It was the identification by Mr. Shea, of the Winnebagoes as the "Ouinipigou," or "Gens de Mer," of the _Relations_, that enabled him to call the attention of the public to the extent of the discoveries of Nicolet. The claims of the latter, as the discoverer of the Northwest, were thus, for the first time, brought forward on the page of American history.] [Footnote 24: "Le huictiesme de Iuin, le Capitaine des Naiz percez, ou de la Nation du Castor, qui est à trois iournées de nous, vint nous demander quelqu'vn de nos François, pour aller auec eux passer l'Este dans vn fort qu'ils ont fait, pour la crainte qu'ils ont des _A8eatsi8aenrrhonon_, c'est à dire, des gens puants, qui ont rompu le traicté de paix, et ont tuè deux de leurs dont ils ont fait festin."--Le Jeune, _Relation_, 1636, p. 92. "On the 18th of June [1635], the chief of the Nez Percés, or Beaver Nation, which is three days' journey from us [the Jesuit missionaries, located at the head of Georgian bay of Lake Huron], came to demand of us some one of our Frenchmen to go with them to pass the summer in a fort which they have made, by reason of the fear which they have of the _Aweatiswaenrrhonon_;[A] that is to say, of the Nation of the Puants [Winnebagoes], who have broken the treaty of peace, and have killed two of their men, of whom they have made a feast."] [Footnote A: The figure 8 which occurs in this word in the _Relation_ of 1636, is supposed to be equivalent, in English, to "w," "we," or "oo."] [Footnote 25: 'Iean Nicolet, en son voyage qu'il fit auec nous iusques à l'Isle souffrit aussi tous les trauaux d'vn des plus robustes Sauuages.'--Brébeuf, _Relation_, 1635, p. 30.] [Footnote 26: Parkman's "Jesuits in North America," p. 53.] [Footnote 27: The Mattawan has its source on the very verge of Lake Nipissing, so that it was easy to make a "portage" there to reach the lake. The Indians, and afterward the French, passed by the Mattawan, Mattouane, or Mattawin ("the residence of the beaver"), went over the small space of land called the "portage," that exists between the two waters, floated on Lake Nipissing, and followed the French river, which flows directly out of that lake to the Georgian bay. A "portage" is a place, as is well known, where parties had to "port" their baggage in order to reach the next navigable water.] [Footnote 28: Vimont, _Relation_, 1643, p. 3.] [Footnote 29: "Sieur Nicolet, interpreter en langue Algonquine et Huronne," etc.--Vimont, _Relation_, 1640, p. 35. The Hurons and Nipissings were, at that date, great friends, having constant intercourse, according to all accounts of those days.]