RADiN] HISTORY 67 



They say that the tobacco was given to them dh'ectlj- and that 

 Earthmaker loves the Winnebago more than any other race. For 

 that reason they were very clever. Now this is what the old men 

 have said and handed down to us. 



Once something appeared in the middle of the lake (Green Bay). 

 They were the French : they were the first to come to the Winnebago. 

 The ship came nearer and the Winnebago went to the edge of the lake 

 with offerings of tobacco and white deerskins. There they stood. 

 When the French were about to come ashore they fired their gims 

 off in the air as a salute to the Indians. The Indians said, "They 

 are thunderbirds." They had never heard the report of a gun before 

 that time and that is why they thought they were thunderbirds. 



Then the French landed then- boats and came ashore and extended 

 their hands to the Winnebago, and the Indians put tobacco in their 

 hands. The French, of course, wanted to shake hands with the 

 Indians. They did not know what tobacco was, and therefore did 

 not know what to do with it. Some of the Wimiebago poiu-ed tobacco 

 on their heads, asking them for victory in war. The French tried to 

 speak to them, but they could not, of course, make themselves under- 

 stood. After a wliile they discovered that they were without tools, 

 so they taught the Indians how to use an ax and chop a tree down. 

 The Indians, however, were afraid of it, because they thought that 

 the ax was holy. Then the French taught the Indians how to use 

 guns, but they held aloof for a long time through fear, tliinking that 

 all these things were holy. 



Suddenly a Frenchman saw an old man smoking and poured water 

 on him. They knew nothing about smoking or tobacco. After a 

 while they got more accustomed to one another. The Indians 

 learned how to shoot the guns and began trading objects for axes. 

 They would give furs and things of that nature for the guns, knives, 

 and axes of the whites. They still considered them holy, however. 

 Finally they learned how to handle guns quite well and they liked 

 them very much. They would even build fires at night so that they 

 might try their guns, for they could not wait for the day, they were 

 so impatient. When they were out of ammunition they would go 

 to the traders and tell their people that they would soon retiu-n. 

 By this time they had learned to make themselves imderstood by 

 various signs. 



The second time they went to visit the French they took with them 

 all the various articles that they possessed. There the French 

 taught them how to sew, how to use an ax, and how to use a knife. 

 Then the leader of the whites took a lildng to a Winnebago girl, the 

 daughter of the chief, and he asked her parents for permission to 

 marr}' her. They told liim that her two brothers had the right to 

 give her away in marriage. So ho asked them and they consented. 



