point. Off on the far shore and toward the shàwanong (south) we could see five or six canoes making their way through the sparse ice. Immediately I could see the danger that was approaching our lodges.
“Wàgosh, hurry to the village and have the women smother the fires with cedar boughs to keep the smoke down. Then send Kàg and Wajashk back to us. Send two young warriors to the epangishimodj (west) of the village. Have Asinwàbidì (Stone Elk) and the other two young warriors go to the wàbanong (east). You and Mònz go to the shàwanong, that way all the directions will have lookouts in case they have set warriors on the shore. Nìjamik and the other two elders will guard the village with the young boys.”
No sooner than I had finished telling him, Wàgosh was off like a wisp of smoke on a windy day.
“Mitigomij, what do you think is going on?”
“Brother, it is too early in the spring for the Haudenosaunee to be raiding. If it is them, they do not have enough warriors in those canoes to come this far to raid the Nippissing. Because of the distance, I can’t make out any markings on the canoes or see the warriors clearly enough to identify them.”
“Mitigomij, if they were our friends they would not be on the other side of the river. It must be raiders of some sort, and they are on that section of the river to spot smoke from campfires. There’s no other explanation. I really don’t think there are any on our bank, but if there are, the village is on alert and well defended with lookouts on all sides, protected the best we can with the resources we have.”
Kàg and Wajashk arrived well armed and wondering what they should do.
“As of now, we do not know what the threat is, but we will soon know who the object of our concern is.”
In a short while the canoes were even with our position, and then we were able to identify them in the distance. There were six boats with twenty or so warriors. No women or dogs. They were definitely a war party, but why so few and why so early in the spring? But the biggest surprise was who they were. Hochelagans! They were from the island near the rapids of the big river. Hochelagans never usually wandered far from their fortified village. Their numbers were around twelve hundred but not strong enough to invade Haudenosaunee lands and they were always in fear of them. They had an ally in the Stadacona who lived upriver from them, but together they were no match for the Omàmiwinini or the Haudenosaunee in an all-out war.
“Warriors, let’s go. I know what they are up to. Asinwàbidì, you’ll have to go back to the village and tell the young boys to call in the sentries. Kàg and I will walk back with Mitigomij. When we get back, I will be sending runners out. There is a battle coming, and we will need more warriors than we have in our family unit.”
By the time we had reached the village, all the people were assembled. They all listened intently as I spoke. “We have seen twenty of our enemy, the Hochelagan, going upriver. There is only one thing they are doing; they are looking for smoke from our scattered family units. I do not think they are here to raid as there are so few of them. I think they have come upriver to gather information of where our villages are and then to report back. This means only one thing — the Hochelagans are planning a huge attack in the very near future, possibly before the next moon. What we have to do is call in as many family units as we can and kill these men before they get back to their main encampment.
“My thoughts are that we have at the most two suns to gather. I am sending three runners out. Miskoz-i Kekek (Red Hawk) you will go to the west to the Matàwackariniwak (People of the Bulrush shore along the Madawaski River). Kinòz-i Ininì (Tall Man) go south to the Kinònjepìriniwak (People of the Pickerel Waters below Allumette Island). Makòns you go to the Nibachi (near Muskrat Lake).
“My three runners, you have to leave now and travel with what daylight you have. You must reach our family allies by the high sun tomorrow, and they must join us by late dawn on the day after.
“Mònz, take Miskwì and Asiniwàbidì to the north and climb the high bald rock. There you will be able to watch the river for a great distance. You’ll also be able to see for a distance along the shore where the forest fire went through along the river years ago. It’s a very good vantage point. If you see anything, send someone back with information and stay out of sight and observe as long as it is safe to do so.
“Nìjamik, I cannot spare any warriors to go with you. You and the other two elders, Pijakì (Buffalo) and Andeg (Crow), will have to take the women, children, and young boys inland to the small waterfall that we go to in times of peril. It is well hidden and easily defended. Stay there until we send for you.”
“Yes, Mahingan, I will look after everyone until your return,” said Nìjamik. “May Kitchi Manitou watch over you and your warriors.”
“Esiban and Agwingos, you must take Ishkodewan and look after him for me. Make sure you feed him and start his training to be a good hunting and guard dog. I’m depending on the two of you to take on this great responsibility in my stead until I can take over.”
Within the hour the village was packed and gone. We kept three dogs for sentries, and they took the rest to help carry all their belongings. It would take them a full day of travel, but they will be in a safe place there. Our people had used this place many times when we felt threatened. There were caves, fresh water, fish, and game nearby.
With only Mitigomij, Wàgosh, Wajashk, and me left in camp, we settled back and waited for our Omàmiwinini brethren to come. It was time to paint our faces and pray to Kitchi Manitou.
13
The Island People
I WOKE THE NEXT morning to the sound of rain on our lodge roofs with the accompanying thunder and lightning. This weather would help us in many ways. It would bring the Hochelagan canoes to shore, and they would be so anxious to make shelter from the rain that they may let their guard down.
We were constantly struggling to have enough to eat and always battling the elements to stay warm or dry. Add the constant threat of our enemies and it was a life of never-ending vigilance. Our whole survival as a nation depended on the health of our women. They cooked, looked after the children, maintained our lodges, prepared skins for clothing, and foraged for berries, fruit, and other food. When we brought game home, they smoked and dried it. They gave birth to our children with sometimes deathly consequences. Our future existence depended on the survival of our children. Kitchi Manitou had given the men the power to hunt and fish and make war. Nations waged war for two main reasons: to weaken their enemies and to capture women and children. With the capture of the women and children, the tribe could remain strong. Children grew up to be warriors and wives. Without either, the tribe would wither up and die like a fall flower. A community of men would die out eventually, but a village of women and children would survive and prosper because the children could grow and reproduce. While Nokomis fed all of us, the women were made in her likeness to carry on her work. When a man married, he always went to the matriarchal home. This was another reason woman wielded so much power. They brought warriors to the family unit, strengthening the village. The wife’s mother was treated with great reverence and was never talked to directly by her daughter’s husband. He and the mother-in-law had to talk to each other through his wife or another family member, never person to person.
Until then, I had not lost any of my brothers to another family unit. Mitigomij and Wàgosh were unmarried. Kàg’s wife was captured in a raid on a Haudenosaunee camp many years ago when she was young. My wife, Wàbananang, was the daughter of Nìjamik. Mònz, our brother-in-law, was the son of Pijakì and married to our sister Mànabìsì (Swan). Kàg’s first wife was of the Nibachis. A year after they were married she and their newborn son both died at childbirth.
