Glenbuchat Heritage

30 The Newe Native American Tribe

Newe native American (Red Indian as they were called at the time) tribe

If a larger view required click on the ‘view large version’ link at the bottom of the page.

Click to see the album of Treasures of Castle Newe

Click to see the photos of the Newe ‘Red Indian’ tribe in the Newe Castle Collection

Click to see the photos of the Newe ‘Red Indian’ tribe in Bettines Album

The Photos above show:

1 Bettines list of members of the tribe (now called Native Americans) with Native American names. See below for the source of the names. Note Harry – ‘Little Bee’
2 Detail of some of the tribal badges.
3 & 4 Tribal costume made by Lady Forbes for the children. This one is for young Harry with the emblem ‘Little Bee’
5 Sadly Harry died at the age of 7 and is buried in the family graveyard at Newe.


No doubt the family were read the story of Hiawatha by their mother as many of the names in the tribe come from that story. Lady Forbes also made all the costumes and headdresses for the children and Sir Charles took the photos using a colour photo process he had devised himself.

The photos date about 1911-1912 just before Harry died in 1913

The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his love for Minnehaha, a Dakota woman. Events in the story are set in the Pictured Rocks area of Michigan on the south shore of Lake Superior. Longfellow's poem is based on oral traditions surrounding the figure of Manabozho, but it also contains his own innovations.

Ojibwa Vocabulary in Longfellow's Hiawatha
William Cowan of Carleton University.
Compare them with the names in the list of tribal members

Ahm; kabeyun manito; medamin; Mitche; Manito; muskoday; nawadaha
'bee' 'West-Wind' 'guardian spirit' 'art of healing' 'Great Spirit' 'meadow' 'musician'

Ojeeg; pamosaid; Pukwana; sebowisha; wagemin; wahonowin; waywassimo
'weasel' 'com-thief' 'smoke' 'rivulet' 'corn-thief’ 'wail' 'lightening'

Adjidaumo; kagh; cheemaun; jeebi; keneu
'squirrel' 'porcupine' 'canoe' 'spirit' 'war-eagle'

Longfellow s words
Ahmeek; cheemaun; kineu opechee; pahpukkeena; Wabasso; Yenadizze
'beaver' 'canoe' 'war-eagle' 'robin' 'grasshopper' 'rabbit' [personal name]

Shaugodaya; gitche gumee; soangetaha; keenabeek
'coward' 'big-sea-water' 'brave man' 'serpent'