River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-09-20
HE INDIANS FAREWELL.
Last Pow-wow of the Chippewas at Hinc
w Mimi

"
Year by year one after another of
the tribes of Indians on this continent
are leaving their old haunts and camp
ing grounds, and removing to govern
ment reservations. The last tribe thus
TO go was the Chippewa, the favorite
camping ground of which was ut
Hinelly, Mimi. and it required all tie
inducements the Indian agent could
offer to persuade the people to go to
White Earth reservation.
The Chippewas or ojibways belong
to the Algonquin nation. They were
first discovered by the French in 1919
They were then at war with the Iro-
quois. the Foxes and the Sioux; and
they drove the latter from the head
waters of the Mississippi, and the Red
River of the North.
They were firm friends of the
French. and sided with the British in
the war of the revolution and of 1872.
In 1877 they occupied a vast and unde-
fined territory 4-om Mackinaw. along
the line of Lake Superior, 10 the Mis-
sissippi river. The limits of their ter
ritory were defined by treaty in 1925.
after which they gradually coded their
lands to the government for equivalent
aRnuities.
One day last month. when all was
ready for the Chippewas to leave
Hincl1ly. they followed a custom which
has been in vogue with the Indians
since the first white man invaded his
haunts. and held a farewell powwow
on the banks of Lake Pokegama- Dur
ing the day birch bark canoes were
seen gliding swiftly along to the spot
where the Chippewa mission was estab-
lished, and where the first printing
was done in the state of Minnesota.
An hour before sunset the place was
crowded with Indians, a al a number
of white persons We're present 10 wit
ness the strange ceremony of leave
taking.
Pi-a-gie, a squaw bent with age, seat
ed herself upon a small mound. and the
members of the tribe gathered around
her.
For at least quarter of an hour not
a sound was heard save the grooming of
the old squaw, who faced the setting
sun, the others sitting in silence, with
their faces toward the east.
As the last of the glittering sun was
fading from view, little girl, at a
sign from the old woman, brought a
cone-shaped bark vessel, filled with
roots of cedar trees and dried grass and
leaves, from the graves near the old
mission.
These were set fire to, and as the
smoke and flames rose in the air. the
voice of the old squaw was raised to a
wall. Then the others took up Ihe
death chant-a weird, wild and doleful
sound.
After it had continued fifteen min
utes, the squaw beekoned an old man
to her sid =. 1t was Sylvester, the chief.
The chant.ng ceased, and the old war
rior addressed those around him in
I Chippewa. This is what he said:
The sun sinks, aud the mounds of
our fathers are dark. The great white
father sends his son to us, and we move
/ from their graves. Here we met the
/ Sioux; here we learned of the great
/ spirit. Peace is everywhere; the white
man would have us in battle no more.
/ The pale face says it is good for us to
go. We go To another land. We weep
4
/ the sun rises we viii go from here Tor
ever
/ As the chief spoke the last words the
whole tribe uttered loud shrek, and
/ then bowed their heads in silence. The
squaws took the ashes from the fire
and sprinkled them on the Indian
graves. Then they all gathered on the
high banks and sang a farewell song.
Next drums were brought out, the
old men beat a tom-tom, a fire was
made, and the young men danced
around it for two hours. Then Pi-a-gie
motioned the drummers to silence, and
the dance closed. The Indians stood
around the fire as if in meditation and
at last disappeared in the darkness
/ A. Z. Wallace, in Golden Days.