36 THE MENOMINI INDIANS [eth.ann. 14 



Ojibwa, Potawatomi, and other Indian tribes, as well as with whites. 

 This may be one of the reasons for the imperfect grammatic structure 

 of the language as well as for its rather limited vocabulary. 



Reverend Allied Branson, 1 in his account of the early history of 

 Wisconsin, refers to this tribe as follows: 



Tbe Meuomouees were the uext tribe, in point of importance, though of prior date 

 to some others, among the first Aboriginal occupants of what is now the State of 

 Wisconsin. They were of the Algonquin race, but appear to have quarreled with, 

 or rebelled against tbe national authorities of the Chippewas, and were probably 

 driven from Canada on account of it, and took shelter with other straggling and 

 adventurous bauds on the common battle-field between the Algic and Dahkota races, 

 in the vicinity of Green Bay. 



Charlevoix visited Green bay in 1721, and after relating his experi- 

 ence in navigating down the western shore, says: 



We found ourselves abreast of a little island, which lies near the western side of 

 the bay, and which concealed from our view, the mouth of a river, on which stands 

 the village of the Malhomines Indians, called by our French Folles .troti/ex or Wild 

 Oat Indians, probably from their living chiefly on this sort of grain. The whole 

 nation consists only of this village, aud'that too not very numerous. 'Tis really 

 great pity, they being the finest and handsomest men in all Canada. They are even 

 of a larger stature than the Poutewatamies. I have been assured that they had the 

 same original and nearly the same languages with the Noquets, and the Indians at 

 the Falls. But they add that they have likewise a language peculiar to themselves, 

 which they never communicate. I have also been told several stories of them, as of 

 a serpent which visits their village every year and is received with much ceremony, 

 which makes me believe them a little addicted to witchcraft. - 



The Noquets are also mentioned by Charlevoix as not a numerous 

 nation, living on a bay or gulf of the Noquets. They originally ''came 

 from the coasts of Lake Superior, and of which there remain only a 

 few scattered families, who have no fixed residence." 



ANTIQUITIES 



Mounds are reported as very numerous throughout the area embraced 

 within the boundaries of the Menomini reservation, but thus far no 

 special Examination of them has been made. The mounds are most 

 numerous along the lake shores, especially north and northeast of 

 Keshena, though but few relics have as yet been unearthed. Major 

 Thomas II. Savage, the preseut Indian agent, informed me that he had 

 opened several mounds, about S miles east of the agency, and had 

 found human remains, as well as a few cupper spearheads, one of which 

 is illustrated in figure 1. The specimen is quite neatly made, and 

 appears originally to have been sharpened along the edges, as the cut- 

 ting edge is still in very good condition. 



The greater number of these mounds appear to be entirely barren- 

 One group, situated between 7 and S miles north-northeast of Keshena, 

 is represented in plate rr. They are situated about 400 yards west of 



1 Ooll. Hist. Soc. of Wisconsin, vol. iv. 1859. pp. 242. 243. 



3 Journal of a Voyage to North America, London, 1781, vol. ii, p. Gl. 



