The American Indians: Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and ManuscriptsSchoolcraft, Henry Rowe
History
The American Indians: Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and Manuscripts
Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe
Indians of North America
called out, "Ma-mis-quon-je-gun-a, be-nau-wa-con-zhe-shin," that is,
"_you_, of the _red fins_ come and swallow me." Immediately that
monstrous fish came and swallowed him; and seeing his sister standing on
the shore in despair, he hallooed out to her, "Me-zush-ke-zin-ance." She
wondered what he meant. But on reflection she thought it must be an old
mockesin. She accordingly tied the old mockesin to a string, and
fastened it to a tree. The fish said to the boy-man, under water, "What
is that floating?" the boy-man said to the fish, "Go, take hold of it,
swallow it as fast as you can." The fish darted towards the old shoe,
and swallowed it. The boy-man laughed in himself, but said nothing, till
the fish was fairly caught; he then took hold of the line and began to
pull himself and fish to shore. The sister, who was watching, was
surprised to see so large a fish; and hauling it ashore she took her
knife and commenced cutting it open. When she heard her brother's voice
inside of the fish, saying, "Make haste and release me from this nasty
place," his sister was in such haste that she almost hit his head with
her knife; but succeeded in making an opening large enough for her
brother to get out. When he was fairly out, he told his sister to cut up
the fish and dry it, as it would last a long time for their sustenance,
and said to her, never, never more to doubt his ability in any way. So
ends the story.
AINGODON AND NAYWADAHA.
STORY OF A FAMILY OF NADOWAS, OR PEOPLE OF THE SIX NATIONS OF
TORONTO, CONSISTING OF SIX BROTHERS, THEIR YOUNGEST SISTER, AND TWO
AUNTS. THEIR FATHER AND MOTHER HAVING DIED, THEY WERE LEFT ORPHANS,
THEIR ORIGIN, HOWEVER, WAS FROM THE FIRST CLASS OF CHIEFTAINS IN
THEIR NATION.
NARRATED FROM THE ORAL RELATION OF NABANOI, BY MR. GEORGE JOHNSTON.
In the days of this story, wars, murders, and cruelty existed in the
country now comprising the province of Upper Canada, or that portion
bordering upon Lakes Simcoe, Erie, and Ontario, which was claimed and
belonged to the powerful tribe of the eight nations of the Nawtoways.
The young men had, on a day, started for a hunting excursion: in the
evening five only of the brothers returned, one was missing. Upon search
being made the body was found, and it appeared evident that he had been
killed: this gave a great blow to the family, but particularly causing
great affliction to the sister, who was the youngest of the family. She
mourned and lamented her brother's death, and she wept incessantly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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