The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-03-14
MANITOU NA-MEK.
The Peculiar Indian Legend of
This Beautiful Lake.

This Beautiful Lake.
During the preliminary surveys for
the Canadian Pacific railway our party
camped on 'the shore Of large lake
northeast of Long lake Nake Superior
section) Our guide, old Antoine La
garde, a half-breed, gave it the above
name, the meaning of which is "The
Spirit Sturgeon"
One night, as we sat around the
campfire, got him to give me the
legend Of the lake, for was convinced
that there was some tradition connect
ed with the name, which had been
handed down from former generations
of Indians Lagarde's story was as
follows:
MANY years ago latter the spring
trading was over), eight or nine fami-
lies Of Indians came down here from
Long lake to fish for their living and
build their canoes for the fall hunt.
Arriving here, they camped, so the
story goes, on this very point, and
built a Sha-bon-ta-wan large enough
for the whole band Staging was put
up on which to dry their fish and place
their belongings cut of reach Of the
dogs. In fact, everything was done
toward a camp of some permanence.
Each head of family went to some
part of the lake before sundown and
set his net. Regularly each morning
were the nets visited. and were always
full OF whitefish, trout and sturgeon.
1.-THE sturgeon of this lake were
noted for their rich, juicy flesh, rather
than for their size; and when any of
the band was fortunate enough to get
one in his net, q feast was made and
portion given to each party.
"Among the Ojibbewas of Lake Su-
perior and the country to the north,
the same veneration Is shown for the
sturgeon of the fish family as for the
bear among the animal. You could
hardly give an Indian greater offense
than by throwing bears bone on the
ground after eating the meat thereof.
The skull and other principal bones
are rigidly collected after the feast
and hung on a pole near the camp. In
the same way, the bones of sturgeon
are carefully carried to the edge of the
water and returned to the element
from which the fish were taken.
Another unwritten law among the
Indians is: When a young girl of the
band attains the age of fifteen years
she is compelled to camp apart from
the tribe for the space of three days,
and live on the coarsest food.
"Her retreat must be one hundred
PAGES from the band, and ont of sight.
"This probation marks the turning
point in her life between childhood and
womanhood.
'At the end of the three days her
mother, or, if her mother is dead, her
nearest female relative, takes her a
change of clothing. She has bath
most probably the first and only one
she ever has, her hair is done up for
| the first time, and she returns to the
encampment, q maiden of an age rec.
ognized as rendering her eligible for
marriage proposals.
'Now it happened, three days after
the Indians arrived there, that the
| chief of the band, on looking at his net,
found entangled in the meshes a stur.
geon of immense size. This fish was
over fathom long, and, although a
l
others they had caught This one, in.
stead of having its head and back al.
most in a straight line, as would an or.
dinary fish, had decided hump or cut
down from the upper part Of the body
to the head, and the same peculiar
formation where the tail joined the
last fin.
''There was great rejoicing among
the Indians, for they considered this
the king of surgeons, the 'Manitou
Na-mek,' and they decided on having
a grand feast and drum-beat thai
night.
1.-The same day that this fish wal
caught, a daughter Of the chief reached
the prescribed time of her three-days
retreat, and her mother made a barl
shelter short distance from the camp
and conducting her child to it gave
her some food and left her with tn.
command that for three days ant
nights (under no consideration was sh,
to leave the place of her temporary
confinement
''Any girl attempting to break thi
law OF the tribe was taught that th'
'Win-di-go' would carry her of; but i
she kept perfectly quiet and obeyed th'
injunction Of her mother. no barn
would overtake her.
This girls name was Ne-nah, and, a
she promised TO be most beautifu
woman. several Of the young brave
were already calcmlating their chance
Of obtaining her hand from the chiei
her father.
THAT night, from her retreat. Ne
nah heard the beat OF the tom-tom an,
the loud laughter Of the band. q the:
toasted on the Msnitou Na-mek An
Asnesd 10 the drumrbeet