Among the Indians who live upon the north-eastern shore of Lake Huron, a
remnant of the Iroquois, it is believed that the heavens contain only
four meteors which have the power of shooting through the sky. It is
thought they severally occupy the four quarters of the compass, and that
they never perform their arrowy journey excepting for the purpose of
warning the Huron Indians of approaching war. The meteors in question,
or Pun gung-nung, are recognized by their peculiar brilliancy, and
universally considered the Manitoes or guardian spirits of the entire
Indian race. They came into existence at the same period of time which
witnessed the creation of Lake Huron itself, and the legend which
accounts for their origin is distinguished for the wild and romantic
fancies of the aborigines. I obtained it from a chief named _On
qwa-sug_, or Floating Wood.
It was the winter time, and an Indian with his wife and two children, a
daughter and a son, were living in a wigwam on a bleak peninsula of the
Great Lake. The game of that section of country had nearly all
disappeared, and the fish were spending the season in such deep water,
that it was quite impossible to secure any of them for food. Everything
seemed to go wrong with the poverty-stricken Indian, and he was
constantly troubled with the fear that the Master of Life intended to
annihilate his family and himself by starvation. He expressed his
anxiety to his wife, and was surprised to hear her answer him with a
song.
Nearly half a moon had passed away, and the sufferings of this
unfortunate family were melancholy in the extreme. Whole days did the
father spend roaming through the forests, with his bow and arrows, and
on four several evenings had he returned without even a pair of tiny
snow-birds for a supper. The ill-luck which attended him in his
expeditions made him very miserable, but he was frequently astonished
and alarmed, on such occasions, by the conduct of his wife and children.
When he gave them an account of his ill-luck in obtaining game, instead
of manifesting any anxiety, they usually ran about the wigwam with their
fingers on their mouths, and uttering a singular moan. He noticed with
fear that they were becoming greatly emaciated for the want of food. So
deeply grieved was the poor man, that he almost resolved to bury himself
in the snow and die. He made a better resolution and again went out to
hunt.
On one occasion he had wandered into the woods to an unusual distance,
and, as fortune would have it, was successful in finding and shooting a
single rabbit. With the speed of a deer did he return to his cabin (with
his braided shoes over the crusted snow), but he now met with a new
disappointment. On entering his lodge he found the fire entirely out,
and the simple utensils for cooking all scattered about in great
confusion; but what was far more melancholy, his wife and children were
gone, and he knew not where to find them. The more he thought upon what
had happened for many days past, the more bewildered did he become. He
threw down his game almost in despair, and hurried out of his cabin in
search of his missing family. He looked in every direction, but could
see no signs of their appearing, and the only noise that he could
possibly hear was a singular and most doleful moan, resembling the wail
of a loon, which seemed to come from the upper air. By a natural
instinct he raised his eyes towards the heavens, and beheld perched upon
the dry limb of a tall tree which stood a short distance off, all the
members of his family. He shouted with delight at the unexpected
spectacle, and, rushing towards the tree, told his wife and children
that they must come down, for he had killed a rabbit and they would now
have a good feast. But again was he astonished to find his words
unheeded. Again did he beseech them to come down, but they replied not a
single word, and looked upon him with eyes that seemed made of fire. And
what was still more wonderful it was evident that they had thrown aside
their beaver and deer-skin dresses, and were now decked out in newly
fashioned robes made of the fur of the white fisher and the white fox.
All this was utterly inexplicable, and the poor husband re-entered his
lodge, bewildered and perplexed to a marvelous degree.
Then it was that the idea entered his head that he would try an
experiment, by appealing to the hunger of his obstinate wife and
children. He therefore cleaned the rabbit and boiled a sweet soup which
he carried out, and with which he endeavored to allure his friends to
the earth. But this attempt was all in vain. The mother and her children
expressed no desire for the food, and still remained upon the tree,
swaying to and fro like a flock of large birds. Again in his
wretchedness was he about to destroy himself, but he took the precaution
to appropriate the soup to its legitimate purpose. Soon as this business
was accomplished, he relapsed into his former state of melancholy, from
which he was suddenly aroused by the moans of his wife, which he was
sure had an articulate tone. Again was he riveted to his standing place
under the magic tree, and from the moaning of his wife he gathered the
following intelligence. She told him that the Master of Life had fallen
in love with her and her two children, and had therefore transformed
them all into spirits, with a view of preparing them for a home in the
sky. She also told him that they would not depart for their future home
until the coming spring, but would in the meantime roam in distant
countries till the time of his own transportation should arrive. Having
finished her communication, she and her children immediately commenced a
song, which resembled the distant winds, when they all rose gracefully
from the tree, and leaning forward upon the air, darted away across the
lake toward the remote South.
A cheerless and forlorn moon did the poor Indian spend in his lonely
lodge on the margin of the Great Lake. Spring came, and just as the last
vestige of snow had melted from the woods, and at the quiet evening
hour, his spirit-wife again made her appearance, accompanied by her two
children. She told her husband that he might become a spirit by eating a
certain berry. He was delighted with the idea, and, complying with her
advice, he suddenly became transformed into a spirit, and having flown
to the side of his wife and children, the party gradually began to
ascend into the air, when the Master of Life thought proper to change
them into a family of Shooting Stars. He allotted to each a particular
division of the heavens, and commanded them to remain there forever, as
the guardians of the great nation of Lake Huron.