Appendix: Notes on Timagami Folk-Lore.
[Note.
Under date of August 30, 1913, Mr. Neil C. Fergusson, Timagami Fire Ranger, wrote from Bear island, Lake Timagami: “While at Bear Island I met Mr. Speck, who was gathering Indian lore and legends for the Victoria Memorial Museum. His work interested me greatly.” He then proceeds to communicate some folk-lore material which he had himself collected from Timagami Indians. This, kindly put by Mr. Fergusson at the disposal of the Geological Survey, is here added as a supplement to Dr. Speck’s own data.
E. Sapir.]
(1) Whisky Jack and the Markings on Birch Bark.
“One Indian told me a few incidents about Whisky Jack (Anglicised form of native Wiske·djak) and ended by saying that he had seen the outline of that strange personage imprinted on a rock along the Ottawa river. He said that the markings on the birch bark were caused by Whisky Jack when he struck the bark, which was once clear, with a balsam bough and then threw a bird at the tree. Hence the knots give the appearance of a bird with outstretched wings, as seen on the enclosed piece of bark (see Figure 2).”
(2) The Two Girls, Hell-Diver, and Loon.1
Once upon a time two girls who were out in the woods climbed a tall spruce tree, but when they wanted to descend, they found that it was impossible. Just then a Moose passed near the tree [84]and both girls called to him for help. The Moose, however, passed on without aiding them. Likewise a Deer, an Otter, and a Lynx all went by, but from none did they receive any help. At last a Wolverine came along and listened to the girls’ entreaties. He finally climbed the tree and brought the girls safely to the ground, after which all three walked along together. The girls didn’t wish the Wolverine as a companion, so one of them said that she had dropped her hair-ribbon near the spruce tree and asked the unwelcome companion to go back for it, saying that they would wait where they were until he returned. The kind Wolverine went off on his errand, and, as soon as he was out of sight, the two girls made their departure. So the Wolverine came back and saw no girls. He heard a whistle and went in that direction. Then he heard another whistle behind him, and so on, but still he failed to find the girls, for the trees were whistling one after another in order to fool the poor Wolverine. The Wolverine went his own way, feeling very much grieved.
The girls walked on swiftly until they came to a little wigwam built in the bush. It was a very pretty wigwam and looked so inviting to the tired girls that they went inside to rest. Soon a Bird, who was the owner, came along and demanded their business in his wigwam. They told him that they had lost their way, so he gave them a cup of tea and directed them on their journey. The girls travelled on and came at last to a river at the end of which was a lake. A Beaver was paddling his canoe down the stream, but wouldn’t take the girls in. Next a Loon, who was the king of all water animals, came along in his canoe, but he also refused to take them with him. Finally a “Hell-diver” came paddling by. He was very kind and took the two girls down to the lake where he dwelt and told them that they might sleep in his wigwam that night. He gave them some blankets and then went out on business.
The girls, however, couldn’t go to sleep, for they heard music and knew that a dance must be going on. They got out of their bed and went to the house where they heard the music. Looking in at the window, they saw the Loon playing the fiddle and all the dancers enjoying themselves, so they returned to their bed and placed two logs under the blankets to deceive [85]their kind friend, the “Hell-diver,” into thinking that they were still where he had left them.
While the two girls were dancing, the “Hell-diver” returned and lay down under the blankets, but the logs happened to be partly rotten and were filled with ants, so that it wasn’t long before he discovered the trick that had been played on him. At once he went to the Loon’s house, thinking that the girls had been to the dance. All was dark in the house, as the dancers had left, but he could see that the two girls and the Loon were lying there asleep. The Loon was snoring with his mouth wide open. The “Hell-diver” was seized with anger and went swiftly back to his wigwam, where he heated a piece of iron until it was red hot. He hastened with this to the Loon’s house and crammed it down the sleeper’s mouth.
Knowing that he had killed the Loon and that the murder would soon be discovered on the next day, he made ready to go on a hunting trip and told his old grandmother that he’d be back on the following evening. When the murdered Loon was discovered, his murderer was far away in the bush and had already caught one deer in his trap. He filled a portion of its entrails with blood and hung it around his neck, then started for home. As his canoe neared the village in the evening, all the people ran down to the water’s edge and cried, “Our chief is dead!” The “Hell-diver” pulled his knife and cut the bladder of blood which hung about his neck, upsetting the canoe at the same time. The people lamented, saying, “We shouldn’t have told the ‘Hell-diver,’ for he has killed himself from grief.”
But far out in the middle of the lake the “Hell-diver” came swimming to the surface and called aloud. “It was I who killed our king, the Loon.” Revenge took hold of all the people and they at once gave chase, but were unable to catch the murderer, and, as darkness was upon them, they said, “We will build a dam and in the morning, when the lake is dry, we will catch him.” In the morning the lake was dry and all the villagers went in pursuit. The chase was a long one and the ‘Hell-diver’ was in the last stages of fatigue when he ran to the dam and quickly kicked it down. The waters came running in and all the people were turned into water animals, but became friends with one another. [86]
1 Mr. Fergusson writes: “Another Indian told me some stories that he had heard from his grandmother, who could speak the Ojibwa tongue. I will write out the one that I thought most interesting.” The story given by Mr. Fergusson is evidently a close variant of the second part of No. 5 of Dr. Speck’s Timagami series.
E. Sapir. ↑
Phonetic Key.
a, as in father, of medium length; a·, lengthened.
e, open; ɛ·, long as in North German Bär.
e·, longer than e and close in quality.
i and i·, short and long close vowels.
o, close and of medium length.
ɔ·, longer than o and with lips more protruded, almost like au of English taut.
α, dulled form of short a, like u of English but.
ə, short obscure vowel of uncertain quality.
b–p, bilabial stops varying between true sonant and intermediate surd-sonant.
d–t, alveolar stops varying between true sonant and intermediate surd-sonant.
g–k, medial palatal stops varying between true sonant and intermediate surd-sonant.
s and z, surd and sonant dorsal sibilant pronounced with tip of tongue deflected to lower alveolar (applies only to Timiskaming Algonquin; in Timagami Ojibwa s and z are normal).
c and j, surd and sonant sibilant corresponding respectively to English sh and z of azure.
tc and dj, surd and sonant sibilant affricative corresponding respectively to English ch and j.
x, voiceless palatal spirant like ch of German Bach.
m, as in English.
n, as in English.
ŋ, palatal nasal like ng of English sing.
w, as in English.
y, as in English.
h, as in English. [87]
˛, nasalized vowel.
ʻ, aspiration following vowel or consonant.
·, denotes that preceding vowel or consonant is long.
′, main stress.
‵, secondary stress. [i]
LIST OF RECENT REPORTS OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Since 1910, reports issued by the Geological Survey have been called memoirs and have been numbered Memoir 1, Memoir 2, etc. Owing to delays incidental to the publishing of reports and their accompanying maps, not all of the reports have been called memoirs, and the memoirs have not been issued in the order of their assigned numbers and, therefore, the following list has been prepared to prevent any misconceptions arising on this account. The titles of all other important publications of the Geological Survey are incorporated in this list. [ii]
Memoirs and Reports Published During 1910.
REPORTS.
Report on a geological reconnaissance of the region traversed by the National Transcontinental railway between Lake Nipigon and Clay lake, Ont.—by W. H. Collins. No. 1059.
Report on the geological position and characteristics of the oil-shale deposits of Canada—by R. W. Ells. No. 1107.
A reconnaissance across the Mackenzie mountains on the Pelly, Ross, and Gravel rivers, Yukon and North West Territories—by Joseph Keele. No. 1097.
Summary Report for the calendar year 1909. No. 1120.
MEMOIRS—GEOLOGICAL SERIES.
Memoir 1. No. 1, Geological Series. Geology of the Nipigon basin. Ontario—by Alfred W. G. Wilson.
Memoir 2. No. 2, Geological Series. Geology and ore deposits of Hedley mining district, British Columbia—by Charles Camsell.
Memoir 3. No. 3, Geological Series. Palæoniscid fishes from the Albert shales of New Brunswick—by Lawrence M. Lambe.
Memoir 5. No. 4, Geological Series. Preliminary memoir on the Lewes and Nordenskiöld Rivers coal district, Yukon Territory—by D. D. Cairnes.
Memoir 6. No. 5, Geological Series. Geology of the Haliburton and Bancroft areas, Province of Ontario—by Frank D. Adams and Alfred E. Barlow.
Memoir 7. No. 6, Geological Series. Geology of St. Bruno mountain, province of Quebec—by John A. Dresser.
MEMOIRS—TOPOGRAPHICAL SERIES.
Memoir 11. No. 1, Topographical Series. Triangulation and spirit levelling of Vancouver island, B.C., 1909—by R. H. Chapman.
Memoirs and Reports Published During 1911.
REPORTS.
Report on a traverse through the southern part of the North West Territories, from Lac Seul to Cat lake, in 1902—by Alfred W. G. Wilson No. 1006.
Report on a part of the North West Territories drained by the Winisk and Upper Attawapiskat rivers—by W. McInnes. No. 1080.
Report on the geology of an area adjoining the east side of Lake Timiskaming—by Morley E. Wilson. No. 1064.
Summary Report for the calendar year 1910. No. 1170.
MEMOIRS—GEOLOGICAL SERIES.
Memoir 4. No. 7, Geological Series. Geological reconnaissance along the line of the National Transcontinental railway in western Quebec—by W. J. Wilson. [iii]
Memoir 8. No. 8, Geological Series. The Edmonton coal field, Alberta—by D. B. Dowling.
Memoir 9. No. 9, Geological Series. Bighorn coal basin, Alberta—by G. S. Malloch.
Memoir 10. No. 10, Geological Series. An instrumental survey of the shore-lines of the extinct lakes Algonquin and Nipissing in southwestern Ontario—by J. W. Goldthwait.
Memoir 12. No. 11, Geological Series. Insects from the Tertiary lake deposits of the southern interior of British Columbia, collected by Mr. Lawrence M. Lambe, in 1906—by Anton Handlirsch.
Memoir 15. No. 12, Geological Series. On a Trenton Echinoderm fauna at Kirkfield, Ontario—by Frank Springer.
Memoir 16. No. 13, Geological Series. The clay and shale deposits of Nova Scotia and portions of New Brunswick—by Heinrich Ries assisted by Joseph Keele.
MEMOIRS—BIOLOGICAL SERIES.
Memoir 14. No. 1, Biological Series. New species of shells collected by Mr. John Macoun at Barkley sound, Vancouver island, British Columbia—by William H. Dall and Paul Bartsch.
Memoirs and Reports Published During 1912.
REPORTS.
Summary Report for the calendar year 1911. No. 1218.
MEMOIRS—GEOLOGICAL SERIES.
Memoir 13. No. 14, Geological Series. Southern Vancouver island—by Charles H. Clapp.
Memoir 21. No. 15, Geological Series. The geology and ore deposits of Phoenix, Boundary district, British Columbia—by O. E. LeRoy.
Memoir 24. No. 16, Geological Series. Preliminary report on the clay and shale deposits of the western provinces—by Heinrich Ries and Joseph Keele.
Memoir 27. No. 17, Geological Series. Report of the Commission appointed to investigate Turtle mountain, Frank, Alberta, 1911.
Memoir 28. No. 18, Geological Series. The Geology of Steeprock lake, Ontario—by Andrew C. Lawson. Notes on fossils from limestone of Steeprock lake, Ontario—by Charles D. Walcott.
Memoirs and Reports Published During 1913.
REPORTS, ETC.
Museum Bulletin No. 1: contains articles Nos. 1 to 12 of the Geological Series of Museum Bulletins, articles Nos. 1 to 3 of the Biological Series of Museum Bulletins, and article No. 1 of the Anthropological Series of Museum Bulletins.
Guide Book No. 1. Excursions in eastern Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, parts 1 and 2. [iv]
Guide Book No. 2. Excursions in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and the eastern part of Ontario.
Guide Book No. 3. Excursions in the neighbourhood of Montreal and Ottawa.
Guide Book No. 4. Excursions in southwestern Ontario.
Guide Book No. 5. Excursions in the western peninsula of Ontario and Manitoulin island.
Guide Book No. 8. Toronto to Victoria and return via Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern railways: parts 1, 2, and 3.
Guide Book No. 9. Toronto to Victoria and return via Canadian Pacific, Grand Trunk Pacific, and National Transcontinental railways.
Guide Book No. 10. Excursions in Northern British Columbia and Yukon Territory and along the north Pacific coast.
MEMOIRS—GEOLOGICAL SERIES.
Memoir 17. No. 28, Geological Series. Geology and economic resources of the Larder Lake district, Ont., and adjoining portions of Pontiac county, Que.—by Morley E. Wilson.
Memoir 18. No. 19, Geological Series. Bathurst district, New Brunswick—by G. A. Young.
Memoir 26. No. 34, Geological Series. Geology and mineral deposits of the Tulameen district, B.C.—by C. Camsell.
Memoir 29. No. 32, Geological Series. Oil and gas prospects of the northwest provinces of Canada—by W. Malcolm.
Memoir 31. No. 20, Geological Series. Wheaton district, Yukon Territory—by D. D. Cairnes.
Memoir 33. No. 30, Geological Series. The geology of Gowganda mining Division—by W. H. Collins.
Memoir 35. No. 29, Geological Series. Reconnaissance along the National Transcontinental railway in southern Quebec—by John A. Dresser.
Memoir 37. No. 22, Geological Series. Portions of Atlin district, B.C.—by D. D. Cairnes.
Memoir 38. No. 31, Geological Series. Geology of the North American Cordillera at the forty-ninth parallel, Parts I and II—by Reginald Aldworth Daly.
Memoirs and Reports Published During 1914.
REPORTS, ETC.
Summary Report for the calendar year 1912. No. 1305.
Museum Bulletins Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 contain articles Nos. 13 to 22 of the Geological Series of Museum Bulletins, article No. 2 of the Anthropological Series, and article No. 4 of the Biological Series of Museum Bulletins.
Prospector’s Handbook No. 1: Notes on radium-bearing minerals—by Wyatt Malcolm.
MUSEUM GUIDE BOOKS.
The archæological collection from the southern interior of British Columbia—by Harlan I. Smith. No. 1290.
MEMOIRS—GEOLOGICAL SERIES.
Memoir 23. No. 23, Geological Series. Geology of the Coast and islands between the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte sound B.C.—by J. Austen Bancroft. [v]
Memoir 25. No. 21, Geological Series. Report on the clay and shale deposits of the western provinces (Part II)—by Heinrich Ries and Joseph Keele.
Memoir 30. No. 40, Geological Series. The basins of Nelson and Churchill rivers—by William McInnes.
Memoir 20. No. 41, Geological Series. Gold fields of Nova Scotia—by W. Malcolm.
Memoir 36. No. 33, Geological Series. Geology of the Victoria and Saanich map-areas, Vancouver island, B.C.—by C. H. Clapp.
Memoir 52. No. 42, Geological Series. Geological notes to accompany map of Sheep River gas and oil field, Alberta—by D. B. Dowling.
Memoir 43. No. 36, Geological Series. St. Hilaire (Beloeil) and Rougemont mountains, Quebec—by J. J. O’Neill.
Memoir 44. No. 37, Geological Series. Clay and shale deposits of New Brunswick—by J. Keele.
Memoir 22. No. 27, Geological Series. Preliminary report on the serpentines and associated rocks, in southern Quebec—by J. A. Dresser.
Memoir 32. No. 25, Geological Series. Portions of Portland Canal and Skeena Mining divisions, Skeena district, B.C.—by R. G. McConnell.
Memoir 47. No. 39, Geological Series. Clay and shale deposits of the western provinces, Part III—by Heinrich Ries.
Memoir 40. No. 24, Geological Series. The Archæan geology of Rainy lake—by Andrew C. Lawson.
Memoir 19. No. 26, Geological Series. Geology of Mother Lode and Sunset mines. Boundary district, B.C.—by O. E. LeRoy.
Memoir 39. No. 35, Geological Series. Kewagama Lake map-area, Quebec—by M. E. Wilson.
Memoir 51. No. 43, Geological Series. Geology of the Nanaimo map-area—by C. H. Clapp.
Memoir 61. No. 45, Geological Series. Moose Mountain district, southern Alberta (second edition)—by D. D. Cairnes.
Memoir 41. No. 38, Geological Series. The “Fern Ledges” Carboniferous flora of St. John, New Brunswick—by Marie C. Stopes.
Memoir 53. No. 44, Geological Series. Coal fields of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and eastern British Columbia (revised edition)—by D. B. Dowling.
Memoir 55. No. 46, Geological Series. Geology of Field map-area, Alberta and British Columbia—by John A. Allan.
MEMOIRS—ANTHROPOLOGICAL SERIES.
Memoir 48. No. 2, Anthropological Series. Some myths and tales of the Ojibwa of southeastern Ontario—collected by Paul Radin.
Memoir 45. No. 3, Anthropological Series. The inviting-in feast of the Alaska Eskimo—by E. W. Hawkes.
Memoir 49. No. 4, Anthropological Series. Malecite tales—by W. H. Mechling.
Memoir 42. No. 1, Anthropological Series. The double curve motive in northeastern Algonkian art—by Frank G. Speck.
MEMOIRS—BIOLOGICAL SERIES.
Memoir 54. No. 2, Biological Series. Annotated list of flowering plants and ferns of Point Pelee, Ont., and neighbouring districts—by C. K. Dodge.
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Metadata
| Title: | Myths and Folk-lore of the Timiskaming Algonquin and Timagami Ojibwa | |
| Author: | Frank Gouldsmith Speck (1881–1950) | Info |
| Contributor: | Neil C. Fergusson | |
| Language: | English | |
| Original publication date: | 1915 |
Revision History
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Corrections
The following corrections have been applied to the text:
| Page | Source | Correction | Edit distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii | Aniwo′ye | Aniwɔ·ye | 2 |
| 7, 69 | [Not in source] | “ | 1 |
| 8 | ” | [Deleted] | 1 |
| 8, 12, 54 | [Not in source] | ” | 1 |
| 16 | Wiske·jdak | Wiske·djak | 2 |
| 17 | ” ’ | ” | 1 |
| 19 | let to | to let | 6 |
| 21 | going | Going | 1 |
| 23 | ‘ | “ | 1 |
| 35 | omα′kαk·i.‵ | omα′kαk·i·‵ | 1 |
| 37 | he | He | 1 |
| 38 | musn’t | mustn’t | 1 |
| 40 | formerely | formerly | 1 |
| 44 | rached | reached | 1 |
| 44 | Wemicus’s | Wemicus’ | 1 |
| 49 | hin | him | 1 |
| 49 | anwser | answer | 2 |
| 51 | Cŋgibis | Ciŋgibis | 1 |
| 61, iii | [Not in source] | . | 1 |
| 69, 87 | [Not in source] | , | 1 |
| 79 | . | ) | 1 |
| ii | Nordesnkiöld | Nordenskiöld | 2 |
| iii | Biologocal | Biological | 1 |
| iii | Memoris | Memoirs | 2 |
| iv | Anthropoligical | Anthropological | 1 |