May-dway-gwa-no-nind
The handwritten caption beneath the photograph reads: May-dway-gah-no-nind. Head chief Red Lake Band of Ojibways Age 84 - Born 1807-1812 Died 1898 - Age 91 Given flag with 38 stars by "Abe" Lincoln.
The typed caption reads: This Flag with 38 stars was presented to May-dway-gwa-no-nind, Head Chief of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, by Abraham Lincoln in the early 1860's as a good will gesture on the part of the President to help blend good relationships and loyalty toward our country, then engaged in a great struggle to preserve the union.
The date 1891 in the bottom right-hand corner is apparently the date of the photograph.
In his novel The Ojibway, New York, 1904, pages 408-409, Archdeacon J.A.Gilfillan, the noted missionary to the Ojibwe, introduces Medweganonint (The old chief's name is transliterated in more than one way.) into a fictitious situation. Although the plot is fiction, the description of the chief is intended to be serious and accurate.
Medweganonint is a visitor to another band. The chiefs there are faced with a perplexing question; so they call upon the visitor to offer a solution.
This was Medweganonint (He-who-is-heard-spoken-to at-a-distance), the famous chief of the Red Lake band. . . . He had a reputation for wisdom and courage greater than any man in the Indian country, and there was no chief anywhere who was so respected and obeyed by his band, who numbered about 1,000. While no orator, he had ruled over them so bravely and sagaciously that they followed him implicitly.
When he was requested by the chiefs to give his opinion, all eyes turned on him in expectation. He, on being thus invited, sat still for some moments in meditation. Then he rose and arranged his blanket so that it was draped around his form like a Roman toga. It took him some time to raise his six foot four inches of height into an erect position, and there he stood motionless. What a magnificent chest he had! What a splendid head! He seemed, as it was, a king of men. One could see if the interior corresponded to the exterior, nothing low or unworthy found refuge there. And so indeed it was, for his whole life had been noble. Nobility was stamped on all that he did -- on his manner and bearing as well as his works and actions. Looking upon him one could not bring himself to believe that he had ever been guilty of anything mean. He indeed embodied that much abused phrase, nature's nobleman.
The Old Chief -- his oldest son Gay-bay-no-nind (Chief Nodin) was called the Young Chief -- inspired respect and affection in all who knew him. His wisdom in demanding that the lands of the Red Lake Reservation be held in common is apparent today.