INDIANS. 177 



own way of speaking Nord-ouest, the name of description 

 used by the French, though singularly enough, they did not 

 recognize it in the Indian change, but received it as an ori- 

 ginal Indian name. It may easily be conceived how the 

 name became fixed on them. When they visited the French 

 settlements, as all the tribes in this quarter did, and described 

 the place of their residence, the French themselves applied 

 the word Nord-ouest, in reference to the situation of their 

 country. In their subsequent visits, to make themselves 

 known from the other numerous tribes who visited them, they 

 used the word which the French had applied to them, as a 

 much more intelligible description to them than their proper 

 name ; and their pronunciation of it was Nordouessy. The 

 term thus became an appellative, which the French mistook 

 for an original name. 



There was a tribe also called Massisagua, or Massisakwa 

 (for it is not easy to distinguish accurately the Indian sounds), 

 which is the name by which they call the prairie-rattlesnake. 

 The first half of the word is the same as the name of the 

 river, and means, great. The whole word may, therefore, 

 mean, great adder. The last portion of it is, perhaps, the true 

 name of the tribe which we now call Sak, and Saki.* 



The French make strange work in Avriting an Indian 

 name. Ottawas, they make Ouctawaks ; Wabash, Ouabache 

 and OuabaskiQ;ou. 



Hennepin puts down the Tintonhas on the St. Peter's, and 

 Hancton (Yanckton) further north on the Missisippi. 



Lahontan enumerates, on Lake Huron, the Hurons, 

 Outawas, Nockes, Missisaugues, Attikamek, Outchipoues 

 (Chippewas), or Sauteurs (of St. Anthony). On Illinois 

 Lake (Lake Michigan), Illinois, Oumamis, Maskoutins, 



See Note on p. 118. 

 9* 



