The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-12-09
HOMES OF THE INDIANS.
The Surroundings which Influence
their Selections Of ResidenceS-The
Works 0fthe Mound Builders.

In the last number of the North
Anserican Rcuieso is very interesting
article by Lewis A. Morgan, upon the
subject Of Indians Vibrations, in which
ne prapounds some very ingenioas theo-
ries, and discusses the question of the
origin and distribution of the red men of
this country in very skillful and enter
tanning manner, speaking at some length
of the Indians of the Great Lakes.
He assumes that there was 4 time
when both North and South America
were destitute of human inhabitants, that
at the period of the discovery Of the coun-
try people were found thinly scattered
over It's area, who agreed so infinitely in
physical and mental characteristics that
they all received common name, and
were regarded as common stock and
finally that the epoch Of their first occu-
patton was Of very ancient date
The two first assumptions require no
argument to prove them. As to the
third, it seems clear that if the unity of
the origin of the Indian race Is assumed,
the lapse Of many ages would be requis-
ite to break an original language into the
many existing stock languages, of which
there are about forty in North America
alone, and to allow these to pass into the
multitude ei dialects which are now spok-
Ell. On the contrary, if a diverse origiu
Of the race is assumed, it would require
long time-Mr Morgan thinks several
thousand years-ior families generally
unconnected and occupied such immense
areas, to have intermingied so complete
~ as to form typical stock so compete
as the Indian stock has become.
" hether the ancestors Of the ancient
Aborlgines were first planted in North
or South America is still mooted ques-
tion among investigators Of this subject,
but Mr.. Morgan thinks they were first
posted in North America and he argues
that they were originally settled in one
section of the country, and gradually,
through their rowing habits and the ne
oessities of their situation, spread owe
the whole country. He thinks they un-
ermen and hunters, but chiefly as fisher
men, and that the mass of them remain
ed substantially in that condition until
the time Of their discovery by the Euro
peans. lie then reasons that the site Of
the original location Of the Aborigines
and the places where they would 5ubstan-
TALLY congrcgate would be ii the immed-
late vicinity Of bodies Of water, which
yielded fish in abundance, and where the
forest, with supply Of game, was at
their backs.
Many parts of the country answered
these requirements to a greater or less
extent; but there were few which es-
pccially recommended themselves tc the
Indians as homes. Foremost among
these were the great northern lakes. the
southern shores Of Lake Ontario, and the
vicinity Of the beautiful interior lakes of
the State Of New York, the rivers of the
New England and-Mr. Morgan declares
the territory now know as Oregon with
It's great rivers, which has always yielded
immense supplies Of fish and game. In
deed the advantages Of that region seem
so great to Mr. Morgan that he
does not hesitate to declare it to be the
original seat of the Indian power, from
which he thinks, they spread out over
the whole country, selecting similar sec
tons in which to locate.
There is no doubt that the Aborigines
were most numerous and most powerful
in these belts of country along the lakes
and rivers so long as they remained a
rowing race, subsisting by fishing and the
ehase,a and until they became what are
known as Village Indians, like the
Aztecs and Peryviaus, and it is even a
matter of doubt whether the latter with
all their superior civilization, were a
match in battle for the warlike tribes
which clustered around the great lakese
Mr. Morgan shows that, although the
whole coast of the lakes was favorite
residence Of the Indians, there were yet
some spots which were deemed particu-
larly desirable, and were held by the
tribes CHANGING to have occupied them
with great JenacIty.
Among these were the rapids at the
outlet of Lake Superior, held by the
Ojibways the Straits of Mackinaw, con-
trolled by the Ottawas Georgian Bay.
along the shores of which lived power
full branches of the Hurons Detroit
River, where several tribes of Indians
were wont to have their camping grounds,
and the shores of Lake Ontario and the
neighborhood of Lake Cayuga, Seneca,
and the other small bodies of water In the
vicinity, where the powerful Six Nations
lakes, and on the river st. Lawrence, was
filed with Indians, powerful and war
like; but as soon as the shore belt was
crossed and one proceeded into the in
terror, all travellers concur
that the country was an unlnhabited
wilderness.
The Indians of this state seem to have
penetrated the interior to a considerable
extent, and to have subsisted atintervals
in the vicinity Of the little lakes and
fish-eearing rivers, in which Michigan Is
so rich but as permanent homes they
clearly preferred the shores Of TIE lakes
and the great channels joining them. Ii
connection with this philosophy of the
causes which led the Indians to congre
gate in such numbers about these lakes
Mr.. Morgan says that the Ojibways hac
a legend that the Great Spirit created
two cranes, male and female, and sen
them through an opening in the sky, dl
recting them to seek home upon tht
earth. They were to alight when the!
} found place which suited them, anC
they would be transformed into q NAL
and woman.
They few to the earth and spent lon
time in visiting various sections Of th
) country. tasting on the prairies and i
the woods the flesh Of the buffalo, tn
5 elk, the deer, the beaver, and man
: other animals. but, though they foun
all nalatable, they feared none woul
constitute reliable source ofsubsistence
which would not fall In their wander
/ ings they came to the rapids at the out
let Of Lake Superior, where they foun
fish in abundance and Of the most del
: cious flavor, making their way throug
s the noisy waters. They saw that the
g could be taken with ease as all seasons
f the year, and at once fixed upon this ;
g their future home, which was thenct
: forth the residence of the Crane tribe {
IS the OjibKays
G Mr. Morgan describes at some lengt