CHAPTER III.
THE ABORIGINES OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY.
WHEN the French made their first approach up the St. Lawrence, the Indians in or bordering on Ohio might have been divided into two great lingual divisions- those speaking the Algonkin language and those of Huronm Iroquois tongues. The Iroquois proper were South of the St. Lawrence and in Central New York. The Hurons, to whom they were allied, were to the Northwest of them ; the Neutral Nation to the West and around the East end of Lake Erie ; and the Eries or " Cats " (so called) were South of the Lake and upon the upper Ohio.* These tribes lay in a compact body, surrounded on every side by Algonkins. In some collision or catastrophe the Tuscacoras (also of Iroquois tongue) had become separated and were fir to the South, to return long after they were first known to unite with the Five
* The Eries are here spoken of as allied by language to the Iroquois, as would appear from the early French Relation, although it is not forgotten, that lately it has been claimed that they were Algonkin.
Nations (often thereafter called the Six Nations). The Cherokees were also, it is said, of original Iroquois stock. They lived South of the Ohio River. It is likely the Huron-Iroquois stock and the Algonkin, or both, met and drove off the Mound Builders.
The most Southern of the Tribes of these stocks West of the Alleghanies were the Cherokees, of the Iroquois; and the Shawnees, of the Algonkin stock. Both languages had become much corrupted. and they may well have represented the advance-guard of these great migrations. The languages of the Delawares and Miamis-the one East of the Shawnees, and the other West-were more alike than either like the Shawnee.
The positions of the Indian Tribes in and about Ohio shortly after the year 1600, is probably not very inaccurately represented by the above map.
In this map the Ottawas, Miamis, Illinois and Shawnees were Algonkin.
28 - HISTORY OF TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY.
The earliest map which undertook to represent the positions and names of the Tribes at the West end of Lake Erie, was that of Nicholas Sanson, the Royal French Geographer, in his little quarto atlas of America. The map is itself without date, but is supposed to have been made about 1657. A fac simile of that part of it which covers and surrounds the lower Maumee Valley, may be of interest. It is as follows;
The positions of the Tribes and the similarity of names with those of the earliest Jesuit Relations, show that the geographical date of much of the map is 1640, about 30 years before the Ohio or Mississippi was discovered. The Western Tribe of the Iroquois are the Sonontonaus (Senecas), and East of the Genesee. The Hurons and Petuns occupy the Northern part of the Peninsula North of Lake Erie. The Eriechronons, or du Chat, are between the Eastern half of Lake Erie and the Ohio, the upper part of which only appears flowing from Chautauqua Lake. Southeast of that branch of the Ohio, are the Attionandarons (a Nation speaking a little different language), which may mean either the Neuters or the Andastes (probably the latter). South of the West end of Lake Erie are the Ontarraronons (meaning "Lake People," as Ontario means" beautiful Lake"). The names on this map are in the main Huron, and the termination, ronon," means "Nation," as the terminations " nek " and " gonk " are Algonkin for the same.
The Jesuit Relation of 1648, written among the Hurons, says Lake Erie was formerly inhabited along its South coast by the Cat Nation, who had been obliged to draw well inland to avoid their enemies from the West. The Ontarraronons were likely the Algonkins, who had pushed back the Eries (Cat Nation), and very likely the "Miami due Lac," who gave name to
THE ABORIGINES OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY. - 27
the Maumee River, at first and long called upon the maps the " Miami due Lac." The Lake referred to may have been Sandusky Bay, attempted to be represented on the map, but very much out of position.
On this map there appears to be a slight attempt to represent the Maumee. The Squenquioronons, at the extreme West end of Lake Erie, may have been the Nepissing branch of the Ottawas, called Squekaneronons.* The first supposition is most probably correct, but the Indians were so apt to make a descriptive name, to sound to the whites like a tribal name, as to add greatly to the labor of study. In the very map before us, the Skraeronons, living East of Sault St. Marie, are simply people of the Skiac or Sault. The Assistaeronons, or Nation du Ferr, represented as in Western Michigan, or South of Lake Michigan, were the well known Mascoutins.
The Jesuit Relation of 1662 has an enumeration of the bands of Indians in the Michigan Peninsula, all Algonkins, all friends of the Hurons, and all trading with the French, save some of the Five Nations and some Puauts farthest to the West. The Ontaanek are no doubt our old friends in Northwest Ohio, the Ontarraronons. The Outaonsinagouk are substantially identical in name with the Sgnenqueronon. The others are Kichkagoneiak, Nigouaouichirinik and Ouachaskesouek. The first were probably the Nepissings ; the next to the last were no doubt the Nick Konek of the Relation of 1648, likely the Couacronons of the map and no doubt Ottawas. (1) The geography of this map was not to be long unchanged. In 1655, before it was published in Paris, the Eries had received their final overthrow at the hands of the Iroquois-so complete, indeed, that what became of the survivors is not known. The Iroquois had before this (in 1649), overcome and driven away from their homes, North of Lake Eric, the Hurons and the Ottawas, their allies. The Ancient Nation de Petun (Owendat), kinsmen of the Hurons, were involved in the common ruin, and the Hurons and Petuns were afterwards known as Wyandots, and lived in Northwestern Ohio until 1832. Although their stock and language were the Huron, the Iroquois and the Ottawas were Algonkin; the common alliances, defeats and ruin
* Said by Sagard, in 1624, to be their proper name; or the name may refer to the Lake " Skekonan."
t Early Indian Migration in Ohio. Page 90.
made them close companions, and the intimacy continued to the last.
But this migration was not direct. The Petuns, with some Hurons, removed to Wisconsin. They were driven back to Lake Superior by the Dacotahs, and about 1680 removed to the neighborhood of Detroit. In 1706 their war parties reached the Cherokees, Choctaws and Shawnees by way of Sandusky, the Scioto and the Ohio. In 1732 they claimed all Ohio as their hunting-ground, and warned the Shawnees nees to plant their Villages South of the Ohio. They gradually centered at Sandusky and the West end of Lake Erie, before the Revolution. The Ottawas, after the overthrow, fled to the mouth of Green Bay and beyond the Mississippi. Driven back, as were the Wyandots, they were, after 1672, their inseparable companions. In 1709 they were at war with the Miamis. In 1747 the Wyandots, already established at Sandusky, persuaded a portion of them to settle on Lake Erie, on the lower Maumee, promising trade with the English.*
The Indians of the neighborhood of the Maumee were not alone in claiming dominion in Ohio. The same Iroquois who had driven them from the North of Lake Eric, and who had destroyed the Eries, claimed its territory as their best hunting-ground. They occupied a considerable part. of Ohio at will, and the portion of Northern Ohio East of Sandusky, seems to have continued, even after the Revolution, a partly neutral ground, permanently occupied by no tribe, and no doubt the seat of many small contests. In 1685 they warred with the Illinois and Miamis, and the war was partly carried on across Ohio. The English persuaded the Iroquois to peace with the Western tribes, wishing under the friendship of that Nation to advance their own trade. The English claimed the country of the Ohio as against the French, under a deed gotten from the Iroquois in 1684, which, however, conveyed the land to be defended by the English to and for the use of the Indians. To use legal language, the Indians were " certui qui trusts," and were to have the subsequent use of the lands. (1) After 1696, from time to time, Iroquois, chiefly Senecas, settled in Northeastern Ohio. In 1817 and 1818 the United States granted the Seneca Reservation, (now in Seneca County), on which these Indians lived until 1831.
* 10 New England Colonial Documents, p. 162.
t Wars of Iroquois, p. 27.