Menominee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie.

Menominee
Total population

5,000-10,000

Regions with significant populations
United States (Wisconsin)
Languages
English, Menominee
Religions
Christianity, Animism
Related ethnic groups
Fox, Kickapoo and other Algonquian peoples

The Menominee (also spelled Menomini; known as Mamaceqtaw, "the people" in their own language) are a nation of Native Americans living in Wisconsin but originating in the upper peninsula of Michigan. The name "Menominee" comes from the Ojibwe name manoominii, meaning "wild rice people",[1] as wild rice is one of their most important traditional staples.

The tribe has a reservation which is conterminous both with Menominee County, Wisconsin and with the town of Menominee, Wisconsin. They operate a number of gambling facilities and speak the Menominee language. (There is also the Menominee River in the region, which flows into the Bay of Green Bay, and the city of Menominee, Michigan is located at the mouth of the river.)

Contents

[edit] History

Amiskquew, a mid 19th century Menominee warrior, painted by Charles Bird King
Amiskquew, a mid 19th century Menominee warrior, painted by Charles Bird King
Spearing Salmon By Torchlight, an oil painting by Paul Kane depicting Menominees spearfishing at night by torchlight and canoe on Fox River.
Spearing Salmon By Torchlight, an oil painting by Paul Kane depicting Menominees spearfishing at night by torchlight and canoe on Fox River.
Dan Waupoose, a Menomini chief; Algiers, La. U.S. Navy photograph, August 24, 1943.
Dan Waupoose, a Menomini chief; Algiers, La. U.S. Navy photograph, August 24, 1943.

The tribe formerly lived in what is now upper Michigan around Mackinac. John Reed Swanton records in his The Indian Tribes of North America under the "Wisconsin" section listing "Menominee" a band named "Misi'nimäk Kimiko Wini'niwuk, "Michilimackinac People," near the old fort at Mackinac, Mich." Father Frederic Baraga in his dictionary records "Mishinimakinago; pl.-g.—This name is given to some strange Indians, (according to the sayings of the Otchipwes,) who are rowing through the woods, and who are sometimes heard shooting, but never seen. And from this word, the name of the village of Mackinac, or Michillimackinac, is derived."[2] After selling their lands to the U.S. government through seven treaties from 1821 to 1848, they were moved to their present reservation. Although their customs are quite similar to those of the Chippewa (Ojibwa), their language has a closer affinity to those of the Fox and Kickapoo tribes.

An Eastern Woodlands tribe, the Menominee belong to the Algonquian language branch of North America. They were known as "folles avoines" (wild or foolish oats) by the early French. The Menominees formerly subsisted on a wide variety of plants and animals, with wild rice and sturgeon being two of the most important foods; feasts are still held annually at which each of these is served. The five principal Menominee clans are the Bear, the Eagle, the Wolf, the Crane, and the Moose.

[edit] Culture

Menominee mythology is rich with ethical meaning and interrelated in complex ways with the sacred literature of Native American people.

The Menominee believed that the earth was separating the upper and lower worlds. The upper world represented good and the lower world represented evil. These two worlds were divided into several layers, the furthest being the most powerful. The sun was at the highest level in the upper world, followed by the Thunderbird and the Morning Star; the Golden Eagles (symbols of war); and other birds led by the Bald Eagle. The first level below the earth in the lower world was occupied by the Horned Serpent. The next level was the home of the White Deer, which contributed to the origins of the Medicine Dance. The next level was the Underwater Panther. The lowest level was ruled by the Great White Bear.

The Menominee used dreaming as a way of connecting with a guardian spirit in order to gain power. During puberty, both boys and girls would fast for days, living in a small isolated wigwam. Shamans would then interpret their dreams of spirits in animal form and would inform the youngster what responsibilities he or she owed to the guardian spirit.[3]

[edit] Current tribal activities

The Menominee have a community college called the College of the Menominee Nation.

The tribe also owns and operates a Las Vegas style casino, bingo and hotel that has been in operation since June 5, 1987. Approximately 79 percent of the Menominee Casino-Bingo-Hotel's 500 employees are of Native American descent or are spouses of Native Americans.[4]

[edit] Notable Menominees

[edit] References

  1. ^ Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press., pg. 401, n. 134
  2. ^ Baraga, Frederic (1878). A Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language. Montreal: Beauchemin & Valois, v. 2, p. 248.
  3. ^ Menominee Culture - Indian Country Wisconsin
  4. ^ About Us

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

[edit] Books

  • Oshkosh The Brave: Chief of the Menominees, and His Family. Phebe Jewell Nichols (Mrs. Angus F. Lookaround), Menominee Indian Reservation, 1954.