1923] SMITH, BOTANIZING AMONG THE OJIBWE 45 



court judge, Rising Sun. Usually the discussion concerns their re- 

 lations with some phase of the government work and they call upon 

 the Indian agent and settle their grievances. 



As with other Wisconsin Indians, the Chippewa love their children 

 dearly and are rarely harsh to them. The children are taught to 

 dance at an early age and while subsequent education may cause them 

 to forget the names of the medicinal plants, they never forget the 

 dance songs and steps. It is a common notion among white-men that 

 it is useless to educate an Indian. Stories are told of college gradu- 

 ates that revert to the tepee and to the dog feast. These may be true, 

 but from the Indian viewpoint, there is nothing disgraceful in this. 

 We are prone to point to the one fall from grace and forget about the 

 many who have made a success among us. There are many full- 

 blooded Indian men and women in Milwaukee, who are very useful 

 citizens. Education is of great assistance to the Chippewa, who have 

 often proven that they have the same capabilities as their white broth- 

 ers. The Indian is not anatomically handicapped as is the negro, but 

 has the same physical characteristics as the Caucasian race and is 

 capable of going far. 



Our work among the Chippewa took us to all parts of the reserva- 

 tion and contact was made with many members of the tribe. They 

 are strict followers of the medicine lodge and possibly the most inter- 

 esting people in the state from a religious viewpoint. This finished 

 the work in one reservation, but to complete the data on the ethno- 

 botany of the Chippewa, it is still necessary to see the other Chippe- 

 wa reservations in northern Wisconsin. This will be done in the sum- 

 mer of 1924. 



Our stay at Lac du Flambeau was made doubly pleasant by the 

 cordiality of the Indian Agent, Mr. James W. Balmer and his good 

 wife. In fact, everyone in the office helped us in every way possible; 

 the chief clerk, Walter H. Shawnee; the factotum, Chas. H. Goodwin; 

 the farmer, Mr. Hatch; the disciplinarian, John Allen; the secretary, 

 Miss Korpi; and the policemen, Chas. Gautier and Charley Burns. 

 The office force is seen in figure 22. Charley Burns, in Potawatomi, 

 Shakkeshi, was a mine of information, speaking Chippewa, Potawa- 

 tomi, Menomini, Meskwaki, Winnebago and English. From him we 

 learned the Chippewa alphabet, many plants and also, what was more 

 valuable, whom to see for other information. 



While our chief source of information was Bearskin, "Mukwean," 

 others were very willing to help us. Such were John Whitefeather, 



