EADiN] HISTORY 53 



they forced their way through the country occupied by the Winne- 

 bago, war would not have occurred. 



The Winnebago call themselves Ilotcmjgara, which has been vari- 

 ously interpreted as "people of the parent speech" by James Owen 

 Dorsey and as ' ' big fish people ' ' by other observers. Dorsey's explana- 

 tion, which is the one most generally accepted, is most certainly wrong, 

 and represents an interpretation read into the word to make it fit the 

 legends which claimed that the dialect was the most archaic of all 

 the Siouan languages. It is true that Jio may mean "speech," but 

 tcuyli can only mean one thing, and that is "big, real." It is found 

 with a number of animal names, such as ketcuyk, "turtle," and 

 cimlicuyl', "wolf." It corresponds strictly to the Dakotan tavl, 

 "large." Ho means "fish" in Winnebago. The name Winnebago, 

 as is well known, is of Algonquian origin. 



The Winnebago were first encountered by white men in 16.34, when 

 Jean Nicolet visited them as agent for Governor Champlain. Where 

 he encountered them is not definitely known. The Winnebago as a 

 rule claim that it was at Green Bay. Some discussion has arisen of 

 late years on this question. No contemporary narrative of the event 

 exists, nor have the Winnebago any clearly marked legend that might 

 be interpreted as referring to it. 



An excellent description of their history has been given by P. V. 

 Lawson ^ and from this we will quote at some length, selecting those 

 periods that are of greatest importance in the history of the tribe and 

 which can be illustrated by semihistorical legends still known to the 

 Winnebago., 



Much of our knowledge of the early history of the Winnebago is 

 derived from Baqueville de la Potherie's Histoire de I'Amerique Sep- 

 tentrionale. A good deal of his information was obtained from 

 Nicholas Perrot. For the period covering* the years 1640-1660 we 

 hiive the following information : ^ 



A few years ago, they numbered possibly 1-50 warriors. These savages have no 

 mutual fellow-feeling; they have caused their own ruin, and have been obliged to 

 divide their own forces. They are naturally very impatient of control, and very 

 passionate; a little matter excites them; and they are great braggarts. They are, 

 however, well-built, and are brave soldiers, who do not know what danger is; and 

 they are subtle and crafty in war. Although they are convinced that their ancestors 

 drew upon themselves the enmity of all the surrounding Nations, they cannot be 

 humble. Their women are extremely laborious; they are neat in their houses, but 

 very disgusting about their food. 



> The Winnebago tribe, in Wisconsin Archeologist, vol. 6, no. 3, Milwaukee, 1907. 

 * Quoted in Lawson's paper, p. 90. 



