Chief Otusson
Of the Thumb of Michigan
The Mattawan River:
The Place of the Magical Fur
By Mark R. Putnam
Copyright 2011
Caro, Michigan
Above the Native People the Wakisos hunt along the Cass River,
which was early on known as the Wakisigan and Mattawan
The early written history of
Michigan's Thumb mentions Chief Otusson.
His wigwam, or lodge, was located on the
river Wakishegan.
The Wakishegan was more widely known as the Upper Huron.
Chief Otusson was part of the Native
American band the Wakisos.
That is what we may suppose.
Wakisigan means it seems it sparkles or glitters.
In Chippewa and Ottawa "wakeshka means it is
shiny or glossy.
Into the Saginaw Valley and the Saginaw River emptied three great rivers:
The Tittabawassee--the rolling, twisting,
sparkling stream.
The Shiawassee--the straight-ahead sparkling
stream.
And, the Wakishegan, the river with the bright
glitter.
Chief Otusson knew all these rivers well.
But, on the Wakishegan he would dwell.
The Chippewa and Ottawa were the kin of Chief Otusson.
His name was said to mean
platform.
Chief Otusson was a sovereign over a great
woodland fen.
The Chippewa and Ottawa called his land Tess-iaki
or Tusci.
The French in the 1700's knew it as Les Pays
Plat.
The English in the 1700's called it the
Flat Country.
It was a land that was level and flat.
It was the land of hot summers and cold
winters.
In 1754, the Thumb of Michigan was
called the Flat Country.
It included Skenchioetuate Point and
the Ottawa Village in Tessi-aki.
The Flat Country was the early home of the
enchanted beaver,
That filled the many reaches of the streams that ran into the Wakishegan River.
This woodland fen was known by 1850 as Tuscola.
Tessi-nagan
meant plate in Chippewa and Ottawa.
It's likely root "esse" meant home of the raccon's favorite
food the clam or
the shell.
The land of Tuscola was level and flat like a
flat
dish.
Tuscola was the place of the great wetland plain.
Its rivers were the home of the sturgeon, pike, bass, and other
valuable fish.
Tuscola was the place of the hawk, pigeon, heron,
duck, goose, and
crane.
It was the place of the sugar-maple, corn field, wild berry, and morel.
Here also lived the bear,
elk, and moose.
Tuscola likewise was the land of the majestic pine,
oak, hemlock, and spruce.
In 1755, Michigan's Thumb is described as Pays Plats,
which included Skenchioetuate.
For its inhabitants, it held the best of fate.
The Thumb of Michigan was stretched out, level, and flat.
It spread out like an Indian blanket or mat.
It was located southeast of Saginaw Bay,
It was a land that was fruitful in almost every
way.
Tuscola, Chief Otusson's home, was part of the beaver hunting ground.
Here everywhere beaver were found.
This was the land of the magical peltry
or fur.
The best of hunting and trapping was found on the
bright Wakishegan River.
To the southeast of the Wakishegan River was the Belle Chasse River.
Its name meant the good hunt.
The Belle Chase River ran into the St. Clair
River.
Onward the water went to the Detroit River.
The Village of Detroit on the Detroit river's western front
This area was the Tusche Grondie
or the beaver hunting ground.
Chief Otusson's Village was on the Maatawan or Wakishegan
River.
His village was called Matotiswaning.
Matotiswaning had it seems a magical meaning.
The Chippewa ending "-waian" means peltry or fur.
Matotiswaning and the Mattawan River were the
home of the wonderful fleece.
Furs here were of great quality and in a
quantity that seem not to cease.
The New York place name Matteawan was said
to mean good fur.
The New Jersey place called Matawan was said to mean
enchanted fur.
In Chippewa to scrape a fur is madawa
and madaan,
Which is similar to the root of the meaning of Mattawan.
Tuscola's Mattawan was not just the place of the
fur.
It was the place of the enchanted or magical fur.
In Chippewa "mamanda"
means wonderful.
"Mamanda-waian" or Mattawan was the place of the fleece that was
exceptional.
Chief Otusson's Village
was on the Mattawan River just upstream of the Great Bend.
It was located east of the Grand Saginaw Trail,
From which the Mattawan River Trail would ascend.
The Wakeshkos traveled hills of gravel
and sand.
Chief Otusson was a judge both humble and grand.
He was held in high regard much beyond the river of
gloss.
For wisdom he was not at a loss.
In 1824, this was Otusson Village along the Cass
River.
This was the village of the enchanted fur.
Chief Otusson and the Wakeshkos traversed the
hills of Tessi-aki that
served as causeways above the wetlands.
Matotiswaning the
village of the enchanted fur was on one of these hills . . . a high north river bank.
On the Mattawan and the Saginaw Bay, Chief Otusson and his band
fished each river.
They camped above the prairies
that were both dark and dank.
During winter, they trapped the upper reaches
of the wetlands.
In the spring, at sugar-bush, they gathered sap from maple trees
and made sugar in kettles of copper.
In the spring, they planted potatoes, squash,
and corn and would harvest them during summer.
The Mattawan River was renamed about 1819 for Lewis Cass and
called the Cass River.
Mattawan Trials ran the high
ground and avoided the bogs.
The trails lay high above ponds filled with
spotted yellow and green frogs.
Much above the Mattawan River into Saginaw Bay, ran the Thread
or Sebewaing
River.
In a wide curve running south and then north, it flowed into the bay.
The sandy shore that was filled with oak trees
along the Saginaw Bay was also a Native pathway.
Sebewaing meant the stream with the curve or
wag.
The Sebewaing River was
round or bent and twisted on itself like a thread in a rag.
East of the outlet of the Saginaw River flowed
the [Ma]Quanicassee River.
It also emptied north into the Saginaw Bay.
Makons sebee means little bear river.
Between the Quanicasse and Sebewaing Rivers, the Wiscoggin
stream
also emptied into the Saginaw Bay.
Its name likely meant the place of the
small animal lodge or den.
Wiscoggin was surrounded by a wide wetland
fen.
Northeast of the Wiscoggin and Sebewaing Rivers
was the stream called Shebeon.
Shebeon was the place of the cut or passageway in the bay.
The Shebeon Stream flowed north with little
sway.
Shebeon's outlet was just south of the island
called Stone.
At this place was a great meeting ground.
This was the ancient home of the Ottawa,
Who live on the great bay of the
Saginaw.
Often here throughout the year Native People
were found.
In 1754, the Thumb of Michigan was
called the Flat Country.
It included Skenchioetuate Point and
the Ottawa Village in Tessi-aki.
From Quanicasse to the Mattawan River coming in
from Saginaw Bay was a gentle rise and pathway.
Chief Otusson and his band would take it to
travel
from Saginaw Bay to the Mattawan River.
On the Mattawn River the trail crossed at a place called Podunk.
Podunk was a high bank on the Mattawan River.
Podunk was a land both elevated
and sunk.
Podunk was at Tessi-aki's center.
Going south from Podunk, the Podunk Trail went to the place
called Lapeer.
Lapeer was the place of flint stones and the
upper reaches of the Flint
River.
Podunk meant the high bank.
Chippewa "ispadnang" means hill.
From Quanicasse to Lapeer the Podunk Trial on
its sides often
into marshland sank.
At the sides of the trail in many places the
land was often damp and still.
The Native Trials of the Michigan's Thumb traversed
the sandy shoreline and the gentle interior hill.
While hemlock grew near the lowlands, large quantities of scattering
cork pine would fill the uplands.
The high ground held the elk and the swamps held the
moose and other wetland game.
The rivers were places of great fishing reframe.
Northwest of Podunk was the Elk Lands.
The Eklands were also at the upper reaches of the
Pigeon and
Partridge Rivers.
Between the Elklands and Podunk was the Elk Trail.
In the upper reaches so the Mattawan River, Native People hunted elk without
fail.
Pays Peles--Michigan's Thumb near
the Baye of Saguinam.
In places the trees of Michigan's
Thumb were wind-fallen to the ground.
The trees would fall during great wind storms with
great resound.
White pine filled the
highlands.
Tamarack and hemlock choose the edges
that dipped into wetlands.
Native People traveled mostly along the sandy hills.
They kept away from the swamps that
might have brought on chills.
The lowlands north and east of the Mattawan River were composed of soil that was
very fertile.
On the knolls and ridges the ground
was mostly sand
and gravel.
The Thumb of Michigan was a stage.
Podunk was was its central
inland village.
The land of weasel, mink, raccoon,
and chipmunk was Podunk.
There were fishing holes on the Mattawan
River.
The bright river many times during the year would
be cold and and might caused one to shiver.
Podunk was at the center of Otusson's kingdom.
Podunk was the center of the
Michigan's Thumb.
Podunk was a focal point of
the enchanted river of fur that ascended from the swamp.
It was the home of the early Iroquois, Ottawa,
and Chippewa.
To Podunk every trail of Tessi-aki
would tromp.
From Podunk the Mattawan River Trail went westward
on the north bank
of the Mattawan River.
It eventually lead to the Great Bend and then
on to Saginaw.
To the south the Podunk Trail went toward Lapeer
and then branched southeast to the
Belle Chasse River.
Those were the major Trails of Tuscola.
Podunk the place of the High Bank was at
the center.
At Podunk there was often many a Native Wigwam.
The wigam's stood in air below the majestic
cork pine where it was often still and calm.
During winter, Chief Otusson would come to Podunk to
hunt and rest.
Podunk was Michigan at its best.
Filled with the tang of cork pine, the haughty hills of Podunk
housed massive trees that ascended tall, broad,
and wide.
They stood along the banks of the great Matawan River's side.
From the fertile lands around Podunk, potatoes, corn, and squash
were easy to provide.
At the Little Bear River or [Ma]Quanicassee
River there
were many bear, muskrat, mink, and beaver.
Podunk however was the most healthful elevation.
Elsewhere the ground was often sodden,
While at Podunk the ground was often trodden.
The high bank of Podunk was hale and hearty.
It was a place of wigwams and hostelry.
Podunk emerged gently from the wetland
pond and pool.
Podunk was was a magical
place of bounty as a rule.
Tessi-aki and Mattawan were the best of the hunting
ground.
Here the best of all the fleece was found.
Each spring along Saginaw Bay's sandy ridge,
Native People lined the shore of
[Ma]Quanicassee.
Quanicasse was the great fishing retreat.
To Quanicasse each spring came many a Native
fishing fleet.
In the winter, they also fished at Quanicasee through
the clear ice.
Quanicassee was the Native Fisherman's paradise.
From Quanicassee to Podunk was a elevated passageway.
Along the way was a grove of pine trees, a stopover place,
about midway in from the bay.
This stopover place was later called Fairgrove
and was held in high
esteem.
It contained a fine hunting and fishing stream.
Otusson's Tessi-aki was a land of majestic cork pine trees,
That were extremely tall with tops that soared
high in the breeze.
Wood of the cork pine was light and cut with ease.
Native People made the dugout, pirogue,
or canoe from its light wood.
Cork pine canoes floated high in
the water, which was widely understood.
Along the high banks of the Mattawan River, majestic
cork pine
stammered, stuttered, clanked, and rolled in the breeze.
High out of reach their large branches would
skip and dip.
The trees would twist, strut, and
wheeze.
Into the Mattawan
came many a stream filled with beaver
lock.
The grandiose cork pine Native People called "zhingwaak",
White pine filled the heights of the sky while
the river and streams were filled with
sturgeon, pike, bass, and walleye.
This Tuscola
Court House glass mural shows General Lewis Cass meeting with Chief Otusson.
Chief Otusson was the Native leader of the Mattawan
or Upper Huron River,
Which early on was also called the Wakisigan.
Chief Otusson's main village, Matotiswaning, was
just below the great portage,
Which was between the Great Bend and Podunk all on the
Mattawan River.
The Great Bend was called by Native People Skop-ti-qua-nou.
In the early 1800's it was the location of the trading post of Arie Campeau.
At the Great Bend in the River and the trading
post, the Saginaw Trail crossed
the Mattawan River.
Chief Otusson knew the Mattawan River.
He knew the magical fur.
He knew each woodland trail.
Tessi-aki was the land from hence he would hail.
He knew the tall green woods filled with the
enchanted cork pine.
He knew the animals and their dens hidden from sunshine.
He knew the flowers lavender and blue.
He knew the streams and their quiet rushing beauty
that was fresh and
new.
This was a time now long gone, but, it is now left in
this song.
Another thought:
Mo-kish-e-no-qua was an early mystic warrior maiden of the
Mattawan River.
Her name likely meant shoe lady, moccasin lady,
or simply shoemaker.
Other Native People of the Mattawan River who venture here included
Chief Naomi.
Chief Naomi resided over the Flint River, and
his name meant the sturgeon.
He was then the leader of much of Central and Eastern Michigan.
Meno-cum-se-qua was the sister of Chief Naomi.
She married first James Van Slycke Riley or
Kassegans.
Cache or case of valuables may be the meaning of Kassegans.
Menocumsequa may mean good lady or possibly spring
lady.
Chief Mash-Ke-yosh was later also a member of the Mattawan.
His name was said to mean falling snow.
Whether that is true of not, I do not know.
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