| Summary: | constructed their shelters of saplings and birch-bark which were not as moveable as were the skin teepees of the Plains Indian. The food supply in the forest was more stable. The deer, moose, beaver, rabbit and fish were always available as would be the berries and other edible vegetation of the forests. Consequently there was no need for migration. When the fur traders began their penetration into the areas of the Woodland Indian they were well received. Thus began the inter mingling of European blood. Thus came the sur-names of French, English, Scottish and Irish. They can be traced back often to proud and noble families of Europe. The Woodland Indians were less warlike than the Plains tribes simply because they were not constantly vieing for the best hunting grounds. Conversely, the lives of the Plains Indians were quite different. Their food supply hinged mainly on the migrating herds of buffalo. Certain territory had to be protected from infringement by rival tribes. This caused a lot of war. By necessity, the Plains Indians used horses where the Woodlands had no need of them. The buffalo-hide teepees could be folded and transported daily. Even the clothing used, identified the different tribes and necessity dictated the clothing. Plains Indians needed a firm-soled moccasin that could withstand the miles of travel on hard, dry and rocky terrain. In the woods the need was for a soft, quiet type moccasin for sneaking up on the game. The soft floor of the forests did not require a protective hard sole. The Woodland bands were branches of the Eastern Alonquin. From the west there may have been an infiltration of Blackfoot, Arapaho, Sioux and Gros Ventre. Their language became a conglomerate from all these tribes. The Woodland Indian was very adaptable. Since there was no real competition among them for food or furs, they became a very peaceful and peacedoving people. By their very nature they could adapt to whatever challenge arose. The white man they accepted, and were easily led into fur trading. They adopted many of the habits of the whites as well as some of the language which they handily incorporated into their Indian vocabulary. As the fur traders moved westward, a goodly number of Indians followed. A sizable settlement developed at Pembina. Here the Ojibwa lived and absorbed the culture of the Plains Indian. Obviously if they were to survive on the Plains, they would need horses. They obtained them, and became superb horsemen. They learned to use the white man's firearms and - alas - the firewater too. They learned to pursue and slay the buffalo. With the horse, they soon developed the travois and then the Red River cart. These people moved westward into the Turtle Mountains. Meanwhile, the language of the Candian Metis was being absorbed by these people. Metis had developed a remarkable language which was quite superior to the basic Indian languages of Cree and Ojibway, which was their foundation. It was then mixed with French and English. The result was called Cree, but was not the same language as the original Cree tribe used. From the melding of all these cultures we come up with our Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. As to the development of our white culture, it too, is as mixed and complex as the Indian. From early American settlers came the Yankees. From various European countries came the immigrants. These all mixed with one another and with the Indians and now we have a society that is simply "Dunseith. " Several factors lured the early settlers into our area. First, when the land opened up for homesteading. the free land available was a basic lure. To encourage the railroads to proceed into the wilderness, the U.S. government granted them vast tracts of land; every other section of land they built through. This was intended to defray the cost of construction and of future maintenance. History is now revealing how they live up to their commitments! In the early days they advertised in glowing terms the potential of the frontiers. They were very eager to sell their land and to see industry and agriculture develop, thus ensuing their support. They offered free excursion trips to prospective settlers. They were quite successful in developing towns and farms. The early Catholic missionaries were also very eager to import the laborers and farmers from the eastern states and Canada. Every year, Father Malo traveled to the east and succeeded in attracting a number of French Canadians and Massachusetts Irish to this territory. Dunseith began when Giles Gilbert came from New York State as a fur trader and his quest had brought him to this point. The proximity of the Turtle Mountains with its lakes and streams, the settlement of Indians gaue him the elements necessary to his purpose, which was to set up a permanent dwelling and trading post. He staked his claim and returned East for the winter. In 1882 he came back and had a big log house built. At this same time a number of settlers began showing up and the town began to grow. In another unit we will consider the growth and development on a local level. I will list some of the influences that had a great bearing on the way our area developed. The Homestead Act of 1862 granted 160 acres of land to anyone over 21 years old. who would build a house, dig a well, cultivate a certain amount of land and live on it for five years. This was called "proving up." This Act was modified several times. Sometimes a tree claim fulfilled requirements for "proving up. " Later a three year residency was allowed and also seven months of the year residency was allowed instead of a full 12 months of occupancy. People were allowed to buy the Homestead Rights of someone who was willing to forfeit them. The eastern federal Legislators who wrote up the Homestead Act could not imagine the conditions on the Great Plains. They were sure that 160 acres was adequate for a good living. They had never seen the desolation that the drouths could wreak upon the land. They couldn't comprehend that this land could never be as intensely cultivated or pastured Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited in Multi-page TIFF Editor.
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