Notipekago

Ottawa oral tradition tells of a war between the Ottawa and Mascouten tribes in the seventeenth century. The defeat of the Mascouten allowed for permanent Ottawa settlement in Lower Michigan. One battle took place in the Custer vicinity along the Pere Marquette River. Many years later, erosion exposed the buried remains of those from both tribes who died here. Indians placed many of the skulls along the riverbank. The battle site became known as Notipekago—the place of the skulls. This story holds an enduring place in Ottawa oral tradition.