1921] SKINNER, ARCHEOLOGICAL WORK OF THE MUSEUM. 15 



"Again, and in an Indian way. my uncle, it becomes necessary for 

 you to tell us who were your ancestors, for this is an important gift, and 

 we can not give it to one who is a nobody !" 



Cajitain Satterlee. therefore, made a genealogical oration for our 

 approval, in true Menomini dramatic style. 



"Hau ! Init ! You have spoken well ! Now, for the last, the fourth 

 and sacred time. Uncle, you are given a task to accomplish. Give for us 

 the war whoop !" 



No sooner said than done. Dr. l>arrett and I walked over to the 

 box, raised the blanket gingerly, and as I said, "X'dabokinun !" (I give 

 it to you ) . we whisked off the cloth. The old turtle responded nobly for 

 he lunged savagely half way out of the l)ox as soon as he was uncovered. 



Certainly Captain Satterlee was pleased, and fairly chortled his 

 praise of his dear nephew. Little Weasel, who was man enough lo go into 

 the cold river for his poor uncle. A few moments later the turtle had 

 been decapitated and Dr. Barrett and the Captain were hard at work 

 preparing him for the kettle. 



After sui)per, as the great water bucket full of turtle meat simmered 

 over the coals. Captain John came into the circle of the firelight with 

 the turtle's heart, still Ideating, in his hand. Advancing to me, he said : 



"Xephew, you call yourself a man! Know, then, since time im- 

 memorial it has l)een the custom of the warriors among our people, when 

 they wished to show their valor, to dev(jur the beating heart of a 'Chief 

 Man' (the ceremonial name of the snapping turtle). If you are in truth 

 a man, prove it for us !" 



So saying he handed me the heart. Strange qualms seized me, but 

 I was fairly caught. To hesitate was to lose prestige. 



"Very well," said I. "I am a man. and will eat this heart, still beat- 

 ing. But if you three are men, too, you will jcjin me!" 



Thus it happened that we four. Dr. Barrett. Captain Satterlee, Je- 

 rome Shawano-mite and the writer, each ate a quarter of that beating, 

 palpitating heart, though I can not say any of us enjoyed it. Uncle 

 John was inordinatley proud, for l^oth Petcikunau ( Medicine Bundle, 

 Dr. liarrett's ^lenomini name) and Little Weasel had shown them- 

 selves to be men, and we were his nephews. 



As for the rest of the turtle, we had sixteen quarts of soup, and it 

 was simply impossible for us to eat it all, excellent though it was. For- 

 tunately old Louis Pigeon happened along, and we feasted him to the 

 bursting point, and gave him tobacco to make a speech to the gods and 

 the souls of those who had erected the mounds at Five Islands. This he 



