Newberry Library - Ojibway tale mineral point, wis., 1852

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Open book Ojibway tale mineral point, wis., 1852

Title Ojibway tale mineral point, wis., 1852

Creator Smith, Rudolph Van Dyke, d. 1852

Date 1852

Place United States--Old Northwest

Language English

Subjects Hunting, Legends, Ojibwa Indians

Summary Contemporary copy (1852) by William R. Smith of his son's account of an Ojibwa hunting legend, High Rock and the White Bear, together with a note detailing the circumstances of the essay's compilation. In poor health prior to his 1852 death, the author transcribed the tale in the leaves of an account book at his father's Mineral Point office. The story concerns the contest between a young and arrogant hunter, High Rock, and White Bear, a cunning and strong creature endowed with knowledge of the past and future. An unrelated poem is also appended.

Biographical/Historical Note Son of William Rudolph Smith who emigrated in 1838 with his family from Pennsylvania to Mineral Point, Wis. The elder Smith was U.S. commissioner to the Ojibwa in 1837, a holder of numerous Wisconsin state offices, and author of Observtions on the Wisconsin Territory and Documentary History of Wisconsin (1854). His son, Rudolph, who died at age twenty-six, apparently resided among the Ojibwa and was called Haw-wan-deck by them.

Extent 1 item (9 p.) ; 31 cm + 1 leaf (31 cm)

Format Folklore

User-Contributed Transcription By R.V.D Smith1An Ojibway tale.In addition to the numerous traditions of a religious nature which are handed down from one generation to another, by the North American tribes, they have many others relating to their wars, their distinguished warriors, and their most prominent hunters, with their sayings, doings, and adventures. These traditions or legends in the lapse of time are subject to many changes, and almost necessarily receive some fresh embellishments from each new narrator. And although each of them may have been founded on facts, so prone is the Indian mind to weave in something of the marvellous and supernatural with every transaction of their lives, that it becomes a matter of no astonishment to find their accounts of known facts so blended with the miraculous, as to cast a shade of doubt over the whole narration. Yet are they received with implicit faith by the Indian, and the very Interpolator who has drawn freely from his own imagination to make some old legends the more interesting, comes in time to believe the fictions of his own coinage.The following legend, or tale, I picked up somewhere amongst the Ojibways during my residence amongst them; it matters not how or when; and believing that the ingenious stratagems of the two principal actors, and the view that it gives of some of the superstitions of the tribe render it worthy of publication, I herewith present it to the public without further excuse.Ish-pau-bi-kau gia Wau-bish-kizzi Muk-kwah.High Rock and the White BearMany years ago there lived a great hunter named Ish-pau-bi-kau, or the High Rock; he grew so expert in all kinds of hunting, that he would start out in the morning from his lodge, without any weapon, and never returned without meat for his family.One evening a number of old warriors and young braves were sitting around the fire; the old men were telling tales of their youthful days, and the young men were listening with respectful attention. The old men Ayer N. A mo. 814?

Transcription Status Needs review

Transcription Note This document was transcribed by volunteers as part of the Newberry Transcribe crowdsourcing initiative.

Archival Collection Title Edward E. Ayer Collection, Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number Ayer MS 814

BibID 147210

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

Size 2462px × 3797px 26.77 MB

File Created 12/21/2013

Filename 991472108805867_Ayer_MS_814_00001.tif

Unique Identifier NL122IV8

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