A Child of the Sea; and Life Among the MormonsWilliams, Elizabeth Whitney
History
A Child of the Sea; and Life Among the Mormons
Williams, Elizabeth Whitney
Beaver Island (Mich.); Latter Day Saints -- Michigan; Strang, James Jesse, 1813-1856
Early next morning all was excitement at the Indian Village, for Mary's
lover, Sha-wan-nib-in-asse, was dead. All suspicion pointed to the
Canadian Indian poisoning him through jealousy. The Indian women told my
mother at the feast that all the week they had feared the two young men
would fight, as they hated each other with a deadly hatred. Now the
whole village was ready to kill the Canadian Indian, as none had ever
liked him for the reason that he was British. The old hatred had not
died out from their hearts, even though peace had been declared so long
among the tribes. The Canadian Indian hurried from the Village and
stopped at our house on his way down the shore, where he soon reached a
small trading vessel and made his way home to Canada. Mary was very
sorrowful with grief at the death of her lover, and her father was sure
the Great Spirit was displeased with him for favoring the Canadian
Indian. We were all afraid it might cause a war, as all the Indians at
the Village wanted their Chief to go to Canada and get satisfaction from
the father in Canada. The white people advised the Chief Ossawinamakee
not to go to war, as his whole tribe would be killed, having no warriors
to be a match for the Canadian Indians. The tribe had lived in peace so
long war was only history to them. The Chief took the advice.
BURIAL OF SHA-WAN-NIB-IN-ASSE.
They buried the young lover with great honor, buried him with the sound
of the muffled drum. Father made the casket and mother was there to help
them. They dressed him in the pretty leggings and moccasins Mary had
made for him, putting the other pair with bows and arrows, silver
breastplates, with a small kettle and wooden ladle and gun, into the
casket as was their custom when burying their dead. They buried him
beside the peaceful little lake where the branches of the trees were
filled with singing birds. Though a child of the forest he had loved
Mary with a pure and holy love.
ON BOARD THE ELIZA CAROLINE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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