The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-10-02
THE FIRST HOLY MASS EVER
cELEBRATED AMONG THE BoIs
FORT INDIANS OF NETT LAKE,
MIMI, WAS SAID LAST MONTH.
written for The Catholic Bulletin BY
Rev. Simon Lampe, o. S. B.,
indian Missionary

Nett Lake Reservation is in Koochi-
ching county, Mimi, about forty
miles south of Rainy Lake. The
county line between ST. Louis and
Koochiching county runs through the
Indian village of Nett Lake so that
the Government buildings agency,
schoolhouse, etc., are in Koochiching
county. There are at present about
six hundred Indians belonging to the
Bois Fort Chippewa band, but only 260
live at the village or agency; 20
live on their allotments; about 125
live on Lake Vermillion, a few at
Brookston, more near International
Falls and Rainier, near Ely, Winton,
at Harding and Buyck (near the On
tario line) at Moose River-20 miles
east of Rainer, Kettle Falls-50
miles east of Rainer, only a few fam
lilies of this band are in Duluth and
Tower.
These Indians have lived south of
Rainy River for many generations,
perhaps 150' years or more, roaming
about the several hundred lakes, fish
ing, hunting and trapping. Now they
are on a Reservation twelve square
miles in extent and some $4,000 acres
of this land have been allotted for the
Bois Fort or Nett Lake Chippewas.
The "Mekatewikwanaie," Black
Robe of the nineteenth century, Wis
tied all the larger Indian settlements
lin Northern Minnesota. but no priest
ever came to Nett Lake, so the old
Indians told me- Why? no one could
say. How shall they believe him, of
whom they have not heard?" (Rom.
x. Id No wonder, then, that they
are nearly all pagans.
Wednesday, September 5, left ClO-
quet for Nett Lake where / arrived
Thursday evening, a distance by train,
boat and wagon of about IT'S miles.
The local Indian Agent or Superin-
tendent, Mr. Robert E. Daniel, whom
had notified of my coming, Wis
tied first. He was very kind to me
in every respect and gave me the
Government doctors house to stay in
over night and the old schoolhouse for
saying Mass. took my meals with a
Government employee-Mr. Collins, a
sawyer at the local small saw-mill
Only ten white persons live in the
village of Nett Lake. / put on my
habit and visited some families. 1t
was the first time these poor people
ever saw a "Black Robe" At every
log-house / passed the whole family,
old and young came to the windows
to look at me. Some opened their
doors standing there and staring. at
me! "Mekatewikwanaie ma aw?" Is
this BLACK Robe?" / could hear from
a distance One hour after my arrival
at the village everybody knew l had
come without the use of tele-
phone!)
The First Mass.
7 told the few Catholics / met
there would be Mass Friday morning
at the old schoolhouse. The next
morning I had about six Indians
at Mass-the first time that the I'm
bloody Sacrifice of the New Law was
celebrated on the Nett Lake Reserva-
tion, Friday, September the tenth
During the day went about taking
up the census of all the Catholic In
dians could find. / found 30 souls
baptized by Catholic Indian mission.
aries in other parts of the country
some at the mouth of Yellow River
Wis, by the Rev. Odoric, o. F. NJ
lothers, young people-at the Govern
ment Boarding School near Tower by
the Right Reverend Joseph F. Buh, OF
Ely, one at Ball Club, one at Cloquet
and one at aMichipicoten River, Ont
Thirty Catholics out of 260 people in
the village! st. Peter, perhaps, did
not find thirty even in the large city
of pagan Rome, when he came there
the first time. This was my consola