On a little platform, not quite half way up the wooded height which
overlooks the bay, embowered in foliage, and sheltered from the
tyrannous breathing of the north by the precipitous cliff, rising almost
perpendicularly behind, stands the house in which I find myself at
present a grateful and contented inmate. The ground in front sloping
down to the shore, is laid out in a garden, with an avenue of fruit
trees, the gate at the end opening on the very edge of the lake. From
the porch I look down upon the scene I have endeavoured--how
inadequately!--to describe to you: the little crescent bay; the village
of Mackinaw; the beach thickly studded with Indian lodges; canoes
fishing, or darting hither and thither, light and buoyant as sea-birds;
a tall graceful schooner swinging at anchor. Opposite rises the Island
of Bois-blanc, with its tufted and most luxuriant foliage. To the east
we see the open lake, and in the far western distance the promontory of
Michilimackinac, and the strait of that name, the portal of Lake
Michigan. The exceeding beauty of this little paradise of an island, the
attention which has been excited by its enchanting scenery, and the
salubrity of its summer climate, the facility of communication lately
afforded by the lake steamers, and its situation half-way between
Detroit and the newly-settled regions of the west, are likely to render
Mackinaw a sort of watering-place for the Michigan and Wisconsin
fashionables, or, as the bishop expressed it, the "Rockaway of the
west;" so at least it is anticipated. How far such an accession of
fashion and reputation may be desirable, I know not; I am only glad it
has not yet taken place, and that I have beheld this lovely island in
all its wild beauty.
When I left my room this morning, I remained for some time in the
parlour, looking over the Wisconsin Gazette, a good sized, well printed
newspaper, published on the west shore of Lake Michigan. I was reading a
most pathetic and serious address from the new settlers in Wisconsin to
_the down-east girls_, (_i. e._ the women of the eastern states,) who
are invited to the relief of these hapless hard-working bachelors in the
backwoods. They are promised affluence and love,--the "picking and
choosing among a set of the finest young fellows in the world," who are
ready to fall at their feet, and make the most adoring and the most
obedient of husbands! Can you fancy what a pretty thing a Wisconsin
pastoral might be? Only imagine one of these despairing backwoodsmen
inditing an Ovidian epistle to his unknown mistress--"_down
east_,"--wooing her to come and be wooed! Well, I was enjoying this
comical effusion, and thinking that women must certainly be at a premium
in these parts, when suddenly the windows were darkened, and looking up,
I beheld a crowd of faces, dusky, painted, wild, grotesque--with
flashing eyes and white teeth, staring in upon me. I quickly threw down
the paper and hastened out. The porch, the little lawn, the garden
walks, were crowded with Indians, the elder chiefs and warriors sitting
on the ground, or leaning silently against the pillars; the young men,
women, and boys lounging and peeping about, with eager and animated
looks, but all perfectly well conducted, and their voices low and
pleasing to the ear. They were chiefly Ottawas and Pottowottomies, two
tribes which "call brother," that is, claim relationship, and are
usually in alliance, but widely different. The Ottawas are the most
civilised, the Pottowottomies the least so of all the lake tribes. The
Ottawa I soon distinguished by the decency of his dress, and the
handkerchief knotted round the head--a custom borrowed from the early
French settlers, with whom they have had much intercourse: the
Pottowottomie by the more savage finery of his costume, his tall figure,
and a sort of swagger in his gait. The dandyism of some of these
Pottowottomie warriors is inexpressibly amusing and grotesque: I defy
all Regent Street and Bond Street to go beyond them in the exhibition of
self-decoration and self-complacency. One of these exquisites, whom I
called Beau Brummel, was not indeed much indebted to a tailor, seeing he
had neither a coat nor any thing else that gentlemen are accustomed to
wear; but then his face was most artistically painted, the upper half
of it being vermillion, with a black circle round one eye, and a white
circle round the other; the lower half of a bright green, except the tip
of his nose, which was also vermillion. His leggings of scarlet cloth
were embroidered down the sides, and decorated with tufts of hair. The
band, or garter, which confines the leggings, is always an especial bit
of finery; and his were gorgeous, all embroidered with gay beads, and
strings and tassels of the liveliest colours hanging down to his ankle.
His moccasins were also beautifully worked with porcupine quills; he had
armlets and bracelets of silver; and round his head a silver band stuck
with tufts of moosehair died blue and red; and, conspicuous above all,
the eagle feather in his hair, showing he was a warrior, and had taken a
scalp--_i. e._ killed his man. Over his shoulders hung a blanket of
scarlet cloth, very long and ample, which he had thrown back a little,
so as to display his chest, on which a large outspread hand was painted
in white. It is impossible to describe the air of perfect
self-complacency with which this youth strutted about. Seeing my
attention fixed upon him, he came up and shook hands with me, repeating
"Bojou! bojou!"[23] Others immediately pressed forward also to shake
hands, or rather take my hand, for they do not _shake_ it; and I was
soon in the midst of a crowd of perhaps thirty or forty Indians, all
holding out their hands to me, or snatching mine, and repeating "bojou"
with every expression of delight and good-humour.
This must suffice in the way of description, for I cannot further
particularise dresses; they were very various, and few so fine as that
of my young Pottowottomie. I remember another young man, who had a
common black beaver hat, all round which, in several silver bands, he
had stuck a profusion of feathers, and long tufts of dyed hair, so that
it formed a most gorgeous helmet. Some wore their hair hanging loose and
wild in elf-locks, but others again had combed and arranged it with much
care and pains.
The men seemed to engross the finery; none of the women that I saw were
painted. Their blankets were mostly dark blue; some had strings of beads
round their necks, and silver armlets. The hair of some of the young
women was very prettily arranged, being parted smooth upon the forehead
and twisted in a knot behind, very much _a la Grecque_. There is, I
imagine, a very general and hearty aversion to cold water.
* * * * *
This morning there was a "talk" held in the commissioner's office, and
he kindly invited me to witness the proceedings. About twenty of their
principal men, including a venerable old chief, were present; the rest
stood outside, crowding the doors and windows, but never attempting to
enter, nor causing the slightest interruption. The old chief wore a
quantity of wampum, but was otherwise undistinguished, except by his
fine head and acute features. His gray hair was drawn back, and tied on
the top of his head with a single feather. All, as they entered, took me
by the hand with a quiet smile and a "bojou," to which I replied, as I
had been instructed, "Bojou, neeje!" (good-day, friend). They then sat
down upon the floor, all round the room. Mr. Johnston, Mrs.
Schoolcraft's brother, acted as interpreter, and the business proceeded
with the utmost gravity.
After some whispering among themselves, an orator of the party addressed
the commissioner with great emphasis. Extending his hand and raising his
voice, he began: "Father, I am come to tell you a piece of my mind." But
when he had uttered a few sentences, Mr. Schoolcraft desired the
interpreter to tell him that it was useless to speak farther on _that_
subject, (I understood it to relate to some land-payments). The orator
stopped immediately, and then, after a pause, he went up and took Mr.
Schoolcraft's hand with a friendly air, as if to show he was not
offended. Another orator then arose, and proceeded to the object of the
visit, which was to ask an allowance of corn, salt, and tobacco, while
they remained on the island, a request which I presume was granted, as
they departed with much apparent satisfaction.
There was not a figure among them that was not a study for a painter;
and how I wished that my hand had been readier with the pencil to snatch
some of those picturesque heads and attitudes. But it was all so new. I
was so lost in gazing, listening, observing, and trying to comprehend,
that I could not make a single sketch, except the above, in most poor
and inadequate words.
* * * * *
The Indians here--and fresh parties are constantly arriving--are chiefly
Ottawas, from Arbre Croche, on the east of Lake Michigan;
Pottowottomies; and Winnebagos from the west of the lake; a few
Menomonies and Chippewas from the shores north-west of us; the occasion
of this assemblage being the same with all. They are on the way to the
Manitoolin Islands, to receive the presents annually distributed by the
British government to all those Indian tribes who were friendly to us
during the wars with America, and call themselves our allies and our
children, though living within the bounds of another state. Some of them
make a voyage of five hundred miles to receive a few blankets and
kettles; coasting along the shores, encamping at night, and paddling all
day from sunrise to sunset, living on the fish or game they may meet,
and the little provision they can carry with them, which consists
chiefly of parched Indian corn and bear's fat. Some are out on this
excursion during six weeks, or more, every year; returning to their
hunting grounds by the end of September, when the great hunting season
begins, which continues through October and November; they then return
to their villages and wintering grounds. This applies generally to the
tribes I find here, except the Ottawas of Arbre Croche, who have a good
deal of land in cultivation, and are more stationary and civilised than
the other Lake Indians. They have been for nearly a century under the
care of the French Jesuit missions, but do not seem to have made much
advance since Henry's time, and the days when they were organised under
Pontiac; they were even then considered superior in humanity and
intelligence to the Chippewas and Pottowottomies, and more inclined to
agriculture. After some most sultry weather, we have had a grand storm.
The wind shifted to the north-east, and rose to a hurricane. I was then
sitting with my Irish friend in the mission-house; and while the little
bay lay almost tranquil, gleam and shadow floating over its bosom, the
expanse of the main lake was like the ocean lashed to fury. On the east
side of the island the billows came "rolling with might," flinging
themselves in wrath and foam far up the land. It was a magnificent
spectacle. Returning home, I was anxious to see how the Indian
establishment had stood out the storm, and was surprised to find that
little or no damage had been done. I peeped into several, with a nod and
a _bojou_, and found the inmates very snug. Here and there a mat was
blown away, but none of the poles were displaced or blown down, which I
had firmly expected.
Though all these lodges seem nearly alike to a casual observer, I was
soon aware of differences and gradations in the particular arrangements,
which are amusingly characteristic of the various inhabitants. There is
one lodge, a little to the east of us, which I call the Chateau. It is
rather larger and loftier than the others: the mats which cover it are
whiter and of a neater texture than usual. The blanket which hangs
before the opening is new and clean. The inmates, ten in number, are
well and handsomely dressed; even the women and children have abundance
of ornaments; and as for the gay cradle of the baby, I quite covet
it--it is so gorgeously elegant. I supposed at first that this must be
the lodge of a chief; but I have since understood that the chief is
seldom either so well lodged or so well dressed as the others, it being
a part of his policy to avoid everything like ostentation, or rather to
be ostentatiously poor and plain in his apparel and possessions. This
wigwam belongs to an Ottawa, remarkable for his skill in hunting, and
for his habitual abstinence from the "fire-water." He is a baptized
Roman Catholic, belonging to the mission at Arbre Croche, and is reputed
a rich man.
Not far from this, and almost immediately in front of our house, stands
another wigwam, a most wretched concern. The owners have not mats enough
to screen them from the weather; and the bare poles are exposed on every
side. The woman, with her long neglected hair, is always seen cowering
despondingly over the embers of her fire, as if lost in sad reveries.
Two naked children are scrambling among the pebbles on the shore. The
man wrapt in a dirty ragged blanket, without a single ornament, looks
the image of savage inebriety and ferocity. Observe that these are the
two extremes, and that between them are many gradations of comfort,
order, and respectability. An Indian is _respectable_ in his own
community, in proportion as his wife and children look fat and well fed;
this being a proof of his prowess and success as a hunter, and his
consequent riches.
I was loitering by the garden gate this evening, about sunset, looking
at the beautiful effects which the storm of the morning had left in the
sky and on the lake. I heard the sound of the Indian drum, mingled with
the shouts and yells and shrieks of the intoxicated savages, who were
drinking in front of the village whisky store;--when at this moment a
man came slowly up, whom I recognised as one of the Ottawa chiefs, who
had often attracted my attention. His name is Kim,e,wun, which signifies
the Rain, or rather "it rains." He now stood before me, one of the
noblest figures I ever beheld, above six feet high, erect as a forest
pine. A red and green handkerchief was twined round his head with much
elegance, and knotted in front, with the two ends projecting; his black
hair fell from beneath it, and his small black piercing eyes glittered
from among its masses, like stars glancing through the thunder clouds.
His ample blanket was thrown over his left shoulder, and brought under
his right arm, so as to leave it free and exposed; and a sculptor might
have envied the disposition of the whole drapery--it was so felicitous,
so richly graceful. He stood in a contemplative attitude, evidently
undecided whether he should join his drunken companions in their night
revel, or return, like a wise man, to his lodge and his mat. He advanced
a few steps, then turned, then paused and listened--then turned back
again. I retired a little within the gate, to watch, unseen, the issue
of the conflict. Alas! it was soon decided--the fatal temptation
prevailed over better thoughts. He suddenly drew his blanket round him,
and strided onwards in the direction of the village, treading the earth
with an air of defiance, and a step which would have become a prince.
On returning home, I mentioned this scene to Mr. and Mrs. Schoolcraft,
as I do everything which strikes me, that I may profit by their remarks
and explanations. Mr. S. told me a laughable anecdote.
A distinguished Pottowottomie warrior presented himself to the Indian
agent at Chicago, and observing that he was a very good man, very good
indeed--and a good friend to the Long-knives, (the Americans,) requested
a dram of whisky. The agent replied, that he never gave whisky to _good_
men,--_good_ men never asked for whisky; and never drank it. It was only
_bad_ Indians who asked for whisky, or liked to drink it. "Then,"
replied the Indian quickly in his broken English, "me damn rascal!"
* * * * *
The revel continued far through the night, for I heard the wild yelling
and whooping of the savages long after I had gone to rest. I can now
conceive what it must be to hear that shrill prolonged cry (unlike any
sound I ever heard in my life before) in the solitude of the forest, and
when it is the certain harbinger of death.
It is surprising to me, considering the number of savages congregated
together, and the excess of drunkenness, that no mischief is done; that
there has been no fighting, no robberies committed, and that there is a
feeling of perfect security around me. The women, they tell me, have
taken away their husbands' knives and tomahawks, and hidden them--wisely
enough. At this time there are about twelve hundred Indians here. The
fort is empty--the garrison having been withdrawn as useless; and
perhaps there are not a hundred white men in the island,--rather
unequal odds! And then that fearful Michilimackinac in full view, with
all its horrid, murderous associations![24] But do not for a moment
imagine that I feel _fear_, or the slightest doubt of security; only a
sort of thrill which enhances the enjoyment I have in these wild
scenes--a thrill such as one feels in the presence of danger when most
safe from it--such as I felt when bending over the rapids of Niagara.
The Indians, apparently, have no idea of correcting or restraining their
children; personal chastisement is unheard of. They say that before a
child has any understanding there is no use in correcting it; and when
old enough to understand, no one has a right to correct it. Thus the
fixed, inherent sentiment of personal independence grows up with the
Indians from earliest infancy. The will of an Indian child is not
forced; he has nothing to learn but what he sees done around him, and he
learns by imitation. I hear no scolding, no tones of command or reproof;
but I see no evil results from this mild system, for the general
reverence and affection of children for parents is delightful; where
there is no obedience exacted, there can be no rebellion; they dream not
of either, and all live in peace in the same lodge.
I observe, while loitering among them, that they seldom raise their
voices, and they pronounce several words much more softly than we write
them. Wigwam, a house, they pronounce _wee-ga-waum_; moccasin, a shoe,
_muck-a-zeen_; manito, spirit, _mo-nee-do_,--lengthening the vowels, and
softening the aspirates. _Chippewa_ is properly _O,jib-way_;
_ab,bin,no,jee_ is a little child. The accent of the women is
particularly soft, with a sort of plaintive modulation, reminding me of
recitative. Their low laugh is quite musical, and has something
infantine in it. I sometimes hear them sing, and the strain is generally
in a minor key; but I cannot succeed in detecting or retaining an entire
or distinct tune.
* * * * *
There was a mission established on this island in 1823, for the
conversion of the Indians, and the education of the Indian and
half-breed children.[25] A large mission and school-house was erected,
and a neat little church. Those who were interested about the Indians
entertained the most sanguine expectations of the success of the
undertaking. But at present the extensive buildings of the mission-house
are used merely as Storehouses, or as lodgings; and if Mackinaw should
become a place of resort, they will probably be converted into a
fashionable hotel. The mission itself is established farther west,
somewhere near Green Bay, on Lake Michigan; and when overtaken by the
advancing stream of white civilisation, and the contagion which it
carries with it, no doubt it must retire yet farther.
As for the little missionary church, it has been for some time disused,
the French Canadians and half-breed on the island being mostly Roman
Catholics. To-day, however, divine service was performed in it by the
Bishop of Michigan, to a congregation of about twenty persons. Around
the open doors of the church, a crowd of Indians, principally women, had
assembled, and a few came in, and stood leaning against the pews, with
their blankets folded round them, mute and still, and respectfully
attentive.
Immediately before me sat a man who at once attracted my attention. He
was an Indian, evidently of unmixed blood, though wearing a long blanket
coat and a decent but worn hat. His eyes, during the whole service, were
fixed on those of the Bishop with a passionate, eager gaze; not for a
moment were they withdrawn: he seemed to devour every word both of the
office and the sermon, and, by the working of his features, I supposed
him to be strongly impressed--it was the very enthusiasm of devotion:
and yet, strange to say, not one word did he understand. When I inquired
how it was that his attention was so fixed, and that he seemed thus
moved by what he could not possibly comprehend, I was told, "it was by
the power of faith." I have the story of this man (whom I see
frequently) from Mr. Schoolcraft. His name is Chusco. He was formerly a
distinguished man in his tribe as professor of the _Meta_ and the
_Wabeno_,--that is, physician and conjuror; and no less as a professor
of whisky-drinking. His wife, who had been converted by one of the
missionaries, converted her husband. He had long resisted her preaching
and persuasion, but at last one day, as they were making maple sugar
together on an island, "he was suddenly thrown into an agony as if an
evil spirit haunted him, and from that moment had no peace till he had
been baptized and received into the Christian church. From this time he
avoided drunkenness, and surrendered his medicine-bag, manitos, and
implements of sorcery into the hands of Mr. Schoolcraft. Subsequently he
showed no indisposition to speak of the power and arts he had exercised.
He would not allow that it was all mere trick and deception, but
insisted that he had been enabled to perform certain cures, or
extraordinary magical operations, by the direct agency of the evil
spirit, _i. e._ the devil, who, now that he was become a Christian, had
forsaken him, and left him in peace." I was a little surprised to find,
in the course of this explanation, that there were educated and
intelligent people who had no more doubt of this direct satanic agency
than the poor Indian himself.
Chusco has not touched ardent spirits for the last seven years, and,
ever since his conversion in the sugar-camp, he has firmly adhered to
his Christian profession. He is now between sixty and seventy years old,
with a countenance indicating more of mildness and simplicity than
intellect. Generally speaking, the men who practise medicine among the
Indians make a great mystery of their art, and of the herbs and nostrums
they are in the habit of using; and it were to be wished that one of
these converted medicine-men could be prevailed on to disclose some of
their medical arcana; for of the efficacy of some of their
prescriptions, apart from the mummery with which they are accompanied,
there can be no doubt.
* * * * *
We have taken several delicious drives over this lovely little island,
and traversed it in different directions. It is not more than three
miles in length, and wonderfully beautiful. There is no large or lofty
timber upon it, but a perpetual succession of low, rich groves, "alleys
green, dingles, and bosky dells." There is on the eastern coast a
natural arch or bridge, where the waters of the Lake have undermined the
rock, and left a fragment thrown across a chasm two hundred feet high.
Strawberries, raspberries, whortleberries, and cherries, were growing
everywhere wild, and in abundance. The whole island, when seen from a
distance, has the form of a turtle sleeping on the water: hence its
Indian appellation, Michilimackinac, which signifies the great turtle.
The same name is given to a spirit of great power and might, "a spirit
who never lies," whom the Indians invoke and consult before undertaking
any important or dangerous enterprise[26]; and this island, as I
apprehend, has been peculiarly dedicated to him; at all events, it has
been from time immemorial a place of note and sanctity among the
Indians. Its history, as far as the Europeans are connected with it, may
be told in a few words.
After the destruction of the fort at Michilimackinac, and the massacre
of the garrison in 1763, the English removed the fort and the trading
post to this island, and it continued for a long time a station of great
importance. In 1796 it was ceded, with the whole of the Michigan
territory, to the United States. The fort was then strengthened, and
garrisoned by a detachment of General Wayne's army.
In the war of 1813 it was taken and garrisoned by the British, who added
to the strength of the fortifications. The Americans were so sensible of
its importance, that they fitted out an expensive expedition in 1814 for
the purpose of retaking it, but were repulsed with the loss of one of
their bravest commanders and a great number of men, and forced to
retreat to their vessels. After this, Michilimackinac remained in
possession of the British, till at the peace it was again quietly
ceded, one hardly knows why, to the Americans, and in their possession
it now remains. The garrison, not being required in time of profound
peace, has been withdrawn. The pretty little fort remains.
[Footnote 23: This universal Indian salutation is merely a corruption of
_bon jour_.]
[Footnote 24: Michilimackinac was one of the forts surprised by the
Indians at the breaking out of the Pontiac war, when seventy British
soldiers with their officers were murdered and scalped. Henry gives a
most vivid description of this scene of horror in few words. He was
present, and escaped, through the friendship of an Indian (Wa,wa,tam)
who, in consequence of a dream in early youth, had adopted him as his
brother.]
[Footnote 25: In 1828, Major Anderson, our Indian agent, computed the
number of Canadians and mixed breed married to Indian women, and
residing on the north shores of Lake Huron, and in the neighbourhood of
Michilimackinac, at nine hundred. This he called the _lowest_ estimate.]
[Footnote 26: See Henry's Travels, p. 117.]
* * * * *