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Indian Medicine
Dance and Feast
At one time during the summer of 1832, Mr. Brakeman and I
and John K. Smith, Esq., attended a medicine dance on
Walpole Island. It was for the benefit of Mrs. Jacob Harsen,
who was an Indian woman, sick at the time. The Indians had
erected a large tent for the occasion and had a bed made upon
the ground in the center of the tent for the sick woman. It
was in the evening, the tent was lighted up by building up
places with short pieces of logs and putting earth on the top
of them with fires burning on that. The men were all on one
side of the tent, and the women on the opposite side, an
Indian beating the drum, which was made of a piece of a hollow
log with a dressed or tanned deer skin drawn over the top, and
down around the sides far enough to be tied down with a string
made of bark or deers' sinews. I-e would beat that with a
stick. There was no music, and no tune at all in his playing,
merely a thumping sort of a noise. When he began his beating
the company began their dancing, the men by themselves and the
squaws alone, a sort of shuffling of the feet, moving very
slowly around the sick woman.
Every man carried a medicine pouch, which was made of a small
animal's skin filled with medicine. As each man would come to
her he would shake it at her, uttering something of a grunt
such as chugh, chugh. The squaws did not carry any medicine
and kept silent. Mrs. Harsen recovered her health and
lived many years after; no doubt they thought their treatment
had worked wonders in her case.
The same year I attended an Indian feast on Walpole Island. An
Indian, whose name was O-gaw, that is, Pickerel, came
over some time previous and invited Mr. Brakeman and me to
attend. Mr. Brakeman gave an invitation to his friend,
John K. Smith, Esq., to accompany us, which he
accepted. When the time arrived for the party, O-gaw
came after us with a large canoe, and had a nice mat spread in
the bottom for the company to sit upon while he paddled the
canoe. When about half way across the river he gave a very
loud war whoop, as much as to say, we are coming. His friends
on land answered him in the same way with several loud whoops.
When we landed, the chief and leading men in the company met
us at the river, all shaking hands with him.
Mr. Brakeman took with him presents of pipes and
tobacco for the chief and head men. They had a large tent put
up for the occasion with rush mats spread over the ground. A
drummer beat the drum the same as at the medicine dance, but
there was no dancing. Their principal refreshments consisted
of pigeons nicely dressed and boiled whole; they were served
in a very peculiar manner. Two long poles were arranged up,
near the top of the tent one on each side. The pigeons were
tied by the legs, two together and strung on the poles from
one end to the other. After drumming, chatting and visiting
for a while, some of the squaws, we will say the "table
committee," took down the pigeons and passed to the company,
giving us each two in our hands, no plate, knife or fork was
used. We all sat and picked the meat from tile bones and had a
very pleasant time until quite late in the evening, when O-gaw
conveyed us home. I suppose it was something of a "lawn
social." I was very much annoyed at night the first year I
resided at Point Du Chene, with the noise of the Indian
drums, they held feasts and dances so often. After some time I
became accustomed to hearing them, but I still remember well
their thumping sound. Some time during the winter of 1837-38,
we entertained over night General Hugh Brady and
several officers, with a company of soldiers, from Detroit.
They came up on the river St. Clair in double sleighs. Their
business was to ascertain how matters were along the lines, as
it was during the Patriot war.
We were well acquainted with the old French settlers, both on
the American and Canadian side of St. Clair river, and with
some of the early French of Detroit. The most of these
families have descendants residing in this county and in
Detroit. The Brandamours, Causeley, La Forge, Trombley, St.
Bernard, Record, Petit. Galernau, Gerard, La Turneau. Thebault,
Chortier, Cauchois, Minnie, Nicholas, Duchien, Campan, Baby,
Yax. Paschal, Lauzon, Cottrell. Rousselle, Moran, Peltier.
Dubois, Dupree. Boshaw, MAatevia, Morass, La Blanc, Pappeneau,
Pellette, Geneau. Boreau, Bartreau, Jervaise, Bovia,
Thibedeaux, Beaubieii. Bordeneaux, Bonhonme, are some of
those I remember.
My home has always been
on the St. Clair river, excepting two years spent in Detroit
and Mt. Clemens when a child, during the war, and six years of
my married life, which were spent at Huron City, Huron County,
at the time my husband was in the lumbering business.
~ written by Mrs. Brakeman
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