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Show Indian 118 Years Is Pre-Chicagoan Nah-Nee-Num-Skuk Born on Lake Shore When It Was Wilderness. Muyetia, Kan. Born In 1809 in an Indian village situated where Chicago now stands, an one hundred and eighteen-year-old Indian, who lives now at Ihis place, has not heen hack to the scene of the Windy City since it was merely an oasis In the wilderness along the shore of Lake Michigan. Nah-Nee-Num-Skuk was bul a youth ot twelve or so when his t ri he, the I'm tawatotnies, set forth from the lake shore to found a new home for trihai life further on in the unexplored West lie is unable to comprehend descrip lions of the great changes thai have occurred in the locality of his hirth since his leave-taking more than a century ago. He would like to go back once again to see the scene ol Ms birth before the Great Father calls him to the Happy Hunting Ground. Nah-Nee-Num-Skuk, despite all the tales he has heard, believes he could si ill pick out the site of his birthplace. In his vision he can see plainly the small tepee on the shores of the great lake, where he Brst came Into consciousness. con-sciousness. He can see the little clearing, the tall trees, the rippling stream that flowed Into the lake and he believes that It still must exist as It was wheD occurred the on-push ot the whites, which caused his tribe to move on westward. Tribe Went West. His tribe, the I'ottuwatoniies, did no! . like too close an association with the newcomers in their land, so they folded their tents, left their ancestral shore acres and departed for the vast hunt i iig grounds that remained further on toward the setting suu. Nab Nee-Num-Skuk rememhers the arrival ol the first whites, with theii lung guns and (jiieer ways. He rememhers conn oils Mint the chiefs nf the tribe nan with them. The I'nttawalotuies were friendl, toward the Invaders. They did not seek to sla.v "palefaces." Nub-Nee Num-Skuk was not a fightoi. He was known as a peaceful Indian. How ever, some memhers "I his tribe with more ferocious tendencies went on it lew scalp hunting expeditions. The J'ottawnlomies hail unavoidable wars wiih other Irihes when they left their camp at Lake Michigan fur hunting grounds not their own. Hut Nnh-Nee Nam Skill; look no larger part than was necessary. lie tuner has learned to speak ICng-iish. ICng-iish. At a recent visit lo him It wa necessaiy to converse with him through Ids wife, who Is his sixth helpmate. Niili-Nee-Num-Skuk nn longer lives in lepee. hut in a four-room frame house on the Indian reservation. II miles west ot the town of Mayetta. where he hay been allotted n tract ol land. Relatives of his wife plow his t i ml. plant the crops and harvest the grain. Hut the ancient Indian tends the chickens and the cows. lOvery morn ing he spends about two hours chop ping wood. I o cuts ii cleanly, places It In a neat pile, then rests till after-noon. after-noon. The remainder ot Ins work consists of odd chores. His present c Onion Tells Cobbler All About '28 Weather J MurshtielU, Wis. K w a I d ik 4c Bensch, local cobbler, who fore- J casts I he weather a year In ad- sjt vance by consulting the layers of a raw onion, has announced liis "findings" for UK'S. The predictions are ntade by 'cutting up an onion and carefully study- ing each layer. This must be J done. Mr. Ilensch says, between 11:30 p. m. on December 31 and 12:3(1 a. m. .January 1. The forecast for this year shows: January, much snow and cold; February, cold, but nol much snow; March, wet and J thawing weather; April, medl- um wet and not so cold; May, very wet; June, much rain and warm; July, mostly dry and J very warm; August, wet and jjj warm ; September, mostly dry $ and warm ; October, medium wet and slightly cooler; November, wet, much snow ; December, partly wet, snow and cold. spouse Is more than a generation younger than he. She Is eighty. Each of bis first five wives died of old age. His many children so many that he Is not sure what the count is died of old age, too. If now living, the youngest would be an old. old man. The number of his grandchildren grand-children runs into scores. His appearance appear-ance Is testimony that he has seen a great number of summers and winters come and go. He has an almost Inde scribable look of oldness, yet he gets around much better than some persons hall a century younger. A few weeks ago he journeyed to the Indian pow wow at Lawrence, where he witnessed his first football game. It was the contest between the Haskell Braves ami Loyola of New Orleans. He was pleased when told that Haskell Has-kell was the victor. But he failed to understand nny of the rudiments of the game. "It sure was nice," was how his sixth wife translated his comment. She added that the Indians never had a game quite so rough, even in the days of their reputed savagery. When asked if he would attempt to play the game if he were a young man today, Nah-Nee-Num-Skuk an swered that he probably would. He makes frequent trips to the ollice of the Indian agent at Mayetta lie always is quiet and reserved when there, generally seeking some favor or bis monthly allotment. He wears his snow-white hair long, parted in the middle, and he clings to many of the cusioms of his ancestors. Moccasins protect his feet. But, except on occasions occa-sions of ceremony, he wears an or dinary hickory shirt nnd trousers of the white man's type. He has lived on the 1'ottawutomle reservation near Mayetta for more than 2(1 years. Before thai he was nn a reservation In northern Kansas. More than half his life has been spent on reservations. But the Hrst 50 years ot Ids existence were sjient In the wild, free life of the aboriginals. He has participated in many buffalo hunts, many forays to gain provisions, and has withstood winter rigors protected pro-tected only by the skins of animals. Skeptical of the Changes. Nah-Nee-Num-Skuk has been toid that, tall buildings rise Immense heights on the site of his birthplace; that over its magnificent avenues rush thousands of cars; that millions of people inhabit the shores he knew, and that busy wharves line the lake, and that the little stream he knew is obliterated. ob-literated. Yet it seems tc him that the clearing of his youth must remain as when he trudged out early last century behind the ponies and luggage of the tribe. Were he to go and see t lie city, he would say, "No, there has been a mistake. This Is not where 1 was horn I" Only the lake would look the same, but the big ships would distort the view of his memory. One thing saddens the heart of Nah-Nee-Num-Skuk. There Is no longer anyone who is familiar with the day9 of his youth, or who can talk over with him the things that he remembers. remem-bers. The last tribal member who recalled re-called the days when the Pottawat-otnies Pottawat-otnies were encamped on the shores of Lake Michigan died more than 40 years ago. Since that time the old Indian has had to brood alone with his thoughts of the past. There have been some who remembered experiences experi-ences of 70 or SO years ago, and who could talk with him concerning later events, but there has been no one who had any remembrance of the trials and experiences of far earlier days. His parents have been dead for nearly a century. But he recalls clearly the mother on whose back he used to be carried while she went about her work in the Indian village. When not occupied with his daily tasks, Nah-Nee-Num-Skuk sits in the sun on t lie porch of his home, thinking think-ing over matters that passed by long before the memories of most old men of today even had a beginning. The Indian agenl verilied the fact thai the age of "the old Indian" really Is one hundred and eighteen, and that he was born In ISO!), the year In which Abraham Lincoln first saw the light of day. I |