remote ancestors were captured and brought to this country as prisoners
of war. But they were afterwards adopted as children of the Ottawas,
and intermarried with the nation in which they were captives.
Subsequently these captives' posterity became so famous among the
Ottawas on account of their exploits and bravery on the warpath and
being great hunters that they became closely connected with the royal
families, and were considered as the best counselors, best chieftains
and best warriors among the Ottawas. Thus I am not regularly descended
from the Ottawa nations of Indians, but I am descended, as tradition
says, from the tribe in the far west known as the Underground race of
people. They were so called on account of making their habitations in
the ground by making holes large enough for dwelling purposes. It is
related that they even made caves in the ground in which to keep their
horses every night to prevent them from being stolen by other tribes
who were their enemies. It is also related that they were quite an
intelligent class of people. By cultivating the soil they raised corn
and other vegetables to aid in sustaining life beside hunting and
fishing. They were entirely independent, having their own government
and language, and possessing their own national emblem which
distinguished them as distinct and separate from all other tribes. This
symbolical ensign of my ancestors was represented by a species of small
hawk, which the Ottawas called the "Pe-pe-gwen." So we were sometimes
called in this country in which we live the "Pe-pe-gwen tribe," instead
of the "Undergrounds." And it was customary among the Ottawas, that if
any one of our number, a descendant of the Undergrounds, should commit
any punishable crime, all the Pe-pe-gwen tribe or descendants of the
Undergrounds would be called together in a grand council and requested
to make restitution for the crime or to punish the guilty one,
according to the final decision of the council.