Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/620

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606 OJIBWAYS O'KEEFFE and always defeated them in the wooded coun- try, though generally worsted on the plains. Their numbers were so reduced by war that when the French missions were restored about 1660 only 550 Ojibways were found in four bands at the Sault. They contributed their quota to many expeditions of the French, and were always devoted to them down to the close of French rule. They took part in Pontiac's war, and surprised Mackinaw. During the revolu- tionary war they were under British influence, but made peace by the treaties of Fort Mclntosh in 1785 and Fort Harmar in 1789. Subsequently they joined the Miamis in their hostilities, till Wayne reduced them, when they again made peace at Greenville, Aug. 3, 1795. Some of them had moved as far east as Lake Erie, but they gave up most of their lands there in 1805. In the second war with England they were again hostile, but they took part in the general pacification of the tribes in 1816, and the next year finally relinquished all their lands in Ohio. In 1822 there were 5, 6 69 Ojibways at Saginaw, 8,335 along the Lake Superior line from Mack- inaw to the Mississippi, and 550 mixed with other tribes. The limits of the vast territory belonging to them were fixed by treaty in 1825. In 1830 the United States interposed to arrest the immemorial war between them and the Sioux. Like other tribes, they gradually ceded lands to government, and in 1837 and 1842 the United States agreed to pay them for 25 years $22,000 in money, $29,500 in goods, and $18,- 700 in other forms, as well as a sum of $45,000 to the half-breeds, besides paying off debts against them amounting to $145,000. By 1851 all but a few bands had been removed west of the Mississippi, and these bands ceded all ex- cept moderate reservations. In 1 86 6 the Missis- sippi bands numbered 2,166 ; the Pillagers and Winnebagoshish, 1,899 ; the Red Lake, 1,183 ; the Pembina, 931 ; the Lake Superior bands, 5,558 ; and those mixed with other tribes prob- ably 2,000 more. These differed much in their state of civilization and improvement. The Lake Superior bands and those in Michigan were generally peaceful, industrious, and far advanced, having been for years under salutary missionary influence. The Red Lake band were still chiefly hunters, and cultivated little ; the Pembinas were much corrupted by bad whites ; the Pillagers and Winnebagoshish were rest- less and lawless. The Ojibways of the Missis- sippi still possess large tracts of land, and many of the others are scattered on reservations, amounting in all to more than 5,000,000 acres, as established by treaties between September, 1854, and March, 1867. The liability of gov- ernment to them in 1872 was about $750,000. In the Dominion of Canada in 1871 there were 1,974 Ojibways at Sarnia, Snake island, Rama, Sandy island, Saugeen, and Cape Croker ; 1,502 on the N. shore of Lake Superior; and some mingled with other tribes on the Thames and Walpole island. Some of the missions early established among the Ojibways by Catholics are still maintained ; there are also Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian missions ; but most of them are still pagans. The manners, cus- toms, traditions, and language of the Ojibways have been investigated by many, and they are better known than those of any other tribe. Schoolcraft and others popularized the infor- mation. They believe in Kitche Manitou, the Great or Good Spirit, and Matchi Manitou, the evil spirit. The Medas are a body acting as a priesthood ; but each one has his own manitou revealed to him in dreams. Their great mytho- logical personage is Menabojou, who aids the Great Spirit in creating the world. Their in- dustry reached its highest point in the making of mats and canoes. Of their language there is a dictionary by Bishop Baraga, grammars by him and the Rev. G. A. Belcourt, and trea- tises less complete by Schoolcraft and others. The number of works printed in it, including a newspaper, is large. Their history has been written vaguely by George Copway, a native O jib way (" Traditional History of the O jib way Nation," Boston, 1851), and also by Peter Jones, another member of the tribe ("History of the Ojibway Indians," London, 1861). OKA, a river of central Russia, one of the principal affluents of the Volga. It rises about 40 m. S. of Orel, in the government of the same name, passes that town, and flowing with a swift current N., N. E., S. E., and N. E. through the governments of Tula and Kaluga, on the border of Moscow, and through Riazan, Tambov, Vladimir, and Nizhegorod, joins the Volga at the town of Nizhni-Novgorod. Its to- tal course is about 800 m., almost all navigable. OKANAGANS, a tribe of the Soushwap branch of the Selish family of American Indians, liv- ing on a river that bears their name in Wash- ington territory, E. of the Cascade mountains. They were called Cutsanim by Lewis and Clarke, and have always been friendly. They cultivate some corn, wheat, and potatoes, but depend chiefly on fish, roots, and berries. They lost greatly by disease in 1830. Missions were established among them in 1846, when they numbered 685. They are now reduced to 340. They had a peculiar weapon like a slungshot, a cylinder with a round stone at the end, both sewed in leather. One end was fast- ened to the wrist when in use. They strapped their dead to trees. O'KEEFFE, John, an Irish dramatist, born in Dublin, June 24, 1747, died in Southampton, England, Feb. 4, 1833. He wrote a comedy at the age of 15, and was an actor for 12 years. In 1781 he went to London, and between that year and 1798 composed nearly 50 comedies, comic operas, and farces. Several of these were very popular, especially " The Castle of Andalusia," "Wild Oats," "The Poor Sol- dier," "The Young Quaker," and "Peeping Tom." In his 50th year O'Keefe became blind. In 1826 he published his "Recollections, or Autobiographical Memoirs." In 1828 he re- moved to Southampton.