814 



MASKINONGE MASKS 



[b. a. b. 



conogees. — Schermerhorn (1812) in ISIass. Hist. 

 Soc. Coll., 2d s., II, 11, 1S14. Muscononges. — Pike, 

 Exped., app. to pt. 1, 64, 1810- Mushkeags.— 

 Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribe.s, vi, 38, 1857. Muskagoes, — 

 Hurmon (1801) quoted lay .Tones, Ojebway Inds., 

 166, 1861. Mus-ka-go-wuk.— Morgan, Consang. 

 and Affin., 287, 1.S71. Muskeegoo. — Jones, Ojebway 

 Inds., 17S, isci. Muskeg,— Hind, Red K. Exped., 

 I, 112, isco, Muskeggouck.— West, Jonr., 19, 1824. 

 Muskegoag, — Tanner, Narr., 315, 1830 (Ottawa 

 name). Muskegoe. — Ibid., 45. Muskegons, — Gal- 

 latin in Trans, Am. Antiq. Soc, ll,24, 1836. Mus- 

 kego Ojibways. — Warren (1852) in Minn. Hist. Soc. 

 Coll., V, 37S, 1885. Muskegoo.— Can. Ind. Aff. 

 (common form). Muskigos. — Maximilian, Trav., 

 ir, 28, 1841. Musk-keeg-oes.— Warren (1852) in 

 Minn. Hist. Soc. Coll., v, 45, 1885. Mustegans. — 

 Hind, Labrador Penin., ii, 16, 1863. Omashke- 

 kok.— Belconrt(e«. 18.50)inMinn. Hist. Soc. Coll.. i, 

 227-8, 1872. Omush-ke-goag. — Warren (1852), ibid., 

 V, 33, 1885. Omushke-goes.— Il)id., 85. People of 

 the Lowlands, — Morgan, Consang. and Affin., 287, 

 1871. Savannas. — Clian vignerie ( 1736) in N. Y. Doc. 

 Col. Hist., IX, 10.54, 1855. Savanois. — Charlevoix, 

 Nonv. Fr., I, 277, 1714. Swampee.— Reid in Jour. 

 Anthrop. Inst, of G. Br., vil, 107, 1874. Swampies. — 

 M'Lean, Hudson Bay, ll, 19, 1849. Swamp In- 

 dians.— West, Jour., 19, 1824. Swampy Creek 

 Indians. — Hind, Labrador Penin., i, 8, 1863 (for 

 Swampy Cree Indians). Swampy Crees.— Frank- 

 lin, Journ. to Polar Sea, 38, 1824. Swampy Krees.— 

 Keane in Stanford, Compend., 536, 1878. 

 Swampys.— Hind, Labrador Penin., i, 323. 1863. . 

 Waub-ose.— \^'arren (1852) in Minn. Hist. Soc. 

 Coll., V, 86, 1885 ('rabbit': Chippewa name, refer- 

 ring to their peaceful character; applied also to 

 the Tugwaundugahwininewug). 



Maskinonge. A species of pike (Esox 

 estor) found in the great lakes and the 

 waters of the adjacent regions. The word 

 is variously spelled niaskinonge, nias- 

 calonge, niuskelunge, muskellunge, etc., 

 and al)breviated into lunge or longe. As 

 one of the earlier forms of this word, nias- 

 quinongy, and the Canadian French mas- 

 quinonge and niaskinonge, indicate, the 

 terminal e was once sounded. The origin 

 of the word is seen in mashkinonge or 

 niaskinonge, which in the Chippewa and 

 Nipissing dialects of Algonquian is applied 

 to this fish; although, as the etymology 

 suggests, it might also be used of other 

 species. According to Cuoq (Lex. 

 Algonq., 194, 188<i), mashkinonje is de- 

 rived fronnHo.s/;, 'big,' and Idnonje, 'fish.' 

 This is perhaps better than the etymology 

 of Lacomlie and Baraga, which makes the 

 first component to be yiu'islik or musk, 

 'ugly.' The folk-etymological masque 

 allonge of Canadian French has been ab- 

 surdly perpetuated in the pseudo-Latin 

 mascalongus of ichthyologists, (a. p. c. ) 



Masks. Throughout North America 

 masks were worn in ceremonies, usually 

 religious or quasi-religious, but sometimes 

 purely social in character. Sometimes 

 the priests alone were masked, some- 

 times only those who took part, and 

 again the entire company. In all cases 

 the mask served to intensify the idea of 

 the actual presence of the mythic animal 

 or supernatural person. The simplest 

 form of mask was one prepared from the 

 head of an animal, as the buffalo, deer, 

 or elk. .J'hese realistic masks did not 

 stand for the actual buffalo, deer, or elk, 



but for the generic type, and the man 

 within it was for the time endowed with 

 or jiossessed of its essence or distinctive 

 quality where the belief obtained that 

 the mask enabled the wearer to identify 

 himself for the time l)eing with the super- 

 natural being represented. A ceremony 

 of purification took place when the mask 

 was removed (Culin). Among the 

 Eskimo the belief prevailed "that in 



early days all 



animated beings 

 had a dual exist- 

 ence, becoming 

 at will either like 

 man or the ani- 

 mal form they 

 now wear; if an 

 animal wished to 

 assume its hu- 

 man form the 

 forearm, wing, 

 or other limb 

 was raised and 

 pushed up the 

 muzzle or beak as if it were a mask, and 

 the creature became manlike in form and 

 features. This idea is still held, and it is 

 believed that many animals now possess 

 this power. The manlike form thus ap- 

 pearing is called the inna, and is supposed 

 to represent the thinking part of the 

 creature, and at death becomes its shade. ' ' 

 Many of the masks of the N. and the 

 Pacific coast are made with double faces 



WESTERN Eskimo Mask. 



KWAKIUTL COMPOUND MASK. 



( BOAS ) 



to illustrate this belief. "This is done by 

 having the muzzle of the animal fitted 

 over and concealing the face of the i7itia 

 below, the outer mask being held in place 

 by pegs so arranged that it can be re- 

 moved quickly at a certain time in the 

 ceremony, -thus symbolizing the trans- 

 formation." Sometimes the head of a 

 JMrd or animal towered a])Ove the face 

 mask; for instance, one of the sand-hill 

 crane was 30 inches long, the head and 



