THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Jesuit Relations
Vol. 54, (1670)
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pp. |
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227-235; 235-239. |
[89] Of the Mission to the Oumamis and Machikoutench.
On the twenty-ninth, we entered the River which leads to the Machikoutench, who are called by the Hurons Assista Ectaeronnons, "Nation of Fire." This River is very beautiful, without rapids or portages and flows toward the Southwest.(see A)
On the thirtieth, landing opposite the Village and leaving our canoe at the water's edge, after walking a league through beautiful Prairies, we perceived the Fort. The Savages, espying us, immediately gave the cry in their Village, hastened to meet us, and accompanied us with honor into the cabin of the Chief, where refreshments were straightway brought to us, and the feet and legs of the Frenchmen with me were anointed with oil. Afterward a feast was prepared, which was attended with the following ceremonies. When all were seated, and after some had [90] filled a fish with powdered tobacco, an Old man arose and, turning to me, with both hands full of tobacco which he took from the dish, harangued me as follows: "This is well, black Gown, that thou comest to visit us. Take pity on us; thou art a Manitou; we give thee tobacco to smoke. The Nadouessious and the Iroquois are eating us; take pity on us. We are often ill, our children are dying, we are hungry. Hear me, Manitou; I give thee tobacco to smoke. Let the earth give us corn, and the rivers yield us fish; let not disease kill us any more, or famine treat us any longer so harshly!" At each desire the Old men who were present uttered a loud "Oh!" in response. I had a horror of this ceremony, and, begging them to hear me, I told them it was not I to whom their vows must be addressed; that in our necessities I had recourse to Prayer to him who is the only and the true God; that it was in him that they ought to place their trust; [91] I told them that he was the sole Master of all [91] as well as of their lives, servant and envoy; that he was my sovereign Lord, as well as my host's; and that wise men nevertheless willingly honored and listened to the black Gown, as being a person who is heard by the great God and is his Interpreter, his Officer, and his Domestic. They offered us a veritable sacrifice like that which they make to their false Gods.
Toward evening, I gathered them together, and made them a present of glass Beads, Knives, and Hatchets, that I might say to them: "Become acquainted with the black Gown. I am not the Manitou who is the master of your lives, and has created Heaven and Earth; I am his creature, I obey him, and I bear his word through all the earth."
The Savages named Oumamis are here only in very small numbers, their main body having not yet come in from their hunting; therefore I say almost nothing about them in detail. Their language is in harmony with their disposition: they are gentle, affable, sedate; they also speak slowly. This whole Nations was to arrive in sixteen days; but, obedience calling me to the Sault, I was not at liberty to wait for them.
These people are settled in a very attractive place, where beautiful Plains and Fields meet the eye as far as one can see. Their River leads by a six days' Voyage to the great River named Messi-Sipi, and it is along the former River that the other populous Nations are situated. Four leagues from here are the Kikabou and the Kitchigamich, who speak the same language as the Machkouteng. (see 13-B)
On the first of May, I went to visit them in their cabins; and I instructed them, [93] speaking their language sufficiently to make myself understood by them. They heard me with respect, admired the main features of our Faith, and were eager to lavish on me all the best things they had. Those poor Mountaineers are kind beyond all power of belief; but they do not fail to have their superstitions, and to practice polygamy, as is customary with the Savages.
The courtesies that they showed me kept me busy almost all day; they came to my cabin to give me an invitation, conducted me to their own, and, after making me sit down on a fine new piece of fur, presented me a handful of tobacco, which they placed at my feet; and brought me a kettle full of fat, meat, and Indian corn, accompanying it with a speech or a compliment. I always took occasion thereupon to inform them of the truths of our Faith,-- while God, by his grace, never failed to make me understood, their language being the same as that of the Saki.
I baptized there five children who were in danger of dying, whom they themselves brought to me [94] that I might give them medicine. When, at times, I sought retirement for the purpose of praying, they would follow me, and, from time to time, come and interrupt me, saying to me in a suppliant tone, "Manitou, take pity on us!" In truth, they taught me the respect and affection with which I ought to address God.
On the second of May, the Elders came to our cabin to hold a council; they thanked me, by an address and by some gift, for having come to their country; and they exhorted me to come thither often. "Guard our land," they said; "come often, and teach us how we are to speak to that great Manitou whom thou hast made us know." This people appears very docile. See there a Mission all in readiness, and capable of giving, in conjunction with the two neighboring Nations, full occupation to a Missionary. As we were pressed for time, I set out to return to the place whence I had come; and arrived there safely, proceeding by way of the River saint Francois, in three days.
On the sixth, I paid a visit to the Oummalouminek, eight leagues distant from our cabin, and found them at their River (see 14) in small numbers, the young people being still in the woods. This Nation has been almost exterminated by the wars. I had difficulty in understanding them, but in time made the discovery that their language is Algonquin, although much corrupted. They succeeded in understanding me better than I understood them. After making a little present to the Elders, I proclaimed the Gospel to them, which they admired and heard with respect.
On the ninth, the Elders invited me to their council, and there made me a present, with an expression of Thanks for my having come to visit them in order to give them a knowledge of the true God. "Take heart," they said to me; "instruct us often, and teach us to speak to him who had made all things." This Mission we have named after saint Michael, as well as the River where [96] they dwell.
On the tenth, when I arrived at the settlement, a Pouteoutami, not daring to ask me for news, addressed our dog in these words: "Tell me, O Captain's dog, what is the state of affairs among the Oumacouminetz? Thy Master has told thee; thou hast followed him everywhere. Do not conceal the matter from me, for I dare not ask him about it." I saw well what his design was.
On the thirteenth I crossed the Bay to go to find the Ovenibigoutz in their Clearings, where they were assembling. The next day, I held council with the Old men and the youth, and proclaimed the Gospel to them, as I had done to the others. About thirty years ago, all the people of this Nation were killed or taken captive by the Ilinouek, with the exception of a single man who escaped, shot through the body with an arrow. When the Iliouetz had sent back his captive countrymen to [97] inhabit the country anew, he was made Captain of his Nation, as having never been a slave.
They speak a peculiar language which the other Savages do not understand; it resembles neither the Huron nor the Algonquin. There are, they say, only certain tribes of the Southwest who speak as they do. I learned some words from them, but more especially the Catechism, the Pater, and the Ave.
I visited them in their cabins and instructed them, doing the same to the Pouteouatamis who live with them; and both asked me, with gifts, to come and instruct them in the following Autumn.
. . . We have here seven adult Christians and forty-eight others, either
children or persons almost grown up, whom we baptized when they were
dangerously ill, a part of them at the Point of saint Esprit, and a part in
these districts during the past Winter. . . . I have received consolation this
Winter from seeing the fervor of our Christians, [99] but especially that of a
girl named Marie Movena, who was baptized at the Point of saint Esprit. . . .
_________________
A Fox River comes from the Southwest, not flows toward it. Allouez was advancing toward the southwest. Kellogg, Early Narr. of NW, p. 155, fn 2.
13- Still greater diversity of opinion exists regarding the situation of the Mascouten and Miami village visited by Allouez after leaving the Outagamis. Butterfield (Disc. of N. W., p. 67) contents himself with placing it in Green Lake county. Verwyst (ut supra) locates it near Corning, Columbia county (about five miles N. of Portage City), in which he is followed by A. J. Turner, of Portage. La Boule thinks that the probable site is near the village of Ste. Marie, Green Lake county. A paper by Gary (in Oshkosh, Sunday Times, Dec. 11, 1898), illustrated by maps, discusses the subject at length; he concludes that the village in question was located on section 32 in town of Rushford, Winnebago county.
The Kikabou mentioned in this connection are the Kickapoos, an Algonkin tribe; later in the century, they were driven by the Sioux from Central Wisconsin to the Rock River, in Northern Illinois. A remnant of this tribe resides in Indian territory. The name Kitchigamich means "people of the great lake," and refers to a tribe living on or near Lake Michigan.
B The Kickapoo (Kikabou) were kindred to the Mascoutin (Machkouteng); they later dwelt with them on the Wabash. A remnant of the tribe is extant. The Kitchigamich are not positively identified. They may have been a wandering portion of the Michigamea, for whom see Marquette's narrative. Kellogg, Early Narr. of N. W., p. 157, fn. 1.
14 This stream, which forms part of the N. E. boundary between Wisconsin and Michigan, is still known as the Menominee River. At its mouth are the flourishing cities of Menominee and Marinette, which are mainly supported by the lumber industry.
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