Page 238 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

234 WISCONSIN ITISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.

The Algonquins called the Winnebagoes a Dahkota tribe,
probably because they were at peace with tho Dahkotas, the
reason for which will appear hereafter. But as there is no
analogy between their languages, there is no probabilit? of
such relationship. The Winnebagoes called themselves Ot-
cha-gras; but were nick-named by the French voyagers Pu-
ants, fetid, probably translating the Algic into French, and
no less than ten different names are given them by different
writers.
One writer mentions them as early as 1635, another has them
all killed off or taken prisoners in 1039 except one man, who
was made a chief (over whom?), from whom sprang the pres-
ent tribe or nation. NICOLET found them at Green Bay in
in the same year in which they were said to have been
destroyed, in a prosperous condition, by one date: and by
another date it was thirty years after. They could hardly
have grown from one man to a powerful tribe in thirty
years.
CARVER'S account of them seems to be the most reasonable.
He says, in his Travels, as the result of his inquiries,
that the Winnebagoes most probably came from Mexico, on
the approach of the Spanish, and they had on "unalienable
attachment to the Naudawises (Sioux) who, they said, gave
them the earliest succor during their emigration:" which at-
tachment has continued to this day, there never having been
a war between them.
The eastern portion of what is now Wisconsin being the
common battle ground between the Dahkota and A'lgic races,
it is probable that the former, as an act of kindness to a
wandering, homeless people, and as a matter of policy on
their part, gave the:Winnebagoes the country between them
and their enemies.
CARVER fixes the date of their coming to the country at
about one hundred year8 before his vi~it to them, which
was in 1766. If this be true, then the dates of traders and
hfissionaries who speak of them as being on Green Bay st