58 THE WINNEBAGO TKIBE [eth. ann. 37 



them to make it rain. Then, aftftr the rain had fallen, they wTung out 

 their blankets and drank the water. 



All this time the men of the tribe were being killed off. After a 

 while they began to kill the male children too. Whenever they 

 saw a child they raised up its dress and if it was a male child, they 

 killed it. However, there was a young mother who had a boy, and 

 fearing that if the enemy discovered him they would kill him, she 

 tied a string to the end of the child's penis and pulled the string back 

 under its legs so that the child was given the appearance of a girl. 

 From this woman and her child all the pure blood Winnebago living 

 to-day are descended. 



The war against the Winnebago was ended b}' a young Winnebago 

 chief painting himself blue and surrendering himself to the other 

 tribes. 



Tlie most important events of Winnebago history during the 

 eighteenth century were the various alliances into which they were 

 drawn with and against the Fox Indians in the wars that the French 

 waged against this brave tribe. The Wimiebago at first allied them- 

 selves with the Fox, but afterwards joined the French. This alliance 

 was destined to bring upon them a great disaster. Lawson describes 

 this period in their history as follows.' 



In pursuance of their policy to combine all the tribes against the Fox, the French 

 ' in some manner won over the Winnebago, their former friends and allies. Thus we 

 learn that in the autumn of 1729 word was brought to Quebec of an attack by the Win- 

 nebago, Ottawa, and Menominee on a Fox \-illage, in which there were killed 100 Fox 

 warriors and 70 women and children. Among the killed of the assaulting party were 

 four Winnebago. . . . Another account gives this assault as on a party of Fox 

 returning from a buffalo hunt, and as made by Ottawa, Chippewa, Menominee, and 

 Winnebago. The Fox village contained 80 men, all of whom were killed or burned 

 except three. The allied Indians burned the cabins and also killed 300 women and 

 children. This probably occurred in the winter of 1729, as the reports are of the date 

 of May 6, 1730. 



The Winnebago having broken with their neighbors and friends, the Fox, by this 

 treacherous and unprovoked slaughter, were now in terror for the consequences of 

 their miserable acts. Fiu'ther attempts against the Fox tribes having been projected 

 from Quebec by the fall of 1729, Sieur Captain Marin appeared at the old French fort at 

 La Baye (Green Bay), and repaired its fallen roots. He had with liim ten Frenchmen. 

 On September 10th the Winnebago returned from their hunt and went to Marin to 

 assure him that they still remained faithful to the French, at the same time presenting 

 him with three slaves. They were rewarded vrith gifts of powder, bullets, hatchets, 

 guns, and knives. Having ascertained that the Fox were not in their own country, 

 the Winnebago took their families and camped on Dendo Island in the Fox River, ad- 

 joining their former location on Doty Island. Very soon thereafter the Fox and Sauk 

 returned and surprised and killed some Winnebago fishermen. Then began a long 

 siege of the Winnebago through the erection by the Fox on the Doty Island waterside 

 of two forts to command the water in all directions. 



In order to compensate the Fox for the loss of two of their number through treachery, 

 and procure a cessation of hostilities, the Winnebago decapitated two Menominee 



' Op. cit., pp. 96-97. 



