History of the Ojibway Nation/Chapter 32
CHAPTER XXXII.
OJIBWAYS OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI.
The year after the battle at Long Prairie, the Dakotas, along the whole line of their eastern frontiers, made an unusual attempt to enter into a general peace with the Ojibways. Shappa (the Beaver), head-chief of the Yankton Dakotas, the most numerous section of this extensive tribe, and occupying the most northern position, first made advances of peace to the Ojibways on Red River. Some years previous he had taken captive a young Ojibway woman, who soon became his favorite wife. This woman he now placed on a fleet horse, and giving her his peace pipe, he bade her to go to her people at Pembina, and tell them that in so many days, Shappa would come and smoke with them in peace and good-will.
On the day appointed, the Dakota chief, with a large number of his people, made his appearance, and the Red River Ojibways accepted his offers of peace. At the same time the Sisseton, Warpeton, and M'dewakanton Dakotas, in a large camp, approached the Ojibways of the Mississippi and Sandy Lake, and Mille Lac. The two parties met on the banks of Platte River, near its junction with the Mississippi,and the peace pipe was formally smoked between them, and games of various kinds was played between the young men of the two camps. The feeling of hatred, however, which rankled in the breasts of the Dakotas against the Ojibways, could not altogether be restrained. At a grand game of ball, or Baug-ah-ud-o-way, played between the young men of either tribe for a large stake, a disturbance nearly leading to a scene of bloodshed occurred.
One of the seven Dakota warriors who had survived the battle at Long Prairie, picked a quarrel with an Ojibway, by striking him for some trivial cause, with his ball-stick. The blow was returned, and the fight would soon have become general, had not the young Wa-nah-ta, son of Shappa, rushed in, and forcibly separated the combatants, inflicting a summary punishment and scolding on his fellow Dakota who had commenced the fight. This is the first occasion in which Wa-nah-ta is mentioned by the Ojibways. He afterwards became celebrated as a warrior, and a chief of vast influence over the wild Yankton Dakotas.
While peace parties thus met above and below him, Flat Mouth, the Pillager chief, quietly hunted beaver on Long Prairie River. The peace pipe had been sent to him, but he had not as yet determined to accept it, for he mistrusted the intentions of the Dakotas in thus unusually making the first advance to bury the war-club. The wary chieftain could not think them sincere in their proffers of good-will and fellowship, so soon after suffering such a severe blow as the Ojibways had inflicted on them at Long Prairie. He suspected from his knowledge of their character, that some deep design of treachery was concealed beneath this guise of peace, and he hesitated to place the stem of the sacred peace pipe to his lips.
Flat Mouth, pursuing his hunts, proceeded to Otter Tail Lake, and was one evening encamped at the outlet of Otter Tail Creek, dressing a bear skin, when a feeling of fear suddenly came on him, and in the darkness of night he ordered his family to raise camp, for he "felt that the Dakotas were in the vicinity." They embarked in their canoe, and passing the night on the lake, the next morning he landed to reconnoitre. On the prairie which skirted the lake shore, he discovered a wide, fresh, Dakota war trail! Having left some hunters in his rear towards Leaf Lake, and fearing that they might be attacked (as from the late reports of peace they hunted in apparent security), he followed the trail to satisfy himself as to the direction the war party would take. They had passed close to his last evening's encampment, where, had he remained, they would doubtless have discovered and attacked him. He saw their encampment of the past night, and from the marks left, he judged the party to be fully four hundred strong, marching under the direction of four different leaders, who left their respective marks on the trees. One of these was a beaver, which satisfied Flat Mouth that the false Yankton chief, Shappa, was now working out his treachery, after having lulled the habitual caution of the Ojibways by his false songs of peace.
When satisfied that the enemy had gone in the direction of Battle Lake, where he knew there were no Ojibways, he returned to his family, and again embarking, he proceeded down towards Leaf Lake, to warn his people of the threatened danger. He was, however, wind-bound one day on Otter Tail Lake, and the next morning as he entered the creek, he perceived a huge smoke arising in a direction where he supposed his two cousins, Nug-an-ash, and Blue Eagle, were hunting beaver in an isolated little lake. A smoke in a dangerous vicinity is never without meaning, and satisfied that something serious had befallen his cousins, Flat Mouth returned to a party of his people who were gathering wild rice in an adjacent lake, and immediately sent out a party to go and view the spot from whence the ominous smoke had arisen. They soon returned and reported that they had discovered the mutilated remains of his two cousins; with them had been left three Dakotas in a sitting position, facing the west, whom they had killed.
The Dakotas afterwards related to Flat Mouth that while their war party was stealthily approaching to attack the lodge of his two cousins, which stood on the borders of a little lake, the two hunters first perceived them, from a high wooded promontory of the lake where they happened to be busy in cutting poles for stretching beaver skins. They first fired on the Dakotas, killing one of their number, on which they were furiously attacked, but they defended themselves on the narrow point, and kept off their assailants, till one became wounded, when they quickly embarked in their canoe, and paddled to a small rock islet, standing in the lake, but which could be reached by bullets, or even arrows, from the point which they had just left. They, however, made partial defences by piling stones around them, from which they kept up the fight. The Dakotas surrounded them on all sides, and approached their defences by rolling large logs into the water, and swimming behind them, gradually pushed them towards the island. The two hunters kept them off till their ammunition failed, when they fell an easy prey to their numerous enemies. Three Dakotas were left on the ground whom they killed, and many more were wounded, some of whom afterwards died.
The Pillager chief was very much exasperated at the death of his two cousins, and he lost no time in collecting a war party to avenge them. His war-pipe and war-club were carried by fleet messengers from village to village of his people, to inform them of his intention, and inviting the warriors to join him. In the mean time a messenger came to him from a trading post on Red River, belonging to Col. Dickson, with a message from the Yankton chief Shappa, denying all participation in the late war party of his people, and appointing a day when he should meet him at the trading post for the purpose of smoking the peace pipe and strengthening good-will between their respective people. Flat Mouth chose thirty of his best warriors, and on the appointed day he arrived at the trading post on Red River, where he found four Frenchmen who had charge of the establishment. On the next day, the Yankton chief arrived, accompanied by only two men.
The warriors of Flat Mouth made demonstrations to kill them at once, but Flat Mouth ordered them to desist, as he did not wish "to sully the door-steps of a white man with blood." He refused to smoke from the proffered pipe-stem of the Dakota chief, and Shappa knew from this that his treachery was fully known, and his enemies had met to punish him. All night it rained and thundered heavily, and mingled with the roaring of the storm without, there arose the voice of the doomed chieftain, as he prayed and sang to the spirits of his belief for protection against the threatened danger. Early in the morning, Sha-wa-ke-shig, the principal warrior of Flat Mouth, asked his chief for permission to kill the three Dakotas. The Pillager chief answered: "You know that since the death of my cousins, my heart has been sore; the road which I have followed in coming here, is red with blood. The Great Spirit has placed these men in our hands that we might do with them as we please. Do, therefore, as you wish, only do not shed blood on the steps of these white men, nor in their presence. Though it is my doing, yet I shall not be with you."
The Ojibways waited till the Dakotas left the shelter of the trading post, and escorting them out on the prairie, towards their country, they shot them down, and cutting off their heads, they caught up with their chief, who had gone on his road homewards, unwilling to witness the scene which he knew his warriors were determined to perpetrate. Sha-wa-ke-shig is noted as having killed the chief Shappa, and secured his scalp. The chief's medal which he wore on his breast, was secured by Wash-kin-e-ka (Crooked Arm), a warrior of Red Lake.
Col. Dickson, who had married a sister of the Yankton chief, was very much exasperated at his death, and he sent a message to Flat Mouth, that henceforth the smoke of a trading house would never more arise from among the Pillagers; and within four years the village would be swept away." The Pillager chieftain laughed at his threats, and he now[1] remarks, that "the traders came to him as usual, and his village continued to grow larger, notwithstanding the big words of the red-headed Englishman." It is doubtless a fact, that Col. Dickson's future treatment of this powerful northern chieftain conduced greatly to alienate him from the British interest, and to strengthen his predilections to the American government. He peremptorily refused to join the British in the late war against the people of the United States.
Shappa, the Yankton chief, was succeeded by his son Wa-nah-ta, who became one of the most influential and celebrated warriors that the Dakotas can boast of. During his lifetime he amply revenged the death of his father, by inflicting repeated blows on the Ojibways of Red River. On the death of Shappa, the war again raged on the whole frontier between the two belligerent tribes. Wa-nah-ta led a large party of his warriors into the Ojibway country, towards Red Lake. He was accidentally met by a war party of his enemies, headed by the chief, Wash-ta-do-ga-wub, and at the entry of Goose River into the Red River, a severe fight ensued, which lasted nearly a whole day, and which resulted in the retreat of both parties with severe loss. Two scouts of the Ojibways, who always kept ahead of the main body while on the march, were suddenly fired on by the Dakotas, and one killed. In the sanguinary battle which ensued, the Ojibways were so hard pressed by the superior numbers of their enemies, that they were forced to dig holes in the ground for shelter and defence against their missiles. An Ojibway warrior named "Black Duck" distinguished himself for bravery in this fight. He fought in the foremost ranks, recklessly exposing his person, and with his own hand killed and scalped seven Dakotas.
The summer following this eventful year in the annals of the Ojibways, the farce of a temporary peace was again enacted on Platte River, a short distance below Crow Wing. The scouts of a large camp of Ojibways discovered a Dakota war party approaching their encampment, evidently for the purpose of attack. On account of their women and children, who would be the main sufferers in case of a battle, the Ojibways determined on a bold manœuvre, which, if it failed, they were determined to fight to the last. A piece of white cloth was attached to a pole, and a brave warrior, who offered himself for the purpose, sallied out singly to meet the enemy. He saw them stealthily approaching the encampment, and when perceived by them, he dropped his gun, and with nothing but his flag he fearlessly rushed into their ranks. He was caught in the arms of the foremost warriors, many blows of war-clubs were aimed at him, and he expected every moment to suffer death; but a tall Dakota defended him, warding off the blows of his angry comrades. After the excitement had somewhat cooled down, and the tall warrior had addressed a few words to his fellows, a Dakota whose face was painted black, denoting mourning, for whose benefit, probably, the war party were now bent on their errand of blood, stepped forth and throwing down his arms, he took hold of the Ojibway and offered to wrestle with him. The Dakota was thrown to the ground, on which he got up, and laughing, he tried his more powerful adversary another hold. He was again thrown, on which he shook the Ojibway by the hand and exchanged with him his pipe, gun, and clothing. The brave man who had thus conquered a peace, led the party to the wigwams of his people, where they saluted one another with the firing of guns. The peace pipe was smoked, and for several days they literally "eat out of the same dish," and "slept under the same lodge covering."
Shortly after this Dakota war party had returned to their homes, emboldened by the cordial and unexpected manner in which they had met their advances for peace, a small war party of Ojibways, under Broken Tooth, the chief of Sandy Lake, proceeded in their birch canoes down the Mississippi to the mouth of the Minnesota, to pay the Dakotas a visit of peace at their own villages. On the low point over which now towers the American fortress known as Fort Snelling, the Ojibways first discovered their old enemies congregated in a large camp. Broken Tooth, to denote his rank, approached with the American flag hanging over the stern of his canoe. On their being perceived, the wildest excitement ensued in the camp. The men ran out of their lodges with guns in their hands. The Dakotas were preparing to go on a war party against the very people who now made their appearance, and the warriors made demonstrations to fire on them. Their chiefs interfered, but with little effect, and bullets were already flying about the ears of the Ojibways, when Renville, an influential Dakota trader and half-breed, made his timely appearance, and with a loud voice quelled the disturbance, and took the peace party under his protection. The excited warriors, however, insisted on firing a salute, and their bullets, for some minutes, spattered the water in every direction around the canoes of the Ojibways, and even perforated the flag which hung over the head of their chief. The old men, still living,[2] who were present on this occasion, describe it as the most dangerous scene in their lives. They would much rather have met their enemies in open fight than bear the long suspense between life and death which they perceived hanging over them, the wild excitement among the Dakotas, and the bullets whizzing past their heads. They all acknowledge that they owed their deliverance to the timely interference of the trader Renville.
Broken Tooth and his party made but a short stay in the midst of a people who were so anxious to spill their blood, and handle their scalps. Under an escort provided by the kind trader, who guarded them some distance towards their country, they succeeded in reaching their homes in safety, and felt thankful for escaping from such a fearful predicament. They had been at home but a few days, when a Dakota war party who had followed on their tracks, waylaid an Ojibway hunter on the shores of Gull Lake. They left a war-club, with a sharp iron spearhead, sticking in the mutilated body of their victim. Curly Head, the Mississippi chief, immediately collected such warriors as were camping with him on Gull Lake, and in their canoes, they floated down the swift current of "the great river." They crossed the portage around the Falls of St. Anthony during the night, and arrived at the mouth of the Minnesota River, the morning after the return of the Dakota war party. On the point just below Fort Snelling, which was then covered with trees and brush, they pulled up, and hiding their canoes, they laid in ambush, commanding the confluence of the Minnesota with the Mississippi.
They could distinctly hear the drums beating in an adjacent village of their enemies, as they held rejoicings over the scalp which their warriors had brought home. Towards evening a canoe load of young women came floating leisurely down the sluggish current of the Minnesota, chatting and laughing, in anticipation of the magnificent scalp dance which they were going to join, after having adorned their persons with profuse ornaments, and painted their cheeks with vermilion. Little did they dream of the fate that awaited them—that their own long scalp-locks would so soon dangle in the belt of the fierce Ojibway warriors, and that the women of their foe would so soon be rejoicing over them.
When the canoe had reached opposite the Ojibway ambuscade, at a whistle from the leader, a volley of bullets was fired into it, and the men, rushing into the water, a struggle ensued, who should secure the scalps. Five Dakota women suffered on this occasion, and their bodies being dragged on shore, the war-club which their people had left sticking in the body of their victim at Gull Lake, was left, with peculiar marks, on the body of one, to warn the Dakotas that the revenge of the Ojibway was quick and sure.
The party returned in safety to their village, and their exploit, though comparatively of trivial importance, is mentioned by their people to this day with great satisfaction. The quick revenge was sweet, and withal it acted as a check in some measure to the continually repeated forays and war parties of the bloodthirsty Dakotas.