|
Thanks to:
Joyce Laabs & The
Lakeland Times
for this excerpt from:
A Collection of Northwoods
Nostalgia
From the Pages of the Lakeland Times Volume II
Check out:
A Collection
of Northwoods Nostalgia From the Pages of the Lakeland Times
Volume II
for this story and more!
|
Early Life of Chippewas
An excerpt from
A Collection of Northwoods Nostalgia
From the Lakeland Times
Volume II
by: Joyce Laabs
copyright 1980
This section begins a series
of Nostalgia stories that will cover seven generations of a Chippewa
Indian family. We will tell of their lifestyle, their customs,
their arts and crafts and the true meaning of many of their ceremonies.
We'll tell of the medicine men and Pow Wows, and try to recreate
a lifestyle that has all but disappeared from today's Indian
reservations.
We relived this lifestyle through Blanche Wayman of Lac du Flambeau.
Blanche not only remembers the many stories of her parents and
grandparents, but has traced her family tree. We begin the story
with Martin Lynch, although Blanche had traced her history back
even further.
It is with great thankfulness and admiration that we remember
Blanche Wayman. Blanche died in 1980...and were it not for her
memories...and her willingness to speak to us...and era of Chippewa
history might have gone unrecorded.
The following are her stories.
Chippewa family life is steeped in tradition, and we will
try to recreate the family life of the Chippewa Band of Lac du
Flambeau Indians, mostly as Blanche Wayman remembers it.
There were 12 children born to John and Anne Wayman. Blanche
was one of two girls. Of the 12 children, seven survived. They
were all born on the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation.
Although Blanche was born in their home on the reservation, custom
of earlier days had dictated that babies were to be born in a
special hut away from the camp.
Immediately after birth, the infant was placed on a cradle board
and bound by a buckskin wrapper which had been decorated by its
mother. The cradleboard was made of cedar by the father. The
board was about two feet long, a foot wide and about one-half
inch thick. At one end a foot brace was fastened, and at the
other end a hickory hoop. The hoop was to protect the head in
case the cradle board tipped. Moss cushioned the board. Various
items were hung on the hoop. In very early days, a part of the
umbilical cord was saved, sewn into a little buckskin bag and
hung on the board. Maple sugar, wrapped in the little cloth,
was hung, as well as items to amuse the baby...along with other
items of significance.
Babies were usually kept on the board for about a year; but Blanche
recalls here mother telling her that she only remained on the
board about eight months, as she was such a big baby, weighing
10 pounds at birth. Once removed from the board, the babies were
backpacked, either in their mother's shawl or father's buckskin
pack.
A professional namer usually named the babies and was paid for
this service, usually with tobacco. The namer was a person whose
dreams had given him or her this particular power. Blanche attended
a name feast, along with a cure feast, earlier this month in
Neopit. It was a Menominee ceremony...but Blanche and several
other Chippewas attended, representing the family of her Aunt
Annie who had married a Menominee, Pete Waubanascum.
There ceremony followed the traditional custom. There were six
children to be named at this feast. The naming was done by two
sponsors--a woman and a man. There were 10 drums in attendance
at Neopit. There had been prayers and a Pow Wow on Saturday night,
and the actual ceremony was on Sunday.
As they entered the building where the ceremony was held, they
passed three bowls which had been placed on the floor. These
were for the offerings of tobacco, standard and cut-plug and
packages of cigarettes.
Then the friends and relatives at together of foods donated by
the guests. They dined on fish, venison, squirrel, beaver, muskrat,
succotash, rice pudding and wild rice. Following the feast, the
namer then placed the child on his lap and gives the name. This
act places the baby under the protection of the namer's guardian
spirit. Then the namer gives the infant some sort of keepsake
which is hung on the cradle board. These keepsakes are kept by
the child for his or her entire life and are always honored at
a War Dance or special feast.
The ceremony at Neopit as also a cure feast for Che Gum and Benase.
This too followed the old tradition, for the namer is responsible
for the cure if the child he named becomes ill at any time during
his lifetime. The namer must give a feast for him and use his
curing power.
Mocassins placed on Chippewa infants always had a hole in each
sole. This was to protect the baby from death. It was felt that
if death tried to lure the child away, it could be said..."it
can't go for it has holes in its mocassins."
Blanch remembers her early childhood as being rather carefree
(this was prior to being put in boarding school.) Indeed, the
children of not only the Chippewas, but Indian tribes in general,
were treated very well.
Chippewa family life is steeped in tradition, and we will try
to recreate the family life of the Chippewa Band of Lac Du Flambeau
Indians, mostly as Blanche Wayman remembers it.
There were 12 children born to John and Anne Wayman. Blanche
was one of two girls. Of the 12 children, seven survived. They
were all born on the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation.
Although Blanche was born in their home on the reservation, custom
of earlier days had dictated that babies were to be born in a
special hut away from the camp.
Immediately after birth, the infant was placed on a cradle board
and bound by a buckskin wrapper which had been decorated by its
mother. The cradleboard was made of cedar by the father. The
board was about two feet long, a foot wide and about one-half
inch thick. At one end a foot brace was fastened, and at the
other end a hickory hoop. The hoop was to protect the head in
case the cradle board tipped. Moss cushioned the board. Various
items were hung on the hoop. In very early days, a part of the
umbilical cord was saved, sewn into a little buckskin bag and
hung on the board. Maple sugar, wrapped in the little cloth,
was hung, as well as items to amuse the baby...along with other
items of significance.
Babies were usually kept on the board for about a year; but Blanche
recalls here mother telling her that she only remained on the
board about eight months, as she was such a big baby, weighing
10 pounds at birth. Once removed from the board, the babies were
backpacked, either in their mother's shawl or father's buckskin
pack.
A professional namer usually named the babies and was paid for
this service , usually with tobacco. The namer was a person whose
dreams had given him or her this particular power. Blanche attended
a name feast, along with a cure feast, earlier this month in
Neopit. It was a Menominee ceremony...but Blanche and several
other Chippewas attended, representing the family of her Aunt
Annie who had married a Menominee, Pete Waubanascum.
There ceremony followed the traditional custom. There were six
children to be named at this feast. The naming was done by two
sponsors--a woman and a man. There were 10 drums in attendance
at Neopit. There had been prayers and a Pow Wow on Saturday night,
and the actual ceremony was on Sunday.
As they entered the building where the ceremony was held, they
passed three bowls which had been placed on the floor. These
were for the offerings of tobacco, standard and cut-plug and
packages of cigarettes.
Then the friends and relatives at together of foods donated by
the guests. They dined on fish, venison, squirrel, beaver, muskrat,
succotash, rice pudding and wild rice. Following the feast, the
namer then placed the child on his lap and gives the name. This
act places the baby under the protection of the namer's guardian
spirit. Then the namer gives the infant some sort of keepsake
which is hung on the cradle board. These keepsakes are kept by
the child for his or her entire life and are always honored at
a War Dance or special feast.
The ceremony at Neopit as also a cure feast for Che Gum and Benase.
This too followed the old tradition, for the namer is responsible
for the cure if the child he named becomes ill at any time during
his lifetime. The namer must give a feast for him and use his
curing power.
Mocassins placed on Chippewa infants always had a hole in each
sole. This was to protect the baby from death. It was felt that
if death tried to lure the child away, it could be said..."it
can't go for it has holes in its mocassins."
Blanch remembers her early childhood as being rather carefree
(this was prior to being put in boarding school.) Indeed, the
children of not only the Chippewas, but Indian tribes in general,
were treated very well.
The summers at her grandfather's homestead in Sugar Camp were
particularly wonderful. They would travel to Sugar Camp in time
for the spring gathering of the maple syrup. Permanent wigwams
had been erected for this operation, although the family lived
in a log cabin.
the cabin had a wood range for cooking and a wood heater for
warmth, but most of their time was spent out of doors. The children
would pick all kinds of berries from the swamp. Blanche's mother
would can most of the fruit, but also make pies and shortcake.
The family stayed in Sugar Camp until after the harvest of the
wild rice in the fall, and then returned to their home in Lac
du Flambeau.
Another of Blanche's recollections... in her own words:
"We were sent uptown to the store for castoria for Mama's
new baby. Fooling around, we would throw stones and play along
the back road to tow, and then we stopped and visited with some
girls we knew and met while on our trips to the store. (Beverly
Norey, Norma Gaveen and little Ollie Chapman).
"While playing around we could hear the drums beating in
the direction of Woodman Hall, so we kind of strolled up that
way, but some horses were coming toward us. We got scared and
tried t o run for Woodman Hall, but the horses chased us and
we ran for all we were worth, screaming all the time. Then we
reached the longs steps and the big, tall horses just leaned
up and opened their mouth wide, ready to bit us. Talk about running
scared.
"When we back up against the door it flew open, and down
we went on the floor. A strange Indian came and looked down at
us on the floor, for by then we were howling up a storm. He helped
us up and took us by the hand and led us over to my grandma.
She was seated on the floor. We crawled under he shawl for a
while.
"When we quieted down, she filled her bowl and we ate. Be-ni-shi
(Orvillle) swears to this day we ate dog meat. I know for sure
he did, because he was the first grandson; and grandma Zah-win-dib
petted him up. Lil grandpa had a heat attack out in the woods
while hunting when Be-ni-shi was about four years old."
The Waymans had gardens in both Sugar Camp and Lac du Flambeau.
The crops were fertilized with fish, according to custom. The
children helped with the weeding, and Blanche remembers her father
giving each child a can with a layer of Paris Green in the bottom.
They would take these into the potato fields and drop the potato
bugs in the can.
Chippewa girls were trained by their mothers in wifely duties,
for it was felt that the more proficient they became, the better
marriage they would have. They were taught to make teepees, chop
wood, gather berries and roots, make birch bark vessels, make
maple sugar, prepare buckskin and to sew.
Blanche also remembers that cleaning the kerosene lamps and hauling
water for washing dishes were among her duties. The girls had
dolls to play with and would make clothes for them. Their dolls
were made of either bark, leaves, grass or pine needles; even
buckskin stuffed with moss. The girls were also taught many of
the crafts, and Blanche remembers learning her colors by stringing
beads.
There were several incidents at Sugar Camp that stand out
in Blanche's mind. Her father used to trap skunks. He would then
boil them to make cough syrup, flavoring it with wintergreen.
He would also boil the fat to be used as a chest salve for coughs
or congestion. The skunk hunting ended one day when he trapped
two of them in a hollow log...and the the skunks fought back
in the only way possible. The resulting odor prompted her mother
to lay down the law. No more skunk hunting.
Her sister also raised white rabbits, and the children enjoyed
them...until the day the rabbits got into the garden and almost
stripped it bare. That was the end of the rabbits.
The children also played games together, and one day Blanche
and her brother were playing bear; pretending to attack and bite
each other. Somehow the play became realism for her brother as
he bit her arm. He continued to bit until her mother pulled him
off. Blanche bears the scar to this day.
Fasting was also a part of a young child's life. They were encouraged
to fast so they would bea able to face the times when there was
very little food. These were usually ask to fast while their
fathers were on the hunt, for it was felt this would bring them
good luck. Fasting also prepared the young men for their vision
quest.
The children were disciplined through fright. Blanche remembers
here uncle dressing in raggedy clothing and then painting his
face to look ugly. He then jumped out at them when they were
using a trail they were not supposed to be on. (They never went
there again.) Children were told that the owl would carry them
away if they didn't go right to sleep, and so on....it worked.
While the girls were being taught household duties, the young
boys were being taught how to hunt, fish and trap. When the young
man killed his first game, his parents gave a Feast of the First
Game for him.
The young men also went into the forest for their fasting dream
or vision quest about the time of puberty. They would stay for
several days. It was felt the fasting cleared their minds so
that they would dream, hopefully, of a guardian spirit who would
protect them the rest of their life. They also dreamed of names
and songs, and sometimes it was thought the quest provided them
with the ability to prophesy.
Once a young man dreamed of his guardian spirit, it would be
painted on his personal drum and the spirit was honored throughout
the young man's life, usually with offerings of tobacco.
Courting among Chippewas was discreet. The young girls were always
closely watched by their mothers, and if a young man came to
call there were always adults nearby watching. Many young men
courted by flute. They were required to play them outside of
the village, for it was felt that the music was much too seductive
for the young women, and the girls were required to stay in the
house while the flute were being played.
When a young man became serious about a girl, he would bring
a give of game that he had killed, signifying he ability to provide
for here. If he was then invited to dinner, it indicated the
parental approval. In earlier days there was no formal marriage
ceremony. The young couple would just go off together. Many times
they lived with the girl's parents the first year of their marriage.
Marriage withing clans of the tribe was prohibited. Restrictions
relaxed a great deal throughout the years, and within Blanche's
family there was intermarriage with the Menominee, Potowatami,
Cherokee, and Irish, French and Danish.
After Blanche and her brothers were put in boarding school, their
lives in the winter changed drastically; but they still spent
their summers in Sugar Camp. One year they were to travel to
Rhinelander by train, and the be picked up to go to Sugar Camp.
They were quite young, and were put on the train by the government
Indian police. The train ride was thrilling, but when they arrived
in Rhinelander, there was no one to meet them. Not knowing what
else to do, they set out by food and had walked several miles,a
nd were very frightened children, before they were found and
taken to their father.
When she was seven, Blanche spent the summer with her aunt Frances
and uncle Bill Roy. They picked her up at school, went to Sugar
Camp to visit her parents, and from there drove north and took
trail to Tenderfoot Lake, where they went by canoe to an island
where they then spent the summer. This was Blanche's first experience
with an island.
They lived in a tent for the summer and she had a wonderful time.
Her aunt rode horses, paddled canoes, even played the guitar.
Blanche was given her own little paddle, and would go with her
aunt each day to help her clean cottages on another island. Her
uncle always surprised her with a little gift under her pillow
each morning...an orange, apple or banana. The only incident
to mar the summer was a switching she received for skinny dipping.
Many of the former ways of the tribe changed as Blanche was growing
up. Her grandmother washed by hand, then would wring the clothes
out against a broom stick and flatten the clothes carefully with
her hands. Blanche's mother still washed by hand, but used a
flat iron for the ironing. Her grandmother, Sarah Jackson, would
also weave cattail mats for the medicine lodge. They were picked
while green and then dried to yellow before being woven.
As did most of the men in their tribe, Blanche's father made
his living by trapping. He had his Wayman trap line of the Beaver
river. He would sell the mink, muskrat, otter and beaver to Harry
Worthing...and they would haggle and haggle over the price.
It was a simple life, nomadic, filled with fun and a special
closeness, not only among the members of the clan, but the entire
tribe. Most of their time was spent in just plain survival, but
it was a life they enjoyed.
Blanche now lives in town, and it took her a long time to adjust
to the sounds of traffic. She still misses the cry of the loon,
the croak of the frog and the howl of the coyote. These were
the sounds of the forest, the sounds that recalled the memories
of the past...a past now mostly assimilated into the white man's
world.ne year they were to travel to Rhinelander by train, and
the be picked up to go to Sugar Camp. They were quite young,
and were puit on the train by the government Indian plice. The
train ride was thrilling, but when they warrived in Rhinelander,
there was no one to meet them. Not knowing what else to do, they
set out by food and had walked several miles,a nd were ver frighted
children, before they were found and taken to their father.
When she was seven, Blance spent the summer with her aunt Frances
and uncle Bill Roy. They picked her up at school, went to Sugar
Camp to visit her parents, and from there drove north and took
trail to Tenderfoot Lake, where they went by canoe to an island
where they then spent the summer. This was Blance's first experience
with an island.
They lived in a tent for the summer and she had a wonderful time.
Her aunt rode horses, paddled canoes, even played the guitar.
Blance was given her own little paddle, and would go with her
aunt each day to help her clean cottages on another island. Her
uncle always surprised her with a little gift under her pillow
each morning...an orange, apple or banan. The only incident to
mar the summer was a switching she received for skinny dipping.
Many of the former ways of the tribe changed as Blance was growing
up. Her grandmother washedd by hand, then would wring the clothes
out against a broom stick and flatten the clothese carefully
with her hands. Blanche's mother still washed by hand, but used
a flat iron for the ironing. Her grandmother, Sarah Jackson,
would also weave cattail mats for the medicine lodge. They were
picked while green and then dried to yhellow before being woven.
As did most of the men in their tribe, Blanche's father made
his living by trapping. He had his Wayman trap line of the Beaver
river. He would sell the mink, muskrat, otter and beaver to Harry
Worthing...and they would haggle and haggle over the price.
It was a simple life, namadic, filled with fun and a special
closeness, not only among the members of the clan, but the entire
tribe. Most of their time was spent in just plain survival, but
it was alife they enjoyed.
Blanche now lives in town, and it took her a long time to adjust
to the sounds of traffic. She still msses the cry of the loon,
the croak fo the frog and the howl of the coyote. These were
the sounds of the forest, the sounds that recalled the memories
of the past...a past now mostly assimilated into the whilte man's
world.
|
|
