History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan | Page 8

as other tribes of Indians took

possession of the island, such as the Hurons and Chippewas; and still
later by the whites--French, English, and Americans; and numbers of
battles have been fought from time to time there, by both Indians and
whites, of which I need not relate as other historians have already given
us the accounts of them. But only this I would relate, because I have
never yet seen the account of it: It is related in our traditions that at the
time when the Chippewas occupied the island they ceded it to the
United States Government, but reserved a strip of land all around the
island as far as a stone throw from its water's edge as their encampment
grounds when they might come to the island to trade or for other
business.
Perhaps the reader would like to know what became of those two
persons who escaped from the lamented tribe Michinemackinawgoes. I
will here give it just as it is related in our traditions, although this may
be considered, at this age, as a fictitious story; but every Ottawa and
Chippewa to this day believes it to be positively so. It is related that the
two persons escaped were two young people, male and female, and
they were lovers. After everything got quieted down, they fixed their
snow-shoes inverted and crossed the lake on the ice, as snow was quite
deep on the ice, and they went towards the north shore of Lake Huron.
The object of inverting their snow-shoes was that in case any person
should happen to come across their track on the ice, their track would
appear as if going towards the island. They became so disgusted with
human nature, it is related, that they shunned every mortal being, and
just lived by themselves, selecting the wildest part of the country.
Therefore, the Ottawas and Chippewas called them "Paw-gwa-
tchaw-nish-naw-boy." The last time they were seen by the Ottawas,
they had ten children--all boys, and all living and well. And every
Ottawa and Chippewa believes to this day that they are still in existence
and roaming in the wildest part of the land, but as supernatural beings
--that is, they can be seen or unseen, just as they see fit to be; and
sometimes they simply manifested themselves as being present by
throwing a club or a stone at a person walking in a solitude, or by
striking a dog belonging to the person walking; and sometimes by
throwing a club at the lodge, night or day, or hearing their footsteps
walking around the wigwam when the Indians would be camping out in

an unsettled part of the country, and the dogs would bark, just as they
would bark at any strange person approaching the door. And sometimes
they would be tracked on snow by hunters, and if followed on their
track, however recently passed, they never could be overtaken.
Sometimes when an Indian would be hunting or walking in solitude, he
would suddenly be seized with an unearthly fright, terribly awe stricken,
apprehending some great evil. He feels very peculiar sensation from
head to foot--the hair of his head standing and feeling stiff like a
porcupine quill. He feels almost benumbed with fright, and yet he does
not know what it is; and looking in every direction to see something,
but nothing to be seen which might cause sensation of terror. Collecting
himself, he would then say, "Pshaw! its nothing here to be afraid of. It's
nobody else but Paw-gwa-tchaw-nish-naw-boy is approaching me.
Perhaps he wanted something of me." They would then leave
something on their tracks--tobacco, powder, or something else. Once in
a great while they would appear, and approach the person to talk with
him, and in this case, it is said, they would always begin with the sad
story of their great catastrophe at the Island of Mackinac. And whoever
would be so fortunate as to meet and see them and to talk with them,
such person would always become a prophet to his people, either
Ottawa or Chippewa. Therefore, Ottawas and Chippewas called these
supernatural beings "Paw-gwa-tchaw-nish-naw-boy," which is, strictly,
"Wild roaming supernatural being."
Pine river country, in Charlevoix County, Michigan, when this country
was all wild, especially near Pine Lake, was once considered as the
most famous resort of these kind of unnatural beings. I was once
conversing with one of the first white settlers of that portion of the
country, who settled near to the place now called Boyne City, at the
extreme end of the east arm of Pine Lake. In the conversation he told
me that many times they had been frightened, particularly during the
nights, by hearing what sounded like human footsteps around outside
of their cabin; and their dog would be terrified, crouching