Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-06-20
MANITOU NA-MEK.
kne Peculiar Indian Legend Of
This Beautiful Lake.

During the preliminary surveys for
he Canadian Pacific railway our party
auped on .the shore Of a large lake
portheast of Long lake lake Superior
.ction) Our guide, old Antoine La
csrie, half-breed, gave it the above
rsne, the meaning Of which is THE
EpEt Sturgeon"
One night, as we sat around the
campfire, | got him to give me the
erend Of the lake, for was convinced
Ia. there was some tradition connect
u with the name, which had been
bsnaeid down from former generations
B! Indians. Lagarde's story was as
follows
Many years ago after the spring
adlng was over, eight or nine fami-
sc 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
TORY goes, on this very point. and
Ruit Sha-bon-ta-wan large enough
r the whole band. Staging was put
p on which to dry their fish and place
heir belongings out of reach Of the
EOgs In fact, everything was done
bward camp of some permanence.
Each head of family went to some
part Of the lake before shutdown and
1t his net. Regularly each morning
Fere the nets visited, and were always
bill of whitefish, trout and sturgeon.
The sturgeon of this lake were
oted for their rich, juicy flesh, rather
han for their size; and when any of
be band was fortunate enough to get
ne in his net, feast was made and
Prtion given to each party.
Among the 0jibbewas of Lake SUI
fsriOr and the country to the north,
be same veneration is shown for the
frrgeon of the fish family as for the
YEAR among the animal. You could
fardly give an Indian greater offense
IAN by throwing a bears bone on the
fround after eating the meat thereof.
NE skull and other principal bones
s rigidly collected after the feast
Nd hung on pole near the camp. In
Ne same way, the bones of sturgeon
fscarefully carried to the edge of the
s'er and returned to the element
Fnn which the fish were taken.
Another unwritten law among the
aalans is: When young girl of the
Fana attains the age of fifteen years
aeis compelled to camp apart from
'e Tribe for the space of three days,
aa I'VE on the coarsest food.
her retreat must be one hundred
Faees from the band, and ont of sight.
ihls probation marks the turning
punt IN her life between childhood and
fomanhood.
Al the end of the three days her
FOther, or, if her mother is dead, her
Eafest female relative, takes her
aaase Of clothing. She has bath,
nN probably tho first and only one
v ever has, her hair is done up for
Fufst time, and she returns to the
4Sampment, maiden of an age rec
salled as rendering her eligible for
4Flage proposals.
NOW it happened, three days after
N indians arrived there, that the
.Fl OF the band, on looking at his net,
Aaa entangled in the meshes a stur-
W OF immense size. This fish was
II fathom long, and, although
Iseon' was different in shape to all
-e,s they had caught. This one, in
saa Of having its head and back al
ny IN straight line, as would an or
-ary hsh, had decided hump or cut
n FL. Y from the upper part Of the body
sue mead, and the same peculiar
\. s,s'lon where the tail joined the
ilsre was great rejoicing among
indians, for they considered this
nng OF surgeons, the 'Manitou
ueA, and they decided on having
aana feast and drum beat that
.le same day that this fish was
gut daughter of the chief reached
prescribed time of her three-days'
.a' and her mother made bark
yer a short distance from the camp,
conducting her child to it gave
sone food and left her with the
I'm. auo that for three days and
as under no consideration was she
ktosse 'he place of her temporary
d, -. girl attempting to break this
|En.a; .ne tribe was taught that the
H. Lsg o would carry her off; but if
|Siu rop' Perfectly quiet and obeyed the
bona ~ OF her mother, no harm
sr a overtake her.
|ss e.rfs name was Ne-nah, and, as
sOn unused to be a most beautiful
|s.re ~. several of the young braves
b b,;eaoy calculating their chances
Ia f,.t lung her hand from the chief,
TIL.
|sh bss night, from her retreat. Ne
|Se Iona u The beat Of the tom-tom and
|:ss,ad laughter of the band, as they
|aaesS On the Manitou Na-mek and
W. to the drum-beat.