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