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CHAPTER IV.

 

Emigration of the Ojibways from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, to their occupation of the area of Lake Superior.

 

Tradition of the sea-shell—Tradition of the otter—Separation of the Ojibways, Potta-wat-umees and Ottaways at the straits of Michilimacinac—Origin of their tribal names—Causes of their emigration from the Atlantic seaboard—Ojibways settle at Sault Ste. Marie—They separate into two divisions—Movements of the northern division—Traditional anecdote of the war between the Marten and the Omush-kas families—Movements of the southern division—Allegory of the cranes—Copper-plate register of the Crane family—Era of their first occupation of Point Shaug-a-waum-ik-ong—Tradition of the extermination of the Mundua tribe.

 

The history of the Ojibway tribe, till within the past five centuries, lies buried in darkness and almost utter oblivion. In the preceding chapter we have feebly attempted to lift the veil which covers their past, by offering well-founded facts which can be excusably used in the formation of conjectures and probabilities. All is, however, still nothing but surmise and uncertainty, and what of this nature has been presented, has not been given, nor can it be considered as authentic history. We will now descend to times and events which are reached by their oral historic traditions, and which may be offered as certain, though not minute history. Through close inquiry and study of their vague figurative traditions, we have discovered that the Ojibways have attained to their present geographical position, nearly in the centre of the North American continent, from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, about the Gulf of the St. Lawrence River. The manner in which I first received a certain intimation of this fact, may