Lerbs Cabin
Big Sandy Lake MN

 

I was able to purchase an original article about the Sandy Lake Tribe in 1820.

Reads as follows;Sit back & relax!

                                              The National Gazette & Literary Register

                                Philadelphia, Wednesday Afternoon, December 27, 1820

From the Detroit Gazette.

Notes on the North-western part of the Territory of Michigan (Continued)

"The Sandy Lake tribe of Indians is the second in point of numbers. It consist

of eighty five men and two hundred and fourty three women and children,

 besides thirty-five half breeds._They are divided into three parties; one resides

about half way from Sandy Lac to Leech Lake, at a place called Pacaugumaw,

on a small lake through which the Mississippi runs, and near boundary between

these and Leech Lake Indians. These Indians hunt north to Vermillion lake, the

 head waters of the Fond du Laa river, and on which the North West Company

have an establishment; west to Pacaugumaw, above mentioned;

 east to Fond du lcc river (this is exactly as printed) and down it to the

Portage du Prairie, and south to the boarders of the Sioux country or near Elk river,

which falls into the Mississippi. It is about one hundred and twenty miles to Elk river.

These are considered direct courses.

" Their furs and game are the same as those of the Leech lake Indians. The birds

do not differ from those in the country around Leech lake. White fish and tellibees

 are found in Sandy Lake,, but inferior in quality to those of Leech lake. the latter

part of September the white fish begin to run, and continue until winter sets in.

The tellibees are taken at the same period with those in Leech lake

  "Winter commences about the first of December, breaks up by the first of

April. It is nearly the same in severity as at Montreal. This applies also to

Leech lake, but is much colder at Fond du Lac, where the season is generally

fifteen days later. The depth of snow is not so deep at Leech lake as at Sandy lake:

around Lake Superior it falls two and a half or three feet, but decreases to the west,

so that when the snow is three feet deep at Fond du lac, the ground is scarcely covered

at Sandy lake. A south wind may prevail at Fond du Lac three days without decreasing

the snow, while at Sandy lake one of twelve hours invariably produce a thaw.

  " The summer is gennerally warm and pleasant_ vegetation advances rapidly as soon

as the snow disappears. Potatoes grow finely, and most of the garden vegetables may be

raised at Sandy lake.

  "The food of the Indians in this country varies with the seasons. They occationally subsist

on the Waubeseepin it resembles a potatoe, is mealy when boiled and it grows in

whet clay ground, and about one and a half feet deep. The Crane potatoe is another

article of food, called by them Sitchaucwaubesseepin._ It is of the same kind, but is

 inferior in quality to the Waub-es-se pin, and is found throughout this country. The

wau-tap-in-ee is a small root , frequently pulled three feet long, which ids dried in order

to preserve it. This root is found on the southern shores of Lake Superior, but is

seldon brought as far as Sandy lake. these three are boiled when prepared for food.

They also use the Bois Retors, or twisted wood, in cases of extreme necessity. It resembles

the bitter sweet _runs into the tops of the highest trees and from one tree another,

another , has a thick bark, and is sweet and palatable when boiled._To thesed may be added

the wild rice, (fols avoin) and such games as they occasionally take a partridge,

pick off feathers, and without any further dressing except pounding it to the consistency

of jelly, it is thrown into the rice and boiled in that state. It is scarcely possible to account

for such an appetite, except it be that necessity having compelled  them frequently to resort

to this loathsome food for sustenance, they have at length acquired a relish for it.

   " A band of the Sandy lake tribe of Indians resides at Paue-quam-ue-no-min ic-

con, or Rice lake, between twenty and twenty five miles south of Sandy lake.

There are only thirteen grown men in the village. The number of young men, squaws

and children is fourty-seven. They hunt in the woods adjoining the lake. To the east

of their village, and near to Fond du Lac, they occasionally kill a few moose.

This band has never been much noticed by the English goverment, and has been generally

well disposed towards ours.

 

                                               

"All of the men at Sandy lake, and  south of it, annually, in the month of March,

go to thje borders of the Sioux country, and as far beyond as their fears will

permit them, to hunt the beaver.' Which hunt is called by them Notakmicqua, and

signifies ' searching for beaver.' Their families, being left at home in this hunt,

repair to the sugar camps, and are engaged in manufacturing sugar during

the absence of the men, of which they make a very large quantity.

  "The Indians around Sandy lake, in the month of September, repair

to Rice lake, to gather their rice. In no other place does it grow in large

quantities as there. This lake is about five miles long and three broad.

It might, perhaps, be called a Marrais, for the water is not over five feet

deep, and it's surface is almost entirely covered with rice. It is only in Morasses,

muddy bottoms, that this grain  is found.

It was formerly the practice of the Indians, when the grain was in the milk,

to pass round in canoes and gather up the tops in shocks, and fasten them, In order

to render thecollecting of the grain easier when ripened. By this means they

also obtained it in much larger quantities than at present. the work of harvesting

is performed by the females. It is now gathered by two of them passsing around

in a canoe, one sitting in the stern, and pushing it along, while the other, with

two small point sticks, about three feet long, collects it by running one of the sticks

into the rice, and bending it into the canoe, while with the other she threshes

 out the grain. This she does on both sides of the canoe alternately, and while

it is moving. The grain is not ripe when harvested. It falls caovered with

 a husk, and has a beard about two inches long._ One method of curing

the rice, and what which makes it the most palatable, is by putting

it in a kettle in small quantities, and hanging it over a fire until it

becomes parched. A round hole is dug in the ground, about a foot and

a half deep and three feet in circumference,into which a moose skin is

usually put. Into this hole, the grain is poured, where it is trodden by  an

Indiana until it is completely hulled. This is a very laborious work,

and always devolves upon the men. After being sufficiently trodden,

it is taken out and cleaned in a fan made of birch bark, shaped something

 like those used by farmers_This is the most expeditious method of cleaning

it. The other methods differs from this only in drying. It is as follows: a

scaffold is made of small poles, about three feet from the ground, and coverd

with cedar slabs. On this rice is spread, and under the scaffold a slow fire

kindled, which is kept up until the grain becomes entirely dry. It takes nearly

a day one of the scaffolds full. The grain cured in this way is more nutricious,

and keeps much longer than the other. By that of parching in a kettle,

 the substance appears to be destroyed. The rice when cured is put into sacks

of about a bushel each. A sack is valued at two skins. A fathom of stroud, or

a blanket, will buy two sacks. A skin is valued at two dollars. One family

ordinarily makes about five sacks of rice; but those who are industrious

some times makes twenty five_ through this is very rare. A few of the

provident Indians save a little for the spring of the year, to eat with

their sugar; but generally, by the time they have curing it, the whole is

disposed of for trinkets and ornamaents. Thus by gratifying their vanity,

they are left nearly destitute of provisions for the winter_ choosing rather

to endure hunger and greatest misery, than to mortify their pride!