January 31, 1834

In the morning, half clear sky, very warm. It was an unusual feeling for us to be scarcely able to stand the fire. At seven thirty, 22°F [−5.6°C], wind west, moderately strong; it abated almost completely. Mató-Tópe and Péhriska-Rúhpa came to us, presumably to see whether Kipp had brought whiskey. Dreidoppel went hunting [but] saw only prairie hens that were extremely shy [and] later a schähä́ckä, which he shot at from very far away. At noon (or) twelve thirty, 33°F (0.6°C). Very warm; [a] complete thaw. This unusual temperature causes colds. In the afternoon the wind was just as mild. Many Indians came into the fort.

Old de l’Orme gave me the Ojibwe names of several rivers north of the Missouri: 1. the Missouri itself they call Dirty River, Piégannohosíhbi; 2. the Mississippi, Missisihba (All Bodies of Water Together); 3. the Red River (la rivière Rouge), which runs into Lake Winnipeg, Miskuágami-ohsíhbi (‘ga’ as in German); 4. la rivière Assiniboine, which drops into the Red River—Assiniboin-ohsíhbi; 5. rivière de Pembina—Anühbi-minann-ohsíhbi; 6. la rivière du lac de la Pluie—Kotschitschíng-ohsíhbi; 7. la rivière St. Pierre—Aschkibog-ohsíhbi (‘og’ as ‘ogg’ in German); 8. la Rivière aux Rapides (Saskatchewan) drops into the Assiniboine. The Ojibwes call it Kjiskadjawan-ohsíhbi (‘j’ soft as in French) that means literally la rivière aux rapides; and 9. la rivière au Pas runs into Lake Winnipeg near Fort Cumberland. A tributary of the same, also called la Rivière aux Rapides, was inhabited especially by the Gros Ventres des Prairies.

Figure 20.4. Map of Lake Winnipeg area.

In the afternoon Dreidoppel went out again; [he] saw a wolf, a schähä́ckä, and an owl in the lowlands on the fields of Mih-Tutta-Hangkusch but did not shoot. In the evening, strong, stormlike wind; mild weather, [but] fierce wind during the night.

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