The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-04-21
Moose-o-ma-na's Biography.

The Mile Laos band of Chippewa Indi-
ans, who inhabit the adjoining country
east OF this county, and have small reser-
walton at the south end Of Mile Laos
Lake, and who frequently hunt and trap
10 this county and come to Little Falls to
trade, are, on account of their manly de-
pertinent at all times and under all cir
cumstances, entitled to more than a pass.
ing notice in this history. Since | have
known anything of these Indians, during
the past twenty-five years, they have had
two principal chiefs, one of whom is Shah
osh- kung, who is now aoout seventy years
OF age, and generally resides on he north
west side Of Mile Laos Lake with his part
of the band; and the other chief is Moose
o-ma-na, who is now about tifty-six wears
of age and is quite large, muscular and
well built man. He resides with his pur-
tion Of the band on the south east side of
the lake. During the visit that he is now
making in Little Falls, / get a short sketch
OF his iife from himself, as follows: He
was born on Snake river, east of the lake {.
and came over to live about the lake when
small boy. It has always been a good
place to live, the lake always yielding
great abundance of the finest quality If
rsh, wild rice was generally abundant.
and maple sugar as much as they desired
could be made around the lake country
w lid geese aud ducks were always Dlenfv
in their season, deer and other game wa:e
abundant until of late years, but game
and fur are getting little scarce. Thev
cleared up land and planted potatoes and
corn on some of the islands, where thew
frequently found the bones of dead men
When young man, and while the war
lasted between them and the Sioux. he
went out occasionally with the war bar.
ties to fight the Sioux. The principal
battles that he was in was one at Pigs
Eye, about two miles below st. Paul. In
about 1912, and one at Shakopee in 1858.
At the Pigs Eye battle the Chippewaa
had l2e Warriorsanl the Sioux about half
that number. The Sioux were lei on IN,
their great chief Little Grow. ia tb;s
| fight the Chippewas lost but four, and the
Sioux aboutthirty, although the Chime.
! was succeeded in getting only eight scans
Moose-o- ma ma claims that he himself
shot and killed in this battle son Of TT.
tie Crow. At the Shakopee fight thu.
Chippewas had l26 warriors, and the
Sioux about the same number, but only
about half on each side were engaged
The Chippewas lost only five, while the
Sioux lost about forty. At that time the
country was well settled about Shakonee
which was then quite large town. so tht.
! fight was witnessed by large number of
white people, who had good view of the
battle from the bluff south of the Mime.
sofa river, the fight being on the north
side. This was the last fight he was in
and it was the last battle Of much note
fought between the two tribes. He wa.
| wounded several times, once SEVERELY in
the right knee. During his career as =
warrior he took seven scalps, for each Of
which he was entitled to place in his head
dress the tail feather of war eagle
feather is placed in their cap for each enc
my they kill; and if the scalps are taken.
it is denoted by red paint and peculiar,
notching of the feather The caps, with
these feathers fixed in, are generally worn
on important occasions, and always at the
war dances; and as an error was made in
printing my description of the war dance
heretofore, by inadvertently leaving out
some, l will state that when the Indian
stops dancing and makes the war whoop.
he at the same time goes through sort III
/ gymnastic performance, demonstrating
! how he killed some of his victims by
shooting Or stabbing and scalping, ETC., a.
the case may be. He was called to Wash
ington at two different times to see his
Great Father on important business. in
which his people were interested. IN.
Richardson, in Little Falls Transcript.
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