Song to the Chiefs

by Mark J. Green (Wą́nihegá)
translated by Bill Hall (Hų̄ka)

William Hall, ca. 1895

Preamble: "Here is the only song in this writing, a very simple one. Sung to the chiefs, this term applies to the immediate members of the chief's family."

The head dress I gave to you, the head dress I gave to you
My chiefs, closely bound to you
The head dress I gave to you, the head dress I gave to you
The head dress I gave to you, the head dress I gave to you
My chiefs, closely bound to you
The head dress I gave to you, the head dress I gave to you.

A man who had spent much of his time in the village, had died suddenly. He was blessed by the spirits, while he lived. His son related this, then he circled the village, singing the above song. He did not want the people to dissuade him from what he intended to do. He had some goods hidden away to use as inducements. He said as he stood there [that] this was why he was crying, so they did not try to stop him from crying. He would stop when he thought it was time. The Winnebagoes benefited, [so] they sat down. They said, he could say this anytime he wanted to.

Later, as this was going on, some Menominees came. Then they started to shoot, and then stopped. Startled, some of them asked, "Why is this?" They asked a certain woman is what they came to kill. Some said, "It seems of little or no consequence. There must be a real reason. What could it be?" No one seemed to [be able to] give some reason.¹

Commentary

"Preamble" — the typescript 39.SCY 1803 is the only one to add: "Song about experiences meeting the Menominee Indians." All the other typescripts follow the original at D2. The song in question precedes the arrival of the Menominee.

"song" — it is easily appreciated that the song that follows has a chiastic structure:

"say this" — Hall adds parenthetically, "probably meaning the singing and talking."

"some Menominees came" — Hall adds parenthetically, "one began to sing and the men joined in." Since this is not part of the text, it is not clear why one would infer that it must have been the case. For the Menominee, see here.

"startled" — this would imply that the Menominee actually discharged their guns, as opposed to having shouldered them as if to shoot.

"them" — meaning the Hōcąk bystanders.

"they asked a certain woman is what they came to kill" — this might be rephrased as, "They asked about a certain woman whom they had come to kill."

"some reason" — after the Menominee fired their guns in the air, they could not give a satisfactory explanation for why they had done that. This could only mean that they had been compelled by unseen spiritual forces to act as they did, inasmuch as they were on "automatic pilot" as we would say today. Inasmuch as the story was initially about a son paying extra-funerary tribute to his father, one would expect that the odd, almost involuntary, discharge of the muskets of the visiting Friendship Tribe of the Hōcągara would have some relevance to the death of a prominent local man. Had the Indian nations at the time taken note of the white soldiers' odd practice of firing rifles in the air at the funeral of a dead serviceman? This strange Big Knife practice originated in the XVIIᵀᴴ century convention of taking a mutually agreed pause in combat to remove the dead from the field.² That this was to proceed was signaled by the firing of three shots by each side. Once that was accomplished, the dead were then removed from the field. The practice of firing such a volley was formally encoded in Alexander Smyth’s 1812 military manual:

ARTICLE IV. Regulation respecting Funerals. ... On lowering the body of a brigadier general into the earth, three rounds will be fired by the line. In either case [brigadier or major], the firing will be concluded by the escort of infantry, who will fire three rounds over the grave.³

The stories date from precisely this period, a time at which the Big Knives formalized the funeral tribute of discharging firearms to honor the dead. Did the Spirits induce the Menominee, who knew nothing of the deceased, to involuntarily fire their muskets in the air? This seems to be what is suggested. This would show that the man's attempt to honor his father was blessed by the Spirits.

Comparative Material. ...

Links: ...

Stories: mentioning the Menominee: Origin of the Name "Winnebago" (Menominee), The Hocąk Arrival Myth, Bear Clan Origin Myth (v. 2b) (Origins of the Menominee), The Fox-Hocąk War, First Contact, The Magical Powers of Lincoln's Grandfather, The Annihilation of the Hocągara I (v. 2), Annihilation of the Hocągara II, The Prophet Visits the Hōcągara, Two Roads to Spiritland, A Menominee Visit, Takira, The Two Children, A Waterspirit Blesses Mąnį́xete’ų́ga, The Journey of the Prophet’s Acolyte, Gatschet's Hocank hit’e (Extracts ...), Introduction.

Themes:...

Notes

¹ "The Indian sings about his experiences and the meeting with the Menominee Indians," Archives of Traditional Music (ATM), Indiana University, translation by William Hall, Original Typescript (Black River Falls: ca. 1960-1970) D2-3, recording by Milford G. Chandler of Mark J. Green - vocals, bef. 1922, Black River Falls, Jackson County, Wisconsin. ATL no. 526.3 8742.4, Recording 39.SCY 180302:01, Collection number (collection identifier): 54-196-F, p. 42 of 87; OT 7694; APS accession number 7244.

² Sam Ward, "American gun salutes and military funerals" > "Three Volley Salutes," electronic text (viewed 8.18.2026).

³ Alexander Smyth, Regulations for the Exercise, Manoeuvres, and Conduct of the Infantry of the United States, Drawn Up and Adapted to the Organization of the Militia and Regular Troops (Philadelphia: Fry and Kammerer: 1812) §209.