Part 5

Having taken in Indian corn, and hard grease, (the food all traders carry to the upper country) and exchanged my large canoes, or maître canots, for smaller ones, the latter being more convenient to transport across the carrying places, and better calculated to run into small creeks, we proceeded to the Falls of St. Mary, (a strait so called) which is formed by two branches that separate from each other at the furthest point of the lake. Here is a small picketted fort built by the Indians, and about ten log houses for the residence of English and French traders. The nation of the Sauteurs formerly were settled at the foot of the Falls, and the Jesuits had a house near them.[47] At this place there is abundance of fine fish, particularly pickerill, trout, and white fish of an uncommon size. From this place we continued our voyage to Lake Superior, formerly called Lake Tracy, in honour of Mons. de Tracy, who was appointed viceroy of America by the French king in June, 1665. It is reckoned six hundred leagues in circumference, and on it are a great number of large and small islands. At the entrance of this lake is a high rock, somewhat in the shape of a man, which the Chippeway Indians call “Kitchee Manitoo,” or the Master of Life. Here they all stop to make their offerings, which they do by throwing tobacco, and other things, into the water: by this they intend to make an acknowledgment to the rock, as the representative of the Supreme Being, for the blessings they enjoy, cheerfully sacrificing to {44} him their ornaments, and those things which they hold most dear.[48] An example worthy of imitation, so far as respects the good intention of the creature to the Creator, exhibiting an evident proof that man in his natural state, without any of the refinements of civilization, is sensible of his dependance on an invisible power, however ignorantly, or unworthily, he may express his belief. God alone knoweth the heart, and will judge every man by the knowledge he hath.

Superstition is a noxious plant, but it hath flourished in every climate from the torrid to the frigid zone. If its effects have proved so pernicious among civilized nations, as we know they have, is it to be wondered that barbarians have suffered by it? The poor untutored Indian will not incur a great degree of censure for obeying the dictates of his uninformed nature, and following implicitly the custom of his ancestors. Revealed religion has not been given to all, and it is a melancholy reflection that those who have been enlightened by it, are not so superior to the Savages as one should naturally expect to find them.

In this rock there are several cavities near a mile in length, and about twenty feet in width, arched at the top. The lake freezes only close to the shore, the water being constantly in a swell, and the waves frequently mountains high, which is easily accounted for, when we consider its immense extent. On a calm day, a little distance from shore, sturgeon may be seen in very deep water. The surrounding land is high and rocky, and the woods extremely thick. The palm, birch, ash, spruce, and cedar, grow large, and in great abundance. The Northwest Company, established at Montreal, keep a vessel on {45} the lake to transport their goods from Michillimakinac to the grand portage on the northwest side, and return with the peltry collected in the inlands.[49]

On the 4th of July we arrived at Pays Plat,[50] on the north east side of the Lake, where we unpacked our goods, and made the bales smaller, having, by the Indian accounts, one hundred and eighty carrying places to the part where I intended to winter. On our landing we discovered at some distance a number of Indians, which induced us to accelerate the arrangement of the cargo, in case of barter, and be prepared to embark when the business was finished. Every thing being properly secured, I made up to the Savages, and calculated their number at one hundred and fifty: most of them were of the Chippeway tribes; the rest were of the nation of the Wasses. They gave me fish, dried meat, and skins, which I returned with trifling presents. The chief, whose name was Matchee Quewish,[51] held a council, and finding I understood their language, proposed to adopt me as a brother warrior. Though I had not undergone this ceremony, I was not entirely ignorant of the nature of it, having been informed by other traders of the pain they endured in their adoption, though they declared they were favoured exceedingly; I determined however to submit to it, lest my refusal of the honour intended me should be attributed to fear, and so render me unworthy of the esteem of those from whom I expected to derive great advantages, and with whom I had engaged to continue for a considerable time.

The ceremony of adoption is as follows.——A feast is prepared of dog’s flesh boiled in bear’s grease, with huckle berries, of which it is {46} expected every one should heartily partake. When the repast is over, the war song is sung in the following words.

“Master of Life, view us well; we receive a brother warrior who appears to have sense, shews strength in his arm, and does not refuse his body to the enemy.”

After the war song, if the person does not discover any signs of fear, he is regarded with reverence and esteem; courage, in the opinion of the Savages, being considered not only as indispensible, but as the greatest recommendation. He is then seated on a beaver robe, and presented with a pipe of war to Smoke, which is put round to every warrior, and a wampum belt is thrown over his neck.

The calumet, or Indian pipe, which is much larger than that the Indians usually smoke, is made of marble, stone, or clay, either red, white, or black, according to the custom of the nation, but the red is mostly esteemed; the length of the handle is about four feet and a half, and made of strong cane, or wood, decorated with feathers of various colours, with a number of twists of female hair interwoven in different forms; the head is finely polished; two wings are fixed to it, which make it in appearance not unlike to Mercury’s wand. This calumet is the symbol of peace, and the Savages hold it in such estimation, that a violation of any treaty where it has been introduced, would in their opinion be attended with the greatest misfortunes.[52]

Wampum is of several colours, but the white and black are chiefly used; the former is made of the inside of the conque, or clam shell; {47} the latter of the muscle: both are worked in the form of a long bead, and perforated in order to their being strung on leather, and made up in belts.

These belts are for various purposes: When a council is held, they are given out with the speeches, and always proportioned in their size, and the number of the rows of wampum which they contain, to the idea the Indians entertain of the importance of the meeting; they frequently consist of both colours. Those given to Sir William Johnson, of immortal Indian memory, were in several rows, black on each side, and white in the middle: the white being placed in the centre, was to express peace, and that the path between them was fair and open. In the centre of the belt was the figure of a diamond, made of white wampum, which the Indians call the council fire.

When Sir William Johnson held a treaty with the Savages, he took the belt by one end, while the Indian chief held the other: if the chief had any thing to say, he moved his finger along the white streak; if Sir William had any thing to communicate, he touched the diamond in the middle.

These belts are also the records of former transactions, and being worked in particular forms, are easily deciphered by the Indians, and referred to in every treaty with the white people. When a string or belt of wampum is returned, it is a proof that the proposed treaty is not accepted, and the negotiation is at an end.

But to return from this digression. When the pipe has gone round, a sweating house is prepared with six long poles fixed in the ground, {48} and pointed at the top; it is then covered with skins and blankets to exclude the air, and the area of the house will contain only three persons. The person to be adopted is then stripped naked, and enters the hut with two chiefs; two large stones made red hot are brought in, and thrown on the ground; water is then brought in a bark dish, and sprinkled on the stones with cedar branches, the steam arising from which puts the person into a most profuse perspiration, and opens the pores to receive the other part of the ceremony.

When the perspiration is at the height, he quits the house, and jumps into the water; immediately on coming out a blanket is thrown over him, and he is led to the chief’s hut, where he undergoes the following operation. Being extended on his back, the chief draws the figure he intends to make with a pointed stick, dipped in water in which gunpowder has been dissolved; after which, with ten needles dipped in vermilion, and fixed in a small wooden frame, he pricks the delineated parts, and where the bolder outlines occur, he incises the flesh with a gun flint; the vacant spaces, or those not marked with vermilion, are rubbed in with gunpowder, which produces the variety of red and blue; the wounds are then seared with punk wood, to prevent them from festering.

This operation, which is performed at intervals, lasts two or three days. Every morning the parts are washed with cold water, in which is infused an herb called Pockqueesegan, which resembles English box, and is mixed by the Indians with the tobacco they smoke, to take off the strength. During the process, the war songs are sung, accompanied by a rattle hung round with hawk bells, called chessaquoy, {49} which is kept shaking, to stifle the groans such pains must naturally occasion.[53] Upon the ceremony being completed, they give the party a name; that which they allotted to me, was _Amik_, or Beaver.

In return for the presents given me by Matchee Quewish, which I had only acknowledged by some trinkets, and to shew how much I was pleased with the honour they had conferred on me, I resolved to add to my former gifts; I accordingly took the chiefs to a spot where I had directed my men to place the goods intended for them, and gave them scalping knives, tomahawks, vermilion, tobacco, beads, &c. and lastly rum, the _unum necessarium_, without which (whatever else had been bestowed on them) I should have incurred their serious displeasure. Our canoes being turned up, and the goods properly secured, I told the Canadians to keep a constant watch, night and day, while we were encamped. This precaution is absolutely necessary, as the Indians generally do mischief when they are intoxicated. On this occasion our care was of infinite service, for with the rum we gave them, they continued in a state of inebriety three days and nights, during which frolic they killed four of their own party; one of whom was a great chief, and was burnt by his son: having been a famous warrior, he was buried with the usual honours peculiar to the Savages, viz. a scalping knife, tomahawk, beads, paint, &c. some pieces of wood to make a fire, and a bark cup to drink out of in his journey to the other country.

On the 21st we embarked, leaving the band extremely well satisfied with our conduct, which they acknowledged in the most expressive language; but as it was customary to take conductors from one Lake to another, I engaged twenty of the Chippeways to accompany me in passing {50} by land the Grande Côte de la Roche, which is the rout that all the traders are obliged to take, on account of the great cataract, which is reckoned six hundred feet in height near the entrance of the Nipegon River. This journey is extremely fatiguing to the men, who are obliged to ascend a steep hill with considerable burdens, and for this reason it is customary to rest two or three days to recruit their strength.

We left la Grande Côte de la Roche in good spirits, and continued our voyage to Lake Alemipigon, where we met another band of Savages of the same nation. A council was held, and mutual presents exchanged. We stayed here ten days, encamped by the side of the Lake; during which time a skirmish happened among the Indians, in which three men were killed, and two wounded, after a dreadful scene of riot and confusion, occasioned by the baneful effects of rum.

Lake Alemipigon, or Nipegon,[54] is about one hundred miles in length, and supplies the Savages with great quantities of fish. The land affords abundance of wild roots, and the animals are very numerous. The Indians who hunt here are in number about three hundred, and are remarkably wild and superstitious.

On the first of August we departed with fifteen Indians, not only to serve as guides, but to assist us across the portages. We lived on animal food and roots, reserving our corn and hard grease for the winter. Every evening at sun set we encamped, and got into our canoes at break of day. We continued our march to Lac Eturgeon, or Sturgeon Lake, but did not stay there a sufficient time to enable me to give a particular account of it; I have, however, described it in the narrative {51} of my journey to Lake Manontoye, where I encamped for three days on account of the badness of the weather.

On the twenty fifth of September we arrived at Lac la Mort, or Dead Lake, situate to the northeast of Lake Alemipigon. This Lake is about sixty miles in circumference, the land low and swampy, and the water very unpleasant to the palate: it has been much frequented by the Indians, for, during the time I wintered there, I discovered no less than thirty-five different roads, about three feet wide, leading from the woods to the Lake side: it abounds with fish, and is frozen over in the winter, the ice not breaking away till April. The Indians who resort to it are good hunters, but very wild. The Chippeways are not so fond of dress as the other Savages, particularly those tribes who live very remote from Michillimakinac; this is easily accounted for; as the ice remains almost to the last spring month in England, and the winter season begins early in the month of October, the intermediate time is employed in making and repairing canoes, taking short excursions for food, amusing themselves in swimming, and other pastimes peculiar to the Savages. The luxury of dress can be little regarded by those whose constant necessities require the utmost exertions for their daily supply, and who are not provident enough to lay up a store of provisions for winter. Indians in general are extremely indolent, from the wildest to the most civilized, and value themselves upon being so; conceiving it beneath the dignity of a warrior to labour, and that all domestic cares and concerns are the province of women alone. This aversion for labour does not arise from dread, or dislike of fatigue; on the contrary, no people encounter or endure it with more chearfulness, particularly in their amusements, which are of various kinds, and many of them {52} violent and laborious. They are calculated to make them athletic, and at the same time by the profuse perspiration which they occasion, they render the joints supple, and enable them to hunt with more facility.

_Playing at ball_, which is a favourite game, is very fatiguing. The ball is about the size of a cricket ball, made of deer skin, and stuffed with hair; this is driven forwards and backwards with short sticks, about two feet long, and broad at the end like a bat, worked like a racket, but with larger interstices: by this the ball is impelled, and from the elasticity of the racket, which is composed of deers’ sinews, is thrown to a great distance: the game is played by two parties, and the contest lies in intercepting each other, and striking the ball into a goal, at the distance of about four hundred yards, at the extremity of which are placed two high poles, about the width of a wicket from each other; the victory consists in driving the ball between the poles. The Indians play with great good humour, and even when one of them happens, in the heat of the game, to strike another with his stick, it is not resented. But these accidents are cautiously avoided, as the violence with which they strike has been known to break an arm or a leg.[55]

_Athtergain_, or miss none but catch all, is also a favourite amusement with them, in which the women frequently take a part. It is played with a number of hard beans, black and white, one of which has small spots, and is called the king: they are put into a shallow wooden bowl, and shaken alternately by each party, who sit on the ground opposite to one another; whoever is dexterous enough to make the spotted bean jump out of the bowl, receives of the adverse party {53} as many beans as there are spots: the rest of the beans do not count for any thing.[56]

The boys are very expert at _trundling a hoop_, particularly the Cahnuaga Indians, whom I have frequently seen excel at this amusement. The game is played by any number of boys who may accidentally assemble together, some driving the hoop, while others with bows and arrows shoot at it. At this exercise they are surprisingly expert, and will stop the progress of the hoop when going with great velocity, by driving the pointed arrow into its edge; this they will do at a considerable distance, and on horseback as well as on foot. They will also kill small birds at fifty yards distance, and strike a halfpenny off a stick at fifteen yards. Spears and tomahawks they manage with equal dexterity.

{54} _Settlement at Lac la Mort, with the Proceedings of a Trading Party._

The fatigue my Canadians had undergone rendered it necessary to prepare for wintering, and induced me to settle at Lac la Mort. The weather was also setting in cold, and threatened to be very severe, which was an additional motive. Having refreshed ourselves, and secured the canoes, I took two Indians to shew me a spot proper for building upon. We fixed close to the lake side, where we erected a loghouse, thirty feet long, and twenty feet wide, divided into two apartments, into which we deposited our goods. The next concern was to conceal our canoes in the woods, and to hide the rum under ground, except a small quantity for immediate use, knowing by experience the necessity of keeping it from the Indians, as our safety so essentially depended on it.

Having arranged every domestic concern, and spread our table in the wilderness, we prepared our winter firing, as wood is very difficult to bring home in severe weather. At leisure times we hunted, to increase our stock of provisions, which would not have been sufficient to support our household, and not choosing to risk the uncertainty of the arrival of Savages, who sometimes bring animal food to the traders. As the snow began to fall very heavy, we were prevented from making {55} long excursions, without using snow shoes. For the space of a fortnight we hunted with great success, and caught a number of small animals, on which we feasted daily; these proved a seasonable relief, and saved the corn and grease. We had been settled about three weeks, when a large band of Savages arrived; having only eight Canadians with me, I desired them to act with the utmost precaution, as our number was comparatively small, and in case of a drunken frolic, the property might be pillaged, and our lives sacrificed: fortunately for me I had very steady men, who were well accustomed to the Northwest Indians. We were mutually pleased with each other, as no trader had wintered there before. The great chief, whose name was _Kesconeek_, made me a present of skins, dried meat, fish, and wild oats; a civility which I returned without delay, and in a manner with which he seemed highly gratified. The rest of the Savages then came into my house, one by one, which is called Indian file, singing war songs, and dancing. All of them, except the chief, placed themselves on the ground; he, standing upright with great dignity in the centre of the tribe, delivered the following speech.

“_Angaymer Nocey, wa haguamissey kaygo arwayyor kee zargetoone oway barthtyage Nishinnorbay nogome cawwickca kitchee Artawway winnin, kitchee morgussey cargoneek neennerwind zargetoone artawway neennerwind debwoye Nocey barthtyage meekintargan omar appeemeenequy, mackquah, amik, warbeshance menoach kegonce._”——

“It is true, Father, I and my young men are happy to see you:—as the great Master of Life has sent a trader to take pity on us Savages, we shall use our best endeavours to hunt and bring you wherewithal to satisfy you in furs, skins, and animal food.”

{56} This speech was in fact intended to induce me to make them further presents; I indulged them in their expectations, by giving them two kegs of rum of eight gallons each, lowered with a small proportion of water, according to the usual custom adopted by all traders, five carrots of tobacco, fifty scalping knives, gun-flints, powder, shot, ball, &c. To the women I gave beads, trinkets, &c. and to eight chiefs who were in the band, each a Northwest gun, a callico shirt, a scalping knife of the best sort, and an additional quantity of ammunition. These were received with a full yo-hah, or demonstration of joy.

The women, who are on all occasions slaves to their husbands, were ordered to make up bark huts, which they completed in about an hour, and every thing was got in order for merriment. The rum being taken from my house, was carried to their wigwaum, and they began to drink. The frolic lasted four days and nights; and notwithstanding all our precaution (securing their guns, knives, and tomahawks) two boys were killed, and six men wounded by three Indian women; one of the chiefs was also murdered, which reduced me to the necessity of giving several articles to bury with him, to complete the usual ceremony of their interment. These frolics are very prejudicial to all parties, and put the trader to a considerable expence, which nevertheless he cannot with safety refuse. On the fifth day they were all sober, and expressed great sorrow for their conduct, lamenting bitterly the loss of their friends.

On the 26th of October they departed for the hunt, which gave us great satisfaction, as we had scarcely rested during their abode with {57} us. When they got into their canoes, they sung the dead war song.—“_Wabindam, Kitchee Mannitoo, haguarmissey hapitch neatissum_:”—or, “Master of Life, view me well, you have given me courage to open my veins.”