Their were two maidens looking for their lovers and could not find them. In their journey they past Sleeping Bear Point, and one of the little princess listened to a story of when long ago a great famine had spread over the land. A mother Bear and two famished cubs walked the shore of Lake Michigan, on the Wisconsin side, gazing wishfully at Michigan, Which in those days was the land of plenty as it is today. Finally hunger overcame there timidness and the Bears launched out on Lake Michigan to the other side. Nearer and nearer they approached the goal of the other side with the mother giving words of encouragement urging the weary cubs on. When they were just twelve miles from the land of plenty, the mother's heart was broken as she saw one of her Babies sink. With the remaining cub she struggled to gain the beach. Two miles of slow dragging the second of her cherished ones sank. The mother reached the beach and crept to a resting place where she layed facing the restless waters that covered her lost ones. As she gazed, two beautiful islands slowly rose to mark the graves. These islands were called the Manitous--the home of the departed spirits. The little pricess then watched the Sleeping Bear, as she left out of site. To this day you can still see the cliff were the mother bear stays sleeping. It is called Sleeping Bear dunes.

The origin of the American Indian has been a subject of speculation and conjecture even since Columbus discovered the new world. The Shawnees had a tradition that their ancestors crossed the ocean, while other tribes claimed that the race had its beginning in the great northwest. Certain racial characteristics indicate that the indians descended from the Chinese,some of whom may have crossed into Alaska at a remote period. As related by the historian Shea, one of the early American missionaries, Father Grelon, afterwards went to China. While traveling through the plains of Tartary, he met a Huron woman whom he had known on the shores of the Great Lakes. Having been sold from tribe to tribe, She had reached the interior of Asia. There on the steppes of that distant land she related the wonderful story to her aged paster. It was this fact that first led to the knowledge of the near approach of America to Asia. Again, the veneration of the wild Indian for the root of the gentain plant was almost idenical to that of the Chinese. Because of this conclusion it has been said America was the first continent to be inhabited and that Asia and Europe recieved their original population from this source. But this speculation just leads us into the realm of conjecture. The first traces of the Ottawa are near the river that bears their name in Canada. Belonging to the Algonquin Stock, they engaged in warfare with the Iroquois Confederation of the Five Nations, By whom they were driven farther westward. Crossing into Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie river, They came in contact with the Chipawas or(Objibways), with whom they formed a strong alliance. the two tribes were much alike in manners and customs and freely intermingled. together they journeyed southward crossing the straits of Mackinaw, and by mutual concent the Ottawas occupied what is now Emmet county and founded their village of Wau-go-naw-ki-sa, or the Crooked Tree. Farther South they came upon the Potawattamies. They also were a friendly tribe and had a lot in common. All three formed a strong alliance. They controled all of Michigan, and they were called the Three Brothers. the Chipawas, the upper peninsula; the Ottawas, the islands and region south of the Straits of Mackinaw as far as Grand river; the Potawattamies, Southern portion. Of course, there were a number of other tribes, such as the huron, the Miamis, ect., but as a rule they did not reach far north. This is how the Three tribes came to be known.

Na-na-bo-jo was a great chieftain with supernatural powers. He performed many marvelous feats and practically all the great natural wonders of the country are asribed to his ingenuity. To the Indians of L'Arbre Croche and the Algonquin tribes generally Na-na-bo-jo was a demi God and miracle man. In some of his pranks he acted a part of a clown; many of his episodes were of a humorous nature and generally he was the subject of his own joke. It is hard to understand this character in Indian Mythology. While ascribing to him unheard-of and wonderful abilities, The Indians ridiculed Na-na-bo-jo and laughed at his accomplishments. He must not be confused with Gitchi Manitou, or Great Spirit. of whom the Indians never spoke except with reverance and great respect. Na-na-bo-jo was a wise leader and a sage who benifited mankind and overcame the power of evil.

Many Indian tribes have a tradition regarding a great deluge that once submerged this great continent. The Ottawas of L'Arbre Croche say that when Na-na-bo-jo saw that the water had covered all the land and there was no place for him to set his foot, he caught a muscrat and sent him to the bottom of the sea to bring up some earth. The little animal returned with as much sand as it could carry between his paws, which it deposited at Na-na-bo-jo's feet. This the muscrat continued to do until a island was formed. Na-na-bo-jo made a man out of the ground, which he animated with his breath, and again he populated the earth.

The Indians of L'Arbre Croche were firm belivers in manitous, or spirits. All the good things they attributed to the Gitchi Manitou (Great Spirit) ;and the bad things to the Motchi Manitous (Bad Spirits), there being very many of the latter. The Motchi Manitou, most dreaded in these parts, in these parts, inhabited the waters of Little Traverse Bay, and many frightful stories have been related regarding this monster. Often when great storms raged at sea, sacrifices were made to him to appease his anger, for the Indians imagined he was the one that caused the disturbance. A dog would be killed and thrown into the lake, with the words, "Here is something for you, O Manitou; now be still and stop troubling the water." According to the legend, this Manitou was once a human being like all the other inhabitants of the Village; infact, he was the son of a great hunter named Ma-gee-we-non, and was his father's joy and pride. With the greatest delight the old warrior spent most of his time teaching his boy to shoot the arrow and throw the spear, and making him acquainted with all the knowledge necessary for an Indian braves's education. But in spite of all that was done to make the young man a great chief, he showed early evidence of traits of diabolical character. Although very adept in the use of his weapons, it became apparent that he was possessed of an evil spirit. He grew to large and ungainly proportions and became in truth a human monstrosity. He delighted in torturing people and did all sorts of things to annoy those about him. One day, highly incensed over his ill luck at fishing, he sought the feeding grounds of a dreaded sea-serpent, which he capured and turned loose in the Village, where the enraged reptile killed many of the inhabitants and committed all sorts of depredations. At this period the tribe was ruled over by a remarkable cheiftain who was said to posses supernatural powers. The Great Spirit had blessed him with an extremely beautiful daughter whose hand was sought by all the young braves of the surrounding country, among whom was Neoma, considered the best warrior and hunter in the tribe. Wa-wass-ko-na (flower), the chief's daughter, returned the young man's affections, but Neoma had a rival in the powerful Motchi Manitou, and strange to say, the cheif wished his daughter to marry the latter, hoping therby to gain more power and influence and become greater than any of his predecessors. Neoma asked the chief for his daughter's hand, but was,of course, rejected, and Wa-wass-ko-na was imprisoned in a separate wigwam, with guards placed at the entrance, so that the lovers might not elope. But "Love laughs at locksmiths," and one dark night Neoma stole into his sweetharts prison, first drugging the guards with a potion he had obtained from an old women who resided in the outskirts of the Village. Wa-wass-ko-na was only to glad to regain her freedom and join her faithful lover. They hastily embarked in a canoe which Neoma had provided for the occasion, and fled to an island far out in Lake Michigan (Manitou Island), where they landed, pitched their tent, and for a time lived happily together. But Motchi Manitou soon learned their whereabouts, and one day when Neoma was away in quest of game, hied himself to his wigwam and abducted his bride, whom he carried to his abode--A desolate cave near the shore-- where he imprisoned her. Neoma returned home, and missing his wife, spent many weary hours of anguish, but at last surmised the cause of her disappearance. He immediately started in pursuit of Motchi Manitou, but arrived at the latter's rendezvous too late to rescue Wa-wess-ko-na and was only met by the jeers and mocking laughter of the Motchi Manitou. With a heavy heart he lingered about the prison, contriving many plans by which he might rescue his wife, but failed in all his attemps. Meanwhile Wa-wass-ko-na became heart-broken and desponent and shed many tears. She rapidly failed in health until she was only a mere skeleton of her former self, and in a short time she crossed "the dark river of death." Neoma was overwhelmed with grief, and disheatened, he climed "The Crooked tree," which was not far from the Motchi Manitou's cave, and with a wierd, plaintive death-song threw himself to the beach, striking in the waters of Lake Michigan, which caught up the sad air and have ever murmured the lament of the departed warrior. At last the great cheiftan, Neoma's father, passed away and the people saw that in order to insure their safty, they must destroy the Motchi Manitou. A great council was held and it was decided that all warriors should turn out en mass, to get him dead or alive. But to no avail. He seemed to possess a charmed life. He never could be seen, but each morning the inhabitants of L'Abrbre Croche would be awaken to find new mischeif or depredation. Finally, after many days of searching, he was discovered, nestled among the sand dunes on the shore, fast asleep. Without losing any time the bravest of the people crept up cautiously and deftly bound him with basswood bark, so that when he awoke he was helpless. His captors then placed him in a canoe and, taking him far out into the bay, tied huge stones to his neck and threw him over board. As he reached the water, by his exertions to get loose, he caused a sea that the canoe was upset and all its occupants drowned. Even to the present day, when great tempests rage on Lake Michigan, the older Indians say: "It's Motchi Manitou trying to get out of the water."

More to See

some nice pic's

See a portion of the Ottawa Indian Language

Many thanks to:John C. Wright (1912),Dirk Gringhuis