The Menominee by Rebecca

Have you ever heard of “the wild rice” people? These people are the Menominee tribe. The Menominee tribe was known for their government, games and folktales, hunting, their ancestors, and many other things. The Menominee lived a pretty similar life to other tribes.

First, Menominee people played games and told folktales. Lacrosse was a favorite game. They used a ball made of deerskin, and stuffed hair. The racket was made from a three foot sapling bent to form a cup. They played in honor of Thunderbird. The children rolled birch bark hoops. Girls usually played with homemade dolls. Boys usually had bow and arrows. Boy and girl dolls were made by these Woodland Indians. Families during long winter months told stories in the wigwams.

Next, the Menominee people depended on hunting and trapping for food. They hunted bear and, most importantly, deer. They used bow and arrows to trap them or kill them. They trapped bears after sacred rituals. A dog would chase deer by the hunters. To get the deer’s attention, they made noises. They traded traps with the French. In the process of hunting, they usually got attacked by wolves and wildcats.

The first Menominee believed in Maec-Awaetok, who made the sun, stars, the earth, and many spirit beings, which resulted in animals. Maec-Awaetok was the great spirit, and the Father of Fathers. When Christopher Columbus came in 1449, three thousand Menominee lived near the shore of Lake Michigan. Menominee used to live near the mouth of the Menominee River in Wisconsin. They also lived among forests, lakes, and streams. These days they still live in the Midwest. Also, they were one of the Eastern Woodland tribes.

The Menominee government is divided into two halves, which consisted of Bear and Thunderer. The Bear at the beginning was given wild rice. The Thunderer was given fire and corn. Each side was made of clans or clusters of clans. A membership in clan is inherited through the father.  Both sides must share foods and gifts with each other. The two sides think of themselves as “younger brothers” to each other. These are called “phratries.” Each phratry has a special knowledge, or talent, and a specific task. There is the Bear phratry which is made up good speakers, who are keepers, of the laws. The tribe council chose the chief of tribe from Bear. The chief kept order, approved tribal decisions, and looked after the welfare of his people. The Eagle phratry works for freedom and justice. Thirdly, the Mouse phratry stood for community life and safety. Next, the Crane phratry, stood for artwork and building. Lastly, Wolf phratry stood for the best hunters and gatherers. Because the disconnect over loss of federal benefits, the U.S. congress restored the tribe to federal trust status.

Lastly, the Menominee had many similarities with other tribes. Menominee has some same customs as the neighbor Chippewa and the same languages as Fox and Kickapoo tribe. Also, Menominee children were much like children today.

As you can see, the Menominee lived a pretty similar life to other tribes. In conclusion, the Menominee worked hard for their food, which means they worked hard to survive and live.  The Menominee tribe was known for their government, games and folktales, hunting, their ancestors, and many other things.

References

Bail, Ray mound. The Menominee.  New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2006

Dockstader, Frederick J. “The Menominee”  Encyclopedia Americana. 2008. Grolier Online. 29 Oct. 2008

 http://eagrolier.com/cgi-bin/article? assetid=0267210-007.

Kalbacken, Joan. The Menominee.  Chicago: Childrens Press, 1994.

Redish, Laura, and Lewis, Orrin. “Menominee Indian Fact Sheet .”  < www.bigorin.org/menominee_kids.htm 1998-2007>.

Menominee Tribe by Christina

          The Menominee tribe is a tribe that lived in the upper part of Michigan and Wisconsin. They did many things and were friends with the French. The Menominee people were in the war with French and Britten. They also were known for their hunting, fishing, gathering food, and gardening.

          First, the history of the Menominee is very interring. Their history is very interesting. They called themselves kaish Matchitwuk and many other names. They gathered food like rice and many others. They hunted for white-tailed deer and others animals. In 1634, there were about 3,000 to 4,000 Menominee people. The French and the Menominee became really close. They also believed that people lived at the top of the Menominee River. To get more food, they fished gathered and hunted to stay alive. They owned ten million acres or more of land. Their history can go back as far as the Ice Age. People think that they were mound builders.

          Next, the Menominee had many different ways, for example, concerning society and villages. They lived in lodges made of poles and bark as well as many different grasses. They traveled for food. As they traveled, they had camps set up for them to stay in as they hunted. They organized their clans and named them after animals. The things they did daily were raising kids, preparing food, hunting, and farming. They did not know where babies came from or old ages and death. They fought over land with Ottawa and the Potawatomi. They also traded for buffalo fur. The Menominee tribe controlled the northwest part of the great lakes. Women were also famous for weaving pouches and bags out of buffalo hair. They smoked tobacco in pipes. In 1961, their tribe was no longer called a tribe. They also were threatened to have their history taken away.

     Their method for raising children was also different.  The kids of the Menominee were taught to respect older people and the nature. Their fathers taught them how to hunt and others. The girls cleaned with their mothers and did others. When they were teenagers, they would visit each other's houses. When they became of age, their parents chose who they were going to marry. The groom’s parents would host the meal. When they died, they got dressed in nice clothes. They had their faces painted. They would sing song.

     Furthermore, their lifestyle had many other differences.  For example, they would bury the dead with weapons to help protect them from evil. They would stick the bodies in tomes. They would have maple trees in their yards. They loved sugar. They depended on hunting and fishing. They hunted with bows and arrows and snarks. They got attacked by wolves and wild bobcats. They played games and talked about folk tales. Lacrosse was one of their favorite games. The ball was made out deer skin and buffalo hair. Girls played with home made items. Boys played with bows and arrows.  During winter, the families would tell folk tales.

                Next, the Menominee started the French war with 1,500 people and ended with 400. They never were a big tribe.  Their population got worse as the diseases grew and took lives. In 1804, Tomah became the chief Oskkos and was one of their best leaders.  Menominee made friends with the French during the war of 1812. In 1827 to 1830 they sold 500,000 acres of land to the United States for five cents per acre.  The United States killed ¼ of the Menominee people. Two thousand five hundred of them refused to relocate and then faced a lot more changes in 1949.  They lost land because of the police of the United States in 1961. In Wisconsin 7,883 people think they have Menominee ancestors. They spoke the same language as Aloguiania.  They moved to the Minnesota for a short while, and then back to Wisconsin. They lived in Wisconsin for over 5,000 years. At one time they owned 91 ½ acres. They lost their fishing rights in 1954.   

                Ada Elizabeth Deer also helped the Menominee in many ways. She helped regain their tribe name back. Also, there was Mahkeemeeteuv and his nickname was Grizzly Bear. He was the chief after his brother Tomah. He was a great hunter. Neope was Oskosh’s son, and he wrote to the United States Supreme Court. He was one of the first judges. He died on may2, 1897. Oskoh was a grandson of the great king and was the eighth chief.

                As you see, the Menominee tribe was very interesting.  They lived in many different houses. They also ate many different foods. They lived in many different places in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Drink of this tribe

                                            References

Bail, Raymond. The Menominee. New York, Marshall Cavendish Benchmark.2006.

Clifton, James A. “Menominee”. Encyclopedia. 2008. Grolier online.

29OCT.2008.Thttp://gme.grolier.com/cigi-bin/articile?assetid =o190330-07

Callback, Joan. The Menominee. Chicago: children Press. @ 1994

Horsaman, R. (2008). War of 1812. Grolier multimedia. Encyclopedia. Revised. Oct 29. 2008. Grolier

Online hptt://gme.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article? Assessed =0307280-0.

US Supreme Court.  “The Menominee Tribe vs. US.”  United States Report.  American Indian History Online.  Facts on File, Inc.  <http://www.fofweb.com/activlink2.asp?item ID=We43&Ipin+Ind65/singlerecord=true.>

Waldman, Carl. “Menominee.”  Encyclopedia Native American Tribes.  Third Edition.  <http://www.fofweb.om/active2.asp?ItemID=WE438in=ind2378&singlerecord=true> .

last updated Dec. 14, 2008