mis-ko-manetoanse — A little red bug common in the north. 
 
 Me-nah-koo-sit manetoanse — Strawberry buff. 
 
 Puh-beeg — Flea ; Puh-beeg-wug — Fleas. 
 
 Eze-gaug — Tick. 
 
 K-kwuh — Louse ; E-kwug — Lice. 
 
 Mo-sAic — Wornu'i. 
 
 l>-zah-wash-ko-mo-sah — Green worm. 
 Way-muk-kwah-na — Great catterpillar, (bear skin.) 
 
 * Thin in one of (hose chiiutiy Rphinxes, or moths, that arc found on thogrouiiii 
 in (lump weather, or after nhowersof rain, ami the Indiimn imuirine that they full 
 from the Arniimekcfg, the brincrs who.sc voice is the thunder. 
 
 + The Nimtowiiy Indians have a fable, of an old man and woman who watoh'il 
 an aut lieiip until they saw the little iuHects i'haiii;ed to white men, anil the eg'."- 
 '.vliic'h tlii'v c.irrv in their ttionth.v tn tides of miTi'limidise 
 
 phi- 
 
 *^.iiL>. 
 
yy<(ff»Tft*y-p '**^-' • ' ^ -^a. ■ ^^^U 
 
 mmam 
 
 r's lous^o. 
 
 ck.) Found 
 llv, the littli' 
 
 les. 
 
 —Large blad 
 tlie north. 
 
 |in.) 
 
 iind on the grouii>'. 
 Line that thoy fiiU 
 
 Iniin wlw watctwM 
 noil, nivl tlieoec*' 
 
 PLANTS AND ANIMAL!". 
 
 Gitche-mo-sa — Great white grub ; gitche-mo-saig, plural, 
 Me-shin-no-kau-tait-mo-sa — MilUpedf. 
 Pe-mis-koo-de-scence — Snail. 
 
 Ke-goi-yug — Fishef. 
 
 Nah-ma — Sturgeon. 
 
 Mas-ke-no-zha — Maskenonge, or pike. 
 
 O-zhaw-wush-ko ke-no-zha — Green pickerel, only found in tlic 
 north. 
 
 Ke-no-zha — Pickerel ; from kenose, long. 
 
 Nahrma-goosh — Trout. 
 
 Na-zhum-ma-goosh — Brook trout. 
 
 Ne-git-che — Buflaloe fish. 
 
 Rush-shc-to — Sheeps head ; bush-she-toag, plural. 
 
 Mon-nuh-she-gun — Black bass. 
 
 Ad-dik-kum-aig, (attai-kuin-meeg, Menom.) — White fish, or 
 rein-deer fish ; from ad-dik, rein-deer, and gum-maig, Avater. 
 
 Buh-pug-ga-sa — Large sucker. 
 
 Mis-kwaw-zhe-gun-no — Red horse. 
 
 Nah-ma-bin — Sucker ; Mis-kwun nah-ma-bin —Red sucker. 
 
 TIg-gud-dwawsh — Sun fish. 
 
 Siih-\va — Perch, (yellow.) Sah-waig, pi. 
 
 0-ka-ali-wis — Fresh water herring. 
 
 We-be-chec — A flat fish larger than herring; only found in 
 Red River. 
 
 Mon-num-maig — Great cat fish. 
 
 Ah-wa-sis-sie — Little catfish. The Indians say this fish hatches 
 its young in a hole in the mud, and that they accompany her for 
 some time afterwards. 
 
 Ke-na-beek gwum-maig — Eel, (water snake.) 
 
 0-da-che-gah-oon — Gar. 
 
 Shig-gwum-maig — Shovel nose ; only in tlie Mississippi. 
 
 Kuk-kun-naun-gwi — Littl-. toad fish ; Lake Huron. 
 
 0-gah-suk — Little dories ; Lake Huron. 
 
 ()-gah — Dory. 
 
 Bug-gwut-tum-mo-goon-suk — These arc small fishes, tli.'ii 
 make tlicir appearance in ponds having no connexion with rivers 
 T lakes, and which are sometimes quite dry. But though tliry 
 
'3l'i 
 
 M1N£UAL:<. 
 
 t C! 
 
 
 all periali in limes of drought, they re-appear when the pomls 
 are filled. 
 
 Shaw-ga-she — Craw fish. 
 
 Ais — Clam ; Ais-sug — Clams. 
 
 Ais-ainsc — Little clam. 
 
 Mis-koan-su<r — Red clams. 
 
 
 \ •, 
 
 I. •■^ 
 
 -tk. -ivV 
 
 MINERALS. 
 
 Tliat the Indians are less observant of inanimate substances 
 tiian of organized beings, will be manifest from the following 
 meagre catalogue of minerals. 
 
 > \ 
 
 
 r I •■, 
 
 
 Bin-gwaw-beok — Lime stone, (ashes stone.) 
 
 Mat-toat-wah-nah-beek — Granite. 
 
 Aluk-knd-dah-waw-beck — Black stoiio. 
 
 Mik-k\vuni-me-waw-brek — Wliitc Flint, (ice stone.) 
 
 Pisli-a!>-be«'k — Sulphnret of iron. They often find this passing 
 into sulphate of iron, and make use of it for dying black. 
 
 O-poih-guii-irs-sin — Pipe stone ; farther distinguished accord- 
 ing to colour. 
 
 (>-ska\v-'<!uii-wa\v-bii'k — (Jneiss, (vein stone.) 
 
 Mis-kwaw-siii — Red sand ston* . 
 
 (raw-gaw-wusk — Gypsum. 
 
 Waw-bc-gun — While clay. 
 
 ( )-iunn-un — Ochre. 
 
 Mis-kwavv-be-gun — Red earth. 
 
 0-sa\v-waw-be-i{un — Yellow eartii, 
 
 Mukkuii-da-wuk-kum-mik — Black mould. 
 
 Waw-be-gun-uk-kaw — Clay grouiul. 
 
mtMm 
 
 W 
 
 lie ponil? 
 
 substances 
 le following 
 
 H)f BM!^. 
 
 OF TOTEMS. 
 
 ',i\'.i 
 
 Ahono the Indians of the Algonkia sioek, every ntaii receivet: 
 from his father a totem, or family name. They aflfirm that no 
 man is, by their customs, allowed to change his totem ; and a? 
 this distinctive mark descends to all the children a man may 
 have, as well as to all the prisoners he may take and adopt, it is 
 manifest that, like the genealogies of the Hebrews, these totems 
 should aflford a complete enumeration of the stocks from whicli 
 all the families have been derived. It diflfers not from our insti- 
 tution of surnames, except that the obligations of friendship and 
 hospitality, and the restraint upon intermarriage, which it im- 
 poses, are more scrupulously regarded. They profess to con- 
 sider it highly criminal for a man to marry a woman whose to- 
 tem is the same as his own; and they relate instances where young 
 men, for a violation of this rule, have been put to death by their 
 nearest relatives. They say, also, that those having the samf* 
 totem are bound, under whatever circumstances, as they meet, 
 iven though they should be of different and hostile bands, to 
 treat each other not only as friends, but as brethren, sisters, and 
 relatives of the same family. 
 
 Of the origin of this institution, and of the obligation to ils 
 i^lrict observance, the Indians profess to know nothing. They 
 say they suppose the totem was given them in the beginniug, by 
 their creator. Like surnames among us, these marks are now 
 numerous ; and, as in the case of our surnames, it is difficult to 
 account for their multiplicity, without supposing a time when 
 they might have been changed, or new ones adopted, more easily 
 than at present. 
 
 It is not, as yet, well ascertained that any of the North Ame- 
 rican Indians, except those of the Algonkin family, have these 
 peculiar genealogical marks. Those of the great Chippewyan 
 family, in the north, we are well assured, have them not. From 
 long acquaintance with the Dahcotah bands of the Mississippi and 
 St. Peters, in which designation we include the Hoochawgenah. 
 m Winnebagocs, and the loways, and from a more transient so- 
 MMiminfir ninoii<r i\w Otoc^, the KaiisR>'. liic Omawliawci". Ihf 
 
 10 
 

 
 
 
 314 
 
 TOTEMS. 
 
 Pawnees, and other western tribes, we have, with careful inquiry 
 and search, been able to collect no intimation of such a custom 
 among them. But of the western Indians we cannot speak wilh 
 entire confidence, as we recollect to have heard Renville, an in- 
 terpreter for the Sioux, after much puzzling and cross-examina- 
 tion, admit that something of the kind might exist among that 
 people. It may be observed, that the Algonkins believr all 
 other Indians to have totems, though, from the necessity ihcy 
 are in general under, of remaining ignorant of those of hostile 
 bands, the omission of the totem in their picture writing, serves 
 to designate an enemy. Thus, those bands of Ojibbeways who 
 border on the country of the Dahcotah, or Sioux, always under- 
 stand the figure of a man without totem, to mean one of that 
 people. 
 
 U.i 
 
 l\: i '4 
 
 l/^' 
 
 CATALOGUE OF TOTEMS 
 
 Among the Ottawwaws and Ojibbeways, with the names of some 
 to whom they belong. 
 
 Muk-kwaw — Bear, the totem of Pe-ga-gun, 0-shaw-Ava-no, ami 
 0-ka-taw, chiefs of Waw-gun-nuk-kiz-ze. 
 
 Ke-no-zha — Pickerel, of A-ko-win-de-ba. 
 
 Ad-dik-kun-maig — White fish, of Wawb-o-jeeg, (the wliiir 
 fishen) 
 
 Moons — Moose, of Naw-o-gcc-zhik, (in the middle of the sky.) 
 This is said to be the original totem of the Ottawwaws ; havins? 
 received many accessions of people Aom other bands, many 
 other totems have been derived from them, and are now inter- 
 mixed with the original stock. 
 
 Ad-dik — Rein deer, o<"Ma-mi-ah-jun, (he that goes.) 
 
 Mahng — A loon, of Too-beesh. 
 
 Me-giz-ze — White headed eagle, of Me-zhuk-kwun-na-no. 
 
 Ka-kaik — Henhawk, of 0-ge-mah-",ve-nin-ne. 
 
 Pe-pe-ge-wiz-zains — Sparrow hawk, of Muk-kud-da-be-na-sa. 
 
 Ah-meek — Beaver, of Wa-me-gon-a-bicw and Net-no-kwa 
 
 MDs-sun-dum-mo — Water snake, of 0-kin-je-wun-no, Sin-iK • 
 wav, &c. 
 
 :^^'.{. 
 
'u\ inquiry 
 1 a custom 
 speak with 
 iUe, an in- 
 ,s-examina- 
 among that 
 believe all 
 cessity they 
 e of hostile 
 iting, serves 
 jeways who 
 [ways under- 
 one of that 
 
 tames of some 
 law-wa-no, ami 
 
 jg, (the while 
 
 Idle of the sky.) 
 waws; having 
 [r bands, many 
 
 are now inter- 
 rocs.) 
 
 mn-na-no. 
 
 vud-da-be-na-sa. 
 iNct-no-kwa 
 Lun-no, Sin-i» 
 
 rOTEMS. 
 
 Forked tree, of Ke-me-wun, O-jee^, &c. 
 
 Gi-oshk — Gull, of Puh-koo-se-gun. 
 
 Ad-je-jawk — Crane, of Au-da-menc. 
 
 Nah-ma-bin — Sucker, of Nain-noh-we-ton. 
 
 Pe-zhew — Wild cat : common totem among the Muskegoes, 
 
 Ah-wa-sis-se — Smah fish, ofMatche-kwe-we-zainse. Some- 
 times they call the people of this totem, " those who carry their 
 young," from the habits of the small cat fish. 
 
 She-she-gwun — Rattle snake ; the totem of Gish-kaw-ko, Ma- 
 nito-o-geezhik, &.c. and by tliem given to Tanner. 
 
 Many more might be enumerated, but these are sufficient to 
 give an idea of the kinds of objects from which they choose to 
 derive their names. The trivial or common name of a man may 
 be, and often is, changed on his going to war, or at the occur- 
 rence of any remarkable event ; but the totem is never changed. 
 It is not true, that they have, in all instances, the figure of what- 
 ever may be their totem always tattooed on some part of their 
 body, nor that they carry about them a skin, or any other mark, 
 by which it may be immediately recognised. Though they may 
 sometimes do this, they are, in other instances, when they meet 
 as strangers, compelled to inquire of each other their respectivf. 
 totems.* 
 
 ■ The tribes known to the Ottawwaws, are by them denonunateJ as follows :— 
 
 1. Ottawwawwug, Ottawwaws, ^ , , . ,. 
 
 2. Ojibbewaig, Ojibbeways, { ^'^^^^ ""'" "» "^ ?*«* ^""^^ '""^ ^^"'^ '^'^' 
 
 3. Potiwattimeeg, Potiwattomies, > '*''' '"^ ^"^^'"- 
 
 4. Kekaupoag, Kickapoos. 
 
 5. Oshawanoag, Shawnecse, or southern people. 
 G. Wawbunukkeeg, Stockbiidge, or white tops. 
 
 7. Muskotanje, Muskantins of the early French writers; formerly lived at 
 Wawkwunkizzp, whence they were driven by the Ottawwaws, and the latter now 
 consider them as lost. By some they are supposed to have been a band of Poti- 
 wattomies ; but the Ottawwaws enumerate them as a distinct people. 
 
 8. Osaugeeg, Sankcwi. 
 
 9. Mahnomoneeg, Mcnomonies, (wild rice people.) 
 
 10. Kneestenoag, Crees. They are said to call themselves Nahhahwuk. 
 
 11. Muskegoag, Muskegoes, (swamp people.) 
 
 12. Muskegoag, Nopcmit Azhinnenecg, or Nopemetus Aninceg, (bark woe' . 
 people,) a second relationship of Muskegoes. 
 
 13. Sheshcbug, Ducks. 
 11. Bowwetegoweninnewug, FalllnJians. 
 
^ ; 
 
 aitt 
 
 K-VOWLEUOE OK AI^1U0^0MV. 
 
 'I'lic word totem is of the Ojibbeway languiigc, and, like almost 
 all others, is readily moulded into the form of a verb, as will ap- 
 pear from the following examples : — 
 
 Ah-neen en-dah che-un-net, 0>to-tem-e>waun maun-duh-pe ' 
 
 How maiiy arc these are totems here? 
 
 HoA. many arc the totems of this band ? 
 
 Wa-nain way-gi-osh-kun wa-to-ta-met ? 
 What the gull is hi« totem .' 
 
 What is the guH's totem ? 
 
 
 ^!^:) 
 
 KNOWLEDGE OF ASTRONOMY. 
 
 
 f^ ,( 
 
 Of the opinions of the Indians respecting the heavenly bodie.--, 
 little need be said. An extensive acquaintance with the motions, 
 figures, distances, &.c. of these bodies, could not have been ex- 
 pected from people situated as they are, and deprived altogethrr 
 
 13 'i'uskwawpp'\eeg, Uskwawgomees; near Montreal. 
 
 Thr above fiftpcii tribes arc tlioiight (o apeak lanfriia^fes wliii-Ii resemble Odav 
 
 Ifi. Nautowaig, Naud nvajs, (rattle snakes. > 
 
 IT. Mat-chc-nnw-to-waig, Bad Namloways. 
 
 18. locwaig, loways. 
 
 Jf>. Nabuggindebaig, Flat heads; said to have lived below the Illititiis Ftivn 
 
 20. Wirinebagoag, Winiiclw^oe.'-', or Pimiits. 
 
 '21. Bwoinug, Sioux; Naiulowcsseeg, Ott., iJoasfcrs. 
 
 22. Ussinebwoiiuig, Assinnelxiine, (stone roasters.) 
 
 •2'X .Agutrhanmnewug, Minnetahrees, (settled people.) 
 
 Uf. Kwowahtewug, Mandans. 
 
 ■J.'>. Ahmeekkwun Flninnewug, Beaver People; among the Fall Indian ><. 
 Mukkudda Ozitunnug, Black Feet. 
 UssinncwudJ F.nlnncwug, Rocky Mountain Indian.-^. 
 Pahneng, Pawnees. 
 
 29 Wamussoivowiig. 
 
 'M Kokoskeeg. 
 
 31. .Aguskemaig, Esquimaux, (those who eat tlieir food raw.) 
 
 o2. Wcendegoag, Cannilrals This last iii an imaginary race, said to inliabit 
 an ivland in Hudson's Bay. They are of gigantic dimension, and extremely given 
 to cannibalism. The Mu>ikegoes, who inhabit the low and cheerless swamp* on 
 the borders of Hudson's Bay, and are themselves reproached by the other tribr<; 
 aa cannibals, arc said to live in constant fear of the Weendegoag. 
 
 33. Qjecg Wyahnng, Fisher Skins 
 
 21. 
 28. 
 
i^ 
 
 iWLti I. or AsTRONOMV. 
 
 .HI 
 
 , 1 
 
 ike almost 
 as will ap- 
 
 -duh-pe ' 
 
 here? 
 
 irenly bodie;--, 
 I the motion?, 
 lavc been ex- 
 cd altogethrr 
 
 ) resemble 0(ta^^ 
 
 le llli'u.is Riv'^i 
 
 "all Indians. 
 
 ace, said to inliabit 
 
 ind extremely givf 1 1 
 
 heerless swamp* oil 
 
 by the other trib<«^ 
 
 written language. They pre 
 
 se subjectr* than they lossr- 
 
 ^nWgUlU' 
 
 iiUm of I) 
 
 IZZCi III 
 
 •mn and 
 
 ■^ wife, v/U- 
 
 , . ■ V be ! 
 
 lived on 
 »iful boy. 
 
 of the aids of inatr /lenl.-. and ' 
 tend to no more kr wledge on i 
 
 Au-do-me-ne, an idHgent O wwaw . 
 answer to my inquiries conceminir their 
 moon, related to mc the following fable :- 
 
 Long ago, an old Ojibbcway chief, and 
 the shore of Lake Huron, had one won, 
 His name was Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, (he that catches clouds,) and 
 his totem, after that of his father, a beaver. He would have 
 been a great favourite with them, for he was, in the main, affec- 
 tionate and dutiful, except that they could never persuade him to 
 fast. Though they gave him charcoal, in place of his usual 
 breakfast, he would never blacken his face, and if he could find 
 fish eggs, or the head of a fish, he would roast them, and have 
 something to eat. Once they took from him what he had thus 
 cooked in place of his accustomed breakfast, and threw him 
 some coals instead of it. But this was the last of many attempts 
 to compel him to fast. He took up the coals, blackened his 
 face, went out, and lay down. At night, he did not return into 
 ihe lodge of his parents, but slept without. In his dream he saw 
 a very beautiful woman come down from above, and stand at his 
 feet. She said, " Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, 1 am come for you ; see 
 that you step in my tracks." The lad obeyed without hesitation, 
 and stepping carefully in her steps, he presently found himself 
 ascending above the tops of the trees, through the air, and be- 
 yond the clouds. His guide at length passed through a small 
 round hole, and he following her, found himself standing on a 
 beautiful and extensive prairie. 
 
 They followed the path, which led them to a large and rich 
 looking lodge ; entering here, they saw on one side pipes and 
 war clubs, bows, arrows, and spears, with the various imple- 
 ments and ornaments of men. At the other end of the lodge 
 were the things belonging to women. Here was the home of 
 the beautiful girl who had been his companion, and she had, on 
 the sticks, a belt she had not finished weaving. She said to him, 
 " My brother is coming, and I must conceal you." So putting 
 him in one corner, she spread the belt over him. Ono-wut-to- 
 kwut-to, however, watched what passed without, from his con- 
 cealment, and saw the brother of the young woman come in, 
 
 b 
 
 i 
 
 i: 
 
 :\M 
 

 in 
 
 
 i 
 
 ■n\ i 
 
 
 
 »18 
 
 KNOWLEDGt i)F ASTP.ONOMY. 
 
 most splendidly dressed, and take down a pipe I'rom the wuil. 
 After he had smoked, he laid aside liis pipe, and the sack con- 
 taming his pah-koo-se-gun, and said, " When, my sister, will you 
 cease from these practices ? Have you forgotten that the Great- 
 est of the Spirits has forbidden you to steal tiie children of those 
 who live below? You suppose you have concealed this that 
 you have now brought, but do I not know that he is here in the 
 lodge ? If you would not incur my displeasure, you must send 
 him immediately down tohis friends." But she would not. He 
 then said to the boy, when he found that his sister was deter- 
 mined not to dismiss him, " You may as well come out from that 
 place, where you are not concealed from me, and walk about, for 
 you will be lonesome and hungry if you remain there." He 
 took down a bow and arrows, and a pipe of red stone, richly or- 
 namented, to give him. So the boy came out from under the 
 belt, and amused himself with the bow and pipe the man gave 
 him, and he became the husband of the young woman who hail 
 brought him up from the woods near his father's lodge. 
 
 He went abroad in the open prairie, but in all this fair and 
 ample country, he found no inhabitants, except his wife and her 
 brother. The plains were adorned with flowers, and garnished 
 with bright and sparkling streams, but the animals were not like 
 those he had been accustomed to see. Night followed day, as 
 on the earth, but with the first appearance of light, the brother- 
 in-law of Ono-wut-to-kwut-to began to make his preparations to 
 leave the lodge. All day, and every day, he was absent, and re- 
 turned in the evening ; his wife, also, though not so regular in 
 the time of her departure and return, was often absent great part 
 of the night. 
 
 He was curious to know where they spent all the time of their 
 absence, and he obtained from his brother-in-law permission to 
 accompany him in one of his daily journeys. They went on in 
 a smooth and open path, through prairies, to which they could 
 see no boundary, until Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, becoming hungry, 
 asked his companion if he did not think he should find any game. 
 " Be patient, my brother," said he ; " this is my road in which I 
 walk every day, and at no great distance is the place where 1 
 constantly eat my dinner. When we arrive there you shall scr 
 how I am supplied with food." 
 
m . mw '■ ■**"*l**^*'ll*iPBIP'^w* 
 
 BWWiiP 
 
 «PI 
 
 KNOWLEDGE OV ASTRONOMV. 
 
 •nu 
 
 [\ the wall. 
 ; sack cou- 
 r, will you 
 the Great- 
 en of those 
 d this that 
 here in the 
 a must send 
 Id not. He 
 
 was deter- 
 )Ut from that 
 ,lk about, for 
 there." He 
 le, richly or- 
 am under the 
 he man gave 
 man who had 
 ige. 
 
 this fair and 
 s wife and hei 
 \nd garnished 
 were not like 
 [lowed day, as 
 ;, the brother- 
 reparations to 
 ^bsent, and re- 
 
 so regular in 
 lent great part 
 
 time of their 
 1 permission to 
 ley went on in 
 Ich they could 
 Iming hungry, 
 ^nd any game, 
 aad in which 1 
 [place where I 
 vou shall f^ec 
 
 They came at length to a place where were many fmc mats to 
 ^it down upon, and a hole through whidi to look down upon the 
 earth. Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, at the bidding of his companion, 
 looked down through this hole, and saw far beneath him the 
 great lakes, and the villages, not of the Ojibbeways only, but of 
 all the red skins. In one place he saw a war party, stealing si- 
 lently along toward the hunting camp of their enemies, and his 
 companion told him what would be the result of the attack they 
 were about to make. In another place he saw people feasting 
 and dancing : young men were engaged at their sports, and here 
 and there women were labouring at their accustomed avocations. 
 
 The companion of Ono-wut-to-kwut-to called his attention to 
 a group of children playing beside a lodge. " Do you see," said 
 he, " that active and beautiful boy ?" at the same time thro^ving 
 a very small stone, Avhich hit the child, who immediately fell to 
 the ground, and presently they saw him carried into the lodge. 
 Then they saw people running about, and heard the she-she- 
 gwun, and the song and prayer of the medicine man, entreating 
 that the child's life might be spared. To this request his com- 
 panion made answer, " Send me up the white dog." Then they 
 could distinguish the hurry and bustle of preparation for a feast, 
 a white dog killed and singed, and the people, who were called, 
 assembling at the lodge. While these things were passing, he 
 addressed himself to Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, saying, " There are. 
 among you in the lower w urlJ, some whom you call great medi- 
 cine men ; but it is because their cars are open, and they hear 
 my voice, when I have struck any one, that they are able to give 
 relief to the sick. They direct the people to send me whatever 
 I call for, and when they have sent it, I remove my hand from 
 those I had made sick." When he had said this, the white dog 
 was parcelled out in dishes, for those that were at the feast ; then 
 the medicine man, when they were about to begin to eat, said, 
 " We send thee this, Great Manito ;" and immediately they saw 
 the dog, cooked, and ready to be eaten, rising to them through 
 the air. After they had dined, they returned home by another 
 path. 
 
 In this manner they lived for some time, but Ono-wut-to-kwut- 
 to had not forgotten his friends, and the many pleasant things 
 lii'had left in his father's village, and he longed to return to thr 
 
 I' 
 
 ,^' 
 
320 
 
 KNOWLKDOE OF ASTRONOMY. 
 
 
 ;• 
 
 earth. At last, his wife consented to his request. " Since," 
 said she, " you are better pleased with the poverty, the cares, and 
 the miseries of the world beneath, than with the peaceful and 
 permanent delights of these prairies, go. I give you permission 
 to depart ; not only so, but since I brought you hither, 1 shall car- 
 ry you back to the place where I found you, near your father's 
 lodge ; but remember, you are still my husband, and that my 
 power over you is in no manner diminished. You may return to 
 your relatives, and live to the common age of man, by observing 
 what I now say to you. Beware how you venture to take a wife 
 among men. Whenever you do so, you shall feel my displeasure : 
 and if you marry the second time, it is then you will be called (o 
 return to me." 
 
 Then Ono-wut-to-kwut-to awoke, and found himself on tho 
 ground, near the door of his father's lodge. Instead of thr 
 bright beings of his vision, he saw about him his aged mother, and 
 his relatives, who told him he had been absent about a year. 
 For some time he was serious and abstracted ; but, by degrees, 
 the impression of his visit to the upper world wore off. He he 
 gan to doubt the reality of what he had heard and seen. At 
 length, forgetful of the admonitions of his spouse, he married a 
 beautiful young woman of his own tribe. Four days afterwards 
 she was a corpse. But even the etl'ert of this fearful admonition 
 was not permanent. Ho again ventured to marry, and soon af- 
 terwards, going out of his lodge one night, to listen to some unu- 
 sual noise, he disappeared, to return no more. It was believed 
 that his wife from the upper world came to recall him, accordinf; 
 to her threat, and that he still remains in those upper regions, 
 and has taken the place of his brother-in-law, in overlooking the 
 affairs of men. 
 
 It appears from this tradition, that Avorship, or sacrifices, arc, 
 among the Ottawwaws, sometimes made to the sun and moon ; 
 and tlu^y acknowledge that these luminaries, or rather the man 
 in the sun, aiul the woman in the moon, keep watch over all our 
 actions. 
 
 The various changes of the moon afford them a method of 
 meaHuring time, very definite as to the periods, but variable in the 
 names they give them. Their old men have many disputes about 
 the number of moons in rnch vcar. and they give different nann- 
 
 }!. 
 
 ' i 
 
r:i.i"i.iwi.miiiD i .ji.n! ' 
 
 KXOWl.tDtiE Ol- ASTRONOMV. 
 
 i'il 
 
 " Since," 
 care3, and 
 iceful and 
 permission 
 I shall car- 
 lur father's 
 d that my 
 y return to 
 f observing 
 take a wife 
 lispleasure ; 
 be called to 
 
 isclf on the 
 tead of the 
 mother, and 
 bout a year. 
 , by degrees, 
 off. He bo- 
 ld seen. At 
 he married a 
 •s afterwards 
 d admonition 
 and soon af- 
 to some unu- 
 was believed 
 m, accordinp, 
 iper regions, 
 jrlooking tht- 
 
 Irrificcs, arc, 
 ]n and moon ; 
 Ither the man 
 over all our 
 
 la method of 
 lariable in the 
 llisputes about 
 
 Iflrrrnt nam<" 
 
 10 tacli of tiiese. Some of tlic names in common use are tlie 
 following. The first words are in the Ottawwaw, and the second 
 in tlie Menomonie dialert. 
 O-ta-ha-mene kee-zis — 0-tai-hai-miii ka-zho — Strawberry 
 
 moon. 
 IVle-nes kee-zis — Main ka-zho — Whortleberry njoon. 
 Menomonie-ka-we kee-zis — Pohia-kun ka-zho — Wild rice ga- 
 thering moon. 
 Be-nah-kwaw-we kee-zis — Paw-we-pe-muk ka-zho — Leaves 
 
 falling moon. 
 Gush-kut-te-ne kee-zis — Wnn-nai ka-zho — Ice moon. 
 Ah-gim-me-ka-wc kee-zis — Wa-si-ko-si ka-zho — Snow shoes, 
 
 Ojib. ; bright night, Menom. 
 Mah-ko kee-zis — Wa-mun-nus-so ka-zho — [Manito o-kee-zis, 
 
 Ojib.] — Hear moon, Ott. ; dear rutting moon. Men. ; 
 
 [Spirit moon, Ojib.] 
 Kitche-manito o-kcc-/.is — Ma-clia-li-witk wa-mun-nuz-so-wuk 
 
 — Longest moon, i^ood for luuitiiig.* 
 Me-giz-ze-we kee-zis — Na-ma-pin ka-zho — [I\a-ma-bin kec-zi>i. 
 
 Ott.j — Snrker moon. 
 >ie-kc kee-zis — Siio-bo-maw-kun ka-zho — llrant moon, Ojib. ; 
 
 Sugar moon. Men. 
 Ma\Mig-o kee-zis — .\s-sa-bini ka-zlio — Ja)on*s moon, Ojib. ; rai - 
 
 coon moon, Men. 
 Sah-ge-bug-ah-we kee-zis — Pe-ke-pe-niuk ka-zlio — Leaves 
 
 moon. 
 Another moon spoken of by the iVIenomonies, is Wai-to-ke Ka- 
 zho, the snake moon, which belongs to the spring season. 
 
 The following short catalogue ol stars and constellations, will 
 >lu)w that they pay some attention to the more remote of the 
 heavenly bodies. Some few of their old men, it is said, have 
 many more names. 
 
 Waw-bim-an-nunjr — The morning star. 
 
 Ive-wa-din an-nung — The north star. 
 
 Muk-koo-ste-gwt)n — The bear's head. Three stars in the tri- 
 angle. 
 
 Muli-koo-zhe-gwun — Bear's rump. Seven stars. 
 
 * A ptruon born in thit* moon, (Janunrv ) will W long livei! 
 
 II 
 
 .W: 
 
•Mi 
 
 KNOWLEDGE OF ASTRONOMV. 
 
 •.♦. i 
 
 m . < 
 
 Oi-eogan-nung-wiig — Fisher stars. The bright stars in ursa 
 major, and one beyond, which forms the point of the fisherV 
 nose. 
 
 Mah-to-te-sun — The sweating lodge. One of the poles of this 
 lodge is removed. They say the man whom they {>oint out near 
 by, was so overcome witli the heat of the Mah-to-te-sun, that in 
 his hurried attempt to escape, he pulled up this pole. 
 
 Mahng — A loon. 
 
 Nau-ge-maun-gwait — Man in a canoe hunting the loon. 
 
 Ah-wali-to-wuh o-moag — The companions sailing. 
 
 An-nung-o-skun-na — Comet. They have the oj)inion common 
 ;iinong ignorant white people, that the appearance of a comet is 
 an indication that war is to follow. The Ojibbeway An-nung-o- 
 ^kuii-na, seems to signify blazing star. The Menomonies call 
 them Sko-tie-nah-mo-kin, the seeing fire. Some of the Ojibbp- 
 wayp, al.'io, Wa-ween-e-zis-e-mah-guk Ish-koo-da, fire that has 
 hair. 
 
 Of the (rue cause of the increase and decrease of the moon, ot' 
 ci'lipses, and of other phenomena which depend upon the motion^ 
 of tie heavenly bodies, they have no correct conceptions. When 
 the moon is in eclipse, they say it is dying, and they load and dis- 
 charge tiieir guns at it ; and when they perceive the bright pari 
 becoming a little larger, they imagine they have aided to drive 
 away the sickness which was overpowering it. Of the milliv 
 way, they sometimes say, that a turtle has been swimming alonu^ 
 the bottom of the sky, and disiurbt'd the mud. Of tlie aurora bo- 
 realis, which tliey call the dancf of the dead, their opinion, 
 though a little more poetic, is equally childish. Several ircteorir 
 phenomena they distinguish from those remoter appearances 
 which are beyond our atniosiihore, and of the former they sonn - 
 limes say, " they belong to us." 
 
 What was long ago stated by Roger Williams, of the mytho- 
 logy of the Indians of Rhode Island, agrees but in part with the 
 opinions of the present daj' amrng the Otlawwaws. Of Cau-tan- 
 to-wit, " the great south-west god," we hear nothing. Ning-gali- 
 be-an-nofi;4 Manito, the western god, the younger brother of Nn- 
 tia-bou-jou, the god of (he country of (he dead, has taken hii 
 place. In his Saw-waw-nand, we recognize the Shaw-wun-nouji 
 Manito, tho stmthcrn irod of the (>((;iwwaw's. But all these. \\i\\\ • 
 
■Mn«*"m 
 
 mrs in ursn 
 ,he fisher's 
 
 joles of this 
 int out near 
 sun, that in 
 
 loon. 
 
 liou coinniou 
 of a comet is 
 f An-nung-o- 
 lomonies call 
 f the Ojibbc- 
 fire that has 
 
 the moon, ot 
 m the motioib 
 ptions. When 
 J load and dis- 
 he bright pari 
 aided to drive. 
 Of the milky 
 imiaing alonu' 
 the aurora bo 
 their opinion, 
 veral n"eteoii<- 
 r appearanci"- 
 lor they sonn - 
 
 of the mytho- 
 part with the 
 Is. OfCau-tan- 
 ig. Ning-gah- 
 1 brother of Nn- 
 has taken hi" 
 Ihaw-wnn-nouc 
 ill these. WnM- 
 
 K.NOWI.EDCE OF ASTRONOMY. 
 
 hun-ong Manito, the god of the morning, or of the east, Ke-way- 
 tin-ang Manito, the god of the north, witli Ka-no-waw-bum-min- 
 iik, " he that sees us," whose place is in the sun, are inferior iii 
 power to many others ; even to the Ke-zhc-ko-we-nin-ne-wug, 
 the sky people ; a race of small, but benevolent and watchful be- 
 ings, who are ever ready to do good to mankitid. 
 
II J 
 
 .■k>#SBIIM»i-,;£-*.^^ 
 
 324 
 
 SVMERAtS. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 COMPARISON OF NUMERALS, TO TEN, IN SEVERAL AMERICAN- 
 DIALECTS. 
 
 !'• ;«o. 
 
 1. Oto — Fro7n Say. 
 
 W% 
 
 i; \l 
 
 fiVli 
 
 
 r- 
 
 
 Ui 
 
 Yon-ka 
 
 Sha-gua 
 
 No-wa 
 
 Shah-a-muh 
 
 Tah-ne 
 
 Kra-rah-ba-na 
 
 To-wa 
 
 Shan-ka 
 
 Sah-tah 
 
 Kra-ba-mili 
 
 
 •i. Konza. 
 
 Meakh-che 
 
 Shahp-pcii 
 
 Nom-pal» 
 
 Pa-om-bah 
 
 Yah-ber-vp 
 
 Pa-yah-ber-re 
 
 To-pah 
 
 Shank-kiih 
 
 Sah-tah 
 
 Ker-ab-bu-rah 
 
 
 :{. Omau'hnw. 
 
 Mcarh-chc 
 
 Shap-pa 
 
 Nom-bah 
 
 Pa-nooni-ba 
 
 Ra-bene 
 
 Pa-rah-hrnc 
 
 To-bah 
 
 Shooii-kah 
 
 Sah-tah 
 
 Kra-ba-rah 
 
 
 '1. Yaukfiuig: 
 
 Wan-chah 
 
 Shah-kah-pe 
 
 No-pah 
 
 Shah-ko-c 
 
 Yah-ine-nc 
 
 Sha-kun-(lo-ali 
 
 To-pah 
 
 Nuh-pet-che-wun-bah 
 
 Zah-pe-lali 
 
 Wrek-rhc-min-nuh 
 
S i , . i u ,m0m » i f i n0ii|r I i » 
 
 
 pt! 
 
 NUMERALS. 335 
 
 5. Dahkotah — Of Upper Mississippi. 
 
 Wau-zhe-tah Shah-kah-pr 
 
 No-a-pah Sliah-koan 
 
 Yah-min-iic Shah-han-doali 
 
 To-a-pah Neep-chew-wun-kali 
 
 Zah-pe-tah Weck-chim-mah-nc 
 
 
 U. Minnetahsc. 
 
 Le-mois-so 
 
 
 A-cah-me 
 
 No-o-pah 
 
 
 Chap-po 
 
 Nah-mo 
 
 
 No-pup-pe 
 
 To-pah 
 
 
 No-was-sap-pa 
 
 Cheh-hoh 
 
 7. Pawnee. 
 
 Pe-sah-gas' 
 
 As-ko 
 
 
 Shek-shah-bish 
 
 Pet-ko 
 
 
 Pet-ko-shek-sha-bisl i 
 
 Tou-wct 
 
 
 Toii-wet-sha-bisli 
 
 Shke-liksli 
 
 
 Tok-shere-wa 
 
 She-oksh 
 
 8, Choktaw. 
 
 Tok-shcro 
 
 Chaf-fah 
 
 
 Han-nah-ia 
 
 To-ko-lo 
 
 
 Oon-to-ko-lo 
 
 To-cha-nah 
 
 
 Oon-to-che-nali 
 
 Osh-tah 
 
 
 Chak-ah-ta 
 
 Tath-lah-pc 
 
 
 Po-ko-]a 
 
 0. Ojibbcway. 
 Ning-gooj-waw, or Ba-zhik Ning-good-waw-swe 
 
 Neezh-waw, 
 Nis-swaw, 01 
 Ne-win 
 Nah-nun 
 
 or Neczli 
 • Nis-swc 
 
 Noczh-zhwaw-swc 
 Shwaw-swc 
 
 Shong-^us-swc, or shong 
 Me-dos-swe, or kwaitch 
 
 
 10. Muskwake. 
 
 
 
 Nckot 
 Ncpsh 
 
 
 Nee-8wa 
 Ne-o 
 
 
 
 m . 
 
 t 
 
'»■ .?; ,f 
 
 H'i'j 
 
 I . 
 
 
 H ^^ 
 
 
 
 
 NUMERALS 
 
 
 Ne-on-pii 
 
 
 
 Neesh-waiis-pek 
 
 Ne-kot- 
 
 waus-keek 
 
 
 Shaiink 
 
 Ne-kot-uau-swa 
 
 
 Me-to-swa 
 
 
 
 
 
 •v^* 
 
 
 11. 
 
 Minsi 
 
 — From Hcckeweldcr. 
 
 Gut-ti 
 
 
 
 
 Gut-tasch 
 
 Nis-cha 
 
 
 
 
 Nis-choascli 
 
 Na-cha 
 
 
 
 
 Cha-asch 
 
 Ne-wa 
 
 
 
 
 No-we-li 
 
 Na-lan 
 
 
 
 
 Wim-bat 
 
 12. Algonlcin — From Heckioedder. 
 
 Pe-gik Nin-gon-ton-as-sou 
 
 Ninch Nin-chou-as-soii 
 
 Nis-souc JN'is-soii-as-so\i 
 
 Neon Ohan-gas-so\i 
 
 !Va-san Mil-Ias-sou 
 
 13. Dclawarr. — Froj/i Ilcckewclder. 
 
 I 
 
 Ni-gut-ti 
 
 Gut-tasch 
 
 Nis-clia 
 
 Nis-chash 
 
 Na-clut 
 
 (Jhasch 
 
 Ne-wo 
 
 Pes-clionk 
 
 Pa-le-narh 
 
 Tel-lrn 
 
 
 14. Mahnotnonic. 
 
 \e-kote.s 
 
 Ne-kot-was-sa-lah 
 
 Neesh 
 
 No-ha-kuii 
 
 Nah-new 
 
 Suah-sek 
 
 Ne-ew 
 
 Sliaw-ka-waw 
 
 Nean-min 
 
 Mc-tah-tah 
 
 
 16. Cree — From Say. 
 
 Paynk 
 
 Ne-go-to-ali-sek 
 
 Ne-shuh 
 
 Ta-pa-coli 
 
 Nesli-lo 
 
 Aa-na-nes 
 
 Na-a-wo 
 
 Ta-ka-lo 
 
 Vfan-nuii 
 
 ^Tn-tn-ta 
 
 
 ./ ■ 
 
 l^Vl! 
 
 'I 
 
■■Mill 
 
 '"—•—mmim 
 
 NUMERAL:?. 
 
 10. Winnebago. 
 
 tm 
 
 Zhunk-he-rah 
 
 Noam-pee-wee 
 
 Tah-nee-wee 
 
 Kho-a-pee-wee 
 
 Saut-shah 
 
 Ah-ka-a-way 
 
 Shau-koa 
 
 Ar-waw-oank 
 
 Zhunke-schoonk-schounc 
 
 Kar-ra-pun-na-nah 
 
 17. Adage — Frorri Duponceau. 
 Nan-cas Pa-ca-naa-cus 
 Nass Pa-caness 
 (yolle Pa-ca-lon 
 (-■ac-ca-chc Sic-kin-ish 
 !Sep-pa-can Neus-ne 
 
 18. Muskogee — Frotn Adair. 
 
 Hom-mai 
 
 
 
 
 E-pah-g!ie 
 
 Jiok-kole 
 
 
 
 
 Ho-loo-pha-gc 
 
 Too-che-na 
 
 
 
 
 Chee-ne-pa 
 
 Osh-ta 
 
 
 
 
 Oli-sta-pc 
 
 ('ha-ka-pe 
 
 
 
 
 Pa-ko-le 
 
 19. Cholctah 
 
 and Cliiksah- 
 
 —From Adair. 
 
 tJheph-pho 
 
 
 
 
 Han-nali-lc 
 
 Too-ga-lo 
 
 
 
 
 IJn-too-ga-lo 
 
 Toot-che-na 
 
 
 
 
 Un-too-che-na 
 
 Oos-ta 
 
 
 
 
 Chak-'ic-le 
 
 Tath-la-be 
 
 
 
 
 Po-koo-lc 
 
 20. 
 
 Chcrokee- 
 
 -From Adair. 
 
 sjo-guo 
 
 
 
 
 Ka-re-koge 
 
 Tah-iie 
 
 
 
 
 Sah-nay-ra 
 
 Choch 
 
 
 
 
 Soh-iKiy-ra 
 
 Nauk-kc 
 
 
 
 
 Skoch 
 
 Ish-ke 
 
 
 
 
 So-at-too(ll) 
 
 Soo-tare 
 
 
 
 
 Ta-ra-too (12) 
 
 31. Quaddies, [Maine.] — From Duponceau. 
 
 lS*ai-gof Ni-lii 
 
 Vrs Na-ho 
 
?^^ 
 
 ,;_-v*^t4^*»^'iiSrfk.^_ 
 
 
 V /. 
 
 Ji 
 
 r'um 
 
 I i 
 
 328 
 
 NUMERALS. 
 
 Nane 
 
 Ga-mat-chinc 
 
 A.-lo-he-gan-nah 
 
 Ok-muh-liinc 
 
 As-kwi-nan-dak 
 
 Noy-dinsk 
 
 23. Quawpaw—From Duponccau's MS. 
 
 Milch-tih Schap-peh 
 
 Non-ne-pah Pen-na-pah 
 
 Dag-he-nig Pe-dag-he-nih 
 
 Tu-ah Schunk-kah 
 
 Sat-ton Ge-deh-bo-nah 
 
 33. Penobscot — Fro7n Duponceau's MS. 
 
 Pe-suok Neuk-tansg 
 
 Neisc Ta-boos 
 
 Nhas San-suk 
 
 Yeuf No-cle 
 
 Pa-lc-neusg Ma-ta-ta 
 
 24. Miami — From Duponcemi's MS. 
 Ng-goo-teh Ka-kat-sueh 
 
 Nii-ju-eh 
 Nisth-ueh 
 i\u-ueh 
 llaan-uch 
 
 Sueh-tct-sueh 
 Po-laa-nch 
 Ngo-tc-me-nch-kek 
 Mo-taat-sueh 
 
 25. Skawncsc — From Duponccau's MS. 
 In-gut-i, or, n'gut-i Ka-kat-swi 
 
 Nis-chwc 
 N'swe 
 Ni-wi 
 >'ia-lan-wi 
 
 Swach-tct-swy 
 Pal-la-ni 
 
 N'giit-ti-me-pech-gi 
 Mat-tat-swy 
 
 2H. Unachog — From Duponceau's MS. 
 
 Na-gwiii Na-cut-tali, or, cut-lali 
 
 TVecs 'riim-po-wa 
 
 Nos Swat 
 
 Yaut Neone 
 
 Pa, or. na-|iaa Pay-ar 
 
 <•■■♦(•-■ 
 
NlMiiRAl.^, 
 
 27. Natick—From Elliot's Bib. 
 
 329 
 
 Ne-gunt 
 
 Neese 
 
 Nish 
 
 Yau 
 
 Na-pan-na-tah-she 
 
 Nc-kwut-ta-tah-slu- 
 
 Ne-sau-suk-tah-she 
 
 Shwo-suk-tah-she 
 
 Pa-skoo-giin-tah-shc 
 
 Pi-iik 
 
 28. Nousaghausct — From. EllioVs Bib. in MS. 
 Ne-guit Kwut-ta 
 
 Nase 
 
 
 
 
 E-na-da 
 
 Nibh 
 
 
 
 
 Shwo-suk 
 
 Yoh 
 
 
 
 
 Pas-ku-git 
 
 Na-pau-na 
 
 
 
 
 Pi-uk 
 
 39. Sourihi'os-ioruM. — From John I)c Lad. 
 
 Ne-gout 
 
 
 
 
 Ka-ma-chin 
 
 Ta-bo 
 
 
 
 
 E-roe-kwe-sink 
 
 Chicht. 
 
 
 
 
 Meg-oii-ma-chia 
 
 Ne-oii 
 
 
 
 
 |]gh-ko-na-tleck 
 
 \ait 
 
 
 
 
 Me-tuii 
 
 30. Canadensis, 
 
 lb. 
 
 — From 
 
 Aitct. Lcscarbot. 
 
 IJe-gou 
 
 
 
 
 Coii-tou-sai-liiii 
 
 Mi-choii 
 
 
 
 
 \c-o-va-r.hin 
 
 \ich-toa 
 
 
 
 
 \cs-to-va-chin 
 
 Rau 
 
 
 
 
 Pcs-co-va-det 
 
 A-pa-te-ta 
 
 
 
 
 Me-tuB 
 
 . Saukikani- 
 
 -From 
 
 J. 
 
 D. Lacf 
 
 Auct. Johaii. Sn 
 
 Cottc 
 
 
 
 
 Cot-tash 
 
 Nyssc 
 
 
 
 
 Nys-sas 
 
 Na-cha 
 
 
 
 
 Ge-chas 
 
 Wy-wc 
 
 
 
 
 Pcs-choii 
 
 Pa-rc-n;igli 
 
 
 
 
 Tcr-ren 
 
 32. 
 
 Algonkii 
 
 ■ — From 
 
 /, Long: 
 
 Pay-J'k 
 
 
 
 
 Nis-soo 
 
 Ninrh 
 
 
 
 42 
 
 Ncoo 
 
 / ( 
 
 1/ 
 
.^^S^'-^W^'-Jii*.— _ 
 
 I tf* 
 
 'III: lit 
 
 
 
 iJ 
 
 I.M ' i 
 
 i'fl/' 
 
 330 
 
 NUMERALS. 
 
 Na-raii 
 
 Nin-goot-was-soo 
 
 Nin-cho-was-soo 
 
 Nis-so-was-so 
 Shon-gas-soo 
 Ni-tas-soo 
 
 33. Chipprivay — From J. Long. 
 
 Pay-shik Nc-gut-wos-swoy 
 
 Neesh Swos-swoy 
 
 Nees-swoy Shau-gos-swoy 
 
 Ni-on Mo-tos-swoy 
 Na-ran 
 
 34. Ncv) Stockbridge — Fro7ii Kao-no-mut, a woman who had 
 been living on Fox River, 1827. 
 
 N'got-tah N'ko-taus 
 
 To-pau-wus 
 
 Ne-shah 
 Nah-hah 
 Nah-wah 
 No-nun 
 
 Ug-wit-toli 
 Nrs-oh 
 Nogh-holi 
 Nau-w oil 
 Nu-noii 
 
 Khous-so 
 
 Nah-ne-wc 
 
 N'lan-nct 
 
 35. Mohegan. 
 
 Ug-wit-tus 
 
 Tu-pou-wiis 
 
 (ihu-sooli 
 
 Nau-ne-weh 
 
 \e-tau-nit 
 
 36. Monsrc — From an Indian at Buffaloe, 
 
 N'got-tah N'got-wawp 
 
 Ne-sliali Nush-waiis 
 
 N'hali N'haus 
 
 Na-ali No-wa-lah 
 
 Naw-biin Wim-bat 
 
 37. Nauduway — From Tanner. 
 
 Wis-ka-ut Yah-gali 
 
 Tik-ke-ne 
 
 Os-sali 
 
 Kia-nfcc Te-unk-teuli 
 
 Wlnsk Wr-fifo-iii* 
 
 Shah-tuk 
 Sah-ta-gali 
 
 I 
 
 iix. »■ 
 
MMk 
 
 NUMERALS. 33[ 
 
 38. Seneca— From an Indian at Biijaioe, 18^7. 
 Skaut Yah-fli 
 
 Tik-thuco Chah-duk 
 
 '"^""■a^' Ta-ke-oh 
 
 Ka-ac Teu-tolm 
 
 ^^«'s'' Wushan 
 
 39, Potiwattomie—From an Indian at Detroit, 1827. 
 
 N^-g^t Ne.got-waut-so 
 
 Neesh No-okt-so 
 
 ^««s.wa Su-aut-so 
 
 '^a-ow Slmli-kah 
 
 Na-nun Kwetcli 
 
 40. Ottawwaw—From Tanner. 
 Nc-goch-waw Nin-got-wau-swa 
 
 !Veesh-waw Neesh-wau-swa 
 
 ^''^^^vii^v Nis-wan-swa 
 
 '^^•wi" Shaunk 
 
 Nah-nun Kwetch 
 
 41. Chippewyan—From u German Interpreter. 
 
 *''h-''-a I-ka-lali-rali 
 
 ^^"''■>^" I-ka-taing-ha 
 
 ^^''^J^-^''" Ish-lah-in-ding.ga 
 
 '^*'"g''^ Kas-ka-koo-un-nee-rah 
 
 Sah-zhun-lah-lia Koo-im-nu-ah 
 
 43. Chippewyan—From M'Kenzie. 
 ^'a-chy Al-ke-tar-hy-y 
 
 ^a-ghur Al-ki-deing-hy 
 
 '^^Sh-y Ca-ki-na-ha-noth-na 
 
 Dengk-y Ca-noth-na 
 
 Sas-sou-la-chee 
 
 43. Chippewyan—From a woman, a native of Churchill, 
 Ith-Iia Ting-he 
 
 ^»^-^^ Sah-zun-lah-lia 
 
 Krah-ha, or tah-rhe 11-kel-tah-rah 
 
 IJ^. 
 
 h^ 
 
332 
 
 If ^ 
 
 f I f 
 
 1:^ Mli 
 
 % 
 
 i^K% 
 
 
 MJMEltAl.^. 
 
 
 Shah-zct-tc 
 
 
 
 Kah-kin-ho-en-er-nali 
 
 Il-ket-tinjD: 
 
 
 
 llo-cn-rr-nali 
 
 
 14. 
 
 Anglo Sa 
 
 Ton. 
 
 Aen 
 
 
 
 Six 
 
 Twe-gcn, or, 
 
 twa 
 
 
 Se-o-fou 
 
 Threo, or, th 
 
 ry 
 
 
 Eaghta 
 
 Fco-thcr, or, 
 
 Cco-wcr 
 
 
 Ni-gonc 
 Tyn 
 
 45. Cree- 
 
 -From M^Kcnzic. 
 
 Pey-ac 
 
 
 
 Ne-gou- ta-woe-sic 
 
 Ni-shcu 
 
 
 
 Nish-wi-o-sic 
 
 Nish-toti 
 
 
 
 Jan-na-ncw 
 
 Nc-way 
 
 
 
 Shack 
 
 Ni-an-nan 
 
 
 
 Mi-ta-tat 
 
 H). 
 
 Als^okiii — From 
 
 M'Kenzic. 
 
 Po-chcik 
 
 
 
 Ni-gou-la-wa-swois 
 
 Nijc 
 
 
 
 Ni-jri-was-wois 
 
 Nis-woi? 
 
 
 
 She-was-wois 
 
 Neau 
 
 
 
 ;Shan-g\vos-wois 
 
 Na-nau 
 
 
 
 Mit-as-swois 
 
 47. Chippewt/aa — From a Chippewyan. 
 
 Lth-li-ah El-kat-hai-ri 
 
 Nuk-km- rSlus-ing-ding-hc 
 
 Tor-ri El-ket-ding-hc 
 
 Ding-hc Kutch-e-r.3-ner-re 
 Sos-sii-li-he 
 
 Ho-ner-ne-nuh 
 
 48. Winnebago — From a Winnebago. 
 
 Zhimk-kaifl Har-ker-ra 
 
 Noamp 
 
 Tarn 
 
 T'joab 
 
 Sarj 
 
 Pfi-ak 
 
 8har-goan 
 Kad-do-unk 
 Yunk-kcd-joos-koon 
 Ker-rcb-hon-na 
 
 49. Cree — From a native. 
 Ne-sn 
 
 '^lk>^s;- 
 
•««i 
 
 f ' 
 
 NUMERALS. 
 
 883 
 
 Nees-to 
 
 Ne-o 
 
 Ne-ah-nun 
 
 Ning-good-waw-sik 
 
 Ta-bc-ko 
 E-nah-ne 
 Kam-me-tali-lai 
 Me-tah-tat 
 
 50. Mahneshcet, (slow'tongucs,) residing on the St. Johns, N. B. 
 
 From a native. 
 
 Na-koot 
 
 Tah-bo 
 
 Sheist 
 
 Na-oo 
 
 Nahu 
 
 Kah-imitch-ia 
 
 Lu-he-gin-mik 
 
 O-go-mul-chiu 
 
 Aish-ko-iiah-daig 
 
 Ko-dainsk 
 
 .: 'J 
 
• fc*y**-.-'*^ 
 
 4 r>if i. 
 
 !S,M « < 
 
 
 ii^vi*^ 
 
 ijiit 
 
 MISU A\J» I'OKTKV. 
 
 CHAPTER 111. 
 
 MUSIC AND POETRV OF THE INDIAN.^. 
 
 Here, it must be ackiiowlodged, \vc enter a barren field, ofler- 
 ing little to excite industry, or to reward inquiry. Without lite- 
 rature to give perpetuity l(» the creations of genius, or to bear to 
 succeeding times the record of remarkable events, the Americans 
 have no store house of ancient hiarning to open to tlie curiositv 
 of the European race. They have probably never thought like 
 ihe Arabs, that the cultivation of their language was an object ol 
 importance ; and though the orator must at times have experi- 
 enced the eflect of a )iapj)y choice of expression, he must alwayi^ 
 liave been confined to a narrow range, by tlie necessity of keeji- 
 ing within the comprehension of his hearers. Hence tlieir pubh( 
 speakers appear to liepend more on a certain vehemence and 
 earnestness of manner, which is intelligible without words, than 
 upon any elegance of tlunight. or refinement of diction. 
 
 Their songs, whether of war or devotion, consist, for the mor>i. 
 Ill a few words or short phrases many times repeated; and in 
 their speeches, (hey dw«'ll long and vehemently on the same 
 idea. One who hears an Indian orator without comprehendini' 
 his language, w»»uld confidently suppose that his discourM 
 abounded with meaning ; but tliese speeches, like their tedious 
 and monotonous chants, when clearly understood, appear so poor 
 and jejune, that few white men would listen to either, were it not 
 with tlie hope of extiactinii inforinatinn, of which the speaker, or 
 the sinirer himself, must be wholly unconscious. Hut after all is 
 jieard and e\|ilained. and carefully examined in all its bearings, 
 It must be principally the business of a <{uick and fertile imagina- 
 tion, to fiiul in them moral instruction oi historical informatitm. 
 If we fiinl amori>r the American Indians traditional items, bearing 
 iiianilesi and strong ••'•s(i"t!:::.»,- to those of the great Asiatic fa- 
 luily. from whom we have ado|)led many of our religious opi- 
 
...niiriii'wwLiiir^a^'A;. 
 
 MUSIC ANU rOETRV. 
 
 335 
 
 field, ofler- 
 Vithout lite- 
 )r to bi'ar to 
 c Americans 
 the ru!iosil\ 
 thoujrht like 
 an object ol 
 have experi- 
 must alway- 
 isity of kee]!- 
 c their publii' 
 liemence ami 
 t words, lli;ni 
 ion. 
 
 for the mo^l. 
 tod ; and in 
 ,11 the sanu 
 niprehcndin^ 
 lin disrour^t 
 llu'ir tediou- 
 i)[H'ar so pool 
 ■r, were it not 
 [(' speaker, or 
 Int after all i- 
 its bearings, 
 jrtile imanina- 
 infornialion 
 jtenis. bearing 
 at Awialif f»- 
 Irelisiious opi 
 
 nions, this can only be considered as indicating what needed no 
 proof; namely : Thai this people, as well as ourselves, have de- 
 scended from that primeval slock, which, i)lanted somewhere upon 
 ihe moimtains .if Asia, has sent forth its branches into all parts 
 of the earth. Thither, we are taught by the most ancient human 
 records, and by the concurrent deductions of all soimd philoso- 
 phy, and honest impiiry. to look for the i;reat fountain of the hu- 
 man race: and if some of the streams, in des<;ending thence, have 
 been concealed in swamps, or sunk beneath sands, we ought not 
 ihcreforc to doubt that their origin is to be thence deduced. But 
 that existing or retrieveable monuments or resemblances, will 
 over enable the curious satisfactorily to trace the American 
 br .nch to its origin, need not now be expected. Nevertheless, 
 this part of the subject may have interest for those who love to 
 trace the human character through all situations and exposures, 
 and to contemplate the eflect of rev(dutions in external circum- 
 stances, on manners, lanL'uage, and metaphysical opinions. 
 
 Sufficient evidence proliably exists, to convince niaiiy, that the 
 natives of the central regions of North America, whatever diver- 
 sities of dialect may now exist, are essentially of the same race 
 with the Peruvians, the Mexicans, and the Natchez ; betweeit 
 whom and the ancient iidi;\l)itants of (Jreece and Italy, and thai 
 liortion of the present population of India who worship Hrama, 
 lloudd, <«anesa, Iswara, &c. a near relationship has already been 
 isrertained. In the melamorphoses which tlie Indian traditions 
 Ksign to many trees, plants, animals, and other thiiijrs. we an* 
 -irongly reminded of the similar superstitions preserved by tlu 
 Roman poets. Wo fiiul, also, in the American traditions, distinct 
 illusions to a general dehigt , and to several other particular^ 
 which we are accustomed to consider as restintr solely on the au- 
 thority of the Mosaic history. Hut when we relied on the al- 
 most universal distribution of these opinions, in some shape or 
 other, among all known races of men, we may admit a doubt 
 whether they have been derived from tin- historical bo(»ks of the 
 Hebrews, or whether thev are not rather the ulimnu'rings i»f ihiil 
 jirimilive light, which, at the first great divisitm after the llood. 
 into the families of Shem, Ilam, and Japhel, and more recently 
 ^t the dispersion of Habel, must have been in possession of all 
 'Mankind. We find in the Mosaic hislorv, written. n« it wax. 
 
 m ! 
 
 M|iMMK*ii«mMA* 
 
/' jT 
 
 ^'T^'^^^-^H^ifci,-*, v---e*»ii« •«»'L! 
 
 33ft 
 
 MUSIC ANP FOETR\. 
 
 'ir't 
 
 f ' 
 
 
 ,1. 
 
 
 long alter the periorl here spoken of, abundant evidence, not only 
 tliat traditional remembrance oC the deluge, and other great events 
 in the early history of mankind, was stiil preserved ; but that di- 
 rect revelations of the mind and will of the Creator had been, and 
 were still made to men, at sundry times, and in divers places. 
 Within two or three hundred years of the deluge, some know- 
 ledge of the mechanic arts, at least ship building and masonry, 
 iiiust have remained, or so many men would not have been found 
 ready to undertake the erection of a tower whose top should 
 reach unto heaven. At this time, Noah, the second father of 
 mankind, and his three sons, who, as well as himself, had known 
 the "world before the flood," were still alive. Any branch, 
 therefore, of the family of either of the three sons of Noah, re- 
 moved at this' time to " the isles of the gentiles," or to whatever 
 remote part of the earth their knowledge of navigation and other 
 arts might enable them to reach, would retain at least a traditional 
 cosmogony and theogony, which, after ever so many years, or 
 ever so wide and devious a wandering, must probably have pre- 
 served resemblance, in some particulais, to the originals. Hence 
 it will, we think, be evident, tliat although we may find a strong re- 
 semblance between some of the observances of the Indians and the 
 Hebrews, we are by no means to infer, that one of these races 
 must have descended from the otiei . All that they have in com- 
 mon, will probably b*- found to h;> v, i 6vit of similarity of 
 circumstances; or may l)e traced > ' i ;• i long previous to the 
 calling of Abraham. 
 
 But lei us leave this profitles-s discussion, which has long sinrr 
 received more attention than it deserves, and return to the sub- 
 ject before mh. 
 
 The poetry of the Indians, if they can properly be said to hau 
 any, is the language of excitement, and the expression of passion ; 
 and if what«'ver has this cliaracter, and is at the same time rai.sc(l 
 id)ove the tone and style of ordiimry conversation, and is or may 
 br sung to music, is |)()rlry, it cannot be denied that they havr 
 among them poetry and poets in abundance. Excitement ol 
 whatever kind, calls forth a |)eculiar manner of expression; am! 
 though measure aiul rylliui. polished and artificial structi:r('. 
 equally balanced and harmonious periods, maybe wanting, the\ 
 ' ommonly ncrompitny <he utterance of (heir words by gome mo 
 
 '*>^! 
 
 ^ ' K 
 
nam 
 
 tais^e?& 
 
 ;e, not o»\ly 
 jreat events 
 but that lii- 
 (1 been, and 
 rers places, 
 lome know- 
 td masonry, 
 i; been found 
 top should 
 nd lather ol" 
 , had Unowi\ 
 Any branch, 
 of Noah, rr- 
 : to whatever 
 ion and other 
 ;t a traditional 
 -iny years, or 
 ibly have prc- 
 rinals. Heufp 
 nd a strong n- 
 ndians and tlif 
 |of these races 
 have in com 
 similarity ol 
 |)revious to tin 
 
 [has long ^in<i' 
 irn to ihc sub 
 
 ML SIC AND I'OLTKV. 
 
 337 
 
 dulation of tlie voice, like what we call singino. In all their re- 
 ligious feasts and solemnities, they ad(h'ess their prayers and 
 praises to superior beings in song. In all times of distress and 
 danger, or when sufl'ering under the apprehension of immediate 
 starvation, or awaiting the approach of death in some more hor- 
 I id form, the Indian expresses his anxiety, oilers up his petition, 
 or perhaps recals some favourite and cherished idea, his boast in 
 life, and his consolation in death, by a measured and monotonous 
 chant, in which the ear of the stranger distinguishes principally 
 the frequent repetition of the same word. 
 
 Nor is it on the serious and momentous occasions of life only, 
 that we witness these rude ellorts at poetry and music. Love, 
 in its disappointment, or in its success ; sorrow, hope, and intoxi- 
 cation, choose the same method of utterance. When in a slate 
 of intoxication, as they often are, the men, and more particularly 
 the women of some tribes, are heard by night, and often almost 
 throughout the niglu, singing in a plaintive and melancholy tone 
 of the death of their fri»'nds, or of other misforlunes. One who 
 listens to these lamentations, while darkness ;ind distance inter- 
 pose to conceal the loo often disgusting ol)j(;cts who utter them, 
 and to soften down aiul mellow the tone of high pitciicd voices, 
 will often find somdhing aflt'ctins in liicir honest and unpremedi- 
 tated complaints. Tlu'ir voices are often line, and the sentences 
 they utter, are the language, most commonly, of real snlTering, 
 ilevested of allectation or art. From the great fr«(|ueiuy with 
 which these nielanclioly ciiatitings, and the profuse tlow of tears 
 (pccur, as the consequences of intoxication among them, one might 
 infer, eitlier that their condition has in it a greater share of sor- 
 row and of sulleriiig than that of some other races, or ihat the 
 excitement of strong drink all'ects them in a dillerent maimer. A 
 fair inference, at least, is, that in their sober moments, they, like 
 other men, wear a mask. Indeed, those who best know the In- 
 dians, are liest acquainted with the ccnistant ellorts they make at 
 concealment, and how well they at length teach the outward 
 .ispect to conceal or misrepresent the internal emotions. Hut for 
 lhe>»e unpremeditated elhisions, |iarlicidarly for the whining and 
 lirivolling of intoxication, the most eitthusiastic admirer of the 
 Indians will not claim the a])pellalion of poetry- If any thing 
 ninong them deserves this name, we must search for it among 
 
 |:{ 
 
 i 
 
 l>i I 
 
 1 i 
 
 n « 
 
 'i ■ I 
 
 L « i « m 
 
338 
 
 MISH AND POF.TRY. 
 
 .1 V\ 
 
 i' ! 
 
 M/il 
 
 
 Mi 
 
 those traditionary songs which descend from father to son, and 
 are transferred from man to man by purchase, to be used in their 
 feasts, in the administration of remedies to the sick, anil above 
 all, in medicine hunting. That some of tlie songs tlius preserved 
 have considerable antiquity, we do not doubt; that they Imve 
 much merit as poetical compositions, we arr not disposed to 
 assert. The poetry of the Indians, like their eloquence, requires 
 the assistance of able translators, and those not too scrupulous 
 10 draw only from the materials of the original. 
 
 The method of delineation, by which they aid the memory in 
 retaining and recalling, on occasion, these compositions, e.\hibiis, 
 perhaps, one of the earliest steps towards a written language. 
 \et, from its existence among them, in the present form, one 
 would not hastily infer, that had they never been intruded upon 
 by men of another race, learning or arts would finally have 
 flourished among them. There arc but too many evidences, 
 that the aboriginal Americans arc, by temperament, by some pe- 
 culiarity of physical structure, or moral propensity, a more slug- 
 gish race, than the European; consequently, destined to a slow 
 advance, or, perhaps, like most of the Asiatics, to be for agc^ 
 stationary, or retrogradent, in the journey of improvement. \Vo 
 would not risk the assertion, that the Americans are an inferior 
 race; the barrier to their improvement iippears to be, that indo- 
 lence which is not less a habit of their minds than of their bodic.-, 
 and which distiualifies them for spontaneous and long coniinvicil 
 and laborious thinking. Hunger may, and does, overcome the 
 liabit of bodily ind(dence, or, at least, sometimes interrupts it; 
 but, in the Indian character, the tendency is always to quiescence. 
 Instances are intinitely rare, among them, of that restlessness oi 
 mind so common in the European race, which is ever in quest oi 
 something beyond the complete gratification of the wants of tin 
 body, and which has been the true source of so many great and 
 ennobling actions. The past history of this race of men, is not 
 wanting in instances of the nianifrstation of that inherent slug- 
 gishness of disposition, which has kept them back from the 
 knowledge, the improvements, and the civilization, which have 
 been so long urged upon them. Let it be granted, as doubtlcs" 
 it should be, that the Jesuits, and, to some extent, at least tlir 
 Moravian, and other prolestanl inisbiunaries. rommencei^ Hit i< 
 
 III i .Mm, 
 
 '?' I I 
 
 L^^i* 
 
«■*■(• 
 
 to son, and 
 ised in iheir 
 , ami above 
 IS preserve(5 
 it they have 
 dispoatnl to 
 nee, requires 
 
 bcrupulous 
 
 ic memory in 
 .ons, exhibits 
 teu lantTuage- 
 mt form, one 
 ntruiled upon 
 
 1 finally have 
 ny evidenee?. 
 it, by some pc 
 •, a more slug- 
 lined to a slow 
 to be for agc^^ 
 ovement. ^Vo 
 1 are an inferior 
 D be, that indo 
 
 f their bo<lic.-. 
 onjT conlinu* il 
 1, overcome tin 
 cs interrupts it ; 
 s to quiescence, 
 t restlessness ol 
 ever in quest ol 
 ic wants of tin 
 many great and 
 e of men, is not 
 t inherent sluji- 
 back from llir 
 lion, whicb have 
 ,ed, as doubtlc*'' 
 nt. at least tlif 
 ommencei' <bi i' 
 
 MISIU AM» I'ul.lRV. 
 
 labours where tlicv siionld li;«\e ended ilicni, bv oticnnu: to tlio 
 benighted minds of the Indians, the stupendous, and, to them, to- 
 tally incomprehensible doctrines ol the cliiisiiau religion; and 
 that they, in a great measure, neglected to leach them those arts. 
 which, by ensuring an abundance of means for the sustenance 
 of life, might enable them, first of all, to fix in settled habitations, 
 and afterwards gradually to adopt those habits and o])inions 
 which have ever been found indispensable in pre|)aring the wil- 
 derness for the reception of the good seed. Yet. must we not 
 acknowledge, that the descendants of those who were early re- 
 ceived into intimate associatiim with the whites, and learned 
 from them the mechanical, and all the cinnnKni arts of life, are. 
 at this time, lamentably defuient in the virtues, as well as the 
 knowledge we miirbt have cxjiected from them? 
 
 It is no i)art of the desiirn of lliese reniiirks, to discourasfc anv 
 iittempts that may be made to introduce the (•|iri>tiaii religion 
 iiinong these people ; on the contrary, we look upon these etl'orts 
 as always, in a greater or less degree, useful to the Indians ; they 
 originate as well in a difl'usive and amial'le benevolence, as a feei- 
 itig of ju.-tice, and severe, though tard\' compunction, whi( !i 
 would seek, at this late day, to render to the starved and shiver- 
 ing remnant of the people who received us to their country in our 
 day of small things, some recompense for the fair inheritance 
 which we have wrested from their forefathers. The example of 
 the CheroKees. and some others in the south, ha.-" been sulhcient 
 to prove, tjiat tmder the influence of a mild climate, and a ferlih- 
 soil, thes<' people can be taught habits of settled, if not of perse- 
 \ering industry. From this condition of things, we can already 
 see how, an\oni{ that people habits of mental enterprise and in- 
 dustry are to spring up, and we look forward with confidence 
 to a source of continued imi)rovement. Tiiat all the other bands 
 and tribes, under similar auspices, ami similar intluences, would 
 pursue a similar cmirse, ctnnol lie doubted. Philologists and 
 speculative theorists may divide and class as they please; to the 
 patient and industrious i'liser\er. who has miiiuled intimntely 
 with this race, in the low ami fertile distri<ts of the .Mississippi, 
 in the broad an<l smilim; plains of Arkai> .w and Ked Uiver, in 
 the forests of the Upper Mississippi, and anions the pines and 
 the mosscK of the upper lakc«. it will be evident that the iibori- 
 
 i' 
 
 ''^^••kMkB 
 
 .^v .„ _ 
 
.ffflf 
 
 <f 
 
 
 
 "i * 
 
 :ti 
 
 jFif 
 
 '^^Cl'l 
 
 34U 
 
 MUSIC AM) tof;tu\. 
 
 ginal people or the United States Territory, are all of one lamily. 
 jiot by physical constitution and habit only, but by the structuri' 
 and temperament of their minds ; their modes of thinking and 
 acting; and, indeed, in all physical and mental peculiarities, 
 which set them apart from the remainder of the human family, as 
 a pecidiar people. Whatever course has, in one situation, proved 
 in any measure eflectual, to reclaim them from their vague and 
 idle habits, will certainly succeed in another situation, though per- 
 Jiaps more slowly, as they may be intluenced by a less genial cli- 
 mate, or a more barren soil. 
 
 .' .1 
 
 Si''' 
 
 
 ): 
 
 V 
 
 
-K* 
 
 mmmmmtBaSSm 
 
 Ml'SlC AND POETRY. 
 
 341 
 
 jne ianuly. 
 ic structiue 
 linking and 
 cculiariiies. 
 n family, as 
 ion, proved 
 • vague and 
 though per- 
 is genial cli- 
 
 SONG FOR THE METAI, OR FOR MEDICINE 
 HUNTING. 
 
 Fig. 1. 
 
 3. 
 
 5. 
 
 Fig. 1 '"«' e-gwuh ne-no-no-nen-dum ah-ine, Mc-tai we-nin- 
 ne-wug, ne-kau-nug ane-nuib-be-un-neh.* 
 
 Now I hear it, my friends, of the Metai, who arc sitting about 
 me. 
 
 This, and the tlircc following, are sung by the principal chief of 
 ilie Metai, to the beat of his bwoin ah-keek, or drum. The lines 
 from the sides of tlie head of the ligure indicate iiearing. 
 
 2. O-wa-nain ba-me-je-waun-ga ? Man-i-to 0-ba-mc-jc-wa- 
 iin-ga. 
 
 Who nuikes this river How? The Spirit, he makes lliis river 
 llow. 
 
 The second ligure is intended to represent a river, and a beaver 
 «\vimming down it. 
 
 3. Ka-weh-whau-bo-me-tai, ka-wch-whau-bo-me-lai neh-kau- 
 uuk neej-huh nish-a-nau-ba ka-ke-ka-ne-me-kwaiii nch-kau-nuk. 
 
 Look at me well, my friends ; examine me, and lot us under- 
 .-tand that we are all companions. 
 
 This translation is by no means literal. The words express 
 the boastful claims of a man, who sets himself up for the best 
 and moat skilful in the frateruiiv. 
 
 n\ I 
 
 ♦ These rude pictures iirc curved on a flat piece of woocl, and scr\e to sugg^'st 
 lo the inindx of tho«' who have lenriied the soiiirs the ideas, and their order of 
 succession ; the words are not variable, l)ut a man must he taiiirht them, other- 
 wise, tliou^h from an insptH-tioi) of the tisruro he niiiilit ■ jmprchend the idea, hn 
 n'otild not know what to sin;?. 
 
 1^ 
 
 r*WMMhi 
 
34'i 
 
 MISIU AND POETIiV. 
 
 Vf 
 
 f.i( ' 
 
 
 ,.^ < r 
 
 
 4. O-ua-iiain ba-bah-mis-sa-haht, wt'oj-huli nisli-a-iiau-ba? Bc- 
 tiais-se-wah ba-bah-mo-sa-haht, weej-huh ni.sh-a-nau-ba. 
 
 Who niaketh to walk about, the social people '. A bird makctli 
 10 walk about the social people. 
 
 By the bird, the medicine man meatis himself; he says, tliai 
 his voice has called tiie pi;oj)ie together. Weej-huh nish-a-nau- 
 ba, or weej-a nish-a-nau-ba, seems to have the first syllable from 
 the verb, which means, to accompany. The two lines drawn 
 across, between this figure and the next, indicate that here tlic 
 dancing is to commi nee. 
 
 5. Neen ba-pah-mis-sa-gahn ne-goclio ah-\ves-sie neen-gah- 
 kwa-tin ah-waw. 
 
 I lly about, anil if any where 1 see an animal, I can shoot him. 
 
 This figure of a bird, (prctbably an eagle or hawk,) seems in- 
 tended to indicate the wakefnlness of the senses, and the activity 
 rfquired to ensure success in limiting. The figure of the moose, 
 which immediately follows, reminding the singer of tiie cuniiiiiu 
 and cxtieme shyness of tliat animal, the most difliciilt of all In 
 hill. 
 
 <i. 
 
 !». 
 
 (». Neeii-go-te-nanii ke-da-ne,' ne-iiii/.-zlio-lauii ke-da-nc. ;ili- 
 wis-sie k(;-(la-ii(', ii('-ini/-/.ho-taun ke-da-ne. 
 
 I simoi your iicart ; i hit your hcail, oh aniniiil. your heart. I 
 hit your iieart. 
 
 This ap'>.<i)o|)he is mere lioasling, and i-; sung with iiiiuji t:i.>- 
 ticulalion and grimace. 
 
 7. A-zhe-nahng'^gwit-lo iaii-na i>;h-ko-tang a-zhe-nnhng pwii- 
 1o ian-na. 
 
 I make iiiyst If lo(di like lire. 
 
 ♦ Ki- i/ij-rii: ki-da, ftliy huarl :) Inif a --a llilili' U mldi'd in sinfrinj;. 
 
 «> 
 
•^cx^m^KSSassx^ffS 
 
 ^ 
 
 MUiJiC AND roETliV. 
 
 343 
 
 III 
 
 ■ba? Ui'- 
 
 liril maketli 
 
 e says, lliai 
 nirih-a-nau- 
 yllable lron\ 
 lines drawn 
 at here \\w 
 
 e neon-gali- 
 
 111 shoot hisi. 
 'k,) seems iu- 
 (l \\\v artivily 
 (»f the moose, 
 if the cimniii:; 
 icvill of all 1" 
 
 \). 
 
 kMJ 
 
 k«-il;i-ii>'- ''•'- 
 
 . voiir luart. I 
 
 willi luiuli U'^- 
 
 H'-nnlmii pvvii- 
 
 ,1 in siiiK""- 
 
 Tliis is a medicine man, disguised in the skin of a bear. The 
 .-mall parallelogram, under the bear, signifies Ore, and they, by 
 oine composition of gunpowder, or otiier means, rontrive to 
 give the appearance of fire to the mouth and eyes of the bear 
 skin, in Mhicli they go about the village late at night, bent on 
 deeds of mischief, oftentimfs of blood. We learn how mis- 
 cliievous are these sui)erstitions, when we are informed, that ihey 
 are the principal men of the Metai, who thus wander about the 
 villages, in tlie disguise of a bear, to wreak their hatred on a 
 sleeping rival, or their malice on an unsuspecting adversary. 
 But the customs of the liidians require of any one who may see 
 a medicine man on one of these excursions, to take his life imme- 
 diately, and whoever does so is accounted guiltless. 
 
 8. Gii-tah e-no-tum mau-na nc-be-way me-ze-ween, ne-be-way 
 neen-dai, gin-no-tah mau-na. 
 
 T am able (0 call water from above, from beneath, and from 
 around. 
 
 Here the medicine man boasts of his power over the elements, 
 ,nnd his abiUfy to do injury or benefit. The segment of a cir- 
 cle with dots in it, represents water, and the two short lines 
 loiic.hing the head of the figure, indicate that he can draw it to 
 iiim. 
 
 !). Yah-nah-we nah-gwe-liah-ga e-nai-ne-wah, kin-ne-nah. 
 
 Yah-nah-we nah-gwe-hah-ga ma-tai-mo-sah, kin-ne-nah. 
 
 V;di-nah-we nah-gwe-liah-ga o-ba-no-suh, kin-ne-nah. 
 
 I cause to look like the dead, a man I did. 
 
 I cause to look like the dead, a woman I did. 
 
 1 cause to look like the dead, a child I diti. 
 
 The lines drawn across the face of this figure, indicate pover- 
 ty, distress, and sickness ; the person is supposed to have suflered 
 i'rom the displeasure of the medicine man, Such is the religion 
 of the Indians ! Its boast is to put into the hands of the devout, 
 supernatural means, by which he may wreak vengeance on his 
 enemies, whether weak or powerful, whether they be found among 
 the foes of his tribe, or the people of his own village. This Me- 
 lai, so much valued and revered by them, seems to be only the in- 
 strument, in the hands of the crafty, for keeping in subjection 
 'he weak and the credulous, which may readily be supposed to 
 be tlie srreater part of the people. 
 
 n 
 
 \ « 
 
 il 
 
 — -'fl-'Ai> 
 
r' V. 
 
 '3U 
 
 Ml/?r<' AND VOETRV. 
 
 10. 
 
 
 10. Ain-de-aun, ain-de-aun, ne-kau-iioh ; ah-wes-sie, an-wes- 
 ale, nc-kau-neh, ne-nuili-incek ko-navv-waw, nc-kau-neh. 
 
 I am such, I am surh, my friemls ; any animal, any animal, my 
 friends, I hit him right, my friends. 
 
 This boast of certain success in hunting, is another method by 
 which he hopes to elevate himself in the estimation of his hearers. 
 Having told them that he has the power to put them all to death, 
 he goes on to speak of his infallible success in hunting, which 
 will always enal)le him to be a valuable friend to such as are carr- 
 In! to secure his ffond will. 
 
 fi: i'i 
 
 ■"% 
 
 J , 
 
 t '41 
 
 
m» 
 
 MUSIC AND FORTK.V. 
 
 »45 
 
 IP 
 
 ie, an-wes- 
 
 jh. 
 animal, my 
 
 • method by 
 his hearer?, 
 all to death, 
 iting, which 
 as arc care- 
 
 SONG FOR THE METAl ONLY. 
 
 Fig. I 
 
 Fig. 1. Nah-ne-bah o-sa aun neen-no ne-mah-che oos-sa ja-ah- 
 jie-no. [Twice.] 
 
 I walk about in the night time. 
 
 This first figure represents the wild cat, to wliom, on account 
 of his vigilance, the medicines for the cure of diseases were com- 
 mitted. The meaning probably is, that to those who have the 
 !<hrewdncss, the watchfulness, and intelligence of the wild cat, is 
 entrusted the knowledge of those powerful remedies, which, in 
 the opinion of the Indians, not only control life, and avail to the 
 restoration of health, but give an almost unlimited power over 
 animals and birds. 
 
 2. Neen-none-da-aun ke-to-ne-a, ma-ni-to we-un-iio. 
 1 hear your mouth, you are an ill [or evil] spirit 
 
 The wild cat, (or the sensible and intelligent medicine riaii,) 
 IS always awake ; or if he seems to sleep, by means of the .super- 
 natural powers of his medicine, he becomes acquainted with all 
 that passes around him. If one man speaks evil of another, to 
 bring sickness upon him, the wild cat hears and knows it; but 
 ronfident in his own superior strength, he disregards it. At the 
 bar they begin to dance. The lines from the mouth of the human 
 figure, represent the speeches of the evil ntinded and malicious. 
 
 3. Shi-a iu'-nio-kin-nuh-we,bc-zlie-wa-wah* neah-wa. [Twice.] 
 Now I conic up out of the gro\md : I am wild ctI. 
 
 i / 
 
 • Th« Kounii <it' l> mill /> nn- luu'd iiidiscriliuiiatcly in many woiiU thus : oei}a, 
 vena, fer tlif « rvpl turaiiins a |)hra^ant. 
 
 u 
 
 ,1! 
 
.r > 
 
 'Hm 
 
 34a 
 
 Mtrsir ANP POETRY. 
 
 I am the master of the wild cats ; and having heard your talk, 
 I come up out of the ground to sec what you do. This man, it 
 appears, claims superiority over other medicine men, and now 
 rouses himself to attend to what is passing. The bar across the 
 neck of the figure representing the wild cat, indicates that he in 
 just coming out of the earth. 
 
 ;% it 
 
 %'i. 
 
 i ^ 
 
 I. Bin-nah ! neen be-zhe-wa-wah ke-mcen-waw-bum-me-na. 
 
 Behold ! I am wild cat ; I am glad to see you all wild cats. 
 
 This figure, with open eyes and erect ears, denotes earnest- 
 ness and attention. [The word ke-meen-waw-bum-me-na, affords 
 a strong instance of what has been called the synthetic character 
 of this language ; ke, the inseparable pronoun, in the accusative 
 plural, mecn, from ne-mee-noan-dun, (I love, or am pleased,) and 
 waw-bum from ne-waw-bo-maw, (I see.)] 
 
 5. Ni>mau-i-to, o-wa-she-na a-ai-gah nee-na ketto-we goh-wr- 
 ke-na. 
 
 I am a spirit ; what I have I give to you in your body. 
 
 This is the figure of a medicine man, with his pah-gah-ko-guu- 
 un, or the instrument with which he beats his drum, in his hand. 
 lie appears to be boasting of his own powers. 
 
 6. Ah-iie ah-gah, kah-neen-na ke-taus-saw-wa-unna ke-nis-si'- 
 go-na. 
 
 Your own tongue kills you ; you have too much tongue. 
 
 This is addressed to the malicious man, and the slanderer, one 
 who speaks evil of others. His crooked and double speech goes 
 out of his mouth, but is changed to an arrow in his hand, and 
 turned against himself; his own body bears the marks of the in- 
 juries he would have inflicted on otjiers. The lines across Uk- 
 
 (,| nip \i 'I . 
 
 '-4, 
 
!l'WJ£4».J«lWtfwl*ff'V^il 
 
 MUSIC AND POETRY. 
 
 ;}47 
 
 your talk, 
 lis man, it 
 I, and now 
 across the 
 i that he i3 
 
 cheat are tne traces of misfortune, brought on him by the indul- 
 gence of his own malicious disposition. In the songs and ad- 
 dresses of some of the most esteemed chiefs, or persons, who may- 
 be considered in some measure set apart for the Metai, are many- 
 attempts to convey and enforce moral instruction, or rather the 
 inculcation of those opinions and actions which constitute the 
 virtues of savage life. 
 
 iim-me-na. 
 vild cats, 
 jtes earnest- 
 le-na, affords 
 jtic charactci- 
 hc accusative 
 pleased,) and 
 
 i / 
 
 )-we goh-wr- 
 
 lody. 
 
 |i-gah-ko-gua- 
 1, in his hand. 
 
 lina ke-nis-sf- 
 
 tonguc. 
 Islandcrcr, one 
 je speech goes 
 Ihis hand, and 
 
 irks of the in- 
 hos acro,«s thi- 
 
:M8 
 
 MUSH' A\l> IMiKTRV. 
 
 ' I 
 
 J^ONG FOR BEAVER HUNTING AND THE METAl. 
 
 h/ 1 
 
 I « 
 
 Fio. 1. O-mib-bo-tum-niaun. Mctai-wc-gauii, Manito-wc-ga- 
 iin. 
 
 I sit down in tlm lodjjc of tlip Metai, ihr lodjrc of the Spirit. 
 
 This figiiro is intended to represent the area of the Metai-wr- 
 j>aun, or medicine lodjjje, which is ralh'd also the lodge of tin 
 Manito, and two men have taken their seats in it. The mattci 
 of ilie song seems to he merely introductory. 
 
 y. Neezli-o-go-na wc-tah-him mah-knm-ma iie-kaun ; nc-o- 
 !;o-na wc-tah-him maii-kuni-nui nc-ka-nn. 
 
 'I'wo days must you sit fast, my friend ; four days mtist you sii 
 fast, my friend. 
 
 The two perpendicular lines on the breast of this figure, arc 
 read ne-o-gone, (two days,) but are underst(»od to mean two 
 years ; so of the four lines drawn obliquely across the legs, these 
 ar»! four ye.us. The heart must be given to this business for two 
 years, and the constrained attitude of the legs iiulicates the rigid 
 attention, and serious consideration, which the subject reijuirc<. 
 
 ',). Wha-be-nia, Meen-de-mo-sah, ke-ko-nia wha-bc-nia. 
 
 Tlu'ow oil", woman, thy garments, throw oil". 
 
 The power of their medicines, and the incanlntions of the 
 Metai, arc not confined in their eflect to animals of the chase, to 
 the lives and ilie health of men; they control, also, the minds of 
 all, and overcome the modesty, as well us the antipathies of wo- 
 men. The Indians firmly believe that many a woman, who has 
 been unsuccessfully solicited by a man, is not only, b) Jie pow- 
 er of the Meiai, made to yield, but even, in a state of madncs*;. 
 
METAl. 
 
 [anito-\vc-g:i- 
 
 thc Spirit, 
 he Motai-wr- 
 lodgf of tin 
 Thf inattci- 
 
 -kauti ; nc-o- 
 
 < must you sii 
 
 lis liijure, arc 
 to mean two 
 ,hc legs, these 
 siness for two 
 ciitcs the rijjiil 
 )jert reiiuiiTs. 
 be-niit. 
 
 Intious of till 
 1 the ehase, to 
 , tlu' minds of 
 )athi«'s of wo- 
 iiiiiii, who has 
 v, b> ihe pow- 
 (' of inadnes--. 
 
 MLSU. AND POKTRV. 
 
 M\t 
 
 it) tear off Iier garments, and pursue after the man she heforo 
 despised. Tlicse cliarms iiave preater power than those in the 
 times of superstition among the EngUsh, aserilied to the fairies, 
 and they need not, like the plant used by Puck, be applied to 
 the person of the unfortunate being who is to b(! transformed ; 
 they operate at a distance, through the medium of the Miz-zin- 
 nc-neens. 
 
 4. Na-wy-o-kun-ne-nah wun*iiah he-nun-ne-wah ba-mu*su keen- 
 nah-na. 
 
 Who makes the people walk about ? It is I that rails you. 
 
 This is in praise of the virtue of hosj)itality, that man being 
 most estj'enied among them, who most frequently ealls his neigh- 
 bours to his feast. 
 
 0. 
 
 7. 
 
 9. 
 
 5. lle-o-win-nah ha-ne-mo-we-tah neen-ge-le-mah-hali 1io-che« 
 oa-ha-ne Mo-c-tah neen-ge-te-mah hah-uah. 
 
 Any thing I can shoot with it, (this medicine,) even a dog I 
 can kill with it. 
 
 0. Nin-goo-te-naun ke-ta-he, e-nah-ne-wah ke-ti -he. 
 
 I shoot thy heart, man, thy heart. 
 
 Ue means, perhaps, a buck moose by the wor • '■-nah-nc-wali, 
 or man. 
 
 7. Neen ne-na-sah waw-be-maung neen-ne-na-sah. 
 
 I can kill a white loon. I can kill. 
 
 The white loon, ram avis nis^roiiiir fiimillinn cyffnn, is cer- 
 tainly a rare and most difficult bird to kill , so we may infer, that 
 this boaster can kill any thing, which is the amount of the mean- 
 ing intended in that part of his song, recorded by the five last 
 figures. Success in himting they look tipon as a virtue of a 
 higher character, if wc may judge from lliiti song, than iho pa- 
 
35U 
 
 MUSIC ASV POV.lR\. 
 
 ticnce under sufl'crin?, or the rakishness among women, or even 
 the hospitality recommended in the former part. 
 
 8. Ne-kau-nah-ga. * * * 
 My friends. * * * 
 
 This seems to b. -^n attempt to delineate a man sitting with his 
 hands raised to address his friends ; but the remainder of his 
 speech is not remembered. This is sufficient to show that the 
 meaning of the characters in this kind of picture writing, is not 
 well settled, and requires a traditional interpretation, to render it 
 intelligible. 
 
 9. Shah bwo-ah-hah-mah ne-mow-why-waw-ne-no ah-buh-hah- 
 mah ge-we-na-she-mah-ga. 
 
 I open my wolf skin, and the death struggle must follow. 
 This is a Wolf skin, used as a medicine bag, and he boasts, 
 that whenever he opens it, something must die in consequence. 
 
 I ' 
 
 »■ I 
 
m, or evpii 
 
 ng with his 
 (ider of his 
 lOW that the 
 iting, is not 
 to render it 
 
 ah-buh-hah- 
 
 foUow. 
 d he boasts, 
 msequence. 
 
 MUSIC AND POETRY. 
 
 SONG FOR MEDICINE HUNTING— RARELY FOR THE 
 
 METAL 
 
 lin. 1. ',». 
 
 :?. 4. 5. (i. 7. 8. 
 
 Vic-. 1, Wa\v-iiP-jTC-ah-n;i frah-no-geah-na Manllo-wah-ga gnli- 
 gp-zho-hah-gwaw gah-no-gr-ah-na. 
 
 I wishfid to be born, I was born, and after I was born I made 
 all spiritH. 
 
 'i. Gcc-she-hah-ga manito-whah-ga. 
 
 I created the spirits. 
 
 The figures in the commenreinent of this long and much cs- 
 Icemed religious song, represent Na-na-bush, the intiTcessor, the 
 nephew of mankind. They seem designed to carry back the 
 thonirhts towards the beginning of time, and Iiave a iiianif»'st al- 
 hision (o a period when this mysterious and powerful !)eijig ex- 
 ercised a wish Jo assunu' th<' form of a man. In the secrmd flgun* 
 he is represented as lu)lding a rattle snake in his hand, and he 
 rails himself the creator of the mani-toge. The huhan.s calling 
 invisible and spiritual beings by the same name w hich they give 
 to the lowest class of reptiles, it is doubtful uhether Na-na-busli 
 here claims to have created intelligences superior to man, or only 
 reptiles, insects, and oilier small creatures, which they commonly 
 • all Mani-toag. 
 
 ',i. Na-hah-be-ah-na nu-nah-boo-shoo. o-tish-ko-tnhn ma-jlie- 
 l\e-sha. 
 
 He sat down Nu-na-biish ; his fire burns forever 
 
 This figure appears to be descriptive n( the fust assumption In 
 N'n-nti«bii>h of his office. «■< tlie iViend imd patron nf mm. He i- 
 
 HI 
 \ ml 
 
 VW 
 
 \ 
 
 i 2111 
 
.< 
 
 f ^ 
 
 1)1 i r f if 
 
 ^♦*-**"j^!aMML-^ 
 
 35ii 
 
 MTSIC AND l'OLXK\. 
 
 represented as taking a scat on (he ground. Fire, with ilie 
 northern Indians, is the emblem of peace, happiness, and abun- 
 dance. When one band goes against another, they go, according 
 to their language, to put out the fire of their enemies ; therefore, 
 it is probable that in speaking of the perpetual firecf Na-na-busli, 
 it is only intended to alhide to his great power, and the perma- 
 nence of his independence and happiness.* 
 
 i"*' 
 
 it ',' 
 
 » 
 
 Ih 
 
 t'l 
 
 {' 
 
 P 
 
 * In the s'.ti!if» figures of Na-ua-bush, as rudi-ly delineated by the Indians, Ihor. 
 is some resi'tnbluuce to the Asiatu- Isuara, or Satyavrata, who, in tlic eastern 
 mythology, is ronneeted with one of their deluges. Like Noali, hke Saturn, and 
 like Iswaro, Na-na-bush prcservod, during the inundation, those animals and 
 plants, which were atlerwanls to be useful to mankind ; and his addresses t ) the 
 nnimiiJs, whieh the Indiansi often re|)eat, remind us of the age when one lan- 
 guage was eonimon to men and lirutes. (Tooke's Pantheon, p. 118. Am. ed. i 
 It is true, that, like the Ovidian Deucalion, Na-na-bush reproduced men, the M 
 stock liavin;,' U-en entirely destroyed ; but it is to Iv remi-nil>cred, that any ri'- 
 semblanre, however strong, In-tween these tnulitinns, have had ample time to W 
 obliterated. Instead of ('om|)laniing that the similarity in the opinions of thesi' 
 people to ancient fables, is no stronger, we ought, |M'rhap8, to In* surprised thai 
 any resemblance exists. If any one would attempt a coiniarison l>ctween llit 
 npinioDs of the Americans and the Pagans of former ages, or of any other ran 
 he should bear in mind how Miirue and mutable must l)v all such traditions, ni 
 an innvritten lan!;ungi>. lie must not Ih- surprised to find, on close examination, 
 tlial the characters of all pagan deities, male and female, melt into each other. 
 and, at last, into one or two, for it weins a well founded opinion, that tlie whoir 
 crowd of gods and goddesses of ancient Itomv, the nicHlcrn I ar«»u;.<of the east, ami 
 Aluni-toaff of the west, mean, originally, only the |)owers of nature, and princi- 
 pally those of the sun, expressed in u variety of ways, and by a nuinbiT of fan 
 ciful names. (Aaialic Ki'searclies, Vol. I. p. •2(>1, Load, ed.) 
 
 The resemblance Ix-twcen the .Vlgonkin deity, (\a iia-bu.sh,) and Saturn an . 
 Sntyarrala, or hteara, of the San.si'rit, may U- tiirther traced in «-ach In-ing figun'il 
 (vith a ser|K'nt, sometimes held in the hand, and in other instances, as in man> 
 of the Koman figures of Saturn, in ilie ounith. This n-semblane*' is, perhaps 
 the more worthy of retnark, as the .\niericanii seein not to have retained any very 
 xatislaclory explanation of this circumstance. 
 
 It will not be i,up|H)s<-(l that iIii'm- vague resembl.ances in religious opinioiiK, il 
 they may l»> so e.dled, alVord the means of tracing the American triln-H to their 
 origin. That tliese iMopIc have customs and opinion-. el,is4'lv resemblinj; those 
 of the .\'.ialics, |Kirticularly of the Hebrews, previous to the christian dis|i»'nsa 
 lion, will not Im> denied; but the final result of all imjuiries into this siibjiM-t will, 
 |«rhaps, Ih' the adoption oi' the opinion of Hrijaut, of Sir W'UHitm Jonrs, aw\ 
 <>ther men ol prolimnd ri'searcli, l)mt Knypliaiis, (ireekt,, and Italians, Persians 
 Kthiopians, Phenecians, (VIIh, and Tuscans, proceeded, originally, frniii one '•"i 
 •rsl pliicf, iltid that the same i)«ople carried their religion and sciences tnio rb' 
 
 'I 
 
 \ ^ 
 
ire, wiih llie 
 88, and abun- 
 go, accordiiKj 
 es; therefore, 
 «f Na-na-busli. 
 nd the perma- 
 
 r the Indians, ihcr. 
 /ho, in <l>e caatcni 
 1,^ likr Saturn, nnJ 
 
 those animals iinJ 
 lis acJaresses tithe 
 
 iig,- when one Ian- 
 „, 11. IIH. Ain.rtl.) 
 Jucd mt-n, the oil 
 iilH^red, that any tv- 
 
 ,iul ami.lo ti""^ '" ^''" 
 de opinions of these 
 to Ih' 9urpris»'d ili n 
 K3ri*)n iKitween the 
 or of any other rue 
 11 sueh traditions, m 
 u elose examination, 
 melt into laeh other. 
 mion, that the who), 
 [rfiiui.'.of theeaHt,aiii1 
 if nature, and jirinn- 
 by a number of fan 
 
 ^h.) and Srtlurn ;iii 
 i„eaehlH-in;;li2ure.l 
 
 Instances, ns in roans 
 Iml.tance is perh'H'-^ 
 ,,,%.- retained any ver> 
 
 ^ ri liiion- opinions, if 
 lieriean triU-s to tluir 
 ,.ly resemhliuU «1>»^'' 
 L christian disin-nsn 
 ],nt.<thissnl.j«vt will, 
 Hi/fiam Jonet, an<l 
 [„,| Italians, Persian;' 
 finally, from one '"" 
 f.vl scienrr* int" Chi 
 
 MIMC A.SU t'utlH\. 
 
 I. Ta!i-gua iie-mali-go-«o-int'-ijo, iie-ah-ge-zhc-\t e nc-kaiin. 
 iit'-kaim 
 
 NotwilhstaiuUnp y»iii speak evil of lue, trout above are n\\ 
 trieitds, my friends. 
 
 The fourth fi^tire, tvhieh, in the oii-jiual, isn priapus, indicate? 
 that a man takes up the discourse. The circk> about his licad 
 but descending no lower than his sliouhh-rs, .shows that liis helj. 
 and his protection are from above, and ta the strengtli tiius de 
 rived he is able to defy those who speak evil of liim, or seek, by 
 the power of their medicines, to break his life. 
 
 5. Chaw-gaw ko-no mau-na se-maun-duk waw-wau-o-sa-wai 
 
 1 can use many kinds of wood to make a bear unable to walk. 
 
 Tlie business of hunting is one of the first importance to the 
 Indians, consequently, ii finds a place in his devotions ; indeed, 
 devotion itself having apparently no object beyond the wants and 
 weaknesses of this life, relief iti limes of hunger, is one of the 
 most important blessings they ever ask for in their i)rayerH. 
 Accordingly, their yoiiiiir men are directed never to use these 
 songs, or to have recourse to tlie inedieiiie htiiit, except in times 
 of the e.xtreinest need. 
 
 0. Ke-te-iia-ne-me-na wt^-nis-ze-bug-go-iia aii-iio-kau-tum-mau- 
 iia. ke-te-na-ne-me-iia. 
 
 Of you I think, that you use the We-iii— /e-bug-gone. I think 
 tliis of you. 
 
 The common spicy winlergrctii, a stalk of which ibis figure is 
 intended to represent, is much valued as a medicine by the In- 
 dians. Il is called iLY-nis-fie-hu^-^oo/i, from wc-iu-sik, the 
 spicy birch, and hus^-s^oon, which in compositio;; means leaf. 
 
 na and Japan, to Mexiro and Peru, and, we may aild, to the l>aiikii of ilit- .^Iidalt 
 .sippi, and tlie coasts of Hudcon's Kay. 
 
 Some of the arguments a>ldneed iti sup|<ori of the favourite opinion, thai the 
 Ameriean trilies are the loan loM renin. ml of the children of Uriel, eertaiiily re- 
 quire no answer. An intimate aei|uaiiilan(-e with niiiiiy languages in now so 
 widely dilfuwd, an to nu|H'reei|p the necessity of renmrkiiie, or I'f provinu, thai 
 a stroll); Hiinilarily in the souml ol .■mjiih' few word:* of dillen>iit liinuuaije.s, even 
 lliough they shiiuld Ih' liiuiid siniilir in meaning, ilues not eslalili h the tiiet of 
 oomimiiiity of uii^rin : .in<l the \Mile diA<iiiiilarity Ixtwtvii the .Xinerieaii luid ihf* 
 llehri'W, ami its einjiriie dialeets. in the one pirli 'ular, of the eompoundini; of 
 Words, IS prolmlily. to the learned, coiicluiii^e proof timl our Irilies are, in no sort 
 '"■rued from the llrhrew ^loi-k 
 
 I.-. 
 

 ii 
 
 r" 
 
 ;joi 
 
 .MlSiIC A.ND rutlHV. 
 
 7. Ma-nio-\ali-ii;t, mis-kwr, ina-nio-yah-nii. 
 That whirh I lakr [is] blood, that which I take. 
 
 Here is the figure of a bear Iyin» dead on the ground, and a 
 hand is thrust into the body, to take out some of the blood. The 
 instruction communicated probably is, (hat when the prayers of- 
 fered in the preparation for tlie medicine hunt have been answer- 
 ed, and an animal killed, offerings should be immediately made, 
 by taking some of the blood in the hand, and pouring it on the 
 ground : or, as is more commonly done, by throwing a handful of 
 it towards each of the four cardinal points. 
 
 8. Ili-a-gwo nc-ma-nah-ho-gahn nah-we-he-a ! whe-e-ya I 
 Now I have something to eat. 
 
 The two last words seem to have no very definite meaning ; 
 they arc repeated at the end of some of the sentences, apparently 
 only to lengthen out the sound. This figure is that of a lein and 
 hungry man, who, having asked for food, has been heara, and is 
 now proceeding to allay his hunger. 
 
 If. !'*>. 
 
 9. We-\\ah-kwa bc-gah-na niaiii-to-ga. 
 
 I cover my head, sitting down to sleep, ye spirits. 
 
 The figure is that of a man, probably designed to he represent- 
 ed in a recumbent position, and drawing his blanket over him. 
 His prayer having been answered, his wants supplied, he de- 
 clares to (he spirits his intention to take repose. 
 
 10. Moosh-kin a-guh-wah nian-i-to-whah, whah-he-yah ! whr- 
 lin-ya ! &c. 
 
 1 fill my kettle for the spirit. 
 
 This is the liunter's lodge, and thoketlh? iianging in il confaiiic 
 liic heart of the animal killed in the medicine hunt, of which none 
 but a man and a hunter must venture to taste. Should a woman 
 
 III!!! : 
 
 ■ tic' 
 
 \ \ 
 
 i;^^ k . 
 
 >* 
 

 ML',<IC AMI VdL I HV, 
 
 '.\7itt 
 
 )un(l, und ii 
 ,lo<.(l. The 
 ! prayers of 
 )ecn answcr- 
 iaU'ly niu(l»% 
 ng it on tlio 
 a handful of 
 
 e-e-ya ! 
 
 ilc meaning ; 
 s, apparently 
 of a lt"^n and 
 hearo, and is 
 
 l.'i. 
 
 I be roprcscnt- 
 
 likrl over liini. 
 
 ipliod, ho d( - 
 
 Lhe-yah! whr- 
 
 in il contain? 
 lof which non*" 
 loiild .1 wonjai^ 
 
 • tr a (iotr cx'«'ii touch lliis Jicail. <ir tlit> bland of ilio animal, suddtn 
 ifrntfi, or rniirciiiio- sickness, woidil f'dluw il. This efl'ci:!, as 
 well as the dark colour whlcli the Imiiaiis say the skin of the fe- 
 males assumes, in instances of the violation of this nde, they at- 
 trihufc to the ellect of tlie medicine applied hy the hunter to tlio 
 heart of the Me-ze-nin-ne-shah. They point out instances of 
 women, formerly distinguished among them for beauty, and par- 
 ticularly for the fairness of the skin, who, iiy eating of the heart, 
 or touching the blood of an animal killed in medicine hunting, 
 have not (miy lost that enviable distinction, but have become 
 disgusting and frightful objects, the skin being blackened and 
 covered with ulcers. 
 
 11. Nah-nah-wa-kum-me-ga wa-nuk-ke-she nuh-neh keen-0- 
 wah man-i-to-whah. 
 
 Long ago, in the old time, since I laid myself down, yo arft 
 spirits. 
 
 This is the tigure of a snake running «»ver the ground ; but 
 some are of opinion that the delineation should be dillerent, 
 namely, an old woman lying down in the middle of the ground. 
 A new speaker is here introduced, wliicli is the mytlMdogical 
 personage; called Me-suk-kum-nie-go-k\va, tfic grand mother ol 
 mankind, to whom Na-iia-bush gave in keeping, for the use of his 
 uncles and aunts, all roots and plants, and otlier medicines, de- 
 rived from the earth. She received, at llie s;une time, e-pcciai 
 direction never to leave hotne. and always to surrender to men 
 llie treasures deposited in her bosom, wlu ii they should be, in u 
 -uitable manner, demanded of her. Jlence it is, that the medicine 
 men make an addr-ss to Me-suk-kuni-nie-go-kwa. whenever they 
 lake any thing from tlie eartli. which is to be n.-ed as medicine. 
 
 I'-I. iNe-mo-kin-nen-naun she-inaim-dnk kwnn-ne-no nuh-pe- 
 iiio-ke-ne-nann. 
 
 1 open yon for a hear, I open you. 
 
 ■yie-snk-knin-me-go-kwa speaks to one of the medicines whoso 
 power she had ju^t acknowledired, by calling them s|)irits, and 
 «ays, I disclose, or reveal you lor a bear, or to enable the hunter 
 lu kill a bear. 
 
 \',i. Me-loo-ga nian-i-to-loo-'Ta, heo-yeo->ah-yoh ! he-gp-tah- 
 waw-kum-mc-ga wy-oan do-sa-jeek mc-to-ga-nah, whe-i-nh ! whr- 
 ,-oh ' 
 
 1 
 
 iiiiJi' I 
 
 1 1 
 
 
Mfk^-'^-li im t u . — ^. «- 
 
 
 ;r)f. 
 
 Misu AM) i'(ii;ru\. 
 
 Tlial is a Sjiirit wliirli con\o< both from alxno and hrlow, 
 jIFovo llicy i)pn;iii to danrr.] 
 
 II. Wliain-jo-ncpn-(la sii-maii-qra rli.ili-gc-mah-ni-to-whah-ga. 
 [Tu-ior.] 
 
 Nceii-iiis-sali wccn-iiecii-dali so-mah-«p-ncen-nah chah-ga-to 
 man-i-to wliali-ga, yah-wc-hc-ya I whr-gr-a ! [Twirp.] 
 
 I am ho that givelh siirross, hecausc all spirits help mr. 
 
 15. Me-irc-iie-nali inc-go-iic-nah mc-gwim-iiah-ga me-ge-nc- 
 nah, whc-hv-ya ! [Twiro.] 
 
 The feather, the feather; it is the thing, the feather. 
 
 It sometimes happens that the hunter has wandered far from 
 his k dge, and has neither birch bark on which to delineate his 
 Me-i-,en-ne-neenR, nor o-num-nii, or other powerful medicine, to 
 ..pply to its heart. In these cases he takes some of the ashes of 
 his tire, and spreading it on a smooth ])lace, he traces in it the 
 figure of tlie animal ; he llien takes a feather and sticks it in th'- 
 heart, then a])p!irs (ire until it is consumed to the surface of the 
 ashes, and on tliis he places the same reliance as on the more 
 common method of Irealimr the Me-zen-ue-neen-'. 
 
 '■■ 'i I 
 
 ir. 
 
 17. 
 
 !"*. 
 
 Il». 
 
 i t 
 
 'i(\ 
 
 U 
 
 |(i. Wha »i-m;ui-i-l()-\vhah .' Iir-dli-r-wln-i/ii ! nia-she-ge-na pc- 
 po-sa-jrek wli:i-iii-|i' mau-i-lu-\vliah, ah-keeng pa-mo-sah fiuh- 
 hr-whe-ya ! 
 
 Who is n spirit ? lie ifiat walkelh with llie serpent, walkini' 
 oil the iirouiul; he is a sjiiril. 
 
 This fiijure is nearly the .same as is iriveii to Na-oa-bush, in 
 the beiiiimiiigorihe souir, and an allusion is probably intended to 
 the. time when this interpreter betwi-en mankiiul aiul the Supreme 
 Spirit, the Oeator of all thinffs, was driven from the presence 
 of his fatlier, to dwell with ibi- meanest ihiuirs of this world. 
 
(i\(l bcliiw. 
 o-whah-ga. 
 
 chah-ga-tii 
 
 •1 
 
 p me. 
 
 I mc-ge-nc- 
 
 r. 
 
 •ed far from 
 delineate hi^ 
 medicine, to 
 the ashes of 
 ces in it the 
 irks it in tlm 
 iirface of tlic 
 on the mori 
 
 vJO. 
 
 slir-ije-na |>i'- 
 -iiio-sali hah- 
 
 Kiit, walliint' 
 
 a-uii-l)Usli, in 
 
 y intended to 
 
 tiie Sni)rcme 
 
 the presenre 
 
 (if thi^i world. 
 
 Mvsic; AM) ri)t:iuv. 
 
 357 
 
 The alhisioiis in the traditionary fable.s of the Algonkins, to the 
 quarrel between Na-na-bush and the (Jreat Spirit, arc frequent, 
 and eannol fail to remind any one oC the most important ot' the 
 doctrinea of the ehrislian ridigion. It can scaree be doubted that, 
 from some source or other, these people have derived some ob- 
 .scure conceptions of the incarnation and mediatorial oflice of the 
 second person iu the Divine Trinity.* 
 
 * In Mr. M'Kcnnpy's "Tour to the Lakrs," p. 000, 005, some account is given 
 of \a-na-hoii-Ji)ii, anil the rcnovatinn of liir cartli aftor llu' licluirc, wliich agrofs, 
 in must particular»i, vcrv closely with the trailitioiis aniouu the Ottawwaws anrl 
 MenoiuDiiies. Kut these last relat'' it v th the follDwiiiir addition : " When the 
 earth, which was found in the claws and in the )nouth of the muskral, iK-iran to 
 expand itself upon the surface of the water, Na-na-hou-jou sat, day aft<;r day, 
 watching i.ft enlargement. When he was no longer utile to see the extent of it, 
 he sent out a wolf, and (old him to run rouml all the gro\nid, and then return to 
 him, that he might thus know how large it had Invome. 'I'lie wolf was absent 
 only a short limi\ and returned. .After sometime he sent him out the second 
 lime, with similar directions, and he was gone two years. Agniu, alter this. In; 
 -ent him out, and he returned no more. Then Na-iia-l>ou-jou gave the animals, 
 all of whom he called Ve-she-inih, (my younii'V I'rolher.J each his own pecidiar 
 km(loft()o<l. lie also told such of them as were to Ih' ll)r food for men, that he 
 had given them to his uncles, and they must expect, from time to time, to lie 
 liimleil and killed ; he also enjoineii it upon them, that as lung as men should 
 > liiwse a s|M'edy and merciful metluMl of killing them, they should make no resist- 
 •incc J but, in ea«i's of wanton and cruel injury, they might turn to rewiwt."' 
 
 Il is also to Ik" observed, that this renovation of (lii> earth is clearly distingui>h- 
 iil, in the traditions of the Ottawwaws, from the origin.d creation, which was lon^r 
 previous. How much of the instructions of the JesuitH, and of other whites, m«y 
 now lie combined in these legends, it is dillicult to say. I'lit they rekale that 
 men, before the (l.iod, though thi'y had been long betiire upright and good, had 
 now become e\<'eedingly di-gi nenite ; but they ilo not assign this as the caus4> for 
 which the deluge was brought upon the earth. They s.ay that the younger 
 brother of .Va-na-iKiu-jon was slain by the (iieal Spirit, the fatlur of iHtth, and it 
 was in grief and in aiigi'r that Na-n,ilH>u-iou himself caused the earth to be 
 overwhelmed. To so great an extent did he carry his resj-ntnient against the 
 Great Spirit, and the olhir Spirit-, that Ibey, with the hojieolapiieasiiig him, re- 
 ^tored his brother to lite. Hut Na-na-lxHl Jon said, " No, my brother, this cannot 
 be, that anv should die ami come aunin to live here as U-liirp; return ,igain to 
 the jilace to which they had si'ul you ; it is there that many of my uncles and 
 aunts must come every year. Vou shall Ih' the triciul and the. protector of those. 
 n« 1 am of the liviriL', who are here mi tliisearih " lie niuriied accordingly, and 
 it is this brother of Na-nabou-jou, who is novvR|token of asXiNc-OAii-BE-ARNoNo 
 Man-i-to, (the western gixl,) though this is not his name, by which he wa? 
 known to hii* brother. He is the goil of the country of the dead, tlir< towns of 
 ■he Je-bi-ug, which are always towards the srltiiig sun. 
 
 W 
 
 (•MA* 
 
 •4N- 
 
if i 
 
 '6:}b 
 
 >\IAIC AM) 1'UK1K\. 
 
 i. t 
 
 17. Ilc-ah gut-tah wees-scnc, wim-iHt-kwa noeu-nali nceii-d*- 
 kwa-wuir-L'<'-|?Ji weeii-dum iiiah-wuii iieou-nali-liali ncen-iiah wht- 
 hc-ya ! 
 
 Now they will *'at something, my women ; now I tell them 
 they will eat. 
 
 Tliis tigure, with open mouth and distended belly, seems Id 
 speak the language of human thanksgiving, and gratitude for f;'- 
 vours conferred by a superior power. 
 
 18. O-num-mun-nah nin-go-ohe-we-nah. [Twice.] 
 This yellow ochre, I will try it. 
 
 The o-num-mun, a yellowish earth, wluch they find in many 
 places, and which i:s particularly abundant on one of the branches 
 of the Illinois Kiver, thence called O-num-mun-ne See-be, when 
 roasted in tlie fir*', becomes red, and is a medicine to which they 
 attribute great power. It is a little sack of this which is dispro- 
 portionately represented in the hand of the figure. 
 
 li>. Yah-hah nin-go-che-we-nah whe-he-ya-ha ! bc-nais-se-wa\v 
 yah-hah nin-go-tin-non-gay nin-go-che-hah-hah, yah-hah nin-go- 
 te-non-ga. 
 
 Now I wish to try n>y bird ; sometime ; I used to try, and somc- 
 limes it used to be something. 
 
 The figure is that of a bird's skin, in which his medicine i- 
 contained, and it is that, and not the skin itself, he wishes to try. 
 
 30. Ah-wes-sie necs-sah neen-no, ka-she-c-way ke-kaun-nc- 
 nah ; ah-wis-sie nees-sah neen-no, whe-he-ya ! hc-whe-ya ! 
 
 I can kill any animal, liecause the loud-speaking thunder help^ 
 me : I can kill any animal. 
 
 This large bird, whose open mouth indicates the power ot his 
 voice, is not one who ird\abits the earth, or is ever seen ; he livc> 
 in the clouds, and his voice is the thunder. He is more com- 
 monly called a-nim-me-kce, but here ke-kaun ; our loud sounding 
 medicine is strong to give us wind or rain, or whatever state of 
 the air mav be needful to ensure success in the himf. 
 
 I: 
 
 
 
 y . 
 
I nccii-iU- 
 i-nab wh»'- 
 
 tcU them 
 
 y, seems in 
 itude for (>'- 
 
 iml in many 
 the branches 
 ke-he, when 
 i> which ihty 
 ich iri ilispi'"- 
 
 s-nais-sc-waw 
 h-hah nin-go- 
 
 ,ry, ami sonic- 
 
 s medicine i> 
 wislies to try. 
 ke-kaun-nc- 
 ,vhe-ya ! 
 tlmndcr hclp- 
 
 le power ot his 
 seen ; he livc- 
 is more com- 
 Idiid sounding 
 
 luitever state oi 
 
 lint. 
 
 
 MirslU AND rOETRV. 
 
 369 
 
 •40. 
 
 *J1. Mah-mo-yah-na hah-che-mauii-duk hah-yo-ta-he inah-mo- 
 yah-na. 
 
 I take a bear, hi.s heart I take. 
 
 The aUu.sion is here to the observances respecting the lieart 
 and bloc) of animals kiUed in medicine hnnting, and the sacri- 
 fices to I if made in the event of success. 
 
 22. ()-she-shn-g\va-waw tun-wa-we-tun-ga necn-dah biih- 
 zheen-ga tun-wa-we-tim-ga, whe-he-ya ! 
 
 A rattle snake makes a noise on the poles of my lodge ; he 
 makes a noise. 
 
 The jealousy of rival hunters is a frequent cau.se of quarrels 
 jiul troubles among the Indians. This man boasts that the rattle 
 snake, which always gives notice when danger is near, is on the 
 poles of his lodge, and no evil can come near him without his 
 being informed of it. His life is guarded by a superior power, 
 and he fears not what his enemies can do to liim. 
 
 23. O-shaw-wah-no nah-o-bah-guh-he gun-nun-na, ho-kah-mik 
 a-no-2rweh, whe-he-ya ! Neen-da-bwa-wa se-to nah-na, whc-hc ! 
 ya-ha ! 
 
 To a Shawnee, the four sticks used in this song belonged. 
 When struck together they were heard all over the country. 
 
 Th's is the figure of a man holding in his left hand the four 
 iiah-o-bah-e-gun-nun, or sticks, on which this song was recorded, 
 and the authorship is claimed by a Shawnee, from whom the 
 Ojibbcways acknowledge to have received it ; and here, it is pro- 
 bable, the performance originally concluded. The remaining 
 figures appear to have been addtd from other songs. 
 
 24. lli-ah shahwo mah-mo-ke-ah-na Man-i-to ne-whaw-baw- 
 maw ah-mik-kwug n*' whaw-baw-maig, whe-ha-ya ! 
 
 I come up from below; I come down from above; I see tli' 
 spirit ; I see beavers. 
 
 I ■li 
 
 ' 
 
.<»*—*«•. 
 
 :m 
 
 >li;.sic AND Vl»KTR\. 
 
 ff I 
 
 !^ 
 
 'V'"' <losiiTii of this fitriiiT is to suggest to the miixl, tliat tlu 
 .•"p'sriS to whiun t\w jiriiyers in tlie medicine hunting are address- 
 v(t ito only knows where animals are on the surface of the 
 ground, hut that so great is his power, he can create them where 
 they did not before (;xist, to supply the wants of those that pray 
 unto him, and can cause tlu-m to come up out of the earth. 
 
 iir>. Wc-waw-bun o-kah-tawn neen-gah-bcah no-kwa-nah we- 
 ^law-bun o-kah-tawn, we-he-lia-ya ! 
 
 1 can mak(! an east wind come and pass over the ground. 
 
 This is sung four times, tlie north, the west, and the soutii 
 winds being each, in turn, substituted for the east wind here 
 spoken of. The meaning is, that the spirit has power to give a 
 wind in any direction that may he necessary for the success of 
 the hunter ; that he controls all the chanires of the a1mos|)hcre. 
 and will overrule them in such a manni^r as to ensure the success 
 of those whose medicine is strong : in other words, whose prayer 
 i^ eHectual. They nnist therefore neither regard the wind nor the 
 sky, but go forward in contidence of success. The idea of thr 
 circle in this figure, into which the wuids are represented as rush- 
 ing, is derived from the apparent form of the visible iiorizon ; tin 
 Indians neither know, nur will tliey believe that the foi.n of thi 
 earth is L'^lobnlar. 
 
 I^r 
 
 till." ^ 
 I* I I 
 
 )H}. 
 
 27. 
 
 ' d 
 
 W 
 
 -, I 
 
 •-itj. Na-nah nub-be-gah-ne-na ha-ge-(ah wah-kum-me-ga uk-ke- 
 ko-no-dah go-na, neen-na-nali nah-be-yahn-ne-na, ke-na-nali nub- 
 be-ah n«'cn-na, whe-he-yah ! we-he-ya ! 
 
 Thus have I sat down, and the earth above and below has lis- 
 tened to me sitting here. 
 
 This is agftin the figure of Na-na-bush, sitting on the earth, in 
 ilir same attittuie in which he is represented in the first part of 
 
 fiiinti 
 the 
 man 
 seen 
 
 \ ^ 
 
Ml'SIC AM) l'liKIU\ . 
 
 •Ml 
 
 (I, Uiat tin 
 :c aildress- 
 icc of tlu' 
 hem where 
 e Unit pray 
 earth, 
 wa-nah we- 
 
 ■ound. 
 
 x\ the soutii 
 t wind here 
 iver to give a 
 ic success oi" 
 atmosphere, 
 •e the success 
 kvliose prayer 
 I wind nor the 
 le idea of t!\e 
 enled as riish- 
 ; liurizon ; the 
 ,e foin of tht 
 
 lii-mc-ga uk-ke- 
 Ike-na-nah n\ib- 
 
 |l below has lis- 
 
 )n the earth, ii» 
 Ihc first part "f 
 
 ihe perroniiaiice. The nuiiniiiir i-*, tliat all who join in these de- 
 votional exercises must, throughout their continuance, which is 
 lor tlic {Treater part of the iii<fht, retain iuunoveably the same at- 
 titude, and give a serious attention to the performer, who must 
 observe the same rule ; and when all is tinished, he, without ut- 
 tering a word to any of those about him, rises and walks out of 
 the lodge. 
 
 27. Pa-mo-ta-yah-na che-maun duh-kwa pa-mo-ta-yah-ga, whe- 
 he-ya-ha ! 
 
 1 make to crawl, a bear, I make to crawl. 
 
 Probably the meaning is, that by these observances, and by 
 Uiis prayer, the hunter may cause to crawl [kill] a bear, or any 
 animal. It is to be observi-d, that a bear is never, in these songs, 
 railed by the common name, but always che-mahn-duk. 
 
 It requires two years of attentive study, in the intervals of 
 leisure that occur in the life of a hunter, to learn this song, and 
 he must pay his instructor the value of many beaver skins. It 
 was first introduced into the band to wiiich Mr. Tanner belonged, 
 liy an Ojibbeway of the village of Was-waw-gun-nink. Our nar- 
 rator, as well as his foster brother, Wa-me-gon-a-biew, had paid 
 this man, whose name was Ke-zha-shoosh, great sums for his 
 medicines, and it was a quarrel originating in this subject, whicii 
 ended in his assassination by Wa-me-gon-a-biew, as related in the 
 preceding narrative. The Ojibbeways of Red River relate, and 
 .^oinc of them hrliccc, that very wonderful efl'ects have been pro- 
 duced by this soug, and the medicine belonging to it, such as. 
 tliat after using it for four days one man succeeded in bringing a 
 live moose into the midst of the village at Was-waw-gun-nink 
 in such a state of fatuity, that he made, though uninjured, no ef- 
 fort to escape. These extravagant fables remind us of the pow- 
 rrs attributed by the ancients to the music of Orpheus, and others 
 of the earliest poets. 
 
 One of the established customs of the Indians, in relation to 
 iiunting, tiiough not innnediately connected with the subject of 
 the prccedini; song, may be here mentioned. As in the case of 
 many other customs, its origin is unknown, but i\< tendency 
 seems to be to encourage the spirit of generous hospitality, and 
 '" render the proceeds of the chase the common property of the 
 
 4rt 
 
 ll. " 
 
''w:^ 
 
 }■ '' 
 
 »;• •■ i 
 
 362 
 
 MISIC AND POETRY. 
 
 band tn Avhirli the hiiiilpr bclonrrs. Th<' riist(»ni is, that if any 
 inaii, in iPtnrnint; from his hunt, no niatlor how lon^ and htho- 
 rious it may have horn, or how trnat may \ir the nocossitifis of 
 his own family, meet another just slarlinff out to himl, or cvrn a 
 littli" l)oy walking from the rami) or \ illa^^ro, he is bound to thro\\ 
 down at his foct, and ifivo him whatever he may have brought. 
 It is partly to avoid llie efTert of this custom, that the men often 
 limes hMve their game on the spot where they killed it, and thi 
 women are sent to bring in th<' meat. In other insi.inces the 
 hunter curries the animal on his baek as fir as he thinks he ran 
 without the risk of meeting men, then eonreals it, and goes home 
 iVo difference is said to be made when game is taktii which is 
 not needed in the village for food ; l>eavers, otters, martins, or 
 whatever the hunter may have taken, he is expected to ridinciuish 
 fo the person who meets him. 
 
 I'l i 
 
 |swAK\ jf Iinliu, t/ir Satiun i>f Itahj, the NANAnrsii ofth' 
 
 Mgniikiiix. 
 
 [Sec Atialic linenrclnf, Vol. /. p "Jl!* J 
 
 u. 
 
1H.SK x\)) POFIIIV 
 
 .«()3 
 
 that if ain- 
 / and \i\\w- 
 :ossiUPs ol 
 t, or even a 
 lul to throv 
 !V: brought 
 men often- 
 it, and lli' 
 iisiancos tlu' 
 links he can 
 1 jroi's honn' 
 rn wliich i^ 
 , martins, or 
 to rilimiuisli 
 
 nisii «; 
 
 fth 
 
 \-,t rp'iV'l 
 
 SONU FOK THE MKDICIM: lirNTIXi. I'ARTICI L\K- 
 l-Y FOK BKAVKUS. 
 
 Vw. I. 
 
 U. 
 
 ,^ ^, 
 
 Via. I. Clio-inalin-dnk-kwa nr-muIi-kui-o-s:i nc-ali-hah-wa, no- 
 an-liali-ua, nc-nuili-kwi-o-sa, Iw-ah-whc-hi -u/i ! 
 
 A bear, I walk like a bear niysell"; myscll". I walk like a bear. 
 
 Tl. 
 
 le hu'dii'iiu' man here speaks in Ins disoiiiM 
 
 ol' a bear skin 
 
 \e-Minli-kui-o-~a mi),'ht he more literall) translated"! walk a 
 liear;" it is the eumponnd olneen-mnk-kuaw and pa-[iali-mo-sa. 
 • >r ()a-bah-nn>-sa. I'he-mahn-duk is < niiunonly used, in thesi- 
 >onirs, lor a hear. 
 
 •-I. Ah-wes-sie hi-ah-wa-nali hah-lw a-\M-lahni;-!{ih ! \Vaw- 
 x\ash-ke^h r-wah hah-twa-we-tahnj>-nah. 
 
 .\ beast, what beast comes eallinir f ll is a deer eonu-s eallin<;. 
 
 The word hali-lwu-we-lahn>;->rah is ixpressive not only of the 
 |ieeiiliai' eall of the male deer, at thi' riiltini) si-ason, hut also ol 
 
 ilu- eireumstane." that tl 
 
 u- annna 
 
 s ap|iroachnii; IIk- speaker 
 
 Ih 
 
 were he {joinu; the other way, or even :;itanding .-ilill, the word 
 would he ditrerenl. 
 '.\. O-innn-num-nali inn-tro-ehe-we-nah. [Twii'i. | 
 
 Til 
 
 IS \(llo\v oehre 
 
 ill t 
 
 rv It. 
 
 This is the sann. in all respects, ns No, !>», in the preeedin^ 
 sonj; to i\a-na-hiish. 
 
 'i. VVun-nr ho-i-yahn, wmi-ne h<i-i-ali-na nali-we-lie-u he-o-ge- 
 uiah-wah Ka-hr-Wiiw-hiii i-mt-kwain « un-ue-hoi-\ah nah-we-ne-n. 
 
 I disjjiiist' myselC to clual vou, *io thai oid\ a rliirf, if he sees 
 
 ine, ran know w 
 
 ho i 
 
 am. 
 
 The himter, to dee«'i\e the animal he wi.shes to kill, putH on 
 !|ie dre«H uf a white num. or .isMumes Mie nppenrnnee of %nmr 
 
 }" m n: 
 
 ^Hmm 
 
jt^; , ;-> ■►ft.'^ijifcig^^^. 
 
 Mi 
 
 >lf ANU I'DK.IIIV. 
 
 harmlrs^ cifatinT, and hr boa>tstliat his disguiM" is so porlofl as 
 to deceive any but a rhiet medicine man, or a ureal hunter. It 
 phoidd be remombered, that (he langiiage ol" tliese songs is com- 
 monly that of distant allusion, rather than direct figure ; hence, 
 though the words nuiy seem unmeaning to us, they ahvajs con- 
 vey much signification l<t the Indians. Thus, in this instance, 
 though the hunter say.i he puis on the appearance of a white man. 
 it is probalile he means that he disguises himself as a ucar, or 
 some other animal. e«iually harmless with a man who wears a 
 hat, or a while man. Tliat the Indians should think liltlc of 
 ihr white man's "^kill in hunllng, is by no means surprising. 
 
 g. 
 
 (■>. 
 
 ? 
 
 >(■■ 1 
 
 I 
 
 r/ 
 
 
 
 • ' . -t 
 
 o. l-ah-iir-wah-ho go-mo-yaun. i-ah-ne-wah-lio go-mo-yann . 
 i-am-mik-gung-ga-nali ; i-ah-ne-wah-ho go-mo-yaun. 
 
 Can any one remain longer under water than me ? I am bea- 
 ver, and I can remain longer tiian any under waler. 
 
 This language, descriptive of the dilfn iiliies in taking beaver. 
 is put iiitii (he moiiili of (he animal liimsell. 
 
 t>. I-an-we-be-ah-ne ne-hub-be-ah-na be-ah-na. [Many times 
 reppHled.] 
 
 I am well loaded ; I sit down (o re>l ; I am loaded. 
 
 The iiunter hears, but he regards no( (he boasting language ol 
 (he bcuvrr. The evidence of bis skill a id success is on his buck, 
 suspi-nded by a sirap passing round his forehead ; and to nij^nify 
 '!ia( his loail is heavy, Iw si(s down (o res(. 
 
 7. Mah-mo-ke-hea hi-ah-maunii-w iig-e-he-a inan-i-(o-we-he-tnli 
 
 He muHt come up, even the loon, though lie is ManKo. 
 
 Thin in another answer of (he hunter to the boast of (he bruver. 
 Are you h grraler diver (huii the loon ? Yet even he nni.-^t rise 
 to the surface after a certain '.i;r.r. The coun(ry of (he Ojibbr- 
 wav« aboundinir in small lake**, which sometimes lie verv near 
 
 i I 
 
MTSIC AN1> I'OKTKY. 
 
 :{«M 
 
 hunter. 1' 
 nors is fom- 
 u-c ; hence, 
 ahvaj s con- 
 \\s instance, 
 i white man. 
 i a near, or 
 ^lio wears ii 
 ink liiilc of 
 irirtinii. 
 
 9. 
 
 go-mo-y!i"" 
 
 n. 
 
 P ? I am beii- 
 
 llHkinjr beaver. 
 
 [Many 
 
 tuTie'^ 
 
 1. tl. 
 
 \\Q liinsiuiit!;e ol 
 
 lisonliisbacK. 
 
 and to fii£?niiy 
 
 ^i-io-we-he-tali 
 
 Manitt). 
 
 of ilie beaver. 
 li he must rise 
 |,M the Ojibbr- 
 lir verv nenr 
 
 i-ach otiier, without any visible eommnniealion, they have taken 
 np the idea that eomnumieatitms exist under ground, and they 
 believe a loon ean dive down in one, and eonie up in another ol" 
 them. They think, also, that the beaver can carry down so 
 much air entanfrlcd in his coat, that if left undisturbed at the bot- 
 tom, he can thrust his nose into his fur, and breathe for some 
 time. 
 
 H. Whe-gah wecn-ah-wa\v sah-ge-mah-tik-o-waw, hio-go-mah- 
 waw, sali-go-mah-tik-o-waw. 
 
 I can cut down that chief tree, though it he the tree of a chief. 
 
 The beaver says he can cut down any tree. Thougli a great 
 hunter, and a man of medicine, may claim the tree, though ho 
 may have placed it there, tlie beaver can cut it down. Sah-gem- 
 ah-tik reminds us of the word Sa-chem, derived from some ol 
 the eastern dialects of the Algonkin. 
 
 J>. Neen-dah no-je-ah we-ah-wing nian-i-to-we-tah we-ah-wing. 
 &c. 
 
 Though he is Maniio, I can work to take his bod\. 
 
 This is the hunter, culling open the ice, or breaking up tiie 
 beaver's lodge, in pursuit <<( him. (Al the bar lh(>v begin to 
 dance. 1 
 
 10. 
 
 11. 
 
 12. 
 
 13. 
 
 10. y .'. be-i5o-tin-no-waw a-zhe-tm-na chaw-gaw-Mais-sie a-zhe 
 iin-nn. 
 
 I woiiM .'h »oi, as you told me, any animal ; as you told me. 
 
 Thi.* IS addressed to Na-iia-bush, ami the hunter professes his 
 desiif to follow h' I'dvice in every thing, that be may lie assured 
 s-; •I'T in I untin!;. .Naim-i)ush is partiiidarly the lumler's god. 
 a. 1(1 fnmi him Ins best skill is derived. 
 
 11. Ncen n'buh-we-hah he-na-ne-whaw, aa-nr-buh«we-hah. 
 Nren n'buh-we-hah mcen-da-nm-sHh. na-ne-buh-we-hsli. 
 
 li 
 
 !' ( 
 
' 07 
 
 ''^!k>'P 
 
 /*»»-*■**" 
 
 {. t 
 
 if 
 
 ■f^ i 
 
 ,i 
 
 
 i'fi 
 
 
 ) ,..» 
 
 uoo 
 
 Ml .-n AM) nil I K V 
 
 I make to siuiul, a iiiun, 1 iiiuko iiiiii staiul. 
 
 The words «Nnii-i'c-\vali and iiii't'ii-da-ino-sah, mrati licrn llif 
 male or rcinale of the aniinais hunted ; and a>, at some seasons, 
 only the males are fat, and at others only tin; temales, the one 
 line or lh«^ otiier is snnif fn'st, aecordin^r 
 
 to tl 
 
 le s«'asoii, 
 
 Th. 
 
 word n'huh-we-hah is more eomnionly spoken, |)articularly li\ 
 the Mississippi Indians, n'po-we-ah. 
 
 12. Nc-ttli-WH een-du-l)c-lo-na ne-uh-how. 
 
 Myself, I do t,^(>t)d lo myself. 
 
 It is eerlainiy pcditic I'or the medicine men, who reeeive ex- 
 travagant fees not only for teacliinj' their s(m(fs, luit fur the me- 
 dicines used conjointly with them, to remind their employers that 
 
 nil th 
 
 u< evpenditures they make arc not unavailin^r- 
 
 II 
 
 er»' 
 
 tl 
 
 leii. 
 
 i-- a li(.nn<' which seems to lie that of a Icmale, coxered pinfii-ely 
 with the clotiiini: piirclia 'eil Ironi the pr(ict'('(l-< ol the medicint 
 hunts; over the heail of the li^nre are blankets and cloth, uiiil 
 aiiKind tiie waisi is siisjiended an ample irarnu-n', lielonijinir to a 
 uomnii. 
 
 \',\. \e-knun-naw niM-m>-clie-liah iie-kaiin-naw . 
 
 My friend-. I will l!\, my fritiul-. 
 
 Prosperity, as arnoni: other nnii. It ad- lo insolence ani! tin 
 ainise of powiT. 
 I 
 
 This man, who, in iina<rinati(m, iias been sm 
 
 cesslnl in h\< piir<iiil-;. whose medicine has made him rn-h, ami 
 clothed his I'amilv. now proposes to turn il-^ powiT against hi- 
 fellows. The victim of his malice lies on the (rround, trannfixed 
 
 w 
 
 lui (>norm(ui> arroiv. 
 
 ith 
 
 14. Na-wi-ahn, na-wi-ah-na, o-ho-o wim 
 pah-!)e-waw iMim-me-kwi-a-nc 
 
 A mu 
 
 ccasin sii.iKc 
 
 a mociM»iii 
 
 •nail he-na-ne-wnw we 
 
 ^kin is ni\ mediciiit 
 
 bug; let any man i oiiw to see me that will. 
 
 I( aii\ man is p;aloiis of iii\ -iicct -.s in hmitiiiif, l< t hiui know 
 that a moccasin snake skin is my medicine bat; ; let him know 
 that he cannot, without danu'er, come in mv wa\. 
 
' IjLM M 
 
 MISU AND POETR\. 
 
 [i61 
 
 Mi li; 10 ihf 
 inc seasons, 
 lies, tlie Dill' 
 •asoii. TIk- 
 iliculailv \>) 
 
 } receive ex- 
 it till- (lie lilt ■ 
 iiploN ers lliat 
 Hire, then, 
 red |>riit'u-('l'' 
 tlic mrilifiiK 
 ■III clotli, anil 
 eloiiLriiiLr I"' •' 
 
 »l»'ii»f ;iiiil til' 
 him been siu 
 liiiii riih. ami 
 IT aiiaiii-*! I"- 
 iin!, irai»nJiXf«l 
 
 ia-iie-\va\v \\<- 
 
 iii\ met 
 
 liriii' 
 
 1, 1 iiiiu kniiw 
 (1 liim kii'tu 
 
 {.'). Ne-ali-\ve-iia, iic-ali-Uf-na, waw-biin-duiu-mo a-zhe-naii- 
 ^wuk iie-ah-\ve-na. 
 
 Myfselt", niyseir, helioM me, and see that I look like inyscU". 
 
 This is sonn' jrreat mrdiriiie man, probably the author t)f (lif 
 ~(injj, wlio shoMs hiinseir U> the people. 
 
 MS. ('he-be-^au-ze-nauiiK >j\vil-)(»-i-ah-na iiiaiin-dah-wccn ah- 
 lue-ffe iieeii-M'a-nah L'na-kwaik ke-iiah gw it-lo-i-ah-na. 
 
 I (Minie (o rhani;[e the ajipearanre of the ground, this ground ; 
 I niaki! it hiok ditleriiit in earh season. 
 
 This is a Manilo, who, mi arcount of his immensity of tail, and 
 .ilhcr prcnliHrilies, has no prototy|H>. He elaims to he the ruler 
 
 <i\t'r llH- seasons. 
 
 il( 
 
 probal)ly <iitehe-a-nah-ini-e-l)e-zhe\v. 
 
 li^rtat uniler-irround wild cat.) 
 
 17. Ka-«ha\v-buni-n»e-ia he-ali ne-haun-na ehe-mo-ke-ah-nii 
 lirah ne-haiMi-na. 
 
 You may see me, my friends; I have risen, my friends. 
 
 This is the Manito of the ijrotind. who |)uls only his In-iul above 
 ilii' surface to speak ; but in this limire his horns are omitted, 
 j>rriiaps by nii-^iake. 
 
 1*^. Muk-ko-we-tali-wa neen-dah-nees-sah e-kwnh-e-tah-wn. 
 
 Were he a bear, i eould kill him, were he a lonsc. 
 
 Thus aided by the Manito of the seasons, or of the wealhi i, 
 ind by hnn of the j^round. as is expressed by the two priceilini.' 
 li(.Mires, the hunter says he eould find and kill whatever was a 
 bear, thouch it were no bit'^er than a louse. The tigiire is thai 
 i)f a bear, with a louse on il. 
 
 |U. (Maiiiih we-vo ehe-niahii-diik o-t:i-nuli-« r-yo. 
 
 \\\^ tongue, a bear, his ion|/iie. 
 
 The tongue, like the heart and blood in the other 8un|{, U now 
 lit h«> kept from the profane tourli nfa woman or a dog. 
 
 I' 
 
 ' 
 
 rv 
 
"'^5s^^CSt**^ •'•«^« •<»«■■. 
 
 3t5S 
 
 MUSIC AND I'OETRY. 
 
 UO. Man-i-to uli-wc-slic-nah-iiaio-kiiii-na nian-i-to wc-slic-nali- 
 iia. 
 
 A spirit is what I use ; a H])irif do tlioii use. 
 
 Tho sjxaki'r, in this iiistaiiro, is Na-na-bush, who gave mankind 
 an arrow ; that is, all those arms which give man (himinion over 
 the brutes. He used these things before us, and we must use 
 them agreeably to his instruction and example. 
 
 Ul. We-ah-hah nuik-ko-we-e-tah yah nah-mah kummig, ain- 
 dah-zheesh she-no-gwain niuh-ko-we-tah. 
 
 Although it were a bear concealed under the ground, I could 
 tirul him. 
 
 Thus aided by the Maniloag, and armed with the weapons ol" 
 iNa-na-busb, what animal shall be able to escape from the htmler ' 
 
 li 
 
 
 {' 
 
 f 
 
 t 
 
 h * 
 
 r * 
 
 i 
 
 fhm 
 
 iJk 
 
 fii 
 
 i{i^? ' 
 
 
 i \ 
 
ii lMtft i W iii I I k -^ 
 
 Ml .-IC AND IMtrilV. 
 
 'Am 
 
 ff. 
 
 c-shc-nali- 
 
 c mankind 
 Vinion over 
 • must \is«' 
 
 mmig, ain- 
 
 jntl, I f""!^ 
 
 weapons ol 
 the hunior ' 
 
 MEDICINE SON(;, FOli lllNTlNii, AiNH hOMETIMES 
 FOR MAKlNCi I-OVK. 
 
 Fio. I. a. 
 
 3. 
 
 Flu. I. Nccii-iiali-hali ah-iu'-iin-do-irwain {ja-no-zci wain-je 
 inan-i-to Mlie-jrwain, « c-lii-yali, wr-lic-ya 1 
 
 What I kiutw not niakrs fra-no-zlif (the l(»ii<> moon) Maiiito. 
 
 One of the winter moons, commonly called (litclic-manilo-n- 
 gce-zis, (ihc (Iroal Spirit's moon,) which corresponds to luir 
 month Januar), is con>i(l(rcd particularly laMJurahlc lor limiting. 
 Children horn in (hat month arc r«'ckoncd lonQ; lived. 
 
 2. H«'-ah neen-irwi-o-ho o-ho man-i-to-wc-t«h-hah j^ah-neen- 
 nwi-o we-i-ah-nah wc-hc-a ! 
 
 My painiinii, that makes nn a Maiiito. 
 
 One ol the parlitular kinds ol medicine lo he used uilli tins 
 >on^, is mixed with o-n\nn-un, and used in painting the face. 
 The IndninH atlrihute to it the (^reatesi cMicacy in givinij imme- 
 ilialf siicceHs ; bnl many of ihcm fear to use it, fmni a iirlief tha' 
 i! will have an injurious cHect on them atler dcalh. A man whc 
 'iiis uHcd it will, ihey say. in the ccnmiry to which we j^o aftei 
 ilealh, have no tlosh upon those parts of his '^nrv where the inedi- 
 line has touched. It is rare to ohMTve, anion^ the Indians, any 
 id«UH which w«»dd lead t<» (he helief, that they look upon a future 
 ^late p.s one <>f rein'.uHMii. The irnnx cnl are those who fail to 
 each (he \.ilaL'i> of the dtad; and l)u- unrortiii::ile art thosi 
 who, when ihi V ariiv« theri. are disiiii!>ui>lied from others, l)V 
 hring coiik|x lied (<< dHiti-e on (heir h«*Hs. \s might be expected 
 ("mm n pe-ipir in su« h profound ijfnoran<'« . i( »* not to tho^e ac- 
 
 r 
 
 ^ 
 
I'' .7: i ■ 
 
 '.>• • ' 
 
 m . 
 
 fl-,> 
 
 1^ ( 
 
 >. ^i 
 
 370 
 
 MUSIC AND POETRY. 
 
 tioas which are ptruicious lo huppinoss, and the true well bring 
 of the socicly. <»r the iiulividiial here, that the idea of future 
 punisliniriil is attaehed. 
 
 3. [The words Indoiiging to this figure arc lost. He sneins tu 
 be beating the Me-tig-waw-kcek, or mtlai drum, and is doubtlcs^i 
 boasting of his great medicine.] 
 
 4. Yah-hah-ween-gah wc-ah-hali ye-hi-ali-yah we-hc-a? yali- 
 hah o-ge-mah-waw goan-dum-nio-nah o-ge-mah-waw. 
 
 I am able to make a chief swallow an arrow. 
 
 This has allusion to the thrusting of arrow.s, and similar in- 
 struments, into the stomacli, by the medicine men. The word-< 
 are put, perhaps, into the mouth of the medicine. Tricks of 
 this kind arc often exhibited in the Metai, as well as several 
 juiserable sleiglit of hand tricks, which all the initiated, at least, 
 seem w illing to look upon as miracles. A common performance 
 is that of suffering one's self to be shot at with a marked bullet, 
 which had previously been shown to all the persons sitting in 
 the lodge. The medicine man stands at one end of the lodge, 
 with a small wooden bowl in his hand, and his companion, aftei 
 having exhibited the bullet, loads the gun in the sight of all pre- 
 sent; then dancing and singing backwards and forwards, dis- 
 charges the piece, apparently at ilie head, l>nt taking particular 
 care not to hit him. As soon as the smoke is disperso.d, the om 
 who had stood to receive the fire is seen with a ball in his dish, 
 marked accurately like the one which had been put in the gun. 
 With this he dances, exulting and shouting, three or four lime-^ 
 .nround the lodge. Other tricks are played with little pup|)ets ot 
 wood and feathers moved by strings, bvit kept concealed in sacks. 
 or otherwise. Many of these things, too childish and trifling to 
 be minutely described, are the standing wonders of the boastei. 
 i'cremonies of the IVIetai, or grand medicine, the |>rincipal reli 
 gious leremony of the Indians. 
 
 H I 
 
 i^i 
 
 < ' 
 
 hi. 
 
 I '■ 
 
well being 
 a of luturo 
 
 le scrms In 
 is doubtless 
 
 .-hc-a^ yah- 
 
 I similar in- 
 Thc \vonl-< 
 
 Tricks of 
 
 II as several 
 alcil, al least. 
 1 ncrforinanci* 
 narked bullet, 
 ons sitting i» 
 
 of the lodge, 
 mpanion, aft( i 
 ight of all pre- 
 forwards, dis- 
 hig particulav 
 lerso.d, tl\e oii« 
 ,)all i» I'i^ il''"''- 
 )ut in ll»' g""- 
 or four time-^ 
 
 tile puppt^lJ^ <»' 
 
 oealed in sacks. 
 
 and tritling to 
 
 of the boast»'i. 
 
 principal reli 
 
 5. 
 
 (5. T. H. 
 
 :ni 
 
 u. 
 
 5. Wuh-wc-kwa-be-yah neen-na neen-go-ehe niecn-da-mo-sali 
 iiei-un dun-nub bc-ah-neen-na. 
 
 I cover over myself, sitting down in a secret plare with a 
 woman. 
 
 *). Hujr-ge-ta a-a-ho ke-ta-nee-na kc-ta-nee-na. 
 
 I speak of your heart; [to a moose.] 
 
 7. Do-je-teem mam-mo-e-yahn ween-e-sc inam-mo-e-yahii o- 
 iiah-ge-chc mam-mo-e-yahn. 
 
 Your tripe, 1 lake your melt, I take ; your straifrlil jrut I take. 
 
 These are the choire parts of a moose ; the attitude of the 
 hunter is expressive of his exultation; il is the o-nah-ge-ohe 
 which he holds in liis liands. It is this part of which those deli- 
 lious sausages, railed fiiintvr\'> puddiiti^s, are made. 
 
 N. Neen-dai-yuli gutrhe-hah hi-e-kwa-waw-hali, neen-noan- 
 dali-waw sah-wecn n-ye-ke-tot»! whe-i-ah-hnh whe-hc-ya ! 
 
 I can make her ashamed, because I hear wJiat she says of me. 
 
 H. \V;ius-snh wa-kum-me-ga na-bah-gwaim, wlie-ah whe-he-a 
 \ ag-ifali-mir\i;-^''o na-hah-gwa. 
 
 Thoujrh you slept very Far oil', though you slept on the otliei 
 "iile. 
 
 lie boasts of his success with wonuMi. Ff his mistress slept 
 ever so far off, even across a lake, his arm is lonij enough to 
 reach her. and she will hear his voice. 
 
 ,?■ 
 
 ....* 
 

 hi/ 
 
 1' 
 
 i t 
 
 !i« 
 
 
 I 
 
 * 
 
 3 
 
 * < 
 
 i * 
 
 ^V 
 
 vn- 
 
 1 i 
 
 i 
 
 arj 
 
 i(t. 
 
 Ml sit .\M> I'til. IU\. 
 
 II. Ivl. 
 
 13. 
 
 TfM 
 A ft 
 
 10. \e»'ii-n;ih-inah nrni-iiali-jc-lii-ha zwaw-Jifa, uoen-nah-inah 
 iiMu-t(» waw- v\ lia-io.ir;i nMo-io waw-wa-wc-hia-ali, yu-wo-hc-a ! 
 
 I draw yoiir lu'ait up, llial is what 1 do to you. 
 
 It is intoiuU'd luTe to represent a moose at a distance ; and the 
 Ims from liis heart to the lod<ie of tlie Indian, indicates that \u- 
 draws it, dc !)\ nieans f>(' llic power ol his medicine controls the 
 inclination of the animal, and hrinos him m a silnation where he 
 can easily he found. 
 
 11. l\e-we-nah neezh-waii nien-nah hi-ah-wa-sah fa-we^-sie,| 
 tu'-wa ner/h-wali neen-nah. 
 
 I can kill any animal, 1 can kill. 
 
 J lis lar^je knife seems intended to represent his confidence ol 
 success, and the animal is hefore him which he cannot only kill, 
 but cut up. 
 
 12. n.ji'e-bi-y«hn nian-i-to, yen-wah-nc-he-e-nah, yeo-wah-lia 
 o-jce-bi-yahn man-i-to, whe-lu'-ya I 
 
 A dead man's skin is Manito. 
 
 Sometimes they use sacks of human skin to contain their me- 
 dicines, and they fancy that something is thus added to their ef- 
 ficacy. 
 
 13. Me-nec-sing, a-he-tjwaln necn-jTe-wun-naijh chc-hah-ga-to- 
 ga me-nee-sing' a-be-u\vain, whe-he-ya ! 
 
 Were she on a distant island, I can make her crazy to swim 
 over, were she on a distant island. 
 
 Here he ajfain lioasts of the power of iiis medicine over the in- 
 elinati(ms of females. Tins soiiir seems to present a fair view of 
 the state of the /i(is:-<ioii of /nrr amonij the ()jil)b^•^vavs. 
 
13. 
 
 — ini.i. 
 
 m «<n.' AM) I'OKrnv. 
 
 :nx 
 
 loen-nah-mah 
 •a-wo-hc-a ! 
 
 ance ; and lli( 
 icatos that lif 
 i(> rontrolr* lln' 
 ilion wluTO 1m 
 
 s ronfiiloncc ol 
 iinntit only kill, 
 
 all, vro-wah-liii 
 
 intain their mv- 
 Ulcd to their of- 
 
 }i rhc-hah-ga-to- 
 
 M- crazy to swim 
 
 IriiH' ovrr the i»- 
 nt a fair view "I 
 IcwaV!*. 
 
 SONG OF \ MEDICINK MAN, AT THR GIVING OF 
 MEDICINE TO A SICK PERSON. 
 
 Fio. 1. 
 
 3. 
 
 Kit:. I. Norn-gaw-gaw wain-e-nir-ko o-h • i-ah .t-ni^ii-a-iiaii- 
 i. 
 
 TV soinr person lias injurcil yoiw lifo. 
 
 Viiionsx the Indians, when a dortor is railed lor the sick, it is 
 nsiial In |)rc"sont Mini, on his entering the lodire of liis patient, a 
 kettle (»r the best food they arc able to procure ; and it is |)i(»ba- 
 ble he commonly connnences his treatment, as in this instance, 
 by assurinii his patient that he is siidering from the malice of 
 some enemy, who has slint nudicinc at him, or practised upon 
 his me-ziri-ne-nrrn.s', to make him a victim of disease. Com- 
 plaints of whatever kind, are commonly among them, if not al- 
 ways, attributed to had mi'dicinc, uiuler which comprehensive 
 term they include every thing, except open violence, which can 
 be the consequence of human malice and envy. The medicine 
 man will generally go much farther than to tell his patient that 
 he is under the inthience of llie incantations of somebody ; he 
 will name some person, either his own or his patient's enemy, 
 as be nuiy think most for his interest. This point is fully illus- 
 trated in the history of Ais-kaw-l)a-wis, in the preceding narra- 
 tive. The figure has a little sack of nu'dicine, ami his s(Uig is 
 represented by the two lities coining out of his moutli. 
 
 '2. nin-nah neen-ne-kami, ne-mali-tah-Iio-ne-!'(t-k;i. [Twice.] 
 
 Behold me, my friends, I distribute. 
 
 He directs his Me-/Iiin-no-way, or aiteiulaiil, to distribute to 
 bis friends, and whatever persons mav have assembled in the 
 
 if 
 
 1 i 
 
 9!n 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
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 1.8 
 
 1.6 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
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 33 WIST MAIN STRICT 
 
 WIBSTIR.N.Y 14580 
 
 (71«) 173-4503 
 
 
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If 
 
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 fj .?.« 
 
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 lu '/ ■ ■ 
 
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 . I'll 
 
 If l''l '^ 
 
 374 
 
 Ml'SIC AND rOElRV. 
 
 lotlgp on this occasion, the kettle which he holds in his hand, and 
 which is a part of his fee. 
 
 3. Hah-we-yah be-zin-duh-wug-ga ha-be-zin-duh-wug-ga neej- 
 a-nish-a-nau-ba nin-gat-tum-me-ga. 
 
 There is talking, there is talking, but I will eat my people. 
 Many diseases the Indians suppose to exist within the body, 
 in form of a worm, or something similar, and it is a being of thi; 
 kind who now speaks from the stomach of the sick person. lie 
 says, " I hear your threatening and confident words ; but it is not 
 in your power to displace me. I will devour my own, or those 
 people that belong to me." The medicines which this song is 
 intended to accompany, are often given in cases of a malady, to 
 which white men are rarely subject. It commences by a swelling 
 of a toe, or on some part of the foot, sometimes of the knee, and 
 this at length comes to suppuration. An indolent and tumid 
 ulcer gradually takes possession of the whole foot, extending to 
 the ancle and leg, and life at length yields to it, though usually 
 after many years. Two distinguished men of the Sioux, namely, 
 the son of the Red Wing, of the village at Lake Pepin, and Tah- 
 tunk-ah-nah-zhe, a chief from the plains, were suffering with this 
 complaint in IS'25. The latter, who had lately been attacked, 
 found some benefit from the application, in various forms, of th<' 
 Tiitro-murialic acid. The Indians look upon the complaint as in- 
 curable, except by the extirpation of the diseased bone ; and the 
 author of the foregoing narrative has know one successful in- 
 stance of this treatment. The Indian himself amputated the bone 
 both above and below th(! knee junt, preserving the muscles of 
 the leg. He survived and recovered, but his leg was of course 
 useless. [At the bar they begin to dance. j 
 
 4. Ilah-go-way ke-new-wug-ga ki-ah-ga ga-to-che-ga ki-ah-go 
 ga-to-che-ga. 
 
 This is the gray eagle talking; he will talk. 
 Here the doctor speaks in his own person. He conjpares him- 
 Hclf to the gray eagle, whom the Ojibbeways consider undisputed 
 sovereign among the birds. 
 
 
 ( "i 
 
 ^ 
 
 \ \ 
 
WtM Tit, i 
 
 his hand, iu\d 
 
 -wug-ga neej- 
 
 y people- 
 hin the body, 
 a being of lbi-~ 
 k person. Up 
 5 ; but it is not 
 
 own, or those 
 :h this song i>; 
 )f a malady, to 
 es by a swelling 
 if the knee, and 
 lent and tumid 
 ot, extending to 
 
 though usualh 
 ; Sioux, namely, 
 Pepin, and Tah- 
 itTering with this 
 y been attacked, 
 nis forms, of th»' 
 
 complaint as in- 
 
 d hone ; and the 
 ,,(> successful iu- 
 
 putated the bone 
 the muscles of 
 
 tjT was of course 
 
 )-rhe-ga ki-ah-go 
 
 MUSIC AND POETRY. 
 6. 
 
 375 
 
 7. 
 
 ga. 
 
 5. This figure represents the sun, but the song is lost. 
 0. Ka-moke-yah-hah ka-moke-yah waw-bs-gaw-gaw-ge waw- 
 ). 
 
 Come ye up, come ye up, white crows. 
 7. Ka-kaik koi-ah-na bub-bah mis-sa-wuh. 
 Mv henhaw k's skin will lly about. 
 
 compares 
 
 him- 
 
 lis 
 
 ider undisputed 
 
 V A 
 
'■dm-^^, "mmJi> ^. 
 
 i ■' 
 I 
 
 Kr /i-/i?i 
 
 / 
 
 m 
 
 i- 
 
 
 1 
 
 ' 'J 
 
 f'* 
 
 \ 
 
 : I' • 
 
 i ■* 
 
 4 
 
 f 
 
 ' t 
 
 
 i 
 
 "t 
 
 1; 
 
 376 
 
 MUSIC AND POETRY. 
 
 SONG OF CHI-AH-BA, A CELEBRATED OJIBBEWAY 
 MEDICINE MAN, AT THE ADMINISTRATION OF 
 HIS REMEDIES. 
 
 Fig. 1. 3. 3 4. 5. 
 
 Fio. 1. Ah way-ah noan-dah-wug-ga muk-kud-da ge-na-beek 
 goo-wc-ah-wc-aun ne-kaiin. 
 
 Some one, I hear him ; but I make myself black snake, my 
 friend. 
 
 The medicine man speaks in his own person. He hears some 
 one ; he knows who it is that has used bad medicine to break his 
 patient's life ; but he brings, to oppose it, the power and crafti- 
 ness of the black snake. 
 
 3. Ain-dun wa-we-tum-maun o-gc-tah-kum-maig ke-he-a. 
 
 Ain-dun wa-we-tum-maun, t&c. 
 
 I myself speak, standing here on the ground. 
 
 He takes a bold and open stand against his enemies, and those 
 of his employer. 
 
 3. Wa-go-nain-wa-we-ow we-he-naun J 0-gc-na-beek-o-ga 
 wa-we-yah we-he-nah. 
 
 What is this I put in your body? Snake skins I put in your 
 body. 
 
 The two first verses are suntj Oii entering the lodge, and before 
 he commences giving his mrdicuio. The tinrd accompanies 
 the exhibition of the first dose, which consists either of eight 
 snake skins lied together, and the foremost having a small frog 
 fastened t. the head of it, as in the figure, or of eight fathoms of 
 a small or thong of leather, and eight wild cat's claws fast- 
 
 J 
 
"*-« - .r wjiwy ?■'' " \' 
 
 >'LSli. AM, I'uKiiii. 
 
 377 
 
 emies, and those 
 »-gc-ua-beck-o-ga 
 
 ins I put in your 
 
 ''"''d at equal intervals. Difficnh . „ 
 -ription may appear to u«, and IsTt U nr"'"'"^ "'^ ^'>- ?'- 
 ^■-ves and swallows it, all the ti^e . ?" "' ^'^^ P«'-"t - 
 f!^f by singin, the above so Ta'd "' "''^ '''^ ^-'- 
 
 ^- fi;.-r, or a little water, in "f; ^l:?^^'"^"^ -'^i"^ with 
 --edy After this has ren aino a S '"" ,°' '"^ '"""""'•^We 
 ;omaeh, according to the inclinatio 7,'" ^T^' ^'"^ '" ^^o 
 '0 he wuhdrawn ; and it is i„ t,.j ""' ^"^ ""'^^'^^ man, it is 
 'f'e cat's claw, are used tha thl T ''"' P^'-*'<^"'arIy «•!,,„ 
 ; iating torture. The end whi h JsTT' "''"^ ^'^ "•-'--- 
 "and of son,e of the attend t 'a ^ th T" "^ '^ P"* '"*« ^^^^ 
 ■;bout the lodge, as the ren^aintTs, Lf ^^ '"' '^'"^ -^'' '' 
 'he medicine man sin^s the folln ^ "^ ^'^"'^ ''«'^'<- Then 
 
 general. »' *^« ^«"«^v>ng, ,vhile the dance becomes 
 
 Snakes fare] my friends. ^' 
 
 «. 
 
 J5- A-nah-mo be-zhe ne-kau-naw. 
 
 l^;^r'';'' "••'■' -'-is my friend. 
 *' the fourth vprsn h^ i ■, • . 
 
 from these he derives his p ^'^ IT;'^'"""' ""' ''"''«' -'^ 
 '• nm, founded on a knowlele of the , '".J"^' """' '««' ^is 
 -:^ of -^n-ent importance, tp';;;;';"'^ ""* '^^ ->n«"ier- 
 -•'h verses, that the snakes S^^ '''' '" "''" '^"'^ »"'» 
 --"g '.is h. lp..,-s an.I fnend Thf ■'"'"" "'"^ -' «- 
 "<■" as the activity of the M' '"">' ""' ''""'"ng, as 
 
 """ -»""::::it\^::r;i:r- 
 
 m • -'^'^ ""' i')rm of 
 
 ',1 
 
 ; / 
 

 
 M 
 
 f ' 
 
 378 
 
 MISIC ANP FOETRY. 
 
 animals of this family to those imaginary brings whose attributes 
 bear, in their opinion, some resemblance to the qualities of these 
 animals. Most of them have heard of the lion, the largest of 
 the cats known to white men, and all have heard of the devil ; 
 they consider them the same. The wild cat here figured has 
 horns, and his residence is under the ground ; but he has a mas- 
 ter, Gitche-a-nah-mi-e-be-zhew, (the great under-ground "wild cat,) 
 who is, as some think, Matche-Manito himself, their evil spirit, 
 or devil. Of this last they speak but rarely. Gitche-a-nah-mi-c 
 is a compound epithet, and in this application can scarce fail to 
 remind the Greek scholar of many similarly compounded words 
 in that language. The English reader will perceive the resem- 
 blance in the following " most heroic" line, preserved by Cow- 
 per : — 
 
 '• To whom replied the Devil yard-long-tailed." 
 
 There was never any thing more truly Grecian, says the learned 
 translator of the Iliad, than this triple epithet. 
 
 f;'F 
 
 ■'. ( 
 
 
e attributes 
 ies of these 
 c largest of 
 • the devil; 
 figured has 
 B has a mas- 
 nd^vild cat,) 
 ir evil spirit, 
 je-a-nah-mi-e 
 scarce fail to 
 ,imded words 
 ,e the resem- 
 rved by Cow- 
 
 lyi 
 
 s the learned 
 
 ML'SIC ANU POKTP.Y, 
 
 37» 
 
 WAR MEDICINE SONG, 
 Fig. 1. 2. 3. 4. 
 
 Fig. 1. Che-be-moke sa-aun. 
 
 I am rising. 
 
 This figure represents the rising sun, and intimates to the war- 
 rior the vigilance and activity required in the business on which 
 he goes. 
 
 3. Ma-mo-yah-na ge-zhik ma-mo-yah-na. 
 
 Ma-mo-yah-na ah-ke ma-mo-yah-na. 
 
 I take the sky, I take. 
 
 [ take the earth, I take. 
 
 This is all grasping ambition ; with one hand he seizes the 
 (!arth, with the other the sky, or the sun, for ge-zhik means cifhrr. 
 He thinks 
 
 it were an easy leap 
 To pluck bright honour from the pale faced moon ; 
 
 but this effervescence of valour is apt to be of short duration, 
 showing itself more in words than in deeds. 
 
 3. Ba-mo-sa-yah-na kee-zhik-onk ba-mo-sah-yah-na. 
 I walk through the sky, I walk. 
 
 This figure is to represent the moon, and may be designed to 
 intimate to the warrior that his business is principally to be done 
 in ihe night time. 
 
 4. Waw-bun-oank tuz-zhe-kwa* nc-waw-ween ne-go-ho-ga. 
 The eastern woman calls me. 
 
 This is, perhaps, some local allusion, or it may have been ap- 
 
 ' Waw-bnn-oank-tns-r-kwa. 
 
 a •( 
 
 !l^ 
 
 P I 
 
 -.»•»-•■.■ — '•• ■ 
 

 ( i 
 
 
 «f 
 
 f 
 
 ! It ' 
 
 
 InUli 
 
 ,'?' ! 
 
 
 .f. 
 
 f ' 
 
 ii- 
 
 (.. 
 
 /" ■ 
 
 3m 
 
 M.V61C A.VU I'OEIRV. 
 
 pendcd tu the soiig in those times when the idea ol' taking pri- 
 soners of white women may have been a spur to the valour and 
 enterprise of the Indian warrior. Admiration of the beauty of 
 white women, on the part of the Indians, is not exclusively con- 
 lined tu tlie narratives of romance writers. 
 
 o. This figure, tlic words far which are lost, or purposely 
 withheld, represents a lodge, a kettle, and a boy, who is a pri- 
 soner. The lino from his heart to the kettle, indicates too plainly 
 ihe meaning of the song. I know not whether any still doubt 
 that the North American Indians are cannibals ; if so, they are 
 only those who have taken little pains to be correctly informed. 
 The author of the preceding narrative had spent the best years 
 of Ills life among the Ojibbeways ; a woman of that tribe was, as 
 he somewliere says, " the mother of his children ;" and we need 
 not wonder that, after becoming aware of the strong feeling ol 
 white men on this subject, he should be reluctant in speaking of 
 it. Yet he makes no hesitation in saying, that the Sioux eat their 
 enemies, and he once admitted, that in the large Ottawwaw set- 
 tlement of Waw-gun-uk-ke-zie, he believed there were few, if 
 any, persons living in the late war, who did not, at some time or 
 other, eat the flesh of some people belonging to the United States. 
 I see no reason why we should disbelieve the assertions of the 
 Indians, and those who know them best, on this subject, or why 
 we sliould expect from this race a degree of refinement and hu- 
 manity, which we, and all who possess it, owe to a state of ad- 
 vanced civilization, and the influence of the christian religion. 
 We doubt not that our pagan forefathers, in the wilds of Scot- 
 land, Ireland, or Hungary, ate the flesh, and particularly the 
 hearts, of their enemies slain in battle. Why should we not be- 
 lieve this of the savages of our own continent '. 
 
 f 
 
 '11 f 
 
 1 
 • ) 
 
 ffl 
 
 t 
 
 
 •.^t-' Jk. .<% *f»--- 
 
^— -—■■-• ■ '^ 
 
 
 Mtsir AND POETRV 
 
 ;iNi 
 
 ukiug pvi- 
 > valour and 
 le beauty of 
 usivelv co»- 
 
 or puvposeU 
 , who is a pri- 
 ites too plainly 
 any still doubt 
 if so, they are 
 ectly informed, 
 t the best years 
 lat tribe was, as 
 ;" and we neeil 
 irong feeling ol 
 t in speaking of 
 Sioux eat their 
 Ottawvaw sci- 
 re were few, it 
 at some time or 
 Le United States, 
 ssertions of the 
 subject, or why 
 inement and hii- 
 a state of a»l- 
 hristian religion, 
 lie wilds of Scot- 
 partieidarly thf. 
 i\o\dd we not bt- 
 
 SONG OF THE WARRIORS ABOUT TO START ON A 
 
 WAR PARTY. 
 
 1. Ka-go sali-ween mow-we me-zhe-kain e-kwa-we-un-na ne- 
 boi-ah-na mow-we me-zhe-ka. 
 
 Do not mourn, my women, for me, who am about to die. 
 
 2. Hah-nie-ge-neen a-na-nc-mo-e-yahn a-bitehe e-nin-neeng 
 a-na-ne-mo-kwain ah-me-ge-neen a-na-ne-mo-e-yahn. 
 
 If any man thinks himself a great warrior, I think myself the 
 name. 
 
 [This song has been published, and illustrated, by Mr. School- 
 rraft.] 
 
 * :l! 
 
 H 
 
 'I 
 
 '■' ■ ■'-^']p-*.j^ ■*■ *=■" 
 

 :}S2 
 
 I.AXOl'ACKS OK THE 
 
 CHAPTER IV, 
 
 LANGUAGES OF THE NOKTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 Of a subject so imperfectly understood as that now before us, 
 little can be said, without some risk of falling into error. It is 
 probable that the threefold division, long since made by Mr. 
 Heckewelder, of the Indian languages, spoken within the territo- 
 ry of the United States, may be well founded ; and every advance 
 of discovery has but confirmed the views respecting the charac- 
 ter of these languages, which were long since elicited and an- 
 nounced in the correspondence between Heckewelder and Mr. 
 Duponceau. We may speak with confidence in relation to i>ll 
 the dialects of the Algonkin, or Lenni Lennape, by which v.o 
 mean all those having a manifest resemblance to the Delaware, or 
 the Ojibbeway, not only in all the principal peculiarities of struc- 
 ture and idiom, but also in the sound of words. But wlicnevcr 
 assertions, founded on an acquaintance with the languages of 
 this family, are, without careful examination, extended to other 
 branches of the American race, they should doubtless be received 
 with caution. It may very probably be true, that the American 
 languages, from one extremity of the continent to the other, have 
 the family resemblance which is so manifest in the ohysical p(>- 
 culiarities of the race; but this should neither be 5> sumed nor 
 admitted until it has been proved. 
 
 That etymolojry has been of some use in historical inquiries, 
 no one will doul t; but the evidence it aflbrds is commonly falla- 
 cious, and where it elucidates one fact, it obscures a thousand. 
 We know, says Sir William Jones, a pofftcriori, that fitz and 
 hijo, by the nature of two several dialects, are derived fromjV- 
 lius ; that nnclc comes from avus, and stranger from extra ; 
 that jour is deducible, through the Italian, from dies, and rossii^- 
 vol from luscinia, or the singer in groves; that scinro ecurcuil, 
 and squirrel, are compounded of two Greek words, descriptive 
 of tlie animal ; wliich etvmoI(»'ries. thouffh thev could not have 
 
NORTH AMF.KIfAN INDIANS. 
 
 383 
 
 been demonstrated a priori, might serve to confirm, if any such 
 confirmation were nt 'jssary, the proofs of a connexion between 
 the members of one great empiic. 
 
 Philologists, on the ground sohdy of etymoh)gy, or rather of 
 similaritj' and dissimilarity of sound, assign to the limited territo- 
 ry of the United States, many different languages ; and if they are 
 content to assign these different languages, as they are pleased to 
 call them, a common origin, and that at no very remote period, 
 it is matter of indifference how many stocks they enumerate. 
 But if they would claim for each stock a different origin, the so- 
 ber inquirer will certainly receive their opinions with caution. 
 
 It has been stated, that the languages of North America are not 
 only etymologically different from those of Europe and Asia, but 
 that their grammaticpl forms arc also essentially unlike. Either 
 to support or to controvert this assertion, would require a more 
 extensive acquaintance both with American and European lan- 
 guages, than it falls to the lot of many to possess. We may re- 
 mark, however, that the synthetic, ox agglutinated structure, is met 
 with in many other languages. Riggajuhsamat^ haroa, according 
 to GovKiiDHAN Caul, is a compound word in the Sanscrit, made 
 \\p oi Rich, yajvsh, saman; and AVharvan, Gauripitiiriswarcn- 
 draciranaihpiishyat-sitimvQgireh, is a word in the same lan- 
 guage, which may challenge comparison with any of the long and 
 unutterable compounds in the Indian tongues ; and at page 361, 
 Vol. I. of the Asiatic Researches-, we have ihe translation of a 
 word which reaches one hundred and fifty-two syllables. Some 
 of the compound words in the Greek and Latin, as well as in the 
 English, seem to be formed in a manner precisely analogous to 
 corresponding words in the American dialects. Resemblances 
 and disagreements of this kind, as well as those purely etymologi- 
 cal, doubtless may be traced between all languages. Awight, the 
 Saxon word equivalent to Aliquid, has certainly an etymological 
 resemblance to vl/(W!rto, the same word in theMenomonie dialect; 
 but it will not be inferred from this, or many similar instances, 
 that the Menomonies are of Saxon origin. When we read the 
 conjectures of the most learned and sagacious etymologists, that 
 not only qualis and talis, but vyiXiKOi, and rn^iog, have been 
 supposed to come from the Moeso-Gothic leiks, and immc- 
 iliately from guhdciks and thnlik. whence came also the Anglo- 
 
It 
 
 r 
 
 If • 
 
 t ' 
 
 '4 ^- i i 
 
 
 « 
 
 •i 
 
 n 
 
 ;{»! 
 
 l.ANGUAOKS OF TIIK 
 
 Siixon Ihylic, lie, like. Wc sliall scarce wisii to base upon such 
 :i t'ouniiation our opinions concerninj? the early history, or the 
 subscipient migrations of nations. It is admitted that many o( 
 the American languages are similar in construction and general 
 iiiitline, and when we see how wide and devious have been the 
 wanderings of the roots, even in written languages, we shall cease 
 to expect uniformity of sound, or similar etymology in the va- 
 rious members of a race exposed to numberless and diversified 
 influences in the widely separated parts of our vast continent. 
 
 Of two great families of Asiatic languages, or dialects, one 
 abounds in polysyllabic and compound words, and inflected verbs, 
 like the more commonly known American tongues. This family 
 includes the Persian, Sanscrit, and many others. The second, 
 louse the language of the learned President of the Asiatic Socie- 
 ty, abhors the composition of words, and also the inflection of 
 verbs. To the latter class belong the Hebrew, the Arabic, and 
 some others ; and betAveen these and our dialects strong resem- 
 blances have been pointed out, or may be easily discovered 
 From the Hebrew, or some of its kindred idioms, from the San- 
 scrit, or from the Tartar stock, it is probable the American lan- 
 guages must originally have been derived. But when we have 
 good reason to believe that a rtulp anil wholly iHiterate people, 
 removed from a low and fertile, to a cold and moimtainous coun- 
 try, will, in the course of a few centuries, entirely change their 
 language, why should we hope to be able to trace the dialects of 
 our Indians satisfactorily to their parent stock ? 
 
 In a great measure, if not equally vague, must be all conjec- 
 tures based on mythological opinions and traditionary custom^. 
 Wo believe that those who have been extensively acquainted 
 with our Indians, an.i have witnessod the variety of forms and 
 dresses in which the same tradition appears, when related in dif- 
 ferent dialects, will place little reliance on opinions concerning 
 remote history, de.luced from such traditions. 
 
 One species of relicks, found westward of the Mississippi, and 
 jierhaps elsewhere, may be thought to afllird more conclusive evi- 
 dence than all derived from language and customs, that the race of 
 Ham have, for immemorial ages, inhabited our country. I allude 
 to those rocks bearing very distinct and deeply indented figures, 
 resembling the impressions of human feet. That these nre works 
 
 h 
 
 s • 
 
 Vvv 
 
 . ' 
 
 wf^ 
 
-.^- — 
 
 >UK 1 II AM II: U \S IN \n \^s. 
 
 ;{«.') 
 
 ue upua such 
 itory, or the 
 that many of 
 1 and general 
 lave been the 
 ve ishall cease 
 igy in the va- 
 nd diversified 
 t continent, 
 dialects, one 
 tiflected verbs. 
 This famiU 
 The second. 
 Asiatic Socio- 
 e inflection of 
 le Arabic, and 
 strong rescni- 
 ily discovered 
 from the San- 
 American lan- 
 when we have 
 literate people, 
 intainous coiin- 
 y change their 
 the dialects of 
 
 be all conjcr- 
 
 ^nary custom's. 
 
 jly acquainted 
 
 of forms and 
 
 related in dif- 
 
 )ns concerning 
 
 [ississippi, and 
 Iconclusive evi- 
 Itliat the race of 
 
 '.try. I allude 
 jdented figures. 
 
 lese "WP M'orks 
 
 "i iiri, is iini|Uestioriabl<'. and bein^ ftjuiul in iiiuuiitaijiuu-i ,iml 
 scarce accessible parts of the tountrv, reniolo from any of cbt? 
 present scats of population, or routes nf communication, (hey af- 
 I'ord, by their aspect of inuiouhted anticpiily, conclusive evidence, 
 that in ages long sinct; cla|)sed, regions now desolate were 
 tenanted, and that a wandering and liutiter-population, has suc- 
 ceeded to one whose habits of settled industry enabled them to 
 leave such durable monuments. I am satisfied that a person, in 
 any measure familiar with the valuable records of the Asiatic 
 Society, cannot visit a locality of these ancient relicks, without 
 being reminded of a passage in the Purancs, where King Sra- 
 rana is described *' on the White Mountains, meditating on the 
 traces of the Divine foot.'''' We are assured, by credible travel- 
 lers, that this language is not understood figuratively, but that 
 the people of the east boast of stones in their country, on which 
 Jbotsteps are discernible, which they assert are those of Vishnu. 
 What is more probable, on the supposition that a branch of tlii>i 
 race early found tiieir way to America, than that crafty priests, r)i- 
 jiersons still possessing some of the arts of the east, should have 
 engraved these figures from tlie same motives that have supplied 
 similar memorials for the worshippers of Vishnu and Satyavrata ? 
 But though we cannot reasonably hope to derive tVom the stu(i y 
 of the American languages and dialects, any very important as- 
 sistance to aid iiupiiries into the remote history and coini^exions 
 of the various tribes who speak them, yet tliere is one view in 
 which these languages will always excite a degree of interest. 
 In them we have an authentic record of a portion of the history 
 f»f the human mind. To the inquirer of any age, or any nation, 
 who would enlarge his acquaintance with the powers and proper- 
 ties, the capabilities and the propensities of the minds of men, this 
 field can never be entirely uninviting. Hinvan language, it is 
 j)robable, must ever vary with the degree of refinement, the 
 various revolutions in the manner of thinking, and the endless 
 variations of external inrtuence, to which, in progress of time, they 
 must be exposed. It is Avell known to every one conversant with 
 die subject of languages generally, thai, viewed summarily and 
 superficially, langiuige presents a great, not to say an infinite 
 number of families and dialects. But the Mosaic account of 
 creation, as well as the ronclusions of the more sane of the phv- 
 
 49 
 
 '' 
 
 If 
 
 fM^- 
 
.■n 
 
 S?';,*f*,«f*i^..--SS*«IM*u.- ..L— --—. 
 
 \M^ 
 
 l.ANOlACit!" Ol I HE 
 
 ' • . I 
 
 ''Wik 
 
 f' 
 
 ^/ 
 
 'n* 
 
 •i 
 
 siologists anil natural historians, assure us that all mankind are 
 ilcscemleil from a singlr- pair, who could consequently have 
 spoken but one language. It is by many supposed that some of 
 the existing dialects spoken as mothvT tongues at the present day, 
 must have been in being in the ages iminedialely succeeding the 
 general deluge. At the time of this great catastrophe, it may 
 perhaps be safely supposed, that among the eight persons saved 
 in the ark, but one dialect was commonly spoken, as we have 
 the positive assurance of the inspired historian, that until some 
 time after the deluge, all the earth was of (»ne speech and of on(! 
 language; according to the computation commonly received in 
 Kurope, it is not more than four thoiisand years since all men 
 spoke a common language. The inquiry which naturally |)re- 
 senia itself is, whether the existing ramifications can be satisfac- 
 torily traced through any common Iranches, or directly to their 
 union with the primeval trunk. It may be diflicull to clear up 
 this question, as the investigation presupposes a more extensive 
 acquaintance with ancient and modern langiiages, than falls to the 
 sharv of many to possess. Yet if, upon careful examination, we 
 fmd a part, or all tlie dialects of the American race agreeing, not in 
 the sound of words, but in certain grammatical peculiarities, which 
 have an intimate and inseparable coimevion with the structure 
 and genius of the language, as some of the physical pecidiaritie- 
 of the race depend unallendily on temperament and peculiarity 
 of structure, co-extensive with the race, we shall then be c<un- 
 jielled to adopt one or the other of these conclusions, namely, 
 that all these dialects, or lauixuages, have been derived from the 
 same stock ; or. secondly, if, with Malte Brun and others, wi' 
 admit a n\miber < f difterent emigrations from remote parts of the 
 world, \vc must then conclude liial not only language, but pliysi- 
 ral conformation, is modified, moulded, ami revohitiimized by the 
 influence of situation and external causes. If we admit the lat- 
 ter con«'lusion, a:id believe that our American race are the de- 
 •scendanls of people who came at diU'erent and remote periods, 
 from Asia, from Africa, ami from I'iUnqie, we nuiy then dismiss 
 the inquiry ut once. Having admitted the position, that the Ame- 
 rican languages are now all of the same family, that is, that lhe\ 
 resemble each other as much as the men of the diflerent brnds 
 uiid tribes, in external aspect, physical «iinslitMtion. and tnoriil 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 ( 
 
 !( 
 
 
 I' 
 
 X 
 
 
 't 
 
 ! 
 
 i 
 
 
 ' 
 
 > 
 
 
MMMiiMfc 
 
 ■'■•7 
 
 NOIMll AMKKU AN INUIANS. 
 
 :i87 
 
 mankind are 
 luently have 
 tliat some ot 
 ' present day, 
 icccc(lin<5 the 
 fiphe, il may 
 lersons saved 
 as wc have 
 lat until some 
 •h and of one 
 ly received in 
 since all men 
 naturally pre- 
 an be salist'ac- 
 ireclly to their 
 •ult to clear up 
 more extensive 
 han falls to the 
 icamination, we 
 ((treeing, not in 
 diarities, which 
 III (he slructmc 
 lal peculiarities 
 \n(l peculiarity 
 Ihrn he coni- 
 isions, niunely. 
 rived IVom the 
 and others, w- 
 >te parts of ihi' 
 
 |;ii_rc. hut pliysi- 
 
 It ionized l)y the 
 v admit the lai- 
 iu e are the. de- 
 remote periods, 
 lay then dismiss 
 n, that the Ame- 
 lat is. that llie\ 
 dilVerent hi nds 
 on. and imnn' 
 
 ' liaraeicr, resemble each other, we may (-ease to inquire 
 wlience tlu'v derive? the peculiarities of person and language, 
 ))y which they are distinguished from all other nu'n. But we be- 
 lieve that an hypothesis of this kind will gain l\'w advocates 
 anmng considerate and well-informed inquirers. We believe 
 there will be found in the languaf?es, manners, traditions, as well 
 as in the physical conformation and character of our Indians, 
 proofs sufhcient to satisfy the caiuiid inquirer, that they are deri- 
 ved from the Asiatic stock, but not from that branch of it to whicli 
 belonged the haughty, the noble, the unconcpiered race of Ish- 
 mael ; or to that race, more interesting by tlieir history. t)ut less 
 pleasing in person, maimers, and character, to which were com- 
 mitted the promise? , and from which, according to the flesh, 
 sprang tim Savioiir of the world. The idea has been a favourite 
 one with many ingenious and pious men. that in our luitive Ame- 
 ricans wc see the lonsr h)st tribes of Israel. iMCfenMity and argu- 
 ment, as far as they can be carried, unsupported by a lirm liasis 
 of tacts, have been exhausted in the discussion of this question. 
 We pro|>os(' not to enter the field of argument. We admit that 
 several of tlie usages of the Indians, such as tlieir rigid separa- 
 tion of females during menstruation, the care with which they, in 
 certain feasts or sacrilices, watch that no bone of the victim shall 
 be broken, and many others, form points of strong resemblance 
 between this race and the Ilel)rews. Yet the one fact, that their 
 languages all delight in the composition of words. sufFiciently 
 satisfies us that they cannot have been derived from that stoi-k to 
 which belongs the Ilebr<'w, the Chaldaic, and the Arabic. Other 
 arguments, wliicli, to many minds, will not appear equally con- 
 clusive, may be derived from their total ignorance of the rite of 
 circumcision, their considering the llesh of dogs as acceptable, in 
 saeritice, to their deities, &c. &c. The two facts last mentioned 
 may he allowed to have as much weisiht in an argument against 
 Hebrew oriainal, aa the separation of females, and the practice 
 of preserviiiL' entire the bones of animals eaten in war feasts, ran 
 have for it. And thus wtuihl it be easy to bring some counter- 
 vailing oiijcclion to answer every (me of the arguments founded 
 on the customs and o|iinions of the Indiaii-. It is not, I believe, 
 at this time conside-ed necessary to meet such proofs as those of 
 Ndair. which never i>...i any other existence than in hi« own fc icv. 
 
 PbG 
 
 ",? i 
 
 .W 
 
r; 'T.' 
 
 :^VW«',-'«SaNMfe^-. '—. -»! 
 
 :}s^ 
 
 i.AN(;i AOKs (II I jh; 
 
 '^ 
 
 i. ': 
 
 ) 
 
 f 
 
 'i 
 
 t 
 
 f, 
 
 •l 
 
 t 
 
 nor iK^cil \\v lake into consideration tlic multiplied arginncnis. 
 •and the ingenious speculations of others, who, without sufficient 
 acqnaintanco with the habits, lannfuaires, and opiniotis, either of 
 the remote Hebrews or of om- own Indians, have f^one about to 
 establish the belief of a stronjf similarity between them. In the 
 way of a summary answer to all the arguments of these men, wo 
 may be allowed to state, that in lanj^ua<ie, rather than in any 
 other character, would the descendants of a people retain some 
 jeseniblance to llieir remote ancestors. Religious ceremonies, 
 civil and domestic customs, in the exposed and wandering life 
 of barbarians, all whose thoimhls must often, and perhaps for a 
 greater part of the time, be absorbed in the necessary, and 
 sometimes painful and laljorious struggle for self-preservation, 
 often would be intermitted and dispensed witli. Previous usages 
 woidd chauiic lo suit the new and ever var\iiig condition of lb'' 
 j)eople. So might language. IJiit being indispensal)le to the iu- 
 tercom'sp of every day niid e\ery moment, in ;ill situations and 
 enierg<'ncies, and unlike relioimts ol)senaiices of su<h a nature, 
 tiiat what is spidxcn to day may, inid! r any ( ircmiistances, with 
 equal convenience, l)e spoken to-morrow, and with infniitely 
 more facility than new siirns can be invented or understood, i" it 
 not rrasonaI)le that language, of all liiose thinas pertaining to 
 men. bv which their family identity miirht be marked, should 
 change slowest and last ' 
 
 iVo extensive accpiaiulauce with om- Indians, and their lan- 
 guages, is recpiired to perceive, that in all emergencies of neces- 
 sity, as in those instances where tln\v are compelled to exchansre 
 ideas with foreigners, they readily adopt any terms in a foreign 
 idiom, for which tliey may not lind a correspoiuling sign in their 
 own ; and words thus adopted becoming parts of their own lan- 
 guage, are subject lo all the inlleclions ami nntdifications of 
 sound of those which appertain oriiinally 1<> their tongue. Hence 
 that diversity in scnnul of \. oriN in llie vari(Uis dialects, which 
 bids defiance to elymolonical, <>r jvitlu'r i)b;innlooicjil investiga- 
 tion. I5ul though sounds, wiiicli, for the sake of illustration. 
 may be cmnpared to j»Ianks on the frame of a vessel, or shingles 
 on the roof of a lious". may be, iin(> by one, removed and sid)sti- 
 tuted liy new oues, still the original frame of the lauguaire. the 
 grammatical construction, the idiomatic foritv. remainin? t''** 
 
.M»RTll AMLRIt-AN INDIANA 
 
 '3S9 
 
 1 iu-i'iiincnts. 
 Dut suflicicnr 
 MS, either of 
 one about to 
 icin. In the 
 esc men, Ave 
 than in any 
 5 retain some 
 3 ceremonies, 
 amU'ring life 
 perhaps for a 
 icessary, an<l 
 ■preservalioH; 
 ovions nsaa;es 
 ndltion of th'^ 
 ahlo to the in- 
 hitnations ami 
 such a nalvnT, 
 iifitances. willi 
 with infmitely 
 lulcrslootl, i" ii 
 1 pertaining to 
 larlied. shonhl 
 
 ami their lan- 
 ics of neres- 
 l to exrhan'-'e 
 l\s HI a forei<j;n 
 (T siirn in their 
 their own hm- 
 xlifications of 
 iiiijue. Hence 
 iah'Cts, whirh 
 ical investiga- 
 i(" illu'tralion. 
 s( 1. or sliinfih'^ 
 vid and substi- 
 anguasie. llie 
 remainin? t'" 
 
 same, the language rrrtainly reniai!i.^ the same laiimiagc, though 
 aUogetlier clianged in sound, as a vessel, covered v.ilh ncnv pUink^ 
 of a diflerent eolour and aspect, would still lie tlie s;;me vessel. 
 Therefore, we think that if the American language- can he proved 
 closely and entirely to riscmtdt; each other in gram.inaiical forms 
 an<l general arranaiinent, we may safely consider ihem all as dia- 
 lects of tfie sani' stock, ihoagh they sliould now present wide 
 and apparently nnaccounlahle iliversities in llie sounds of words. 
 How much more easily the ^^uunds of words, standing for the 
 ideas \\v have in our minds, may he chanaed, tlian the oraruma- 
 lical structure and idiom of languaire, we may every day ohservo 
 in foreigners, who, though they may ever so carei'ully and per- 
 fectly have learned our language, rarely, if (;ver, attain to some of 
 the niceties peculiar to our tongue, or ever lay entirely aside some 
 of the characteristic jjeculiarilics of their own. If we reflect on the 
 lialnts of the life the Indians lead, tlieir frequout migrations, in- 
 termarriages with distant hands, their con(|ues|s, the numbers of 
 j)risoners they adopt, and. more than all, the want of any w ritteii 
 characters to represent sounds, we shall wol be sin-priscd lo tind 
 >iicli wide diversitv in tlu; sound of what are acknowledi/cd to he 
 I he same words in diirerent dialects of llie sanu* loiiuue ; mn* shall 
 we hastily, on the foundation of unw diversity of so'ind, attempt 
 to establish a midtiplicity of diflirent stocks. It is to b" remem- 
 bered, lliat the Americans liav.^ never, like t'le ancicut Arabs, 
 made the improvement of their idiom a counnon, (u*, in any 
 shape, a <xeneral or j)ublic concern ; they have never appointetl 
 solemn assemblies for tlic purpose of exercising tludr jxtetical la- 
 lent", or held it a duty to make their children aciiuainted with 
 traditicmary composition^ of any sort, which measures, <'ven hail 
 they lieen adopted, C(»uld not have eireciu;dly stcured their lan- 
 guages against mutations oi souml or .structure. 
 
 But although we can by no means pretend eitlh>r to trace the 
 American languages to the remote pari lit stock, or to assert !h;;t 
 they have or have not been derived from existing and known 
 languages, \vc may easily uroupp logetlnr those which have 
 manifest resemblance, equally in structure and in the sound of 
 words, and the groupes tinis formed will always be found to 
 bring together assemblages of people, showing stroiiij family re- 
 semblance to rach other. The threefold (hvision which Ava-- long 
 
J i i 
 
 •sw 
 
 LANOlAGKb 01- illb 
 
 ;>l •' * 
 
 m . (' 
 
 lift ''' 
 
 '■' »/ ' 
 
 4 
 
 fV 5 
 
 ^ -{ 
 
 1 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 : 1 
 
 i 
 
 if 1 
 
 * 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 since made by Mr. Heckewolder, of the language!? uillun tlu- 
 United States' territory, is ])robably founded in correct observa- 
 lion of the district at that time iinovvn. The Lenni Lennape, m 
 Algonkin, the Iroquois, and the Floridian, presenting each nu- 
 merous and widely dissimilar dialects, occupy all the country 
 from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Cape Florida, and westward to 
 and beyond the Mississippi. Of the languages spoken in the re- 
 mote and almost unexplored countries about the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, too little information has been obtained, to enable us to in- 
 dicate to what extent the dialects of either of the above mention- 
 ed groupes may prevail in that direction. Toward the north the 
 Iroquois seem to be limited to a few remaining in the settled parts 
 of Canada, and to the Dahcotah bands extending northward, in 
 the direction of the upper branches of the Mississippi, but scarce 
 reaching the parallel ol' forty donrees north. Beyond this the 
 Algonkin dialects, particularly the Ojibbeway and Cree, and the 
 Muskegoe, ex|)aiid throujih all the country, from near the base 
 of the Kocky Moimtains to the south western shores of Hudson'* 
 Hay, and even in the vast j)eninsula of Labrador. 
 
 Wesiwaril of Hudson's Bay, from the Churchill River to thr 
 I'acific coast, and northwanl to the country of the Estpiimaux. 
 are found the languages of the Chip-pe-w i-yan* groupe, includinjj 
 the people conunonly ciilicd Cliii)|)eM'yans, the Sarcess, the 
 Beaver, Bed Knife, Stronix [Jow Indians, and many other tribe- 
 Here we meet with a languaoc far more monosyllabic than an\ 
 hitherto known among the North Americans ; one possessing a 
 dual termination for substantives, but no plural, and whose verbs 
 are nearly or quite incapable of inflection. Yet in the eircum- 
 
 • Of the ori;^in nl tlic iiiiinc ( 'hi|)-|ic-wi-yan, liy whicli, sinco Hearne ami 
 M'Krn7.io, tlu'sc ijonpli' hiivc lieeri called, it may now he ilifficult tn ufivc any satis- 
 I'urtory arronnf. A very intcllim-nt pcrsnii anionij Ihe OjihlHJways :i.sserts, that llv 
 name is ilci'iviMJ IVdiii that laiiijuaire, and is nrdy a vicious iirdiiiinciatidii of tin' 
 conipiiuiid word fi-jrr-irwi-ynn, whicli incans the skin of the (islier weasi-i. Hut 
 »he('lu-|K'-wi-van3, in their own couiUry, have no knowledire of the animal, and 
 it is not easy to iniairine how tlicuaiiie of ilsskin should have lie<>n (ixed U(K)n hy 
 them as a di-iiucii\e a])|K'llalion. They are called liy the Canadians, and nianv 
 while men residing in the Alhavasea country, " Mountaineers," which a|i|>ella- 
 lion lliey derive from llie coimtiy (d" lileak ami snowy rocks, which they inhaliil. 
 Tanner thinks the name O-ji'c-r^wr-iinli-nii!^ mny he derived from a word whic'i 
 '%HP,iii-i. " ti) iiiirrr irlth nn iiirl <i folil nr^l.hi.'' 
 
*"**■"" iiir'li'Wi 
 
 NORTJl AMKRICAN INDIANS. 
 
 yyi 
 
 cp williitt tlif 
 reel observa- 
 i Lennapc, ov 
 iling each nu- 
 I the coimtiy 
 J westwarl to 
 ken in the ri;- 
 Rocky Moun- 
 lable us to in- 
 bove inention- 
 
 the north llu 
 le settled parts 
 
 northward, in 
 ppi, but scarce 
 cyond this thf 
 
 Crce, and tht 
 
 I near the base 
 es of Hudson" ■= 
 
 II River to tin' 
 ho Ks([uiniaux. 
 oupe, includiiiji 
 B Sarcess, the 
 
 y otlnr tribes 
 il)ic than any 
 le possessing a 
 d wliose verbs 
 in the circum- 
 
 ncc H«ariw 'ami 
 
 to ifivi- anysatis- 
 
 iirtsrrts, that 111'' 
 
 oiuincintiim of tln' 
 
 sluT Wl'ilSi'l. Uul 
 
 I the animal, anil 
 lien lixi'il uiion by 
 adiaus, uiul manv 
 which api"'"'' 
 
 wiiichllipyinhuliii. 
 
 twin a word whic'i 
 
 K.V 
 
 Stance of a tendency to compounding, we find it no', unhke otlier 
 dialects. The peculiarities of these languages arc as yet too 
 little understood to enable the philologist to pronounce with cou- 
 tidencc that they have any nearer resemblance to the Algonkiii 
 or the Iroquois, than to the Erse or German. Yet the people 
 who speak them have, in their persons, all the prominent jjccu- 
 liarities of the American race. 
 
 Of all the remaining parts of iVorth America, information is too 
 scanty to justify any attempt to class the dialects. 
 
 In the present state of information on these subjects, more im- 
 portant service will be; rendered t(» philology, by adding to the 
 mass of materials, than by any vague and general discussions; 
 we shall therefore devote the remainder of this chapter to such 
 specimens of Indian languages as have fallen in our way, pre- 
 mising that our aim has been to conform, as nrarl as possible, 
 lo the orthography of the English language.* This orthography 
 is liable to many objections ; so also would be any other that 
 <"ould be devised. The sounds of letters must always be some- 
 what arbitrary, inasmuch as there is no manner of resemblance 
 between the sign and the thing signilled. 
 
 < v4 is to be soundi'd as ii» tlitc ; nh as in latlKT; tiip still broader snniid i^ 
 marked by aic, or uu. The other Knglish vowels are less ambiifuous. C only 
 used lielbre /;, and the sound thus indicated is never to be ooni[HJundcd with that 
 of/.'. G is always hard, as in go ; j always sot\, as in J.Jiir. At thf end of word:! 
 it has the sound of the Rns^lish (/gr. as in knowlvdije ; :li soiniJs as ,v in pleasure. 
 
 Several of the consonant sounds are used inferchanjreably, not only in difTe- 
 rent dialects, but even in the same, and by people of the same bund : thus, m for 
 71, gfork, or ' for cither, h for /), rf for t, I lor n, and r for either of these. In the 
 Crce dialect, for exainjile, the word c-rin-iir sijjnilies man ; in the Ojibbcway it is 
 e-nin-ni: ; in some other dialect a|i|iro,ichiiii; the D.'liiwarc, if is il-kn-ni ; in the 
 Delaware, according to Zeisln'r^er, Icn-no ; in llie Menomonic c-imai, or citni- 
 ncw, when the meaning of the verb substantive is combined. This observation 
 should be Ixirne in mind by all who take the trouble to ci)m|iare and examino 
 the wriUen words of any Indian laniiuaire. To niiiny of the Algonkin dialects 
 the sound of h is entirely Ion ign; others have no r. Many of the <ruttural and 
 nondescript sounds of the Chijtjiewyan, as well as several of those in the Winnc. 
 bago, and the nasal in the Algonkiii. <'annot be represented by our alphabet. 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 1 
 
 1^ 
 
 * 
 1 
 
3y'.i 
 
 CUMPARISON OF WOKUf^ 
 
 'll ^ I ■; 
 'WW'' 
 
 I 
 
 ' I / 
 
 V '' 
 
 
 i , ■• » . 
 
 
 J r ■ ■ ^ ■ 
 
 ' 
 
 f ( ■ 
 
 COMI'AKIsU.S OF VVOIID^S AND Si;NfE\CKS IN TH£ DIALECTS OF I'HE 
 OTIAWW AW s AM) MENOMOME.S. 
 
 Otlau'iruic. Menomonic. KiigUsli. Free translation, <f".-. 
 
 Mo-iiolcli-])iin-gee — Mo-na-wutrh — A little. 
 O-ta-nu'-iH'-kwain — Kut-tai-mc-no — Ho will drink. IIo uiil 
 
 drink a little. 
 'J'uii-isli-win — Tah-tah-wc-iiah — Wherefore. 
 
 IVIow-wy-un ? — lls-moke ? — Doth ho cry ? 
 
 Ka-gaw-pnn^-ge-zhe-moke — Ka-zho-nieut — Near sun set. Ahuosi 
 .'^nn set. 
 
 Kaw-wcen — Kun — \ol. 
 
 Neen-ilah-koosc-!<e— \e-\\a-suk-ko-si-nun — I was not sick. 
 
 Ke-tah-koose-nah ? — Ko-wa-suk-ko-si-met '. — Art thou sick ( 
 
 Ruh-kish-piii-at-tone-nah ? — Kau-to-te-pai-hai-mel ? — Wilt ihoii 
 l)uy ? For substances inanimate, or animals not entire, 
 except a stone is spoken ol'. In the case of entire, oi- 
 livinif bodies. Kidi-kish-piu-a-aali-nali, (Sec. 
 
 Ke-pe-nu-gin-nah — Ke-pe-now-wuk-ket — Dost thou brino 
 
 She she-buk ? — Sha-shui-puk ? — ducks ? 
 
 Ke-pe-naii-nah — Ke-pe-now— Dost fhoii brinii 
 
 .She-sheeb ? — Sha-s]iai|) ?— a duck .' More commonly the order 
 of arrangement is the revert'; Sha-shaip-ke-pe-no\v, &c. 
 
 Kn-to-kwain — Nin-nauk — I know not. 
 
 Ga-gel-nah- -Kat-ten-nah — Indeed [is] 
 
 O-ke-mah-ow ? — O-ko-mow-wavv-wew ? — he is a chief? Is he 
 indeed a chief .' or, doth he chief ? The resemblance to 
 the Greek BctTiAiyw.and tlie Latin Regno, both hi compo- 
 sition and signilication. need not be pointed out to the 
 j)hilologist. 
 
 O-wa-naiii — Wuh-nt' — Who 
 
 Go.s-kitche-ah-na-pwa-ot ? — !Skcsh-siik-ke-poutch ? — bit hia nose 
 
 ojr: 
 
 Nish-a-nati-ba — Ma-cha-ti (adj. '.) — An Indian 
 We-ko-mi-ko-onk — We-ko-mik-ko — at tlie lodge 
 
 \' V 
 
i.O.UFAKISO.S OF UOUJUS, 
 
 393 
 
 UliawWaic. 
 
 Mcnomovie 
 
 English. 
 
 t-'m' translation, tfv 
 
 ,EC'rs OF I'llE 
 
 translation, <|"'. 
 V. Ho ^^i!l 
 
 Ausei. Almosi 
 
 lot sick, 
 lou sick '. 
 f — Wilt thou 
 lis n*it entire, 
 of »ulire, or 
 
 \i l>iin<: 
 
 )iily llie order 
 ;-pc-nu\v, &.(". 
 
 Iiicfj Is he 
 
 HinbUuice to 
 
 Dill in compo- 
 
 led out to the 
 
 —bit his nose 
 
 We-tush-e — Owa— he will be 
 
 Ke-wus-kwa-bc — Ke-wus-ke-pe-nun — drunk. He will be driuik 
 at the Indian lodge. 
 
 Een-gah-ke-way — Nuh-ke-waim — I will go home. For the ideas 
 of fitness, propriety, personal beauty, and line quality, as 
 of a blanket, &c. they commonly use the same word. 
 
 Bo-zin — Po-she-nun — Embark, (imper.) 
 
 Kitche-kwi-naitch — Na-sha-wis-ke-wuh — it is very well 
 
 Bo-au-zi-un — Us-hub-po-si-un — that you embark. 
 
 0-wa-nain-waw-te-ga-mut ? — Wah-wia-ke-mut ?* — Witl/ whom 
 lives he ? 
 
 Ke-wus-shiz-ze-wuk— Ka-wis-so-wuk ah-wuk — They are orphans. 
 
 Ke-we-ah-m'woi-gin-nah — Push-ke-mwow-wuk-ket ? — Will yon 
 cat 
 
 Me-she-min-ug ? — Me-she-min-uk ? — apples ? 
 
 Maung — Mouk — A loon, 
 
 Ma-za-tah-go-zit — Kou-ke-to — he yells. A loon yells. 
 
 We'metai-we-wug — Kut-tai-metai-wc-wuk — They will have uietai 
 
 A-gaw-mink — A-gaw-me — on the other side. They are about to 
 have a medicine dance and least on the other side the 
 river. 
 
 Kitche — Ketch — Very much 
 
 Ke-te-mah-ki-zhe — Ka-ti-mok-ka-/hit — lie is poor. He is vcr\ 
 poor. 
 
 A-gaw-mink — A-gaw-nie-iun — From the other side 
 
 Ne-to-an-je-bah — Ne-to-pe-um — I came. I came across, er from 
 the other side. 
 
 Win-nc-ba-go-kwi—Win-ne-ba-go-ke-wun— A Winnebago voman 
 
 Mi-uk-e-kway-wan — Wa-wa — he wives ; 
 
 Pun-gee Ome-nom-o-ne-wew — Mc-na-watch ah-wew — a little, 
 he Menomonies. A Winnebago woman is his wife, him- 
 self is a sort of a Menomonie. The arrangement of the 
 words diflers in the two dialects. The termination ah- 
 wew, which marks the verb, being separated in the Meno- 
 monie. 
 
 * Wah-vria-kc-muU With whom doth he we-gp-vvam .' This is similar to the 
 tireek in John i. 14. '■ The leord was made fxslu nvd dwelt amovg us; 
 "»»t)v(iiff(i' fv liiuv, litt'rallv, tabernaclrd amuvfr iis. 
 
<"■ -**«lftl*,^. ^. ^^,. 
 
 I? ' 
 
 3U4 
 
 COMPARISON OF WORDS. 
 
 »'.r 
 
 f"\ 
 
 . V 
 
 b V;;,:* 
 
 
 I ?,sl 
 
 
 f;i 
 
 
 i Is <'■'■/■ 
 
 Otlamcair. Mcnouwnir. English. Frcr. translation, <f<. 
 
 Ah-g\vut-chiii{f — A-giiat-chcw — Without. Out side of the lodge. 
 Nish-a-nau-baig — Ma-eha-ti-wuk — Indians 
 Ta-kosh-in-oag — Pc-wuk- — tliey come, 
 Che-to-wug — Ah-\vauk — they say. Indians arc coming, they 
 
 .<!ay ; or, it is said, Indians are coming. 
 Ke-ke-wa\v-nem — Ke-ka-no-kim — Thou liest, 
 Ke-sa-ah-gis-in-nah ? — Ke-ko-ti-met? — dost thou fear? 
 Nah-wutch — Ko-kai-win-ne-ko — More 
 Ke-zhc-kah — Ke-she-ah — he is swift. He is swifter. 
 U-nc-shaw — Na-shup-naip — "Without cause, 
 TaJi-neen-a-ke-toi-un ? — Kis-ke-zha-met I — w hat sayest thou ? 
 
 EniTna-xv fct faf^exv, John xvi. 25. "They hated me, 
 
 without cause,''' is a form of expression similar to this in 
 
 tlic dialect of the Mcnomonies. Nas-kiip-nai ke-pe-um- 
 nict? Without cause, or for nothing, didst thou come? 
 Tah-neen a-ke-tote ? — Kus-ha-wat-to ? — What saith he? 
 Kub-ba — Ko-pai — Throughout 
 Ke-zhik — Ka-zhik — the day. 
 
 Kom-nia-cee, or, kaw-ma-cie — Kun-ne-mah-shew — Not yet 
 Ne-we-shc-ne'.se — Ne-meet-che-shim — I eat. I have not yet 
 
 eaten, or, it is before I have eaten. 
 No-pe-mik* — No-pa-ma — Back 
 Pe-po-fiish-shc — Kin-nuh-pe-po-nup-pa — thou wilt winter. The 
 
 Ottawwaw is in the imperative mood ; the Menomonie, in 
 
 tile future, Jised as imperative. 
 Tau-ue-pc — Ko-pai-pe-pone — All winter, 
 Ke-pe-po-ne-t<lieak '. — 7'<c.s-kesh-pe-po-na-piak ? — when did ye 
 
 winter ? There is here some difference in the arrantre- 
 
 ment of the words. 
 Pe-po-nunk ? — Winters. 
 Tau-ne-i)e — Tas — Where 
 Ke-ne-bin-e-she I — O-e-at-ne-bin ah-kwo ? — didst thou summer ? 
 
 Where didst thou remain throughout the summer? is the 
 
 translation of the sentence in Menomonie. 
 
 * This wonl, which incans, as here used, back; or off' the routes ot coniuiunica- 
 tfon, has been translated, or rather parapnrased by the traders^ in the lamis. 
 No'pe-mik means, also, at the back side of a house, &c- 
 
CuMPAHHdS OF WOHDS. 
 
 'Mb 
 
 ranslalion, 4^. 
 )f the lodge. 
 
 ;oming, they 
 
 ayest thou ! 
 y hated me, 
 lilar to this in 
 nai ke-pe-um- 
 thou come? 
 ihe? 
 
 -Not yet 
 have not yet 
 
 winter. The 
 Menomonie, in 
 
 hen did ye 
 n the arrange- 
 
 thou simuner? 
 summer ? is the 
 
 ites ot coniuiunica- 
 cre> in the lainif. 
 
 Oltatcieaic. Menomonie. F.nglhh. I'yee trun-^-lati<m, ij-c. 
 
 Pe-kwut-linn-onk — Pe-kwut-ti-no — At Peguttino 
 
 Ko-pa-een-je-tah — Ne-kes-kim-ine-no ko-pa-no-biu — I reniaineil 
 all summer. 
 
 Tau-ne-pe ke-pe-po-ne-sliit — Tas-kesh-pe-po-niip-pet — Where 
 did he winter, 
 
 Ke-si-ah? — Ka-sha — thy elder brother? "VMiere did thy elder 
 brother pass the winter ? 
 
 Tau-ne-pe as-hi-at — Tas-e-et — Where remains 
 
 Non-gum — Muh-no-nah-new — now 
 
 Ke-si-ah ? — Ka-sha ? — thy elder brother ? Where is now' your 
 elder brother ? 
 
 Shi-a — Sha — Soon 
 
 Neen-gah-waw-bo-maw — Nuli-nah-wow — I sliall see 
 
 Ne-si-ah — Na-sha — my elder brother. 
 
 Paw-nc-maw — Kun-new — By and by 
 
 Neen-gah — Nuh — I shall 
 
 Kus-kau-dum — Kus-kai-ne-tuni — sorrow. By and by I sliall be 
 .sorry. 
 
 No-pe-mlk — No-pa-nia — From bark 
 
 Nce'toan-je-bah — Ne-to-pe-nm — I came. I came I'rom the lavda, 
 or from the interior. 
 
 Ke-ke-pc-mish kaw-nah ? — Oos-ke-pish o-met-us-pe-um ''. — Didst 
 thou paddle ? Didst thou come by water f The expres- 
 sions are not similar in the two dialects. 
 
 Kaw-ween — Kun — No ; 
 
 f*azh-ko-ka-she — Pazh-ko-ka-she — a horse 
 
 Neen-pe-pa-mo-mik— Ne-pish-nio-nik — me did bring. No; f 
 came on horse back. 
 
 Pah-ti-e-no-wug — Ma-sha — Many 
 
 In-nah. 
 
 Kah-pe-we-je-wuh-jik ? — Pish-we-je-waw-wuk-ket ?— did th«"y ac- 
 company thee ? Did many persons come with thee .' 
 Kef, at the end of tlie Menomonie verb, has tlie force 
 o( in-nah, or nah. which is tlie mark of interrogation hi 
 the Ottawwaw. 
 
 Nah-nun — No-an-nun — Five 
 
 Neen-ge-pe-we-je-wank Pish-we-je-waw-wuk accompanied. 
 
 Five persons came with me. 
 
 fit 
 
 h 
 
:{<»(» 
 
 COMPAKISON OK WOKDS. 
 
 f- ' i\t 
 
 f} ,' 1 
 
 >i 
 
 
 OUaicicaii, Mr.nomonie. Rnglish. f-'n'c Iranslalion, if-c 
 
 Win-ne' wi-gim — Match-o-lo o-kau-nun — Man's bones 
 N>cn-!Te-mt'-kah-niin — Np-inah-kini-un — I found. I found hu- 
 man bones, or, the bones of a man. 
 
 Tau-nc-pc-kc-kc muli-kum-un — Tas-kesh mak-kaw-mun— Where 
 didst tind 
 
 O-kun-nun ?* — O-kau-nun ? — bones ? Where did you find bones ? 
 
 Pe-guh-kum-mc-gah-sink — Spaw-ke-uh — On a mound 
 
 Neen-gc-mc-kaw-nun — Ne-mah-kun — I found 
 
 O-kun-nun — O-kau-nun — bones. Ne-nah-kun, in the Menomo- 
 
 nic, appears to be in past time, without the usual syllable 
 
 to mark it. 
 Puk-kau-nun — Puk-kau-nuk — Nuts, 
 Ne-kish-pin-at-to-nun—Ne-kesh-tah-pah-hak-wuk— I bought them. 
 
 These examples arc not entirely similar; the verb used 
 
 in the Menomonie being found also in the other dialect, 
 
 and in both meaning to pay, though it is commonly thus 
 
 used by the Menomonies. 
 (Jau-gwug — Ke-ti-me-wuk — Porcupines, 
 Mc-na-sun — Me-na-sun — thorn apples 
 Tumni-wow-waun — Ke-me-wuk — they eat. Porcupines eat thorn 
 
 apples. 
 Maung — Monk — A loon 
 Wi-e-buh bc-che-sa — Os-ke-pew — comes early — A loon comes 
 
 early in spring. 
 Mau-na-shoeuH — Mau-na-sha-sha — A fawn 
 Vah. 
 Ke-pe-nau I — Ke-pe-no\v ? — dost thou bring .' Have you brought 
 
 a fawn '. 
 Mau-na-shecn-snk — \Iau-na-slia-shuk — Fawns 
 .\'ali-ke-pe-naug ? — Ke-pe-now-M iik-ket ? — dost thou bring? Have 
 
 you brought fawns ? 
 We-yaus-in-nah — Ma-ja-ma-sha — Meat 
 Kr-pc-tone ? — Ke-pe-to-inrt?--iIost thou bring? Do you bring 
 
 I neat .' 
 
 * Vtoiw tills nxninjilt! compared with the preccdinif, we may see how flexible 
 arc the words in theso dialects, when used in combination; mn-»ic-tri/ g^un in- 
 stead o( a-niv-nc o-kiin-niit\. 
 
I OMPARISON OF WORDS. 
 
 397 
 
 ranslation, if-f 
 
 es 
 
 [ found hu- 
 
 nun— "Where 
 
 u find bones ? 
 iid 
 
 he Menomo- 
 usual syllable 
 
 [ boughtthem. 
 
 he verb used 
 
 other dialect, 
 
 ^mmonly thus 
 
 pines eat thorn 
 I. loon comes 
 
 you brought 
 .bring? Have 
 Do vou bring 
 
 see how flcxibU' 
 
 (JUaiewaie. Menomanie. Knglish. Free translation, (f-',- 
 
 0-pe-neeg in-nah — 0-pai-neuk — Potatoes 
 Ke-pe-naug? — Ke-pe-now-wuk-ket ? — dost thou bring? Do yoi 
 
 bring potatoes ? 
 Wavv-was-kesh — Pah-zhus — Red deer. 
 Ka-go — Poan — Do not. 
 Gi-as-koo-sha — Pas-ke — A gull. 
 0-nu-inun — O-nah-mun — Red paint. 
 Min-ne-kwain — Me-nai-nun — Drink thou. 
 Kok-kin-nah — Mow-wo — All. 
 0-way-o — Way-uk — Some one 
 Ne-ke-me-nik — Ne-kcsh-ma-nik — me did give. Some one gave it 
 
 me. 
 Mok-kut-ti-wah — Op-pa-je — Black. 
 Wah-ne— Wah— Who 
 Wa-che-mau-net T — 0-tos-hiah-wik ?* — is that canoe ? Whose 
 
 canoe is that ? 
 Neesh o-ke-maig — Neesh o-ka-mow-wuk — Two chiefs 
 Che-mau-ne-wah — 0-to-now — it is their canoe. It is the canot; 
 
 of two chiefs. 
 Bo-che-kwet — Bo-che-kwet-to — To Green Bay 
 We-shaw-wuk — Kut-tai we-she-wuk — they will go. They will 
 
 go to Green Bay, or, Bo-che-kwet. 
 0-wus-he-mah — Ko-kai-win-nc-ko — More 
 At-ta o-nis-he-shin — Pus ne-raa-no — could I well 
 Ne-tai-pe-mah-te-ze — Pa-mah-ta-shim — live 
 .Tc-ba-gom-mi-gonk — Je-pi me-ne-kaw-ne — in the town of the 
 
 (lead. I could be more happy to die ; or, in the village 
 
 of the dead I could live belter. 
 
 ♦ Wah-o-tos-hi-ah-wik? is pronounced by the Menomonies as one word ; it is 
 probable that the interrogative pronoun vsah should be considered separate. Of 
 the remaining syllables, the prefix o seems used to indicate the third person ; the 
 next syllable, to, pronounced toe, is the word oos, meaning canoe ; and iahwik im- 
 plies possession. The whole sentence is similar in form and signification to what 
 we often hear from Canadians, or persons very imperfectly actjuainted willi the 
 English language. " Who belongs that canoe 1" The word neen-di-ah, which 
 has by some been thought to afford an affirmative answer to the question, whe- 
 tiier these languages have the verb substantive, to me appears to correspond very 
 accurately with the Latin habeo, Iche iah't, habere, and like that verb, it may be 
 used for the true verb substantive. 
 
 I. 
 
 
 \ 
 
 ( ;'( 
 
 > • 
 
 s 
 
 ^] 
 
 liA I ' r- 
 
I'll I 
 
 398 
 
 COMPARISON OF WORDF. 
 
 OUawwaiB. Mcnomonie. English. Free translalion, (j-i, 
 
 Kee-ta-ne-mo-siew-nah ? — A-na-mo-neen ke-tai-wim-met ? — Art 
 
 thou a dog? 
 Ah ncet-ane-moose — On-kah'a-nam ne-tai-wim — Yes, I am a 
 
 dog. 
 Je-bu-ka-nong — Je-pi e-mik-kun — Road of the dead. 
 
 
 'I 
 
 * n'l 
 
 / ■ 
 
 
 
 A' :\ 
 
"•mmmrn 
 
 WORDS AND PURAbEtJ. 
 
 399 
 
 OJIBBEWAY WORDS AND PHRASES. 
 
 Fire — Ish-koo-da. Fires — Ish-koo-daig. 
 
 Smoke of a distant fire — Pukkwa-na. 
 
 Water — Nee-bc. 
 
 Ice — Mik-kwun. 
 
 Earth— Ah-kc. 
 
 Land — Ah-ke. 
 
 A little ground — Pun-ge-sha-ah-ke. 
 
 Big, big lake — Gitche-gitche-gum-me/ 
 
 Wave — Te-go. Waves- -Tc-go-wug. 
 
 Lake — Sah-gi-c-gun. 
 
 Shore — Tid-e-ba. 
 
 On the shore — Cheeg-a-beeg. 
 
 Island — Me-nis. Islands — Me-nis-iui. 
 
 River — Se-be. Rivers — Se-bc-wun. 
 
 Dirty pond — Pe-to-beeg. Small clear pond — Ne-bis. 
 
 Rivulet — Se-bo-wis-sha. 
 
 Rivulet, or small River — Sc-be-ainsc. 
 
 Up the river — 0-go-tah-jc-wun. 
 
 Down the river — Nees-sah-je-vvun. 
 
 Falls — Bow-we-tig. 
 
 Rapids — Sah-sah-jc-wun. 
 
 Boiling spring — Mo-kid-je-wun ne-beeg. 
 
 Crossing place — Ah-zhug-ga-win 
 
 ♦ Ghche-gitchc-gum-mc, (far, far across.) This seems to be the only word the 
 western Indians have for the ocean, a circumstance which would induce one to 
 believe, (could any reliance bo placed upon a language preserveu only *^y the me- 
 mories, and consequently depending on the external circumstances of a few rude 
 men,) that these trilws are not the remains of those formerly driven west, but 
 have long occupied their present position. The manner of expressing the super- 
 lative degree appears similar to that in the Hebrew, where we are informed the 
 degrees of comparison are made sometimes by prefixing certain syllables, or by 
 repeating the word expressing quality, whether substantive or adjective. By 
 some the word Gitche-gum-me is considered a compound of Gltche, (great,) and 
 gum-maif^, (water."! 
 
 I ( 
 I \ 
 
 V 
 
 f 
 
 \ 
 
 K 
 
 \ V 
 
 > ' 
 
 ) • 
 
 ,i,j 
 

 
 • "i^r « 
 
 m:. 
 
 f,. 
 
 
 V I 
 
 • f" 
 
 1/ 
 
 \ -I 
 
 i' 
 
 
 
 '< i' 
 
 iV 
 
 (^'■'IP" 
 
 tt (,.■,(*!,, 
 
 ' l< 
 
 
 I- 
 
 ^f 
 
 I » 
 
 I t 
 
 4U0 
 
 WORDS AND PHRASEi. 
 
 Banks of a river — Kish-kut-te-na..nk. 
 
 Forks — Saw-waw-koo-te-kwi-aig. 
 
 Left hand side — Mum-mun-jc-nik e-nuh-kuh-ka-yali. 
 
 Right liand — Gitche-nik. 
 
 Portage — One-gum. 
 
 Hill — Pe-kwut-te-naw. 
 
 Mountain — Wud-ju. Mountains — Mud-ju-wun. 
 
 Valley— Nas-sah-wut-te-naug. 
 
 Valley — Tah-wut-te-naug. 
 
 Path — Me-kun-nuh. 
 
 War road — Nun-do-bun-ne me-kun-nuh. 
 
 Stone — Us-sin. Stones — Us-sin-neeg. 
 
 Rock — Ah-zhe-beek . 
 
 Sand — Na-gow. 
 
 Clay — Waw-be-gun, 
 
 Dirt of houses — We-ah-gus-se. 
 
 Mud — Uz-zish-ke. 
 
 Cavern in rock — Ween-bah-zho-ke-kah. 
 
 Cavern, or hole in ground — Weem-baiali. 
 
 Salt — She-we-(au-gun. 
 
 Salt spring — She-we-tau-gun e-mo-gitche-wun-ne-beeg. 
 
 Deer lick — Om-waush ke-wa-wa. 
 
 Metal — Pe-waw-bc-ko. 
 
 liold — O-zaw-waw-sho-neali. 
 
 Silver — Sho-ncnh. 
 
 ('opper — Mis-kwaw-beck. 
 
 Lead — ()s-ke-ko-maung. 
 
 Iron — Pc-vvaw-bot'k. 
 
 [Jrass — O-saw-wavv-bock. 
 
 Pewter — Waw-bush-ke-ko-niah. 
 
 Birth — Mah-chees-kuii!. pr-mah-tc-se-win. 
 
 Death — Skwaw-be-niiih-te-rtc-win. 
 
 Love — Mccn ort-noen-de-win. 
 
 Hatred — Slieen-ga-neen-dc-win. 
 
 Marriage — We-to-kun-de-win. 
 
 Hunger — Buk-kud-da-win. 
 
 Blacking, or fasting — Muk-kud-da ka-win. 
 
 Sickness — Ah-koo-so-\viii. 
 
 Pain — Suc-knm-niun-dum-nio-win. 
 
 \' \ 
 
**•■"•■!• 
 
 1 
 
 WORDS AND PHRAStS. 
 
 A word— Ke-ke-to-win. 
 Name — Ah-no-zo-win. 
 Cold — Kis-se-nah-wiii. 
 
 Heat — Ke-zhe-ta-win, 
 
 Dampness— Shuk-kiz-ze-wiii. 
 
 Length— Uh-kwaw-win. 
 
 Breadth — Mun-kwut-tia-ah-wiii. 
 
 Height, or tallness— Ke-no-ze-win. 
 
 Dep'h — Keen-ween-du-mah-win. 
 
 Shortness — Tuh-ko-ze-win. 
 
 Circle — Waw-we-a-ah. 
 
 Roundness — Waw-wi-a-ze-win. 
 
 Square — Shush-shuh-wao. 
 
 Squareness — Shush-shuh-wa-ze-win. 
 
 A measure — Te-bi-e-gun. 
 
 A hole — No-ko-na-ah. 
 Calamity, bad /ooA— Mah-nah-bo-wa-wis. 
 Harmony — Bup-pe-she-ko-way-win. 
 Playfulness— Paw-pe-niz-ze-win. 
 Mind — Gaun-nug-gus-ke wa-shie. 
 Trouble — Sun-nug-ge-ze-win. 
 Work — Ah-no-ke-win. 
 Laziness— Gitchc-mish-kc-wiu. 
 Strength — Mus-kaw-we-ze-win. 
 Shape — E-zhe-ke-win. 
 
 Breath— Puk-ke-tah-nah-mo-wiii. 
 Sleep — Ne-pah-win. 
 A person — Ah-wc-ah. 
 A thing — Ka-go-shis. 
 Nothing — Kah-ka-go. 
 \oisp — Be-giz.ze-win. 
 A shriek — We-suk-wa-win. 
 Howling — Wah-o-no-wiii. 
 Voice — IVIus-sc-tah-goo-so-win. 
 White (animafo)— Waw-biz-zo. 
 White (in)— Wttw-bish-kaw. 
 Black— Muk-kud-da-waw 
 Red — Mia-kwaw. 
 
 niup— Mr-zhiih-kwod-oong ; a-zhc-nali.guwt, like the sky. 
 
 4U1 
 
 U 't' 
 
 ). 
 
'5P^ 
 
 • ( 
 
 L< r 
 
 i . i 
 
 f • 
 
 ( ( 
 
 '(! 
 
 H': ''H'( 
 
 J 
 
 
 402 
 
 Words and phrases. 
 
 Yellow — 0-saw-waw. 
 
 Green — 0-saw-wus-kwaw. 
 
 Great — Mit-chaw, animate. 
 
 Greater — Nah-wud mit-chaw. 
 
 Greatest — Mi-ah-mo mit-chaw. 
 
 Small — Ah-gah-saw. 
 
 Smaller — Nah-wiij ah-gah-saw. 
 
 Smallest — Mi-ah-ma ah-gah-saw. 
 
 Strong — Soang-gun [tough.] 
 
 Hard — Mush-kaw-waw. 
 
 Heavy — Ko-so-gwun. 
 
 Light — Nahn-gun. 
 
 High — Ish-pah. 
 
 Low — Tup-pus-sali. 
 
 Damp — Tip-pah. 
 
 Thick — Kip-pug-gah, as a board. 
 
 Thick — Pus-sug-gwaw-gum-mc, tiiick as mush. 
 
 Thick — Kip-pug-ge-gut, as cloth. 
 
 Thick — Kip-pug-ga-big-gut, as iron. 
 
 Sharp — Kc-nah. 
 
 Weak — Sha-wiz-ze. 
 
 Brave — Soan-go-ta-ha ; strong hearted' 
 
 Brave — Mahn-go-ta-sir ; loon heart. 
 
 Coward — Shah-go-ta-a ; wnak heart. 
 
 Old— Kc-kaw. 
 
 Young — 0-skc-nc-ge. 
 
 Good — 0-nish-c-shin. 
 
 Bad — Mah-nah-tiit, inanimate. 
 
 Bad — Mah-nah-diz-zc, animate. 
 
 Wicked — Mutchr-e-pe-wa-tize. 
 
 Handsome — Kwo-nahdj. 
 
 Ugly — Mah-nah-diz-zr. 
 
 Healthy — Me-no-pc-mali-diz-zo. 
 
 Sick — Ah-koo-zc. 
 
 Alive — Pe-mah-diz-zp. 
 
 Dead — Ne-po. 
 
 Sensible — Ne-hwaw-kah. 
 
 Cunning — Kuk-ki-a-ne-zc. 
 
 Foolish — Kc-pah-tc-zc. 
 
 \ V 
 
WORDS AM) PHRASES. 
 
 ^103 
 
 Happy — Pan-pin-an-nf'-ino, 
 
 <:ool— Tuk-ka-yah. 
 
 Cold — Kis-se-nah. 
 
 Warm — Ke-zho-ze, animate; Ke-zlio-yah, inanimate. 
 
 Hot — Ke-zliaut-la. 
 
 Thirsty — Kos-kun-nah-pah-kwa. 
 
 Hungry — Biik-kut-ta. 
 
 First — Neet-tum, [wy-aizsh-kut.] 
 
 Second — A-ko-ncc-shink. 
 
 Long — Keen-waw ; keen-waizh, long in time. 
 
 Wide — Mun-gut-ta-yah. 
 
 Deep — Kecn-ween-di;m-mo, [as water.^^ 
 
 I — Neen. 
 
 Thou — Keen. 
 
 He — Ween. 
 
 She— Ween. 
 
 It— E-cu. 
 
 We — Neen-ah-wind, (excluding tlie person addressed.) 
 
 We — Keen-ah-wind, (including the person addressed.) 
 
 They — E-gicu, or, ween-ah-wa\v. 
 
 Them — E-gieu, [to persons ;] e-nieu, [to things.] 
 
 My — Our, > 
 
 Thy-Yuur, 1 
 
 His-Tluir, ftN^""^-! 
 
 Its, J 
 
 That — E-eu, animate. That — Wah-ow, inanimate. 
 
 This — Mahn-dun, or, O-o, [to tilings.] 
 
 This — Wah-ow, or Mah-buni, [to persons,] 
 
 This person — Mah-bum, if near. 
 
 This person — Ah-\vch, if far off. 
 
 These — Ah-noon-dah, if near. 
 
 These — An-ne-\veh, if tar off. 
 
 Who — Wa-nain. 
 
 Whirli — Tah-n«'cn-»'-tMi. 
 
 Holh — I-erzhe. 
 
 Either — Wa-go-to-invaiii. 
 
 Other— 1 .None.] ah-ne-\ve. [nearly. ] 
 
 .\11 — Kok-lvin-iMili. 
 
 Many — Bah-li-eeni. 
 
 \\^ 
 
 fe 
 
 ;l 
 
 
'Mm 
 
 
 rf » I 
 
 
 '( 
 
 • (l/'j/, . 
 
 
 , \ f. 
 
 401 
 
 WOKDS AND PHBASKS. 
 
 Cr 
 
 Much — Ne-be-\va\\. 
 
 Few — Pun-gc. 
 
 A little— [The same.] 
 
 More — Min-o-waw. 
 
 Some — Ga-go. 
 
 Several — Ne-be-waw. 
 
 Where — Ah-neen-de. 
 
 When — Ah-nuh-pe. 
 
 Here — 0-mah. 
 
 There — E-wid-de. 
 
 At — [Inseparable.] 
 
 Above — Ish-pe-ming. 
 
 Below — Tub-bush-.shisli. 
 
 Over — Gitche-i-e. 
 
 Under— A-nah-mi-e-r. 
 
 Within — Pecnj-i-p. 
 
 IVear — Ba-sho. 
 
 Far — Waw-saM'. 
 
 Now — Noang-gooni. 
 
 Soon — Wi-e-buli. 
 
 Then — Me-ah-pc. 
 
 Always — Mo-zhiik. 
 
 Never — Kah-we-kaAV, or kaw-ween-we-kaw. 
 
 To-day — Nong-gum-gc-zhc-guk. 
 
 Yesterday — Pitch-e-nah-go. 
 
 To-morrow — Waw-buiik. 
 
 Long ago — Shah-Hbia}i. 
 
 Hereafter — Pon-nc-mal i . 
 
 Before — Bwoi. 
 
 After — Kah-csh-kwaw. 
 
 Once — Ah-be-ding. 
 
 Twice — Nc-zhing. 
 
 How — Ah-neen. 
 
 Well — Kwi-uk, strait. 
 
 Ill — Kaw'gwi-nk. 
 
 Quickly — Wa-wecb. 
 
 Slowly — Ba-kah-diz-ze. 
 
 Why— Ah-nish-wiu. 
 
 With — A-i-vcesh . 
 
 S \ 
 
WORDS AND PHRASED. 
 
 Without— [None.] 
 
 From — Wain-je. 
 
 Towards — [None.] Ah-che-waw ? 
 
 Yes — Uh. Certainly — Me-nung-ga-hah 
 
 No — Kaw. 
 
 If— Keesh-pin. 
 
 And — Gi-a. 
 
 Or— [None.] 
 
 Also — [None.] 
 
 Perhaps — Go-nc-mah, or, kah-nah-biUch. 
 
 One — Ning-gooj-waw. 
 
 Two — Neezh-waw. 
 
 Three — Nis-swaM'. 
 
 Four — Ne-win. 
 
 Five — Nah-nuu. 
 
 8ix — Nin-good-waw-swe. 
 
 Seven — Neezh-waw-swo. 
 
 Eight — Shwaw-swc. 
 
 Nine — Shong-gus-swe. 
 
 Ten — Me-dos-we. 
 
 To eat — Che-we-sin-il. 
 
 To be hungry — Che-we-buk-kud-dit. 
 
 To drink — Che-inin-ne-kwait. 
 
 To walk — Che-pe-mo-sait. 
 
 To run — Che-pe-me-bat-toan. 
 
 To sit down — Che-nam-mad-a-bit.* 
 
 To lie down — ^^Che-ahin-ge-skink. 
 
 To stand — Che-ne-bo-wit. 
 
 :( 
 
 1' I ' 
 
 ♦ Lemattiichpin, Del. Zoisb. 51, second edition. Pom-inis-so-wak, (they walk, ^ 
 lb. 62. All these words here given as infinitives, have not a form and terininn- 
 tion analogous to those of the Dehiw.nre infinitives, as given in Zeisbercer's 
 Grammar, but they resemble very closely those of the Masnachusetts languaue, 
 as represented by .Mr. Elliot. Infmitives ai)p<'ar not to be used with creat fti'- 
 qupncy by the C'hipjH-ways ; some examples, however, occur, in which we can 
 scarce suppose ourselves mistaken res|K'cting the ukkkI of the verb ; such as this, 
 n'rioan-do-rcaw a-ne-moosc-mc-gid, (1 hear a doi; bark.) Thi; |iri'|K)sition to a|)- 
 prars to have no other signification than our to, with infinitives, their lornl lasc, 
 as it has been called, allbrding a substitute tor it, in nil cases where we should 
 prelix to to a substantive, as, to the house, to the town, to the subntantire, &c. if 
 ihey had any such words. 
 
 y. 
 
 4 
 
 l«iiN» 
 
 i 
 
400 
 
 UOKU^ AND FIlKA^ErJ. 
 
 '? !l 
 
 n 
 
 
 To stay— Cha-ah-bit.* 
 
 To dance — Cha-ne-mit. 
 
 To go — -Cha-mah-chaht 
 
 To come — Cha-tah-ko-shink. 
 
 To ride — Che-me-zhug-gaut. 
 
 To ride — Che-pe-mah-bi-o-goat. 
 
 To hunt — Che-ke-o-sait. 
 
 To light — Che-me-kvva-zoat. 
 
 To sinoke — Che-sug-gus-swawt. 
 
 To sing— Che-nug-gah-moat. 
 
 To smoke — Che-been-dah-kwait. 
 
 To sleep — Che-ne-baht. 
 
 To die — Che-ne-botc. 
 
 To say- -Che-c-ke-doat. 
 
 To speak — Chc-keke-doat. 
 
 To treat — Clic-to-to-\vaut. 
 
 To marry — Che~\ve-wil. 
 
 To think — Clie-nain-dunk. 
 
 To know — Che-ke-ken-dunk. 
 
 To wish — [This is not a regular verb, in the Ottawwaw.] 
 
 To see — Che-wau-bit. 
 
 To hear — Che-non-dunk. 
 
 To taste — Che-ko-tun-dunk. 
 
 To smell — Che-me-iion-dunk. 
 
 To tou ;h — Che-tahn-je-nunk. 
 
 To love — Che-san-gi-unk. 
 
 To hate — Che-shiii-ga-ne-maut. 
 
 To kill— Che-nis-saut. 
 
 > Is/ 
 
 ♦ The final f in mnny of Ihrsp words would, to many, appear more closely tf 
 rosemhle our consoniint sound d ; but so iinstoady is the praelice of the Indians 
 themselves in this particular, that the ear must be far nicer than ordinary, that 
 can distintruish, in the language of the best speakers, any steady and invarialilr 
 usage in pronouncing the sauie word. It is allowable, in attempting to give a 
 written form fo any language, to (le<'ide a little arbitrarily in sucli cases. We 
 may, perhaps, have been inthicnced to give preference, in some instances, to the 
 «ound of/, ns the terminati(m for this mood, by the example of Mr. Elliot, whu 
 steadily gives it in the infinitive forms of the iVIassac.husetts dialect ; and wc are 
 convinced that no f^hippway vvill ever mistake any word, on account of its 
 having the final sound f, instead of il. They are, in the main, fwrfectly inter- 
 I linngeable. 
 
 ! ' 
 
 % 'f 
 

 m i\ 
 
 Jar more clost^ly tu 
 L'ticc of the Indians 
 than ordinary, th;tl 
 eady and iiivartalilr 
 ttrin|)tiii<j to give a 
 in such cases. We 
 ne instances, to the 
 of Mr. Elliot, whi> 
 dialect ; and we an? 
 I, on account of its 
 lain, perfectly inter- 
 
 WORDS AND PHRASES. 
 
 To scalp — Chc-mah-miz-zhwaut. 
 
 To give — Che-me-naut. 
 
 To take — Che-o-tau-pe-naiit. 
 
 To bring — Che-bc-naut. 
 
 To carry — Che-mah-che-naht. 
 
 To cut — Che-kis-ke-shunk. 
 
 To stick — Che-wa-po-to-waut 
 
 To plant — Chc-ke-te-gait, 
 
 To burn — Cbe-chau-ge-zung. 
 
 To bury — Che-ning-wo-waut 
 
 To sow — Che-kus-ke-gaw-saut, 
 
 To blow — Che-pe-me-bo-tote. 
 
 To hide — Che-guk-ket-tote. 
 
 To cook — Che-che-bah-kwait. 
 
 To melt — Che-nin-ge-taik. 
 
 To subdue — Che-muk-dwait. 
 
 To have — Cho-iaht. 
 
 To be— Che-iaht. 
 
 He is — Ween-sah. 
 
 I am — Neen-sah. 
 
 I am cold — Neen-ge-kudj. 
 
 I am warm — Ncen-ge-zlio-sp. 
 
 I am young — Neen-do-ske-neeg 
 
 I am old — Neen-ge-kaw. 
 
 I am good — Ne-meen-no-zhe-wa-bis. 
 
 r am strong — Ne-mush-kaw-wees. 
 
 I am hungry — Ne-buk-kud-da. 
 
 I am sick — Neen-dah-kooz. 
 
 It rains — Ke-me-wun. 
 
 It is cold — Kis-sc-nab. 
 
 Go — Mah-jon. 
 
 Stay — Ah-biu. 
 
 Bring — Pe-toan. 
 
 Give — Meczh. 
 
 Give me — Me-zhc-shin. 
 
 Take him — O-tah-pin. 
 
 Take It— O-hih-pc-nuii. 
 
 lledrinVs — Wcen-min-nc-kwa. 
 
 Ho runs— Ween-pc-me-bat-to. 
 
 407 
 
 
 Ji 
 
 ', t ( -I 
 
 ^ i 
 
 ^ *,» 
 
 W.^ * ^*! W ^ ' ' *fe^ %^,' ^ 
 
 I 
 
F:', 
 
 i ,' 
 
 : t 
 
 I i ' 
 
 \'\ 
 
 ih i 
 
 \ 
 \ 
 
 >■ . >! 
 
 I 'Si 
 
 f 
 
 40S 
 
 WORUfi AND PHRASES. 
 
 He singrf — Wcon-mig-gah-mo. 
 
 I sing — Necn-nug-gah-mo. 
 
 We eat — Wc-sin-iu\ 
 
 I eat — Ne-wee-sin. 
 
 I came— Neen-ge-tuh-koo-shiii. 
 
 He came — Ween-ge-tuh-koo-shin. 
 
 We came — Neen-ge-tuh-koo-shin-noain. 
 
 I have eat — Nc-kc-we-sin. 
 
 Thou hast eat — Ke-ke-we-sin. 
 
 He has eat — O-ke-we-sinne. 
 
 He saw — 0-ke-\vaw-bo-maun. 
 
 He is dead — Ween-ke-ne-bo. 
 
 He has been seen — Ke-waw-bo-maw. 
 
 He shall speak — Oan-jit-tah kah-ge-e-ke-to, (I make.) 
 
 He shall go — Oan-jit-tah tah-mah-jah, (I make, &c.) 
 
 He may go — Tah-mah-jah. 
 
 We may go — Tah-mah-jah-men. 
 
 This dog — Maw-buh-an-ne-moosh. 
 
 These dogs — Ah-goon-dah-an-ne-moag. 
 
 This is mine — Neen-een-di-eem, [mine it remains.] 
 
 That is thine — Keen-ke-ti-eme, [it belongs to thee.] 
 
 Whose dog is this ? — Wha-nain-\vha-ti-et f 
 
 What is thy name? — Ah-neen-a-zhe-ne-kah-so-yun. 
 
 What do you call this? — Ah-neen-s-zhe-ne-kah-dah-mun? 
 
 To whom shall he speak ? — 0-wa-na-nan ka-kun-no-nah-jit ? 
 
 Which of us shall go ? — O-wa-nain ka-e-shaut ? 
 
 Who shall go ? — Tah-neen-a-ow-ka-e-shaut ? 
 
 Either of us shall go — Ne-got-wa-hi-ao o-tai-a-shoii. 
 
 Who saw these ? — Wa-ne-wi-ah-bo-mik ? 
 
 He — Ween. 
 
 My father — Nos-a. 
 
 My brother — Ne-kau-nis ; n'dah-wa-mah, by the women. 
 
 Elder — Nesiah. 
 
 Younger — Nc-she-ma. 
 
 My sister — N'dah-wa-mah. 
 
 Elder — Ne-mis-sah. 
 
 Younger — Ne-she-mah. 
 
 My son — Ne-gwis. 
 
 Mv daughter — Ne-dan-nis. 
 
 ^ ;v 
 
W (i[tl<< AS1» f'HKASKs. 
 
 40\i 
 
 dike.) 
 fcc.) 
 
 s.] 
 ee.] 
 
 un. 
 ah-mua? 
 no-nah-jit ? 
 
 hon. 
 
 e women. 
 
 My child — Xe-(Mi-ja]i-ni«!. 
 
 My head — Ne-o-stc-gwon. 
 
 My feet — Ne-o-zit-turi. 
 
 My dog — Neen-di. 
 
 My shoes — Ne-muk-ke-zin-nuu. 
 
 I saw yoM — Nee-ke-waw-bo-min, 
 
 1 love you — Ke-zaw-ge-in ; to a woman only, ne-ma-ae-ne- 
 min. 
 
 I will marry thee, [a man to a woman] — Ncen-gali-we-te-ga- 
 mah ; [a woman to a man,] kuh-we-te-ge-min. 
 
 He is taller than me — Nah-wudj-ween ke-nose-a-ko-zeauu. 
 
 He is a stranger in the village — Mi-ah-raah-mush-kaw-e-zeet 
 o-da-nin-nong. 
 
 My wife is called handsomer — Ne-wish nah-wuj kwo-nahj a- 
 zhe-nah-ko-zi-ian. 
 
 Your wife is younger than mine — Ke-wis nah-wudj os-ke ne-ge 
 neen-a-pe-te-zit. 
 
 My brother is with his wife — Ne-kaun-nis o-we-je-waun we.- 
 wmi. 
 
 My hatchet is in there — Ne-waw-gaw-kwut-peen-dig at-ta. 
 
 Where is he? — To-ne-e-peezh at-taik? 
 
 I am here — Maun-di-pe een-di-ah. 
 
 I am a man — Een-da-nin-ne-ne-ew. 
 
 I am a good man — Ne-min-no a-nin-ew. 
 
 Thou art a woman — Keet-e-kwa-o. 
 
 There is a God — Man-i-to sah-iah. 
 
 I am that I am — Neen-goo-sah-neen.* 
 
 Ue sings well — Ne-tah-nug-gah-mo. 
 
 He sings ill — Kaw'nit-tah niig-gah-mo-se. 
 
 He sings slow — Se-his-kamch e-niig-gah-mo. 
 
 He sings quick — Ka-tah-tub-buh-um. 
 
 He sings his deatli song — 0-be-mah-tiih-se-win e-nug-gah-mo- 
 t.oan. 
 
 I see him — Ne-waw-bo-maw. 
 
 I see a man — E-nin-ne ne-waw-bo-maw. 
 
 :i 
 
 * Neither i-ah nor goo-snh, are thought to be the verb 'substantive in these ei- 
 arnplos. Tlio fortncr soems to approach, in signification, very closely to the 
 
 Latin liubun, 
 
 52 
 
 i 
 

 ■/■F ; 
 
 41U 
 
 WOUDS AND PUKASES. 
 
 • . 1' 
 
 
 ' lit i I « 
 
 Ml ■ I ' 
 
 1 1 
 
 tA .i; 
 
 I ser noiir — l*a-sli()w ii'diik-wawf*. 
 
 I se* far olT -Was-saw n'duk-wawb. 
 
 lit' cnmc on foot — Ke-bim-mc-to-sa. 
 
 He came on horsebark — Kr-be-pc-mom-mi-co. 
 
 You cam<! on lioiscback— Ke-ke-be-pe-mo-inik. 
 
 lie came by land — Ah-kecng ke-pe-c-zliaw. 
 
 lie came by water — Ke-be-pe-mish-kaw-nah. 
 
 lie came before me — Ke-be-ne-kaune. 
 
 Ho crime last — Skwi-ahtch ke-t;i-koo-sIiin. 
 
 He came without me — Kaw'neen-ge-we-jc-we-goo-se. 
 
 I struck him — Neen-ge-wa-po-to-waw. 
 
 I struck him with my foot — Neen-ge-tun-gish-ko-waw ; (I kick- 
 ed him.) 
 
 I struck him with a stone — Us-sin neen-ge-wa-po-to-waw. 
 
 T stiiick liim with a hatclict — Waw-gaw-kwut neen-ge-wa-po- 
 to-waw. 
 
 I gave it to liim — Necn-^e-me-nah. 
 
 I did not give it to thee — Ka-ween-kcen ke-ke-monis-sc-noan. 
 
 He gave it to me — Neen-neen-gc-me-nlk. 
 
 What I gave h.iui -Wa-go-to-gvvain e-to-t'T-gaw-me-mik. 
 
 What he gave me — Wa-go-to-gwain e-to-ge-gaw-me-zhit. 
 
 And did he give it '.o thee ? — Ke-ge-me-nik-in-nah ? 
 
 Hast tliou given u to him? — Ke-ge-mc-nah-nah ? (Didst thou 
 give?) 
 
 Wilt thou give it to me ? — Ke-kah-mc-shin-nah ? 
 
 May I give it to liim? — Kav/-nuh neen-dah-me-nah-se ? 
 
 T wish to go with thee anH rutoli his horse — Op-pa-tus wc-ji- 
 win-naun che-tah-ko-nuk o-b^. /heek-o-guh zhe-mun. 
 
 Give me some venison to put in liis kettle — Me-she-shin wc- 
 yos, che-po-tah kwi-aun o-tah-ke-koonk. 
 
 We conquered our country by our braven% we will defend it 
 with our strength — Ne-munk-kund-wa-min ain-dun-uk-ke-ung, 
 c-zhin-ne-ne-wi-aung, [our manliness,] or, ne-m;din-go tah-se-we- 
 win-ne-naun, [our loon heartedness.] ne-kah-ko-no-ain-dah-meu 
 ne-mus-kaw wiz-ze-win-ne-naun. 
 
 Good morning — Me-gwaitch wi-ah-bah-me-non ; [I am glad 
 to see you.] 
 
 How is it with thee ? — Tah-neen kecn-o-waw aiz-ziie-be-mah-tr- 
 
 ' I 
 
WORDS AM) I'III:A.|> 
 
 411 
 
 w ; (I kick- 
 
 ii-wa\v. 
 n-ge-wa-po- 
 
 -luri-sc-uoan. 
 
 rie-n\ik. 
 me-zlut. 
 
 (DUImI tlioii 
 
 ih-sc i 
 |pa-tu3 we-ji- 
 
 [•she-sliiii w'f- 
 
 Lvill (It'ffnd it 
 In-uk-kc-unjr, 
 Iro tah-se-\vc- 
 l-ain-dah-mi'ii 
 
 |; [I am glad 
 
 ic-l)c-mali-lf- 
 
 ze-aik ? — [ll' two or moio, ko-mc-no bc-iiali tc-zi -mi!: Imw dnsl 
 lliou live?] 
 
 He is a good man — Mc-no-pa-mah-liz-ze o-niii-nc. 
 
 Dost thou live well ? — Ke-men-no-pr-inah-tiz-ze-nah ! 
 
 What news ? — Ah-hccn ain e-kum-me-guk ? 
 
 T know liim — Ne-ke-kcn-ne-maw. 
 
 I understand — Nc-ke-ken-dom ; [weeds and small things; of a 
 tree, or a large stone, they say, ne-ke-ken-ne-maw.] 
 
 She is a good woman — Mcn-no-pa-mah-te-se. 
 
 It is a largo tree — Gitche-me-tik : [large tree.] 
 
 T i^ec it — Ne-waw-bo-maw, if a man, a tree, or a large stone; 
 Ne-waw hun-daun, if inanimate, or a very small animate object. 
 
 I give you this canoe — Ke-me-nin* maun-dun che-maun. 
 
 Take it — 0-tau-pe-nui.. 
 
 I give you this deer — Ke-me-nin maw-bidi waw-waw-wash-gai;'. 
 
 Take him — 0-tau-pin, 
 
 Givemenifat — Me-zhc-shinwe-yos; giveorhandto me. pe-doaii. 
 
 Give me that dog — Me-zhe-shin owan-e-moose. , 
 
 Bring water — Ne-beesh nah-din. 
 
 Bring tlie prisoners — Beesh a-wuh-kau-nug. 
 
 This is my latht-r's canoe — No-si-ah maun-dun o-che-maun. 
 
 I gave corn to my father — Mun-dah-me-mm necn-ge-me-nali 
 noas. 
 
 I planted cirn for my lather — Neen-ge ke-tc-go-waw noa^. 
 
 I lov(! my father — Ne-sah-ge-ah noas. 
 
 I took corn from my father — Neen-ge o-tah-i^e-nun-no-waw 
 noas muii-dah-miii. 
 
 1 came with my father — Ne-j)e-we je-wa\v noas. [I accompa- 
 Tiied my father.) 
 
 I saw a deer — Neen-ge-waw-bo-mo waw-wash-gais. 
 
 I saw two deer — Neesh-waw-wash-gais-e-w\ig ne-waw-bo- 
 maig. 
 
 I killed a deer — Waw-wasli-gais neen-ge-ne-sali. 
 
 I killed him with my hatchet — Ne-waw-gaw-kwut-ne-ke oon- 
 jin-nee-sah. 
 
 I took the skin from the deer — Neen-ge puk-ko-nah, (if lie 
 saved the meat;) neen-ge-gitche ke-zwo-ah, (iflK- tlircw it awav.^ 
 
 * Oemifeleii, DpI. Z<mI>. t?(l cil. ]i. K. 
 
 9 
 
 . ::JiHLS-,J^^~Sii^:: ;::^-^^ 
 
 y..>' 
 
11 J 
 
 WORKS AND I'H RASES.. 
 
 " ,."1 
 
 i ' Hi 
 
 I 
 
 ■ f , I 
 
 ^'' ■ 
 
 
 1; -ifl . 
 
 
 <:O.N.ITKiA'nO\ OF A VERB. 
 
 To tie — Tali-ko-pi telle ga-\viiig.* 
 
 'I'lc him — Tali-ko-pisli. 
 
 Tic them — Tah-Uo-bish ah-oic\v. 
 
 1 tie — N'tah-ko-pe-toon, 
 
 Thou tieet — Ke-ta-ko-pc-toon in-a-niin. 
 
 lie ties — O-tah-ko-pc-toon. 
 
 AVe (two) tie — Neon-tlali-ko-pc-do-men. 
 
 We tie — (The same.) 
 
 You (two) tic — Ke-tali-ko-pe-toan-ah-waM . 
 
 They tie — 0-tiih-ko-pe-toan-ah-waM-, 
 
 lie ties me — Necn-dah-ko-bc-nik. 
 
 lie lies tliee — Kc-tali-ko-bc-nik. 
 
 He ties hina — 0-tah-ko-be-uaun. 
 
 He ties her — (The same.) 
 
 He ties us (two) — Ke-tali-ko-be-nik o-ijauu. 
 
 He ties U8 (all) — (The same.) 
 
 He ties you (tAVo) — Ke-tah-ko-be-nik-o-waw. 
 
 He ties you (all) — (Tlie same.) 
 
 He ties them — 0-tah-ko-bin-naun. 
 
 They tie me — Ne-dah-ko-bin-ne-goag. 
 
 They tie thee — Ke-tah-ko-bin-ne-goag. 
 
 They tie him — O-tah-ko-bin-ah-wauii. 
 
 * Tah-ko-bitche-gun, (prisoner string,) 7*a/*-A-o-6i7c/)^-g-u)i-Mn, (prisoner strings, j 
 These cords arc mode of the burk of the elm tree, by boiling, and then immeniing 
 it in cold water ; they are from twenty-five to fifty feet in length, and though less 
 than half an inch in diametar, strong encuj,'li to hold tlic stijutest man. They are 
 rommonly ornamented with porcupine quills ; and ne-bcui-kiin-a-giin-iiti, or rattles 
 are attached at each end, not only for ornjiment, but to give notice of any attempt 
 the prisoner may make to escape. The leader of a war-{«rty commonly carries 
 several Tah-ko-bitrhe-ffun-un's tastened about his waist, and, if in the course 
 of the fight any one of his young men takes a prisoner, it is l>i.s duty to bring hun 
 immediately to the chief, to be tietl, ajid the latter is responsible for his safekeeping. 
 
nORllS AND l'URASl>. 
 
 They tie licr — (The same.) 
 
 They tic us (two) — Kc-tah-ko-biii-ne-ko-nah-nik. 
 
 They tie us (all) — (The same.) 
 
 They tie you (two) — Ke-tah-ko-bin-uc-go-waus;. 
 
 They tie you (all)— (The same.) 
 
 They tie them — 0-tah-ko-bin-nah-Avaun, (the same as one.) 
 
 1 tie thee — Kc-tah-ko-be-nin. 
 
 I tie him — Neeu-(lah-ko-be-naun. 
 
 I lie you (two) — Ke-tah-ko-be-ne-nim. 
 
 1 tic you (all) — (Tlie same.) 
 
 I tie them — Ncen-ilah-ko-be-naug. 
 
 We (two) tie thee — Ke-tah-ko-biu-ne ne-nin-ne-min. 
 
 We (two) tie him — Ne-dah-ko-bc nah-naun. 
 
 We (two) tie you (two) — Ke-tah-ko-bin-»c nin-ne-min. 
 
 We (two) tic you (all) — (The same.) 
 
 We (all) tie them — Ke-tah-ko-bin-nah-nah-nik. 
 
 Thou tiest me — Ke-tah-ko-bish. 
 
 Thou tiest him — Ke-tah-ko-bin-nali. 
 
 Thou tiest us (two) — Ke-tah-ko-bish-e-min. 
 
 Thou tiest us (all) — (The same.) 
 
 Thou tiest them — Ke-tah-ko-bin-iiaug. 
 
 We (all) tie thee — Ke-tah-ko-be-nin-ne-min. 
 
 We (all) tie him — Neen-dali-ko-bin-nah-naun. 
 
 We (all) tie you (two) — Ke-tah-ko-bin-nun-ne-m'm. 
 
 We (all) tie you (all)— (The same.) 
 
 You (two) tie me — Kc-tah-ko-biz-zhim. 
 
 You (two) tie him — Ke-tah-ko-bin-nah-waw. 
 
 You (two) tie us (two) — Ke-tah-ko biz-zhe-min. 
 
 You (two) tie us (all) — (The same.) 
 
 You (two) tie them — Ke-tah-ko-bin-nah-wau(<^. 
 
 You (two) tie me — Ke-tah-ko-bc-zhim. 
 
 You (all) tie him — Ke-tah-ko-bin-ali-waw. 
 
 You (all) tie us — Kc-tah-ko-biz-zhe-min. 
 
 You (all) tie them — Ke-tah-ko-bin-nah-waug. 
 
 He has tied us — Een-ge-tah ko-bin-ne-ko-nahn. 
 
 He has tied thee — Ke-ke-tah-ko-be-nik. 
 
 He has tied him — O-ke-tah-ko-be-nahn. 
 
 He has tied us (two) — Een-ge-tah-ko-biii-ne-ko-nahn. 
 
 He has tied ua (all) — (The same.) 
 
 ii:{ 
 
 Ui I 
 
 lit'T* 
 
 rrtJt,r ^' i « <r>? 
 
:.mi''m>i'--iai,i.«A. 
 
 m,ii 
 
 .. I' 
 
 M r 
 
 1 1 
 
 > I 
 
 if'! I •■; -I 
 
 -im 
 
 ^r' 
 
 n 
 
 414 
 
 WOltliS AM) I'URASI'.S. 
 
 He has tied yon (two) — Ke-ko-iali-ko be-nik-o-\vaw. 
 
 He has lied you (all) — (Thf same.) 
 
 IIo has lied them — O-ke-tah-ko-bc-naun. 
 
 They liavr tied me — Necu-jre-tah ko-bin-ne-goag. 
 
 They have ti»;il him — ()-k<;-tah-ko-bin-nah-vvauii. 
 
 They have tied us (two) — Ke-g(;-tali-ko-bin-nik o-nali-nik, or, 
 neeu-ge, il'a tliird person is addressed. 
 
 They have tied us (all) — (The same.) 
 
 They have tied you (two) — Ke-kc-tah-ko-bin-nih-o-waug. 
 
 They have tied you (all)— (The same.) 
 
 They have tied them — ()-ke-tah-ko-bin-nah-waun. 
 
 I have tied hiui — Necn-ge-tah-ko-biu-nah. 
 
 1 have tied them — Neen-gp-lah~ko-bin-nahg. 
 
 Thou hast tied mo — Ko-ke-l;di-ko-bish. 
 
 Thou hast tied him — Ke-ke-tah-ko-bc-nah. 
 
 Thou iuist tied us (two) — Ke-ke-tal\-ko-biz-zhe-min. 
 
 Thou has tied us (all) — (Th(r same.) 
 
 Thou hast tied them — Ke-ke-tali-ko-be-nahg. 
 
 We have tied hiu) — Neen-ge-tah ko-l)C-nah-nahn. 
 
 We (ail) have tied him— (The sauie.) 
 
 You (two) have tied him — Ke-lah-ko-!)e-nah-vvaw. 
 
 \o\} (all) have tied him— (The sauie.) 
 
 He will tie me~--Neeri-gali-lah-ko-be-Mik. 
 
 Me will tie thee — Ke-gah-lali-ko-be-»ik. 
 
 Ife will tie him — O-gah-lah-ko-bc-Mahn. 
 
 lie will tie us (all) — Ke-gah-tah-ko-be-nik-aii-nahM, to the se- 
 coiul person; to a third, Niu-gali-tali-ko-biu-uik-iih-iiuhu. 
 
 lie will lie llu'm — O-kah-tiih-ko-bf-iialui. 
 
 They will tie nu' — NeeM-gah-lah-ko-bin-iie-goag. 
 
 They will tie thee — Ke-gHh-tuh-ko-biu-ue-unag. 
 
 The y will tie him — (>-gah-tah-go-hiu-iiah-wauu. 
 
 They will tie us (two) — Ke-gah-lah-ko-bin-ne-ko-nnh-nik. to 
 the second person. 
 
 Tliey will lie you (two) — Ke-gah-lah-ko-bin-ue-ko-wauff. 
 
 They will lie them — O-gali-tali-ko-biii-iiah-waun. 
 
 I will lie him - \een-nah-tah-ko-bin-iiah. 
 
 I will lie them - Neeii-<jali-lah-ko-biu-ualig. 
 
 Thou will tie me — K«-iiali-lali-ko-liisli. 
 
 Thnu will lie him — Ke-<!ah-lith-ko !n'-iuih. 
 
 I » 
 
 '■) 
 
0-nah-nik, or, 
 
 ihii, to the s»; 
 
 -ko-iiali-iiik, to 
 
 WOKUS AMI I'lntAS!.-. 
 
 11. -> 
 
 Thou wilt tiu them — Ki!-g;ih-tah-ko-i)c-iialii). 
 
 Wo (two) will tie iiiiu — Net'u-gah-tah-ko-be-nali-iuihn, to tlie 
 
 ihinl 
 
 person. 
 
 We (all) will tie him— (The same.) 
 
 You (tw(») will tie him — Ke-irah-tah-ko-he-iiali-nahn. 
 
 You (all) will tie him — (The same;.) 
 
 I would lie thee — Ke-tah-tah-ko-bc-nin. 
 
 I would tie him — Neen-dah-lah-ko-he-nah. 
 
 I would tie Ihem — Neen-dah-tah-ko-he-nah^ 
 
 He Mduld li»' thee — Ke-tah-tah-ko-he-nik. 
 
 He would tie liim — ()-dah-lah-ko-ho-nahn. 
 
 He would tie them — (The same.) 
 
 1 mijiht tie thee — Tali-kc-he-nin-naun. 
 
 T miirht tie him — Tah-ko-he-nuff. 
 
 I mioht lie iliem — Tah-ko-hin-iiiiir-waw. 
 
 He mi<rht tie thee — Tah-ko-bin-naut. 
 
 He mig;ht tie them — (The same.) 
 
 I oujxht to lie thee — Tah-ko-hiii-iie-n-iiim-bahii. 
 
 I ouirht to tie him— 'l'ah-ko-l)iii-iiUL>^-ir<'-l>im. 
 
 He ouj^ht to tie ihee — Tah-ko-I)i»-iiil<-e-l)un. 
 
 He ought to tic them — Tah-ko-bin-uut-waw-bnii. 
 
 Thai I may tie thee — Go-mah-tah-ko-be-niii-ualm. 
 
 That F mav lie him — (lo-mah-t-ili-ko-liin-iuik. 
 
 Thai I may lie them — (lo-mah-tah-ko-hin-mik-waw. 
 
 That he may lie thee — CJo-mah-tali-ko-be-'/iiil. 
 
 That he may tie him — (;o-mah-weeii-tah-ko-l)e-iialit. 
 
 That lii' may lie then» — (The sauie.) 
 
 Il'[ lie thee •Tah-ki>-liiiii)e-nH\m. 
 
 If I li( him -Tah-ko-be-ni):r. 
 
 HI lie ihem - -Tah-ko-he-nujf-waw. 
 
 Jl' lie lie thee -Tah-ko-be-uik-e-huii. 
 
 iriie lie him -Tali-ko-l"-naii-|>iiii. 
 
 If he lie ihetri — (The same.) 
 
 I make ihee tie ihem — Ooii-jil lah ki'-kah-iali-ko-bin-nahi'. 
 
 I make him tie them — Ooii-jil-lah o-kah-tah-Ko-he iiaiin. 
 
 I i.mke them lie thee — Ooii-jit-tah ke-kah-lah-ko-biii-Me-mtge. 
 
 ii 
 
 e ma 
 
 kr'-i me lie them — Ne-kith-!jan-/.o-niel\, tah-ko-he-niii;- 
 
 <va\v. 
 
 He doe- Mill lie me — Kaw 'in t u-(|iih-ki)-bili-Ui'-ko-de 
 
 1 
 
 !i, i 
 
 ^! 
 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 \ 
 
 t! 
 
 i 
 
 JC^ 
 
 Li 
 
'^jM****. 
 
 f 
 
 f! 
 
 1 
 
 r 
 
 f1 
 
 ■ t 
 
 f 
 
 
 4 
 
 ■} 
 
 W 
 
 t 
 
 
 i \ 
 
 I 
 
 ' '', ' 
 
 J' I >■ 
 
 m 
 
 
 .! 
 
 
 
 4J(i 
 
 \JUi!liS A.NU JMIRASE' 
 
 He does nut tie thee — Kaw'kc-tah-ko-bin-ne-ko-se. 
 
 He does not tie him — Kaw'o-tah-ko-bin-nah-zeen. 
 
 They do not tie me — Kaw'neen-dali-bo-bin-ne-ko-t^eeg. 
 
 They do not tie him — Kaw'o-tah-ko-bin-nah-se-waun. 
 
 He has not tied me — Kaw'necn-ge-tah-ko-bin-ne-ko-se. 
 
 He will not tie mc — Kaw-ween nini-gah-tah-ko-bin-ne-ko-ze. 
 
 He shall not tie me — Kaw-pau-pish neen-dah-tuh-ko-bin-ne- 
 ko-se. 
 
 Tliat he mav not tie me — (la-mah-tah-ko-biz-zhe-sik. 
 
 It' he does not tie thee — Tah-ko-be-nis-se-nook. 
 
 I will make him tie you — Oon-jit-tah ke-kah-tuh-ko-be-nik. 
 
 I will not make him tie thee — Kaw'ne-kah-guh-gaw-zo-mah-sc 
 jit-tah-ko-be-nik. 
 
 He made me tie thee — Ne-kc-gah-gau-zo-mik ke-chah-tah-ko- 
 be-nc-naun. 
 
 He did not make me tie thee — Kaw'necge-c-go-so jit-tah-ko 
 be-ne-nann. 
 
 I am tied — Necn-dah-ko-bees. 
 
 Thou art lioel — Ke-tah-ko-bees. 
 
 He is tied — Tah-ko-biz-zo. 
 
 We (two) are tied — Kc-tah-ko-biz-zo-min ; to the second per- 
 son, nec-dah-ko-biz-zo-min. 
 
 We (all) are lied— (The same.) 
 
 You (two) are tied — Ke-tah-ko-biz-zoom. 
 
 You (all) are tied — (The same.) 
 
 They are tied — Tah-ko-biz-zo-wug. 
 
 I was tied — Een-jre-tah-ko-bis. 
 
 I was tied by thee — Kcen-gah oon-je-lah-ko-biz-zo-yahn. 
 
 I was tied by him — Ween-gah oon-je-tah-ko-biz-zo-yahn. 
 
 He shall be tied — Oon-jit-tah tah-tah-ko-be-zon. 
 
 That he may be tied — Knf-tah tah-ko-be-zo. 
 
 I am not lied — Kaw'n'dah-ko-biz-zo-ze, 
 
 Me is ni»t tied — Kaw'tah-ko-biz-zo-ze. 
 
 1 was not tied — Kaw'ne-ke-tah-ko-biz-zo-ze. 
 
 He shall not be tied — Kaw'tah tah-ko-biz-zo*ze. 
 
 He who is tying thee — Ai-neen n-piz-zoi-un. 
 
 We tie earh other Mah-ma-ash-kot(' gnh-tah-ko-bin-mMe-min. 
 
 Yon tie earh iilher — Mah-ma-ash-kote tah-ko-bin-ne-tik. 
 
 'I'ln-y tie one another — Tah-ko-bin-ne-te-\v«g. 
 
\ 
 
 1-ko-be-nik. 
 raw-zo-mah-sc 
 
 B-chah-lah-ko- 
 
 )-90 jit-tah-ko 
 
 WORDS AND PHRAStS, 
 
 I tie myself— N'taIi-l;o-bin-ne-tis. 
 He ties himself— Tn -ko-bin-ne-liz-/o. 
 We tie ourselves— Nind-dah-ko-bin-ne-tiz-zo-miii. 
 They tie themselves— Tah-ko-bin-ne-tiz-zo-wug. 
 Does he tie thee ?— Ke-tah-ko-bin-nik-in-nah ? 
 Has he tied thee ?— Ke-ke-tah-ko-bin-nik-in-nah ? 
 Shall he tie thee ?— Kc-kah-tah ko-be-nik-in-nah ? 
 Do they tie him ?— O-tah-ho-bin-ntth-waun-iu-nah ? 
 Have they tied him ?— 0-ke-tuh-ko-bin-nah-waun-in-nah ? 
 Will they tie him ?--0-we-tah-ko-bin-nah-waun-in-nah ? 
 Shall I tie them ?— Een-gah-tah-ko-biii-nahg-in-nah ? 
 Wilt thou tie them ?--Ke-kah-tah-ko-bin-nahg-in-nah ? 
 Will thou tie him ?— Ke-kah-tah-ko-bin-nahn-nah ? 
 
 53 
 
 n: 
 
 « 
 
 / 
 
 
418 
 
 LORD S PRAYER. 
 
 ■;'l 
 
 ! ■ ' I Vl 
 
 LURD S PKAVER, IN UJ1BB£VVAV AND £NUL1SH. 
 
 Ko-se-naun, (our Fallicr,) o-wa-uain, (wlio,) ish-pe-miiig, 
 (above,) ain-daut, (livctli,) mah-no-ti esh-shc-wa-but, (what you 
 wish to be done,) wah-e-she wu-bc-to-e-yun, (let it be done,) 
 Kaw-taw-i)a\v-pish zhin-dah-zecm, (let us not play with thy 
 name,) mah-no-be-zhe .ah-zhi-yun nah-gah-muk sa-ne-guk, (let 
 thy great power come,) nie-zhe-shin-naung ka-nie-je-yaun nong- 
 goom ge-zlie-gut, (give us our food this day,) nnie-zhe-shin-naung 
 o-ma-ze-naw-o-inon-aung, (give us our debts,) a-zhe-ko-te-bali- 
 juah-tink, (as we give our debtors,) Ka-go e-zhe-wizh-zh's, zhe- 
 kaun-gaiu ini-ah nah-tuk, (do not lead us into bad things,) kun- 
 no-wa-no misii-she-naung nii-ali-nah-tuk, (keej) us from bad 
 things,) naw-gau-no-zit ta-ba*ne-mut (power belongs to thee,) 
 giamash-kaw-e-zcet, (and strength,) kau-giu-neek, (forever.) 
 
 i .* 
 
 I'h 
 
 l\ 
 
 J.OKD S PKAVER, IN OJIBBDWAV. 
 
 Kosenaun ovvanain islipeniing aindaut mahnoti eshshewabui 
 waheshewabetooyun kawtawpawpish zhindahzhecm mahnobeziic 
 nahzliiyun nalinahmuk sanoouk inezhesliinnaunir, kaniejcyaim 
 nonggooni gezheirut niezhesliinnaunjr omazenawonionaung azlic- 
 kotebahmahtink ; Kago czhewizhzhis zhekaunoain iniahnahtuk ; 
 kuiinowano mishahenaung niiahnalitiik ; nawgaunczit tabaiipmiii 
 gia inashkawp/ccf, kauginneek. 
 
ft • 
 
 (iMl'ARISdN. 
 
 4\^ 
 
 H 
 
 • OMPARISON OF THE LANGUAUK OF ELLIOx's VKKSIUN OF THE 
 BIULE, WITH SOME OF THi: DIAI.KCTS OF TlIF, PUF.SEXT V\\. 
 
 Eiliit. Oilaicuaic. 
 
 Nc-oh-kc-oo-ook* — Me-nik ka-ali-ko pc-inah-tuk ah-ke — As 
 
 long as the ground lives, 
 Oh-ke-ko-nah-kali — 0-pe-ga-tu-gonk-gia — i>Iaiiling time and 
 Ke-pe-niiin-niun-at — O-pe-ina-niaung — gathering tinii', 
 Toh-koi-liah-kus-si-teau — Ki,s-.sc-nah-oia-ke-:>haut-ta - - cold and 
 
 heat, 
 Ne-pun-nah — Nc-bin-gia — sniiimer and 
 Pu-pon — Pe-poaii — winter, 
 Ke-sii-kod-kah — Ko-zlii-kut-gia — day anil 
 \u-koii — Tib-bik-kut — night, 
 Mat-ta — Kaw'-we-kaw — never 
 Jeish-ah-kwoh-ta-noo — Ta-pun-iiali lis-se-iioan — shall coase. 
 
 While tlie earth remaineth, r^eed time and harvest, cold and 
 hiut, summer and winter, day and night, shall not fail. CJeii. 
 
 Ne-tah-tup — E-she-way-buk — Even so 
 
 .\ish-noh — Pa-j)a-zhik — each 
 
 Wun-ne-gen nia-tug — Way-nish-she-shit-mc-tik — good tree 
 
 Ad-tan-ne-gcn — Wain-je-ne-tah-we-jink — j)roduceth 
 
 Wun-ne-ge-nash niee-ehum-mu-on-gash— Mo-zhe-ka-ko-mah-jink 
 
 — every kind of food, 
 (iut-inatch-tit nia-tug — Koo-shali niatche-me-tik — but a bad tree 
 Ad-tan-ne-gen inatch-te-tuash — Na-tali-we-git — beareth 
 Ml -chit /n-inn-uii-gash — Mat-che-iiic-nuii — bad berries. 
 
 Kven so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a ror- 
 rupt tree evil fruit. Matt. vii. 17. 
 Kali o-moh-ku — (iia-pus-e-g\ve — And he arose, 
 Kah mnn-chu-rn we-kit--rJia-w('-ke-wn-inink e-zJiaw~ai\d. to hi:> 
 house he went. 
 
 * .Mr. Klliol KocniA to hitvc uxoH oh-lie-oo-ool: ns .i mtIi, us it" lie ImJ wiid, while 
 ihr oartl> eartk'n, or, " in liic citi'tli." whirh in |)i'r!"t'i'tly in ai-croilniicc with tli« 
 )irinoipl('4 of these diiilfclH. 
 
 !) 
 
 I 
 
 r 
 
 i 
 
 n 
 
 I 
 
 "« nM 
 
 ^^ X :...J» 
 
 II II I l|lll "1-fc T^ •• 
 
 \} 
 

 1 i 
 
 > I / 
 
 'm If 
 
 • . I' 
 
 ]:■. '' ['A 
 
 420 
 
 COMPARISON. 
 
 And he arose and went to his house. Matt. ix. 'i. 
 Mat-ta-pish koo-mit-tam-wus-sis-su — -Kaw-ween ke-kah-we-wis- 
 
 sis-se — Not shalt thou wive, 
 Kah-mat-ta-pishkoo-nau-mo-ni-yeu — Gia-kaw'kc-kah o-kwis-sis- 
 
 se — and not shalt thou son, 
 A-suh'koo-taun-i-yeu — Kaw-kc-kah o-dau-nis-sis-se — not shalt 
 
 thou daughter, 
 Yeu-ut-a-yeu-on-ga-nit* — Maun-di-pe mik-ka-kum-mik- -here in 
 
 the place. 
 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons 
 or daughters in this place. Jer. xvi. 2. 
 
 * These two examples will be found, in almost every respect, entirely similar, 
 and they afford striking instances of the tendency of these dialects to crowil 
 together, and to change all words to verbs. Wurirau-vion, in Elliot's Bible, means 
 a son. 
 
 iV 'it rl 
 
 
 I • 
 
 ( ! 
 
 .,0 
 
 TO 
 
 v, 
 
C0MPAUI90N. 
 
 421 
 
 COMPARISON OF THE LANGLAOF. OF SOME VERSIONS OF THE 
 BIBLE, WITH THE OTTAWWAW OF THE PRESENT TIME. 
 
 Of two existing versions of the Bible, or parts of it, in dialcrts 
 similar to the Ojibbeway, that of Mr. Elliot, made in 1661, would 
 be most easily adapted to the use of the Ottawwaws and Ojibbr- 
 ways, in the country about the lakes. The Delaware of Mr. 
 Deuke's version, printed at New- York, 1818, whether owing to 
 differencs of orthography, or some other cause, seems widely un- 
 like any of the Algonkin dialects we have heard spoken. The 
 following comparison with the Ottawwaw of the f^ resent day, 
 will perhaps scarce aflbrd a single point of resemblance. 
 
 Ehoalachgik ? jukwe metsclii ktelli wundaniemensineen Gc- 
 lauitowitink ; schuk neskwc maj;iwii elsi jauktsch, schuk ktelli 
 majaweten dameneen, nkwuttentsch woachkw;ike ktcllitsch liii- 
 anizeen elinaxit ktcllilsch newoaneen elinaxit. — 1 Juh/i ill. *^. 
 Deuchc's version. 
 
 Sah-git-te-wun-nun ! (ye beloved!) gec-no-wind ([are] Wf) 
 Gitche-Manito, (the great God,) o-gwis-sun (iiis sons) kaw-ween 
 (not) ke-ke-ken-dun-se-min (ye understand) ka-iz-zhe-wa-biz-zhr- 
 wunk (how we shall be) koo-shah (but) ke-ken-dah-min («e 
 know) ope-che-waw-bu-muk (when he appeareth) ah-yeesh na- 
 she-nah-koo-se-min (we shall resemble him) ke-kali-waw-bo-niaw - 
 naun (we shall see hini)a-zhe-nah-koo-/.it (what he is like.) — Ot- 
 tavnvaui. 
 
 Beloved, now are we the sons of God ; and it doth not yet ap- 
 pear what we shall be, but we know that, wiien he shall appear 
 we shall be like him, for we shall set; him as lie is. — E/ij^lish 
 vprsion. 
 
 The following are comparisons of passages from Mr. Elliot's 
 Bible, with the same dialed. 
 Elliot. Ottamrau. 
 
 Onk-as-kook* — Gia-ke-na-beek — And the snake 
 
 I / 
 
 II* 
 
 I t 
 
 I ■ 
 
 * Many instances might he addua'd, to show the close alHiiity UMwci'ii ilm 
 language of Mr. Elliot's version tf the Bible, and s( vcral of the dialect- ot tin; [ip • 
 
 I ! 
 
 ^rir-"Tr*t,mi '^-•' 
 
 
4'. i ) 
 
 A J 
 
 'I b 
 
 
 ii 
 
 i 
 
 is 
 
 
 coMl'AKIso^. 
 
 ,'i 
 
 m 
 
 ^i f 
 
 1-1 
 
 Elliot. OUawvaw. 
 
 Un-ii<in — 0-ge-gah-no-naun — saul to 
 Mit-tam-ino-sis-Hoh — E-kwa-wun — the woman, 
 Mat-la — Kaw-wc(!u — not 
 
 Woh-nup-poo-e ke-mup-poo — 0-jit-tah-ke-kah-ne-boas* — shall 
 you die. 
 
 And the serpent said unto tlie woman, thou shalt not burcly 
 die. — Eng. ver. Gen. iii. 4. 
 
 [Elliot, Cotton Mather, and other early protcstant divines, 
 thought it not best t • attempt translating any of the names of the 
 divinity into the Indian, for the obvious reason, that their lan- 
 guage affords no word which would not awake associations in the 
 minds of the natives, very inconsistent with the character of the 
 true and holy God. They thought it better to retain the Eng- 
 lish appellations, and attempt gradually to elevate the concep- 
 tions of the Indians to our standard, than incur the risk of per- 
 })etuating their ideas of tlie characters attributed to their deities, 
 by introducing their original names into the new version of the 
 Scriptures.] 
 
 ll ,-'.1 i: 
 
 I:' 
 
 sent (lay. The trnninatioii in wug is found among the Crees, and, as in thai 
 transl;»tion, it u used in speaking of animate objects. IVe-at-chim-me-nash, 
 (com,) in the plural niiiiibt>r, is the same in both, and the same forms of expres- 
 sion; as, No-wad-cha-num-un-neck, {I keep my house,) No-wad-cha-nuni-un-ash- 
 noo-wfc-ut cfiim-nie-nash, (/ keep my corn.) Gram. p. 10, precisely analagousto 
 n'ko-naAn.'dun ncw-ke-icam. (I keep my house,) n'ko-no-ica-ne-maug nc-man 
 ifah-min-e-jnug, (I keep my corn of the harvest day.) 
 
 • Ojiblieway — Me-tu.'i-uJi gc-na-beek a-naut a-new-e-kwa-wun. kaw-ween-o;o 
 s'th ke-kah-ne-boas, — C. J. 
 
un, kaw-ween-o'o 
 
 ■1 
 
 •COMPARISON'. 
 
 423 
 
 ( 
 
 boas* — shall 
 
 alt not burclv 
 
 COMPARISON OF A GREEK SENTENCE WIIH THE l^IALECT OF THE 
 
 OTTAWWAWS. 
 
 u\ «A^T«f5, [The foxes]— Wavv-goo-shug, [foxes] 
 <f*Af«i/s, [holes]— Waw-zhe-wug, [hole, v. a.] 
 
 ^AJ»«"<, [they possess,]— Gia-nun-nuh-ke-zhik, [and between skr 
 adj.] 
 
 *«/T« vtrufct, [and the birds]— Be-nais-se-wug, [birds] 
 Tcv cvpx,»v, [of heaven]— 0-wus-sis-so-ne-wug, [nest, v. a.] 
 ««T«o.„v«o-fi«- [nests,]— Koo-shah, [but] 
 ^e i>,oi, [the but son]— 0-nin-ne o-gwis, [man his son] 
 rov a,^p,o^cv, [of man]— Kaw'nin-goo-che, [not any where] 
 
 «vy. exe>, ["ot possosseth]— In-ne-kwa-shin.she,[may liedown.l 
 •srew, [where] 
 
 T»,» xf^uXfi*, [his head] 
 xAi»u, [he may lay.] 
 
 The foxes have dens, and the birds of the ai. have nests, but 
 the son of man hath not where to lay his head. Matt. viii. 20. 
 
 
 't^iamk 
 
 i 
 i 
 
 f 
 
 f f 
 
-•^.^ 
 
 i^witoSi"***:- 
 
 
 1^' 'I ^■■^«l 1 
 
 i 
 
 
 I 1-^:1(1': 
 
 il 
 
 I, 
 ' I; 
 
 I 
 
 '(: 
 
 !! 
 
 t!li; 
 
 ^k 1:4 
 
 'Hm^ 
 
 1 1' 
 
 IJ 
 
 ^ lit 
 
 
 > ■ 
 
 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 i'u 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 FIRST CHAPTER OF GENESIS, TRANSLATED INTO THE OJIBBEWAY 
 
 LANGUAGE. 
 
 1 . Wi-azh-kut Man-e-do wa-zhe-toan mahn-dun Ge-zhik gia 
 Ak-ke. 
 
 2. Gia pa-bunk ak-ke at-tah go-bun gia kah-ga-go at-ta-sin 
 o-go-bun, gia tib-be-kut o-kit-te-beeg, gia man-e-do o-pug-git-to 
 nah-mo-win o-mam-mah-je-mug-gut o-kit-te-beeg. 
 
 3. Man-e-do ke-e-ke-do to-we-was-siah ; gia ge-was-siali. 
 
 4. Gia man-e-do o-waw-bcn-daun was-siah, ge-o-nish-she-shiii 
 gia man-e-do o-nah-nah-\vc-nahn was-siah gia tib-be-kut. 
 
 5. Gia ma-ne-do o-kc-shinne-kau-taun was-siah, Ge-zhe-gut gia 
 tib-bik-nis-se o-ke-shinne-kau-taun tib-be-kut, Gia o-nah-koo-shig 
 ke-ke-zhaib ne-tum kc-ge-zhe-guk. 
 
 6. Gia man-c-do kc-e-ke-do Kut-ti c-she-wa-bug malm-dun 
 nun-nuh gc-zeik nus-sow-wi-a-e ne-bish ush-uh-ko-taig, gia aut- 
 tausli-ke-no-mink c-toi'a-e, ne-bish e-toi-wi-a-e git-che, te-go-inug- 
 guk ish-pe-ming gia-tub-bush-sliish. 
 
 7. Gia nian-e-do o-ke o-zhe-toan nun-nuh-ge-zhe-gut gia o-na- 
 nah-wo-naun ne-beesh ish-pe-ming gitche-tah-goak gia tub-busli- 
 shish gilchc-lah-goak, me-kah-e-she-e-wa-buk. 
 
 8. Gia nian-c-do o-o-c-zhin-ne-kau-taun nun-nuh-tic-zhik Ge- 
 /hik a-nah-koo-zhik Ke-ke-zhaib wi-ah-nc-ka-ge-zhe-gut. 
 
 9. Gia man-e-do ke-e-ke-do mahii-iUui-ne-beesh an-nah-mi-a-e 
 al-taig tum-mah-wun dosh-kah ali-ke-kut tuh-bung-wun, me-kah 
 p-zhe-wa-buk. 
 
 10. Gia uian-e-do o-ke-zliin-ne-kau-taun ak-ke gia kaw-mow 
 ium-dos-kaug nc-beesh o-ge-zhin-ne-kau-taun Gitclie-gum-me 
 gia man-e-do o-waw-ben-daun o-nish-e-shing. 
 
 11. Gia man-c-do ke-c-ke-do ak-ke kut-ti on-je-ne-tah-we-gin 
 tne-zhus-kceii, gia mc-zhus-kecn tu-e-me-ne-kau-ne-wun-nong, gia 
 inc-tig inah-jink wain-je-we-tali-we-gi-uk mc-nc-kaun rne-tig- 
 goank at-ta on-jit-)ah-gimi-mig me-kah e-shc-wa-buk. 
 
XHANSLATIOK. 
 
 4-4ri 
 
 ojibbeway 
 
 Ge-zhik gia 
 
 a-go at-ta-siu 
 I o-pug-git-to 
 
 vas-siah. 
 -nish-she-sluii 
 e-kut. 
 
 ie-zhe-gut gia 
 ».nah-koo-shi^ 
 
 ug ma1in-(Uni 
 >-taig, gia aut- 
 ■ - -go-mug- 
 
 hc, te- 
 
 e-gut gia o-na- 
 gia tub-busli- 
 
 li->rc-/hik (jie- 
 
 [le-gut. 
 
 an-nah-mi-a-e 
 -wun, me-kah 
 
 I gia kaw-mow 
 Jitclie-gum-mc 
 
 l-ne-tah-we-gin 
 -wun-nong, gia 
 t-kaun mP-tig 
 ik. 
 
 12. Gia slii-a ke-ne-tah wo-gin-noan itie-zhus-kcon gia ine-m* 
 kaw-ne-\vun-i)oan nio-zhuk-keen tib-biii-iio-wa-go zhe-iiaii-gwiii 
 gia mc-tig me-nc-ne kau-ne-\ve lib-lun-no-wa mo-iio-kau-iic-wc! 
 tib-bin-no-wa o-ltc-tab-kum-mig, Gia inan-c-do o-Lrc-uaw-buii- 
 daun uz-zho iiish-sbe-shing. 
 
 13. Gia an-nah-koo-zhik Ko-gc-zliaib mc-nis-s\vo go-zhc-giik- 
 
 14. Gia man-e-do ke-e-ke-do tiih-\vc wah-si-ahii miii-iiuh-gi-- 
 zhik uh-ge-zhik-oank che-iia-nali-wo-iiiiin-iniiig gc-zin'-gud gia 
 tib-be-kud, tuh-we kc-kin-tio-wautch che-gau-ta gia kc-ki- iio-im- 
 win-nun ge-zhe-gud gia pc-boaii. 
 
 15. Gia tuh-we was-si-ahn nun-nuli-we gp-zhili o-ko-tah-kuui- 
 raik che-was-siag o-ke-tah-kum-mik, mo-kali c-slu'-wa-bug. 
 
 16. Gia man-e-do o-ge-o-zhe-toaii ncczh gitcbe was-si-ahn, 
 gitche was-si-ah che-tc-ban-duiig iro-zbr-gut iria a-ga\v-sirig was- 
 si-ah che-te-ban-dung lil)-be-kui, gia o-ke-o-zhe-nauii aii-iuing- 
 wun. 
 
 17. Gia man-e-do puk-kit-te-naun was-si-aii nun-nuh ko-zbik. 
 onk gitche was-si-aig o-ge-tah-kum-niig. 
 
 18. Gia che-mus-ko-kung ge-zhr-gut jria tib-l)i'-kut. iria chr- 
 na-nau-we num-ming was-si-ah gc-zlio-gut gia lib-be-kul gia iiiaii- 
 e-do o-waw-bun-daun o-aish-shc-shing. 
 
 19. Gia an-nab-koc'-zhik ke-ko-zliaib-nc-n-ko-ni-uuk. 
 
 30. Gia man-e-do ke-e-ke-do. iir-bccuL'^ tuh-we oaii-je iie-liib- 
 we-ga ba-mah-dc-zeet mah-iiah-cheet gia be-iiais-si-wiiir. ka-pu- 
 i'vbuh me-so-jig nun-nuli ke-zhik. 
 
 21. Gia man-e-do o-to-zheaun (Jitche-mah-nuh-niaiir-wiiii, <)ia 
 kok-kin-nuh ba-mab-de-ziil ma-mab-cbeet nc-bcciig on-jc lu-tab- 
 we-kwug, gia ba-ba-zbik wa-niii-srwe kwini-nah-jik bc-nais-se- 
 wug, gia man-e-do o-waw-bun-daiin o-nish-o-shiiig. 
 
 22. Gia man-e-do o-giig-giih-no-naun c-ke-tong, tuli-Daii-jc 
 ne-gin gia gitche-ne-bin-iiah moosh-kin-nab-t(tag, gitrhc-guiii-KU'. 
 tuh-we bah-te-no-wusi be-nais-se-wusr o-jre-tak kuni-miir. 
 
 22. Gia an-nah-koo-zhio; ke-ke-zhaib ni-ah-no ko-ni-ouk. 
 
 24. Gia man-e-do ke-e-ke-do ak-ke tnli-wc oaii-jc iieton-we- 
 go-be mah-de-zit ah-wes-se-ug gia ba-bah-ma-to-jig ah-wes-sc 
 o-ke-tah-kum-mig me-gah esh-e-wa-buk. 
 
 25. Gia man-e-do o-ke-o-zhe-aun ali-wes-se-ug clie-slio-naii- 
 koo-ze-nit, gia ba-me-nint ah-wefs-se, gia k(dv-kin-nuh a-zlie-nali- 
 
 -Ih. 1 1 . 1 ^".^mIi^i 
 
IKtJ W ^ t- -*-- 
 
 , „> » - Jt"*"^ 
 
 / fii 
 
 'If" ll i M 
 
 Ui 
 
 4:^0 
 
 TRANSLA'llO.N. 
 
 ■h 
 
 lioo-zit ba-I)ali-nio-tait, gia mnn-o-du o-waw-bou-daun o-ilish-siie 
 
 sln-I|ir. 
 
 y(). Cia inati-r-(lo ko-c-kc-do, ixnh o-zhe-ah-naun c-nin-nc, a- 
 /!)o-iiali-k()()-z('-iiiik clic-nic-iiah-koo-zit, a-zhe kok-kin-nuii 
 \vaiitch-clit'-yiih-zh(j-yunk clic-slie-iiah-goo-zit, a-zlie-kok-kcn- 
 nuli uautch-(!io-yali-zlio-yunk chc-slie-nah-goo-zit, gia o-kah te- 
 ba-ne-niali-waiiii kKk-kiii-niili kc-jjoi-yug gitclie-giun-mig gia be- 
 iiais-sc-\vug iniii-mib bc-zhik-kounk, gia a-ucs-sc-yug, gia kok- 
 kiii-mdi ak-kf, gia kok-ivin-iiuli ba-baJi-mo-ta-jig o-ke-tah-kum- 
 inig. 
 
 37. Ge iiian-c-ko o-ke-o-zbc-auu e-nin-ne-wun a-zhe-nah-koos- 
 nit, a-zlie-)iali-ku-zii man-e-d(> o-ke-e-zhe-aun e-nin-ne-wun, e- 
 kwa-wun o-zbe-naun. 
 
 28. Gia inan-e-do o-gug-gtdi-iio-naim gia, man-e-do o-din-naim 
 tub-oan-je nc-tab-we-gin, .^be-bab-li-o-iio-\vaud che-moosh-kp- 
 iiaig ak-kc gicb-c-to-Uiin-iiio-wauU-gia, tc-bc-iic-nab-waiu ke-goi- 
 vug, gia b(vna-sc-\\ iiii nun-nub kc-zbik-koank, gia kok-kin-nuh 
 ba-mab-ta-zil o-kc-tab.-kuni-mig. 
 
 20, Gia nian-e-do ke-f-ke-do ke-me-nin kok-kin-nuh maun- 
 
 (bin, na-tali-\v('-gi-uk o-ke-tab-kum-jnig, gia pa-pa-zhik mc-tig. 
 ^\ain-Je nc-taii-uc gwi-iik ka-ko niab-ji-uk, ke-nah-\vaw Main-jc- 
 nc-tab-v.c'-jfi-uk kr-nie-jo-aig. 
 
 30. (Jia kok-kin-nuh a-w (!s-se-yug o-ke-tah-kuin-mig, gia bc- 
 na-sc-\vug nun-nul>-kc-zbik, gia ba-bah-mo-ta-jig o-ke-tah-kum- 
 niig, kok-kin-nuli ne-mcn-aug-we-ug o-mc-zhuli-kcen, chc-nin-jc- 
 sra-waut, nio-kab-c-sbi'-t'-\va-buk. 
 
 31. Gia inan-(-(i() o-wa\v-i)un-daun kok-kin-nuh maun-dun wa- 
 zbt-to-te o-nisb-Hhe-sbe-sbing, gia an-nab-koo-zhik ke-ke-zhaib 
 iiO-k(,'!-\va-;is-P(:-ko-ni truk. 
 
 'I I 
 
 M4J. 
 
 IHK KM>. 
 
 ■i' i !'■ 
 
 /"v 
 
 •* 
 
ben-daun o-niah-she 
 
 ih-naun c-nin-nc, a- 
 a-zlie kok-kin-nuh 
 zit, a-zhe-kok-ken- 
 oo-zit, gia o-kah te- 
 he-giiin-mijj gia be- 
 vt's-sc-yug, gia kok- 
 la-jig o-ke-tah-kum- 
 
 vun a-zlie-nah-ko08- 
 un e-nin-ne-wun, e- 
 
 naii-e-{]»> o-din-naiui 
 aiul cht'-moosh-ko- 
 nc-nah-waui AC-goi- 
 nk, gia kok-kin-nuh 
 
 1 kok-kin-nuh maun 
 
 pa-pa-zhik mc-tig, 
 
 Le-nah-waw Main-jp 
 
 ,h-kuin-mig, gia be 
 ta-jig o-ke-tah-kum 
 lUh-kcen, che-nin-jc 
 
 n-nuh maun-dun wa 
 oo-zhik ke-ke-zhai^ 
 
 S,«F^