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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 adnominal 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. Where ever 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 Ottawa, 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 Ottawa when the Ottawa were living at
Manitoulin, formerly called Ottawa Island, which is situated north of
Lake Huron. The Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Seneca 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 Ottawa and Chippewa
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
Chippewa; 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 Ottawa and Chippewa
called them "Paw-gwa-tchaw-nish-naw-boy." The last time they were seen
by the Ottawa, 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, Ottawa and Chippewa 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.
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