The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-23
GREAT CHIPPEWA CHIEFS.
LEGENDARY HEROES AND RECENT
LEADERS OF III TRIBES.

of the Flood Mixture of Christianity
and Heather acknowledgements of White
Cloud, who Died the other Day.
To those acquainted with the Chippewa In
dams the recent uprising came as n surprise.
For almost a century they have boosted OF
their friendship for the white man. One Of
their principal chiefs. old N~a-Ran-ab. who
died not long ago at the age OF at least e5, al
ways spoke Of It as IL that friendship proved
the possession OF a superior sort OF astute-
ness. In his youth the old man demonstrated
the reality OF the sentiment. or OF his CONVEX
sion. as the priests preferred TO put II. to the
extent OF discardinR three wives. retaining
the Oldest and uRllest OF the quartet he pos
Bessed. This was In 1856, and may be proper
ly taken as the dividing point between civil
lied and uncivilized Chippewa history. Just
before this the Chippewas had held their Gus
tomary celebration at the head Of Lake Su-
perlor. which was then a ~favorlte spot for cur
ing detached scalps and displaying Of these
trophies.
Although regeneration followed so quickly
it was not deep enough to cure all at once the
Chippewa desire for scalps OF the Sioux. From
time traditional these two. the Chippewas. or
Ojibways. and Sioux. or Dacotahs, had been
enemies. The former. from their docile. al
most childlike nature. fishermen rather than
hunters. farmers more than warriors. were
the pastoral people OF the redmen. not easily
aroused and often imposed upon. Polygamy
was practiced among them. and their regard
for the aged and helpless was akin to the
Chinese ancestral worship. Once thoroughly
provoked, their enmity was implacable. They
drove the Sioux westward from Sault Ste.
Marie and the head OF Lake Superior to the
Dakotas. Only q short time ago the Capt.
Beaulieu who has figured In the present trouble
criticised the writer for having used a Sioux
for q legendary hero. yet the Captain is only
one-sixteenth Chippewa, n man OF affairs
whose Indian origin Is often doubted and
never guessed. This shows how strong the
hatred Of the Chippewas to the Sioux still
continues.
The Chippewas show their superior imagi-
nation In the richness OF their legendary lore.
Categorically speaking there are 101 OF these
legends that have no other repository than the
memory Of a few old medicine women who
have failed to feel the charm OF the new order
OF things and are rapidly passing away. their
dreams with them. Their account OF the be-
ginning of things is very similar to the Bible
story Of the flood. Storms came and rains fell
until there was no dry spot anywhere. Then
Wey-nah-bo-zoh-who he was or whence he
came the story says not-climbed the high
est mountain. The waters assembled after
him. Then he climbed n tree to the very top
most branch. His companions in flight were
the otter. the "enfant du diable." not to men
ton the more odoriferous name. and the fox.
When the storm abated W~ey-nah-bo-zoh sent
down first one and then the other. Finally
the second came back with q bit Of earth.
This his master sprinkled upon the tail of the
fox with the injunction that it descend and run
around the tree until further orders. Now. it
happened that. in obeying, Reynard's bushy
tail scattered the small particles OF earth in
water receded to give place to more earth.
Presently the tree was in the centre OF what
might have answered for a bonanza ranch. and
Reynard has not been seen since.
All these legends seem to be OF an allegori-
cal nature. having their origin in the physical
changes of the earth, For instance. there is
the. woman of the hshinE star. She lived far
this cousin was EeePer-in-cRief' Of the SUM-
shine. Not unlike other monopolists. he was
SiiRRt s that h df e. o0rU sslatiof he sh nsnexe niv se a
when either he forgot It or had been declaring
got tired oif'S Waiting. i p sent petitio nef after tier
together too cold for comfort, and more sun
shine became a necessity.
So sending c]ouriers ahead to deeoy her bus..
5and with batting tales OF buffalo in the near
ply Of sunshine. which. it would appear. had
the buffalo. had become suspicious. and at
scene. Instantly ,com9rehendinE what had
9iis ssS snd and 6Ido9 9ot he wishing saM q to orr kill his his Own
the handle Of the Biz Dipper she has been
eompelled to serve fishermen to this day. What
Indian lack Of continuity, does not disclose
These traditions Still! hold great sway over
who has been, preaching Christianity for more
than than t tSwentyoflvfs .i years RS. speaks KS Of the he MSssabi
Mesebi. be it said. is a mythical giant who was
finally overcome by Wey-no-bo-z oh. and
whose . grave grave tn NIU all noTtheastern Min,
being Identical. with the wonderful iron de-
posits Of the Mesaba Range, his head CORE,
regions nst Of: that States 'S great %i iron d SS%T1 ana
trated in the story of W-ah-bon-o-Guod. the
chief orator of all the Chippewqs that are or
eSer w haze B. en- He was an old, 9ld man, Of
braves. Following the custom, when Wah;bon;
IL a wigwam without food or drink. the theory
being that when sufficiently starved and
some particular object; . bear, a fox. or what
not; This; then; would become his totem;
tESGin nEas 'R %eTs ex tne tedd from h 81 h fath fiei G sent
but all the poor child could see when he reached
that that's stage fa ole OF exh Wss was a white hh cloud.
who had hoped for a warrior son, rele-
and never got over the disgrace. But as the
years went the boys mind developed. His
his fathers. His fame extended to the knowl-
edge of the. white men, A few years ago the
United States Indian Commissioners sat for
five days in council witt the Fond du Lac band
for the same cause as thai which is now
disturbing the Leech Lake Chippewas, and
has led TO the present. trouble. that Is. re-
moving them to the White Earth reservation.
the praises Of that country. i was in the
into a typical country sc~hooihouse. s9uaws
and pappooses framed in every window. and
the thermometer above the hundred mark.
Old as Wah- bon-o-quod was. then being past
20. he stood straight as a sapling, more than
six feet in height. His hair was pasted with
bears oil into curling ends around his. neck.
His feet were In moccasins Of an elaborate
pattern, and he wore a heavy double breasted
frock coat TO his knees. What doubt the Fond
du, Laos may have, had of White Earth
being the garden spot of the world was dissi-
pated as he spoke.