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