The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-02-27

/
/ presses upon them, and become recipi-
ents Of government bounty.
The influence Of Flat Mouth, Pillagcr
head chief, extends overall these bands !;
and their chiefs in council have solemn
ly agreed to abide by his experience and
advice. ssh
Sug-,cam -dug-ah ,ci-tn-e-,cug. This
section of the Chippewa tribe inhabits
the north coast of Lake Superior, with
in the lines of Minnesota. They are
denominated Sag-,run-dug-ah-ui -uin-in-c-
rug, or "men who live amongst the
thick fir woods" By old French tra-
ders they were called the " Bois Forts"
or Hard woods. They number
within our limits about eight hundred,
and have villages at Rainyand Vcrmilion
Lakes. They hunt over the country
which stretches from the Lake of the
Woods to the mouth of Pige eonriver.
This extensive tract is unadapted to-
agriculture, lies in an almost arctic
climate, abounds in swamps and thick
interrninable forests of fir The cop
per and other minerals which are found
upon the north coast Of Lake Superior,
and among the .Mis-aub-ay heights of
the interior, are the only loadstone
which can ever attract an American
population to this portion of Minnesota; !;
though the inexhaustible fisheries Of
Lake Superior may in progress Of slime
augment its growth and Importance.
The bands living upon these lands
spring from branch of the Chippewa
tribe, who separated from the main
body in Canada when first commenced
the retrograde movement before the ad-
vance oftheir powerful eastern enemies,
the .Nod-o-,raig or Six Nations. This
section moved westward along the
north shore of Lake Superior, and new
er affected junction with their breth-
ren at the central town of La Pointe.
To this body belong the .Musk-e-goes
or Swamp people," the Odi-dish-quas-
nm-ees or " last-water people, and 9TH
ther bands scattered through the British
Possessions. O-dish-quay-um-ees are
the division of Chippewas mentioned by
Mr.. Schoolcralt as pure AIgonquins.
These bands all speak the same Ian
guage as the more southern divisions !;
but there is variance in their pro-
nunciation of certain words, extra cted
from the same root, and their acccntu-
alton is entirely different.
This people have little intercourse
with Americans, and trade mostly with
the Hudson's Bay Company. A few
enterprising American traders have
sent among them outfits, but the animals
which are valuable for fur are rapidly
disappearing, and the trade is compare
lively worthless.
The Sug-,run-dug-oh-rin-i,-s-1cug are
miserably poor, depending for subsis-
tence upon the precarious supplies of
the chase; they rely for their winter
support upon the rabbit and the reindeer.
Last year the rabbit almost entirely
disappeared, having been swept off by
Gistemper Great distress ensued,
and during the winter thirteen of their
number literally starved to death This
season the rice crop has failed, and
this people anticipate with aching hearts
the sufferines and privations Of the ap-
preaching winter. Our government
has shown them but little attention, and
their predictions are in favor of the
British, who have treated them with
much kindness
The entire Chippewa tribe are divi-
ded into fifteen families, upon the Totem
&c principle, to each of which are four
subdivisions Each family has crest
or symbol of some bird, fish or animal
called, in their nomenclature, the totem
to the origin Of each of which some le-
gcnd attaches. The system is ancient
and dates as far back as their most un-
natural and absurd traditions extend,
Though divided by thousands Of miles,
and unconnected for generations, men,
bers of the same totem cannot intermar-
ry or cohabit with one another. The
totem descends in the male line. :,
The .4h-auh-waugh, or Loon Totem,
compose the royal line. tGreat Buff
falo," the present head of this family,
was born at La Point, in Lake Superior,
during the revolutionary war. From
tender years he has borne conspic-
uous part in the history of his tribe,
and has signed every treaty to which
they have become parties for the last
thirty years. One circumstance in his
past life has caused him great mortifi-
cation. The creed of he Shawnee
prophet, brother Of Tecumseh, spread
like wild fire among the northern and
western tribes. Legatcs were sent
from tribe to tribe, and village to vii
lage, and Buffalo became a firm be-
lever, and with him believed his tribe.
AT Point Shag-a-waum-ik-ong he col
Iected his people, and instructed them
in the histories Of q new faith. He
even started with over two hundred
canoes to go in search of the prophet,
and took along with him the corpse of
a child, which he fully believed the
prophet could restore to life. At the
Pictured Rocks, on Lake Superior, he
met the trader, Micheal Cadotte, who
with great difficulty succeeded in turn
ing him back And at the time" Great
Buffalo" was uot aPprized that the OBJ
ject Of the prophet and Tecumseh was
the expulsion of the whites from the