SIOUX AND CHIPPEWAS OF MINNESOTA
he Iroquois drove the Chippewas, or Ojibways, from their hunting grounds and from fishing in many waters in central New York; as the bands increased and more needed food, many started westward, and Chippewa names of lakes and rivers mark their progress toward the Mississippi. They made a long halt at the Sault Ste. Marie, for many fish were in these waters, but there was no place to plant their corn. They built their wigwam fires farther westward each year, until they reached what is now northern Minnesota. Here they found the Dakotas, or Sioux, had possession of the beautiful lake region, which was so nearly like the country by the River of Islands in the east.
The Chippewas had no wish to go back, and their warriors and chiefs were too brave to think that even the fierce western tribes could conquer them. They built their wigwams on islands and points of land projecting into the lake, for these made good places of [[63]]landing for their birch-bark canoes, and also gave them a better chance to watch for their enemies than in the thick forests of pine, birch, and cedar.
Each band of Chippewas has yet many stories to tell of the terrible battles with the “nadoway-sioux,” as the French trappers and hunters call the Algonquin word which means “hidden enemies.” This warfare began years before the time of our war of the Revolution and did not end for nearly a century. The Chippewas fought for their new home very bravely, and the Sioux were just as brave in trying to hold what they believed to be the center of the world and nearest like the Happy Hunting Grounds of the future life. There is a very extensive view of the Mississippi at its junction with the Minnesota which is called by the Indians Mendota, or the “gathering of the waters.” The contending tribes fought fiercely to hold or to obtain this place, for here these red men, with their love for the beautiful in nature, had decided was where many of their gods liked best to stay. The building of Fort Snelling at this point and the arrival of white men put a stop to the battles, and neither tribe could claim Mendota.
The Great Father in Washington made a treaty with the Chippewas whereby they hold much of their hard-won lake region as long as they keep their treaty promises; now that there is peace between the Indian [[64]]nations they are willing to admit that each had many heroes in war and council.
During the conflict a trader attempted to bargain with the Sioux for furs, after having had dealings with a band of Chippewas. This band, wild with fury at what they called the trader’s treachery, broke open his storehouse and destroyed or took all his stores of furs and other articles. They were called Pillagers by the French and other bands, and hold the name yet and are proud of it, for the deed was done openly and for the sake of their nation.
The Pillagers are nearly all Blanket Indians. They live in wigwams in summer and cover these with bark huts in winter for greater warmth. The wigwams are covered with woven mats made of reeds or grass and birch bark. The huts are like a one-room house and are covered also with pine or birch bark. Each spring these Indians make large quantities of maple sugar, which they pack in mokuks, or birch-bark baskets, and sell or exchange at the stores in towns. During the summer they pick and sell the berries which grow near the woods and lakes. They have gardens of maize, squash, pumpkins, beans, and onions, and some raise potatoes. Their meat supply is getting scarce, as the deer, moose, and bear are being hunted so freely by white men. The men often dress in true Indian costumes, with buckskin leggings, beadwork ornaments, [[66]]blankets, and a feather in their scalp lock if they have killed an enemy; this honor is hard to give up, and even a murderer of one of his own tribe has dared to wear the eagle feather.
Chippewa Indian’s Summer Wigwam
From a Photograph
There is a large government school at Leech Lake, and many of the boys and girls have learned the customs and books of the white people, but when they return to their wigwam homes there is little chance to change the home life, except in very simple ways.
Some of the finest work in lace, which has been taught in the Indian schools, has been done by these Chippewas at Leech Lake. They were so artistic in their bead and basket work that a lady who saw the point lace made in the mission schools in Japan decided to teach it to all the squaws who would learn the art. Their success has been a pleasure to her and to them. It brings the money with which to buy food.
The lakes near the source of the Great River abound in wild rice, which is gathered in August and stored in mokuks for winter use. The wild swan, geese, and ducks also feed upon it, and they make good hunting.
The extensive pine forests owned by the Chippewas have attracted many white men who are trying to gain possession of them, but the wise chiefs know their value and their people’s need, and they remember the years of warfare when the land was won; neither have they yet broken their treaty promises. A few years [[67]]ago the courts wanted several of the Leech Lake Indians for witnesses in a trial. It was cold, and if the men went their families would suffer, for they must be gone some weeks. The old chief would not let them go until the government promised money to support their families. The white men in council did not think best to make the promise, and the chief refused to send the witnesses. The soldiers came to take the men forcibly. There was a battle, and soldiers fell and much money was spent, but still the chief has not given up the men. The white people feel that the Indian chief had much in his favor, for he would not see his people suffer; the squaws and papooses must be cared for, and he had not the money with which to buy food for them.
The Sioux in southern Minnesota made an uprising during the Civil War. Some friendly Indians warned the whites of the coming troubles and helped them to escape. A monument erected in 1900 to these good Indians shows the friendly feeling of the whites to their rescuers. These Indians were called traitors by the Sioux and had to flee for their own lives. Some of them settled at Mendota and are much respected by their white friends. The son of one became an Episcopal minister. The present chief of all the Chippewas is also a minister of the same church and an able leader of his people. [[68]]