Megwa Se Ode Atsokan.
Our old people tell of many humorous things that happened to the Neshnabek when the whites sent them away from their own tribespeople to attend schools in the east, and other places they had established for the early people. The missionaries operated "mission schools" for the Neshnabek and other tribal groups during the early colonization period of this country. The following is an account of when several young people were sent away from their tribe to one of these schools at Carlisle, PA.
Two young men were simultaneously sent to the same school from one of the reservation areas. After being there for some time, they were finally allowed to go home for a brief time to visit their people. Upon arriving at their home reservation, they were warmly greeted, but with some reserve, as they had been away for some time and they were dressed in strange clothes, with new habits of speaking and short hair.
They were told to separate themselves from the common people until such time as they addressed a "grand council" of elders and their people. A place was fixed for them to sleep until the next day when they were told they would speak to the common folk of their tribe. They were told what the elders wanted to know. One of them was to speak in the foreign tongue, English, while the other translated into Neshnabemwen so the elders and others could understand what they said.
The things they wanted to know were what they were being taught, how many of the "kchemokmanek" there were, what kinds of ways the whites had about them, and what they thought their intents were toward the Neshnabek. They would also be subjected to individual queries about themselves from various members of their own people, and they would ultimately be "smudged" with the sacred herbs that were used in the "smudging ceremony." Then, and only then, would they be allowed to mingle at large with all of their own people once again, and be permitted to go anywhere among them they chose to go.
They spent a restless night communicating among themselves as to what they would say to their people and who would speak English and who would speak Neshnabemwen. After deciding on these few things they retired for the night. Upon arising, they immediately went to the "council grounds" and waited for the people to begin assembling themselves for their presentation.
Some elders arrived first and told them where they would be seated and how they would begin addressing the people. The young men took their places and awaited the rest of the people to come forth from their various dwellings. When the moment arrived for them to start speaking, the elder who was in charge told the people, their relatives were back for a visit and would be telling them much about the whites and where they were going to school. He then turned the meeting over to the young men.
The young man who was to speak in English had thought much on how he was to greet the people, and wanting to impress them with his learning, he started out like one of the teachers he admired at his school. "Well, well, well! Here we are today!"
The other young man was to translate into Neshnabemwen and he used the only words he knew in their language to tell them what his companion had said.
"Tkep, tkep, tkep, eje mawjeshnoyak ngom!"
Everyone looked quizzically at one another wondering why the young man was talking about a well or waterhole/spring, to greet his people. So you can see how these young people had been influenced by the white man's educational system even back then.
There are more stories of this type. Iw, enajmoyan odo pi.
Neaseno.
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