by Earl J. Meshigaud, Sr.
 

We have always relied on someone else to talk for us, keep records for us and we have depended on others to write our story for us. There really is nothing wrong with that concept because it is a tradition within the basic belief system of Indian people to offer tobacco to a respected person and to ask them to speak for us. As we move into the future it is our hope that our people will continue to do that and keep that tradition in place. We believe that the best way to try to preserve our stories is to write them ourselves. As we journey back in time we simply invite you to join us as we go in search of our place of origin.

It is important for you to understand that we shall base some of our story on historical data that is located in Historical Societies, books, papers and some personal letters written by individuals who lived here at Hannahville in the very early stages. Some of our research confirms what some of us had heard about the differences in the spoken language at that period in time. Of course for our people it is the same as most Indian people, the spoken language was the Indian language as compared to English. Very few people knew and spoke the English language and those that did became interpreters for those that did not. We have to have some kind knowledge about the Indian language in order for us to understand the old documents that were sometimes written in the old Potawatomi dialect. That alone is job in itself because of the time and the people we have to locate to break it down so that it could make sense to us. As we have come to know there is only a few people today who have a real interest in the Indian language so the situation has reversed itself in the spoken language area. At one time it was mostly Indian and today it is mostly English. If we should lose our language then we shall also lose our culture because our culture is borne out of the use of the language.

Tribal Rolls are not confidential as some people may think they are, they are public documents and are available through Historical Societies. Personal folders and information pertaining to individuals in enrollment offices are confidential and only authorized personnel can see them with approval from the Tribal Council. Our story could not be verified or confirmed without the ability to cross reference names, dates and places. Sometimes English names had to be interpreted into the Indian language and vice-versa in order for some information to make sense.
 

We have all seen or read the time line of historical events that led up to the present time that has been put together by our tribal members and or staff, but we want to go back eyen further than that. We are grateful to those of you who presented that, we appreciate your effort. Some of our people asked, what happened before 1870 and of course many of us did not know so we decided to do a little research of our own. In the course of study we have found some entries of information to be slightly off or written differently from other sources of information. We cannot change old  recorded documents so the reader should be aware that we corrected information where it needed to be done. In some cases where Indian people signed their names to documents they simply used an x that represented the approval or their signature. They did not know the English language so there really was not any way for them to tell the recorder that something was wrong. The people who were recording information only wrote what they thought they had heard. That usually applies when making reference to Indian names and to the people that lived in the area long before it became Hannahville. There will be some people who will think that we chose to write about the story of the Meshigaud name because it is family, that is not the case; we have to include the story because it is a part of the make up of our story. Prior to today we have always started our story around 1870, this time we will go back a little further.

Our migration story is the same as all other Nations across Turtle Island, it is our belief as well that at one time all Neshnabek lived in peace and harmony with each other in the Eastern Doorway, known today as Nova Scotia. At that time it is said that all Indians spoke the same language. It is also said that if one could have climbed the highest mountain and looked in all directions they would have seen only Indians, thousands of them as far as the human eye could see. Historians have listed the Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa as belonging to the Algonquian family. (A group of people who speak and understand a dialect of language.) The better choice of words would have been people belonging to the Three Fires Confederacy. The reader should also be aware that the people might belong to the Three Fires Confederacy, but not necessarily to the Three Fires Society. Those are two separate things all together. Our story tells of time when the prophets -appeared before them and told them things that would happen in the future and also warned them that if they did move west they would be destroyed.

A few groups stayed in the eastern doorway to keep that Fire burning but the rest of them heeded the warning and began the great migration west. This part of the story happened long before people started recording history. In Indian country this is known as oral stories or oral tradition. Normally where our oral traditions are concerned we only suggest or hint that there is more to the story than what we can reveal in writing because if we told the whole story, people would not have the need to go to those places where we keep those traditions alive. Our seasonal ceremonies are reserved for those kinds of things and we shall keep it that way. If one is interested or wants to learn more about the oral traditions and traditional ways, they have to go to those places where they still keep those traditions in tact.

Traveling down the interstate or going down the trail we came across a little town called Michicot, Wisconsin. A discussion about the sounding of that name made us curious because it sounded so much like Meshigaud. Upon checking the history and background of that name proved to be very worthwhile because that is where our story shall begin. What we found out was that little village is named after a Potawatomi Chief whose name was Abraham Meshigaud. Abraham was one of the signers on the document signed by the Chiefs and headmen. Abraham was born at Manitowoc in the year 1832. His Indian name was Meshicot, which means "hairy leg" in the Indian language. His name came from the legs of a Homed Owl whose legs are all fluffed with white feathers. That design/tradition is still used by some dancers who make leggings from the knee down to the ankle resembling that of the legs of birds. Abraham's Grandfather raised him and in the process of raising him they went to Canada in 1834 and came back to Door County in 1842. Abraham's Grandfather's Indian Name was Nayyatoshingh and after Nayyatoshingh passed away Abraham moved with their band to Cedar River, Michigan. Abraham's Father's name was Obwaquaunk/Thunder Turn Back. He was the Head Chief of the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi, otherwise known as the Three Fires Confederacy. Another name of importance is that of the Great Grandfather of Chief Meshigaud whose name was Mongezet/Big Foot. There are indications that he led a group west of the Mississippi River during the Forced Removal time and then came back after about two years. Besides all of the other reasons known for not wanting to stay west of the Mississippi, one of the primary reasons was there was not any sugar maple tree's in that area. It is because of that fact that one can see how important maple sugar was to the Indian way of living. They used maple sugar more as a preventative medicine at that time and at that time there was not as much diabetes as there is today. Conditions at the time were such that they had to make to make their own sugar if they wanted it and all the work that is required to complete the process was actually the preventative part. We should be using more maple sugar rather than the refined sugar that we get from most stores.

The significance of the names mentioned is related to our story because they were part of the Chiefs and the Headmen that got together and signed a document that concerns our community. This undoubtedly happened after Peter Marksman had loaned them some money to buy homesteads in the area and after the Cedar River incident involving the black pox/chickenpox. At the time of Peter Marksman's offering of help our Ancestors were merely roaming the area looking for place to live where they could be left alone and away from the non-native people. The trade that went bad at Cedar River involved trading some pelts with the town people/traders. After taking their pelts to trade in town they in turn received a gift-wrapped box for the trade. They were told not to open it until they got home and only when no one else was present.

During the night when no one else was around they opened the box and found only a scab wrapped in a rag. That scab contained the chicken pox virus and being unprepared for germ warfare like this the virus spread like a wild fIfe through their little village. At that time there were 134 families and only 11 families survived the chicken pox epidemic. Through that one case of germ warfare the Potawatomi lost 123 families. This single case of germ warfare has caused so much distrust towards non-natives by the community members that even today they still have not fully recovered from this inhumane act. The eleven families that survived are the names of the families that are still present in Hannahville today. After this incident the group that had survived just wanted to be left alone and in the process of looking for a new place to live. They moved away from Cedar River and followed the rivers upstream. There are oral stories that tell of how some of the Potawatomi people ended up living along the Ford River as well. They say at one time some of our Ancestors lived at White Rapids on the Menominee River just west of Stephenson, Michigan. Moving from White Rapids they moved in an eastern direction staying for a period of time at a place they called Mud Lake which is about 8 miles east of Stephenson. From there they moved to what is now Cedar River. There are many old stories about the time in which they stayed at White Rapids and many of them are very interesting. One of which is how they used to dance all day and all night long in their ceremonial way. The nature of these dances as it was told to me would indicate that these people were actually doing or belonged to the old Wabeno Ceremonies. The Chiefs and headmen were grateful for the effort of the Methodist Minister Peter Marksman for helping them.

 
This map will give you some kind of idea of the possible migration route of the Neshnabek people as they began to follow the original instruction to move west. Starting at #1 and ending at #4. One has to realize that at the time of the move west, there was no such thing as a map, no roads, no bridges and most of all no directions. At best we can say that they followed the lakes. Our oral stories tell us that they followed the megis shell as it appeared to them several times along the way.

Today # 1 is the area known as Nova Scotia and #4 is understood to be Madeline Island. It is also our belief in Indian Country that this was the ending place of the migration because this is where they found food growing on the water (Wild Rice).

 

 
Click on the map to see the original size.

Find source, then insert picture here.

Peter Marksman, a Methodist minister, played a very substantial role during the formative years of or people. It is said that he first came to the aid of our roaming band some time before or around 1870. At that time he had a monumental task of trying to gain the trust of the Indian people because of the incident with the Cedar River traders. 

He loaned them money so they could buy homesteads in the area. There are some reports that say he was an Ojibway Indian, or at least part Indian. He supposedly took his training in ministry at or around Marquette, Michigan, possibly at the Bishop Baraga Center, before going to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan where he was officially ordained and then opted to do his ministry in this area.
 

 
Peter Marksman
Click on photo to view larger picture. 

After some of them had received money to buy homesteads, the trust grew and grew until the day would eventually come when they agreed to make him spokesman for our people. One has to keep in mind that while this was going on the Indians did not yet speak or understand the English language.

It is not known when exactly Simon Kahquados started interpreting for our people, but his was one of the first English speaking Indians in the area, so he became an interpreter for all the Indians. 

Seated second from the left is Abraham, who is listed on the document as chief. His Indian name was Michicot (Hairy Leg), which later came to be spelled Meshigaud. The Indian name that is on the document after Abraham's name is Obwaquaunk (Thunder Turn Back), which is actually the name of Abraham's father, Head Chief of the United Nations of the Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi. 

Abraham's grandfather, Nayyatoshingh (Meaning?), was also the grandfather of James Waumegesako (Meaingin?), who is seated at the far left in the picture. 

Be aware of the first names. One is identified as James and one is identified as Joseph. It is possible that, even though two different names are on the document, they could actually be the same person.

The point to all this is that all of them were related in some way and it sort of documents what some of our elders have been passing down to us in an oral traditional way.
 

Insert Document Here

One has to be reminded that, at best, it takes a lot of time to find people to help break down the names and interpret what they mean. Another thing that people have to be aware of is that when that document was signed, our ancestors did not speak or understand English at that time. 

If you look close by the signatures, you can also see that some of those names are no longer used around here. Some of the names were lost in the small pox epidemic, leaving 11 surviving family names. There are still about 10 of these names used in our community today. Only one last name, Petonquot (Coming Cloud), is not present in our community today. Years ago that was a pretty big family.
 

The role that Michael played was very instrumental in the survival of our ancestors. As justice of the peace, he prepared the document on behalf of the Indians in the area that would eventually give Peter Marksman the right to speak for and negotiate with the government for land so that our people would have a place to live. 

He felt for the needs of our ancestors, and came to their aid at a time when they needed it most. When the community was quarantined because of a chicken pox epidemic, he would haul wagonloads of provisions to an area near the community and leave it. The Indians would then go to the wagon after he left and got the supplies that they so badly needed. Taking the supplies there prevented the further spread of chicken pox. The town or village of Harris was named after him.
 
 

Insert Photo Here (Michael Harris)

Many years later the blanket was returned to the community by his descendents because of its historical value to the tribe. We are very grateful to the family for this priceless artifact.

Looking at the photo of this blanket, you will notice a symbol that looks much like the Nazi Germany's swastika. Long before this symbol was used in Europe, it was used by Indians to signify eternal friendship.
 

Receiving a blanket can be compared to that of one being presented with and eagle feather, there is no greater honor. Sometimes people kid around and joke about being careful about giving a blanket because in the old days, if one did present a blanket to someone, it also meant that they wished to marry that person. 
 

Somewhere in the mix of all the things that were going on, Peter Marksman married Hannah. Once again, one has to remember that this place was called Indian Mission at that time. Hannah and Peter continued to care for and help the people, and as Peter began to secure land and a place for our ancestors to live, our ancestors wanted to do something more to show their gratitude. This time it would prove to be more than just presenting them with a blanket.

Our ancestors decided that there could be no greater honor than to name the newly acquired community after them, so they named it Hannahville.
 

 
Hannah Marksman
Click on photo to view larger size.

Peter continued to be an agent for the tribe for a long period of time, and his efforts paid off in the long run, because this bad went on to become federally recognized and the land was secured for the Wisconsin and Michigan Potawatomi.
 

Email questions to: Earl Meshigaud