Historical and mythological traditions of the Algonquins.

  • Ephraim George Squier
Date:
[1849]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Historical and mythological traditions of the Algonquins. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    beaver skins. After the introduction of Christianity, among some of the Western tribes, prayers were inscribed on pieces of wood, in mnemonic symbols, in the making and teaching of which to their followers, some of the Christian chiefs obtained a profitable monopoly. Admitting then, as we must do upon this evidence, that the Algonquins had the means of imperfectly recording their tra¬ ditions, songs, etc., we can readily under¬ stand how these might be taught by father to son, and perpetuated in great purity through a succession of priests,—the sages of the aboriginal races. The fact that they were recorded, even in the rude way here indicated, would give them a degree of fixedness, and entitle them to a consid¬ eration which they would not possess if handed down in a simple oral form.* The MS. under consideration seems to be a series of Indian traditional songs, in the original mnemonic signs, with the words attached to them, written out from the recitations of the Indians, by some person conversant with the Indian tongue, pre¬ cisely as we find some of the songs recorded by James, in his Appendix to Tanner’s Narrative. As already observed, it has stronor internal evidence of beinof what it purports to be,—evidence suffi¬ ciently strong, in my estimation, to settle its authenticity. I may however add, that, with a view of leaving no means unemployed to ascertain its true value, I submitted it, without explanation, to an edu¬ cated Indian chief, (Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh,) George Copway, who unhesitatingly pro¬ nounced it authentic, in respect not only to the original signs and accompanying explanations in the Delaware dialect, but also in the general ideas and conceptions which it embodies. He also bore testi¬ mony to the fidelity of the translation. In submitting, therefore, the following paraphrase of these singular records, I feel I am not obtruding the coinage of a curious idler, nor an apocryphal record, but pre¬ senting matter deserving of attention, and of important bearing upon many interest¬ ing questions connected with the history of our aboriginal nations. It will be readily understood that I have, in numerous instances, been compelled to adopt forms of expression, not common to the Indian languages ; so far as practica¬ ble, however, the words have been liter¬ ally rendered, and the Indian form of expression preserved; and I feel some confidence in saying that no violence has been done to the original in the para¬ phrase. For the sake of convenience, I have divided the MS. into two parts ; the first embracing the traditions referring to the Creation, etc., and the second those which may be regarded as historical. It will be observed that there are various interrup¬ tions or pauses in the narrative, which indicate the individual traditions. In illustration of the manner in which the MS. is written, the first two songs or chants are presented as they appear in the original. We have first, the original sign ; second, the Suggested verse or sen¬ tence in the Delaware dialect; and third, a literal translation of the same in English. SONG I.—THE CREATION. 1. Sayewitalli wemiguma wokgetaki.f At first there all sea-water above land. * “ Were it not,” says Dr. Barton, in his paper on the * Origin of the American Nations,’ published in the Transactions of the Philosophical Society,—“ Were it not for the traditions of many of the American nations, we might for ever remain in doubt concerning their real origin. These tradi¬ tions are entitled to much consideration; for, notwithstanding the rude condition of most of the tribes, they are often perpetuated in great purity, as I have discovered by much attention to their history.” f The terminal aki is a contraction of hakki, land, and frequently denotes pi ace, simply. VOL. III. NO. II. NEW SERIES. 12
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