Table Of ContentA FACSIMILE OF THE FIRST PAGE OF
TROWBRIDGE'S REPORT
OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF
ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
No.7
MEEARMEEAR TRADITIONS
BY
C. C. TROWBRIDGE
EDITED BY VERNON KINIETZ
ANN ARBOR
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS
© 1938 by the Regents of the University of Michigan
The Museum of Anthropology
All rights reserved
ISBN (print): 978-1-949098-57-0
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-951538-56-9
Browse all of our books at
sites.lsa.umich.edu/archaeology-books.
Order our books from the University of Michigan
Press at www.press.umich.edu.
For permissions, questions, or manuscript queries,
contact Museum publications by email at umma-
[email protected] or visit the Museum website at
lsa.umich.edu/ummaa.
FOREWORD
A manuscript entitled "Meearmeear Traditions" and a letter
by its author, C. C. Trowbridge, transmitting it to his chief,
Governor Lewis Cass, in the possession of the Burton His
torical Collection of the Detroit Public Library, offered so
much information on a now extinct tribe that it was decided
to publish this material. There were one hundred and forty
pages, six and one-fourth inches by seven and one-fourth in
the manuscript; and six pages, seven and one-half inches by
nine and one-half in the letter.
This report on the traditions of the Miamis as well as a
similar study of the Wyandots was written in 1824-25 by
Trowbridge at the instigation of Cass to aid in settling a
dispu_te between these tribes as to precedence of settlement
in the region they then occupied in Ohio and Indiana.
The beginnings of this work are found in a pamphlet
published by Cass about 182o and reprinted in 1823. This
questionnaire is not now known in its original form, but the
second edition bore the title Inquiries respecting the History,
Traditions, Languages, Manners, Customs, Religion, &c. of
the Indians, liuing within the United States.*
These questionnaires were distributed throughout his
jurisdiction to all traders and Indian agents. The number of
replies received and their disposition is unknown. Most of
the copies of the questionnaire have also disappeared. School
craftt wrote a review of the Inquiries in which he mentioned
that he understood that several valuable replies had been
received. A reply to the linguistic portion of the question
naire, written by Schoolcraft on the Chippewa, was listed by
James C. Pillingt as being in the possession of J. G. Shea.
*Detroit: Sheldon and Reed, 1823, 64 pp.
t North American Review, 45 (I 837): 58-59.
t
"Bibliography of the Algonquian Languages," Bur. Amer. Ethnol.
Bull., 13 (1891):454·
v
FOREWORD
VI
Trowbridge followed the questionnaire in the arrange
ment of subject matter in his report on the traditions of the
Miamis. A comparison of "An Account of the Manners and
Customs of the Sauk and Fox Nations of Indian Traditions,"
by Thomas Forsyth,* with this report shows that Forsyth
also followed the Cass pamphlet.
The distribution of questionnaires may not have origi
nated with Cass, but it is interesting to note that the same
technique was subsequently used by Schoolcraft, Morgan,
and Powell.
"Meearmeear Traditions" is given here as it appears in
manuscript. Trowbridge was rushed in transcribing his notes
as he explained in his covering letter to Cass, which doubtless
accounts for most of the inconsistencies of spelling, the mis
spellings, and the omissions of words. Some omissions and
necessary corrections have been supplied within brackets.
Material within parentheses and footnotes marked with an
asterisk were so designated by Trowbridge.
The phonetic symbols marking the Miami words are
given as they appear. At the end of the paper there is a
table of phonetic values worked out with the counsel of
C. F. Voegelin.
Trowbridge mentioned only two informants by name,
Le Gros and Richardville, so it would appear that if there
were others at least these were the most important.
Grateful acknowledgments are made to the Burton His
torical Collection for permission to publish this very interest
ing report and letter, and to the Horace H. Rackham School
of Graduate Studies for the grant which made the publica
tion possible.
*Emma H. Blair, ed., Indian Tribes of the Upper Mississippi (Cleve
land: Arthur H. Clark Co., 1912), 2: 18J-24'i·
CONTENTS
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH lX
THE CovERING LETTER TO GENERAL CAss
MEEARMEEAR TRADITIONS 6
TwAu TwAu OR MEEARMEE TRADITIONS 6
GovERNMENT 13
WAR AND ITs INCIDENTS 19
PEACE '27
DEATH AND ITs INCIDENTS. 30
BIRTH AND ITs INCIDENTS . 37
MARRIAGE AND ITs INCIDENTS 4I
FAMILY GovERNMENT &c. 46
MEDECINE 48
AsTRONOMY &c .. 50
RELIGION. 5I
GENERAL MANNERs &c. 57
GAMES, DANCES & AMUSEMENTS 59
FooD, MoDE OF LIVING &c. 64
66
HUNTING.
66
FEASTS & FASTS
MISCELLANEOUS 68
70
A TALE-FouNDED ON FAcT.
THE yOUNG THUNDER SPIRITS 7'2
A WEEAU TALE . 73
LE GRas's AccouNT OF THE MEDECINE SociETY 77
MAN EATERS 88
TABLE OF PHONETIC VALUES 91
Vll
