Chapter VII: Appendix: Notes on Timagami Folk-Lore

(By Neil C. Fergusson.)

[Note.

Under date of August 30, 1913, Mr. Neil C. Fergusson, Timagami Fire Ranger, wrote from Bear island, Lake Timagami: “While at Bear Island I met Mr. Speck, who was gathering Indian lore and legends for the Victoria Memorial Museum. His work interested me greatly.” He then proceeds to communicate some folk-lore material which he had himself collected from Timagami Indians. This, kindly put by Mr. Fergusson at the disposal of the Geological Survey, is here added as a supplement to Dr. Speck’s own data.

E. Sapir.]

(1) Whisky Jack and the Markings on Birch Bark.

“One Indian told me a few incidents about Whisky Jack (Anglicised form of native Wiske·djak) and ended by saying that he had seen the outline of that strange personage imprinted on a rock along the Ottawa river. He said that the markings on the birch bark were caused by Whisky Jack when he struck the bark, which was once clear, with a balsam bough and then threw a bird at the tree. Hence the knots give the appearance of a bird with outstretched wings, as seen on the enclosed piece of bark (see Figure 2).”

(2) The Two Girls, Hell-Diver, and Loon. [58]

Once upon a time two girls who were out in the woods climbed a tall spruce tree, but when they wanted to descend, they found that it was impossible. Just then a Moose passed near the tree and both girls called to him for help. The Moose, however, passed on without aiding them. Likewise a Deer, an Otter, and a Lynx all went by, but from none did they receive any help. At last a Wolverine came along and listened to the girls’ entreaties. He finally climbed the tree and brought the girls safely to the ground, after which all three walked along together. The girls didn’t wish the Wolverine as a companion, so one of them said that she had dropped her hair-ribbon near the spruce tree and asked the unwelcome companion to go back for it, saying that they would wait where they were until he returned. The kind Wolverine went off on his errand, and, as soon as he was out of sight, the two girls made their departure. So the Wolverine came back and saw no girls. He heard a whistle and went in that direction. Then he heard another whistle behind him, and so on, but still he failed to find the girls, for the trees were whistling one after another in order to fool the poor Wolverine. The Wolverine went his own way, feeling very much grieved.

The girls walked on swiftly until they came to a little wigwam built in the bush. It was a very pretty wigwam and looked so inviting to the tired girls that they went inside to rest. Soon a Bird, who was the owner, came along and demanded their business in his wigwam. They told him that they had lost their way, so he gave them a cup of tea and directed them on their journey. The girls travelled on and came at last to a river at the end of which was a lake. A Beaver was paddling his canoe down the stream, but wouldn’t take the girls in. Next a Loon, who was the king of all water animals, came along in his canoe, but he also refused to take them with him. Finally a “Hell-diver” came paddling by. He was very kind and took the two girls down to the lake where he dwelt and told them that they might sleep in his wigwam that night. He gave them some blankets and then went out on business.

The girls, however, couldn’t go to sleep, for they heard music and knew that a dance must be going on. They got out of their bed and went to the house where they heard the music. Looking in at the window, they saw the Loon playing the fiddle and all the dancers enjoying themselves, so they returned to their bed and placed two logs under the blankets to deceive their kind friend, the “Hell-diver,” into thinking that they were still where he had left them.

While the two girls were dancing, the “Hell-diver” returned and lay down under the blankets, but the logs happened to be partly rotten and were filled with ants, so that it wasn’t long before he discovered the trick that had been played on him. At once he went to the Loon’s house, thinking that the girls had been to the dance. All was dark in the house, as the dancers had left, but he could see that the two girls and the Loon were lying there asleep. The Loon was snoring with his mouth wide open. The “Hell-diver” was seized with anger and went swiftly back to his wigwam, where he heated a piece of iron until it was red hot. He hastened with this to the Loon’s house and crammed it down the sleeper’s mouth.

Knowing that he had killed the Loon and that the murder would soon be discovered on the next day, he made ready to go on a hunting trip and told his old grandmother that he’d be back on the following evening. When the murdered Loon was discovered, his murderer was far away in the bush and had already caught one deer in his trap. He filled a portion of its entrails with blood and hung it around his neck, then started for home. As his canoe neared the village in the evening, all the people ran down to the water’s edge and cried, “Our chief is dead!” The “Hell-diver” pulled his knife and cut the bladder of blood which hung about his neck, upsetting the canoe at the same time. The people lamented, saying, “We shouldn’t have told the ‘Hell-diver,’ for he has killed himself from grief.”

But far out in the middle of the lake the “Hell-diver” came swimming to the surface and called aloud. “It was I who killed our king, the Loon.” Revenge took hold of all the people and they at once gave chase, but were unable to catch the murderer, and, as darkness was upon them, they said, “We will build a dam and in the morning, when the lake is dry, we will catch him.” In the morning the lake was dry and all the villagers went in pursuit. The chase was a long one and the ‘Hell-diver’ was in the last stages of fatigue when he ran to the dam and quickly kicked it down. The waters came running in and all the people were turned into water animals, but became friends with one another.

PHONETIC KEY.

a, as in father, of medium length; a·, lengthened.

e, open; ɛ·, long as in North German Bär.

e·, longer than e and close in quality.

i and i·, short and long close vowels.

o, close and of medium length.

ɔ·, longer than o and with lips more protruded, almost like au of English taut.

α, dulled form of short a, like u of English but.

ə, short obscure vowel of uncertain quality.

b–p, bilabial stops varying between true sonant and intermediate surd-sonant.

d–t, alveolar stops varying between true sonant and intermediate surd-sonant.

g–k, medial palatal stops varying between true sonant and intermediate surd-sonant.

s and z, surd and sonant dorsal sibilant pronounced with tip of tongue deflected to lower alveolar (applies only to Timiskaming Algonquin; in Timagami Ojibwa s and z are normal).

c and j, surd and sonant sibilant corresponding respectively to English sh and z of azure.

tc and dj, surd and sonant sibilant affricative corresponding respectively to English ch and j.

x, voiceless palatal spirant like ch of German Bach.

m, as in English.

n, as in English.

ŋ, palatal nasal like ng of English sing.

w, as in English.

y, as in English.

h, as in English.

˛, nasalized vowel.

ʻ, aspiration following vowel or consonant.

·, denotes that preceding vowel or consonant is long.

′, main stress.

‵, secondary stress.

NOTES

[1] This band is known locally as Ki·we·′gomani‵cəna‵bi “Turn back lake Indians.” Their rendezvous was at Fort William. Their range extended around Lake Dumoine and down Dumoine river to the Ottawa river.

[2] Cf. A. B. Skinner, Notes on the Eastern Cree and Northern Saulteaux, Anth. Papers of Amer. Mus. of Nat. Hist., N.Y., vol. IX, pt. i, 1911.

[3] Ciŋgəbis is the grebe, a well known character in Ojibwa mythology, sharing the trickster exploits of Wiske·djak. He appears again as the quasi-hero of a subsequent story in this cycle.

[4] Formal way of ending a narration; the narrator is assumed to have been a spectator. The informant temporarily discontinued his story here.

[5] Ejus.

[6] Ejus.

[7] The Indians often use the red willow bark to mix with tobacco. It is called məskwa′bi·‵mij “red willow tree.” The yellow spots seen on the red of the bark are where Wiske·djak, in walking over them, got them between his legs and left yellow matter in the blood from the scabs. The “rock weed,” wa′kwund (rock tripe) is often eaten in the bush when other foods fail. It is scraped off the rocks with a flat stick into a blanket, then washed and boiled and eaten. The water becomes a little slimy, but it makes a nourishing soup.

[8] Pαgwa′k·wut pugəma′gan “arrow-head hammer,” an old style of war club with a stone set in a big wooden head attached to a handle and swung by a thong from the warrior’s elbow to leave his hand free.

[9] It is a most remarkable thing that practically the same legend is found among all the northern and eastern Algonkians: Cree, Montagnais, Abenaki, Penobscot, Malecite.

[10] This is the version of the Kingfisher clan of the Timagami band.

[11] This refers to the old custom of seclusion during puberty.

[12] By doing so she became pregnant. Magical conception occurs in the culture-hero story of the Algonkian, Iroquoian, and Yuchi tribes.

[13] An episode strikingly similar to one found among the Penobscot and other Eastern Algonkians.

[14] Fire drill.

[15] Onomapoetic term in diminutive.

[16] Rock-tripe, an edible fungus made into soup and eaten in time of famine. Nenebuc had this experience on a ledge near the eastern shore of Smoothwater lake (see map).

[17] This big snake became a high rocky ridge on the portage south of Smoothwater lake (see map above referred to).

[18] The lake is Smoothwater lake, Cųcawa′gami “smooth lake” (see map above referred to). This is the scene of the world transformation.

[19] The cave is in a high bluff on the west shore of Smoothwater lake. On the eastern shore is where Nenebuc fell down the rocks and made wa′kwan.

[20] The medicine people always do that now.

[21] Abi·ndəsa′gan “something to sit or lie on the water with.” The event occurred near the previously mentioned cave.

[22] This is called Koko‵kowikwe·‵tuɔk “Owl bay,” now known as Kokoko bay, the northeastern arm of Lake Timagami (see map). The event occurred on the western shore of the bay.

[23] This fragment has probably come from some neighbouring band of Ojibwa, possibly Mattagami.

[24] This is a fragment of the culture-hero cycle of the Mattagami band of Ojibwa, which has become known among the Timagami people, but does not form a part of their own version.

[25] Every wigwam has horizontal poles crossing near the smoke hole. This is a drying rack and support for the pot hook.

[26] The Ojibwa formerly cooked in stone vessels as well as in birch bark.

[27] A very scarce animal in northern Ontario.

[28] The Indians often had much trouble to get food in the winter and looked forward eagerly to spring, when the ice leaves the rivers, making “open water,” thus enabling them to seek new hunting places.

[29] An opening in the ice near the camp for the supply of water in winter.

[30] An affair resembling a megaphone or moose call.

[31] By doing this he would prevent them from travelling and cause them to freeze or starve to death.

[32] Magic.

[33] The hole is a circle composed of seven stars (Pleiades). This was the first mite′win or “conjuring” lodge. Seven poles are necessary to build this lodge. Unless seven are used, the conjurer’s tent will not rock. The old woman tends the mite′win. When she moves from the hole, there is sure to be mite′win somewhere here below. The stars form the rim of the hole through which she lowered the two girls.

[34] Etiam hodie castor saepe pedit.

[35] Kcki·′man, a magic fetish which will secure the owner his wish.

[36] Also called Mici·′ci·ga‵k “Monster Skunk”.

[37] In winter-time, the Indians keep a hole chopped through the ice near their camp for the water supply.

[38] If he had obeyed her and not looked until the third day, she would still have been there.

[39] It is the custom for a hunter returning to hand his game bag to his wife before he enters the wigwam, without speaking, so that she can see for herself whether he has had good luck or not.

[40] The constellation Ursa Major is called wətci·′gan·αŋg “Fishing Star.” The story accounts for this constellation name.

[41] This is the bend in the handle of the Great Dipper. The small star Alcor in this constellation is the wound.

[42] Night lines are set for lake fish. The hook of bone formerly was fastened into a shank of wood and this tied to a line by a leather leader which the teeth of the fish could not sever. Then the line was fastened to another line adjoining the two float sticks by a knot and wrapping, which would pay out after a little jerk. The float sticks were anchored by a stone. The bait was tied to the hook, which later was kept horizontal by a line running from the leader to a pin stuck in the bait. This ingenious device is shown in Figure 1. As the story mentions, when the float sticks are together it is a sign that a fish is on the hook.

[43] Archaic form.

[44] To drive beaver is to hunt them by driving them from their cabins beneath the ice.

[45] At this time Lynx testes habuit just like those of animals, but now they are like those of the cat, invisible.

[46] Conjurer’s magic.

[47] They used to suspend the beaver by a swinging string and roast him, saving all the bones from the dogs in order to throw them into the lake, as they thought that there would be just as many beavers there again in the autumn as the number of bones thrown in. This story explains the ceremonial treatment of beaver remains.

[48] This intestine sausage is a great delicacy among the Indians.

[49] One of the ranks of shamans.

[50] Mi·te‵ʻkwe, “medicine woman”.

[51] A cannibal monster.

[52] Gitcikwe′we intended to assume this guise.

[53] Seven poles are always required for this kind of a wigwam. See story of Ciŋgibis.

[54] The usual procedure of the conjurer.

[55] This is related as a true story. One of Gitcikwe′we’s daughters is still living in the Timagami band; she is known as Pi·dje′ʻkwe.

[56] Quoted verbatim from Chief Aleck Paul.

[57] Thongs of rawhide.

[58] Mr. Fergusson writes: “Another Indian told me some stories that he had heard from his grandmother, who could speak the Ojibwa tongue. I will write out the one that I thought most interesting.” The story given by Mr. Fergusson is evidently a close variant of the second part of No. 5 of Dr. Speck’s Timagami series.

E. Sapir.