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5th Graders
Practicing Indian Lore
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At Camp Tanuga and in Ontario's Algonquin
wilderness, the Indian god Wakonda watches all.
....................
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ustoms and ceremonies
based on nature and Indi-
an legend are often part of
the camp experience. So
are the scary ghost stories told by
the campfire. These traditions
and tales, based on imagination
rather than fact, can be found. at
Camp Tanuga in northern Michi-
gan and at Tamakwa and
Arowhon in Ontario's Algonquin
Park.
Some stories serve as an ex-
planation of how a lake or other
geographical feature got its name.
Others glorify the animals that
dominate the region's woods and
waters. Some legends recall the
plight of earlier inhabitants. But
whether inspiring or a little fore-
boding, camp stories build spir-
it and create a sense of
adventure.
C.
Camp Tamakwa's Voyageur I cabin.
Jacques' injuries to a fight that
ensued after the contest. In re-
venge, the deformed lumberjack
went on a rampage with his axe
and torched the logging camp. To-
day, traces of the burnt structure
remain and the site is called
Burnt Island.
Another prevailing story is the
one about the red rock cliff, called
Blood Rock, so named because
Jacques, the Mad Axeman threw
seven people off the cliff. Accord-
ing to legend, neither Jacques'
body nor his canoe were ever
found. He's still roaming the
woods or canoeing the waters
with an axe for a paddle.
Animal tales also abound. Ac-
cording to Tamakwa director
David Bale, anyone who was at
Tamakwa before the mid-'70s has
a tale about a bear. Stories —
some fact, some fiction — spread
whenever an occasional bear
wandered into camp looking for
berries and garbage barrels.
However, bear lore at Tamakwa
has been in hibernation since the
mid-'70s, when the camp started
moving all garbage across the
lake every night to huge dump-
sters.
Loons, noted for their wild
calls, remain a source of Algo-
nquin nature lore at Tamakwa.
To create an eerie mood on a
camp-out, counselors might imi-
tate the loon's call or tell stories
about a cult in which worshippers
left sacrificial animal bones on
loon nests. The legend also says
diving loons can cause canoes to
tip over.
Algonquin Tales
The campers and canoe trip-
pers who come to Ontario's Al-
gonquin wilderness witness the
area's natural beauty, a creation
attributed to Wakonda, the Indi-
an god. The Algonquin area,
which encompasses 3,000 square
miles of protected forest and
2,000 lakes, became Canada's
first provincial park 100 years
ago and has since become the
home of Tamakwa, Arowhon and
other camps for young people.
One of Camp Tamakwa's
prominent landmarks is the
"Lone Pine" on the shoreline of
South Tea Lake. The tree and its
breathtaking surroundings are
said to be the handiwork of
Wakonda.
A favorite tradition at Tamak-
wa is chanting the camp cheer at
a site called 'The Slope." The hill-
side campfire situated on the wa-
terfront offers a beautiful vantage
point and the added dimension
of an echoing effect.
According to camper Andrew
Goldsweig, 13, of Farmington
Hills, the most famous ghost sto-
ry of Algonquin Park is "Jacques,
the Mad Axeman." Andrew, who
has been a camper at both
Tamakwa and Arowhon, says
each camp tells the tale of the
French Canadian lumberjack,
but the details vary.
Tanuga Magic
Jacques, from the backwoods
Tanuga, a word of Indian and
of Quebec, set off to work for an
Hebrew derivation, means hap-
Algonquin logging company py or special place. Director Sid
when he turned 21. As the
Freedman says Indian lore at
strongest lumberjack around, he Camp Tanuga in Kalkaska helps
won the tree-cutting contest be- convey a sense of family and
tween the East and West. But his friendship and the concept of
opponent caused a tree to crash working together and achieving
down on him, crushing his right
leg and cutting off one arm. The goals.
`Wakonda, the Indian god,
Arowhon version attributes