Mackinaw island bears this date, whereas Mr. Grignon remarks: 1 It was in the summer of 1817, the next year after the arrival of the Americans, that Tomah died at Mackinaw, at the age of about sixty-five years. I fully agree with Mr. Biddle, that it was in 1817 that he died. He was about six feet in height, spare, with a dark-colored eye, and handsome features, and very prepossessing; he was, in truth, the finest looking chief I have ever known of the Menomonees or any other tribe. His speeches were not lengthy, but pointed and expressive. He was firm, prudent, peaceable and conciliatory. He was sincerely beloved alike by whites and Indians. Biddle says that Tomau' died of excessive drinking under disappointment and mortification over a change in the policy of the British authorities in their treatment of the Indians. He adds:2 I never saw so distressed and I was present at his funeral. broken-hearted a people. They said they were no longer a nation-no longer anything. Tomah could alone command and keep them together, but now they would be scattered and ost. Tomau' was of the Pä'kää'qkiu, or Prairie-chicken dodä'mi, and was married, first, to Kiwä'komu'qkiŭ ("Wandering around"), a Menomini woman by whom he had two song― (12) I. Josette. (13) II. Ma'qkata'bi. Separating from this wife he formed, according to Grignon, a second marriage, with two sisters, with both of whom he lived at the same time and until they died. By one of these he had four children, the son being (14) III. Glode. 4. KÄ'RON (Carron); known also by his Menomini name as She'kwaně ne, concerning whom neither traditional nor historical infor mation of interest is obtainable. 5. AIA MITA (Carron). Grignon, speaking of this chief in 1854, says I-om-e-tah was born about 1772. He was upon the war-path during the war of 1812-15. He has been a very good hunter in his day. . . He is among a very few Menomonees who contract debts, and pay them as they promise. He is the oldest chief of his nation, being now about eighty-five; his hunting days are past, his sight is growing dim, and his manly form and benignant countenance we shall soon see no more. Aiâ'mita was still alive in 1857, and only one of three chil dren remains (15) I. Shâpoi'tõk (was married to Ta'sawau, and has children). 6. KONOT (Konōt'); known also as Glode, a corruption of Claude Was married to an Ojibwa woman and moved away. 1 Col. Hist. Soc. of Wisconsin for 1857, vol. iii, p. 283. 2 Ibid., vol. i, 1855, pp. 56, 57. 3 Ibid., vol. iii, p. 284. 7. KÄ'RON (Konōt'). Was named after his grandfather, old Carron, and born in 1797. He married and had children— (16) I. Na'matau. (17) II. O'wäno'qnio (daughter). 8. DZHŌ'SEQKWAIO (Konōt'); corruption of the word Josephine. Married a Mr Gauthier, and had one son (18) I. Joseph. 9. SHÂNŌ'T (Konōt'). Female, died unmarried. 10. MARGARET (Konōt'). Female, died unmarried. 11. A'SHAWA'KÄNAU (Konōt'). Female; married Käkwai'tosh, a mixed-blood Ottawa, and had children I. Nika'nawoha'ni, II. David, III. Sa'batis (Jean Baptiste), IV. Sha'nik, V. Margaret. VI. Susan. 12. JOSETTE (Tomau'); known also as Sosette, and as Joseph Carron; was born in 1800. He is of the Pä/kää'qkiu, or Prairie-chicken dodä'mi; married Wâ'bao'qkiu ("White wing"), and succeeded his father to the chieftaincy. He died in 1831, leaving children 13. MA'QKATÂ'BI (Tomau', Carron). Grignon, in his Seventy-two Years' Recollection of Green Bay says that Tomau' had two sons by his first wife, both of whom became chiefs, "Mau-kautau-pee" and Josette Carron; and that "Mau-kan-tau-pee," who served on McKay's Prairie du Chien expedition, died in, or shortly after, 1820. In repeated conferences with both Shu'nien, an exceedingly intelligent man, a brother of Mâ'qkatâ'bi and Josette Carron, and in councils of leading men of the tribe, I am informed that Mâ'qkatâ'bi never held the office of chief, as successor to Tomau', but that he had acted as regent for Oshkosh. He died about 1820, without offspring. 14. GLODE (Tomau', Carron), a corruption of the word Claude. He was of the Pä'kää'qkiu dodä'mi, and a son of Tomau' by the second wife. He died in 1848 without offspring. 16. NA MATAM (Kä'ron, Konōt', Carron); a daughter who married Kone'koshě'u, and has one daughter I. Rose (unmarried). 17. OwÄ'NOQNI'O (Kä'ron, Konōt', Carron); a daughter, married to A'potawa'noqkwet, and has children I. Antoine, II. Angeline, III. Susan, IV. Si'mo (married Pa'tawa'sapan) and has children a. Antoine, b. Susan, c. Joseph. 18. JOSEPH (Dzhō'seqkwai'o, Konōt', Carron); was born about 1818. He was married, and had one son, who died. His wife was the widow of a white trader, named Cown, with whom she had children who took the name of Gauthier I. Joseph, married to Julia Grignon, and has offspring a. Frank (married Mary Driscoll, a native of Ireland, and has one son, Joseph Aloysius, aged one year), b. Mary Ann, c. John, d. Lewis, e. Christine, died at age of 8 or 10 years. 19. TOMAU (Josette); corruption of the word Thomas. He is of the Pä kää'qkiu dodä'mi; married Osa'win ("Yellow") and had one daughter I. Tana's (Theresa-married Dominick Morgan and had six children). 20. A'QKIWA'SI (Josette); known as Charles Carron; also of the Pä'kää'qkiu dodä'mi; married Ka'paia'qsam. He left for the Ojibwa country, and has not since been heard of. He left one childI. Ni'sepět (Elizabeth Maria), who was married to "Jim" Phalien, (deceased), and left no issue. 21. SHU NIEN (Josette). Shu'nien ("Silver") was born in 1827, and is today one of the finest figures, physically, among the Menomini (figure 4). He is of the Pä'kää'qkiu dodä'mi; has been recognized as a chief of his band, and has made several trips to Washington on missions relating to the tribe. He was married twice; his first wife was Ki'waqko'wa ("Wandering-in-theclouds"), who had one child— I. Owano'qiu ( a daughter, who married Kapskoʻit (deceased) and had nine children of whom six survive). Shu'nien's second wife was Ka'kika'tshiwan, of the Ota'tshia (Crane) dodä'mi, and had issue II. Jane (married to Shepe'qkau; no children). III. Sose't (Sosette-Joseph) (commonly known as "Jim" Shu'nien, a man of fine build and an enthusiastic mitä dancer; he married Â'paqtau Ki'shiku/qkiu, and has two sons and two daughters). 22. KESHI ENE (Josette); was born about 1830, and succeeded his father as chief, though during his minority Oshkosh acted as regent. The word Keshi'ne, signifying "The-swift-flying," originated in the following manner, as related by Shu'nien, his brother: Their father, Josette, was at one time fasting, and in a vision he thought he saw the air filled with eagles and hawks, the representatives of the Thunder phratry, flying swiftly by. This circumstance caused him to give the name "The-swiftflying," to his next male child, born shortly afterward. Kesh i''ène was twice married, the first wife, Oshe'pe'u ("River") having offspring I. O'kwemu'qkiu (=Jane, married to Joseph Law; no children). Keshi'ene's second wife was Tâki'shiku'q ("Broken-clouds"), and her children were II. Kati's (married Bakome, and has five children). III. Mâ'ni (=Mary, married to Bama'qsikä'u', and has four chil- IV. Noma'qkuqki'u (Female, deceased after marriage to David 23. WÂ'BENO MITÄ MU (Josette) "Wâ'beno-woman." Was born about 1840, and is an active, well preserved, and quite good looking woman. She is married to Nio'pet, the present chief of the Menomini,' and is the mother of fourteen children of whom but two survive I. Reginald Oshkosh, II. Ernest Oshkosh. 24. O'KEMAWÂ'BON (Josette-daughter, married Opē'taq, has two children). 25. KOSE'V (Josette-a young man). As already stated, the Osh'kosh family at present, and evidently legitimately, furnishes the executive chief of the tribe, which personage is at the same time the presiding judge of the Indian court at Keshena. The members of the Carron family have no further authority in the affairs of the tribe than any other heads of families, though the recollection of the deeds of their ancestors appears to add to their name a glamor of romance, shared in even by their political opponents. LANGUAGE EMPLOYED IN CULT RITUALS I am informed by the Franciscan fathers at Keshena that they have frequent need of words to express clearly the terminology of the catechism and ritual and to present intelligently the exposition of the scriptures, words which do not occur in Menomini, but for which they seek convenient and expressive terms in Ojibwa, a language noted at once for its close linguistic relationship to the Menomini, as well as for its rich vocabulary and the remarkable flexibility of its grammatic structure. In his notes on the Indian tribes of Wisconsin, John Gilmary Shea, speaking of the Menomini, states that "their language is a very corrupt form of the Algonquin." This may not be surprising when the Menomini language is compared with the Algonkin proper, but still the fact remains that the Menomini appeared to him defective in some manner or other. Through long-continued practice of this character, the Indians have become sufficiently familiar with some Ojibwa words to comprehend the teachings of the fathers, but apart from this an Ojibwa conversation is almost entirely unintelligible to the Menomini, unless the language of the former had been specially acquired by intimate communication. It has been observed at the ceremonials of the Menomini that both Ojibwa and Potawatomi mitä visitors participated, and although their knowledge of Menomini was so slight as to deter them from enjoying more than casual interchange of greetings, yet they were sufficiently 1 See the Oshkosh genealogy, p. 48. 2 Col. Hist. Soc. of Wisconsin for 1856, vol. iii, 1857, p. 134. |