The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-06-02
bounds, will be narrated further on.
INDIAN NAMES.

lnulan names always nave n meaning,
which our own have not. Many of them
are beautiful, and even poetical, but be
their meaning YER 30 commonplace it
has, at least, the recommendation of
meaning something, and in after years,
when all traces of these Indian tribes
have passed away, they will be treasured
as mementoes Of a race hat once lived,
loved or hated, and roamed over this
land when it was but the solitude of ma
ture. Below I give a few Of the Indian
names that / am able to call to mind,
with their meaning, and regret that I am
not at present able to give more:
Suamico-The yellow sand.
Oconto-The place of the pickerel.
Pensaukee-The place of the brants.
Peshtigo-Snapping turtle.
Menomonce-Wild rice.
Menekaunee-The place where the
lodges are-literally, the village.
E~scanaba-A fiat rock.
Manitowoc-The dwelling of the spirit.
Kewaunee-The name of a kind of
duck.
Chippewa-Rushing water.
Mime ha ha-Laughing water.
Wisconsin-Yellow water.
Oshkosh perpetuates the name Of an
Indian chief, and Marinette that of an
Indian woman.
INDIAN LIFE.
Will the reader pardon me il 1 turn
aside a short time to give a glimpse at
the private life-not of the pioneers
xhn,,o1yao I,,f of fhai. pai~hho,a o-I
companions, with whom their lives were
intimately blended-the native Indians.
But few persons living in countries
where q wild Indian is seldom or never
seen, nave anything like a correct idea of
the kind of life these people really lead.
Many imagine that theirs is a happy,
care-free life. free from all restraint, and
that as he roams at will over the vast
free forests of the west, his must be a
life to be envied by civilized men and
women. Let us look for a moment at the
reality.
In summer the Indian life may be said
to be at its best, but even then hunger is
not an unknown or ven an u%nfrequent
guest. Then the Indians settle down in
groups, or families. erect their wigwams,
and there remain while their small patch
of corn is cultivated, berries gathered,
etc. In the autumn they remove to the
rice fields. which lie to the north. The
wild rice forms one Of the chief articles
or which they subsist, and if this crop
fails, as is often the case, ii is the cause of
great d%estitution and suffering. Through
out the winter the Indians are frequently
on he move, going to new regions in
quest of game. or for other reasons. I
will relate n couple of incidents which
moved my heart to pity for these poor
creatures.
1t was a bitter cold morning in Janu-
airy. a party of five or six were travel
ing by stage, and though thickly and
comfortably clothed, and snugly tucked
up with buffalo robes, all were complain
ing of the cold. We were passing over a
bleak prairie where the wind blew a per-
feet gale, when we came upon a party of
Indians who had just broken camp and
were moving to some new locality. There
were about twenty in the company, con-
sisting Of men, women and children
There were two or three Indian ponies
loaded with camp equipage, and on these
ponies were mounted some of the smaller
children, though boys, down to the ages
of eight or nine years, together with the
squaws. plodded through two feet of
snow as best they might, their route lying
across the prairie and not in the direction
the road ran. The Indians walked erect,
carrying only their guns, but the squaws,
and even the children, were bent down
with heavy loads, carrying not only the
camp supplies, but also the woven bark
of which their wigwams were made,
strapped upon their backs.
The Indians were dressed in buckskin
with moccasins of the same ma
terial. A thin calico shirt was their only
garment from the waist up. The squaws
were similarly dressed, with the addition
Of . wooden shirt that reached just below
the knees. The heads of all were uncov-
cred, and around the form of each was
drawn a large blanket, which it
seemed to us might have afforded greater
protection had it been more closely drawn,
or secured with our own indispensable
pins. The dark, slender hands Of all
were wholly unprotected. Two or three
ofthe squaws had little pappooses strapped
upon their backs who cried piteously,
very much as a little human baby would
have done.
And this party of wanderers would plod
until hunger and WEAKNESS would
them. Then, on that cold win
ter's day, they would scrape away the
heavy snow, would undo the rolls Of bark
mating, which must afford but n poor
protection from the cold, gather sticks
and brush and build a fire, and then, after
and eating a simple meal, would
spread their blankets and lie down on the
cold, frozen ground, to sleep and rest.
thinking of all this, and Of the
warm fire and smoking meal that would
await us at the hotel not far distant, there
not much more complaint among us.
One chilly night, late in autumn, word
was brought that a party of Indians were
i'm n proya near NV Anhouoh