TheMythsoftheNorthAmericanIndians_10014866

U NIFORM WI T H THI S V O LU ME
Th e i llu stra t ion s , wh ich a re a fe a tu re of [ h is

serz es, a re re ro du ce d
p fo r tile most p a rt fro
tk e fi n est wo rk s ofp a st a n d l z v mg a rt z sts
Th e M y th s of G re e c e an d R o me
By H . A G U ER B E R
. . W th 64 F ll p g I ll
i u -
a e us
t ra t t o n s .
A c lassic v o u me l
At o n c e a fa sc mat t n g s to r y
l l
.
bo o k a n d a v a uab e wo rk o fre fe re nc e .
M y th s o f th e N o rse me n
F ro m t h e E ddas a n d S agas H A By
F ll
. . .
G U ER B E R . W l lh 64 u -p a e I llustra tt o n s g .
M y th s an d L e ge n ds o f th e M iddl e A ge s
By H . A . G U ER B E R W th 64 Fu ll p g I ll u. l - a e s
t ra t t o n s .
H e ro M y t h s a n d L e ge n ds o f t h e B ritish
R ac e By M 1 E B B UT T , MA W l th 64
l Fu ll p g ll u
. . . .
O ri g ina - a e I st rat i o n s .
M y t h s a n d L e ge n ds o f t h e C e l t ic R ac e
By T W RO LL E S TO N W tb 64 O ig i l F ll l r na u
p g I ll t t
. . .
a e u s ra i o n s .
T h e M y t h s a n d L e ge n ds o fJ a p a n
By F H A D L A N D D A VI S W th 3 P l t s i i 2 a e n
C l u b y E VE LY N P A U L
. .
o o r .
T h e M y t h s o f M e xic o a n d P e ru
By L E WI S S P E N CE F R A I W th 6 F ll p g l 0 u - a e
Pl t I ll t t i
. . . .
,
d th
a e s an o er u s ra o ns .
Sifi t ake s t h e Fo rm o f a Wo o dpe c ke r
(Page 31 6)
T HE M Y T HS O F T HE
“
N O R T H A M E R I C AN
I N D I AN S
L E W I S S P E N CE
AU T H O R OF T HE MYT H S O F MEX I CO A ND PE RU "
T HE
C I V I L I ZAT I O N O F AN CI E NT M E X I CO A D I CT I O NARY
OF MY T H OLOGY ET C. E T C.
W I T H T H I R T Y-T W O T
P L A E S I N CO L O U R B Y
J AM E S J ACK AND O T HE R I L L U S T R AT I ONS
L O ND O N
G EO RG E G .
H ARRAP 69°
CO M PANY
2 U 3 PO RT S M O U T H S T REET K I NG SWAY WC . .
M CM XI V
P RE FA C E
HE North American Indian has so long been an

I O bject of the deepest in t erest that the neglect
O f his picturesque and original mythologies and
the tales to which they have give rise is di fficult of n
comprehe sion In boyhood we are wont to egard him

n . r
as instru me t specially designed for the execution O f

an n
tu multuous i cident wherewith heart stirring fiction

n ,
-
may be manufactured In ma hood we are too apt to

. n
co sider him as only fit to be put aside with the matter

n
O fF aery and such evanescent s t u f

f and relegated to the
limbo of imagination Satiated with his consta t recur
. n
rence in the tales O f our youth we are perhaps but t o ,

o
ready to hearken credulously to accounts which picture

him as a disreputable v agabo n d ge t ting a precarious ,
living by petty theft or the manu facture of he ad orna

men t s .
I t is indee d surprising how vague a picture the

, ,
North American Indian prese nts to the minds O f most

people in E urope when all that recen t a thropological n
research has do e on the subject is taken into account

n .
As a matter of fact few books have been published in

,
E gla d which furnish more t han the scantiest details

n n
concerning t he Red Race and these are in general scarce

, ,
and when obtained O fdoubtful scientific value

, ,
.
The primary O bj ect O f this volume is to furnish the

reader with a general V iew of the mythologies of the
Red M an O f North America accompanied by such ,
historical and ethnological information as will assis t

him in gauging the real conditions under which this
most in t e esti g sect io f humanity existed The
r n n O .
basic di fference between t h India and European e n
me tal outlook is insisted u on because it is felt that

n
,
no proper comprehe nsion 0 American In dia myth or n

A 2 V
P REFACE
conditions of life can be at t ained whe such a di ti c n s n
tion is n o t recog ized and allowed for The di fference

n .
between the view poin t mundane and spiritu l of t he

-
, a ,
R e d M an and that of t h e E uropea is as vast as that n
which separates the conceptions and philosophies O ft he

East and West Neve theles s we sh all fi d in the North
. r n
American mythologies much tha t e ters into t h c o m n e
position O f t h e immortal tales O ft h e lder religio ns O f O
the Eastern H emisphere All myth Asiat ic Europea .

, ,
n
,
or America springs from similar natural conceptions

n,
,
a d if we discove
n in Ame ican mythology peculiarities
r r
which we do not O bserve i the systems O fG reece Rome n

, ,
or Egypt we may be certain that t hese arise from circum

,
stances of environment and racial habit as modified by

climate and kindred conditions alone .
I n the last thirty years much has been accomplished

i placing t he study O f the American aborigi es on a
n n
sounder basis The Older school of ethnologists were

.
for the most part Obsessed with the wildest ideas co cer n n
i g the origin O fthe Indians a d many O fthem believed

n ,
n
the Red M an t o be the degene a t e desce dant of the r n
lost Ten Tribes f Israel or O f early P h nician adv e n

O oe
B u t these a tiquaries had perforce t give

‘ ’
tu e s
r r . n o
way to a new school of stude ts well equipped with n
scientific knowledge whose labours under t h e admirable

, ,
directio f the U ited S tates B ureau f Et h ology

n O n O n
,
have bor e rich fruit M any t rea t ises of the utmos t

n .
value on the ethnology mythology and t ribal cus toms , ,
O f the North American I n dia s have bee issued by n n
this conscientious and enterprising State depar tment .
These are written by men who possess fi st hand know r -
ledge f I dian life and languages many of whom have

O n ,
faced great privations and hardships in order to collect

the material they have published The series is indeed .
, ,
a monument to that nobler type O fheroism which science

vi
P REFA CE
c an kindle i t h breast O f the student and the direct
n e , ,
u embellished verbi age of th e se volumes conceals many

n
a life story which for quiet unassuming bravery a d

-
,
n
co t empt for da ger will mat c h anything in the reco rds

n n
of research and human endurance .
LEWI S S PENCE
EDI N B U RG H : Marc/I 1 91 4
.
via
CONT E NT S
CHAP TER
I . D I V I SI ON S , CU ST O M S , AN D HI ST O R Y OF TH E RA C E
II . T HE MY TH O L O G I E S OF TH E NO R TH AM E R I CAN I N DIAN S
III . AL G ON QU IAN M Y TH S AN D L E G E N D S
I R OQUO I S MY TH S AN D L E G E N D S A} f
i
IV .
V . S I O U X MY T H AN D L E G N D
S E S
VI . MY TH S AN D L E G E N D S O F TH E P A WN E ES
VI I . MY TH S AN D L E G E N D S O F TH E NO R T H E R N AN D NO R TH
W E T E R N I N D IAN S
S
B I B L I O GR A H YP
G L O SSA R Y AN D I N D E X
C HA PT ER I D I VI S I O NS , C US T O MS ,
AND H I S T O RY OF T HE R A C E
T he Fi rst In dian s in Euro pe

L M O STimmediately upon the discovery Of t he
6 New World its inhabitants became a source of
the greatest interest to all ranks and classes
among the people O f Europe That this should have
.
been S O is not a little surprising whe we remember n
the ignorance which prevailed regarding the discovery

of the new hemisphere and that in the popular imagina
,
tion the people of the new found lands were considered

-
to be inhabitants of those eastern countries which Euro

pean navigation had striven so long and so fruitlessly
t o reach The very name I dia bestowed upo the
‘
. n n n
men from the islands of the far western ocean proves

the ill founded nature and falsity of the new condi
- ~
tions which through the discovery of Columbus were

imposed upon the science of geography Why all this .
intense and vivid interest in the strange beings whom

t h e Genoese commander carried back with him as spe d
mens of the population O f the e w found isles The
n -
Spaniards were accustomed to the presence and sigh t ;
O fOrientals They had for centuries dwelt side by sid e

.
wi t h a nation Of Eastern speech and origin and t he ,
t hings O f the East held little of novelty for them I . s
it not possible t hat the people by reason of some,
natural motive di fficult of comprehension did n o t ,
credit in their hearts the scientific conclusions of t he

day ? Something deeper and more primitive than
science was at work in their minds and some pro ,
found human instinct told them that the dusky and

b fe t h ere d folk they beheld in the triumphal pro c e
e a s
sion ft he D iscoverer were not the inhabitants O f

O an
Orient with which they were more or less famili ar bu t ,

MYTHS Ole T HE AMERIC AN IN DIAN S -
erstwhile dwellers i a mystic co t nent which had n n i
been isolated from the rest f mankind for countless O
centuries .
There are not wanting circumstances which go far

to prove that i sti ct brushi g aside the co clusio s
n n
,
n n n
Ofscience felt that it had rightly come upon the truth

, .
The mo t to on the arms gra ted to Columbus is eloquent n
Of the popular feeli g when it states n

,
To C ast il e an d Leo n
C o l umbus gave a new world,
and the news was gree t ed in London with the pro

n o u c e me n t that it seemed
n a thing mo e divi e tha r n n
human co clusio which could scarcely h ave bee

-a n n n
arrived at if it was considered that the eachi n g Of the r
farthest Orient point alo e had been achieved n .
The primitive and barbarous appearance O f the

Indians in the train Of Columbus deeply impressed the
people O f Spain The savage had before t his event
.
bee merely a legendary and heraldic a imal like the

n n
ifli n and t h e ph nix In the person f t h e Indian

‘
oe O
g r .
he was presented for t he first t ime t o the astonished

gaze fa European people who we e quick t o distinguish
o ,
r
t h e di f
fere ces in feature and general appeara ce between
n n
t h Red
e M an —
and the civilized Oriental al t hough his
r esemblance to the Tartar race was insisted upon by
some early writers .
P opular interest instead O fabating grew greater and

, , ,
with each American discovery t he I dian became the ‘

n
subject O fre ewed controversy Works on the origin

n .
and customs O f the America aborigines of pondero us n

,
erudition but doubtful conclusions were eagerly perus e d ,
a d discussed
n These were not any more extravagan t
.
,
however t ha n many theories propounded at a m uch

,
later date In the early inetee t h cen t ury a s chool

. n n
of enthusiastic antiquaries perhaps the most dis tin ,

IN D IAN S AS J EW S
g of
u ish e d whom was Lord K i gsborough determined n ,
upon proving the ide tity O f the American abor n i
gines wi t h the lost Ten Tribes O f Israel and broug ht ,
to bear upon the subj ect a perfect battery of erud i
tio of the most extraordinary ki d H is lordship s

n n .
’
great work on the subj ect T/ e Antiquiti s f M exic ,

z e o o,
absorbed a fortune O f some fifty thousand pounds by

its publication The most absurd philological conclu
.
sions were arrived at in the course O fthese researches ,
examples O f which it would but wea y t he reader to r
peruse Only a shade less ridiculous were t he de du c

.
tions drawn from I ndian customs where these bore a

certain surface resemblance to H ebrew rite or priestly
usage .
s Jw
I n dian as e s
As an example Of this species O fargument it will be

su fficient to quote the following p assage from a work
published in 1 8 7 9 : 1
“
The Indian high priest wears a breastplate made -
of a white conch shell and around his head eithe a

-
,
r
wreath O f swan feathers or a long piece of swa skin ,

n
doubled so as to S how only the snowy feathers

, each on
side These remind us O f t h e breastplate and mitre

.
of the J ewish high priest They have also a magic - .
stone which is transparent and which the medici e ,

n
me consult it is most j ealously guarded eve from

n
,
n
t heir w people and Adair could never procure one

o n
,
.
Is this an imitation O f the U rim a d Thummim ? n
Again they have a feast O f first fruits which they

,
-
,
celebrate wi t h songs and dances repeating H alelu ,

‘
H alelu H le lu iah w it h great earnes t ness and fervour

- a
’
.
They dance in three circles rou d the fire that cooks n
these fruits on a kind f altar shouting the praises of O

,
1
Ti e Migration from Sbifl ar, b
y C apt ain G Pal mer (L o n do n )
. .
3
MYTH S OF THE A MERIC A N IND IA NS
YO -
H e Wah (Jehovah
- These words are only used
in their religious festivals .
T what tribe t he writer alludes is not manifest

O
from the context .
Wel h speaki
s '
I di ng n an s
An ethnological connexion has been traced for t he

Red M an of North America wi t h equal parade f ,
o
erudi tio to P h nicians H itti t es and S out h Se a

n
,
oe , ,
Islanders B u t o O f the most amusi g of these

. ne n
t heo ies is t hat which at t emp t s to subs t an t iate his

r
blood rela t ionship with t h inhabita ts O f Wales !

- e n
The a gumen t i favour of this theory is so quaint a d

r n ,
n
is such a capi tal example O f the ki d O f learni g unde n n r
which American e t hnology has groaned for ge era tio s n n ,
t ha t it may be briefly examined In the autho s ’

. r
My ths f M xic nd P ru (p 5 ) a short account is

o e o a e .
give O ft he legend O f M adoc so O f Owe Gwyneth

n
,
n n ,
a Welsh prince who quitted his country i disgust at

,
n
t h e manner i which his brothers had partitioned their

n
fat her s t e ri t ories Sailing due west with seve al

’
r . r
vessels he arrived says S i Thomas H erbert in his

, ,
r
T v ls
ra e at the Gulf Of M exico o t far from ,
n
F lo ida i t h e year 1 1 7 0 Afte settli g t here he

r ,
”
n . r n
re t ur ed t o Wales f reinforcements and once mo e

n or ,
r
fared towa d t h dim Wes t eve to be heard of more

r e ,
n r .
B u t says t h e chro icler

,
“
though the Cambrian issue n ,
in th new found world may seeme exti c t the

e n
,
Language to this day used among these Can ibals ,
t ogether with their adoring the crosse using B eades , ,
Reliques of holy men and some oth e r noted in them ,
of Ac u san o and other places points at o u ,

r
M adoc s former bein t here

’
The Cambrians c o .
”
.
,
n
tin n ed Si Thomas le t in their America colony many

r
,
‘
names Of B irds Rivers Rocks B easts and t he like

“
, , , ,
MY THS O F THE A MERI C AN IN DI AN S
New the period at which he did is S remote that
,
SO O
for all practical purposes he may be said to have

peopled both hemisphe es simul ta eously Indeed r n .
,
his relative an t iqui ty i each has o bearing on the n n
history f his advanceme t

O n .
”
It is k ow t hat the Ame ica contine t ffers

n n r n n O no
example O fthe highly orga ized p imat e s for example n r -

,
t h e la ger apes — i
r which t h O ld Wo ld abou ds
n e r n ,
save man himself and t his circumstance is su fficie t

,
n
t o p ove tha t t h e human species must have reached

r
Ame ica as st ange s H ad man bee na t ive t o t h e

r r r . n
New World t here would have been found side by side [
wi t h him either exis t i g or fossil represe t at ives f

n n O
the greater apes and o t her a t hropoid animals which n
illust ate his pedigree i the Old World

r n .
T h e Great Mioc en e B ridge

Again many ca eful observers have noticed t he
,
r
striki g resembla ce between t he natives O f America

n n
and Nor ther Asia At B eri g Strait the O ld World

n n
—
.
and the New are sepa ated by a narrow sea passage r
o ly and
n
,
elevat io O f the sea bed f less t han
an n - O
two hu dred feet would provide a land bridge at

n
‘ -
’
least thir ty miles in bread t h betwee t h e t w co ti n o n
ne t It is a geological fact t ha t B ering Strait has

n s .
been formed since t he Ter t iary period a d t hat such ,

n
a la d bridge once existed to which America geo

‘
n -
,
n
lo gi t have give t he ame O f t he M iocene bridge ‘ ’

s s n n .
B y t his bridge it is believed ma crossed f om Asia

‘ ’
, ,
n r
to America and its subsequent disappearance confined

,
him t o the Western H emisphere .
Am i M i Gl i l Tim
er c an an n ac a es
That this migration occurred before t h G lacial e
period is proved by the ci cumstance t hat chipped r
6
A MERI C AN MAN IN GLAC IA L TIMES
Hints a d other implements have been discovered in
n
ice-d ift t poi ts in Ohio Indiana and M i nesota to

r a n , ,
n ,
which it is k own that the southern margin Of t h

n e
ice sheet ext ended This proves that m was driven

- . an
southward by the advanci g ice as were seve al O ld n

,
r
World animal species which had migrated to Ame ica r .
H owever it is di fficult in many cases to accep t what

,
may seem t o be evidence Ofthe presence O fprehistoric

man in North America with any degree O f co fidence n ,
and it will be well to confine ourselves to t he most

au t hentic i sta ces In the loess f the M ississippi at
n n . O
Natchez D D ickson found side by side with the

r
.
re mai s O f the mylodon a d megalonyx huma bones

n n n
blacke ed by time B ut Sir Charles Lyell poi ted out

n . n
t hat these remains might have bee carried by the n
action O f water from the numerous I n dia places of n
burial in t h neighbourhood In New Orleans while

e .
,
trenches were bei g dug for gas pipes a skele t o was

n -
,
n
discovered sixteen feet from the surface the skull f O

—
,
which was embedded beneath a gigantic cypress tree .
B u t the deposit in which the remains were found was

subsequently stated to be of rece t o igin A eed n r . r
mat was discovered at P etit Anse Louisiana at a depth , ,
O f from fifteen to twenty feet among a deposit f salt ,

O
near the tusks or bones of an elephan t I the bo ttom . n
lands f the B ourbeuse River in M issouri D K och

O
, ,
r.
discovered the remains O f a mastodon I t had su k . n
in t h mud Of t h marshes and bor e down by its

e e
, ,
n
own ponderous bulk had been unable to right i t self

,
.
E spied by the hun t ers O f that dim era it had been

at tacked by them and the signs of their onset—fl i t
,
a ow heads and pieces of rock—were found mi gled

,
rr -
n
wi t h its bones U nable to dispatch it wi t h t heir

.
comparatively puny weapons they had built great ,
fires round it the cin der-heaps of which rema i n to the

,
MYT H S OF THE AMER I C AN IND IAN S
height of six feet and by this means t hey had pre
,
su mabl
y succeeded in su f
foca t ing it .
In Iowa d Nebraska D Au ghe y found ma y

an r . n
evidences O f the p esence f ea ly ma in stone r O r n
weapons mi gled with the bones of t h e mas t odo

n In n .
Califo ia Colorado
rn d Wyomi g scores O f stone an n
mo tars arrow heads and la ce—

, ,
r
,
points have bee dis
-
,
n n
covered i deposi t s which s how

h sig O f displace no n
ment T aces of ancie t mini g ope ations

. r also n n r are
met with in California and t he Lake Superior dist ict r ,
th e skeleto s O f the primitive mi ers bei g fou d

n n n n ,
s t o e hammer in ha d beneath t he masses f ock

n n ,
O r
which buried them in their fall As the object fthese . O
searchers was evide tly metal f some descrip t ion itn O ,
may reaso ably be i ferred that the remains are O f

n n
comparatively late dat e .
a
T h e C lav era s S kull
In rofessor J D Wh it n y discovered the
8 66 P
famous Calaveras skull at a dep t h qabout a hundred
1 . .
an d thirty feet i a bed f auriferous gravel n t he O on
western slope O f the Sierra Nevada Califor ia The ,

n .
skull rested on a bed f lava and was cove ed by O ,

r
several layers of lava and volca ic deposi t M any n .
other remains we e fou d in similar geological posi t ions

r n ,
a d t his was t hough t to prove that t h

n Calaveras skull e
was t a isolated ins t ance of t h presence f m i

no n e O an n
A merica i Te tiary t imes The skull esembles t h e

n r . r
E skimo type d chemical a alysis disc ve ed t h e

,
an n o r
p ese ce fo ga ic matt er These ci cumsta ces led t

r n O r n . r n o
th co clusion t hat t he grea t age claimed by Whi t ney

e n
for t h relic was by no mea s proved a d t his V iew

e n ,
n
was strengt he ed by t h knowledge t ha t displacements

n e
O f the deposits i which it had bee discovered had

n n
f eque tly been caused by volca ic age cy

r n n n .
8
M O RE RECE NT FIN DS
Mo re Rec en t F in ds
M ore recen t finds have been summar zed by an i
emi ent authori ty connec t ed with t he U ited States

n n
B ureau O f E t hnology as follows In a post Glacial

“ -
t errace the south shore f Lake Ontario t h e re

on O
mains f a hearth were discovered at a depth O f

O
twen t y two feet by M Tomlinson in digging a well

- r .
,
apparently indicating early aboriginal ccupancy O f the o
St Lawrence basin
. F rom t h e Glacial or im m ediately
.
post Glacial deposits O f Ohio a number O f articles f

-
O
human workmanship have been reported a grooved :
axe from a well t wenty two feet beneath the surface -

,
near New London ; a chipped object O f waster type

at N e wc o me r to wn at a depth f sixteen feet in Glaci al
s ,
O
gravel ; chipped stones in gravels one at M adison ,
ville at a depth f eight feet and another at Loveland

O ,
at a depth of thirty feet At L ittle F alls M inn .

, .
,
fl o o d plain deposits of sand and gravel are found to

-
,
contain many artificial bj ects f quartz This flood O O .
plain is believed by some to have been finally aban

do n e d by the M ississippi well back toward the close of
the Glacial period in the valley but that these finds ,
warrant definite co clusio s as to time is seriously

n n
ques t ioned by Chamberlain I n a M issouri river beach . -
near La si g Kansas portions Of a human skeleton

n n , ,
were recently fou d at a depth O f twenty feet but

n
,
geologists are o t agreed as to the age O f the for

n
mation At Clay ton M in a deposit believed to

.
,
O .
,
belong to the loess at a depth of fourteen feet a well

, ,
fi i h e d grooved axe was found

n s In the B asin Range .
region between the Rocky M ountains and the S ierras

, ,
tw odiscoveries that se em to bear on the antiquity of

huma occupancy have been reported in a sil t de
n :
posi t i Walker Rive V alley Nevada believed to be

n r , ,
9
MY TH S OF THE A M ERI C AN I N D IANS
O f Glacial age an Obsidian implement was O btained
,
at a depth of twenty fiv e feet ; at Nampa Idaho a -

, ,
clay image is reported to have been brought up by a

sand pump from a depth O fthree hundred and t wenty
-
feet i al t ernat ing beds f clay and quicksand under

n O
lying lava flow O f lat e Tertiary or early Glacial age

a .
Q uestions are raised bya number O fgeologists respecting

”
the value O f these finds .
L ate r ManAm i a in er c
Whatever doubt attaches to the presence of man in

—
America during the Tertiary period a doubt which is
not shared by most American arch eologists— there is a
no e regarding his occupation of the entire co tinent

n n
in t imes less remote yet far distant from the dawn Of

,
the earliest historical records of Asia or Europe In .
caves and kitchen middens or rubbish heaps over

‘ -
’
-
t h e entire length and breadth f the American conti O
n ent numerous evidences O f the presence f populous O
centres have bee discovered M ingled with the shells

n .
of molluscs and the bones of extinct animals human

remains wea ons and implements are to be found
, , ,
wi t h traces 0 fire which prove t hat the men O f those

,
early days had risen above the merely animal existence

led by the first-comers to American soil .
Affi iti s w ith S ib ia P pl s

n e er n eo e
As has already been indicated careful O bservers ,
have repeatedly remarked upon t he strong likeness

betwee the American races and those of North
n
eas t e Asia This likeness is not only physical but

rn .
,
extends t custom a d to some extent to religious

o ,
n
belief .
“
The war dances a d medicine customs O f the
- n
Os t iaks resemble those O f the K o lu sche s even to the

IO
A FF INI TI ES W I T H S IB ERIAN P E O PL ES
smallest details and the myth of a he v e n climber who
,
a -
,
ascends t h e ky from a loft y tree lowering himself again

S ,
to ear t h by a s trip O fleather a rope O fgrass a plai t of , ,
hai or the curling wreath f smoke from a hut occurs

r, O ,
not o ly among the U grian tribes but amo g the

n ,
n
D ogrib Indians S uch my t hs it is contended though

.
, ,
insu fficient to prove common descent point to early ,
communications between these distant s t ocks S uper .
s tit io u usages on the other ha d it is argued are

s ,
n , ,
sca cely likely to have been adopted n consequence O f

r I
mere intercourse and indicate a c o mm n or g n Thus

,
o i i .
,
amo ng the I t lmians Of Kamchatka it is forbidden to

e
carry a burning brand otherwise than I n the fingers ;

it must on no account be pierced for that purpose
with the point O f a knife A similar superst tion is . i
cherished by the D akota Agai whe the tribes Of . n, n
H udson B y slay a hear they daub t he head with gay

a
colours and sing around it hymns having a religious

,
charac t er ; it is unders t ood to symbolize the s pirit O f

the deceased animal A similar practice it i s said .
, ,
prevails throughout Siberia and is met with among ,
the Gilyak O fthe Amur and the Ainu The Ostiaks

s ,
.
ha g t h skin O f a bear on a tree pay it the profoundest

n e ,
respect and address it while imploring pardon Of the

,
spirit of the anim al for having put it to death ; their

usual oath moreover is by the bear as the polished
, ,
‘
,
’
Athenians habitually swore by the dog E arthen ‘

.
’
vessels it ,
further urged were manufactured not
is ,
only by the I telmians but by the Aleutians and the ,
K o lu sc h e s O f the New World ; whereas the Assiniboins ,
set tled farther to the southward cooked th eir flesh n , I
kettles of hide into which red hot stones were cast to

,
” 1
-
heat the water .
1
P y a n e, History of ti e New World , 1 1. 8 7- 8 8 , su mmariz in g t he
in ve st igat io n s of Pe sc h e l an d Tylo r .
I I
MY T H S OF THE AMERI C AN IN D IAN S
T he E id vf Am i
e n ce o La gu g er c an n a es
The structure of t he aborigi al languages O fAmerica n
corroborates the conclusio that the America race n n
proceeded from o e instead of several sources and that

n ,
it is e t hnological ext e sio O f North eastern Asia

an n n - .
Not only does t h machinery of American speech e

‘ ’
closely resemble that of the n ighbo u in Asiatic races

i t h e possessio O f a common basis nh o n e si a d
e r
n n s n
s t e ui ty bu t the rej ec t ion f labial e xplo d n t which

r n
,
O e s,
extends from Northern Asia through the speech ft he O
Aleutian Isla ds to Nor t h western America is good

n -
,
evidence O fa ffinity .
E v A iati I t u
iden ces o f s c n erc o rse
Evidences of Asiatic intercourse with America in

recent and historical times are not wanting I t is a .
well authenticated fact that the Russians had lear ed

-
n
from the nat ive Siberians f the whereabouts O f O
America long before the discovery fthe contiguity O f O
the continen t s by B ering Charlevoix in his work o .

,
n
the origin o f the Indians states t hat P ere G ll one ,

re o n,
Of t h Fre ch Jesuit F a t hers encountered a H uron

e n
,
woma on t h plains Of Tartary who had been s ld

n e o
from tribe to tribe un til she had passed from B ering

St rait i t o Cen t ral Asia
n Slight though such incidents .
see m it is by means of them t hat importan t tru t hs

,
may be gleaned If one individual was exchanged

.
in t his manner there were probably many imilar

,
S
cases .
L ater Migratio n s
There are t heories in existence worthy O f respect
which would regard the North American I ndians as
.
t h las t
e d rece n t wave f ma y Asiatic migrations to
an O n
13
MY THS OF THE A MERIC AN IN D IAN S
the Gree land sea H o ldi g d gg dly on however
n . n o e , ,
the adventurers came at: las t n sight O f la d B u t

O
I n .
this was cou try of lofty ice such as t hey had been
no n
told to expect A land f ge tle undula t io s covered

. O n n
with timber met their e sad eyes B earing away s a- .

,
they came to ano t her land like t he fi s t The wind r .
fell and the sailors pr p Se dt disembark B u t B iarne

,
o o o .
refused F ive days aft erward they made Gree land

. n .
B iar e had n f course got into that Arctic curren t

,
O ,
which sets sou t hward from the P olar Circle between '
Icela d and Greenlan d and had been carried to the

n
coasts O fNew England .
L eif Lu ky
th e c
B iarne did not care to pursue his discoveries but at ,
the court O f Eric Earl of Norway to which he paid , ,
a visi t his neglect n following them up was much

,
I
talked about All Greenland too was ago with the

.
, ,
news L eif surnamed the Lucky son O Eric the

.
,
‘
,
’
Red the first colonizer OfGreenla d purchased B ia n e s

,
n
,
r
’
ship and hiring a crew O f thirty fiv e men one O fwhom

, ,
-
,
was a German named T y k r (perhaps T yd ke the r e s r,
Norse for German set sail for the land seen by B iarne .
H e soon espied it and cast anchor bu t it was a barren , ,
place ; so t hey called it H ellu-land or Land Of F lat ,
S tones and leaving it sailed southward again S oon

’
.
, , ,
they came to another country which they called M ark ,
land or Wood land for it was low and flat and well
,
-
,
’
covered with trees These shores also they left and .

,
again pu t to sea .
T he L d f Wi an o ne
After saili g still farther south they came to a strait

n
lying between an island and a promontory H ere they

—
.
1
R afn , Antiguito te: Amerimme , xxix 1 .
7 5 2 .
1
4
THE S K RIELI NGR
landed and built huts The air was warm aft er the .
sword like wi ds O f Greenland a d when the day was

- n
,
n
short est the sun was above t h horizon from half past e -
seven in the morning until half past four in the after -
noon They divided i to two bands to explore the

. n
land O day T y k the German was missing

ne r e r, .
They searched for him and found hiin at no great

,
.
dista ce from the camp in a state Of much exci t ement

n ,
.
F or he had discovered vines with grapes upon them

a boon t o a man coming from a land O f vines who ,
had beheld no e for half a lifetime They loaded the

n .
Ship s boat with t h grapes and felled timber to freight

’
e
the ship and in the spring sailed away from the new
,
found cou t ry which they named Wine land

n ,
-
.
’
It would seem that the name H ellu land was appl e d -

I
to Newfou dland or L abrador M ark land to Nova

n ,
-
Scotia and Wine land t o New E gland and that L eif

,
- n ,
wintered in some part O fthe state O f R hode Island .
T he S kraelin gr
Inthe year 1 002 Leif s brother Thorwald sailed to ’
the e w land in B iarn e ship F rom the place where

n
’
s .
Leif had landed which the Norsemen amed Leif s ,

n
‘ ’
B ooths (or huts) he explored the country southward

’
and northward B ut at a promo tory in the neigh

. n
bo u ho o d O f B oston he was attacked and S lain by the

r
Skrmli gr who inhabited t he country

n These men are .
described as small and dwarfish in appearance and as

possessing Eskimo characteristics In 1 00 7 a bold .
attempt was made to colonize the country from Green

land Three ships with a hundred and sixty men
.
,
aboard sailed to W ine land where they win t ered but

,
-
, ,
the incessant at tacks of the Skraelingr rendered coloni

z at io n impossible and the Norsemen took their depar
,
ture The extinction of the Scandinavian colonies

.
I S
MY T H S OF THE A MER IC AN IN DIAN S
in Greenla d put an end to all commun ication with
n
America B u t the la t v o y age from Greenland to Ameri

. s
can shores t ook place in 1 34 7 only a hu dred d ,

n an
fo ty fiv e years before Columbus discovered t h e W est

r -
Indian Islands I 1 4 1 8 the Skraeling f Gree land

. n r O n
—
the E skimo attacked and destroyed t h e Norse
-
set tle m e ts there and carried away the colonists into

n ,
captivity It is perhaps the descendants ft hese Norse

. O
folk who da ed the world O f ice and t he raveni g

r n
breakers ft he A c t ic sea who have been discovered by

O r
a recent Arc t ic explorer l 1
The authentici t y O ft h Norse discoveries is not to be e
ques tioned N less t ha seventeen a cient Icelandic

. O n n
documents allude to t hem and Adam fB remen men ,

O
tions the ter i t o y discovered by t hem as if referring

r r
to a widely known country .
T h e D ighto n R k oc
A rock covered wi t h inscriptions known as the D igh ,
ton Wri t ing Rock situa t e d on t h banks O fthe Taun t o

,
e n
River i M assachuset t s was long pointed out as f

,
n ,
O
Norse origin and Rafn the D anish antiquary pro

, , ,
n o u nce d t h script which it bore to be unic Wi t h

e r .
equal perspicaci ty Court de G é be lin and D Styles saw r .
in it a P h ician i scriptio I t is in fact quite cert ain

oe n n n .
, ,
that the wri t i g is of Indian origi as similar rock

n n,
carvings occur over the le gt h and breadth of t h n e
northern sub continent Al mos t as doubtful are the

- .
theo ies which would make t h

r ld mill at Newpor t e O
’
a Norse b iggin H owever authentic the Norse .

’
sett lemen t s in America may be it is certain t hat the ,
No semen left no traces O f their occupat ion in t hat

r
continen t a d al t hough t h building at Newpor t di

,
n e s
t in c tly esembles the remains

r f Norse archi t ect ure in O
1 m: S ago , in
S e e Erie Rot/2
‘
M u ell e r , Segefl oiolzoté ek, p . 21

4
.
I 6
M O U NDS I N ANI M AL FO RM
Gr eenland the district in which it is situa t ed is qui t e
,
ou t O f the sphere f Norse settlement in Nor t h O
America .
T he Mo un d B u ilders a
The questio of the antiquity O f the Red Race in

n
North America is bound up with an arch eological a
problem which bristles with di fficulties but is qui t e '
as reple t e wi th i terest In the M ississippi basi and

n . n .
the Gulf States chiefly f om La Crosse W isconsin to

,
r
, ,
Natchez M iss and i the ce t ral and southern

,
.
,
n n
dis tric t s f Ohio and i t h adjoining portion O f

O ,
n e
Indiana and Sou t h Wisconsin are f u d great ea t hen ,

o n r
mounds the typical form f which is py amidal So me

,
O r .
,
however are circular and a few pe t agonal O t hers

, ,
n .
a e te raced ex t endi g ou t wa d from

r r e or two sides n r on
, ,
while some have roadways leadi g up t the level sur n o
face O n the summi t These a e o t mere accu mula tions . r n
O f debris but works cons t ructed on a defi ite plan and n

, ,
O bviously requi i g a co siderable amount f skill and

r n n O
labour fo their accomplish ment

r The form except .
,
where worn down by t h plough is usually tha t f a e , O
low broad round topped cone va ying in size from a

, ,
-
,
r
scarcely percep t ible swell in the grou d t elevations of n o
eighty or even a hu dred fee t and from six to t hree n

” 1
,
hu d ed fee t in diameter
n r .
Mo un ds A im l F m
in n a or
M any of t hese s t ructures rep ese t animal fo ms r n r ,
probably the t o t em or eponymous a cestor f the t ribe n o
which reared t hem The chief ce tre f t hese singular . n or
e ec t io s seems to have been Wisco si where t hey

r n n n, are
ve y numerous The eagle wolf bear tur t le d fox

r .
, , , ,
an
are represen t ed and even t h e human form has b ee

,
n
1
B ulletin 3 0, Bure au o fAme ric an E t hn o l og
y .
I
7
MYT HS OF T HE A MERI C AN IND IAN S
attempted There are birds with outs tretched wings
.
,
measuring more tha thirty two yards from t ip t o tip n -

,
and great mammalian forms ixty fiv yards l g Re p S - e on .
tilian forms are also numerous These chiefly epres ent . r
huge lizards At least one mou d in t he fo m of a

. n r
spider whose body and legs cover a acre of grou d

,
n n
,
exists in M in eso t a n .
According to t he classification O f Squier t hese stru c ,
t ures were empl yed for burial sacrifice and observa

o , ,
t io and as t emple si t es Other st uctures fte found

n, -
. r O n
in connexion with t hem are bviously enclosures and O ,
were p obably used for defe ce The conical mounds

r n .
are usually built f ear t h d stones a d a for the O an ,

n re
most part places of sepul t ure The flat t opped tru c .

- s
tures were probably employed as sites for buildings ,
such as t emples cou cil— houses and chiefs dwelli gs

,
n ,
’
n .
B urials we e rarely made in t h e wall like enclosures or

r -
c fli
gy mounds M a y O f the e closures are O f true
. n n
geometrical figure circular square or octagonal and , , , ,
with few excep t ions these a e fou d in Ohio and the r n
adjoining por t ions O f K e tucky I dia a and West n ,

n n ,
V irginia They enclose an expanse varying from one to

.
a hundred acres .
Wha t th e Mo un ds Co n ta in
In sepulchral mou ds a large number of obj ects
t he n
have bee found which t hrow some light on t h habi t s

n e
O f the folk who built them Copper plates wi t h .
stamped designs are frequen t and t hese are di fficult t o ,
accou t for In one mou d were found o less than six

n . n n
hundred stone hatche t— blades averaging seven inches ,
long by four wide U nder a other were exhumed two. n
hu dred calci ed tobacco pipes a d coppe orname t s

n n -
,
n r n
with a thi platin O f silver ; while from others were

n
t aken fragments gpottery Obsidian implements ivory

O , ,
I 8
THE TO M B OF THE B LAC K T O RT O ISE
and bo e ee dl es and scroll work cut out O fvery t hin
n n ,
-
plates of mica In several it was Observed that c ema

. r
tion had bee practised but in others the bodies were

n ,
fou d exte ded horizontally or else doubled up In

n n .
some i stances the ashes O f t h e dead had bee placed

n n
carefully in skulls pe haps t hose O f t he individuals

,
r
whose bodies had been given to t h e flames Implements .

,
too are umerous and axes awls and other tools O f

,
n , , ,
copper have frequently been discovered .
T he T mb f th B l k T t i
o o e ac o r o se
A more detailed desc ip t ion of one O f these groups r
O f sepulchral mou ds may fur ish the reader with a

n n
clearer idea of the struc t u es as a whole The group r .
in question was discovered in M i esota on the nn ,
nor t her bank O f St P eter s River abo ut sixty miles

n .
’
from it j unctio with t he M ississippi I t i cludes

s n . n
t wenty six mounds placed at regular distances f om

-
,
r
each o t her and forming t ogether a large rectangle

,
.
The central mound represen t s a turtle for ty feet long

by t wenty seven feet wide a d t welve feet high It is
-
n .
almost en t irely co structed Ofyellow clay which is not

n
,
found i the district and therefore must have been

n
,
brought from a distance Two moun ds O f red earth .
of triangular form fla k it north and south a d each O f n ,

n
these is twen t y-seve feet long by about six feet wide n
at one e d t h e opposi te e d taperi g O ff un til it scarcely

n ,
n n
rises above the level of t he soil At each corner rises .
a circular mound twelve feet high by t we ty fi v e fee t n -
in diameter East and west of the s t ructure s tand

.
two elongated moun ds ixty feet long with a diame t er S ,
of twelve feet Two smaller mounds on t he right

.
and left of the tur tle — S haped mound are each twelve
feet long by four feet high and Eco si t O fwhite sa d ,

n s n
mixed with numerous fragments of mica covered with ,

I
9
M YT H S OF THE AMERIC AN IN D IANS
l
a lay r f clay and a second one O f vegetable mould
e o
l
.
Lastly thi te e n smaller mounds fill in th e intervals in

,
r
the group I
Conant gives a explanation O f t h whole group as

n e
follows The principal t omb would be t he las t home

O fa great chief t h B lack Tor t oise ,
The four mounds
e .
which form the corners of t he quadra gle were also n
erected as a sign O f t he mourni g Of t he tribe The n .
secondary mounds are t he t ombs O f other chiefs and the ,
little mounds erec t ed i the nor t h a d south corre n n
o n de d with the number O f bodies which had been

s
p
deposited in them The t wo poi ted mounds i dicate
. n n
that the B lack Tortoise was the las t O f his race a d t h ,

n e
two large mounds the importance O f that race and t he

digni ty which had belo ged to it Lastly t h e two n .
,
mounds to t h e righ t and left f t he royal tomb mark O
the burial— places f t h prophets or soothsayers who

O e ,
even to our o w day play a great par t among t he Indian

n
tribes The fragmen t s O f mica found in t heir tombs

.
” 1
would indicate their rank .
Who w ere the Mo u n d u ilders ?

Itis t probable that the reader will agree with all
no
the co clusio s draw i the paragraph quoted above

n n n n
,
which would claim f these s tructures a hieroglyphic

or
as well as a sepulchral signi ficance B u t such spe en .
lat i n cannot destroy the inhere t in t eres t O f t he

o s n
subj ect however much they may irritate t hose who

,
desire t o arrive at logical conclusions co cerning it n .
Who t hen we e t he folk who raised the mou ds O f

r n
Ohio and the M ississippi a d spread their cul t ure from n
t h e G ulf s t a t es region t o the Grea t Lakes ? Needless

to say the an t iqua ies of the las t century stoutly
,
‘
r
main t ain ed that t hey were strangers from over the sea ,
'
1
f
Fooq> ritt tr o Vanifiie d Rat er, p
. 1 8 .
20
MYT H S OF THE A MERI C AN IN DIAN S
great a tiquity and the present te dency among arc h
n ,
n a
eo
l gist is to assign t o them a compara t ively recent origi

o s n .
T he
‘
N ti f N th A m i
a on s
’
o or er c a
In order that t he reader may be enabled t h bette e r
to comprehe d the history and cus t ms of the Red

n o
Race i North America it will be well t t his j u cture

n ,
a n
to classify the various ethnic stocks O f which it is

composed P roceedi g to do so on a li guistic basis n n
—
.
the only possible guide this instance we find that

i n
students O f American la guages despite t h diversity n ,

e
O ftongues exhibited in Nor t h America have referred ,
all O f t hese to ten or a doze primitive ste ms Let us n .

1
firs t exami e t he geographical positio O ft h nations

n n e
O f t he America aborigines in the sixtee th ce tury

n n n ,
a t the period f the advent O f the whi t e mO whils t an ,
t t hey occupied their a cestral territory n

y e .
The Athapascan stock extended in a b oad ba d r n
across the co tinent f om the Pacific to H udson B ay

n r ,
and almost t the Great Lakes below Tribes cognat e

o .
t it wandered far
o o th to the mouth Of t he M acke zie
n r n
River and southward skirted the Rockies d t h

, , ,
an e
coast O f Oregon south of the estuary O f t he Columbia

River a d spreading over the plains of New M exico
,
n
,
as Apaches Navahos a d Lipa s ext e ded almos t t o

, ,
n n ,
n
the tropics The Athapasca is the mos t widely

. n
distributed O f ll the Indian linguistic stocks O f Nor th

a
America and covered a territory O f mo e than forty

,
r
degrees of lat itude and seventy fiv e degre es of longi -
t ude Its norther division was k own as t he T i h n n nne

—
.
or D e e a d consisted O f three groups eastern

n ,
n ,
n orth wes t er and sou t h wester dwelling ear th

- n, - n, n e
Rockies i the in t eri r f Alaska and in t h

,
n o O ,
e
mountain fastnesses O f B ritish America respectively .
1
Se e the map, p 36 1 . .
22
THE I R O Q UO I S
The P acific division ccupied ma y villages in a strip o n
O f ter i tory abou t four hund ed miles in length f m

r r ro
O ego to Ee l River in Califor i The sou t hern

r n n a .
division occupied a la ge par t O f A izona and New r r
M exico the sou t hern portion O f U tah and Colorado

, ,
the wes t er borde s f K a sas and the nor t hern par t f

n r O n ,
O
M exico to lat 2 The social conditio s and customs

. n
as well as t he va ious dialects spoke by t he seve al

r n r
branches and o ffshoots O f this great family di ffered

considerably accordi g to climate and environment n .
Ex tremely adaptable the A t hapascan stock appear t ,

o
have adopted many f the customs a d cere monies f O n O
such tribes as they were brought into contact with and ,
do not seem to have had any impetus to frame a cul t ure

O f their own Their tribes had little cohesion and
.
,
were subdivided i to family groups or loose bands n

,
which recog ized a sort of patriarchal government and

n
descent Their food supply was for the most part

.
-
precarious as it consis ted almost entirely of the pro

,
ce ed of hunting ex edi tions and the desperate and

s ,
never ending search or provender rendered this people

-
somewhat arrow and material in outlook

n .
T he I qu i ro o s
The I oquois—H urons Tuscaroras Sus u e han n o c k s

r
Nottoways and others occupied much ofthe coun try

—
, , ,
from the St Lawrence River and Lake Ontario to the

.
Roanoke Several of their tribes banded themselves into

.
a co federacy known as the F ive Na t ions and these

n
,
’
comprised the Cayugas M ohawks O eidas Onondagas , ,

n , ,
and Senecas The Cherokees dwelli g in the valleys of

.
,
n
East Ten essee appear to have been

n f t he early
,
o ne O
O E h t S of the I oquois A race fborn wa ri s t hey

S OO r . O r or
,
pu sued thei craft with an excess f cruelty which made

r r O
t hem the terror of the white settler I t was with t h . e

23
MYT HS OF THE A MER I C AN IN DIANS
Iroquois that most of the early colo ial wars were n
waged and thei name which t hey borrowed from t h

,
r , e
Algonquins a d which signifies Re al Adders was

,
n
‘
,
’
probably no misnomer They possessed chiefs who .

,
s trangely enough were nomi ated by the matrons of,

n
the tribe whose decision was confirmed by t he tribal

,
and federal councils The F ive Nations O f t h .

‘
e
Iroquois made up the Iroquois Co federacy which n

,
was created abou t the year I 5 7 0 as the last O f a se ies , r
of attempts to unite the tribes in question The .
M ohawks S O conspicuous in colonial history are one

, ,
of their sub tribes M any of the Iroquoian tribes

-
.
“ have been settled by the Canadian Government on
a reservation on Grand River Ontario where they , ,
still reside All the Iroquo is [ in the U nited

.
S tates] are in eserva t ions in New Y ork with the

r
,
exception f the Oneida who are settled in Green

O ,
B ay Wisconsin
,
The so called Seneca Of Oklahoma
.
-
, ,
are composed O f the remnants fmany tribes and O
of emigrants from all the tribes O f the Iroquoian

”
Confederation In 1 6 8 9 the Iroquois were estimated
.
to number about twelve thousand whereas in 1 904 ,
they numbered over sixteen thousand .
T he A lg q ui son n
The Algonquian family surrou ded t he Iroquois on 1 n
every side and exte ded westward toward the Rocky

,
n
M ountains where one O f t heir fa m ous o ffshoots the

, ,
B lackfeet gained a notoriety which has rende ed them

,
r
t h e heroes f many a boyish tale

O They were milder .
t han the I o qu o iS and less S partan in habits

r Their
,
.
1 T h is na do p t e d t o dist in gu ish t h e family fro m t h e

me h as be e n a
t ribal n ame , Al go n qu in Al go n k in , bu t is n o t e mp l o y e d w he n
’ ‘ ’
‘
or
sp e ak in g o f in div idu al s T h us w e spe ak O f t he Al go n quian rac e ,

‘ ’
.
but , o n t he o t he r h an d, o f an Al go n quin I n dian

’
.
24
THE A LGO NQ U INS
wes te r division comprised t h B lackfee t Arapaho
n e , ,
a d Cheyenne
n si t uated near t h eas tern slope of the
,
e
R ocky M ountains the nor t hern division situated for ,
the mos t part to the north f the S t Lawrence com O .

,
prised t h e Chippeways and Crees ; the north eastern -
division embraced the tribes inhabiting Q uebec t h e ,
M aritime P rovinces and M aine i cluding t h e M o

, ,
n n
t ag ais and M icmacs

n the central division dwelling in ,
Illinois Wisconsi Indiana M ichigan and Ohio

,
n
, , , ,
included t h e F oxes Kickapoos M enominees and , , ,
o t hers and the easter division em braced all the n
Algonquian tribes that dwelt along the A tlantic coast ,
th e Abnaki Narragansets Nipmucs M ohicans (or

, , ,
M ohegans) S hawnees D elawares a d P owhatans

, , ,
n .
The Algo quins were the first I dians to come into

n n
co tact wi t h the white m

n As a rule their relatio s an . n
with the F rench were f iendly but they were frequently r ,
at war with the E nglish set t le s The eas t ern bra ch r . n
of the race were quickly defeated and s cattered t hei ,

r
re mnan t s withdrawing to Canada a d t h e Ohio valley n .
O f t h e smaller tribes O f New E ngland V irginia a d , ,

n
o ther easter states there are o livi g represen t atives

n n n ,
and even their languages are extinct save for a few ,
words d place names The Ohio valley tribes with

an -
.
,
th eWyandots formed themselves into a loose co

,
n
federacy and attempted to preserve the Ohio as an

I dian boundary ; bu t in 1 7 94 t hey were finally defeated
n
a d forced to
n cede their terri t ory Tecumseh . an
,
Algo qui chief carried on a fierce war against the

n n
,
U ited States for a number O fyears but by his defea t

n
,
an d death at Tippeca oe i 1 8 1 1 t h e spiri t Ofthe India s

n n n
was b oke a d t he year 1 8 1 5 saw t he commenceme t

r n, n n
of a series of I dia n mig ations westward and a whole

n r ,
sale cessio of Indian territory which co ti ued over a

n n n
period fabout thirty years

O .
2 5
MY T H S OF THE A M ER IC AN IN D IANS
A S eden tary Peo p le

The Algo qui s had bee f ge erations the victims
n n n or n
O f the Iroquois C nfederacy and o ly whe t h F e ch o ,

n n e r n
had guara teed them immu ity f o m t he at tacks O f thei

n n r r
he edi tary enemies did t hey set their faces to the east
r
e more to court repulse a second time at t h ha ds

,
e n
he E glish settle s Tall a d finely proportioned

n r . n ,
Algo qui s were mai ly a seden tary a d ag icultural

n n n n r
ple growi g maize and wild rice f their staple

,
n or
foods I deed mo e t ha once were t he colonists f

. n
,
r n O
Ne w E ngland saved from fami e by these i dust io us n n r
folk In 1 7 92 Wayne s army found a con tinuous

.
’
plantation along the entire le n gth O f t h e M aumee River

f om F ort Way e to Lake Erie a d such evide ce
r n ,
n n
e tirely shatters the popular fallacy that the Indian race

n
were altogether lacki g in the vi tues of industry a d n r n
domesticity They employed fish shells a d ashes as

.
- n
fertilizers d made use O f spades and hoes And it

,
a n .
was the Algonquins who first instilled i t he white n
se ttlers the k owledge fhow to prepare those succulent

n O
dai t ies for which New E gland is famous hominy

n — n ,
s i1 cc o ta h maple sugar and joh

s
,
y cake They possessed
-
,
nn -
.
the art O f tan i g deerskin to a delicat e soft ess which

n n n
re dered it a luxurious d deligh t ful aiment and

n an r , ,
like the Aztecs they manufactured ma tles f feather ,

n O
work They had also elaborated a system Of picture

.
e t ng I In short they were t h e most i tellige t and

.
,
n n
advanced O f the easter tribes d had their civiliza n ,

an
t ion bee permitted to proceed u hi de ed by whi t e

n n n r
aggression d the ecurri g i roads f t heir heredi ta y

an r n n O r
e emies t he Iroquois it would probably have evolved

n , ,
i to something resembling that f t h Nahua fM exico

n O e O ,
without perhaps exhibi ti g t h a gui ary fa a ticis m

, ,
n e s n n n
of that people The great weakness of t he Algonquia

. n
26
THE M U S K HO GE AN R ACE
stock was a lack of o l d ty ofcharacter which preventeds I I
t hem f om achievi g a degree O f triba l organiza t ion and

r n
cohesion su fficien t to enable them to withstand their

foes .
T he Muskho gean R ac e
The M uskhogea n race i cluded the Choctaws Chic ka n ,
saws Creeks and Semi oles who occupied territo y i

, ,
n ,
r n
t h e G ulf states east of the M ississippi possessing almost ,
all of M ississippi and Alabama and portions O fTe nes ,

n
see G o r ia Florida and South Caroli a M any early

,
e , ,
n .
n o t ices 0 this people are extant They were met by .
Na vaez i F lorida in 1 5 2 8 and D e Soto passed

r n
t hrough their terri t ory i 1 5 4 0—

,
4 1 B y 7
1 0 0 the en t ire n .
Apalache e tribe had been civilized and Christianiz ed

.
,
and had set tled i seven large and well-built towns n .
B u t the tide O f white settleme t gradually p essed the n r
M uskhogean tribes backward from the coast reg on a d i

,
n
though they fought stoutly to retai their pat mo y n ri n ,
few f the race remai in t heir native area the maj

O n ,
o
ri t y havi g been removed to t he tribal eservat on n

O
n r i i
Oklahoma bef re 1 8 40 They were an a ic ult ural a d n
sede tary people occupy g villages O Fsubstantially

o . r
n in
,
built dwelli gs A curious diversity both physical a d

n .
,
n
me tal existed among the several tribes of t c h the race

n
,
was composed They possessed a ge n er l council formed

. a
O f represe tatives from each town who me t annually or

n
,
as occasion required Artificial deformation O ft he kull . S
was pract ised by nearly all O fthe M uskhogean tribes ,
chiefly by the Choctaws who were called by the ,
settle s F lat heads The M uskh gean population at

r
‘
.
’
o
the period of its first contact with t h e whi t es h a bee s n
estimated at some fifty t housand souls In 1 90 5 t hey .
numbered ra t her more but t his estimate included abou t ,
fiftee thousand fie e dme n o f negro blood

n
'
.
27
MYTHS OF THE AMER I C AN IN D IANS
T he S io ux
The Siouan or D akota stock—Santees Y ankto s n
Assi iboi s a d Te t o s—inhabi t ed a te itory ext e ding

, ,
n n n n rr n
,
f om Saskatchewan t o Louisia a They a e t he highest

r n . r
t ype physically mentally and morally of any

, ,
f t he , ,
o
wes t ern tribes a d their cour age is unques t io ed They

,
n n .
dwelt n large bands or groups

I
“
P erso al fitness a d . n n
popularity determined chieft ainship The au t hority ” .
of the chief was limited by the band council withou t ,
whose approbat ion li t tle or nothi g could be aecom n
p li h d
s eWar par.t ies were recrui t ed by individuals
who had acquired reputation as successful leaders ,
while the sl m ns formulated ceremonials and farewells

za a
for t hem P olygamy was common

. Remains of . .
the dead were usually though not invariably placed , ,
on scaffolds .
” 1
Caddo an F mily a
The Caddoan family comprises three geographic

groups the o ther represe t ed by t he Arika a t h
,
n r n
,
n r , e
middle embracing t h e Pawnee Confederacy once

, ,
dwelling n Nebraska and the sou t hern group i clud

I , ,
n
n t h e Caddo K ichai a d Wichita O ce numerous

I
g , ,
n . n ,
this divisio of t he Red Race s o w represe ted by a

n I n n
few hundreds of individuals only who are se ttled i ,

n
Oklahoma a d North D akota The Caddo tribes were

n .
cultivators O fthe soil as well as hun t ers d prac t ised ,

a n
the a ts of pottery making and t anni g Th ey lacked

r - n .
political abili ty and were loosely confederated .
T he S ho sh o n eans
The S hosho eans or Snake family ofNevada U tah
n , ,
and Idaho comprise the Root diggers Comanches a d -

, ,
n
1
B ulletin 3 0, Bureau o fAmeric an Et h n o l o gy .
28
MY TH S OF THE AMERICAN IN DIANS
venee of civilizatio were ly a little less ignoran t
r n, on
t han ,
d as vi dictively cruel as t he barbaria s wi t h
an n n
,
whom t hey strove The I dian egarded t h col is t

. n r e on
as an i terlope who had co m e t despoil him of the

n r o
la d of his fa t he s while t he Virgi ia P uri tan con

n r , n n
s ide e d himself the sal t f the ea th

r d t h I dia O r an e n n
as a hea the or Ishmaelite se t by t h P owe s of

n
’
n e r
D ark es for his di co mfitu

n s who m it was an act of
s re ,
both eligion and policy to destroy V engeful ferocity

r .
was exhibi ted on bo t h sides A other horrible mas . n
sacre f five hun dred whites in 1 64 4 was followed by

O
the de feat f t he India s who had butchered the

o n
colonists S hor tly before that event t he P equot tribe

.
i Connecticut had a feud with t h e E glish t raders

n n ,
a d tortured such of them as t hey could lay ha ds o

n n n .
The me of Connecticut headed by John M aso a

n
,
n,
military vetera marched i to the P equot cou t y

n, n n r ,
surrou ded t he village of Sa s cu s the P equo t chief

n s a , ,
gave it to the flames and slaughtered six hu dred of ,

n
it i habitants
s n The tribe was b oke up a d t h e
. r n ,
n
example of t hei fate so terrified the other India

r n
peoples t hat New Engla d e j oyed peace f ma y n n or n
years after .
K in g Ph ilip
’
s Wa r
The D u tch of New Y ork were at one period almost

O ve whelmed by t h I dians in t heir eighbou h od
r e n n r o ,
an d i 1 6 5 6 t he V irginians su f
n fered a severe defeat i n
a ba ttle wi t h t h e aborigines t t h spot where Richmo d a e n
now sta ds I 1 67 5 there broke out i New E ngla d

n . n n n
t h e g ea t I dia
r w k own as K i g P hilip s Wa
n n ar n n
’
r .
P hilip India chief complai ed bi t terly t hat t hose

,
an n ,
n
O fhis subj ects who had bee co ve ted t o Christia ity n n r n
were withdrawn from his control and he made vigorous ,
war on the settlers laying many of their t ow s i ,

n n
30
THE RESERVATI O NS
ashes B u t victory was with the colo ists at t h ba ttle
. n e
called t h Swamp F ight and P hilip a d his men

e ,
’
n
were sca ttered .
Captai B enjamin Church it was who first taught

n
the colonis t s to fight the Indians in their own manner .
H e move d as steal t hily as the savages themselves and to , ,
avoid an alarm neve allowed an Indian to be shot who

,
r
could be reached with the hatchet The Indians who .
were captured were sold into slave y in the W est I dia r n
Islands where the hard labour and cha ge of cli mate

,
n
were usually instrumental in speedily putti g an e n d t

‘
n o
their servitude .
S t ep by step the Red M an was driven westward

until he vanished from t he vicinity O ft he earlier settle
ments al t ogether From that period the history of
.
his conflicts wi t h the whites is bound up with the

records of their western extension .
T he R ati
e serv on s
The necessity of bringing the Indian tribes unde r
the complete control O ft he U nited States G overnment

and confining t hem to defini t e limits for the better
preservation of order was responsible for the policy of
placi g t hem on tracts of territory of their own called
n
re servatio s This step led the natives t o realize the

n .
’
benefits of a settled exis t e ce and to depe d on their n n
ow n indus try for a livelihood rather tha upo the n n
more precarious products of the chase An Act of .
Congress was passed in 1 8 8 7 which put a period to

the exis t ence of the Indian t ribes as sepa at e com r
mu it ie a d permitted all tribal la ds and reserva t io s

n s, n n n
to be so divided that each i dividual member of a tribe n
migh t possess a separate ho lding M any of t hese .
holdi gs are of considerable value a d the possessors

n
,
n
are by mea s poorly endowed with this world s

no n
’
31
MY THS OF THE A MERI CAN IN D IAN S
goods On the whole t h policy of the U i t ed Sta t es
. e n
t oward the I dia s has bee dic tated by j us tice d

n n n an
huma i ty bu t ins ta ces have n t bee wa ti g in which

n ,
n o n n n
arid lands have been foisted upo t h I dians and t h e n e n ,
pressure of white se ttlers has freque tly forced t h e n
Governmen t t dispossess the Red M a of t h land

o n e
tha t had origi ally bee gra ted to him

n n n .
T he S to ry o f P o c ah o n tas
M any romantic s t ories a e told co cerning the r n
relat io s f t h ea ly whi t e set tlers with the Indians

n O e r .
Among t he most i teres ti g is t hat of P ocaho tas t h

n n n ,
e
daugh t er of t h enow ed Indian chief P owha tan the

e r n ,
ers twhile i mplacable enemy of the whites P ocahon tas .

,
who as a child had O ft en played with the young colonis t s ,
was visi t i g a ce tain chief named J apa aw whe

n r z s, n
an E nglish captain named Argall bribed him with a

copper ke t tle t o betray her into his hands Argall t ook .
h e a cap t ive to James t own

r H ere a white ma by t he . n
n a me of Joh Rolfe married her a fter she had received

n
,
Ch is t ia
r bap t ism This marriage brough t abou t a
n .
peace between P owhata and the E glish settlers i n n n
Virginia .
Whe D ale went back to E ngla d i 1 6 1 6 he t ok

n n n o
wi t h him some of the I ndia s P ocaho tas who was n . n ,
w called the L ady Rebecca a d her husband a e com

’
no n
,
a i d t h e pa t y
n e P ocahon tras was called a princess in
p .
E gla d a d received much atte tion B u t when abou t

n n ,
n n .
to re t ur to the colony she died leaving a li t tle son

n ,
.
The quain t V ersion of Cap tai Nathaniel P owell n

,
which e t ains all t he k ow fac t s O f P ocaho t as story

r n n n
’
s tat es t ha t D uri g this time t h Lady Rebecca li s

n ,
e
,
a a
P ocaho tas daugh t er to P owhata

n ,
by t h e dilige t ca e n
,
n r
of M as t er Joh Rolfe her husband n d his f ie ds ,

an r n ,
was t aught t o speak such E glish as migh t well be n
32
THE S T O RY OF PO C A HO NTA S
understood well instructed in Chris tianity and was
, ,
become very formal and civil aft er our English manner

she had also by him a child which she loved most
dearly and the Treasu rer and Company took order
,
both for the mai te ance of her and it besides there

n n ,
were divers persons of great rank a d quality had been n
ki d t o her and before she arrived at London Captain

n ,
Smith to deserve her former courtesies made her

, ,
qualities known to the Q ueen s most excellen t M aj esty ’
and her Court and wrote a little book to this e ffect to

,
the Q ueen An abstract whereof follows

To tit e M ost Higlz a nd Virtuous Princess, Queen
Anne of Great B rita in
M O ST A D M I R ED Q U EEN,
The love I bear my God my K i g and
‘
,
n
Country hath so oft embolde ed me in the worst of

,
n
ex treme dangers that now honesty doth cons train me

,
t
o presume t hus far beyond myself to present your ,
M aj esty this short discourse : if ingratitude be a deadly

poiso to all honest virtues I must be guilty of that
n ,
-
crime if I should omit any means to be thankful .
SO it is ,
“
That some ten years ago being in V irgi ia
‘
n ,
a d taken prisoner by the power of P owhatan their

n
chief K ing I received from this great savage exceeding

,
great cou tesy specially from his son Nan t qu au t he

r ,
C a s,
most manliest comeliest boldest spirit I ever saw in a

, ,
savage and his sister P ocaho tas t h K ing s most dear

,
n ,
e
’
and well beloved daughter being but a child of twelve

-
,
or thir t een years of age whose c mpassio ate pitiful ,

o n
heart of my desperate estate gave me much cause t

, ,
o
r espect h I being the first Christian this proud

er
K ing and his grim at t enda ts eve saw and t hus e n n r
thralled in their barb arou s power I cannot ay I felt the ,

s
33
MY TH S OF THE A MERI C AN IN D IANS
least occasion of want that was in the power of these my
mortal foes to prevent notwithstanding all t hei t hreat s ,
r .
Aft er some x weeks fat ti g amo g t hese savage

si n n
co ur tiers at th e mi ute of my executio she hazarded

,
n n,
t h e bea t i g out of her own brai s to save m i e ; and

n n n
no t only t hat but so prevailed with her fa ther that I

, ,
was safely conveyed to Jamestown where I found :
about eigh t a d t hi ty miserable poor and sick crea

n r
t ures t o keep possession of all those large terri t ories of

,
V irgi ia ; such was the weak ess of t his poor Common

n n
weal t h as had the savages t fed us we directly had

,
no ,
s tarved And t his relief mos t gracious Q ueen was

.
, ,
commo ly brough t us by this Lady P ocahontas

n .
Notwithstandi g all these passages when in co n

‘
n
,
stant F ortune t urned our peace t war this t ender o ,
virgi would still n o t spa e to da e t o visit us and by

n r r
,
her our jars have been o ft appeased and o u wa t s ,

r n
still supplied W ere it t he policy of her fa t her thus

.
to employ her o t he o dinance of God thus t o make

,
r r
her H is ins t rument or her ex traordi ary a ffection t ,

n o
our nat ion I k ow t bu t of this I am su e when

,
n no r
her father with the u t mos t f his policy and powe

,
O r
,
sought to surprise me havi g but eighteen wi t h me ,

n
,
t h e dark ight could o t affrigh t he from coming

n n r
t hrough the irksome woods a d wi t h wa t ered eyes ,

n
ave me intelligence with her best advice to escape his

f
,
ury which had he known he had surely S lain her ,

.
Jamestown with her wild train she as freely f o r
u n t e d as her father s habitation ; and duri g the t i m e

’
n
q e
o f two or three years [ 1 60 8 — 9] she nex t under G o d , ,
was s t ill t he instrumen t t o prese ve this Colony from r
death famine and utte confusio ; which if t hose

,
r n In
t imes it had o ce bee dissolved Virgi ia might have

n n ,
n
lai as it was t our first arrival t o t his day

n a .
Since t he this business having been turned and

n
,
34
THE S TO RY OF PO CAHO NT A S
varied by many accidents f om that I left it t it is r a
most cer tai aft er a long and troubleso m e war aft er

n,
my departure betwixt her fa t her a d our Colony all

,
n
,
which t ime she was not heard of

‘
Abou t two years aft er she herself was taken
priso e being so detained near two years lo ge the
n r, n r,
Colo y by tha t means was relieved peace co cluded ;

n ,
n
and at last rej ec t i g her ba ba ous co di tion she was

n r r n
,
married to a E glish gentleman with whom at this

n n ,
p esent she is in E gla d ; t he first Chris tian ever of

r n n
that nation t he first Virginian ever spoke E nglish or

, ,
had a child in marriage by E glishma a ma t te an n n r
surely if my meaning be truly conside ed and well

,
r
understood worthy a prince s understa di g

,
’
n n .
“ ‘
Thus most gracious Lady I have related t
, , o
your M aj es ty what at your bes t leisure our approved

,
H istories will account you at large and done in the ,
ti me O fyour M aj esty s life a d however t his might be

’
n
presented you f o m a more wor t hy pen it can o t from

r ,
n
a more honest heart as yet I ever begged a ything of

,
n n
the state or any a d it is my wa t of ability d her

,
n n an
exceeding deser t ; your birth means and authority her ,
birth vir t ue want a d simplicity doth make me thus

, ,
n ,
bold humbly to beseech your M aj esty to t ake this

,
knowledge of her though it be from one O unworthy

,
S
to be the reporter as myself her hu sband s estate not

, ,
‘ ’
being able to make her fit t o attend your M aj esty The .
mos t and least I can do is t o tell you this because none ,
so o ft has tried it as myself and the rather being of so ,
great a spirit however her stat ure if she should not be

,
well received seeing this kingdom may rightly have a

,
ki gdom by h e mea s ; her prese t love to us and

n r n n
Christiani t y might tur to such scor and fu y as t n n r , o
divert all this good t the w s t of evil whe eas o or : r
fi din g so great a Q ueen should do her some honour

n
35
MYT H S OF THE A MER IC AN IND IAN S
more than she can imagine for being so kind to your ,
servants and subj ects wo u ld so ravish her with content

, ,
as endear her dearest blood t o e ffect that your M ajesty ,
and all the K ing s ho est subj ects most earnestly

’
n
desire .
’
Captain P owell conti ues n
The small time I staid in Lo don divers courtiers n ,
and others my acquai tances have gone wi t h me to see

,
n ,
her that generally co cluded they did think God had

,
n ,
had a great hand in her conversion and they have seen ,
many English Ladies worse favoured propor t ioned and , ,
behavioured ; and as since I have heard it pleased both ,
the King and Q ueen s M aj esty honourably to esteem her

’
accompanied with tha t honourable Lady the L ady de la

Ware and that honourable Lord her husband and divers
, ,
other persons of good qualities both publicly at the ,
masques and otherwise to her great satisfact ion a d , n
content which doubtless she would have deserved had

, ,
she lived to arrive in V irginia .
The Treasurer Council and Company having w ell

, ,
furnished Captain Samuel Argall the Lady P ocahontas ,
alias Rebecca with her husband and others in the good

, ,
ship called the G rge it pleased God at Gravesend t

eo o
take t his youn Lady to H is mercy where she made not

more sorrow g
,
or her unexpected death tha j oy to the ,

n
beholders to hear and see her make so religious an d

dly an e n d H er little child Thomas Rolfe t here
f
O .
,
ore was left at P lymout h with Sir L e w s Stu kly that

,
I
,
desired the keeping of it .
I n dian K idn ap p in g
M any ales of how Indians raiding a whi t e
are t he t .
settlement have k idn a ped d adopted into their an
families the children 0 t he slain whites but none is ,
36
MY TH S OF THE A MERIC A N IN DIAN S
her impetuosi ty in escaping caused the Indians to roar
with laughter They were about to t ake away a boy
.
when M rs Slocum pointed to a lame foot exclaimi g

.
,
n
‘
The child is lame ; he ca do thee no good They n .
’
dropped the boy and discovered little Frances hidden

away under the staircase It was but the act of a .
moment to secure her and when they bore her away ,
the tender child could but look over the I dian s n

’
shoulder and sc eam M amma ! r

’
The alarm soon spread but the elasticity of a ,
D elaware s step had carried the party a way i to the

’
n
mountains .
“
M r Slocum was absent at the time of the capture
.
,
and upon returning at night lear ed the sad ews n n .
The family s trials did n t end here M iner who

’
o .
,
is ever i sympathy with the early annals of Wyoming

n
,
thus depicts the sce es which occurred afte wards n r
The cup of vengeance was o t y e t full D ecem

‘
n .
ber 1 6t h M Slocum and Isaac Tripp his father in

,
r
.
,
-
law an aged man with William Slocu m a you t h of

, , ,
nine t een or twenty were feedi g cat tle from a stack i ,

n n
the meadow i sight of t h e fo t whe they were fired

,
n r , n
upon by Indians M Slocum was shot dead ; M . r

. r .
T ipp wou ded speared and tomahawked both were

r n , ,
scalped Willia m wounded by a spe t ball i the heel

.
,
n n ,
escaped and gave t he alarm but the alert a d wily foe ,

n
had retreated to his hiding place i t h e mou tai -

n n n .
This deed bold as it was cruel was perpet ated wi t hin

, ,
r
t h e town plo t in the centre of which the for tress was

,
located Thus i li t tle more t ha a month M

.
,
n n
,
rs .
Slocum had lost a beloved child ca ried i to cap t ivity ,

r n
the doorway had been drenched i blood by t he murder n
of a member of t he family ; two others of the house

hold had been taken away prisone s ; and now her r
husband and father were both stricken dow to t h n e
38
D NAPPIN G IN D IAN KI
grave murdered and mangled by t he merciless Indians
,
.
Verily t he annals of Indian a trocities written in blood

, , ,
record few instances of desolation and woe equal to

this
.
’
“
In 1 7 8 4 after peace had settled upon the country
, ,
two of the Slocum brothers visited Niagara in hopes of ,
learning something of the whereabouts O fthe lost sister ,
but to no purpose Large rewards were o ffered but .

,
mo ey will not extract a confession from an Indian

n .
Little F rances all this time was widely known by

many tribes of Indians but she had become one of ,
them hence t h mystery which shrouded her fate

,
e .
“
The e fforts of the family were untiring Several .
trips were made westward and each resulted in vain ,

.
A large number of Indians of di fferent tribes were con

vened i 1 7 8 9 at Tioga P oint to e ffect a treaty with
,
n , ,
Colonel P roctor This opportuni ty seemed to be the

.
fitting one for one visit could reach several tribes but
, ,
M rs Slocum after spending weeks of inquiry among

.
,
them was again obliged to return home in sorrow and

, ,
almost despair .
The brothers took a j ourney in 1 7 97 occupying ,
nearly t he whole summer in traversing the wilderness ,
and Indian set tlements of the west but to no purpose ,

.
Once i deed a ray of hope seemed to glimmer upon

,
n
,
t h e domes t ic darkness for a female captive responded ,
t
o t he m any and urgent i quiries but M rs Slocum n ,
.
discovered at once that it was not her F rances : The

mother of the lost child went down to the grave having ,
never heard from her daughter since S he was carried

away captive .
“
In 1 8 2 6 M r Joseph Slocum hearing of a promi
, .
,
nen t Wyando t chief who had a white woman for a wife ,
r epaired to Sa dusky but was disappoin t ed whe he

n
,
n
beheld t h woma who he knew to a certainty could

e n
,
39
MY TH S OF THE A MERIC AN IN D IAN S
n o t be F rances H ope had become almost aba d ned
. n o ,
and the family was allowing the memory of the lost

irl to sin k n to forgetful ess when one of those stra ge
g
i n n
,
reaks of circumstances which seem so mysterious to

humani ty but which are the ordi ary actions of I nfini ty
,
n ,
brought t light t he history and t he person of the

o
cap t ive girl of Wyoming .
“
Colonel Ewi g who was connected with I dian n
,
n
service had occasion to rest with a tribe n the Wabash

,
o ,
when he discove ed a woman whose outlines d r an
t exture convi ced him t hat she must be a white

n
woman t hough her face was as red as any squaw s

,
’
could be H e made i quiries and she admitted that

. n ,
she had bee taken from h paren t s whe she was

n er n
young that her name was Slocum a d t hat she was

, ,
n
no w so O ld that she had no O bjectio s to h vi g her n a n
relations know of her whereabouts .
“
The Colonel knew full well how a xious many n
eastern hearts were t o hear of the lo t one of earlier s
days and thinking that he would do a chari t able

,
service he addressed the following letter to the P ost

,
master fLa caster P e n sylv a

o n
,
n nIa
L OG A NSPORT , I ND I A NA 7 a n ua r
y 2 0, 1 8 35
D EA R S I R,
In the hope that some good may resul t from
‘
it I have taken this mea s of g v ng t your fellow n i i o
citizens— say t he descenda ts of t h ea ly set tlers f

,
n e r o
S usqueha n na—the following i formatio

,
and if there n n .
be any w living whose ame is Slocum t them I

no n ,
o ,
hope t he followi g may be commu icated through the

,
n n
public prints fyour place O
The e now living near this place among t h

‘
r Is ,
e
M iami tribe of I dians an aged white wo ma who n ,

n,
a few days ago told me while I lodged in the camp ,
40
IND IAN K I D NAPPIN G
one igh t t hat she was taken away f om her fa t he s
n ,
r
’
r
house o or ear t he Susqueha a River when she

n n nn
was very young—say f om five to eight yea s old as

, ,
r r
she thinks—by t he D elaware I dians who were then

,
n ,
hos tile toward the whites Sh e says her father s name .

’
was Slocum t hat he was a Q uaker rather small i ,

n
s tature a d wore a large brimmed hat was O f sa dy

,
n - n
hai and ligh t complexio and much f eckled t hat he

r n, r
lived abou t a half a mile from a town where there was

a fort ; that they lived i a woode house of two n n
sto ies high and had a spring ear the house Sh e

r ,
n .
says t hree D elawares came to t he house in the daytime ,
when all were abse t but herself and pe haps two n

,
r
o t he children her father a d brothers we e absent

r : n r
maki g hay The I dians carried her o ff a d she was

n . n
,
n
adop t ed i to a family of D elawares who raised her

n ,
a d t rea t ed her as their own child

n They died about .
for ty years ago so m ewhe e i Ohio Sh e was then ,

r n .
married to a M iami by whom she had four childre ; n

—
,
t wo O f them are now living they are both daughters

a d she lives with t hem
n H er husband is dead ; she .
is old a d feeble and thinks she will not live long

n ,
.
“
These co sideratio s induced her to give the
‘
n n
prese t history of he self which she would never do

n r ,
bef re feari g t hat her kindred would come and force

o ,
n
her away Sh e has lived long and happy as an India

. n,
an d but for her colour would not be suspected of

, ,
bei g anyt hing else but such Sh e is very respectable

n .
and wealt hy sober and honest H er name is wi t hout

,
.
rep oach Sh e says her father had a large family say

r
—
.
,
eight childre i all six older t han herself one n n

,
you ger as well as she can recollect ; and she doub t s

n
,
no t t ha t there a s till living ma y of t heir descenda ts

re n n ,
bu t seems to think that all her brothers a d sis t ers n
mus t be dead as she is very old herself o t far from

, ,
n
MY TH S OF THE AMERI CAN IN DIAN S
t he age O f eighty Sh thi ks she was t aken prisoner . e n
before t h last two wa s which mus t mean the R e v lu

e r , o
t io nary war as W ayne s war a d t h e late war have

’
,
n
been since that e Sh has entirely lost her mo t her on . e
t o gue and speaks only in India

n ,
which I also u nder n,
s tand and she gave me a full hist ry f he self

,
o o r .
“
H er own Christian ame she has fo go t te bu t
‘
n r n,
says her father s name was Slocum and he was a ’
Q uaker Sh e also recollects that it was on the

.
S usquehanna River that they lived I have thought .
that from this letter you might cause something to be

inserted in the newspapers of your county that migh t
possibly catch the eye of some of the descendants of
the S locum family wh o have knowledge of a girl ,
havi g been carried fl by the Indians some seventy

n O
"
years ago This they might k ow from family . n
traditio If so and they will come here I will carry

n .
, ,
them where they may see the obj ect of my letter alive
and happy though old a d far adva ced in life
,
n n .
I can form o idea whereabou t s o the S usqu e n n
hanna River this fa mily could have lived at that early

period namely about the time of t he Revolutionary
, ,
war but perhaps you can ascertai mo e about it If

,
n r .
so I hope you will interest yourself and if possible

—
, , , ,
let her brothers and sisters if any be alive if not

—
their children know where they may once more see
, ,
a relative whose fate has been wrapped in mys t ery for

seve ty years a d for whom h er be eaved and afllict d
n ,
n r e
parents doub tless shed many a bitter tear They have .
long si ce found their graves though t heir lo t child

n , s
t hey never found I have bee much afl ec te d wi t h ’

. n
t h e disclosure and hope the surviving friends may ,
ob tain through your goodness the information I desire

, ,
f them
or If I can be of any service t them t hey
. o ,
may command me In the meantime I hope you will .

,
2
4
D NAPPIN G IN D IAN KI .
excuse me for t h f ee dom I have taken with you ae r ,
t otal stranger and believe me to be S ir wi t h much

, , ,
respect your obedient servant

,
G EO W EWI NG
’
. . .
This le t ter met the fate of many others of import

ance—it was flu g away as a wild story n .
The P ostmaster died and had been in his grave ,
t ime u fli c i n t to allow his wife an opportunity of

s e
s t aightening his afl ai
r Sh e was in the act f over ’
rs . O
hauli g a mass of papers belonging to her husband s

n
’
busi ess when she encountered t h let t er of Colonel

n e
Ewi g A woman s perceptions are kee a d quick ’

n n n ,
.
an d the tender emotions which were begotten in her

mi d were but the responses O f her better natur e
n . .
H er sympathy yearned for one of her own sex a id ,

r
she could do no more t han proclaim t h e s t ory to the

wo l d Accordingly she sen t t he letter to t he editor
r .
of the Lancaster I ntellig nc a d therein it was pub e e, n
lish e d .
Newspapers of limi t ed circulation may not e v o lu r
t i n i e matters of great importance but they have

o z ,
t heir sphere in detail and wh en the aggregate is ,
summed t hey accomplish more than the mighty engi es n
of larger mediums
I t was so i this case—the L ancaster paper was
.
“
n
about issui g a extra for temperance purposes a d

n n ,
n
this letter hap pened to go into t he forme to h e lp fill ‘
up as poor pr nters sometimes express it The Lan

,
’
i .
caster o ffice was n o t poor but the foreman did fill ,

‘
up with the Ewing letter Rev Samuel B owman

’
. .
,
of Wilkes Barre by chance saw a copy H e knewthe

-
,
.
Slocums a d the entire history of the valley as it was

,
n
give by t radi t ion

n .
H e was n t present i the valley at t he time bu t

o n ,
43
MYTH S OF T HE AMERICAN I ND IAN S
h is heart warmed for the scenes and associations of
early times in Wyoming H e mailed one of t h . e
papers t a Slocum a bro t he of t h captive girl a d

o ,
r e ,
n
t he e f fect produced was as if by magic Eve ybody . r
was acquai ted with t h e history of Fra ces a d all

n n ,
n
were in t erested in her fate Sixty yea s had go e by . r n
since she was carried away an innocent girl and o w , ,

n
the world had found the lost one .
“
There was one mark which could not be mistaken
- li t tle Frances whe a child had played wi th a brother
n
i the blacksmith s shop and by a careless blow from the

’
n ,
lat ter a finger was crushed i such a ma ner that it n n
never regai ed its original form

n .
“
M Isaac Slocum accompanied by a sister a d
r
.
,
n
bro t her sought an interview with t h tan ed woman

,
e n ,
through the aid of an in t erpreter and the first question ,
asked aft er an exami ation of the fi ger was H ow

,
n n ,
‘
came that finger jambed P The reply was convinci g n
a d conclusive
n M y brother struck it with a hammer
in t h e shop a long time ago before I was carried
, ,
away .
’
H ere then at last by this unmistakable t oken the , ,
los t was fou d H er memory proved to be une ri g

n . r n
t h e de t ails f even t s sixty years ld were perfec t and

O o ,
given in such a manner as to awaken i t h e hear t s of n
t h e Slocum family warm emotio s for t h e wi t hered n
Old woman H er life al though rude had been a

.
, ,
happy one and no inducemen t s were s tro g enough

,
n
t o pe suade her to leave the camp fi e s of her adoptio

r - r n .
B y Ac t f Co gress oM —
a co a qua t h e Indian t itle
n ,
n- -
,
of F ra ces Slocum was gran t ed one mile squa e of th

n ,
r e
reservation which was appoi t ed to the I dia s of n n n
,
—
Indiana w e s t of t h M ississippi to be held by he self
e r
during her life d t revert t her heirs forever Sh e

,
an o o .
died M arch 9t h 1 8 4 7 and was given Christian burial

, ,
44
MY T H S OF THE A MER IC AN IN DIAN S
stat ed M organ i cludes also in the communi ty class t h
. n e
circular dome shaped earth lodges of Sacrame t o Valley

,
-
n
a d the L fo m
n t e t shaped t ha t ched lodges of the
- r n -
, ,
highe areas of Califor ia ; but t he leadi g examples

r n n
of commu ity houses are t he large some t imes massive

n , ,
ma y celled clusters of stone or adobe in New M exico

n -
a d Arizona k own as é l These dwelli gs vary

n
p u s n e o . n
i form some of t hose built in prehis t oric t imes bei g

n
,
n
semicircular others oblo g around or enclo ing a cour t

,
n ,
s
or p l z These buildi gs were construc t ed usually i

a a . n n
terrace form t h e lower havi g a one story t ier of apart

,
n -
me ts the next two s t ories and so on to t h uppermost

n , ,
e
tier which sometimes co stituted a seventh story The

,
n .
masonry consisted usually of small flat sto es laid in n
adobe morta and chinked with spalls but sometimes

r
large balls of adobe were used as building stones or a ,
double row of wattling was erec t ed a d filled in wi t h n
grout solidly tamped B y the latter method know

,
.
,
n
as p isé const uctio walls 5 to 7 feet thick were

r n,
sometimes built The outer walls of the lowest sto y . r
were pierced only by small openi gs access to the n

,
i terio being gained by means of ladders which could

n r ,
be drawn up if necessary and of a hatchway i the roof ,

n .
I t is possible tha t some of t h e elaborate structures of

M exico were developed from such hive like buildi gs - n
as t hose of the typical p u al s the cells increasing i e o , n
size toward the south as suggested by B andelier ,

.
Chimneys appear to have been unknown in No th r
America until aft er contact of the natives wi t h E uro

peans t he hatchway in the roof serving t he double
,
purpose of entra ce and flue O t her forms some n .

,
‘
community and others t are the following The
’
no , :
Tli git H aida and some other t ribes build substantial

n
, ,
recta gular houses with sides and ends formed of

n
,
pla ks and with the fron t s elaborately carved a d

n ,
n
46
D WELLI NG S
painted wi t h symbolic figures D irectly i front of . n
t h e house a totem p le is placed a d near by a memorial

o ,
n
pole is erected These houses are sometimes 4 0 by

.
1 00 fee t in the Nootka and Salish regions and are ,
occupied by a number of families F o merly some of . r
t he H aida houses a e said t have bee built on plat

r o n
forms supported by posts S ome of these seen by such .
ea ly navigat ors as Vancouver were 2 5 or 30 feet

r
above ground access being had by notched logs servi g

,
n
as ladders Among the nor t h wester Indian tribes

.
- n ,
as the Nez P erc é s the dwel ling was a frame of p les

,
o
covered wi t h rush matting or with bu fl alo or elk skins

’
The houses of the Californian tribes were recta gular n
or circular ; of t he latter some were conical othe s r
dome—
, ,
shaped There was also formerly in use in

.
va ious parts of Califo ia and to some extent on the

r rn
,
i terior plateaus a semi subte ranean ea th covered

n
,
- r r -
lodge known amongst the M aidu as t um The most .
primitive abodes were those of t h e P aiute and the

Coco a co sisting simply of brush shelters f summer
,
n or ,
a d or wi ter of a f amework of poles ben t together

n n r
at the top a d covered with brush bark and earth

n , ,
.
Somewhat similar structures are erected by the P ueblos

as farm shel t ers and more elaborate houses O fthe same
,
ge eral type are built by the Apache of A izona As

n r .
indicated by a ch aeological researches the circular wig

r ,
wam with sides of bark or mats built over a shallow

, ,
excavation in the soil and wi t h earth thrown against ,
t h e base appears to have been the usual form of

,
dwelling in the Ohio valley and t he immediate valley

o f t h e M ississippi in prehistoric a d ea ly historic n r
t imes A no t her kind O fdwellin g i use in Arka sas

.
,
n n
before the D iscovery was a rectangular structure with ,
t wo ooms in f o t and one i the rear

r r the walls were
n n
of upright posts thickly plastered wi th clay on a sort of

47
MY TH S OF THE AMERI C AN IND IAN S
wat tle With t h excep t io of t he p u bl structures
. e n e o ,
buildings of s t one or adobe were unk own un t il recent n
times The dwelli gs of some of the tribes of t h

. n e
plai s such as t he Sioux Arapaho Comanche

n
,
d , , ,
an
K iowa we e ge e ally portable skin ten t s or tip is bu t

,
r n r ,
those of t he O maha Osage and some others were more , ,
substa tial The dwelli gs of the Omaha according to

n . n ,
M iss F letcher are built by setting carefully selected

,
‘
a d prepared posts together in a circle

n and bi di g n n
,
firmly wi t h willows then backing them with d ied ,

r
g ass and coveri g the e t ire structure with closely

r , n n
packed sods The roof is made in the same ma ner

. n ,
having a additional support of an inner circle of posts

n ,
wi t h croche t s t o hold t he cross logs which act as beams -
to t h e dome shaped roof A circular openi g i the

-
. n n
centre serves as a chimney and also to give light t o the ,
interior of the dwelling ; a sort of sail is rigged and

fastened outside of this opening to guide the smoke
a d prevent it from annoying the occupa t s of the lodge
n n .
The ent rance passage wa which usually faces east -
ward is f om 6 t o 1 0 ge t long a d is buil t in the

,
r
,
n
same manner as the lodge A important type is the .

’
n
Wichi ta grass hut circular dome-shaped wi t h conical ,
top The frame is built somewhat in panels formed

.
by ribs and cross bars ; t hese are covered with grass

-
tied on shingle fashion These grass lodges vary i . n
diameter from 4 0 t o 5 0 feet The early Florida houses, .
accordi g to Le M o yn e illustrations published by

n
’
s
D e B y were either circular with dome -like roof or

r , ,
O blong with rou ded roof like t hose of Secotan i n

,
n
No th Caroli a as shown i Joh White s figures

r n
,
n n
’
.
The frame was of poles cove ed with bark or the latt er r ,
was sometimes that ched The Chippeway us u ally con .
s tructed a co ical or hemispherical framework of poles

n ,
covered with bark F ormerly caves and rock shelte s .

- r
4 8
D WELLI NG S
were used i some sections as abodes and in the P ueblo
n ,
region houses were formerly construc t ed in natural

recesses or shelters in the cli ffs whence t h e designation ,
cli ff dwellings Similar habitatio s are still in use t

-
. n o
some extent by the Tarahumare of Chihuahua M exico ,

.
Cavate houses with several rooms were also hewn in

the sides of soft volcanic cli ffs S O u merous t hese n are
in Verde Valley Arizona a d t h Jemez plateau New

, ,
n e ,
M exico that for miles the cli ff face is ho eyco mbed

,
-
n
wi t h t hem As a rule the women were the builde s of

. r
t h houses where wood was the structural ma t erial bu t

e ,
the men assisted with the heavier work I n the souther . n
s tates it was a common custo m to erect mounds as

foundations for cou cil houses for the chief s dwelling n -
,
’
or for structures designed for other o fficial uses T he .
erectio of houses especially those of a pe m anent

n ,
r
character was usually attended with great ceremo y

,
n ,
pa ticularly when t he time for dedicatio came The

r n .
construction of the Navaho l g n for example was to a , ,
done in accordance with fixed rules as was t he cu t ti g ,

n
and sewing of the tip i among the P lains t ibes while r ,
the w houses erected during the year were usually

ne
dedicated with ceremony and feasting Although the .
better types of houses were symmetrical and well ro
portioned their builders had t learned t h use t h

,
no e 0 e
sq uare or the plumb l ine The unit of measure was - .
also appare tly unknown and even in the best t ypes f

n
,
o
ancient p u bl masonry the j oints of the stonework

e o
were not b oken The India names for some of

‘
r .
’
n
t heir structu es as tip i wigw m w ickiup h n have

‘
r , g ,
a , ,
o a ,
come into use to a great extent by English speaking -
people .
” 1
1
B ullet in 3 0, Bure au of Ame ric an Et hn o l o gy .
MYT H S OF THE A MER I C AN IN D IANS
T ribal Law an d Custo m

There is but little exac t data available respecti g n
the social polity of t h e Red Race of North America .
K inship appears to have been the basis of govern ment

among most of the tribes a d descent was traced both ,
n
through the male and female line according to locality , .
I most tribes mili tary and civil functions were carefully

n
distinguished from each other the civil governme t ,

n
being lodged in the hands of chiefs of varyi g grades n .
These chiefs were elected by a tribal council and ,
were o t by vir t ue f their Office military leaders

n O .
E very village or group was represented in the general

council by a head man who was sometimes chosen
-
,
by the priests S ecret societies exercised a powerful

.
sway .
H u ti g
n n
H untin g was almost the sole occupation of the males

of the India tribes S much were t hey dependent
n . o
on the produce of the chase for their livelihood t ha t

they developed the pursuit of game in t o a art In n .
commerce t hey Co fi ed themselves to t rading in ski s

n n n
and furs but t hey disposed of these on ] when their

personal or tribal requiremen t s had been ully sa tisfied .
When the tribe had re t ur ed f o m its summer hunting n r
expedition a d after the spoils of the chase had bee

n n
faithfully distributed among its members —a tribal

,
custom which was rigorously adhered to —ceremonial

rites were engaged in and certain sacred formul e were a
observed I hu ting game the India s usually erected

. n n n
pe s or enclosures i t o which the beasts were drive

n
,
n n
a d slaughtered
n Ea ly writers believed tha t t hey
. r
fi e d i h e prairie grass a d pressed i upo t h e panic

r n n n
stricken herd ; bu t this is co tradicted by the I dians n n
50
H U NTIN G
t hemselves who assert that fire would be inj urious t
,
o
the fur of the animals hunted Indeed such an c t .

,
a ,
causi g a herd t o scatter was punishable by deat h

n ,
.
I nexcep t ional cases however the practice migh t be , ,
resor t ed to in order to drive the a imals into t he n
woods I pursui g thei prey it was customary for

. n n r
the tribe to form a ci cle a d thus preve t escape r ,

n n .
The most favourable months for hu ting were June n ,
July and August when t he animals were fat a d t h

, ,
n e
fur of rich quality To the hunter who had slain t he

.
a imal the tribe awarded the skin and part of the

n
carcass The other portions were usually divided

.
amo g the inhabitants of the village As a result of

n .
this method of sharing there was very little waste .
The flesh which was cut i to thin slices was hung up

,
n
,
to dry in the sun on lo g poles a d rolled up d n ,

n an
stored for winter use The pelts were used in the .
maki g of clothing shields and bags Ropes ten t s

n , ,
.
, ,
a d other articles were also prepared f om the skins

n r .
B owstrings and sewing thread were made from t h e -
sinews and drinking cups were shaped out O f the

,
-
larger bones .
Among the methods employed i capturi g game n n
was the setti g of traps i to which the animal was

n ,
n
decoyed A more primitive method of t aking animals

.
by the hand was largely i use The hu ter would n . n
steal upon his prey in the dead O f night using the ,
utmost cunning and agility and seize upo the u wary ,

n n
bird or sleeping animal The I ndia s were skilled in . n
climbi g a d diving and employing t he art of mimicry

n n , , ,
i which they attained great proficiency they would

n
,
s urround a herd O f a imals and drive them in t o a n
na row gorge out of which they could not escape

r .
Their edged weapo s fashioned from stone bo es n

, ,
n ,
a d reeds
n a d used wi t h
,
great skill assisted t he m
n
,
5 1
MY THS OF THE AM ERIC AN IN DIAN S
e ffectually when brought to close quarters wi t h their
prey D ogs although t regula ly trained t hey found
.
,
no r ,
of much value i t h hunt especially f t racking down

n e ,
or
t h more swift and savage beasts

e With t h e assis tance .
of fi e the hu t er s co quest over the ani mal became

r n
’
n
assured H is prey would be driven out of it hiding

. s
place by smoke or t h e torch would dazzle it D ruggi g

,
. n
a imals with poiso ous roots a d pollut ing streams t

n n n o
capture fish were largely practised The use of ets . n
an d scoops for taking animals from t h e wa t er and t h e
fashio ing of rakes for securi g worms f o m the earth

n n r
were other methods employed t obtain food The o .
use of the ca oe gave rise to the i vention of the

n n
harpoon .
The wandering habits of their game and t he con

struction of fe ces were Obstacles which strengt he ed
n n
their perception and gave excelle t t raining for t h n e
hu t The varie ty of circumsta ces with which they

n . n
had to meet caused them to prepare or devise the

many weapons and s ares to which they resorted n .
Certain periods or seasons of the year were bserved O
for the hu ti g of particular animals each of which

n n ,
figured as a token or heraldic symbol of a tribe or

ens
g .
choolcraft in an accurate and e nt e rt n ng account

S ,
aI I
of Indian hunting in his Hist ic l nd St tistic l I nf r or a a a a o
m ti n sp cting the I ndi n Tribes says

a o re e a ,
The simplest O f all species ofhunting is perhaps the

art of hunti g t h e deer This a imal it is known is
n . n , ,
endowed wi t h the fatal curiosi ty of stopping i its fligh t n
to tu n rou d and look at t he obj e ct t hat disturbed it

r n
and as this is ge erally do e wi t hi ifl e ra ge the

n n n r - n ,
habit is i dulged at the cost of its life whereas if it

n ,
trusted unwaveringly t its heels it would escape o ,

.
One of the most i ngenious modes of hunting the

5 2
plain if it be hard or rocky t hey are draw f om less ,
n r
palpable but scarcely less u mis takable signs n .
O n e of the larges t d most va ied days hu t

’
an r n
of which we are apprised was by a noted Chippeway

hu t er amed No k y on t h e upper M ississippi who
n ,
n a , , ,
t raditio asserts i
n e day ear the mou t h of the
,
n on ,
n
Crow W i g River killed sixtee elk four bu f

n faloes
,
n , ,
five deer th ee bears one lynx a d a porcupine This

,
r , ,
n .
feat has doub t less bee exceeded i t he bu ffalo n n
ranges of t he south wes t where the bow a d arrow is -

,
n
know to have been so dexterously d rapidly applied

n an
i respect t t hat a imal ; but it is seldom tha t t h

n o n e
chase i forest districts is as successful as in this

n
i s t a ce
n n .
O n o e occasio t h celebrated chief W b j e e g

n n e a o
went out early i the mor ing ear the ba ks of Lake

n n
,
n n
S uperior t set martin traps

,
o H e had e t about fo ty -
. s r ,
and was retur i g to his Wigwam armed with his n n ,
hatchet and k ife o ly when he encou t ered a buck

n n
,
n ,
moose H e sheltered himself behind trees retreating

.
,
bu t as the animal pursued he picked up a pole d , ,

an ,
u fas t e i g his moccasin s t ings tied t h knife firmly t o

n n n -
r
,
e
the pole H e t he t ook a favourable posi t ion behind

. n
a t ree and stabbed the animal seve al times i the t hroat r n
an d breas t At leng t h it fell a d he cut out and carried

.
,
n
home the to gue as a trophy of his prowess

n .
“
In 1 8 0 8 G it h Iaw ha of K wy we n n Lake
,
s e ,
e o ,
S uperior killed a three yea old moose ft hree hundred

,
- r- o
pou ds weight I t was i t h e mo th of F ebrua y d

n . n n r , an
t h e snow was so soft from a par t ial t haw that the im

g , ,
a ,
or snow shoes sank deep at every step Afte cutti g

-
,
. r n
up th a imal and drawi g u t the blood he wrapped

e n n o
,
the flesh in t h skin d putting himself u der it rose

e ,
an ,
n
,
up erect F i di g he could bear the weigh t he the

. n n
,
n
took a litter of nine pups in a blanket upon his right

54
C O STU ME
arm threw his wallet on top of his head and pu t ti g
, , ,
n
his gun over his left sho ulder walked six miles to his ,
Wigwam This was the strongest man that has appeared

.
i t he Chippeway nation in modern times

n .
In 1 8 2 7 An n imik e n s of Red River of the North

, , ,
was one day q uite e grossed in looking out a path for

n
his camp to pass when he was startled by the sharp

,
snorting of a grizzly bear H e immediately prese ted . n
his gun and attempted to fire ; bu t the primi g o t ,

n n
igniting he was k ocked by the animal the next

,
n ,
instan t several steps backward and his gun drive

, ,
n
full fifteen feet through the air The bear then struck .
him on o e che c k and tore away a part of it The little

n .
consciousness he had left told him to be passive and ,
manifest no signs of life F ortunately the beas t had

.
,
satiat ed his appetite on the carcass of a bu ffalo nea by r .
H aving clawed his victim at pleasure he t hen took him ,
by the neck dragged him into the bushes and there

, ,
left him Y e t from such a wound the Indian recovered

.
,
though a disfigured man and lived to tell me the story

,
with his own lips .
Relations of such hunting exploits and adventures

are vividly repeated in the I ndian country and con ,
s tit u t e a species of renown which is eagerly sought by

”
t he young .
Co s tu m e
The picturesque costume of the Red M an is so
original in character as to deserve more than passing
mention An authority on Indian cos t ume w iting
.
,
r
i B ull tin 3 0 f the B urea u of American Ethnology

n e O
,
says
“
The tribes of Northern America belong in general
to the wholly clothed peoples the excep t ions bei g , n
those inhabiting the warmer regions of the Southe r n
55
U nited S tates and the P acific coast who were semi ,
clothed Tanned skin of the deer family was generally

.
the material for clothing throughou t t he greater part of

t h e country The hide of t he buffalo was worn for
.
robes by t ribes of the plains and even for dresses and ,
leggi s by older people bu t t he leat her was too

n ,
harsh or clothing generally while elk o moose skin ,

r -
,
al t hough soft was t o thick F abrics of bark hair

,
o .
, ,
fur mountai sheep wool and feathers were made in

,
n -
,
t he North P acific P ueblo and southern regions and , , ,
cotton has been woven by t he H opi from ancien t t imes .
Climate environment eleva t ion and ocea ic curren t s

, , ,
n
determined the materials used f clo thing as well or
as the demand f clothi g Sinew from t he t endonsor n .
of the larger a imals was the usual sewi g material but

n n
,
fibres of pla t s especially the agave were also employed

n , , .
B one awls were used i sewing ; bone needles were n
rarely employed and were too large for fine work The .
older needlework is of exceptionally good character and

shows great skill wi t h t he awl U like many othe r . n
arts sewing was practised by both sexes and each sex

, ,
usually made it own clothing The typical and more

s .
familiar costume O ft he I ndian man was of tanned buck

skin d consisted of a shir t a breech cl th legging tied
,
an ,
- o , s
to a belt or wais t strap and low moccasins The shirt

-
, .
,
which hung free over the hips was provided with sleeves ,
and was designed t be drawn over t he head The o .
woman s costume di ffered from that of the man in the

’
lengt h of t he hirt which had shor t sleeves han ing

S ,
loosely over the upper arm and in t he absence 0 the ,
breech clo t h Women also wore t h belt t confine the

- . e o
garment at the waist Robes of skin woven fabrics or .

, ,
o ffeathers were also worn but blankets were subs t ituted ,
for these later The costume presented tribal di fferences

.
in cut colour and ornamentation The free edges were

, ,
.
‘
5 6
C O S TUME
generally f i ged and quill embroidery a d beadwork
r n
,
n ,
pai ting s calp locks tails of animals feat hers claws

n ,
-
, , , ,
hoof shells e tc were applied as ornamen t s or charms

s,
,
.
,
.
T h t ypical dress of t h e P ueblo Indians is generally

e
similar to t hat of the P lains t ribes except t hat it is made ,
largely of woven fabrics .
“
Among the P acific coast tribes and those along ,
t he M exican border the G ulf a d t he Atla tic coast , ,

n n ,
t h e cus t omary garmen t of women was a fringe like -
skirt of bark cord s trung seeds or peltry worn around

, , , ,
the loins In certain seasons or during special occupa

.
tions only the loin band was worn F or occasional - .
use in cooler weat her a skin robe or cape was thrown

about the shoulders or under exceptional conditio ns , , ,
a large robe woven of strips of rabbit skin Ceremonial -

.
costume was much more elaborate than that for ordi ary n
wear M occasins and leggings were worn throughout

.
m uch of this area but i the warmer parts and in ,

n
California their use was unusual Some tribes near .
t h e M exican bou dary wear sa dals and sandal -wear

n n ,
ing tribes once ranged widely in the south -wes t These .
have also been found in K e tucky caverns H ats n .

,
u sually of basketry were worn by many P acific coast ,
tribes M itte s were used by the E skimo and other

. n
tribes of the far north B elts of various materials .
and o namentation not only confined the clothing

r
,
bu t supported pouches t rinket ha s paint bags etc ,

-
,
-
,
.
Larger pouches and pipe bags O fur or deer ski - - n,
beaded or ornamented with quill-work and of plain ,
skin et t ing or woven stu ff were slung from the

,
n , ,
shoulder Necklaces earri gs charms a d bracele t s

.
,
n , ,
n
in infini t e variety fo med a part of t h e clothing and r ,
the wrist guard to protect the arm from t he recoil of

-
the b wst ing was general

o r .
Shortly aft er the advent of whites India costume n
57
MY TH S OF THE A MERIC AN IN DIAN S
was profou dly modified over a vast area of America
n
by t h c py g of Europea d ess a d t h use of

e o in n r n e
t ade s s t u ffs K owle dge of prehistoric a d ea ly

’
r r . n n r
hist ric p imi t ive t ex t ile fabrics has been derived f o m

o r r
i mp essio s of fab ics

r pot t ery
n d from fabrics
r on ,
an
t he m selves t ha t have been preserved by char ing i r n
fi contact wi t h copper or protect on f om t he eleme ts

re ,
,
i r n
i caves
n .
“
A sy opsis of t he costumes worn by tribes living
n
in th seve al geographical regions of nor thern Ame ica

e r r
follows The lis t . ecessa ily incomplete for on is n r ,
accou t of the aba donment of tribal costumes the data

n n
are chie fly historical .
AT H A P A SCAN . Macbenz ze Yukon

ana
’
—M Shirt-c o at, le ggmg
en
mo c c asin s, bre e c h-c l o t h , h at an d h o o d . Wo me n Lo n g shirt-c o at,

l e ggin g-mo ccasin s, be l t
—
.
ALG O N Q U I AN -I R O QU O I S Nortbern M e n Ro be , shirt -c o at, l o n g

—
.
c o at , t ro users, l e i m i h -c l t h t urban U
‘
n
gg g , s o c c as n s,
br e e c o ,
irg i nia f .
M e n an d wo me n : C l o ak , w aist -garmen t, mo c c asin s, san dal s

bre e c h-c l o t h (i) .
—
Western M e n : Ro be , l o n g dress-sh irt, l o n g
l e ggin gs, mo c c asin s, ban do l ie r-bag Wo me n : Lo n g dre ss-shirt,
—
.
sh o rt le i s, mo c c asin s, be l t A r t ic M n L o t p e n in
gg gn c e o n
g
. c a , o
fro n t , sh o rt bre e c h e s, l e ggin gs, mo cc asin s, glo ve s o r mit t e n s, c ap o r

h e addre ss Wo me n : Ro be , shirt-dre ss, le ggings, mo c c asin s, be l t ,
.
c a , an d so me t ime s a sh o u l de r-man t l e
p
—
.
S O U T H ER N o r MU SK H O G EA N S eminole M e n Shirt, o ve r-shirt, .
l e ggin gs, mo c casin s, bre ec h -c l o t h, be l t, t urban F o rme rl y t he G ul f .
t ribe s w o re ro be , waist -garme n t, an d o c c asio n all y mo c c asin s .
“
PLA I N S M e n : B uffal o ro be , shirt t o k n e e s o r l o n ge r, bre ec h
.
c l o th , t h i h-l e
g i
gg g
n s, m o c c asin s, h e addre ss W o me n : Lo n g shirt .
dre ss w ith sho rt amp l e c ap e sl e e v e s, be l t , l e ggin gs t o t he k n e e s,

mo c c asin s
—M
.
“
NO R T H PA CI F I C . Cbilkat bark mat ro be , en : B l k
an et or
sh irt-c o at rare , l e
( ) gg in g-moc c asin s, bask e t h at W o me n : T an n ed .
sk in sho ul de r-ro be , shirt-dre ss w it h sl e e ve s, f

rin ge d ap ro n , l e g in s i) ,
g g (
mo c c asin s, bre e c h-c l o t h (i)
—
.
WA SH I NGT O N CO L U M B I A Salisb M e n Ro be , h e ad-ban d, an d,

-
.
rare l ,
y sh i -
rt c o at , l e g g in gs, m o c c asin s, b re e c h -c l o t h W o me n .
Lo g h rt dre ss, apro n , an d, rare l y , l e ggin gs, bree c h -c l o t h, mo c c asin s

n s i -
.
5 8
FACE PAI N f
TING
S H O S H O N EAN Same Pl in t ib as t h e a s r es
Hupa—M
. .
CA L I FO R N I A O R EG O N-
R b d w i t -g m t. en : o e, an a s ar en
on i m i
o c c as o n ,
( l y) ; m f
o cc as n s
q u t l y d ld m rare en re en an o en
g ll y w t t i l y n k d W m : W i t g m t
e n e ra en en re d a e . o en a s - ar en an
r
n a row p a
; i ll
ro n s y b - p l ik P u bl
o c c as o n a r h ul d ro e ca e, e e o, o ve s o e rs
or u d n m er r b
ar t ; b k t c p ;
s, o ve m t im m c i re as as e a so e es oc as n s
C e t al Califo ni —M : U u lly
.
n r r k d; b
a tw k p
en s a na e ro e, ne or ca ,
m i d b e h l th
o cc as n s, an i lly W m
r ec W i t ki t f
-c o o c c as o n a . o en : a s -s r o
v g t l fib
e e a r bu k k i
re o an d b k t y c b s d m n,i as e r ca o c c as n s o n
p ro e an
i
P ueblo—M
o c c as o n .
SO U T H - W EST ER N Bl an k e t o r rabbit -sk in o r fe at he r

. en
ro be , sh irt w it h sl e e ve s, sh o rt bre e c h e s p art l p n u t e r side s,

y o e o n o
bre e c h-c l o t h , l e ggin gs t o k n e es, mo c c asin s, hair-t ap e , an d he ad-ban d .
Wo me n : Bl an k e t fast en e d o ve r o n e sho ul der, e xte n ding t o k n e e s ;

sma ll c al ico shawl o ve r bl an k e t t hro w n o ve r sho ul ders ; l e ggin g
mo c c asin s, be l t San dal s fo rme rl y w o rn in t h is area Sno w
mo c c asin s o f fur so me t ime s w o rn in w in te r Apacbe—M e n S ame
. .
as o n p l ain s Wo me n Same , e xce p t l e ggin g-mo c c asin s w it h shie l d

—
.
to e Naaabo No w l ik e P ue bl o fo rme rl y l ik e Pl ain s t ribe s

—
. .
G I LA -S O N O RA Cocopa and Maba ue M e n Bre e c h-c l o t h, san dal s,

.
so me t ime s h e ad-ban d Wo me n Waist-garme n ts, u sually o ffringe d

—
.
bark , fro n t an d re ar P ima Same as Pl ain s ; fo rme rly c o t to n ro be ,

.
w aist-c l o t h an d sandal s .
Face Pain tin g

'
A hand account ofhow the Indian brave decorated

first-
his face can ot but prove of interest Says a writer who
n .
dwel t for some t ime amo g the Sioux : n

1
D aily when I had the opportunity I drew the

, ,
patte ns t heir faces displaye d and at le gth Obtained a

r
,
n
collectio whose va ie ty even asto ished myself The

n
,
r n .
stra ge combinations produced in t he kaleidoscope may

n
be termed weak whe compared to what an Indian s n

’
imagination p oduces on his forehead ose a d ch e c k

r ,
n ,
n .
I will t y t give some account of t hem as far as words

r o
will reach Two t hings struck me most i their

. n
a a geme t of colour F i st t he fact t hat they did

rr n n . r ,
not trouble t hemselves at all about the atural divisio s n n
1
J G . . Ko h l ,
Kitcbi ganzi
-
59
MYTH S OF T HE A MER ICAN IN D IAN S
of the face ; a d secondly the extraordinary mixture
n , ,
of t h graceful d t h gro t esque At times it is true

e an e .
, ,
t hey did observe those at ural divisions produced by n
nose eyes mouth etc The eyes were surrounded

, , ,
.
with regular coloured ci cles ; yellow or black stripes r
issued harmo iously and equidistant from the mouth

n
over t he cheeks ran a semicircle of green dots the ears ,
formi g the ce t e At times t o the forehead was

n n r .
,
o,
traversed by lines running parallel to the natural

contour of that feature ; this always looked somewhat
human so to speak because the fundamental character
, ,
of the face was unaltered U sually however these .

, ,
regular patterns do not suit the taste of the I ndians .
They like contrasts and frequently divide the face into ,
two halves which undergo di fferen t treatment ; e on
will be dark say black or blue —but the other qui t e

—
,
light yellow bright red or white o e will be crossed

, , ,
n
by thick lines made by the f e finge while the other or rs

,
is arabesque with extremely fi e lines produced by the

,
n ,
aid of a brush .
This divisio is produced i two di ffere t ways n n n .
The line of dema cation some t imes runs down t he nose

r ,
so tha t t h e right cheek and side are buried in gloom ,
while the left l oks like a fl o w bed i t he sunshine

o e r- n .
At times t hough t hey draw the line across the ose

, ,
n ,
so that the eyes glisten o u t of t h dark colour while e ,
all be eath t he ose is brigh t a d lustrous It seems

n n n .
as if they wished t ep ese t o t heir faces t he di ffere t o r r n n n
phases of t h moo I freque t ly i quired whether

e n . n n
t here was sig ifica ceani t hese va ious pat t ens n n r rn

y , ,
bu t was assured it was a m ere matte of taste They r .
were simple a abesques like their squaws w k the

r ,
’
or on
moccasins girdles t obacco pouches etc

, ,
-
,
.
Still t here is a certai symbolism in the use of t h e n
colou s Thus red ge erally typifies j oy and festivi t y ;

r .
,
n
60
MYT HS OF T HE A MERI C AN IN D IAN S
men present in what way he displayed his i sanity n ,
t hey said O h he dresses himself u so fu

, ,
ily wi t h nn
feathers d shells he paints his ace so comically

an
that it is e ough to make one die of laughing This

n .
’
was said to me by persons so overladen with feathers ,
shells gree and ver milio n Prussian blue d chrome

,
n
, ,
an
yellow tha t I could hardly refrain from smili g Still

,
n .
,
I drew the conclusion from it t hat there must be some

t hi g conve tio al and typical i their variegated style
n n n n
”
which might be easily infringed .
I n dian Art
If t he Red
Race of No th America did t produce r no
ar t istic work of exalted order it at least evolved a

an
dis t i ct ive d peculiar type of art Some of t h

n an . e
drawi gs and paintings

n the walls of t h brick on e
erect io s of the sou t hern tribes and t h e heraldic d

n an
religious symbols painted on the ski covered lodges n -
of the P lai s people are intricate and rhythmic in pla

n n
an d brillia t i colou ing nThe houses of the orth

n r . n
west coas t t ribes built en t irely f wood are suppor t ed

,
o ,
by pilla s elaborat ely carved and embellished t ep o

r o r r
se t t h t ote m r tribal symbol of the ow e O

n e O n r
. n
bo t h t h interior and exterio walls brillian tly colou ed

e r r
desig s usually scenes from I dian mythology are

n
,
n ,
fu do n .
The decoratio of earthenware was a d is common n n
to most of the tribes f Nor t h America and is e ffected o ,
both by ca vi g and s ta mpi g I t is i t he t of

r n n . n ar
carvi g t hat t h I dia race appea s t have achieved

n e n n r o
its g eat est esthe tic t iumph M any carved objects

r a r .
a e exceedi gly elaborate a d intricate i

r n desig d n n n , an
some of t he w rk s t o e pipes masks a d h use

o on n
, ,
n o
hold ute sils and rname t s h won the highest

n o n as
admiration of Europea mas t ers of t he art I de ed n . n

,
62
WA RFA RE
ma y of t h e pipes d claysto e carvings of t h Chimp
n an n e
s oya s d Clallams O fVa couver and the Chippeways

n an n ,
an d B be e n are by no mea s inferior to t h best

a s, n e
speci me s f E uropean medi eval carved work

n o a .
I t h e potter s art the India people ofte exhibi t

’
n n n
g eat tas t e and t h tribes of the M ississippi valley and

r
,
e
t h P ueblo I n dians had made exceptio al progress i

e n n
plas t er desig As has already been men t io ed the

n . n ,
mound builde s displayed co siderable skill in metal

- r n
work a d the stamped plates of copper take f om

,
n n r
t h e earthen pyra m ids which they raised strikingly illus

t ate the fac t t hat Indian
r t is t h grow t h and outcome ar e
of centuries of ative e ffort and by no means a thing

n
of yesterday .
I weavi g needlework of all ki ds bead work and

n n ,
n
,
-
,
feather work the I dians S how great tas t e M os t of

- n .
t he designs they employ are geometric i plan In n .
feather work especially the aboriginal peoples f the

- o
whole America con t inent excel Rank was indicated

n .
among the P lains tribes either by the variety and ‘
nu mbe of feathers worn or by the ma ner of mounting

r n
or otching them
n .
The aboriginal art of North America is i the n
highes t degree symbolic a d mythologic I t is thus n .
en t irely removed from a y tai t f materialism a d n n o ,

n
had it been permitted to evolve upo it w peculiar n s o n
li es it might have developed a great measu e of

n r
idealistic excellence .
In t he art of guerrilla warfare t he Indians have always

show exceptional skill Armed with ho w and a row
n . r ,
a wa club or a tomahawk they carried on a fierce

r- , ,
resista ce t t h i cu sio s of t he whi t e man These

n o e n r n .
weapons were ar t istically shaped and moulded a d ,

n
63
MYT H S OF THE A MER IC AN IN D IANS
were emi ently suited to their owner s mode of fighti g
n
’
n .
B u t as they came more i t co tact with the whites n o n
t he na t ives displayed a pa t icular keenness to obtai r n
firearms d gunpowder steel k ives d hatchets

an ,
n an .
They dispensed with their own rude if e ffective imple

ments f war a d obtaini g the coveted weapo s
o
,
n ,
n n
by making successful raids upon the camps of their

enemies t hey set themselves t lear how to use them
,
o n .
S mys t eri us did gunpowder appear t o them t hat

o o
they believed it t o possess t h p ope ty f e p du c e r r o r ro
t io and planted it in the ear t h i the hope that it

n, n
would yield a s upply for their future needs In .
att acking the settlers t hey used many inge ious ar t i n
fic e s t entrap or a mbuscade them

o These methods .
,
nat urally proved successful against t he whites who

, ,
had yet t learn Indian war craft but soo t he settlers

o -
,
n
learned to adop t the same devices The Indian would .
imitate the cry of the wild goose to attract t he white

hunter into the woods where he wo u ld spring upo ,
n
him H e would also reverse his snow shoes i wi t er

.
- n n ,
to m ake it appear to t h e settler that he was retreating .
Covering themselves wi t h twigs to look like a bush

was a o ther m e thod adopted by Indian spies Occa
n .
i n ally they would approach t h white man apparen t ly

s o e
i a spirit of friendli ess only t o commi t some act

n n ,
o f t reachery B lock houses were built by t h e se t tlers

.
-
as a mea s of defence against India noc t urnal sur

n n
prises and i t o t hese t h women a d children were

,
n e n
hur ied for safety B u t t he persevera ce of t h e whi t e

r n
a d the decli i g bir t h —

.
m an n rat e of t h e I dian t ribes

n n n
began t create a e w si t uatio

o D riven repeatedly
n n .
f om
r part of t h country t o a other and co fined
o ne e n
,
n
to a limi t ed terri t o y in which to live hu t and r ,

n
,
cul t ivate the soil t he Indians finally adopted a less

,
aggressive attitude t o those whom they at first and ,

64
W A RF A RE
for some t ime after t heir settlement regarded wit h ,
suspicion a d resentment n .
Although the methods of warfare di ffered with the

various t ribes t he ge n e ral scheme of operations was
,
usually dictated by the council of chiefs in whose ,
hands the making of peace and war also lay The .
campaign was generally prefaced by many eloquent

harangues from the leaders who gradually wrought ,
the braves into a fury of resentment against their

enemies The ceremony of the war dance was then
.
-
proceeded with Ranged in a circle the warriors

.
,
executed a kind of shu ffle o c as o n ally slowly gyrating ,

c I ,
with gestures and movements obviously intended to

imitate those of some bird or beast and grunting ,
1
,
clucking and snarling the while This ceremony was

,
.
always undertaken in full panoply of war-pain t and

feathers Subse qu e n tl the braves betook themselves
.
to the war— ‘
pat h I the campaign was undertaken
.
’
,
“
in wooded country they marched in single file The ,
.
most minute attention was paid to their surroundings

to prevent ambuscade The slightest sound even the .
,
snapping of a twig was su fficie n t t o arrest their attention

,
and cause them t o halt Alert suspicious and with .

, ,
every nerve strung to t he highest point of tension they ,
proceeded wit h such exceeding cau t ion tha t to surprise

them was almost impossible S hould a warrior become .
isolated from the main body and be attacked and fatally

wounded he regarded it as essential to the safety of his
,
comrades to utter a piercing s hriek which reverberated ,
far through t h fores t ways and placed the rest ofthe band
e
on their gu ard This was kno w n as t he de ath whoop

.
‘ - .
’
When the campaign was unde rtaken in prairie or open

1
Pe rh a s t he ir p erso n al t riba l to te ms Se e “
T o te mism,
— p or .
p p
. 8 0 8 6 .
2
He n c e th e e x re ssio n
p I n dian file .
’
MY T HS OF THE A MERI C AN IN D IAN S
country the me t hod usually employed was that of ni ght
,
attack but if for any reason t his could not be success

fully made a large ci cle was drawn rou d the place to
,
r n
be assailed and gradually narrowed t he warriors who

, ,
co mposed it creeping d w iggling t hrough t he grass

an r ,
a d when u fli c ie n t l ear rising and rushing

n t h e camp
n s
y
or fort wi t h wild war cries I f a stout defence with
- .
firearms was a tici pated t h e warriors would surrou d

n
,
n
the Obj ective of attack on horsebac k and ride round ,
and round t h e fated position gradually picki g Off the ,

n
defenders with their rifles or arrows as the oppor t uni ty

presented itself Once the place was stormed the I dian
. n
brave either asked nor gave quarter at least so far as

n
,
its male defe ders were concerned These were at

n .
once slain and scalped the latter sa gui ary process ,

n n
being e ffected by the brave placing his knees on his

enemy s shoulde s describing a rapid ci cle wi t h
’
r
,
r
his k ife in the centre of the victim s head seizi g

n
’
,
n
the portion of the scalp thus loosened and quickly ,
detachi g it n .
S choolcraft dealing with the subj ect of India war

,
n
fare a mat t er upon which he was well quali fied to

,
speak writes ,
:
1
S uccess i war is to the India the acme of glory

n n
,
and to lear it arts t h obj ect of his highest attainment

n s e .
The boys and youths acquire the accomplishmen t at an

early period of danci g t h war dance ; and al t hough
n e -
they are not permi tt ed to j oin it fasci ating circle t ill s n
the assume the envied rank of actual warriors still their ,
c ar y spor t s a d mimic pas t imes are imita t ions of its

n
various movemen t s d pos t u es The e vied eagle s

an r . n
’
feather is the prize F or this t he I dian s t ale t subtlety

. n
’
n , ,
endurance bravery persevering fas ts d what may be

, , ,
an
called religious penances d O bservances are made an .
1
Historical and Statistical I nformation res ecting tbc
p I naian Tribes
’
.
66
WA RFA RE
The war-path is take by youths at an early age n .
That age may be stated for g e l comparison to be ,

en ra ,
sixtee but without respect to exact time it is always

n , ,
aft er the primary fas t during which the youth chooses

his personal guardian or m n a —an age when he first
,
’
o c o
assumes the duties of manhood It is the period of .
the assumption of the three pointed blanket the true -

,
toga of the North America I ndian n .
The whole force of public opinion in our Indian ,
communities is concentrated on this point ; its early

,
lodge t eachings (such as the recital of adventures of

bravery) its dances its religious rites the harangues of
, , ,
prominent actors made at public assemblages (such as

,
is called striking the post all in fact that serves to , ,
awaken and fire ambition in the mind of t he savage ,
is clustered about t he idea of future distinction i war n .
The Indian has but one prime honour to

grasp it is t riumph in t h wa pat h it is rushi g upon e r- n
his enemy t eari g the scalp reeking f om his head and

,
n r ,
then utteri g his ter ific s s bu n (death whoop) F or

n r a- a- o -
.
this crow ing ct he is permitted to mount the honoured

n a
—
feather of the war eagle the king of car ivorous birds
- n .
B y this mark he is publicly k own and his honours n ,
recognized by all his tribe and by the s urrounding ,
tribes whose customs assimilate .
“
When the sc lp of an enemy has been wo very
a n,
great pai s are taken to exhibit it F or this p urpose it is

n .
stretched on a hoop and mounted on a pole The inner .
part is painted red and the hair adj usted to ha g in it

,
n s
n atural man er If it be the scalp of a male eagle s

n .
,
’
feathers are attached to denote tb t fact If a female a a .

,
comb or scissors is hung on the f ame In this condi r .
t ion it is placed i t h e hands of an O ld woma

n who n,
h e rs it abou t in the scalp —

a dance while opprobrious
.
E pithets are uttered against the tribe f

rom which it was
67
MYTH S OF THE A MERIC AN IN D IAN S
taken A midst these wild rej oici gs the war cry is
. n -
vociferated and the general sen t iment with old and

,
young is Thus shall it be done to our enemies .

’
The feather of the eagle is the highest honour that

a war io r a wear and a very extravaga t sum is some
rc n ,
n
times given to procure one The value of a horse has .
been known to be paid The mode in which a feather .
is to be cut and worn is important to be noticed .
“
The scale of honour with the several tribes may
vary but the essential features are the same Among
,
.
the D akota tribes an eagle s feather with a red spot ’
denotes that the wearer has killed an enemy a notch ,
cut in it and edges of the feather painted red in dicates

that the throat of an enemy has been cut Small con .
s e c u t iv e notches on the front side of the feather without ,
paint denote that the wearer is the third person that has
,
touched the dead body ; both edges notched that he is ,
the fourth person who has touched it and the fe ather

partly denuded that he is the fifth person that has
touched the slain .
O n the blanket or bu f falo robe worn by the D akota

Indian a red or black hand is often seen painted The .
red hand indicates that the wearer has been wounded

by his enemy the black hand that he has slain his
,
enemy .
The warlike tribe of the Chippeways on the sources ,
of the M ississippi who from a n ational act in their

, ,
history bear the distinctive name of P illagers award

, ,
a successful warrior who shoots down and scalps his

enem t hree feathers and for the still more dangerous
act taking a wounded prisoner on the field fi e
0 , v
for t hey conceive that a wounded enemy is desperate ,
a d will gene ally reserve his fire for a last

n r act of
vengeance if he die the moment after Those of the
,
.
war party who come up immediately and strike the

-
68
MYT H S OF THE A MER I C AN IN D IANS
cadence to which the most exac t time is kept The
,
.
warrior stamps the ground as if he could shake the

u niverse H is language is O ft e highly figurative a d
. n ,
n
he deals with the machi ery of the clouds t he flight f n ,

o
carnivorous birds and t h influence ofspiri t ual age cies

,
e n ,
as if the regio of space were at his com mand H e

n .
imagi es his voice to be heard in t h clouds ; and while

n e
he stamps the grou d wi t h well feigned fury he fa cies

n -
,
n
himself to take hold of the circle of the sky wi t h his

hands Every few moments he stops abruptly in his
.
circular pat h and utters the piercing war cry

,
-
.
“
H e must be a cold lis t ener who c it unmoved an s
by t hese appeals The ideas thrown out succeed each

.
o ther with the impetuosity of a to rent They a r . re
suggestive of heroic frames of mind of strong will of , ,
bu ni g sen time t
r n n .
He ar my y v o ic e , bierds I
war i lk e
I p re p are a fe ast fo r y o u t o bat t e n o n

I se e y o u c ro ss t he e n e my s l in es
’
L ik e y o u I shall go .
I w ish t h e sw ift n e ss o fy o ur w in gs
I w ish t he v e n ge an c e o fy o ur c l aw s
I mu st e r my frie n ds
I fo ll o w y o u r fl igh t .
Ho , y e y o un g me n t h at are w arrio rs,

L o o k w it h wrat h o n t he bat t l e fi e l d
Each
warrior that rises and j oins the war dance -
thereby becomes a volu t ee for the t ip H e arms and n r r .
equips himself ; he provides his o w sustenance ; and n
whe he steps out into the ring d dances he cha ts

n an ,
n
his own song and is greeted wi t h redoubli g yells

,
n .
These cerem onies are t antamount to e listme t a d ‘

n n
,
’
n
no young man who thus co mes fo ward can honourably r
withd aw r .
The sentiments of the following song were ut te ed r
by the celebra ted Waboj e e g as t he leader of the ,
7 0
W A RFA RE
Chippeways , aft er a victory over the combined Sioux
and Sauks and F oxes , at the F allsof St Croix during .
,
the latter part of the seventeenth century

I
He ar my i
v o ce,
y e h ero e s
O n t hat day w h e n o ur w arrio rs spran g
With sho uts o n t h e dast ard y fo e , l
J ust ve n ge an c e my he art burn e d t o t a e k
l
O n t he c rue an d t reac he ro us bre e d,
—
T h e Bwo in t h e Fo x the Sau — k .
II
‘
An d h e re , on my bre ast , have I bl e d
—
Se e se e my bat t e sc ars l
Y e mo u n t ain s, t re mb e at my y e l ll
k
I st ri e fo r ife l .
III
B u t w ho are my fo e s ? T h ey shall die ,
T h e y shall fl y o e r t h e pl ain s l ik e a fo x
’
T he y shall shak e l ik e a l e af in t he st o rm .
Pe rfidio us do gs t h e y ro ast o u r so n s w it h fire
IV
F ive w in t e rs in h un t in g w e ll sp e n d ’
,
Wh il e mo urn in g o ur w arrio rs sl ain ,
ll
T i o u r y o u th gro w n t o me n
l
Fo r t h e bat t e -path t rain e d,
lk
O ur day s i e o ur fat h e rs we
’
ll en d.
V
Ye de ad, n o bl e me n y e are go n e ,
—
are
M y bro th e r my fe ll o w my frie n d —
O n t he deat h-p at h w he re brav e me n must go
B ut w e l ive t o re ve n ge y o u i We hast e
T o die as o ur fo re fat h e rs die d
’
.
In 1 8 24 B w i ai a Chippeway warrior of Lake

,
o n s,
S uperior repeated to me with the appr p iate tu es

, ,
o r n ,
the following war songs which had been uttered

-
,
1
7
MY T HS OF THE A MERIC AN IN D IAN S
during the existing war between that nation and the
D akotas
I
O sh awan un g u n do sse w ug
Pe n ase w ug ka baimw aidu n gig
’
—
.
[ F ro m t he so u t h t h e
y c o me , t h e war i l ke
birds
Har k
t o t h e ir p assin g sc re ams ]
T o do t o bi pe n aise
K a do w Wiaw w iaun
’
.
[ I w ish t o h ave t h e bo d
y o f t h e fi e rc e st
bird,
— —
As swift as c rue l as stro n g ]
III
Ne w aw atbe n a, n e o w ai
K agait n o minw ain dum

Ne bu n aikumig t sh e baibe w ishe n aun ’
.
[ I c ast m
y bo d t o t he c h an c e o f batt
y l e .
ll
F u h app y am I , t o lie o n t h e fi e d l
l
O n t he fi e d o ve r t he e n e my s in e ]
’
l .
T he I di Wif a d M th
n an e n o er
The position of women among the North American

I dians is distinctly favourable when the general cir
n ,
c u mst an c e of their environment are considered As

s .
wi t h most barbarian people t he main burden of the ,
work of the community falls upon them B u t in most .
cases the bulk of the food supply 3 provided by the - 1
men who have oft en to face lo g d arduous hunting

,
n an
expeditions n the search for provender The labour

I .
o fplanting and digging seed of hoei g harvesting and ,

n , ,
storing crops is i variably borne by t he wome

,
n In n .
the more accessible Indian territory of North America ,
however the practice of agriculture is falling into

,
desuetude and t he aborigines are becoming acc ustomed

,
7 2
IND IAN
C HI L D LI FE —
to rely to a great extent on a supply of cereals from
outside sources .
In t he art of weaving Indian women were and are

ext remely skilful In the southern regions the H opi
.
women have woven cotton garments from time im

memorial .
Among the various tribes the institution o f marriage

greatly depends for its circumstances upon the system
of totemism a custom which will be found fully
,
described i t h chapter which deals with the my tho

n e
logy o f the R e d Race This system places a t aboo .
upon marriages between members of the same clan or

other division of a tribe The nature of the ceremony .
itself di ffers with locality and race A mong the P lains .
I ndians polygamy was common and the essential fea ,
ture of the ceremony was the presentation of gifts

to the bride s father In some tribes the husban d
’
.
had absolute power and separation and divorce were ,
co mmon B u t other P lains people were free from the

.
purchase system and the wishes of their women were

,
consulted Eas t of the M ississippi the Iroquoian

.
,
Algonquian (except in the north and west) and M u ,

s
k ho gean tribes retained descent of name and property

in t he female line Exchange ofgifts preceded marriage
.
with t hese peoples Among the H urons a council of

.
mothers arra ged the u ions of the members of the

n n
tribe M onogamy o the whole prevailed throughout

.
,
n ,
the continent ; and generally speaki ng the marriage

, ,
bond was regarded rather loosely .
I n dian Child Life

'
One of the most pleasing features in I dian life is n
the great a ffection and solicitude be stowed by the

parents upon their children As a close stude t of . n
Indian custom and habit avers “

The relation of ,
73
MY THS OF T HE AMERIC AN IN D IANS
pare t to child brings out all the highest traits of
n
Indian character Withal i fant mortality is extra

.
”
,
n
ordi arily high owi g t t he lack of sani tary measures

n ,
n o .
The fat her prepares the wooden cradle which is to be

t h e infant s por t able bed u t il it is able to walk The
’
n .
p p
a s
oo e has first a child name which later gives place to -
,
the appellatio which it wi ll use through life Childre

n . n
of bo t h sexes have t oys d games the boys amusi g an ,

n
t hemselves wi t h riding d marksma ship while the an n ,
gi ls play with dolls and imitate t heir mothers keepi g

r
‘
n
wigwam I warm weather a grea t deal of the children s

.
’
n
’
t i m e is spe t in swimming and paddling

n They are .
exceedi gly fond of pe ts particula ly puppies which

n ,
r
,
t hey frequently d ess and carry upon their backs like r
babies Among some of t he southern peoples small

.
figures epresen t ing the various tribal deities are dis

r
t ribu t ed as dolls to the children at certain ceremonies ,
a d th
n sacred traditions of the race are thus impressed
e
upon t hem in tangible form It is a mistake to thi k . n
t ha t the India child receives no higher instruction

n .
This however is e ffected by moral suasion alone and

, , ,
physical punishmen t is extremely rare Great good .
humour p evails among the children a d fighti ng and

r
,
n
qua relling are practically unk ow

r n n .
At about fift een years of age t he Indian boy u der n
takes solitary fast and vigil during which his to t em

a
,
or medicine spirit is supposed to i s t uct him regardi g n r n
his fu tu e career At about thirteen years of age t h e

r .
gi l u dergoes a like test which signalizes her entrance

r n
,
into womanhood .
Ad v en ture w ith a T o te m
accou t of t he manner in which a young Indian
An n
beheld his t otem s tates t hat t he lad s father sent h im ’
to a mountain top t look for U t nagan t h female- o o ,

e
74
AN IN D I AN G I R L S VI G I L
’
guardian spirit of his ancestors At noo n on his .

,
arrival at the mountain he heard the howls of t h ,

e
totem spi it and commenced to ascend t he slope chilled

r , ,
by fear as the yells grew louder H e climbed a tree .

,
a d still hea d the cries and t h e rustle of the spirit in

n r ,
the branches below Then ter or overcame him and . r ,
he fled U to ag n pursued him She gai ed upon

. n a . n
him howling so that his k ees gave way beneath him

,
n
and he might not tur Then he bethought him of n .
one of his guardia spirits and with a fresh access of n , ,
courage he left his pursuer far behind H e cast away

,
.
his bla ket ; U t agan reached it and aft er sn u fli n g

n on , ,
at it took up the chase o ce more The he thought

,
n . n
of his guardian spirit the wolf and again new s tre gt h ,

n
came to him Still in great terror he looked baék

.
,
.
U t o agan followed with a wolf like lope

n Then he - . .
thought of his guardian spiri t t h e bitch and once more ,
he gained grou d At length exhausted by his e x n .

,
er
tio s he sank to t he earth in a fai ting conditio a d

n
,
n n, n
fell asleep Through t he eyes Of sleep he saw the

.
spirit as a wolf She said to him : I am he whom

“
. s
your family and the Indians call U to naga Y o u are ”

n .
clear to me Look at me Indian . H e looked and ,

.
,
lost his sense of fear W he he awoke the u was . n s n
high in the sky H e bathed in the creek and returned .
home .
An I di Gi l s Vigil
n an r
’
A other story is told of an Indian girl s vigil

n
’
.
Catheri e Wab when about thirteen years of age

n o se , ,
left her mother s lodge and built a small one for ’
herself After a fast of four days she was visited by her

.
mother who gave her a little s ow water to drink

,
n -
.
O the eve of the six t h day while still fasting she

n
, ,
was conscious of a superhuman voice which i vi t ed ,

n
75
MY THS OF THE A MERI C AN IND IAN S
her to walk along a shining path which led forward ,
a d upward There she first met the Everlasting ‘

n .
S tanding W oman who gave her her supernatural

’ ’
‘
,
name She next met the Littl e M an Spiri t who

.
‘
,
’
told her that his ame would be the name of her first
n
son She was ext addressed by the B righ t B lue

. n
‘
S ky ,
who endowed her with t h e gift of life She
’
.
was then encircled by bright poin t s of light and by

sharp painless instr umen t s but mounting upon a fish
, , ,
like animal she swam through the air back to her

,
lodge On the sixth day he experienced a repetitio

. S n
of t he visio On the seventh day she was fed with a

n .
little pounded corn in snow-water Aft er the seventh .
day she beheld a large round obj ect like a stone

descend f om t h e sky and enter the lodge It con
r .
ferred upon her the gift of prophecy and by virtue of ,
this she assumed t he rank of a prophetess upon her

return to t he tribe .
It s o t di fficul t t suppose that the minds of these

I n o
unfortunate children were t emporarily deranged by the

sustai ed fasts they had been forced to under take
n .
P ic ture f
W iti
r ng
M ostof the tribes of North America had evolved a

rude sys t em of picture —wri t ing This consisted for the .
,
most part of figures of at ural obj ects connect ed by

,
n
symbols having arbi t ra y or fixed meani gs Thus the r n .
system was both ideog aphic a d pic t ographic ; that r n
is it epresen t ed to some extent abs t ract ideas as well

,
r
as concrete obj ec t s These scripts possessed so many

.
arbi t ra y characters and agai

r many symbols which
,
n so
possessed di ffe ent mea gs under vary ng circum

r nin i
stances t hat t interpret them is a task of the

,
o
great est complexity They were usually employed . In
t h e compilation of t he seaso al calendars and some n

,
7 6
MY T HS OF THE AMER I C AN IND IAN S
To t he d, t o
Sn a k l
e an t h e east , t h e y we n t fo rth , go in g
aw a , e arn e st l rievin
y y g g .
l
Sp it asu n de r, wea k , l
t re mb in g, t h e ir an d l burn e d : the y
w e n t , t o rn an d bro k e n , t o t he Sn a ke I l s an d .
T h o se fro m t h e n o rt h be in g fre e , w it ho u t c are , w e n t fo rt h

l
fro m t he an d o f sn o w , in diffe re n t dire c t io n s .
T he fat hers O ft h e Bal d Eagl e an d t h e White Wo l fre main

al o n t h s i h i fish n d st re n t h
g e e a,
r c n a g .
F l o at in g up t h e st re ams in t h e ir c an o e s, o ur fat he rs w e re
ric h, t hey w e re in t he l igh t , w h e n t h e y w e re at t ho se
l
is an ds .
He ad Be av e r an d Big Bird sa id : “
Le t us go to Sn a k e
Isl an d, t h e y said .
All say t h ey w ill go l

a o ng to de stro y all t he l an d .
T ho se o ft he n o rth agre e d,
T h o se o f t h e e ast agre e d .
O ve r t he w at e r, t h e fro z e n se a,
T h e y w e n t t o e nj o y it .
l l
O n t h e w o n de rfu s ipp e ry w at e r,
O n t h e st o n e -h ard w at e r all w e n t ,
O n t h e great t ida ea, t e
s h m sl
u c e be arin g se a
- l .
T e n t ho u san d at n igh t ,
All in o n e n ight ,
k l
T o t h e Sn a e I s an d, t o t he c ast , at n ight,
lk
T h ey w a an d wa , all o f t h e m lk .
T h e me n fro m t he n o rt h , t h e e ast, t h e so u th
T h e Eagl e c l an , t h e Be ave r c l an , t h e Wo l f c l an ,
T h e be st me n , t he ric h me n , t h e h e ad me n ,
T h o se w ith w ive s, t h o se w it h daugh t e rs, t h o se w it h do gs .
T he y all c o me , t h e y t arry at t h e and o f t he spruc e -pin e s l

T h o se fro m t h e w e st c o me w it h h e sit at io n ,
l
Est e e min g high y t he ir o ld h o me at t he T urt e an d l l .
T h e re was n o rain , an d no c o rn , so th ey mo ve d fart her se a
ward .
At t he pl ac e o f c ave s, in t he Buf
fal o la n d, t he
y at l a t had f o d
s o ,
on a
pl e asan t p l ain .
M O DERN ED UC A TI ON AND C ULTU RE
Mo dern Edu ti d C ltu
ca on an u re
After the establishment of the U nited States Gover n
me t a number of Christian and lay bodies undertook

n
the educa tion a d enlighte ment of the aborigines

n n .
U t il 1 8 7 0 all Gover nment aid for this obj ect passed

n
through the ha ds of missionaries but in 1 7 7 5 a

n ,
committee on Indian a ffairs had been appoi ted by n
Congress which vo t ed funds to support Indian students

,
at D a tmouth and Pri ce t o Colleges M a y day

r n n . n
schools were provided for the Indians and these aimed ,
at fit ting t hem for citizenship by inculcating in them

t h e social manners and ethical ideas of the whi t es .
The school established by Cap tain R H Pratt at . .
Carlis le P a for the purpose of educa t ing Indian boys

,
.
,
a d girls
n has turned out many useful members of
society About 1 00 s t udents receive higher in stru c
.
tion in H ampton I s t itute There are now 2 5 3

n .
Government schools for the education of Indian youth ,
involving an annual expenditure of five million dollars ,
a d the patient e f
n forts of t h U nited S tates Govern e
ment may be said to be crowned with triumph and

success when the list of cultured Indian m a d en n
women who have attended these seminaries is perused .
M a y of these have achieved conspicuous success in

n
i dustrial pursuits and i the higher walks of life

n n .
79
C HA P T ER II T HE MY T H O LO G I E S OF
T HE NO R T H A MER I C A N I ND I A NS
A ni mism
LL mythological systems spri g from the same n
fundamen tal basis The gods are the childre . n
of reverence and nece ssity B u t their ge n e a .
logy stretches still farther back Savage ma unable to . n,
dis t inguish betwee the animate and i animate imagines

n n ,
every surrounding obj ect to be like himself instinct , ,
with life Trees t he wi ds the river (which he names

.
,
n ,
“
the Long P erson all possess life and conscious
ness in his eyes The t ees moan a d rus t le there
. r n ,
fore they speak or are pe cha ce the dwelling place

, , r n
,
-
of powerful spirits The winds are full of words .

,
i hi gs warni gs t hreats the oises without doub t

n
o gwandering powers frie dly or unfriendly bein s

s n , , ,
n , ,
The wa t er moves articulates prophesies as g

,
.
,
or , , ,
example did the P eruvian Rimac and I pu imac the

,
r
Oracles the P rophesiers

,
’
‘
Even abstract qualities .
’
were supposed to possess the attributes of living things .
L igh t a d darkness heat and cold we e regarded as

n , ,
r
act ive and alert agencies The sky was looked upo . n
as t h e All F athe from whose co -ope ation with the

'
- r r
M other Ear t h all living t hi gs had spru g This n n .
condi t io of belief is known as a imism

n n .
’
T o te mism
inanimate obj ec t s a d natural phenomena were
If n
e dowed by savage imagi ation with t h e qualities of

n n
life and thought the creatures of t he animal world

,
were placed upon a still higher level The I dia . n n,
brought into contact with t h e de izens of the fores t n
a d prairie
n conceived a high opi io of their quali
,
n n
ties and instinctive abilities He o bse ved that they . r
80
T O T EM I SM
possessed greater cunning in forest craft than himself -
,
that their hunting ins t inct was much more sure t hat ,
they seldom su ffered from lack of provisions t hat t hey ,
were more swi ft of foot In short he considered t hem

.
,
to be his superiors in t hose faculties which he most

coveted and admired Various huma a ttributes and
. n
characteris t ics became perso ified and even exaggerated

n
in s ome of his neighbours of wood and plain The .
fox was proverbial for craft the wild cat for stealth
, ,
the bear for a wrong headed stupidity the owl for a

-
,
cryptic wisdom the deer for swiftness I each of

,
. n
these attribu tes the several animals t whom they o
belo ged appeared t the savage as more gifted t han

n o
himself and so deeply was he influenced by this

,
seeming superiority that if he coveted a certain quali ty

he would place himself under the protection of the
animal or bird which symbolized it Again if a tribe .
,
or clan possessed any special characteristic such as ,
fie c e n e s or cunning it was usually called by its

r s ,
neighbours after the bird or beast which symbolized

its character A tribe would lear its nickname from
,
n
captives taken in war ; or it might even bestow such

an appellation upon itself After the lapse of a few
.
generations the members of a tribe would regard the

animal whose qualities they were supposed to possess
as their direct a cestor and would consider that all the
n ,
members of his species were their bl o od relations -

.
This belief is k own as totemism and its adoptio was

n
,
n
the mea s of laying t he foundation of a widespread

n
system of tribal rule d custom by which marriage

an
,
and many of the affairs of life were and are wholly

governed P robably all E uropea
. d Asiatic peoples n an
have passed through t his stage and its remai s are

,
n
t o be found deeply embedded in our prese t social n
system .
81
MY THS OF THE A MERI C AN IN D IAN S
T o temic Law an d Custo m

F ew
genera tions would elapse before he sense of
ancestral devotion to the totem or eponymous fore
fat her of the tribe would become so strong as to be
exalted i to a fully developed system of worship of
n
him as a deity That t he t o t em develops into the god

.
is proved by the animal likeness a d attributes of m any n
dei t ies in lands widely separate It accounts for the .
j ackal and ibis headed gods of Egyp t the bull like

- .
,
-
deities of Assyria the bestial gods of H industa

,
n
possibly even for the owl which accompanied the

Grecian Pallas for does not H omer speak of her as
,
‘
owl eyed ? M ay not t his goddess have developed
-
’
f om an owl to tem and may not the attendant bird of

r
,
n ight which perches on her shoulder have been per
mit te d to remain as a sop to her devotees in her more

ancient form who obj ected to her portrayal as a human
,
being and desired that some reminder of her former

,
shape might be preserved That our B ritish ancestors

?
possessed a totemic system is u doubted Were not n .
t he clan Chattan of the S cottish H ighlands the sons

“
of the cat In t h D e n f L ism s B b we read

e a o ore
’
oo
of a tribe included u der the so ns t t h e king of

“
n o
R u alay o
”
bat talion of whom was cat—
ne headed or ‘
,
’
wore the totem crest of the cat The swine gods and .
-
o t her animal deities possessed by t he B ritish Celts assist

t his theory as do the remains of many folk customs
,
-
in England and Scotland Our c es t s are but S many . r O
family sym bols which have co me dow to us fro m t he n
distant days when our forefa t hers painted t hem upo n
their shields or wore t hem upon their helme t s as t h e
badge of thei tribe a d thus of its supposed beast

r ,
n
progenitor or pr tector o .
As has been said a vast and intricate system of tribal

,
82
SEVER I T Y OF T O T EM I C R U L E
law a d custom arose from the adop t ion of totemism
n .
The a i mal from which t he tribe took it s name might not

n
be killed or eaten because of its blood ki ship with t he

,
- n
cla n . D escent from this ancestor postulated ki ship n
between the various members of the tribe male and ,
female therefore the female members were not eligible

for marriage with the males who had perforce to seek for ,
wives elsewhere This often led to the partial adoption

.
of another tribe or family in the vicinity and of its ,
tote m in order that a suitable exchange of women

,
might be m ade as occasion required and thus to the ,
inclusio of two gent s or divisions within the tribe

n e ,
each wi t h its di fferent t otem name yet each regarding -

,
i t self as a division of the tribal family Thus a member .
of the F ox g ns might not marry a woman of his

‘ ’
e
own division but must seek a bride from the B ears

, ,
’
a d similarly a
n B ear tribesman must find a wife from
among the F oxes .
’
S ev erity T t m i R ul
o f o e c e
The ut most severity attached to the observation f o
totemic law and custom to break which was r egarded ,
as a serious crime Indeed no one ever thought of .

,
i fringing it so powerful are habit and the force of

n
,
association It is not necessary to specify here the

.
numerous customs which may be regarded as the out

come f the totemic system for many of these have
O ,
lit tle in co mmon wi t h mythology proper It will u fli ce . s
to say that t hey were observed with a rigou beside r
which the rules of the religions of civilized peoples

appear lax a d i dulgent As this system exercised
n n .
such a powerful i flue ce on I dia life and though t

n n n n
,
the followi g passage from the p of a high autho i ty

n en r
on I ndia totemis m may be quoted with advantage

n
1
1
J . R Swan to n , in Handbook o} tbc Nortb American I ndians
. .
83
MY T H S OF THE AMERI C AN IND IAN S
The native American Indian holding peculiar self
,
centred views as to the unity and continuity of all life

and the consequent inevitable interrelations of the
several bodies and beings in ature especially of man
n ,
to the beings and bodies of his experience and enviro n
ment to whom were imputed by him various anthropo

,
morphic attributes and functions in addit ion to those

naturally inherent in them has developed certain funda
,
mentally important cults based u those views that

,
O ,
deeply a ffect his social religious and civil institutions

, , .
O n e of these doct rines is t hat persons and organizations

of persons are one and all under the protect ing and
fosteri g t u t elage of some imaginary being or spirit
n .
These tutelary or patron beings may be grouped by the ,
mode and motive of thei acquirement and their func

r
tions into two fairly well defined groups or classes

,
()1 t h ose which protect individuals only and 2 those

() ,
which protect orga izations of perso n s B u t with these

n .
two classes of tutelary beings is n t infrequently con o
founded another class of pro t ective imaginary beings ,
commonly called fetishes which are regarded as powerful

,
spiritual allies of t heir possessors Each of these several

.
classes o f guardia beings has its own pec uliar t radi

n
t ions beliefs and appropriate cult

, ,
The modes of t h
. e
acquiremen t and the motives for t he acquisition ofthese

several classes of guardian being s di ffer in some funda
mental and essential respects The exac t method of
.
acquiring the clan or gen t ile group patrons or tutelaries

is still an unsolved problem although several plausible
,
theories have bee n advanced by astute students to

explai t he probable mode of ob taining them W ith
n .
respect to the perso al t utelary d t he fe tish t h dat a

n an
,
e
are su fli cie ntly clea and full t o permit a satisfact ory

r
description a d definitio of these two classes of tutel

n n
a d auxiliary beings
n . F rom the available da ta bearing
84
MYTHS MERI CAN I ND I ANS
o r THE A
Totemism is a purely philosophical term which
‘
modern a th opological litera t ure has burde ed wi t h a

n r n
great mass of needless co troversial speculat io a d n n n
O pinion The doct ine a d use of t u t elary or patro

. r n n
guardian spiri t s by i dividuals a d by organized bodies n n
of persons are defined by P owell as a method of ‘
n ami g and as th doct ine a d sys t em of naming

n
,
’
e r n .
’
B u t t h motive u derlyi g the acquisi t io a d use of

e n n n n
gua dian or tutelary spirits whether by i dividual or

r
,
an n
by an organized body of perso s is always t h e same n ,
namely t o ob t ai welfare d t o avoid ill fare S it

,
n an -
. o
appears to be erroneous to define t his cult as t he ‘
doctrine and system of naming It is rather the recog .

’
n it io exploi tatio and adj ustment of the imagi ary

n, n, n
mys t ic relation of the i dividual or of t he body of n
organized perso s t th pos t ulated r nd s myst ic n o e o e a ,
powers surroundi g each of these units of nat ive

,
n
socie ty With bu t few exceptions the recognized

.
,
relation between t he cla or g ns and its patron deity is n e
not one f descent or source but rather t hat of pro t c

O ,
e
tion guardianship and support The rela tionship as to

, ,
.
source between t hese two classes of superior beings is

not y t determined ; so to avoid confusi n in co cepts
e o n ,
it is bet t er t use dis t i c t ive names for them un t il t heir

o n ,
connexion if any has been defini t ely ascert ained this

, ,
question m ust t be prej udged The hypothe t ic no .
i clusio of these several classes i a general one

n n n ,
bra ded wi t h the rub ic t ote m or its equivalent has

n r ,
led t needless confusion The a t ive t o gues have

o . n n
separat e ames for these Objec t s d unt il t h e native

n ,
an
classification be t rut hfully shown to be erroneous

c an
it would see m t be advisable t desig ate the m by o o n
dis t i ctive names Notwithsta ding the great amou t

n . n n
of s t udy of the literature of the social features of

ab rigi al American socie ty there are ma y data rela
o n
,
n
86
FE TI S H I SM
tive to this subj ect t hat have been overlooked or
”
disregarded .
F et ish is m
Side by side with animism and totemism flourishes a
t hi d t ype of primitive belief known as fetishism ’
‘
r .
,
This wo d is derived from the P ortuguese f itip a

r e o,
‘
charm something made by a t and is applied to any

,
’
r ,
’
obj ec t large or s mall natural or artificial regarded as

, , ,
possessi g consciousness voli t io

n d supernatural ,
n, an
quali t ies and especially r nd or magic power

,
o e a, .
As has been said the India intelligence regards ,

n
all t hi gs animals water the ear t h trees sto es

n , , , , ,
n ,
the heavenly bodies eve night and day and such ,

n ,
properties as light and darkness as possessi g anima ,

n
tion d the power of voli t io

an I t is however the n .
, ,
ge eral I dia belief that ma y of these are under some

n n n n
spell or potent enchantment The rocks and t ees are . r
co fiden t ly believed by t he I dian to be the living

n n
tombs of imprisoned spirits resembling t h e dryads of ,
Greek folk lore so tha t it is not di fficult for him t o

-
,
conceive an intelligence more or less pote t in any ,

n ,
O bj ec t —
no matter how uncommon indeed the more
, ,
uncommon the greater the probabili ty of its bei g t he n
abode O f some powerful intellige ce incarcerated for n ,
reve ge or some similar motive by the spell of a mighty

n
encha ter n
—
.
The fe tish is in shor t a masco t a luck bringer

, ,
- .
The civilized pe so who attaches a swastika or small

r n
charm t o his watch -chain o her ba gle is u co sciously r n n n
followi g i the footsteps of many pagan ancestors

n n
bu t with t his di fference t hat t h e idea that luck ,

‘
resides i the t ri ke t is weak i the civilized mi d

n n n n ,
whe eas in the savage belief the luck reside t i the

r
‘
n n
t —
fe ish is a powe ful and living hing n in t ellige ce
t r a n
87
MYTH S OF THE AMER IC AN IND IAN S
which must be placated with prayer feast and sac ifice , ,
r .
F e t ishes which lose their epu ta t ions as bringers of r
good fortu e usually degene ate in t o mere amulets or

- n r
t alis ma ic or amen t sn and their places are taken by

n ,
o t hers The fe t ish di ffers from t he class of t utelary or

.
‘
household gods i t hat it may be sold or bartere d n ,
whe eas t utelary or domestic deities are never to be

r
purchased or even loaned ,

.
F e tish O bj t ec s
Nearly all the belongings of a b m n or medicine s a a ,
man e classed as fe t ishes by t h e N r t h American

,
ar o
India s These usually co sis t of the skins of beas t s

n . n ,
bi ds a d se pents roots bark powder a d number

r ,
n r
, , , ,
n
less o t her Obj ects B u t the fe t ish m u st be altogether

.
divorced fro m t h e idea of religion proper with which ,
it has li t t le or no con exio being fou n d side by side n n,
wi t h religious phases of ma y types The fetish may n .
be a bone a feather an a row head a stick carved

, ,
r -
, ,
or
pai ted a fossil a tuft of hair a ecklace of fingers a

n , , ,
n ,
s t u ffed ski the hand of a enemy a y t hi g which

n, n ,
n n
migh t be sugges t ed to t h e o iginal possessor in a dream r
or a flight of imagi at io It is sometimes fastened t n n . o
t he scalp lock to the dress to the bridle concealed

-
, , ,
betwee t h layers of a shield or specially deposi ted

n e ,
in a shri e i t h e Wigwam The idea in t he mind

n n .
of t h original maker is usually symbolic and is

e
,
r evealed o ly to e form ally chosen as heir to the

n on
magical possession and pledged i his turn to a similar ,

n
secrecy .
Notwi t hstanding that t h e cult of fetishism is o t n ,
s t ric tly speaki g a department of religious activity a

n , ,
poin t exis t s t which t h fetish begi s t evolve i t o a

a e n o n
god This happens when the bjec t survives t he tes t

. O
of experience a d achieves a more than perso al or n n

88
MY TH S OF THE A MERICAN IN D IAN S
B ourke describes one t hat an Apache chief carried about
with him which was made of a piece of lath u pai t ed
, ,
n n ,
having a figu e in yellow drawn upo it wi t h a arrow

r n ,
n
black band a d t hree s ake s heads with white eyes I t

n n
’
.
was further decorat ed wi t h pearl bu tto s a d small n n
eagle down feathers The reverse a d obverse we e

- . n r
identical .
M any of the Apaches a ttached a piece f malachite O
to their guns a d bows to make the m sho t accu at ely

n o r .
B ourke m entio s a class of fetishes which he t erms

n
phylacteries These pieces of buckski or t her

.
’
are n o
mat erial upon which are i scribed ce tain charac t ers or n r
symbols of a religious medici e ature a d t hey or n n ,

n
are worn attached to t he pe so who seeks benefit r n
f om them They di ffer from the ordi ary fetish in

r . n
tha t they are concealed from the public gaze These .
‘
phylac t eries B ourke says themselves medicine
“
, , ,
”
may be employed to enwrap ther medici e a d t hus o

‘
n ,
’
n
augm e t their own po t enti lities H e desc ibes several

n a . r
of these objec t s One wo n by a I dia amed Ta— . ul r n n n n
tzu j was t ightly rolled n at leas t half a mile f

“
-e i o
saddler ilk a d when brought to light was fou d t

’
5 S ,
n n o
consist of a small piece of buckski two i ches square n n

,
upon which were draw red and yellow crooked lines n

,
which represe ted the red a d yellow snake Inside

n n .
we e a p ece f malachite and a small cross of lightning

r i O
riven p ne and two very small pe forated shells The

i ,
r .
cross they desig ated the black mi d A oth er

n n .
’
n
phylactery consisted of a t i y ha of h dde n tin n o ,
holdi g a small quartz crystal a d our feathers of

n n
eagle down This cha m it was explai ed by I dia

-
. r ,
n an n n,
con t ained not merely th medici e of t he crys tal e

‘
n
’
and t h eagle bu t also t hat of the black bea the whi t e

e
,
r,
lion and t h e yellow s ake

,
n .
0
9
FETI S HI SM A M O NG THE A LG O N Q U IN S
F ti h
I ro q u o ian e s es
Thi gs that seem at all u usual are accepted by the

n n
H urons a t ibe of the Iroquois as by or super

,
r ,
oe ,
n at ural d therefore it is accou ted lucky to find

,
an n
t hem In hunting if they find a sto e or o t her object

.
,
n
in t he en trails of an animal t hey at once make a fe t ish

of it A y obj ect of a peculia shape they treasure for
. n r
the same reason They greatly fear t hat demons or .
evil spirits will purloin thei fetishes which they esteem r

,
so highly as to propitiate them in feasts and invoke

t hem in so g The highest type of fe t ish obtainable
n .
by a H uro was a piece of the n nio nt or great

n o ,
armoured serpent a mythological a imal revered by ,

n
many North American tribes .
F t i h i m m g th Alg q ui
e s s a on e on ns
H o ffma n states tha t at the medicine lodges of

n
‘ ’
some Algonquia tribes t here are p eserved fetishes or

n r
amulets wo n above the elbows co sisti g of stra ds

r
,
n n n
of bead work m etal bands or skunk skins while

-
, , ,
bracelets of shells buckskin or metal are also wor A , ,

n .
great tribal fetish of the Cheyenne was their medicine

arrow which was taken from them by the P awnees in
,
bat tle The head of this arrow proj ects from the bag
.
which co tains it and it is covered with delicate waved

n ,
or spiral lines Which denote its sac ed cha acter It

,
r r .
was indeed the palladium of the t ibe A peculiar

, ,
r .
type of fetish consisted of a mantle made from the

skin of a deer and covered with feathe s mixed with r
beadings It was made and used by t h medicine men

. e -
as a mantle of invisibility or charmed coveri g to e able ,

n n
spies to trave se enemy s coun t ry i securi ty I t his

r an
’
n . n
i st ance the fetishistic power depe ded upon t he devices

n n
drawn upon the article The pri ci pal fe t ishes amo g . n n
9 1
MY T H S OF THE A MERIC AN IN DIAN S
t h e H idatsa tribe of the S ioux are the ski s of foxes n
and wolves the favourite wo fetish bei g the s tripe

,
rn n
from the back of a wolf ski wi t h the tail ha ging n n
down the shoulders A sli t is made in the ski . n,
t hrough which the warrio put s his head so that t h r

,
e
ski f t h w lf s head han 3 dow upo his b eas t

n o e o
’
n n r .
The most co mmon tribal ti h of the Sioux are e s es ,
or were bu ffalo heads t he neck bones of which t hey

, ,
-
prese ve i the belief t hat t he bu ffal herds will the eby

r n '
o r
be prevented f om removi g to too great a dis tance r n .
At certain periods t hey perform a ceremony wi t h these

bo es which consists i t aki g a po t sherd filled wi t h
n ,
n n
embers t hrowing sweet smelling grease upo it d

,
- n ,
an
fu migati g the bones wi t h the smoke There are

n .
certai t rees and stones which are regarded as fe t ishes

n .
To t hese o fferi gs of red cloth red pai t d o t her n ,

n ,
an
articles are made Each individual has his perso al . n
fetish a d it is carried in all hunting a d wa like

,
n n r
excu sio s It usually consists of a head claws stu ffed

r n .
, ,
skin or o t her epresentat ive feature of the fetish

,
r
a imal Eve t h e ho ses are provided wi th fetishes

n . n r ,
i t h e shape of a deer s horn t o e sure their swift ess

’
n ,
n n .
The rode t t eeth f t h beaver are regarded as po t ent

n o e
charms nd are wor by lit tle girls round t heir necks

,
a n
t
o make t hem i dustrious n .
At Siky t ki in Arizo a a territorial nucleus of

a ,
n ,
t he H opi I dians M r F wk had oppor t unities of

n ,
. e es
i spect ing many i te esting fe tish form s A numbe

n n r . r
o f these discove ed n native graves were pebbles r i
with a p lished surface or havi g a fancied resem

o
,
n
bla ce t o so me a imal shape M a y of t h perso al

n n . n e n
fetishes of the H opi consis t of fossils some of which ,
at tai t h e rank O f tribal fe tishes and

n w apped up i are r n
sac ed bundles which e highly ve erat ed I one g ave

r ,
ar n . n r
was found a si gle large fetish n the shape of a mountain

n I
9 2
MYTH S OF THE A MERI CAN IN DIAN S
Whenever t hey came across t h e pathway of of o ne
t hese animals were he a great mou tai lio or but a

,
n n n
mere mole t hey s t uck him wi t h t h fire of ligh t ni g

,
r e n
which t hey carried o t hei magic shields Thla d n r . an
i s t a tly he was shrivelled and tu ed in t o st e

n n rn on .
The said t hey t the a imals that t hey had changed

n o n
into sto e Tha t ye may t be evil u t o m but

n ,
‘
no n an ,
t hat ye m y be a grea t good u to them Ha ave we n ,
changed you i to rock everlasting B y t h magic n . e
breat h of prey by the hea t t hat hall e dure for ever ,

r S n
withi you shall ye be made t serve ins t ead of to

n ,
o
devour mankind Thus was the surface of t h ea t h .

’
e r
harde ed d scorched a d many f all ki ds of

n an ,
n o n
bei gs cha ged t s t o e Thus t

n nit happens o n .
,
o o,
t ha t we fi d here and there throughout t h world t heir

n e
fo ms so me times large like t h bei gs themselves

r , ,
e n
,
some ti m es sh ivelled d disto t ed d we often see r an r ,

an
amo g t h e cks the form s of ma y beings that live no

n ro n
lo ger which shows us t hat all was di ffere t i the

n ,
n n
‘
days of t h e w Of t hese petrifactions which a ne .
’
,
re ,
of cou se m ere co cretio s or strangely shaped ock

r ,
n n r
fo ms the Z u fii say Whomsoeve of us may be m e t

r ,
:
‘
r
with the ligh t of such great good fortune may see -
t hem d hould t rea sure them for t h sake of t he

,
an S e
sacred [ magic] power which was given the m in the

days of t he new .
’
1
T h e Prey G ods '
This tradition furnishes addi tional evidence relative

to the p ecedi g s t ate m en t and is supposed to e ligh t en
r n , n
t h Zu ni I dia as t whe ei
e lies t h power of fe t ishes
n n o r n e .
It is th ught t hat t he hea ts f the g eat a i mals of

o r o r n
p ey are i fused with a medici al or magic i flue ce

r n n n n
over the hearts of the ani mals t hey prey upo d n, an

1
C ush in g s ’
Zuni Fetic/les
"
94
THE PR EY G O D S a
that t hey overcome the m with t heir breath piercing ,
t heir hea ts d quite umbing them

r an M oreover n .
,
t heir r oar is fatal t o the senses of the lowe beas t s r .
The mountain lion absorbs the blo d of t h game o e
a imals therefore he possesses their acute se ses

n
,
n .
Again those powers as derived fro m his hear t are

, , ,
preserved i his fetish si ce his hear t still lives even

n ,
n
,
although his body h changed to stone It happens e .

,
therefore that t h use of these fetishes is chiefly

,
e
c ected wi t h the chase B u t there are excep t ions

o nn . .
The g ea t a i mals of t h chase although fetishistic

r n e , ,
are also regarded as supernat ural bei gs the my t h n ,

o
logical position f which is absolutely defined I n t h

O e
—
.
City f M
the ists lives o shai an K ia father f the
P
’
O - -
o
,
medicine socie ties a culture hero dei ty whose abode

,
-
,
is guarded by six bei gs k own as the P rey— Gods n n

‘
,
’
an d it is thei counterfeit prese tme ts that are made

r n n
use of as fetishes To the north of t he City of t h

. e
M ists dwells t he M ountain Lion prey god to t h e -

,
west the B ear to t h e south the B adge t o th east

,
r, e
the W olf above the Eagle below the M ole These

, ,
.
a imals possess n o t only t he guardianship of the six

n
regio s but also the mastership of the medicine or

n ,
magic powers which emanate from them They are .
the mediators between P shai K ia and man The O- -an -

’
.
prey gods as M akers of the P ath of Life are given

-
, ,
’
high a k among the gods bu t otwi t hstanding this

r n ,
n
t heir fe t ishes are held as in cap t ivity by the pries t s

of the va ious m edicine orders and great ly ve erated
r ,
n
by them as mediators be tween t hemselves and t h e
a imals they ep esen t In t his charac t er they are

n r r .
exho t ed wi t h elabora t e prayers i t uals and cere

r ,
r
,
m o ials and so me t i m es placa t ed wi t h sacrifices of

n
—
,
the prey gods of t he hun t (w m b )

- Their e a - a- a -z .
special priests are the members of t he G eat Coyo t e r
95
MYT H S OF THE A MERIC AN IND IAN S
—
P eople that they co sist of eleve members of t he
13
,
n n
Eagle d Coyote cla s

an d of t h P rey B ro t hers n an e
pri e s hood
t These p ey gods
. appear t be almos t r - o
un ique and may be i dicat ed as an i sta ce of fe tishism

o
,
n n n
becomi g allied wi t h religious belief They depic t

n .
,
with two excep t io s the same species of p ey a imals n ,

r n
as t hose supposed t guard t h six regio s t he ex o e n ,
ce
p t i n bei
o g thescoyo t e d thenwild at These six an c .
prey a imals e subdivided in t o six va ieties They

n ar r .
are strictly speaki g t h property of t h pries t s and

,
n ,
e e ,
me mbers and pries t s f the sac ed socie t ies are required o r
to deposi t their fetishes when n t i use wi t h the ,

o n ,
K eeper f t h M edici e of t h D eer

O e These medi n e .
‘
cines or me mbe ships alone can perfect the shape f r o
the fetishes d worship t hem an .
T he Co un c il o fF ti h e s es
The D y of the Council of the F e t ishes t akes place

a
a little before or aft er the winte sols t ice or atio al r n n
New Y ear The fetishes are t ake fr m their places

. n o
of deposi t d arra ged accordi g t

,
an species d n n o an
colour t h e fo m of a sy mbolic al t ar quad upeds

in r ,
r
bei g placed up ight d birds suspended from t h e

n r an
roof The fetishes e p ayed t

. d praye m eal ar r o, an r- Is
scattered ove t hem Chan t s are i t oned d a da ce

r . n ,
an n
perfo med in which the cries of the fe t ish beasts

r are
i mi tat ed A p y e with responses follows F inally all

. ra r .
assemble round the altar and repeat the great invocation

T he F ti h i H u ti g
e s n n n
The use of fe tishes in hu ting amo g t he Zu fii is n n
extremely curious and involved i it nature The n s .
hun t er goes to the house of t he D ee M edicine where r ,
the vessel co t aini g the fetish is b ought out a d

n n r n
placed before him H e sprinkles meal over t he sacred .
96
MY T HS OF THE A MER ICAN IN D IANS
a degree The savage void of any clear conceptio of
.
,
n
a suprem e dei ty sets up o claim t hat his is t h e only

,
n
true church If he is co quered in bat tle he imagi es

. n n
t ha t it is wi g t o t he i ferio i ty of his o w gods t

O n n r n o
th se of his vic tor a d he arely t he efore requires

o ,
n r ,
r ,
any o t her reasons to make him a conver t .
I n t his view of the relat ive powers of dei ties lay a

pote t co rec t ive t o the doct ine that the fat e of ma
n r r n
was depe dent on the caprices of t he gods Fo no

n . r
belief was mo e u iversal than t hat which assig ed

r n n
to each i dividual a guardia spirit This i visible

n n . n
m onitor was eve prese t help i trouble H e

an r- n n .
sugges t ed expedien t s gave advice d wa i g i ,

an rn n n
dreams pro t ec t ed i da ger and s t ood ready to foil

,
n n ,
the machi at io s of e emies divi e or huma

n n n ,
n n .
Wi t h ;unli mi t ed faith in t his pro t ec t or attribu t i g ,

n
to him t he devices suggested by his w quick wits

'
o n
and t h for t unate chances of life the sava e escaped

e
,
t h e oppressive t hough t t hat he was t h e slave o demo iac n
forces and dared t he dangers of the forest and the war

,
pat h wi t hout anxiety .
“
B y far t h e darkes t side of such a eligio is t ha t r n
which it p ese t s to m orali ty The religious sense is

r n .
by nomeans t he voice of conscience The T kahli . a
I dia whe sick makes a full and free confessio of

n n n n
si s but a mu der however unnatu al d u provoked

n ,
r ,
r an n ,
he does not me t io o t coun t ing it a cri me Sce es

n n, n . n
of lice t io usness were approved a d sustai ed through

n n n
out the co t i en t as ac t s of worship ; maide hood was

n n n
i many parts f eely O f

n fered up or claimed by t h
r ,
e
p iests as a right in C tr l America t wi s were slai

r en a n n
for eligious mo t ives ; huma sacrifice was com mo

r n n
t hroughou t the tropics a d was o t u usual i highe ,

n n n n r
lat itudes ; can ibalism was oft en enj oined and i

n n
P eru F lo ida a d Cent al A m erica it was not u m

,
r
,
n r
93
IN D IA N TH E O L O G Y
commo for pa e t s to slay their own children at th e
n r n
behes t of a pries t .
The philos phical moralist con t emplat ing sucho
S pectacles has t hough t t recog ize in t he m one c o n .

on
s li g t rait All his tory it has bee said sho ws ma

o n .
,
n ,
n
living u der an i ri tat ed God and seeki g to appease

n r
,
n
him by sacrifice of blood ; t h e esse ce of all religio n n,
it has been added lies in that of which sacrifice is the

—
,
symbol me l
y in t he o f
nafering up of self in the , ,
rende ing up four will t o the will of God

r 0 .
B u t sacrifice when t a token of gra t itude can

,
no ,
n o t be t hus explai ed It is t a rendering U p but n . no ,
a substituti n of our will f God s will A dei ty is

o or
’
.
ange ed by eglect of his dues ; he will reve ge cer

r n 2 n
,
-
t ainly t e ribly we know

,
r t how or when
,
B u t as no .
pu ishmen t is all he desi es if we pu ish ourselves he

n r n
will be satisfied ; and fa bett er is such self—

,
in fl i t e d r c
tor t u e t ha a fearful looking for of j udgmen t to come

r n - .
Crave fear n o t wi t hou t some dim se se of the im

n ,
n
placability of nat ure s laws is at it roo t s ’
,
s .
“
Looki g o ly at t his side of eligion the ancient
n n r
,
philosopher ave red t hat t he gods exis t ed solely i t h e

r n
apprehensio s of their vo taries a d t h moder s have

n
,
n e n
assert ed that fear is the father of religion love her ,
lat e born daughter ; t hat t h first form of religious

-
’
‘
e
belief is othing else bu t a horror of t he u k own

n n n ,
’
an d t hat no atural religion appea s t have been able

‘
n r o
t develop from a germ withi itself any t hing whatever

o n
of real advan tage t o civilizatio n .

’
“
Looki g a ound for o t he standards wherewi t h to
n r r
measure t h p og ess o f the knowledge of divi ity i

e r r n n
t h New Wo ld p y r sugges t s itself as

e r of t he leas t
,
ra e o ne
deceptive P rayer to quo t e t h e words of Novalis

.
‘
,
’
,
‘
is in eligion what though t is i philosophy The
r n .
religious sense p ays as the reaso t hi ks G uizo t r ,

n n .
’
99
MY T HS
E OF THE A MERIC AN IN D IAN S
carrying t he a alysis farther thi ks t hat it is pro mp t ed
n ,
n
by a pai ful co victio of t h e i ability of our will t

n n n n o
co form t o t h dic tates of reason

n e .
“
Origi ally it was con ec t ed with t h belief t ha t
n n e
divi e caprice
n t divi e law gove ,
s t he u ive se
no n ,
rn n r ,
and t hat mat erial benefi t s rathe tha spiritual gifts a e r n r
t o be desi ed The gradual recogni t ion of it li mi t a

r . s
t ions and proper obj ec t s ma ks religious advanceme t r n .
The Lord s Prayer co tains seve pe t i tio ns o ly one

’
n n ,
n
of which is for a temporal advantage and it t h e least ,
tha t can be asked for .
“
What im measurable in t erval be twee it and t h n e
prayer of t h e Noo t ka I dia prepa i g f wa n n r n or r
e t me live t be sick fi d t h
“
fi rea t Q u ah t l o o z e, ,
no ,
n e
e né m n t fear him find him asleep a d kill a g eat n

y ,
o
, ,
r
many of him .
’
O agai r, between it d a pe t i t io of a H uro to

n, an n n
a local god heard by F ather B éb u f

,
r e
“
Oki t hou who live t h i t his pot I fl t hee
‘
,
n S ,
O
’
er
t obacco H elp us save us from shipwreck defe d us

.
, ,
n
f om our ene mies give us a g od trade a d bring us

r
,
o n
back safe a d sound t our villages

n o .
’
“
This is a fair specimen of t h supplicat io s f t h e n o e
lowes t religio s A other equally au t he t ic is give

n . n n n
by F ather Allouez In 1 6 7 0 he pe e t at ed t . ut n r o an o
lyi g Algonkin village ever before visi t ed by a whi t e

n
,
n
man The i habitan t s s t ar tled by his pale face and

. n ,
long black gown took him for a divi i ty They ,

n .
i vited him t t h e council lodge a circle of old m e

n o ,
n
gathered rou d him d e of t he m approachi g him

n ,
an on ,
n
wi t h a double handful of t obacco t hus addressed him , ,
t h e othe s g unting approval

r r
“
This indeed is well B la kro be t hat thou dos t
‘
,
c ,
visit us H ave mercy upo us Thou a t a M anito

. n . r .
We give thee to smoke .
I OO
. MYT H S ‘
O F T HE AMERI CAN I N D IAN S
concludes that it must be t he abode of t he source of
all life of all spiritual excelle ce
,
n .
G o od
‘ ’ ‘
B ad
’
an d
efore m has discovered the u ses of t hat higher

B an
machi ery of reason philosophy and has l ear ed to

n , ,
n
marshal his th o l ical ideas by its ligh t such deities

as he worships co f
e o ,
orm very much to his own e t hical n
sta dard They mirror his morality or lack of it

n .
,
.
They are like himself savage c uel i satiable in t heir

, , ,
r ,
n
appe tites Ve y likely t . t h e bes t ial attributes

r f ,
oo, o
th t otemic g ds cling to t hose dei t ies who have bee

e o n
,r
evolved u t of t hat sys t em Amo g savage people
o . n
‘
ideas of good d evil as we conceive them are o an n n
existe t To t he m good merely implies eve ythi g

n .
‘
r n
which is t t hei adva t age evil t hat which i j ures o

o r n ,
n r
dist esses them I t is only when such a system as

r .
t otemism wi t h it i tricate t aboos d s tri gen t laws

,
s n an n
bea i g t h various relat io ships of life comes to be

r n on e n ,
adop t ed that a moral order arises Slaughter of the ’
—sacrilege Slaughte
.
t o t em a i mal becomes a crime

n . r
of a membe of t he t o t em cla of a blood brothe mus t

r n, - r,
be atoned fo because he is of t h t o t em blood M a

r e . r
i ge wi t h a woma of t he same t o t e m blood becomes a

r a n n
ffe ce
o Neglec t t pay fi t ti g ho mage d sacrifice t
n . o n an o
t h gods or t otem is ega ded wi t h seve i ty especially

e r r r ,
whe t h evolut io of a pries tly caste has been achieved

n e n .
As the t o t em is a ces t or so all a ces t o s are looked

an n ,
n r
upo wi t h evere ce a d deference t livi g proge i t o s

n r n ,
n o n n r
becomes a vi t ue In such ways a code of morality is

r .
\
slowly bu t ce tainly produced r .
No
‘ ’ ‘
G oo d B ad G o ds
’
or
oddly e ough the gods are usually exemp t

B u t, n ,
f om these laws by which t heir worshippers are bound

r .
1 02
NO GOO D OR BAD G O DS ‘ ’ ‘ ’
We fi d t he m murderous u fili l immoral poly

n ,
n a , ,
~
mous and fte irreverent This may be accoun t ed

,
o n .
or by the circumsta ce that t heir ge eral outli es were

n n n
filled i before to t emism had beco m e a fully developed

n
sys t em or it may mea that t h e savage did o t believe

,
n n
t ha t divi e bei gs could be fettered by such laws as he

n n
fel t himself bound to bey H owever that may be O .

,
we find the Ame ican gods either bet t er r worse n nor
than those of o t her m ythological systems Some of .
them are prone t a sort of P uckish trickery d o an
are fond of prac tical j oki g t hey had n t reached n : o
the exal t ed nobility of the pantheon of Olympus B u t

—
.
what is more remarkabl and this applies to th e deities e
of all p im t v e races—we fi d that they possess

r I I n no
ideas of good and evil We find them occasionally

—
.
worshippi g gods of their own usually the creative

n
—
dei ies and that may perhaps be accounted unto them
t
for righ t eousness B u t they are only good to their
.
worshippers inasmuch as they ensure them abundant

cro ps or game a d o ly bad when they cease t o do
,
n n
‘ ’
so They are n t wo shipped because they are t h

. o r e
founts of tru t h andj us t ice but for t h e more immediately ,
cogen t reason t hat unless placated by the steam of

,
sacrifice t hey will cease to provide an adequat e food

,
supply t o man and may malevolently send destructio

,
n
upon t heir neglectful worshippers I t h e relatio s . n n
betwee god and man among early peoples a specific

n
con t ract is i mplied : Sacrifice unto us provide us ,
with t hose o ffe i gs the s t eam of which is our food

r n ,
co t i ue to do so d we will see to it that you do

n n
,
an
no t lack crops and game and the esse tials of life n .
F ail to observe t hese custo m s and you perish U nder

”
.
such a system it will readily be gra ted t hat such horro s n r
as huma sacrifice we e o ly u de t aken because th ey

n r n n r
were t hought t be absolutely ecessary to the existence

o n
1 03
MY TH S OF THE A MERICAN IN D IANS
of the ace a a whole and were not promp ted by y
r s ,
an
mere wa ton delight in bloodshed

n .
D eali g wi t h t his poin t the lat e P rofessor B rinto

n ,
n
says in his My ths f tb N w W rld o e e o
The confusio of these dis ti c t ideas [ monotheis m n n
an d poly t heism] has led t o much misco ceptio of t h n n e
n ative creeds B u t a other a d more fatal e ror was

. n n r
that which distorted t hem i to a dualis tic fo m ra g n r

,
n
i g on o e hand the good spirit with his legio

n n of n
a gels
n
,
the other t h evil e wi t h his swarm of
on e on
fie ds represe ting the world as t h e sce e of their

n ,
n n
u e di g conflic t m as the unlucky foo tball who gets

n n n
,
an
all t h blows e .
This no t io which has its his t orical origi amo g

n
,
n n
t h P arsees of a cie t I an is unknow t o savage na t io s

e n n r ,
n n .
‘
The H idatsa says D M at t hews believe nei t he in
,
’
r .
,
r
a hell nor a devil The idea of t he devil jus t ly .

’ ‘
,
’
observes Jacob Grimm is foreign t all pri m i t ive ,

o
religions Y e t P rofessor M ueller in his volumi ous

.
’
,
n
work t hose of America aft e

on approvi gly quo t ing ,
r n
t his sayi g complacen t ly proceeds t classify t h e dei t ies

n ,
o
as good or bad spiri t s

This view which has btai ed withou t ques t i i
,
o n on n
ea lier works on t h nat ive religio s of Ame ica has

r e n r ,
a isen part ly f om habi t s of though t di fficult to break

r r
,
p t
ar l from m is t ransla t ions of na t ive words partly f om
bo lish axiom of the early missionaries The gods
,
r
the f ,
of t h G e t iles are devils Y e t their own wri ti gs

e n .
’
n
fur ish conclusive p oof that no such dis t i ction exis ted
n r n
o u t of t heir o w fancies The same word ( t t n) wh ich

n . a / o
F a t her B u ya e mpl ys t t a slat e in t o Iroquois t h e

r s o o r n
t er m devil i t h passage The devil t ook upo him

’
n e n
,
self t h figure O f a serpe t he is obliged to use f

e n ,
’
or
spiri t in t he ph ase At t h resurrec t ion we shall be r

,
‘
e
spi i t s which is a at her amusi g illust atio how

r
,
’
r n r n
10
4
MYT H S OF THE A MER I C AN IN D IAN S
Cre atio n a
My th s
The my t hologies of t h Red M are infi itely more e an n
rich i c eative d deluge myths t ha t hose f y

n r an n o an
other race in t h t w hemisphe es Tales which deal

e o r .
wi t h t he origi of m are exc e edi gly f eque t and

n an n r n ,
exhibi t every phase of t h type of creat ive sto y e r .
Al t hough ma y of these are si milar t Eu opea

n d o r n an
Asiatic myths of the same class others how grea t ,

S
originali ty a d strikingly presen t to our minds t h e

,
n
characteris t ics of American aboriginal t hough t .
The c eatio myt hs of t h various I dia tribes

r n -
e n n
di ffer as much from one another as do those of Europe

an d Asia In some we find the great gods mouldi g
. n
the universe i o t hers we fi d t hem merely discoveri g

,
n n n
it. St ill othe

depths to
fi d the
n
t hickens the clouds i to n
I n t h Zu ni reco d ofcreatio Aw wil n t he creat o

e r n o na o a, r,
fecundat es t h sea wi t h his w flesh and hatches it

e o n ,
wi t h his w hea t From t his g ee scu m s are formed

o n . r n
,
which bec me t h fourfold mo ther Earth d the all

o e an
coveri g fat her Sky from whom spra g all creatures

n ,
n .
“
Then from t he ne t hermos t f t h fou caves of o e r
the world the seed of me n and the creatures t ook

form and grew ; even as with eggs in warm places
worms quickly form and appear and growing soon , , ,
burst their shells and there eme ge as may happen r , ,
birds tadpoles or serpen t s

, ,
ma d all crea t ures so n an
grew manifoldly and mul t iplied in many ki ds Thus n .
did the lowermos t wo ld cave become o v e fille d with

r -
r
living t hings full of unfinished creatures crawling like

, ,
reptiles over one ano t her in black darkness thickly ,
crwo din
g t ogether a d t eadi g one n anothe
n r o n o r
,
ne
1 06
CREA TI O N MY T H
A LGO N Q U IAN a
spitting on another and doing other indecency in such ,
manner that the murmuri gs and lame tations became n n
loud a d many ami dst the growing confusion sou ght

,
n
to escape growing wiser and more ma like The

,
n . n
P shai an K ia t h foremost and teh wisest of men

’
o - - -
,
e ,
a isi g from the nethermost sea came amo g m and

r n ,
n en
t h living things and pitying them ob t ained egress from

e , ,
that first world cave through such a dark and narrow

-
pat h that some seein gsomewhat crowdi g after could ,

n ,
no t follow him so eager mightily did they strive one

with another Alone t hen did P o shai —n K ia come
,
’
- a -
.
from one cave to ano t her into t his world then island ,
like lying amidst the world-waters vast we t and

, , , ,
unstable H e sought and found the Su n F ather and

.
-
,
besought him to deliver the men and th e creatu res from

that nethermost world .
” 1
Creatio n n
My th
other Indian mythologies we find the wind
brooding over the primeval ocean i t he form ofa bird n .
In some creation -my t hs amphibious animals dive into

c ie n t m
-
ud —with them to
v o
Su ffi —— w
new Edith : In a number of

w
-A
n v fl
P a
- .n n ,
h fi “
Of c re atio n is recorded but a ,
egpn sg u c t io n o g atw j The A lgonquins relate

r
f lyg
t hat their great o d M ichabo when hunting one day
g ,
with wolves for dogs Wa surprised to see the animals ,

s
enter a great lake and disappear H e followed them .
into the waters wi t h the object of rescuing them but ,
as he did so the lake suddenly o v e rfl we d and sub

‘
merged the entire earth LM ichabo despatched a raven .
with directions to find a p ece of earth which might I
serv e as a nucleus for a new world but the bird returned ,
from its quest unsucces sful Then the god sent an .
1
C ush in g , I 3 tb Report , Bureau of Ame rican Eth nolo gy .
07
MY TH S OF T HE A MERIC AN IN D I ANS
otter o a like errand but it too failed to bri g back t he
n ,
n
e dfi l terrestrial germ At las t a musk rat was se t - n

ne I .
on the same mission a d it retur ed with su fficie t

,
n n n
earth to e able M ichabo to ecreat e the solid l cfl

n r an
The t ees had become denuded of their branches s

r ,
o
the god discharged a rows t them which provided r a ,
t he m wi t h e w boughs After t his M ichabo married

n .
th emusk rat and from their union sprang the huma

-
,
n
race .
T he Muskh o gean Creatio n S to ry v
The M uskhogean I n dia n s believe that i the begi n n
i g t he primeval waste of wa t ers alo e was visible

n n n .
Ove the d eary expa se tw pigeo s or doves flew

r r n o n
hither d thither and in course f time Obse ved a

an ,
o r
si gle blade of grass spri g above the surface The

n n .
solid ear th followed gradually and t he ter estrial ,

r
sphere t ook its present shape A g eat hill Nu . r ,

n ne
Chaha rose in the m idst

, d i the ce t e of this was,
an n n r
t h house of t h e deity E au e t u h Emi

e
g e t he M as te
s sse ,
r
of B reath H e took the clay which surrounded his

.
’
abode d from it moulded t h e first me and as the

,
an n,
wat ers still covered the ea th he was compelled to build r
a g eat wall upon which to dry t h folk he had made

r e .
G adually the soft mu d became tra sfo m ed into bone

r n r
a d flesh
n d E au ge tu h was successful in directi g
,
an s n
t h wa t e s into t heir p oper chan els reserving the dry

e r r n ,
la d for the men he had created

n .
This myth closely resembles the sto y in the B ook r
of Genesis The pigeons appear analogous to the

.
brooding creative Spirit and t he manufacture of t he ,

.
men out of mud is also striking So far is the resem .
blance carried tha t we are almost forced to conclude that

t his is one of the instances in which Gos el co ce tions
p p n
have been engrafted on a native legend .
1 08
MYT H S OF THE AMERIC AN IN D IAN S
combine t o render it in his sight a being of mystery ,
possessing capabilities far above his own F om it he . r
conceives the idea of t he wi ged spirit or god and he n

,
freque tly regards it as a messenger from t h brigh t

n e
regions of the sun or the sky deity The fligh t and .
s ng of birds have always been ca efully observed by

o r
primitive people as o me s of grave impo t These n r .
supers titi ns prevailed among t h Red Race no less

o e
t han among our own early ancesto s M any tribes r .
i magined t hat birds we e t h visible spirits of th

'
r e e
deceased Thus t h P owhatans of V irginia believed

. e
t ha t t h feathered race received t h

e ul of their e so s :
C hiefs at death and they were careful to do them no

,
harm accordingly The Algonquins believed that

,
.
birds caused the phenomenon of wind that they crea ted ,
wat er spouts and that t h clouds were the spreading

-
,
e
an d agitation of their wings The Navaho t hough t .

I
t hat a great white swan sat at each of the four points

of the compass and conj ured up t h blasts which came e
t heref om whi le t h e D akotas believed that in the west

r ,
S the home of the W k in yj the Flyers the breezes a an , ,

’
t ha t send t h st rm s The t hu der too is regarded ,

e o . n , ,
by some I dia peoples as t h flappi g of t he pin i i

n n e n o ns
of a great bird wh se t racks are seen i t he lightning

,
o n
,
“
like t h sparks which t he bu ff lo scatte s when he ?
e a r
scours over a stony plai M any of the t ribes of n .

”
:
t he orth -west coas t hold the same belief and ima

n ,
gine t he lightning to be the flash of t he thunder bird s -

’
eye .
Eagle '
Wo rship
Th e _eagle gppe ers t o h av e _been r arded with w m
extreme v e n e rat io nw by the Red M an ! he nort h

M
,
.
,
“
I t s feathers composed t h e war fl ag of the Creeks,
-
an d it s image carved in wood or it s stu f fed skin sur

1 10
THE LIG H T NIN G SERB E NT
mounted their cou cil lodges No e but an approvedn . n
warrior dared wear it among the Cherokees and the ,
D akotas allowed such an honour only to him who had

first touched t h e corpse of the common foe The .
” 1
Na t chez a d other tribes es t eemed it almost as a

n
deit The Zu ni of New M exico employed four of

f
it fieathers to rep ese t the four winds when invoking

s
- r n
th erai god I deed it was venerated by prac t ically

n- . n ,
eV ry t ibe in North America

e r The owl t was .
,
oo,
employed as a symbol of wisdom and some t imes as , ,
by t he Al gonquins was represented as the attendan t of

,
the Lord of the D ead The Creek medici e men carried . n -
a stuffed owl skin as the badge of their fraternity and

-
a symbol of their wisdom and the Cherokees placed ,
o ne above the m edicine stone in their cou cil lodge n .
The dove also appears to have been looked upon as

sacred by the H urons and M andans .
T he S erp en t an d th e S un
o e Indian tribes adopted the serpent as a symbol
S m
of t ime They recko ed by suns and as the outli e
. n
‘
,
’
n
of the sun a circle corresponds to nothi g in nature so

, ,
n
much as a serpe t with its tail in its mou t h devouring

n ,
itself ,
to speak this may have been the origin of
so ,
the symbol Some writers t hi n k t hat the serpent

.
symbolized the Indian idea of eternity but it is u n ,
likely that such a recondite conception would appeal

to a primitive folk .
T he Light i g S p t n n e r en
Among the Indian s the serpen t also typified t he

light i g The rapidity and sinuosity of its motions
n n .
,
its quick spri g a d sharp recoil p ove the aptness of

n n ,
r
the illus tration The brilliancy of the serpent s basilisk

.
’
1
Brin t o n , My tbs oftbe New World .
I I I
MYT H S OF THE AMERIC AN IND IAN S
glance and the general in t ellige ce of its habits would n
speedily give it a re u tat i for wisdom a d therefore on ,

n
as the possessor o r nd magic power These

o e a, or .
two conceptions would sho tly become fused The r .
serpent as the type of the ligh t ing t he symbol f the n ,

o
spear of t h war god would lead to the idea that t ha t

e -
,
deity also had power over t he crops or sum mer vege ta

tio for it is at the ti me of year when light ing is mos t
n, n
prevalent t hat these come to frui t ion Agai t he . n,
se pent would through t his association with the war

r
god attain a sig ifica ce i the eye of warriors who

n n n ,
would regard it as powerful wa physic Thus the r-

.
,
horn of the great P ince of Serpents which was sup

r ,
posed to dwell in the Great Lakes was t hought to be ,
the most potent war charm ob tainable and priests or

-
,
medicine men professed to have in their possession

-
fragm ents of this mighty t alisman .
The Algonquins believed that the lightning was an

immense serpent vomited by the M anito or creator , ,
and said that he leaves se pe t ine twis t s a d folds onr n n
t h e trees t hat he strikes The P awnees called the .
t hu der the hissing of the great s ake ”

n n .
o In snake cha mi g as a proof of magical proficiency

-
r n
,
as typifying t h e lightning which as t h e serpe t spea , ,

n - r
of the war g d brings vic t ory in bat tle and i it

- o , ,
n s
agricul t ural co exio lies most of t h e secret of t h e

nn n,
potency of t he serpe t symbol As the emblem of t he

n .
fer t ilizing su mmer showers t h e lightning serpent was

t he god of fruitfulness ; bu t as t h forerunner of floods e
and disastrous rains it was feared and dreaded .
S erpe n t o
Wo rs h ip
P robably
more ponderous no sense has been writte n n
about the worship of rep t iles ophiolatry as the ,

’
mythologists of half a century ago termed it) than

11 2
MY T H S OF THE AMERIC AN IN D IAN S
si gularity Th ey empl y e d it wi t h telli ng e ffect t
n . . . o o
u t beyond q u es t io t heir i t ercou se wi t h t h e u seen

n n n
p r
powers d t vi dica t e t he pote cy of t heir

,
an o n w n o n
ua dia spi i t s who t hus e abled t he m t

n handl e wi t h n
g
r r o
i mpuni t y the mos t ve omous of reptiles The well n .
k ow a tipathy of these serpe ts t ce tain plants fo

n n n n o r ,
r
insta ce the hazel which bound arou d the a kles is

n
, ,
n n ,
an alleged p o t ec t ion agai s t their a ttacks and perhaps

r n ,
some antidote t t heir poiso used by the mag c a s o n i i n ,
led to th eir f eque t i t oductio i religious cer

r n n r n n e
monies S uch exhibiti ns mus t have made a pro

. o
found impressio the spec tators d redou ded i

n on an n n
a correspondi g degree to the glo y of the pe forme

n r r r .
‘
V V h O_
is a m nit P asks t h amys t ic M eda
o C han
. t f e o
the Algo ki s H e is th reply“ he who walke t h

n n .
‘
,
’
e
‘
with a se pe t walking on the ground ; he is

r n
,
-
,
a
m nit a oThe i t mate alli nce of this symbo l wi t h

. n i a
t h e mysteries of religion the darkes t riddles of the ,
U nk ow is reflected n their la guage

n n, d also in I n ,
an
t ha t of their neighbours the D ako t as i both of , ,

n
which t h same wo ds m nit w b n which express the

e r a o
,
a a ,
supernatu al in it broades t sense are also used as

r s ,
t erms fo t his species r f a imals ' The pious fou der o n n
of the M oravian B o t he h d t h Cou t of Z in r r oo ,

e n z en
dorf wed his life on

,
o occasio t this deeply o ne n o
roo t ed supers t itio H e was visi t i g a miss o a y n . n i n r
s t atio amo g t h e Shaw ees in t h Wy mi g valley

n n n ,
e o n .
R ece t quarrels wi t h the whi t es had u usually i itated

n n rr
t his u ruly folk a d t hey re olved to make him t he i

n ,
n s r
first victim Aft e he had e t i ed to his secluded hu t

. r r r ,
several of t h b aves c ep t upo h im and cautiously

e r r n , ,
lifting the co e ft he lodge pee ed rn r o The ve e ,

r In . n r
able m an was sea t ed before little fire a volume f a ,

o
t h e Scrip t u es his knees los t in the pe usal of t h

r on ,
r e
sac ed words While they gazed a huge rat tles ake

r .
,
n ,
I I
4
THE S ACRED O RI GIN OF SM OK IN G
u no ticed by h im trailed across his fee t and rolled
n , ,
i t self i nt a coil i t he comfo table wa mth of t h e fi

o n r r re .
Immediately t he would be murderers fo sook t heir r
purpose d noiselessly retired convinced t ha t t his

an
” 1
,
was i deed a man of God

n .
T he S acred O rigin o f S mo kin g

S mo kin g is, of co u rse origi ally an American custom ,
n
,
and wi t h the Indians of North America possesses a

sacred o igi Says an authority upon the barbarian
r n .
use of tobacco 2
O f the sacred origin of tobacco t h e Indian has n o
doub t al though sca cely t w t ribes exact ly agree in the

,
r o
de tails of the way in which t he invaluable boon w as
i c nf
o d
e rreon man I substance however t h e lege d
. n , ,
n
is t h same with all Ages ago at the time whe

e .
,
n
spiri t s co side ed t h e world y e t good e ough for their

n r n
occasional eside ce a very g eat and powe ful spi i t

r n ,
r r r
lay down by the side of his fire t sleep in the fores t o .
While so lyi g his arch ene my came that way dn ,

-
,
an
th ught it would be a good chance for mischief ; so

o
ge t ly approachi g t h sleepe he rolled him ove

n n e r, r
t oward t h e fire t ill his head res t ed amo g t h e glowi g

,
n n
embers d his hai was set ablaze The roari g f

,
an r . n o
t he fire his ears oused the good spi i t a d leapi g

In r r
,
n ,
n
t o his fee t he ushed i a frigh t t hrough t h fores t

,
r n e ,
a d as he did so the wind caugh t his singed hair as it

n
flew ff and ca ryi g it away sowed it b adcast ove

o , ,
r n ,
ro r
t h e ea t h into which it sa k and t ook

r ,
o t a d g ew n r o ,
n r
up tobacco .
I f a y t hi g exceeds t he savage s belief i t obacco

n n
’
n ,
it is that which a t t aches t o his pipe I life it is his . n
dearest compa io a d i death is i sepa able ; f

n n
,
n n n r or
1
B rin t o n , My tbs of tbe New World pp ,
. 1 3 1 - 1
33 .
2
l
Sc h o o c raft , op cit . .
1 15
MY T H S OF THE A MERI C AN IN D IAN S
whatever else may be forgot t e t his funeral obsequies n a ,
his pipe is laid i t h grave wi t h h im t s lace him

n e o o on
his j our ey t o the happy hu t i g gr u d

n The first n n - o n .
’ ‘
pipe is a mo g t h e most sacred of their t aditio s ; as

n r n
well it may be whe it is si cerely believed that

,
n n no
o t her t han the Great Spirit himself was the original

smoke r.
“
M a y yea s ago t h e Great Spirit called all his
n r
people t ogethe a d s tandi g on the precipice of the

r, n ,
n
Red P ipe s t one Rock he broke a piece fro m t he wall

-
, ,
an d kneading it i his ha ds made a huge pipe which

,
n n
, ,
he smoked ove the m a d t o t h or th south eas t

r ,
n e n , , ,
a d wes t
n H e told them t hat t his s t one was red t hat
.
,
it was thei flesh tha t of it t hey migh t make t heir pipes

r ,
of peace but it belonged equally t all a d t h wa o n e r
club a d t he scalping knife mus t o t be raised

n this
- n on
g ound And he smoked his pipe a d talked t them

r . n o
t ill t h e las t whi f

f a d then his head disappeared i a
‘
,
n n
cloud ; d im mediately the whole surface of t he ock

an r
for several miles was m elted d glazed Two g eat an . r
ove s were ope ed beneath a d t w w m (gua dia

i '
n n ,
n o o en r n
spiri t s of the place) e tered t hem i a blaze of fire ; n n
a d t hey are heard t here yet

n d a swer t the i ,
an n o n
vocat io f t he priests or medicine me who consul t

n O ,
- n,
them on t heir visi t s t t his sacred place o .
“
The sac ed place here me t io ed is the site of
P ipe —
r n n
t h world re owned stone Q ua ry F om t his ’

- ‘
e n r . r
place has the No t h Ame ican I ndia ever obtained r r n
mat e ial f his pipe a d f om

r or o t her spo t Catlin,
n r no .
’
asser t s t hat in every t ribe he has visi t ed ( umberi g n n
abou t for ty and ext endi g over t h usa ds of miles 1

,
n o n 0
cou t y) t h pipes have all bee made of t his d

n r e n re
pipe s t o e Cla ke the great Ame ica travelle

- n . r
,
r n r,
relates tha t i his i t ercou se wi t h ma y t ibes who as

n n r n r
e t had had bu t lit t le i tercou se wi t h t h e whi t es he n

y r
116
and thence seek its —course to the M issouri forming t he ,
extreme source of a noted and powerful tributary called ,

”
t he B ig S ioux .
At the base of this wall there is a level prairie f ,

o
half a mile i width run ing parallel to it in any and

n ,
n
, ,
i all parts of which t he Indians procure t h e red sto e

n ,
n
for their pi pes by digging through the soil and several

,
slaty layers of t he red stone to the depth of four or five

fee t F rom the very numerous marks of ancie t and
. n
modern diggings or excavations it would appear that ,
this place has been for many ce turies resorted to for n
the red sto e ; and from the great number of graves

n
and remai s of ancient fortifications in t he V i c n ty it

n I I ,
would seem as well as from their actual traditions that

, ,
th Indian tribes have long held this place in high

e
supe stitious es t imation ; and also that it has bee the

r n
resort of di fferen t tribes who have made their regular ,
pilgrim es here to renew their p i e s ’
As ar as may be gathered fp
.
om the various and

slightly conflicting accoun ts of Indian smo kin h
it would seem tha t to every tribe or if
o
se rva c n e s, it be , ,
an ext e sive one to every detachment of a tribe belongs

n , ,
a potent instrume n t known as medicine pipe ste m ‘

-
.
’
I t is nothing more than a tobacco pipe splendidly -

,
adorned with savage trappings yet it is regarded as ,
a sacred thing to be used only on the most solemn

occasions or in the transaction of such importa t
, n
busi ess as among us could o ly be concluded by the

n n
sanction of a Cabinet Council and aflixing the royal

”
, .
signature .
T he Go ds o f th e R ed Man
M ost
of the North American stocks possessed a
regular pantheon of deities Of these having regard .
,
to their numbers it will be impossible to speak in any,

1 1 8 '
M IC HAB O
detail and it will be su fficient if we confine ourselves
,
to some account of the more out standing figures As .
1
in all mythologies godhead is oft en attached to f he
,
concep t io f the bringer of culture the sapie t being

n o ,
n
who firs t instruc t s mankind in the arts of life agri ,
culture and religion American mythologies possess

—
.
,
many such hero gods a d it is not always easy to say ,

n
whether t hey belong to history or my t hology O f .
course the circumstances surrounding the co ception

,
n
of some of t hese beings prove that they can be othing n
else than mythological but without doubt some o f ,
them were originally mere mortal heroes .
Mic habo
l W e
’
discover one of the first class in M ichabo the ,
Great H are the rin c ipal deity of the Algonquins In

,
.
the accou ts 0 t he Older t ravellers we find him

n
described as the ruler of the wi ds the inventor of n

,
picture writing and even t he creator and preserver of

-
,
t h e world Taking a grain of sand from the bed of the

.
ocean he made f om it an island which he launched in

,
r
t h e primeval waters This island speedily grew to a .
great size ; indeed so extensive did it become that a ,
young wolf which ma aged to find a footi g on it n n
and att empted to cross it died of old age before he

comple t ed his j ourney A great m edicine society .
‘ ’
called M eda was supposed to have been founded by

,
M ichabo M any were his inven t io s

. Observing n .
the sp ider pread its web he devised the art of kni t

S ,
t ing nets to catch fish H e fur ished t h e hunter with . n
many signs d charms fo use in t he chase In the

an r .
autumn ere he t akes his winter sleep he fills his grea t

, ,
,
pipe and smokes and the smoke which arises is seen,
in t h clouds which fill the air with the haze of the

e
Indian summe r
j 11
9
S ome u cer tai t y prevailed a mo g t h n various n n e
Algonquia tribes as to where M ichabo resided so m e

n ,
o f them believing that he dwelt an isla d in Lake on n
S uperior others an iceberg in the A ctic Ocean

,
on r ,
and s t ill othe s n the fi mame nt but t h prevale t idea

r I r
,
e n
seems to have been that his home was i t h eas t n e ,
where t h u rises on the shores f the great river

e s n o
Ocea that surrounds the dry land

n .
Tha t a being possessing such quali t ies should be

co ceived of as t aki g the name and fo m of a t i mid
n n r
a imal like the hare

n i deed cu ious and t here is is n r ,
lit tle doub t tha t the original root from which the ame n
M ichabo has been formed does not sig ify hare

’
I n . n
fac t t he roo t w b which is t he ini tial syllable of t h

,
a ,
e
Algo quia word for hare means also white

n n d ‘
,
’
‘
,
’
an
from it derived the words for east dawn ligh t

are
‘
,
"
,
’ ‘
,
and day Their names proceeding from the same

‘
.
’
root the idea of the hare and the dawn became con
,
fused and the more t angible obj ect becam e the symbol
,
of t he god M ichabo was t herefore t h spirit of ligh t

. e ,
an d as t h dawn t h e bri ge of winds

,
e As lo d of ,
n r . r
light he also wielde of the ligh t i g H e i

13 r n n . Is n co n
s tant s trife nevertheless wi t h his fathe t h West Wi d

, ,
r e n ,
and in this combat we can see the diurnal s t ruggle

between east a d west light and darkness common to n
, ,
so ma y mythologies n .
M odern I dian t ales concerning M ichabo m ake him

n
a me re t icks y s pi i t a malicious b u ff on but t hes e

r r ,
o ,
I II
we hi c hara cter in process of deterioratio

c an se e s n
under t h s t ess f mo der c o nditio I mpi gi g upo

e r o n ns n n n
I n d ian li fe It in the tales f the Old travellers and

. Is o
missiona ies th t we find him n his true c lours as a

r a I o
great cul t u e hero Lord of the D y and bringer of

r ,
a
light and civilization .
1 20
MYT H S OF T HE A M ERIC AN IN D IAN S
rega ded as the creator of t he heavens and earth H e
r .
was supposed t have placed t welve m n t each of

o e a
the cardi al poi ts to uphold t h heave s H e was

n n e n .
believed to possess t he qualities of both sexes a d is ,

n
e t i t led the Turquois e M a woman

n n -
.
Ati as T iraw a
was t he great god of the Paw ees
At fu s T irétwa n .
H e also was a c eat ive deity d o de ed t he courses

r an r r
—
,
of t e u m oo
h s d s ta s
n
,
As k ow t day he is
n, an r . n n o
r egarded as omnipote t a d i ta gible ; but how far n n n n
t his conception of him has been coloured by miss on ary i
i fluence it would be di ffic u lt to say W fi d

n . e n ,
howeve i o ther India myt hologies which we k ow

r, n n n
have n t been s phis ticat ed by Chris t ian belief many

o o
refe ences t dei t ies who possess such attribu t es d

r o ,
an
t he e isr reason why we should i fe t hat Atiu

no n r s
T i awa is any other t ha

r a purely ab rigi al c n n o n o
ce
pt Io n .
Es augetuh Em issee
The great life givi g god f the Creeks and other
-
n o
M uskhogea s was Es u ge t u h Emi e e whose name

n a ss ,
signifies M aster of B reat h The sou d of the nam e

,
.
’
n
represe t s the emissio of breath from the mou t h H e

n n .
was the god of wind and like many a other divini t y , ,

n
i A m erican mythology his rule ove that eleme t was

n r n
—
,
allied with his power ove the b eath f life e of r r o on
the form s fwind air Savage ma regards the wi d

o . or . n n
as t he g eat source of b eath d life Indeed i ma y

r r an .
,
n n
to gues t h wo ds wind soul and breath have a

n e r ,
’
,
’
c mm o origin We fi d a like co cep t io i t he

o n . n n n n
Azt ec wind g d Tezca tlip ca who w looked upo as

- o o ,
as n
t he primary s urce of exis t ence o .

1
1
Se e t he aut ho r s
’
My tbs ofMexico and Peru, in t h is se rie s .
1 22
THE C O Y O T E GO D
T he Co y o te G o d
Amo g t h people of t h far wes t t he Californians
n e e ,
a d Chi ooks an ou t standing dei t y is st angely e ough

n n , ,
r n ,
t h e Coyote B u t whereas among the Chi ooks he

. n
was thought to be a be ign bei g the M aidu d n n ,

an
o ther California tribes pic t ured him as mischievous n ,
cu ning and destruc t ive K do yan p the M aidu

n
,
. o e,
creator discovered t he world along with Coyo t e a d

, ,
n
wi t h his aid rendered it habitable for mankind The .
pair fashioned men out of small woode images as the n ,
gods of the K iche of Central America are relat ed to

have done in the myth in the P p l Vu/ B u t the o o z .
mannikins proved unsuitable to their purpose d t hey ,

an
t urned them i to animals K o do y a pe s i tentio s

’
n . n n n
were be e fic e n t and as matters appeared to be goi g

n ,
n
bu t ill he concluded that Coyote was at the bottom of

,
t h e mischief I n this he was correct and on considera

.
,
tio he resolved to destroy Coyote On the side of the

n .
disturber was a formidable array of monsters and other

evil age cies B u t K o d y anpe received powerful assist
n . o
a ce from a bei g called the Conqueror who rid the

n n
,
unive se of many monsters and wicked spir its which

r
might have proved u friendly to the life of man as n ,
y et unborn The combat . raged fiercely over a pro

t racted e ri d but at last the be fice n t K o d yan pe
o ne o
was de fiiat e d by the crafty Coyote K do yan pe had

,
. o
buried many of the wooden mannikins whom he had

a t first created and they now sprang from their places
,
an d became t h e I dian race n .
This is of course a day-and-night or light and

, ,
-
darkness myth K do y anpe is the sun the spirit of

. o ,
day who after a diurnal strug l with t he forces of e
d a kness flies t oward the west fir refuge Coyote is

,
r .
t he spiri t of ight t ypified by a n a imal of octurnal,

n n n
1 23
MY T HS O F T HE A M ERI CAN IN D IAN S
habi ts which sli ks f rth fro m its den as t h h d s o f
n o e s a e
d sk f ll
u th alan d W fi d a simila co cep ti
on e . e n r n on
E gyptia myth l gy whe e An ubis the j ackal

”
i n n o o ,
r
,
headed swallows his fa ther Osiris the brillia t god of

, ,
n
day as t h night swallows up t he sun

,
e .
Another version of the Coyote myt h current in Cali

f n i describes how in the begi i g t here was o ly
or a nn n n
t h e primeval waste of waters upon which K d y a p , o o n e
and Coyote dropped in a canoe Coyote willed t ha t .
t h e su f beneath them sho u ld become sand

r .
“
Coyo t e was coming H e came to G o t at There ’
. .
he met a heavy surf H e was afraid t hat he migh t be .
d ift ed away and went up to the spruce trees H

r ,
— . e
s tayed t here a long time Then he took some sa d . n
a d t hrew it upon t hat surf

n This shall be a p ai ie : r r
an d no surf The future generations shall walk

. on
this p airie ! Thus Clatsop became a prairie The

r
” 1
.
surf became a prairie .
B u t among other tribes as well as among the

Chinooks I t alap the Coyote is a be e fice t deity
as, ,
n n .
Thus in t he myths of t he Shu hwap and K ute ai s n
Indians of B ri t ish Columbia he figures as the c ea tive r
age cy a d i t h e folk tales of t h Ashochimi of Cali

n ,
n n -
e
f n ia he appears aft er t h e deluge and pla t in t h

or Q s e
ea th t h fea thers of various bi ds which accordi g to

r e r
, n
t heir colou BE C me t he Ev e fal I di n t ribes

'
‘
r o s n a .
1 B lue J ay
A ther mischievous dei ty of t h Chinooks d othe
no e an r
wester peoples is B lue Jay H e is a t u bule t b ag

n . r n r
ga t sche mer
r
,
d mischief maker ,
H e is t h ve y
an -
. e r
clown of gods and inva iably in t rouble himself if

,
r
he is t manufacturi g it for others H e has the

no n .
shape of a jay bird which was given him by the Supe

-
,
r
1
Bo as, Cbinoob Texts .
1 24
MY T H S OF THE AMER IC AN IND IAN S
T he H p fR o ti e o e s urre c on
A merica funera y ri t ual d practice throughout the

n r an
n or ther sub co t i e t plai ly i dica t es a s tro g a d

n -
n n n n n n n
vivid belief i t h esur ec t ion of the soul aft er deat h

n e r r .
Amo g ma y t ibes t h e p ac t ice p evailed of inte i g

n n r r r rr n
wi t h t h e deceased such obj ects as he might be supposed

to requi e i t h o t he world These i cluded weapo s
r n e r . n n
of war d of t he chase for men d househ ld impl

an ,
an o e
me ts a d femi ine finery in t h case of women

n n n e .
Amo g p i mi t ive peoples the belief is prevalent tha t

n r
i animate obj ec t s possess doubles or as spiritualis t s

n
, ,
would say astral bodies souls d some I dia

, ,
’
or ,
an n n
t ribes supposed t hat u less such obj ects we e broke n r n
or mut ilat ed—t hat is t o say killed thei doubles ,

‘ - r
would n o t accompany the spi it of the deceased on it r s
j ou ney
r .
I n dian B uria l Custo ms

M any me t hods of disposi g of the corpse were d n ,
an
are i use a m g t he A m erica I dia s The mos t c m

,
n on n n n . o
m onof t hese were ordinary bu ial in the earth or u de r n r
t u muli burial i caves tree bu ial

,
aising t h dead
n ,
-
r
,
r e on
platforms a d the disposal of cre mated remai s in u s

,
n n rn .
E mbalmi g and m u mmifi t io n were practised to a

n ca
ce tain ex t e t by so me of the ex ti ct tribes of the eas t

r n n
c as t and some of t he o t h wes t t ibes otably t h

o ,
n r -
r ,
n e
Chi o ks buried t heir dead i ca oes which we e raised

n o
,
n n ,
r
on p les The ites which acco m pa ied burial besides

o . r n ,
th eplaci g of useful a t icles d food i t h g ave

n r an n e r ,
ge erally consis t ed i a solemn da ce i which t h

n n n ,
n e
be eaved elat ives c u t themselves a d blackened t heir

r r ,
n
faces aft e which t hey wailed ight d mo i g in

,
r n an rn n
solitary places I t was ge erally rega ded as u lucky

. n r n
to m en t ion t h e a m e of t h e deceased and i deed t h

n , ,
n ,
e
1 28
THE S UPER NATU R A L P EO P L E
bereaved family often adopted anot her name to avoid
such a con ti gency n .
T h e S o ulsJ u y ’
o rn e
M ost of t h e tribes appear to have believed tha t the

soul had to under take a l 3 j ourney before it reached on
its destination The belie f of the Chinooks in this

.
respec t is perhaps a typical o e They imagi e that n . n
after dea t h t h spirit of the deceased drinks t a large

e a
hole in the ground after which it shrinks and passes on

,
to t h coun t ry of the ghosts where it is fed with spiri t

e ,
food and drink Aft er this act of commu i n wi t h t h

. n o e
spiri t wo ld it may o t re t urn They also b elieve that

- r n .
every is possessed of two spirits a greater and a

o ne ,
less D uring illness the lesser soul is spirited away by

.
th edenizens of Ghost land The Navahos possess a - .
similar belief and say that the soul has none of the
, ,
vi tal force which ani mates the body nor any of the ,
faculties of t he mind but a kind of third quality , ,

or
'
perso ali ty like the b of the a cient Egyptians which

n ,
a n ,
may leave its owner and become los t much to his ,

‘
danger and discomfor t The H urons d Iroquois ; . an
believe that after death the soul must cross a deep and
swift stream by a bridge formed by a si gle slender l n ;
,
t ree upo,
which it has to combat the attacks of a fierce
n
dog The Athapasca s imagine that the soul must be

. n
ferried over a great water in a stone canoe and the ,
Algonquins and D akotas believe that depart ed spirits

must cross a s tream bridged by an e ormous snake n .
Paradis e l
an d t he S u pern atural Pe o p e
The Red M an appears to have possessed two wholly

di fferent conceptio s of supernatural life We fi d n . n
in I dian myth allusions both to a Country of the

n
Ghosts and to a L and of the Supernatural P eople

’
‘
.
’
1 29
MY THS OF THE A MERIC AN IN DIAN S
T he first appears to be t he des tination of human beings
afte dea th but the second is appare tly the dwelli g
r ,
n n
place of a spiritual race some deg ees highe t han r r
manki d B o t h these regions are withi t he reach of

n . n
mortals and seem to be m ere exte sions of the terres

,
n
t ial sphe e
r Their i habitants e at dri k hun t and
r . n ,
n , ,
amuse themselves in the same manner as ear thly folk ,
and are by no means invul erable or i mmor tal The n .
i stinctive dread of the supe atu al which primitive

n rn r
man possesses is well exemplified i t he myths i which n n
he is brough t i to con tac t wi t h t he denize s of G hos t

n n
land or the Spirit world These myt hs were u n - .
doubtedly f amed for t he same purpose as the old

r
W elsh poem on t he har ying of hell or the s tory of t h r ,

e
j ou ney O f t h e twin bro t hers to X ibalba i the Ce tral

r n n
American P p l Vul That is to say the desi e was felt

o o t .
,
r
for some assurance that m on entering the spiritual an ,
sphere would only be t reading in the footsteps of

,
heroic beings who had preceded him who had van , ,
u i h e d the forces of death and hell and had s t ripped

q s
the m of their terro s r .
The mythologies of the North American Indians

possess no place of punishmen t any m ore t ha t hey ,
n
possess any deities who are frankly malevolen t t oward

huma ity S hould a place of torment be discernible
n .
in a y India mythology at the prese t day it may u

n n n h
hesitatingly be classed as t he product of missionary

sophistication F ather B rébe u f an early Fre ch mis
.
,
n
s io nary could only find t hat the souls of suicides

,
a d t hose killed in war were supposed to dwell apar t

n
f om t he others
r B u t as to the souls of scoundrels
.
,
”
he adds so far f om bei g shu t out they are welco me

,
r n ,
gues t s though for that mat ter if it were not so t hei ,

r
paradise would be a to tal dese t as Indian and r

,
‘
”
‘
scoundrel are one and the same
’
.
1 30
MYT H S OF THE A MERI C AN IN D IAN S
as t o when their a nual festivals d seaso al celebra n an n
t ions should t ake place Others fix t heir system of .
festivals on t he changes of the m oon and t h habi t s of e
a im als d birds It was howeve upon t h e moon

n an .
,
r,
that mos t of these peoples depe ded for i forma tio n n n
regardi g t h e passage of time M ost of t hem assig ed

n . n
twelve m ons to t h e year while o t hers co sidered t hir

o
,
n
tee a more correct umber The K iowa reck ned t h

n n . o e
year to co sist oftwelve and a half moons t h t her half

n ,
e o
bei g carried ver to t h year following

n o e .
The Z u ii of New M exico allude t the year as a

’
r o
‘
passage ft ime a d call t h seasons the s t eps of t h
o ,
’
n e
‘
e
year The fi st six mo t hs f the Zu ni year possess

.
’
r n o
n a mes which have an agricultu al or na t ural ig i r s n
fica c n while the las t six have ritualis t ic names

e, .
Cap t ain Jo athan Carver who t avelled among the

n ,
r
S ioux at t he e d of t he eigh t een t h century says t ha t

n ,
some t ribes among t hem recko ed t heir years by n
moons and made them consist of t welve lunar mon t hs

, ,
O bservi g when thir t y moons had wa ed to add a

n n
supernumerary e which they termed t h los t moon on ,

e
‘
.
’
They gave a ame to each m o t h as follows t h year

n n ,
e
beginning at the first new moon aft er t h sp ing e r
equinox M arch Worm M oon ; April M oon of

.
, ,
P la t sn M y M oo of F lowers Jun e H ot M oon

a ,
n
,
J uly B uck M oon ; Augus t St urgeo M oon ; Se p

, ,
n
tember Corn M oon ; Oct ber Travelling M oon ;

,
o ,
November B eaver M oo ; D ecember H un t i g M oon

,
n ,
n
Ja uary Cold M oon ; F ebruary S ow M oon These

n , ,
n .
people had n division i t o weeks bu t c unted days

o n ,
o
by sleeps half days by pointing to t he sun at noo

‘
,
’
-
n,
and quar t er days by the r s ng d setting of t h u

”
-
i i an e s n,
for all of which they s s d symbolic sig s M any o se s e n
tribes kep t records o fevents by means of such signs

.
as has already been indicated The eastern Sioux .
1 32
IN D IA N TI ME AND
FES TIV A L S
measure time by knotted leather thongs similar to ,
the guip s of t he ancient P eruvians Other tribes have

o .
eve more primitive methods The H upa of Cali

n .
fo n ia tell a person s age by examini g his tee t h The

’
r n .
M aidu divide the seasons into Rain Season Leaf ,
S easo D y S easo
n, and F alling leaf Season The
r n, -
.
P ima of S outhern Ar izona record events by means of

notched sticks which no one but the persons who
,
mark them can u derstand n .
The chief reason f t he computation of time among

or
savage peoples is the correct observance of religious

festivals With the rude methods at their command
.
t hey are not always able to hit upon the exact date
o n which these should occur These festivals are .
often of a highly elaborate nature and occupy ma y ,

n
days in their celebration the most minute attention ,
bei g paid to the proper pe formance of the various

n r
rites connected with t hem They consist for t h most . e
part of a preliminary fast followed by symbolic da ces ,

n
or magical ceremonies and concluding with a glutto ,

n
ous orgy M ost of these O bservances possess great

.
similarity one to another and visible di fferences m y ,

a
be accounted for by circumstances of environment o r
seasonal variations .
W hen the white man first came into contact wi t h

the Algonquian race it was obser ved that they held
r egularly recurring festivals to celebrate the ripening
of fruits d grain and more irregular feas t s to mark
an ,
t h e return of wild fowl and the hunting season in

-
ge eral D ances were engaged in and heroic songs

n .
,
cha ted I deed the entire observance appears t

n . n ,
o
have bee identical in its general features with the

n
fes t ival fto day o -

.
One of the mos t remarkable of these celebrations Is
that of the Creeks called the B usk a contract ion ‘

,
’
K 1 33
MY TH S OF THE A MERIC AN IN D IANS
for its native name P u shkit Comme ci g with a ,
a . n n
rigorous fast which lasts t hree days t h e en t i e t ribe ,

r
asse mbles on t he fourth day to wa t ch t he high priest -
produce a new fire by mea s of f ictio F rom this n r n .
flame the members of t he tribe are supplied d feast ,

an
i g and dancing are the

n engaged i for three days n n .
F our logs are arra ged in the form of a cr ss pointi g

n o n
t the fou quarters of the earth and burnt as a o f

o r fering ,
n
to the four winds .
T he B u ffalo D an ce
The M a dans a D akota tribe each year celebrate
n , ,
as thei principal fes t ival t h B u ffalo D ance a feast

r e
which marks t he return of the buffalo—

,
hu ting season n .
E ight men wearing bu ffalo skins on t heir backs d -

,
an
pai ted black red or white imitate the actions of

n
, , ,
buffaloes Each of them holds a rattle in his right

.
ha d and a slender rod six feet long in his left and

n ,
carries a bunch of green willow boughs on his back .
The ceremony is held t the S eason of t he year when a
the willow is in full leaf The dancers take up t heir .
positio s at four di fferen t poi ts of a canoe to repr

n n o
se t the four cardinal poi t s of the compass Two

n n .
m e d essed as grizzly bears stand beside the canoe

n r
,
growling and th eatening to spring upo any one

r n
who in t erferes with t he ceremo y The bystanders n .
throw them pieces of food which are at once pounced ,
upo by two other men and carried o ff by them

n
,
to the prairie D uring the ceremony the old men

.
of the t ibe beat upo sacks chanti g prayers for

r n
,
n
the success of the b uffalo hunt On the fourth day -

.
a man e te s the camp in the guise of an evil

n r
spiri t a d is driven from the vicinity with stones and

,
n
curses .
The elucidation of this ceremony may perhaps be as

1 34
MYTH S OF THE AMERIC AN IND IAN S
They were skilled n the ha dli g of occult forces such I n n
as hypnotis m and thus exercised u nlimited sway over the

,
rank and file of the tribe B u t we shall firs t consider .
them in their religious aspect In many of the Indian .
tribes the pries t hood was a hereditary o ffice ; i o t hers n
it was obtained through natu al fitness or revelat io r n
i d eams
n r W ith the Cherokees for example the
.
, ,
seve th son of a family was usually marked out as

n
a suitable perso f the priesthood As a r ule the

n or .
religious body did o t share th e ge eral life f t h n In n o e
t ibe f om which to a grea t degree t isolated i t self

r ,
r i .
F or example B artram in his T v ls in tb C lin s

,
ra e c a ro a
desc ibes t h you ger pries t s of t he C eeks as bei g

r e n r n
a rayed in white robes and carrying o t heir heads

r ,
n
or arms a great owl skin stuffed ve y ingeniously

“ - r
as a insig ia of wisdom a d divination These

n n n .
bachelors are also distinguishable from t he ther o
people by their taciturnity grave d solemn c o u t e n ,

an n
ance dignified s t ep and si ging to t hemsel ves so gs or

, ,
n n
hym s in a low sweet voice as t hey stroll about t h

n
”
,
e
t ow s n To add t o the feeling of awe which they

.
i spired amo g the laymen of t h t ibe the priests

n n e r ,
conversed with e a other a secret tongue Thus on n In .
t h e magical formul ae of some of t h Al gonquin pries t s e
were o t in the o dinary language bu t i a dialect

n r ,
n
of their own inve n tion The Choctaws Cherokees .

, ,
and Z u fii e mployed similar esoteric dialec t s all of ,
which are now known to be me ely modifications f r o
t hei several tribal languages fortified wi t h obsole t e

r ,
words or else mere borrowings from the idioms of

,
other t rib e s .
Me dic in e Men H l
'
as ea ers
I t was however as healers that the medici e me were n -

n
—
, ,
o eminent The Indian assigns all illness or bodily

p r .
1 36
MED ICI NE MEN AS H E A LERS
discomfort t o superna t ural agency H e ca n not . co m
prehe d tha t i dispositio may arise within h is own
n n n
syste m but believes that it must necessarily proceed

,
f o m some external source Some supernatural bei g

r . n
whom he has o ffe ded the soul of a animal which he n ,

n
has slain pe haps a malevolent sorcerer tormen t s

,
or r
,
him If the bodies of ma ki d were o t afli te d in

. n n n Ic
t his mysterious ma ner t heir ow ers would e du e for n n n r
eve When the Indian falls sick he betakes himself

r.
to a medicine man to whom he relates his symptoms

-
, ,
at the same time acquainting him with any circum

sta ces wh ich he may suspect o f havi g brought about
n n
his co dition I f he has slain a deer d omitted the

n . an
usual formula of placa t ion afterward he suspects that

t h spirit of the beast i s a ctively harmi g him
e Should n .
he have sho t a bird and have subsequently bserved O
an
y of t h e same species near his dwel ling he will ,
al most invariably conclude that they were bent o a n
missio of ve gea ce and have by some means inj ured

n n n
him The medici e ma in the first i stance may

. n - n
,
n
,
give his patie t some simple native remedy I f this

n .
t ea t me t does n t avail he will arrange to go t o the

r n o
su fferer s l dge fo t he pu pose o f making a m o e

’
o r r r
t h rough examinatio
o H avi g located the seat of n . n
t h e pai he will blow upo it several times a d

n, n
,
n
t he proceed to massage it vigo ously invoki g t he

n r ,
n
while the aid of the nat ural e emy of t he spi it which n r
he suspects is tormenti g the sick man Thus if a n .
deer s sp i it be suspect ed he will call upo the

’
r n
moun t ai lio the Great D o g to drive it away

n n or
,
bu t if a bird of y f the smalle varieties he

anwill o r
i voke t he Great Eagle who dwells in t h e ze i t h t

n n o
slay devour it U po the supposed appro ach of

or . n
t hese pote t bei gs he will become more exci t ed and

n n
, ,
vigorously slappi g t h e patient will chant incantatio s

n
,
n
I 37
MY T H S OF T HE AM ERI C AN IN DIAN S
in a loud and sonorous voice which are supposed to ,
hasten the adve t of the friendly beings wh m he has

n o
summoned At last producing by sleight of hand a

.
,
n
image of t he distu bi g spirit worked in bone he calls

r n ,
f a vessel of boili g water i t o which he promptly

or n ,
n
plu ges the supposed cause of his patien t s illness

n
’
.
The bone figure is withdraw f om the boili g wa ter n r n
aft er a space a d on being exami ed may be fou d t

,
n n n o
have e or more scores o its surface Each of these

on n .
shows that it has already S lain its man and the pa t ie t ,

n
is assured that had the native J Esc u l piu s not adop t ed a
severe measures the malign spirit would h ave added

him to the number of its victims .
Should these methods not result in a cure others ,
are resorted to The patient is regaled with th

. e
choicest food a d dri k while i cantations are chanted

n n ,
n
and music performed to frighten away the malig n
influences .
Etiq uett
Pro fessio n al e
The p iestly class is not given to levyi g exorbitan t

r n
fees upo it pat ients As a rule t h I dia medici e

n s . e n n n
m a s t rongly resen t s any allusion to a fee

n S hould .
t h e payme t be of a perishable
n ature such as food n
, ,
he usually shares it with his relatives brother pries t s ,

-
,
or even his patie ts bu t should it co sis t of something

n ,
n
t hat may be retained such as clo t h tee t h necklaces , , ,
or Skins he will carefully hoard it t o a fford provision

,
for his old age The India pract itioner is strongly

. n
of pi ion t hat white doc t ors are of li t tle service in

O n
the cure of ative ill esses W hite medicine he says

n n .
, ,
is good only for white men and I dian medicine f ,

n or
the red ma ; in which c o n clu sI o n he is probably

n
j ustified .
1 38
MY T H S OF THE AMERIC AN I ND IAN S
was regarded as the highway to the superna t ural
regions A sick man was in t he greatest pe il at high
. r
wa t er but when the t ide was low t he danger was less

,
.
The means adopted by t h medicine me to lure e - n
ghos t s away from t heir pursuit of a soul was to creat e

an astral deer The ghosts would tur f om hu ti g
’
. n r n n
the ma s soul to follow that of the beast

n
’
.
T he S av age R ligi an d e on
It ca no t be said that the religious sense was ex

n
c e t i n all
p o
y s t rong in t h e mind of the Nor t h America n
Indian B u t this was due principally to t h e stage of

.
cul t u e at which he stood and in some cases s t ill

r
,
stands In man in his savage or ba ba ia co di t io

. r r n n n
t h e se se of reverence as we conceive it is small a d

n
,
n
it place is largely filled by fear and superstition

s It .
is o ly at a later stage when civilizing i fluences have

n
,
n
to some exte t banished t h e grosser terro s of a imism

n r n
and fe t ishism t hat the gods reveal t hemselves in a

,
m ore spiritual aspect .
1 40
C HA P T ER III A LG O NQUI A N MYT H S
AND LE GE ND S
G lo o skap an d Malsum
Algo quin Indians have perhaps a more
HE n
extensive mythology tha the maj ority of India n n
peoples a d as they have been known to civiliza

,
n
tion fo several centu ies their myths have the advantage

r r
of havi g been thoroughly examined

n .
One of the most interesti g figures in their pantheon n
is Glo skap which means The Liar but so far from

o ,
an affront being intended to the dei ty by this appella

tion it was bestowed as a compliment to his craft iness
, ,
cu ning bei g regarded as one of the virtues by all

n n
savage peoples .
G lo o k p a d his brother M al u m the Wolf were

s a n s , ,
twins and from this we may infer that they were the
,
opposites of a dualistic system Glo o kap standing for ,

s
what seems good to the savage a d M al u m for all

‘
,
n s
that was bad Their mother died at their birth a d

.
’
1
,
n
out of her body Gl o skap formed t h e u a d moon o s n n ,
a imals fishes a d th e huma race while the malicious

n , ,
n n
,
M al u m made mou tains valleys serpen t s and every

s n , , ,
manne of thi g which he considered would in co n

r n
v e ie n e the ace of men

n c r .
Each of the brothers possessed a secret as to what

would kill him as do many other bei gs i my t h a d
,
n n n
fairy s t ory otably Llew Llaw Gyff s in Welsh omance

,
n e r .
M al u m asked Glo o sk ap i what manner he could

s n
be killed and the elder brother to try his sincerity

, , ,
replied that the o ly way i which his life could be

taken was by the touch of an owl s feather—o r as
n n
’
1
T his goo dn e ss an d badn e ss, h o weve r, is p ure l y re l at ive an d
‘ ’ ’
o f mo dern o ri in , suc h de it ie s, as al re ad xp l i d b i fi u e s in
g y e a n e , e n g g r
a l i ht -a d-d k m t h
g n ar ness
y .
1 41
MY T H S OF THE A MER IC AN IN D IANS
some varian t s of the myth say by t hat of a flowering ,
rush M l u m in his turn co fided t o Glo o sk ap t hat

. a s n
he could only perish by a blow from a fern root The - .
m alicious W olf t aking his bow brought down an owl

, , ,
and while Glo o kap slep t struck him with a feat her
s
plucked from its wing Glo o k ap immediately expired . s ,
bu t to M al u m chagrin came to life again This t ale

’
s s .
is surprisingly reminisce t of the Scandi avian myth of n n
B alder who would o ly die if struck by a sp ig f

,
n r o
mistle t oe by his bro t her H odur Like B alder Gl o k ap .

,
o s
is a sun god as is well proved by the circumstance t hat

-
,
when he dies he does not fail to revive .
B u t M alsu m resolved to learn his brother s secre t

’
and t o destroy him at the first opportunity Glo o k p . s a
had t old him subsequently to his first attempt t hat only

a pine root could kill him and wi t h this M alsu m struck
-
,
him while he slept as before bu t Glo o k ap rising up ,

s ,
and laughing drove M al u m i t o the forest and seated

,
s n ,
himself by a stream where he murmured as if musi g , ,

n
”
t himself : O ly a floweri g rush can kill me Now
o n n .
he said this because he knew that Q uah beet t he G eat -

,
r
B eaver was hidden among t h rushes on the bank of t he

,
e
s t eam a d would hear every word he utte ed The

r n r .
B eaver went at once t o M l u m and t old him what a s
he regarded as his brother s vital secret The wicked ’

.
M l u m was so glad that he promised t give t h e B eaver

a s o
what ever he might ask for B u t when t h e beas t asked .
f r wings like a pigeon M l u m burst in t o mocki g

o a s n
laughter and cried : H o you with the tail like a file ,

”
,
what eed have you of wings ? At this t he B eaver

n
was wroth and going to Glo o skap made a clean breast

, , ,
of what he had done Gl o sk p o w thoroughly i fu . o a ,

n n
i t e d dug up a fern root and rushing into t h recesses

r a ,
-
, ,
e
of t he forest sought o u t his t reacherous brother and

,
with a blow of the fatal plant struck him dead .
1
4 2
MYTH S OF THE AMERI C AN IND IAN S
gently with the butt of his ho w so that he fell dead at ,
his feet .
B u t although he exterminated ma y mo s t ers d n n an
placed a check upo the advance of th forces of evil

n e ,
G l o sk ap did o t fi d that the race of men grew a y

o n n n
better or wiser In fact t he more he accomplished on

.
,
their behalf t he worse they became until at last they ,
reached such a pitch of evil conduct t hat the god resolved

to quit the world altogether B u t with a feeling of .
,
consideratio s t ill for the bei gs he had c eated he

n n r ,
a ounced t hat withi t h next seven years he would

nn n e
g ant to all and sund y any request t hey might make

r r .
A great many people were desirous of profiting by t his

o ffer bu t it was with t h e utmost di fficul ty t hat t hey
,
could discover w here G lo o sk p was Those who did a .
fi d him and who chose i j udiciously were severely

n n
pu ished while those whose desires were reasonable

n ,
were substantially rewarded .
G ifts
’
G lo oskap s
F our I dians wh won to Gl o skap s abode fou d it

n o o
’
n
a place of magical deligh t s a la d fai e t ha t h mi d ,

n r r n e n
could co ceive Asked by t h god what had brough t

n . e
them thi t her one replied tha t his hear t was evil a d
,
n
that a ge had made him it s slave but t hat he wished t

n r
,
o
be meek a d pious The seco d a poo m desi ed

n . n ,
r an , r
t be ich
o r d the third who was of low es tat e a d
,
an ,
n
despised by the folk of his tribe wished to be uni ,
ve all
rs
y ho ou ed a d respected
n The fou
r t h was
n a . r
vai ma conscious ofhis good looks whose appea ance

n n
, ,
r
was elo n e t of conceit Although he was tall he had

n .
,
stu ffed u in t o his moccasins to make him appear still

r
t aller and his wish was t hat he might become bigger

,
t ha n any man of his tribe and t hat he might live

for ages .
14
4
THE BABY
GLO OS K AP AND
G l o k p d ew four s m all boxes from his medici e
o s a r n
bag a d gave one to each desiring that they should

n ,
n t open them until they reached h ome

o When the .
fi st t hree arrived at their respective lodges each

r
opened his box a d found therein an ungue t of great

,
n n
fragrance and rich ess with which he rubbed himself

n ,
.
The wicked man became meek and patient t he poor ,
ma speedily grew wealthy and the despised m

n ,
an
became stately and respected B ut the conceited man .
had stopped on his way home in a clearing in the

woods and taking out his box had anoi ted himself
, , ,
n
with t he ointmen t it contained H is wish also was .
granted bu t n t exactly n the manner he expected for

,
o I ,
he was cha ged into a pine tree the first of the species
n -
, ,
and the tallest tree of the forest at tha t .
Gloo skap an d the B aby

having conquered the K e wawkqu a race
G lo o sk ap,
’
of gian t s and magicians a d the M e de c o li who were ,

n n,
cunn ng sorcerers and F amola a wicked spiri t of t h

i , ,
e
night besides hosts of fiends goblins can ibals and

, , ,
n
,
witches felt himself great indeed and boasted t a

, ,
o
certain woman that there was nothing left for him

to subdue .
B u t t he woman lau hed and said : “

Are you quite
g
sure M aster There 5 still one who remains u n co n
,
? 1
quered and nothing can overcome him

,
.
’
In some surprise Glo o sk ap inquired the name of

t his mighty individual .
H e is called Wasis replied the woma but I ,

n
s trongly advise you to have no dealings with h im .

’
Wasis was only t he baby who sat on the floo ,

r
sucking a piece of maple sugar and croo i g a li ttle - n n
song t o himself Now Glo o sk p had never marri e d

. a
and was quite ignorant of how children are ma aged n ,

1 45
MYT H S OF THE A MER IC AN IN D IAN S
but wi t h perfect confide ce he smiled t t h baby and n o e
asked it t come t h im The baby smiled back to

o o .
him bu t never moved whereupo Glo o k p imi tated

, ,
n s a
the beautiful so g of a cer tai bird Wasis however n n .

, ,
paid no heed to him bu t went on sucki g his maple ,

n
sugar Glo kap unaccustomed to such treat me t

. os ,
n ,
lashed himself into a furious rage and in ter ible nd ,

r a
t hreatening accents ordered Wasis to come crawli g t n o
him at once B u t Wasis burst i to dir eful howling

. n ,
which qui t e drowned the god s thunderous accents and ’
for all t he t hreat enings of t h deity he would not e
budge G l o k p o w thoroughly aroused b ought all

. o s a ,
n ,
r
his magical resou ces to his aid H e ecited the most r . r
terrible S pells the mos t dreadful incantations H e

,
.
sang t h so gs which raise the dead a d which sent

e n ,
n
the devil scurrying t o the ne t hermost dep t hs of the

pit B u t Wasis eviden tly seemed to think this was
.
all some sor t of a game for he merely smiled wearily ,
a d looked a t rifle bored

n At last Glo kap in despair . os
rushed fro m the hu t while Wasis sitting the floor ”

, ,
on ,
cried G o goo and crowed triu mphantly A d

“
,
o , ,
. n
to t his day the India s say that whe a baby cries n n

”
“
Goo he remembers t h e time when he conquered
the migh t y Glo skap o .
Gloo skap F ew ll ’
s ar e
At le gth t h e day on which G lo o sk ap was to leave

n
the earth arrived and to celebrate the event he caused ,
a great feast to be made on the shores of Lake M inas .
It was attended by all the a imals and when it d ew to n

,
r
a close G lo o skap entered his great canoe and slowly

d ifted out of sight W he t hey could see him no
r . n
longer they still heard his beautiful si ging growing n
fai ter d fainter in the dista ce until at last it died

n an n ,
away altogether Then a strange thi g happened . n .
1 46
MY TH S OF THE AMER ICAN IN D IAN S
into a deep sleep—the heavy slumber of t he winter
season F or six whole mo ths he slept ; then the
. n
spell f the f ost arose from his brain d he awoke

o r an .
H e took his way h meward and southwa d and the o r ,
farther south he fared t he warmer it felt and the ,
flowers began to spri g up around his steps n .
At lengt h he came to a vast trackless forest where , , ,
u de primeval t rees many li ttle people were da ci g

n r ,
n n .
The qu e en of these folk was Summe a most ex r

,
qu i it l
s
y beautiful
e if very ti y crea t ure Gl k p,
n ,
. oos a
caught the queen up in his g eat hand d cut ting r ,

an ,
a long lasso from t h hide of a m ose secured it e o ,
round her tiny f ame Then he ran away letting the

r .
,
cord trail loosely behind him .
T he El f Ligh t v es o
The tiny people who were the Elves of Light came

, ,
clamouring shrilly aft er him pulling fra t ically at the ,

n
lasso B u t as Glo o skap ran the cord ran u t and pull

. o ,
as they might they were left far behind .
Northward he j ourneyed once more and came to ,
t h e wigwam of W inter The giant agai eceived him . n r
hospitably a d began to tell the old s t ories whose

,
n
vague charm had exercised such a fascinatio upon the n
god B u t Gl o k ap i his tur bega t speak

. o s n n n o .
S ummer was lying in his bosom and h stre gth and ,

er n
heat sent forth such powerful magic that at le gth n
W inter began to show signs of distress The sweat .
poured profusely down his face and gradually he ,
commenced t o melt as did his dwelling Then slowly ,

.
nat ure awoke the song of birds was hea d first fai t ly
,
r ,
n
,
the more clearly and j oyously The t hin gree

n . n
shoots f t h e young grass appeared a d t he dead

o ,
n
leaves of last autumn were carried down to the river

by the melting snow Lastly the fairies came out and .
,
1 48
T HE S NOW LO D GE a
Glo o skap, leaving S ummer with them once more bent ,
his s teps southward .
This is obviously a nature myth conceived by a people -
dwelli g i a clima t e where the rigours of win t er gave

n n
way for a more or less b ief space only to the blandish r
me ts of summer To them wi ter was a gia t and

n . n n ,
summe an elf of pigmy proportions The stories

r .
t old du ing t he winter season are eloquent of t h e life

r
led by people dwelli g in a sub arctic climate where n -

,
t h e tradi t io al tale the father of epic poet y whiles

n ,
r
,
away the long dark hours while the winter tempest ,
r oa s furiously without and the heaped-u p s ow renders

r n
the daily occupation of the hunter impossible .
G lo o skap
’
s Wigwam
The Indians say that Glo o sk ap lives far away no ,
one knows where in a very great wigwam H is chief

,
.
occupation is making arrows and it would appear that ,
each of t hese stands for a day O e side of his . n
wigwam is covered with arrows and when his lodge ,
shall be filled with them the last great day will arrive .
Then he will call u pon his army of ood spirits a d go n
forth to at tack M alsu m in a wonder g

u l canoe which by ,
magical means can be made to expand so as to hold a n
a my or co tract so that it may be carried i the palm

r n n
of t h hand The war with his evil brother will be one

e .
of ext ermination and not one single individual o eithe

,
n r
side will be left B u t the good will go to Glo o skap

.
’
s
beautiful abode and all will be well at las t

,
.
T he S n OW Lodge o
Chill
breezes had long forewarned the geese of the
coming cold season a d the constant cry from above of,
n
”
H onk honk t old the Indians that the birds migra
, ,
’
tion was in progress .
1 49
MYT H S OF THE A MERIC AN IN DIANS
The bu ffalo hunters of the B lackfee t
-
Algo quia ,
an n n
tribe were abroad with the obj ect of procu ing t he

,
r
t hick robes and the rich meat which would keep t hem
warm d provide good fare t h ough t h desolate
an r e
wi t er moons Sacred Otter had bee lucky M a y

n . n . n
bu ffaloes had fallen t o him a d he was busily occupied ,

n
i skin ing t hem

n n B u t while t h e braves plied the k ife
. n
quickly d deftly t hey heeded n o t the dun lowering

an ,
clouds heavy with tempest hanging like a black cur

tai over the northe n horizon Sudde ly the clouds
n r . n
swooped down f om t hei place in t he heave s like a

r r n
fligh t of black eagles and with a roar the blizzard was ,
upon t hem .
Sacred Otter and his son crouched be ea t h t h e n
carcass of a dead bu ffalo for shelter B u t t h e ai . r
was frore as water i which t he ice is fl ating and he n o ,
knew that t hey would qu ic kl perish unless t hey could

find some better protection ff o m the bit t er wind SO .
he made a small t p or ten t out of t h e bu ffalo s hide

e ee
, ,
’
and both crawled inside Agains t t his crazy shelter the .
s ow quickly gathered and d ift ed so that soon t he

n r ,
i mat es of t he ti y lodge sa k i t o a comfor table

n n n n
d owse induced by t h ge tle wa mth As Sac ed

r e n r . r
O t t er slep t he d eamed Away i t h dis ta ce h é

r . n e n
desc ied a g eat t p cr w ed wi t h a colou like the

r r e ee, o n r
gold of su light a d pain t ed wi t h a clus ter of stars

n
,
n
symbolic of t he No t h The ruddy disc of the u r . s n
was pic t ured at t he back and t t his was a ffixed the ,

o
t ail of t he Sacred B u f falo The skir t s of t h e t p ‘
. e ee
were pai ted to represen t ice and o its side had bee
n ,
n n
drawn four yellow legs wi t h gree claws typical of n ,
th e Thu der bird A bu ffalo in glari g red frowned

n - . n
above the door and bunches of crow feathers with

,
-
,
small bells attached swu g a d ti kled in the b eeze ,

n n n r .
Sacred Otter surprised at the unusual nature of t he

,
1 50
MY THSOF THE A MERI C AN IN DIA NS
waist high through the soft snow Sacred Otter spent
-
.
t h long cold nights in making a model of the S ow

e ,
n
t epee and painti g it as he had been direc t ed i

n his n
dream H e also collected the medici es necessary for

.
‘
n
t h e ceremonial and in the spring whe,

new lodges ,
n
were made he buil t a d pain t ed t he S now tepee

,
n - .
The power of Sacred Otter waxed g eat because of r
his possession of t he S now lodge which t he Lord of -
Cold had vouchsafed to him in dream S oo was it . n
proved Once more while hunting bu ffalo he d

. an
several companions were caught i a blizzard whe n n
many a weary mile from camp They appealed t o Sac ed . r
Otter to u tilize the medicine of t he Lord of Cold .
D irect i g that several women and childre wh o were

n n
with t he party should be placed on sledges and t ha t ,
the men should go in advance and break a passage

through the snow for the horses he took the mink ,
e
tobacco pouch an d the black stone pipe he had received

-
from the Cold maker and comme ced to smoke H e

- n .
blew t he smoke in the directio whe ce the storm n n
came and prayed to the L ord of Cold to have pity on

th epeople Gradually t he storm clouds broke and
.
-
cleared and on every side the blue sky was see n .
The people haste ed on as they kne w the blizzard was

n ,
o ly bei g held back for a space B u t t heir camp was

n n .
at hand and they soon reached it in safe t y

,
.
Never again however would Sacred Otter use his

, ,
mys tic power F or he dreaded that he might O ffe d

.
'
t h Lo rd of Cold
e And who could a fford to do that
.
T he S tar Maiden —
A pretty legend of the Chippeways an Algonquian ,
tribe tells how Algon a hun t er won for his bride t h

, , ,
e
daughter of a star While walki g over the prairies he

. n
discovere d a circular pathway worn as if by the tread ,
1 5 2
THE S T AR MAID EN a
of many feet t hough there were no foo t marks visible

,
-
outside its bounds The o ung hunter who had never.

,
before encountered one 0 these fairy rings was filled ,

’
wi t h surprise at the discovery and hid himself in the ,
l g grass to see whe t her an explanation might not be

on
forthcoming H e had not lon to wait In a lit tle

. .
while he heard t he sound 0 music so faint and ,
sweet that it su passed any thing he had ever dreamed

r
of The st ains grew fuller and richer a d as t hey

. r ,
n
seemed to come from above he turned his eyes

toward the sky F ar in the blue he could see a tiny
.
white speck like a floating cloud Nearer and nearer it .
came and the astonished hunter saw tha t it was no

,
cloud but a dainty osier car in which were seated

, ,
twelve beau t iful maidens The music he h ad heard .
was t he sou d of their voice s as they sang strange and

n
magical so gs D escendi n g into t h charmed ri ng

n . e ,
t hey danced ound and rou d with such exquisite grace

r n
and abando that it was a sheer deli ht to watch them

n
B u t after the fi st moments of da f

.
r e d surprise Algon z z
had eyes only for the y of the group a sligh t , ,
vivacious creature so fraoungest

g ile and delicate tha t it seemed
,
t o the stalwart hunter that a breath would blow her

away .
H e was indeed seized with a fierce passion for the

, ,
dainty sprite and he speedily decide d t o spri n g from

,
t h e gras s and carry her o ff B u t the pretty creatures .
were too quick for him The fairy of his choice skil .
fully eluded his grasp and rushed to the car The .
others followed and in a moment they were soari n g

,
up in the air singing a S weet unearthly song The

, ,
.
disconsolate hunter returned to his lodge bu t t y as ,

r
he might he could not get the t hought of t he Star

maiden out of his head d ext day lo n g before t h e
,
an n ,
ho u r of the fairies arrival he lay in the grass awai ti g

’
,
n
1 53
MY T H S O F T HE AMERICAN I ND I ANS
t h sweet sounds that would herald t heir approach
e At .
length t h car appeared The twelve ethereal beings

e .
da ced as befo e Again Algon made a desperat e

n r .
at t e mp t t o seize th e you ges t and again he was u n u c n ,

s
c e ss u l f .
us s tay said one of t h

Le t ,
e —
S tar maidens .
P erhaps t h e mo tal wishes t t each us his earthly

,
r o
da ces n B u t t h e younges t sis t er would

.
”
t hear of no
it and they all rose out of sight in their osier basket

,
.
Al go n a t gy
’
s S tr e
P oor Algon returned home m ore unhappy than ever .
All igh t he lay awake d eami g of t h e p e tty elusive

n r n r ,
crea ture who had wou d a chai of gossa me ou d his n n r r n
hear t and brai a d early i t h e m i g he repai ed

n
,
n n o rn n r
to t h e e chan t ed spot
n Casti g about f so m e mea s . n or n
of gaini g his end he ca me upo t h e hollow tru k of

n ,
n n
a t ee i which a numbe of mice ga mbolled Wi t h

r n r .
t he aid of the charms i his medici e bag he tur ed n n - n
himself i t o one of t hese little a imals t hi king the

n n ,
n
fai sis t e s would eve pierce his disguise

r r n r .
That day whe t he osie c desce ded its occupa ts n r ar n n
aligh t ed d da ced me ily as they we e wo t i t h

an n rr r n n e
magic circle t ill the youngest saw the hollow t ree

,
t u k (which had not bee

r n t here the p evious day) n on r
and t ur ed t o fly H er sis t ers laughed at her fears

n .
,
a d tried to reassure her by overtu

n i g t h tree t unk rn n e -
r .
The mice scampered i all di ectio s a d we e quickly n r n

,
n r
pursued by the Star maidens who killed them all -

,
excep t Algon The latter egained his own shape j ust

. r
as the youngest fai y raised her hand to strike him r .
Clasping her in his arms he bore her t o his village , ,
while her f ightened sisters ascended t their Star

r o
country .
Arrived at his home Algon married the maide and ,

n
,
1 54
OF T HE AMERICAN IN D IAN S
MYTH S
the relics a claw of one a feather of another and so
-
—
, ,
on h e piled them in the osier car climbed in himself ,
with his wife and boy and set o fl to the Star cou ntry ,
’ -
.
The people there were delighted wi t h the curious

gift s Algon had brought t hem and being permit ted by , ,
their king to take o e apiece they did so Those n

,
.
who took a tail or a claw of any beast at once became

t h quadruped represented by t h e fragme t a d those
e n
,
n
who took the wi gs of birds became birds themselves

n .
Algon a d his wife and son took the feathers of a

n
white falcon and flew down to the prairies where their ,
descendants may still be seen

—
.
Clo ud Carrier'
an d the S tar Fl o k
A handsome youth once dwelt with his parents on the
banks of Lake H uron The old people were ve y proud . r
o ft heir boy and intended that he should become a great

,
warrior When he grew old enough to prepare his

.
medicine bag he set o ffinto the fo re t for that purpose

- s .
As he j ourneyed he grew weary and lay down to sleep , ,
and while he slept he heard a gentle voice whisper

Cloud ca rie I have come to fetch you F ollow me
- r r, . .
The young man started to his feet .
I am dreaming It is bu t an illusion he mut te ed

.
,
r
t o himself as he gazed at the ow e of the soft voice

,
n r
,
who was a damsel of such marvellous beau t y that the

sleepy eyes of Cloud car ier were quite dazzled
”
- r .
“
F ollow me she said again a d rose soft ly from
, ,
n
th eground like thistledow To his surprise the n .

’
youth rose along with her as lightly d as easily ,

an .
H igher they wen t and still highe far ab ve the ,

r, o
tree tops a d into the sky till they passed at le gt h

-
,
n ,
n
t hrough an openi g in the spreadi g vault and Cloud

n n
,
carrier saw that he was in the country of the S tar

people and that his beautiful guide was no mo rtal
,
1 5 6
THE S T AR CO UNTRY o
maiden but a supernatural being So fascinated was

,
.
b by her sweetness and gentleness that he followed

e
her without question till they came to a la ge lodge r .
Entering it at the invitation of the S tar maiden Cloud -

,
carrier found it filled with weapons and ornamen t s of

silver worked in strange a d grotesque desig s F or
,
n n .
a time he wa dered t hrough the lodge ad miri g and

n n
praising all he saw his warrior blood stirring at the

,
-
sigh t of t h e rare weapons Suddenly the lady cried

H ush ! M y brother approaches ! L et me h ide
you Q uick
.
The young man crouched in a corner and the damsel ,
t hrew a richly colo ured scarf over him Scarcely had .
she done so when a grave and dignified warrior stalked

i to t he lodge
n .
Ne miss my dear sister he said after a moment s

’
a, , ,
pause have you not been forbidden to speak to the

,
Earth people- P P erhaps you imagi e you have hidde n n
t he young man but you have Then turni g ”

,
ot n .
,
n
from the blushing Ne mis a t o Cloud carrier he addeds -

, ,
good-naturedly
“
If you stay long there you will be very hungry ”
.
Come out and let us have a talk .
The youth did as he was bid and the brother of ,
Ne mi s gave him a pipe and a bow and arrows

s a He .
gave him also Ne miss for his wife and for a long time
a ,
they lived together very happily .
T he S tar Co untry a
Now t he young man observed that his brother in law - -
was in t he habi t of going away every day by himself ,
and feeli g curious to k ow wha t his business migh t

n n
be he asked one morning whether he might acc o m

,
pany him .
The brother in law consented readily and the two

- -
,
I S7
MYTH S OF THE A MERICAN IN D IAN S
se t ff Travelling in t he S tar cou t y was very plea
o .
-
n r
sa t The foliage was richer than t hat of t h e earth

n .
,
th eflowe s more delicat ely colou ed t h air softer d

r r ,
e an
more frag ant and t he bi ds a d beas t s more graceful

r ,
r n
an d harmless As t he day wore o to noon Cloud

. n
carrier became very hu gry n .
“
Whe we get somethi g to eat he asked his
n can n
brothe in law r - - .
“
V e y soon was the reassuring reply
r W e are
,
.
j ust goi g to make a repast

n As he spoke t hey came .
”
to a large ope i g th ough which they could see t h

n n ,
r e
lodges d lakes a d fores t s of the earth At

an n . o ne
place some hun t e s we e preparing for t he chase B y r r .
the banks of a river some wo men were ga t hering reeds ,
a d down in a village a number of children were playing

n
happily .
D o you see that boy down there in the centre of

the g oup ? said the brother of Ne mis and as he
r
”
sa
,
spoke he th ew so me t hing at the child The poo

r . r
boy fell dow i sta t ly and was carried more dead

n n n , ,
tha alive t o the eares t hut

n ,
n .
T he S ac rific e
loud carrie was much perplexed at t he act of
C -
r
his supernatural relative H e saw the m edicine men .

-
gather round the child and chant prayers for his

recovery .
“
I t is the will of M anitou said one pr est that
“
,
i ,
we o ffer a white dog as a sacri fice .

”
S t hey procured a white dog skinned and roasted

o ,
it and put it on a plate

,
It flew up in t h i a d . e a r n
provided a meal for t he hungry Cloud car ier a d his - r n
companion The child recovered and retur ed to his

. n
play .
“
Y our medicine men sai d Nemissa s brother get
“ ’
-
, ,
1 58
M YTH SOF THE AMERI CAN I N D IAN S
and wide and warriors and hunters thronged to her
,
father s lodge in order t o behold her B y universal

’
.
consent she received the name of H andsome One of .

’
t he braves who was mos t assiduous in payin her his

addresses was sur amed Ele gant because 0 t he rich
n ,
’
ness of his costume and t he nobility of his features .
D esiri g to k ow his fate t h e young ma co fided

n n ,
n n
the secre t of his lov e for H andsome to another of his

suitors and proposed that t hey two should that day
,
approach her and ask her hand i marriage B u t t he n .
coquettish maiden dismissed t he you b aves disdai n r n
fully and to add to t h i di ity 0 her refu sal e

e at e d it in public outside her f
n n
"
, ,
e ,
r
p ather s lodge E legant ’

.
,
who was extremely sensitive was so humiliated and ,
mortified that he fe ll int ill health A deep mela choly o -

. n
set t led on his mind H e refused all nourishment and

.
,
for hours he would sit with his eyes fixed on the grou d n
in moody co templation A profound sense of dis

n .
grace seized upo him and notwiths tanding t he argu

n ,
ments of his relations a d comrades he sank deeper n
into le thar F inally he took to his bed and even ,
when his amily were preparing for t he annual migra

tion customary with t he tribe he refused to rise from it ,
although they removed the tent from above his head

and packed it up for transport .
T he L R g o v er s
’
e v en e
After his gone Elegant appealed to his

guardian spi to revenge him on the maiden
who had despondency Going from .
lodge to lodge he co llected all the rags that he could

,
fi d and kneading snow over a framework of animals

’
n , ,
bones he moulded it i to the shape of a man which he

,
n ,
at t ired i the ta tters he had finally covering

the whole With brilliant bea(g
n ,
sathered
and gaudy feathers o s
1 60
A S TRAN GE TRAN S FORMATION
that it presented a very imposing appearance B y .
magic art he animated this singular figure placed a bow ,
and arrows into its hands and bestowed on it the name ,
of M o o wis .
Toge t her the pair set out for t he new encampme t n
of the tribe The brilliant appea ance of M o wis

. r o
caused him to be received by all wi t h the most marked

distinction The Chieftain of the tribe begged him to
.
enter his lodge and entertained him as an honoured

,
guest B u t none was so struck by the bearing of the

.
noble looking stranger as H andsome H er mother

- .
requested him to accep t the hospi t ality of her lodge ,
which he duly grace d wi t h his presence but being u ,

n
able to approach too closely to the hearth on which a ,
g eat fire was burning he placed a boy between him

r ,
and the blaze in order that he should run no risk of

,
meltin g Soon the news that M o o wis was to wed

.
H andsome ran through the e campmen t and t h e n

,
nup t ials were celebrated On the following day M o o wis

.
an ounced his intention of under taking a long j ourney

n .
H andsome pleaded for leave to accompany him but he ,
refused o the grou d that the distance was too great

n n
a d that the fatig u es and dangers of the route would

n
prove t o o much for her strength F inally however .

, ,
she overcame his resistance and the two set out ,

.
A T a f m ti
S tran ge r ns or a on
A rough and rugged road had to be t aversed by t he r
newly wedded pair O every hand t hey encoun t ered

. n
obstacles and the unfortunate H andsome whose feet

, ,
we e cut and bleeding found the greatest diflicu lty in

r
,
keepi g up with her more active husband At first it

n .
was bi t terly cold but at length the sun came u t and

,
o
shone in all his strength so t ha t the girl forgot h ,

er
w oes and began t o sing gaily B ut n the appearance . o
x6 1
OF THE AMERICAN IN D IAN S
M YTH S
of the luminary a s trange transformatio had slowly n
over take her spouse At fi s t he attempted to ke ep

n . r
i the shade t o avoid the golden beams that he k ew

n ,
n
mean t deat h t o him bu t all t no pu pose The ai ,

o r . r
became gradually w armer and slowly he dissolved and ,
fell to pieces so t hat his frenzied wife n ow only beheld

,
his garme t s t h bones t ha t had composed his frame

n ,
e
work and t h e gaudy plumes and beads wi t h which he

,
had been bedecked Lo g she sought his real self . n ,
thinki g that some t rick had been played upo her ; bu t

n n
at len t h exhausted with fatigue and sorrow

,
she cas t ,
hersel on the ground a d with his ame on her lips ,

n n
b eathed her last So was Elega t ave ged

r . n n .
T h e S p irit ride
A story is t ld of a you g Algonqui brave whose

o n n
bride died on the day fixed for their wedding B efo e . r
this sad event he had bee the most courageous and n
high pi ite d of warriors a d the mos t skilful of hunters

-s r n ,
but a ft e wa d his pride and his bravery seemed to

r r
desert him In vai his friends urged him to seek the

. n
chase a d begged him t take a g eater i terest i life

n o r n n .
The mo e t hey pressed him t he more mela choly he

r n
became t ill at le gth he passed most of his t ime by t he

,
n
g ave of his bride

r .
H e was roused from his stat e of apathy one day ,
however by hearing some old m discussi g t h

,
en n e
existence o f a pa t h to the Spiri t world which they -

,
supposed lay to t he south A gleam of hope shone i . n
t h e young brave s breas t and worn with sorrow as he

’
, ,
was he armed himself and se t o ff sou t hward F or a

,
.
long t ime he saw no appreciable change i his surrou d n n

—
ings rivers mountains lakes d fores t s simila t
, , ,
an r o
t hose of his w country enviro ed him

o n B u t aft er a n .
weary j ourney f ma y days he fancied he saw a o n
1 62
MYTH S HE AMERICAN IN D I AN S
OF T
charming woody islet set i t he middle of the water n ,
like emerald in silver W hen they were about half

an .
way across a sudden storm arose and the huge waves ,
t hreatened to engulf them M any other people had .
embarked the perilous waters by this time some of

on ,
whom perished in t he furious tempest B u t t he you t h .
and maide still battled on bravely neve losing sigh t

n ,
r
of one another B ecause they were good a d i nocen t

. n n ,
the M aster of Life had decreed t hat t hey should arrive

safely at t h fair island and aft er a weary struggle they
e ,
felt t hei canoes g ate on t he shore

r r .
H and in ha d t he lovers walked among the beautiful

n
sigh t s d sounds that gree t ed t heir e es and ears f om

an r
every quarter There was no trace 0 the recent s t orm

. .
The sea was as smoo t h as glass and t he sky as clear as

c ys tal The youth and his bride fel t t ha t they could
r .
wa der on thus for ever B ut at length a faint sweet

n .
,
voice bade the former return to his home in the Earth

country .
T he Master o i
Lif e
Y o u mus t finish your mortal course it whispered ,
softly “
Y u will become a grea t chief a m o g your
. o n
ow people
n Rule wisely a d well a d when you
. n ,
n r
ear t hly ca eer is over you shall e t urn t you bride

r r o r ,
who will re tain her youth and beauty for eve ’
r .
”
The yo u g m ecognized the voice as t hat of t h

n an r e
M aste f Life and sadly bade fa ewell to the w man

r o ,
r o .
H e was o t without hope now however bu t looked

n , ,
fo ward t ano t her and more lasting reuni

r o on .
Ret urning to t he old man s lodge he regained his ’
body went home as the gentle voice on t h isla d had

,
e n
commanded him and became a fat her t his people for

,
o
many years B y his j us t and ki dly r ule he won t h

. n e
hear t s o fall who knew him and ensured for h imself a ,
1 64 .
O T T ER HEART o
safe pass age to the Isla d of the Blesse d whe re he n ,
arrived at last to partake of everlasting hap piness with

his beau t iful bride .
O ttee eart
In the heart of a great forest lay a nameless little

lake and by its side dwelt two children Wicked
,
.
m agicia s had slain t heir pa e ts while they were y t

n r n e
of t e der years and the lit tle orphans were obliged t

n
,
o
fend for themselves The you ger of t he t wo a boy

. n , ,
lea ed to shoot with bo w and arrow a d he soo

rn
,
n n
acquired such skill t hat he ra ely re t urned from a r
hu ting expedition withou t a specimen of his pr owess

n
i t h shape of a bird or a hare which his elder sister

n e ,
would dress and cook .
When t he boy grew older he aturally felt the need n
of some companio ship other t han tha t of his sister

n .
D uri g his long soli t ary j our eys in search of food he

n ,
n
t hought a good deal about the great world outside the

bar ier of t h e still silen t forest H e lo ged for the
r
,
. n
sound of human voices to replace the murmuring of

t h trees and t h e cries of t he birds
e .
“
Are t here no Indians but ourselves in the whole
world i he would ask wistfully
‘
.
“
I do o t know his sister invariably replied
n
,
.
B usying herself cheerfully about her household t asks ,
she knew nothing of the strange thoughts that were

stirri g in t he mind of her brother
n , .
B u t o ne day he returned from the chase in so

disco nt e t é a mood that his unrest could no longe
d n
pass unnoticed I n response to solicitous inquiries from

.
r
his sister he said abruptly

,
M ake me ten pairs of moccasins T o mo rro w I . r
g to travelninto t h e great world .
gi l was much dis tu rbed by t his communica t io

r n,
M 165
M YTH SOF THE A MERI CAN IN D IAN S
but like a good India maiden she did as he requested n
h e and kept a respectful silence

r .
E a ly on t h following mor i g the youth whose

r e n n ,
ame was Ot t er heart set out on his ques t H e s o

n -
,
. o n
ca me to a clearing i the forest bu t to his disappoi t n ,

n
me t he found that the tree stumps were old and

n -
ro tt en
“
I t is a long long time he said mour fully,
since ,
n ,
there were I dia s here n n .

”
I n o der tha t he might find his way back he sus

r
,
pended a pair of moccasi s f om t he bra ch of a tree n r n ,
and co ti ued his j our ey O ther cleari gs he reached

n n n . n
in due time each showi g t aces of a mo e ece t

,
n r r r n
occupation than the las t bu t still it seemed to him t hat ,
a long t ime must have elapsed si ce the t rees were u t n c
down so he hung up a pair of moccasi s at each s tage

,
n
of his j ourney a d pursued his course i search of

,
n n
human beings .
At last he saw before him a I ndian village which n ,
he approached with mingled feeli gs of pleasure d n an
trepidation natural enough when it is re membered tha t

,
si ce his early childhood he had spoken to o one but

n n
his sister .
The B alLPIay ers

the outskirts of the village some youths of about
On
his age were engaged in a game of ball in which
o wn ,
t hey cour t eously vi t ed the s t range t o j oi Ve y in r n . r
soon he had forgotten his atural shyness so far as n
to e ter into the sport wi t h whole hear t ed zest and

n -
enj oyment H is new companions for t heir par t were

.
, ,
filled wi t h astonishme t at his skill and agili ty d n ,

an ,
wishi g t do him honour led him t o the great lodge

n o ,
and i troduced him t t heir chief

n o .
Now t he chief had two daughters e of whom was ,

on
1 66
MYTH S
OF THE AMERICAN IN D IANS
th wind for half a mile or more The sisters h
e .
,
a
sorb ed in their t ask of cu tting dow the tree did n t n

,
o
notice tha t t heir bird was flow n When at last the .
great fir crashed to t he ground and t he youth wa : s
nowhere to be seen the pursuers tore their hair in rage

and disappointment .
Otter a
Heart s S tratage m
’
Only o t he following eveni g did t hey over take

n n
—
Otter heart again This t ime he had e tered a hollow . n
cedar t ee the hard w od of which he t hough t would

- r ,
o
defy t heir axes B ut he had under esti ma t ed t h

.
- e
e e gy of t he sisters I a short time the t ee sh wed

n r . n r o
th E c t of thei blows a d Otter heart called o his

e e e r
,
n - n
guardia spirit to break o e of the axes

n n .
H is wish was p omptly gratified bu t the other sister ,

r
con t inued her labours wi t h inc eased e ergy O tte r n . r
heart now wished tha t t h e othe axe might break and r ,
agai his desire was fulfilled The sisters were at a

n .
loss to k ow what t o do n .
“
W e ca no t t ake him by force said o e ; we
n -
,
n
must t ake him by subtlety L et each do her best and .

,
t h e o e who ge t s him can keep him

n .
S t hey depar t ed and Otter heart was f ee to emerge

o ,
- r
f o m his p iso
r H e travelled a other day s j our ey
r n . n
’
n
f om t he spot and at last reachi g a place where he

r , ,
n
though t he would be safe he laid down his bla ke t ,

n
an d wen t in search of food F ortu e fav ured t he . n o
hu ter and he shortly re turned with a fine beaver

n
,
.
What was his amazement when he beheld a ha dsome n
lodge where he had left his blanket

“
It must be t hose women again he muttered , ,
preparing to fly B u t the ligh t shone so warmly from

. .
the lodge and he was so tired and hungry that he

, ,
co quered his fears a d entered Wi t hin he fou d a

n n . n
1 68
EAVER-WOMAN
THE B
tall thi wo man pale and hungry eyed but ra t her
,
n ,
‘
-
,
pre tty Taki g th e beaver she proceeded to cook it

. n , .
As she did so Otter hear t o t iced that she at e all th

- n e
best parts herself and when the meal was set out o ly
,
n
t h e poorest pieces remai ed for him This was so n .
u like a Indian housewife that he cast reproaches t

n n a
her and accused her of greediness As he spoke a .
curious change came ove her H er fea t ures g ew r . r
longer and thin er In a moment she had tur ed

n . n
i to a wolf and slunk into the forest It was The

n .
Wicked who had made herself pretty by means of

,
magic but could not conce al her voracious nature

,
.
Otter heart was glad to have found her out H e

- .
j ourn eyed on s t ill farther laid down his blanket and , ,
we t to look for game This time several beavers

n ,
rewarded his skill a d he carried them t o the place

,
n
where he had left his blanket Another handsome .
lodge had been erected there ! M ore than ever he

wa ted to run away but once more his hunger an d
n ,
fatigue detained him .
“
P erhaps it is The Good he said “
I shall go ,
.
inside and if she has laid my blanket near her couch

,
I shall take it for a sign and she shall become my wife .
T he B eav er Wo man a
H e entered the lo e and found a small pretty , ,
woma busily eng

n i household du t ies Sure n .
e ough she had laid his blanket near her couch When
n .
she had d essed and cooked the beavers she gave t he

r
fines t mo sels to her husband who was thoroughly

r
,
pleased with his wife .
H ea i g a sound in the night Otter heart awoke

r n
,
-
,
and fa cied he saw his wife chewing bi ch ba k W he

n r -
r . n
he told her of t he dream i t he mo ning she did t n r no
laugh but looked very serious

, .
1 69
M YTHS OF THE A MERI CAN IN DIAN S
Tell me asked Otter hear t why did you exa
“
,
-
,
mine the beavers so closely yesterday

They were my rela t ives she eplied my cousin ,
r ,
my aunt and my g eat-uncle

”
,
r .
O t ter heart was more than ever deligh t ed for t he

-
,
otte s his totem k i a d the beavers had always bee

r
,
- n, n n
on ve y good terms H e promised never to kill a y

r . n
more beavers but only deer a d birds a d he a d his

,
n ,
n n
wife The Good lived together very happily for a long

, ,
time .
T he F i y Wi s a r ve
Once upon a time there dwelt in t he forest two

braves one of whom was called t h M oose and the
,
e
othe t he M arten M oose was a g eat hun t er and

r . r ,
never retur ed from the chase withou t a fine deer or

n
bu E lo which he would give to his old gr andmother to

a ,
prepare for cooking M arte o t h o t her ha d was . n, n e n ,
an idler and never hunted at all if he could obtain

,
food by a y o t her means Whe M oose b ought n . n r
home a tr phy of his skill in the hunt M arten would

o
repair to his f ie n d lodge d beg for a po t ion of the

r
’
s an r
meat B eing a good nat ured fellow M oose ge erally

.
-
,
n
gave him what he asked for t t h i dig atio of the ,

o e n n n
old g andmo t her who declared tha t t h lazy creature

r
,
e
had much better lear t o work for himself n .
D o not encourage his idle habi t s said she to her ”

,
grandso “
If you stop givi
n .g him foo d he will go n
”
a d hunt for himself
n .
M oose agreed with t h e old woman a d having on ,

n
his next expedition killed a bear he t old the grand ,
r o t he to hi de it so t hat M ar ten might know nothing

r
q
,
0 It .
Whe n the t ime came to cook the bear meat how -

,
ever the grandmother found that her kettle would

,
not
1 7 0
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN IN D IAN S
In the morning M oose would say “
Give me one :
of your wives “
P addle you own canoe
.
”
M arten r ,
”
would retort and the fight would begin Next morn

,
.
i g M oose would say again

n
“
Give me one of your :
” ”
wives . F ish for your own minnows t h reply ,
e
would come a d the quarrel would be continued with

,
n
tomahawks for argu ments .
Give me one of your W V C M oose persisted I S, .
S kin your own rabbits

M eanwhile t h wives of M arten had grown tired of
e
t h e perpetual skirmishing S o they made up t heir min ds

.
to run away M oose d M arten never missed them

. an
they were too busy fighting .
All day the fai y wives whose name was Weasel

r , ,
t ravelled as fas t as they could for they did not want to ,
be caught B u t when night came they lay dow on

. n
the ba ks of a stream and watched the stars shining

n
throu h the pine branches -

.
I you were a Star maiden said one and wished

-
, ,
to marry a star which one would you choose

,
”
“
I would marry that b igh t lit tle red o e said the
r n ,
”
other .
”
“
I am sure he must be a merry lit tle fellow .
“
I said h companio
,
er should like to marry tha t
n,
”
big yellow one I t hi k he must be a great warrior
. n .
And so saying she fell asleep .
T h e R ed S tar Y ll w S t
an d th e e o ar
When they awoke in t h morning the fairies fou d e n
that t heir wishes were fulfilled O n e was the wife of .
t he great yellow star and the other the wife of t h e

,
li t tle e d one
r .
This was t he work of an I dia spi it wh se duty n n r ,

o
it is t punish u faithful wives a d who had ove

o n ,
n r
heard thei remarks

r the previous igh t K nowing
on n .
that the fulfilment of th eir wishes would be the best

1 72
THE RET U RN TO EARTH
punishme t he transpo ted them t t h e St ar country
n ,
r o -
,
where they were wedded to the sta s of t heir ch ice r o .
And punishment it was for the Y ellow St ar was a fierce ,
wa rior who frightened his wife nearly u t of her

r o
wits a d the Red Star was an irritable old man a d

,
n ,
n
his wife was obliged to wait on him hand and foo t .
B efore very long the fairies found t hei life in t he r
Star country exceedingly irksome and they wished

-
,
they had never quitted their home .
Not far from their lodges was a large white stone ,
which their husbands had forbidden them to touch ,
but which thei curiosi t y one day tempted them to

r
remove F ar below they saw the Earth coun try and

.
-
,
t hey became sadder and more home sick than ever -

.
The Star husbands whose magic powers told them

-
,
t hat their wives had been disobedient were not really ,
cruel or unkind at hear t so they decided to let the ,
fairies return to earth .
“
We do not wan t wives who will not obey they ,
said so you may go to your own country if you will

,
be obedie t once n .
The fairies j oyfully promised to do whatever was

required of them if they might return home .
”
“
V ery well the stars replied
,
“
Y o u must sleep .
to night and in the morning you will wake and hear

-
,
t h e song of the Chickadee but do not open your eyes

Then you will hear the voice of the ground—
, .
squirrel ;
still you must not rise The red squirrel also you .
shall hear but the success of our scheme depends on

,
your remaining quiet Only when you hear the striped.
”
squirrel you may get up .
T he R t t E a th
e urn o r
The fairies wen t to their couch and slept but their ,
sleep was broken by impatience In the morning the .
I 73
M YTH S
OF THE A MERICAN IN D IAN S
chickadee woke them wi t h it s o g The you ger fairy s n . n
eage ly started up but t he o the d ew her back

r ,
r r .
Let us w ai t t ill we hear the st iped squi rel said r r

,
she .
Whe the red squi el s ote was he ard the you ger
n rr
’
n n
fai y could lo ge cu b her impa t ie ce She sp ang

r no n r r n . r
t oher fee t d aggi g h compa io wi t h h e They

,
r n er n n r .
had i deed reached t h Ea th cou t y bu t in a way

n e r - n r ,
that helped t hem but lit tle for t hey fou d t hemselves ,
n
i the topmost b a ches of t h e highest t ee in the

n r n r
fores t wi t h no p ospect of get ti g dow

,
r I vain t hey n n . n
called to the birds a d a imals t help t hem ; all the n n o
creatures we e too busy to pay a y a t t en t io t o t heir

r n n
pligh t At last Lox the wolve i e passed u de t he

.
,
r n
,
n r
t ree a d t hough he was t h wickedest of the animals

,
n e
the Weasels cried to him for help .
“
If you will p omise t o come to my lodge said r
,
Lox I will help you

“
,
.
”
“
We will build lodges for you cried the elder ,
fairy who had bee t hinki g of a way of escape

,
n n .
That is well said Lox I will t ake you down

,
”
.
While he was desce di g t he t ree wi t h t he you ger n n n
of t h e fairies the elder one wou d h magic hair n er
s tri g i the bra ches k o t ti g it skilfully so t ha t t h

n n n ,
n n
,
e
t ask of undoing it would be ligh t one Whe she no . n
i her tu n had bee ca ied t t h e g ou d she begged

n r n rr o r n
Lox t o retur f her hai s tri g which she said had

n or r- n , , ,
become e ta gled amo g t h e b a ches

n n n r n .
P ay do not break it
r she added fo if you do I , ,
r
”
shall have no good fortune .
T heE p f mL sc a e ro ox
Once more Lox ascended the tall pine and strove ,

‘
with t he k ots which t h e cun i g fairy had t ied

n n n .
M eanwhile the Weasels built him a wigwam They .
1 74
MYTH S OF THE A MERI CAN I ND IANS
T he Malicio us Mo ther in ' o
Law
An Oj ibway or Chippeway legend tells o f a '
hu t er who was greatly devoted to his wife As a

n .
proof of his E c ti n he prese ted her with the mos t

a e o n
delicat e morsels f om the game he killed This a oused

r . r
t h e j ealousy a d e vy of his m t her who lived wi t h

n n o
,
them and who imagined that t hese little attentio s

,
n
should be paid to h d n t to the younger woma e r, an o n
The latter quite u aware of her mother—

.
in law s at t i
’
n -
,
tude cooked d at e the gift s her h usband brought

,
an
he r B ei g a woma of a ge tle and agreeable dis

. n n n
positio who spe t most of her t ime at t ending to her

n, n
house hold du t ies and watching over her child d a an
li ttle orphan boy whom she had adopted she tried to ,
make frie ds wi t h the old dame and was grieved and

n ,
disappointed whe the lat ter would o t respo d to her

n n n
advances .
The mother in law nursed her grievance un t il it

- -
seemed of giga tic proportio s H er heart grew n n .
blacker and blacker agai s t her son s wife and at last n

’
she de t ermi ed t kill her F a t ime she could thi k

n o . or n
of no way to put her evil i tent into action but finally n

,
she hit upon a pla n .
O e day she disappeared from the lodge and retur ed

n ,
n
aft er a space looking ve y happy d good tempered r an -

.
The you ger woma was surp ised d delighted at

n n r an
the alt eration This was an agreeably diEe e t person

. r n
from the na gi g c oss grai ed old creat ure who had

n ,
r -
n
made he li e a burden The old woma repeatedly

r n
absented herself from her home aft er this re t urning ,
on each occasio with a pleased a d contented smile

n n
on her w inkled face B y a d by t he wife allowed her

r . n
cu iosity to get the better f h e a d he asked t he

r o r
,
n s
meani g of her mother-i law s happiness

n n-
’
.
1
7 6
THE D EAT H S o
WING
T he D e ath S w in g f
If you mus t know replied the old woman I , ,
have made a beautiful swin down by t h lake d e an
always when I swing on it I f

,
eel so well and happy t hat

I ca ot help s m ili g
nn n .
”
The young woman begged that she too might be

.
allowed t o e j oy the sw ng n i .
To mo row you may acco mpany me was the

- r
,
r eply B u t ext day t he old wo man had some excuse

. n ,
a d so on da af er day ill t h e curiosi t y of h e so s ’

n t t n
y , ,
r
wife was ve y keen Thus whe t h e elde woma said

r . n r n
o ne day Co me wi t h me a d I will t ake you t o t he

, ,
n
swi g Tie up yo u baby a d leave him n cha ge of

n . r n 1 r
t he o pha t h e o t her co mplied eage ly and was eady

”
r n r r
, ,
i a mome t t o go with h
n n mothe i -law er -
r n .
W he t hey reached t h sho es of t he lake they fou d

n e r n
a li t he sapling which hung over t he wa ter .
H ere my swing, said t he old c ea t ure and she ’’

18 r ,
cast aside her robe fas t ened a t ho g t o he wais t a d ,

n r n
t o the sapling and swu g f ove t h e lake Sh e

,
n ar r .
laughed so much and see m ed to fi d t he pasti me so n
pleasa t t hat her daugh t er i law was mo e a xious

n - n- r n
t ha ever t o t y it for herself

n r .
L e t me t i the t ho fo you said the old woma n n,

g e r ,
whe she had tired of sw nging H er compa ion t hrew

n i . n
o E he obe a d allowed t he leather t ho g t o be fastened

r r n n
rou d her waist W hen all was ready she was com
n .
man de d t o s wing O u t over t h water she we t

. e n
fearlessly but as she did so the jealous old mothe in

,
r-
law cut t h thong and she fell into t h lake

e
,
e .
The old c ea ture exulting over t he success of her

r ,
c ruel s cheme dressed herself her victim s clothes ’

1n
,
a d re t u ned to t h e lodge
n r B u t the baby c ied a d . r n
refused to be fed by h e a d t h e orpha boy cried t r, n n oo

,
I 77
MYTH S
OF THE A MERICAN IND IAN S
for the youn g woman had bee almos t a mother to him n
since his parents had died .
W here is t h baby s mother he asked when

e
’
some hours had passed a d she did not return n .
At the swing replied the old woman roughly

”
.
,
W he t h e hun t er re t urned f om t h chase he b ought

n r e r
with him as usual some morsels of game for his wife

, , ,
an d neve dreami g t ha t t h woman be ding over the

,
r n e n
child migh t not be she he gave the m to h The lodge ,

er .
was dark for it was eve i g d his mo t her wore t h

,
n n ,
an e
clo t hes ofhis wife d i mi tat ed her voice d moveme t s

an an n ,
so tha t his error was t surp isi g G eedily she seized no r n . r
t h te de pieces of mea t
e n d cooked
r d t the m ,
an an a e .
The heart f the li ttle o phan was so sore that he

o r
could o t sleep I the middle of the igh t he rose

n . n n
and we t t look for his fos t er mother D own by t h e

n o - .
lake he found the swing with the thong cut and he ,
k ew that she had been killed Cryi g bi t terly he

n . n ,
crept home to his couch and in the mor i g told the ,

n n
hu ter ll that he had see

n a n .
S y othi g said t h e chief but come with me

“ “ ”
a n n , ,
to hu t and i t h eve i g e tur t the shores of the

n , n e n n r n o
lake wi t h the child while I pray to M a itou t hat he ,

n
may s e nd me back my wife .
T he S ilv er G irdle
they we t o ff i search of game wi t hou t a word
So n n
to old woman nor did t hey stay t at bu t t

t he o e ,
se
out directly it was light At sunse t t hey made their .
way to t h e lake side the little orphan carrying the -

,
baby H ere the hunter blacke ed his face and prayed

. n
earnestly that the Great M anitou might send back his

wife While he prayed the orphan amused t he child
.
by singing quain t little so gs ; bu t at las t t he baby ’
g e w wea y a d hun gry and bega t cry

r r n n o .
1 7 8
MYTHS OF THE AMERICAN IN D IAN S
As for the Ot he s t hey lived lo g and happily u n
r ,
n ,
dis t urbed by t h jealousy and hatred of the m alicious

e
cro e n .
T he Maiz e S p irit
The Chippeways tell a charming story concerning the
origin of the zea maize which runs as follows ,
A lad of fourteen or fift ee dwel t with his paren t s n ,
brothers a d siste s in a beau t ifully situated lit tle

,
n r
lodge The family though poo were very happy

.
,
r,
an d co tented n The fat he was a hunter who was t

. r no
lacki g i courage d skill bu t t here we e t imes whe

n n an ,
r n
he could scarcely supply t he wa ts f his family a d n o ,

n
as one of his child en was old e ough t help him

n r n o
t hi gs we t ha dly with t hem the

n n rThe lad was f a n . o
chee ful and conte ted disposition like his fat he a d

r n
,
r, n
his great desire was to be efit his people The time n .
had come for him t observe the i itial fas t presc ibed
o n r
for all I dian boys of his age and his mother made him
n ,
a lit tle fas t i g lodge in a remote spo t whe e he migh t

n -
r
not su ffer i t errup t ion duri g his ordeal

n n .
Thi t her t he boy repaired medi t ati g on t he good ,

n
n ess of t he Grea t Spiri t who had made all t hi gs ,

n
beautiful i the fields and forest s fo t he e j oyme t of

n r n n
m an . The desire to help his fellows was st ro g upo n n
h im and he prayed that some means to that end migh t

,
be revealed t him in a dream o .
On t he t hird day of his fast he was t o o weak to

ramble thr ugh the forest and as he lay in a state
o ,
between sleepi g and waking there came toward him

n
a beautiful youth richly dressed in green robes and

, ,
wear ng 1 his head wo derful green plumes

on n .
The Great Spirit has heard your prayers said the ,
youth and his voice was like the sound of the wind
,
sighi g t hrough t h g ass

n
“
H earke to me a d you
e r . n n
1 80
THE S TRUG GLE
shall have your desire fulfilled Arise and wrestle .
”
with me .
T he S truggle
The lad obeyed Though his limbs were weak his
.
brain was clear and active and he fel t he could t ,

no
bu t obey t h soft voiced stranger

e After a lo n g sile t
- .
,
n
s truggle the la tter said

That will do for to day To morrow I shall come- .
-
”
again .
The lad lay back exhausted but on the morrow the ,
green clad s t ranger reappeared and the conflict was

-
,
renewed As the s t ruggle went on the youth felt

.
himself grow stronger and more confident and before ,
leaving him for the second time t he supernatural visitor

o Ee re d him some words of praise and encourage
me t n .
O t h e third day the youth pale and feeble was

n , ,
again summoned t o the contest As he grasped his .
oppone t the very contact seemed to give him new

n
s trength and he fought more and more bravely t ill his

, ,
li t he companion was forced to cry out that he had had

e ough Ere he took his departure the visitor told
n .
t h e lad tha t the following day would put an end to his

trials .
To morrow said he your father will bring you

-
, ,
food and tha t will help you In the evening I shall

,
.
come and wrestle wi t h you I k ow that you are . n
destined to succeed and to obtain your heart s desire ’

.
When you have thrown me strip o E my garments a d ,

n
plumes bury me where I fall and keep th e ear t h above

, ,
me moist and clean Once a mon t h let my remai s be

. n
covered with fresh earth an d you hall see me agai ,

s
”
n,
clo thed in my green garments and plumes So sayi g . n

,
he vanished .
MYTH S OF THE A MER ICAN I N D IANS
T he Fi l C t st na on e
Next day the lad s father brought him food ; the ’
you th however begged t ha t it might be set aside till

, ,
even ng Once agai n t he stranger appeared Though

i . .
he had eate nothi g the hero s s treng t h as before

n n ,
’
, ,
seemed to increase as he struggled a d at length he ,

n
threw his opponent The he s t ipped o ff his garmen t s . n r
and plumes and buried him n t he earth not wi t hout

,
1 ,
sorrow in his heart for the slaying of such a beau t iful

you t h .
H is task done he returned to his parents and soon , ,
recovered his full s t e gt h B u t he never forgo t t he r n .
grave of his frie d Not a weed was allowed t grow n . o
on it and finally he was rewarded by seeing t h gree

,
e n
plumes rise above t he earth and broaden out in t o

g aceful leaves When the autumn came he reques ted
r .
his fathe to accompany him to t he place By this

r .
t ime the plant was at t s full heigh t t all and beau t iful i , ,
with wavi g leaves and golden t assels The elder m

n . an
was filled with surp ise and admirat ion r

”
.
It 3 my friend murmured the youth the friend

1
”
“
, ,
of my dreams .
“
It is M n da m said his father the spirit s
o
“ - 1 n, ,
’
grain the gift of t h Grea t Spiri t

,
e .
”
And n t his manner was maize given to the Indians

1 .
T he S ev en B ro thers
The B lackfee t have a curious legend n explanation 1
of the co s tellation know as t h P lough or G eat

n n e r
B ear . Once t here dwelt t ogether ine children seven n ,
boys a d tw gi ls While t he six older bro t hers were

n o r .
away the war path t h elder daugh t er whose na me

on - e ,
was B earskin w oman mar ied a grizzly bear H e

-
,
r . r
at her was so e raged tha t he collec t ed his friends and

n
f
OF THE AMERI CAN IND IANS
MYTH S
Okinai caused a lake t o spri g up before her Y et n .
again she neared the brothers and sister and this time ,
O k in ai raised a great t ree into which the refugees ,
climbed The Grizzly-woman howeve succeeded in

.
,
r,
dragging four of the brothers from the tree when ,
O k in ai shot an arrow into the air Immediately his .
little sister sailed into the sky Six times more he shot .
an arrow and each time a brothe went up O kinai

,
r
,
himself following them as t he last arrow soared into the

blue Thus the orphans became s tars ; and one ca
. n
see that they took the same position i the sky as they n
had occupied in the tree for the small star at one side ,
of the bunch is Sinopa while the four who huddle ,
together at the bottom are t hose who had been dragged

from the branches by B earskin -woma n .
T he Beav er Lg d Medic in e e en
1
Two brothers dwel t together in the old time The .
elder who was named No patsis was married to a

, ,
woman who was wholly evil a d who hated his younger ,

n
brother Ak iy an D aily t h e wife pestered her husband

,
a .
to be rid of Ak aiyan but he would n o t agree to part

,
with his only brother for they had been toge t her
—
,
through long years of privatio indeed since their n

,
parents had left them together as li ttle helpless orphan

—and they were all in all t o each o ther So the wife of .
No patsis had resort to a ruse we ll known to women

whose hearts are evil One day whe her husband . n
retur ed from the chase he found her lamen t ing with

n
tor clothes and disordered appearance She told him

n .
that Ak aiyan had treated her brutally The lie en tered .
i to the heart of No patsis and made it heavy so that in

n ,
time he conceived a hatred ofhis innocent bro t her and ,

1
T he fi rst po rtio n o ft h is l e ge n d h as its e xac t c o un terp art in Egyp
t ian S e Wie de man n P opular Literatare q ncimt E t p
st o r
y e .
, gyp 45 , . .
1 8+
THE B EAVER MED ICINE LEG END
debated with himself how he should rid himself of
Ak aiy an .
S ummer arrived and with it the moul t ing season

,
when t he wild water-fowl shed their feathers with ,
which the Indians fl e dge their arrows Near No pat is s . s

’
lodge t here was a great lake to which these birds ,
resorted i large numbers and to this place t he brothers

n ,
went t o collect feathers with which to plume t heir darts .
They built a raft to enable them to reach an island in

t he middle of t h e lake making it of logs bound securely
,
with buffalo hide Embarking they sailed to the little

- .
,
island along the shores of which they walked looking

, ,
for sui t able feathers They parted in the ques t and

.
,
aft er some time Ak aiyan who had wandered far along ,
the strand suddenly looked up to see his brother on

,
the raft sailing toward the mainland H e called loudly .
to him to return but No patsis replied that he deserved

,
t o perish there because of the bru tal manner in which

he had treated his sister in law Ak aiyan solemnly - -
.
swore that he had not inj ured her in any way but ,
No patsis only j eered at him and rowed away S oon ,

.
he was lost t o sigh t and Akaiy an sat down and wept

,
bitterly H e prayed earnestly to the nature spiri t s and

.
to the sun and moon after which he felt greatly up ,
lifted Then he improvised a shelter of branches and

.
,
made a bed of feathers of the most comfortable de sc ip r
t ion
. H e lived well on the ducks and geese which
frequented t he island and made a warm robe against
,
the winter season from their skins H e was careful also .
to preserve many of the tame birds for his winter food .
One day he encountered the lodge of a beaver and ,
while he looked at it curiously he became aware of the

presence of a little beaver .
M y father desi es tha t you will e ter his dwelli g

r n n ,
said t h e animal So Akaiyan accepted the invi tatio

. n
1 85
MYTH SOF T HE AMERI CAN IN D I AN S
and e t ered t h lodge whe e the G eat B eaver at t ended
n e ,
r r ,
by his wife d family received him H e was indeed

an , .
, ,
the chief of all t he beavers a d white with t he sno ws ,

n
of cou tless winters Ak iy a told t h e B eaver how

n . a n
cruelly he had been trea t ed and the wise animal con ,
doled with him and i vited him to spend t he win t er i

,
n n
his lodge when he would learn many wond erful and

,
useful t hi gs Akaiya gratefully accepted t h e i vi t a

n . n n
t ion, and when the beavers closed up t heir lodge for the
wi t er he remained wi t h t hem They kept him warm
n .
by placi g their t hick soft tails o hisybody and t aught

n
,
n
him th e secret of the healing art the use t t obacco and ,

o ,
various ceremonial dances songs and prayers belo ging , ,

n
to t he great mystery of medici e ‘

n .
’
The summer returned and on parting t he B eave ,

r
asked Ak aiyan to choose a gift H e chose the B eave s . r

’ ’
youngest child with whom he had con t acted a stro g

,
r n
friendship but t h father prized his little o e greatly

e n ,
and would not at first permit him t go At leng th o .

,
however Great B eave gave way to Akaiy n entreaties

,
r a
’
s
and allowed him to take Little B eaver wi t h him coun ,
selli g him to cons t ruc t a sacred B eaver B undle when

n
he arrived at his at ive village n .
I due t ime N p t i came t t h island on his raft

n o a s s o e ,
and maki g sure that his bro t her was dead bega t
,
n
,
n o
search for his remains B u t while he searched Ak aiy a .

,
n
caught up Little B eaver n his arms and embarking on i ,
th e raft made for the mainland espied by N pat i

, ,
o s s .
W hen Ak aiyan arrived t his native village he t old his a
story t o t he chief gathered a B eaver B undle and com

, ,
me n ce d to t each t he people the mystery of medici e

’
‘
n ,
wi t h its accompanying so gs and dances The he n . n
i vited the chiefs of t h e animal tribes t o contrib ute

n
t heir k owledge to t h e B eave

n M edicine which many r
,
of t hem did .
1 86
MY THS
OF THE AMERICAN I N D IANS
the shadows of t he Rocky M ountains a d carefully ,
n
examined the site Soon he found a single dog sledge

.
-
track leading in t o a deep gulch near the e trance t ,

n o
which he discovered a large cave A heap of freshly .
turned earth stood in front of the cave beside which ,
was the missi g cart As he stood looking at it

n .
,
wondering what had become of the dog which had

draw it an immense grizzly bear suddenly dashed
n ,
-
out So rapid was its attack that So k u mapi had no

.
chance either t o defend himself or to take refuge in

flight The bear giving vent to t he most terrific
.
,
roars dragged him into the cave h ugging him with

, ,
such force t hat he fainted When he regained conscious .
ness it was to find the bear s g eat head within a foot ’

r
of his own and he thought that he saw a kindly and

,
almost human expression in its big brown eyes F or .
a long time he lay still until at last t his intense , ,

o
surprise the B ear broke the silence by addre ssmg him

,
in human speech .
H ave no fear said the grizzly “

I am the Great
,
.
B ear and my power is extensive

,
I know the circum .
stances o fy our search and I have drawn you to t his ,
cavern because I desired to assist you Winte is upon . r
us and you had better remain wi t h me during the cold

,
season in the course of which I will reveal to you the

,
”
secret of my supernatural power .
B ear Magic
It will be observed that the circumstances of this tale
a almost identical with those which rela t e to the
re
man er in which the B eaver M edicine was revealed to

n
mankind The hero of both stories remai s during the

. n
wi nter with the animal the chief of its species who in , ,
the period of hibernation instructs him in certain potent

mys t eries .
1 88
THE MA GIC WORK E D
HOW
The B ear having reassured So k u mapi showed him
, ,
how t o transform various substances into foo d H is .
s tra ge host slept during most of the winter but when

n
t h e warm winds of spring returned and the s n ows

melted from the hills the grizzly became restless and ,
told So k u mapi that it was time to leave t he cave B efore .
they quit t ed it however he taught the lad the secret of

, ,
his supernatural power Among other things he showed.

,
him how to make a B ear spear H e instructed him to -

.
t ake a lo n g stick to one end of which he must secure

,
a sharp poin t to symbolize the bear s tusks To the

,
’
.
t E must be attached a bear s n ose and teeth while the

’
s a ,
rest of the spear was to be covered with bear s skin ’
painted the sacred colour red The B ear also told him ,
.
to decorate the handle with eagle s feathers and grizzly ’
claws and in war-time to wea a grizzly claw in his hair

,
r
,
so that the streng t h of the Great B ear might go with

him in battle and t imitate the noise a grizzly makes
,
o
when it charges The B ear furthermore instructed him

.
what songs sho uld be used in order to heal the sick and ,
how to paint his face and body so that he would be

invulnerable in battle and lastly told him ofthe sacred
, , ,
n ature of the spear which was only to be employed in

,
warfare and for curing disease Thus if a person was .
sick unto death and a relative purchased the B ear spear

,
-
,
it supernatural power would restore the ailing man

s
to health E quipped with t his knowledge So k u mapi

.
,
returned to his people who h ad long mourned him as ,
dead After a feast had been given to celebrate his

.
home coming he began to manufacture the B ear spear

- -
as directed by his friend .
How the Magic Wo r k ed

Shortly after his return the Crows made war u pon
the B lackfeet, and o n t h e meeti n g of the two t ribes i n
189
MYTHS OF THE AMERI CAN IN D IAN S
battle So k u mapi appeared in fr t of his people carrying on
the B ear spear on his back H is face and bo dy were

- .
painted as t h Great B ea had instructed him and he

e r ,
sang the bat tle songs that the grizzly had t aught him
- .
Aft er t hese ceremonies he impe tuously charged t h e
enemy followed by all his braves i a solid phalanx

,
n ,
and such was the e fficacy of t he B ear magic t hat t h e
Crows immedia t ely took to fligh t The victorious .
B lackfeet brough t back S k u ma i to t heir camp in o
t riumph to t h e accompaniment o the B ear so gs

,
He n .
was made a war chief and ever afterward the spear -

,
which he had used was regarded as t h palladium of e
t h e B lackfoot I dia s In t he spri g t he B ear spear is

n n . n -
u rolled f om it coveri g and produced when t he first

n r s n
thu der is heard d when the B ear begins to quit his

n ,
an
wi ter qua ters bu t when the B ear returns to his d

n r en
t
o hi ber a t e the spear is o ce more rolled up a d put
n n n
away The greatest care is taken to pro t ect it agains t

.
i j ury It has a special guardian

n . d no woma is ,
an n
permitted to t ouch it .
T he Y u gDgD o n o an c e
A dance resembli g the Su D a ce was formerly n n n
known t t he P awnee I dians who called it th Y o u g

o n ,
e n
D o g D a ce I t was t hey said bor owed from t h

n .
, ,
r e
Cr who produced the following myt h t o account

e e s,
for t i .
One day a young brave of the Cree t ribe had gone

out from his village to catch eagles in order to provide ,
himself with feathers for a war bon e t or t o tie in his - n

,
hair Now the Crees caugh t eagles in t his fashion

. .
O the t o p of a hill f eque ted by these birds t hey

n r n
would dig a pit and cover it over wi t h a roof of poles ,
cu ni gly conceali g the s truc t ure wi t h grass A piece

n n n .
of meat w as faste ed to t he poles so t hat the eagles n ,

l 9o
OF THE A MERICAN IN D IAN S
MYTHS
had changed themselves into huma shape A chief n .
at t h e back of the lodge stood up and addressed him

thus
“
M y friend we have heard your prayers and our
, ,
desire is to help you Y o u see t hese people ? They .
represent the animals I am the D o g The Great . .
Spirit is very fond of dogs I have much power and .

,
my power I shall give to you so that you may be like ,
me and my spirit will always protec t you Take this

,
.
dance home t o your people and it will make t hem ,
lucky in war And he imparted the nature of the rite

.
t o the Indian by ac tion .
The D g turned from the Cree brave and his eye

o
swept the company .
T he Gift
rothers he said I have given him my power
B , ,
.
Will you n o t pity him and give him the power you
have
F or a time there was silence No one seemed dis .
posed to respond to the chief s appeal At last the O wl ’

.
rose .
“
I will help you he said to the young man ,
I .
have power t o see i t h dark wherever I may go n e .
When y o u go out at n ight I will be near you a d you ,

n
shall see as well as I do Take these feat hers and tie .
them i your hair n And giving him a bunch of .

,
fe at h e rs t h e O wl sat down
,
u .
There was a pause and the next t rise was the ,

o
B uf falo B ull who gave to t h e young Indian his strength

,
an d e dura ce a d t he power t o t rample his enemies

n n n
underfoot As a t oken he gave him a shoulder belt

.
-
of tanned bu E lo hide bidding him wear it when he

a -
,
we t on the war path

n - .
B y a d by t h e P orcupine stood up and addressed

n
I 9
2
THE ME D ICINE WOLF
t he guest Givi g him some of his quills wi t h which
. n
t o ornament t h e leather belt he said ,

“
I also will help you I ca make my enemies as . n
weak as women so that they fly before me When you

,
.
”
fight your foes shall flee and you shall overcome t hem .
A other long silence e sued and when at last t he

n n ,
Eagle rose every one listened to hear what he had to

sa
Y
I also he said maj estically will be with you
, ,
“
wherever you go and will ive you my prowess in war

so that you may kill your g
, ,
oes as I do As he spoke .
he handed to the brave some eagle feathers t o tie in his

hair .
The Whoopi g Crane followed and gave him a bone

n ,
from its wi g for a war whis tle to frighten his enemies

n -
awai
T he D eer and the B ear came next the one giving ,
him swi ftness with a rattle as token and the other

, ,
hardi ess and a strip of fur for his bel t

n ,
.
Aft er he had received these gift s from the animals

the brave lay down and fell asleep again When he .
awoke he found himself on the shores of t he lake once

more .
Re t urning home he taught the Crees the Y oung D o g

,
D ance which was to make them skilful in war and

, ,
showed them the articles he had received S t he . o
you g men formed a Socie ty of Y oung D ogs which

n
,
practised t he dance and obtained the benefits .
T he Medicin e Wo lf
A qu ai n t story of a
medicine wolf is told among the
B lackfoot Indians On one occasion when the B lack
.
fee t were movi g camp t hey were attacked by a

n
number of Crow Indians who had been lying in wait

for them The B lackfeet were t ravelling slowly in a
.
I 9S
MYTHS
OF THE A MERI CAN I ND IAN S
long s traggli g li e wi t h the old me a d t he w me
,
n n ,
n n o n
and children in t he mid dle and a ba d of wa riors in ,

n r
f ont and in t he rear The Crows as ha been said

r .
,
s
,
made an ambush for t heir enemies and rush e d out on ,
the middle por tion of t h e line B efore either par t y of .
the B lackfoo t warriors could reach t h e sce ne of the

s t ruggle many of t h women and children had perished e ,
a d others were take

n cap tive by t h e attacki g fo ce
n n r .
Amo g t h priso e s was a young woma called Si t s

n e n r n
by t he doo
- M a y weary miles lay between them
- r. n
and the Crow camp on t h Y ellows t one Rive bu t t e r, a
leng t h t h e t ired cap t ives mou t ed with thei capto s ,

n r r
on jaded horses ar ived t t heir desti at ion The,

r a n .
warrior who had t aken Si ts -by t he door prisone now - r
p
resen t ed her t o a f iend of his who tur gave
r her ,
in n
i nto the keepi g of his wife who was somewha t older

n ,
t ha her charge The young B lackfoo t woman was

n .
cruelly t reat ed by the Crow nto whose possessio she i n
had passed Every nigh t he t ied her fee t together so

.
t hat she migh t t escape and also t ied a rope ound

no ,
r
her wais t t h o t her end of which he fas t ened to his

,
e
wife The Crow woman however was not unmoved

.
, ,
by the w etchedness of her priso er While h

r n . er
husband was u t she ma aged t co verse wi t h her

o n o n
an d to show her t ha t she pi t ied h e misfo t unes One r r .
day she informed Sits by the door t ha t she had ove - - -

r
heard her husba d d his compa ions plotti g t kill

n an n n o
her bu t she added t hat when darkness fell she would

,
help her to escape When nigh t came t he Crow .
woman wai ted un t il t he deep breathi g of her hus n
band t old her that he was sound asleep the isi g n, r n
cau t iously she loose ed the ropes t hat bound her

,
n
captive a d giving her a pai of moccasins a flin t

,
n ,
r
, ,
a d a small sack of pemmican

n bade h make haste ,
er
an d escape from the fate tha t would surely befall her

1
94
MYTH S
into her lodge and related to her f iends all tha t had
,
r
befallen her in t he Crow camp and the man e of her ,

n r
escape Sh e also told them how the wolfhad befriended

.
her a d begged them to treat it kindly B u t soon

,
n .
afterward she fell ill and t h poor wolf was driven out,
e
of t he village by the Indian dogs Every evening he .
would come to the top ofa hill ove looking the camp and r
watch the lodge where Sits by-t he -door dwelt Though -

.
he was still fed by he f iends a fter a time he disappeared

r r ,
and was seen no more .

1
T h e S to ry a fa o f Sc r' ce
S car face was brave but poor

- H is parents had died .
while he was yet a boy and he had near relations ,

no .
B u t his hea t was high and he was a mighty hunter

r , .
The old men said t hat Scar face had a future before -
him but the young braves twitted him because of a

,
mark across his face left by the rendi g claw of a great

,
n
grizzly which he had slain in close fight .
The chief of his tribe possessed a beautiful daughter ,
whom all the you g men desired in marriage Scar

n .
face also had fallen in love wi t h her but he fel t ,
ashamed t declare his passion because of his poverty

o .
The maiden had already repulsed half the braves of his

tribe Why he argued should she accept him poo
.
, , ,
and disfigured as he was

One day he passed her as she sat outside her lodge
—
.
H e cast a penetrating glance at her a glance which

was observed by one of her unsuccessful suitors who ,
sneeringly remarked
S car face would marry our chief s daughter
’
- Sh e
does not desi e a man wi t hout a blemis h H a Scar
r .
,
face now is your chance I

,
1 l k
T he re ade r c an n o t fai t o disc e rn t h e stri in g re se mb an c e be t we e n l
’
l
t h is e p iso de an d t h at o fU n a and t he io n in Spe n ser s Fa erie Qat ar” .
1 96
THE S UN G O D S D ECREE !
’
Scar face turned upon the j eerer and in his qui e t

-
,
yet dignified manner remarked that it was his in t n e
t ion t o ask the chief s daughter to be his wife H is

’
.
annou ceme t me t wi t h ridicule but he took no notice

n n ,
of it and sough t the girl .
H e found her by t he river pulling rushes to make ,
baskets Ap p oaching he respectfully ad dressed her

. r ,
.
”
I am poor he said but my heart is rich in love
, ,
for you I have . wealth of furs or pemmican I

no .
live by my bow and spear I love you Will you . .
dwell wi t h me in my lodge and be my wife

’
T he S u n '
Go d s D ecree
The girl regarded him with bright shy eyes peering ,
up t hrough lashes as the morning sun peers thro u gh

the branches .
“
M y husba d would not be poor she faltered
n , ,
for my father the chief is wealthy and has abu n d

, ,
ance in his lodge B u t it has been laid upon me by

.
”
t h Su n god t ha t I may not marry
e - .
”
These are heavy words said Scar face sadly ,
- .
M ay t hey not be recalled P ”
On one conditio only replied the girl n Seek ,

.
t h e Su n god and ask him to release me from my

-
promise If he co sents to do so request him to

. n ,
remove the scar from your face as a sign t hat I may ”

k ow that he gives me to you
n .
Scar face was sad at heart for he could not believe

-
,
t ha t t h e Su n god having chosen such a beautiful

-
,
maiden for him self would renounce her B u t he gave

,
.
t h e c hief s daughter his promise that he would seek o u t

’
th god i his own brigh t country and ask him to gran t

e n
his request .
F or ma y moo s Scar face sought the home of t he

n n -
Su n go d
-
H e traversed wide pl ai s a d dense forests
. n n ,
Q 1 97
OF T HE AMERI CAN I ND IAN S
MY THS
crossed rivers and loft y mountains yet never a trace ,
of the golden gates of the dwelling of the God of

L i ht could he see
IVI any inqui ies did he make h o m the wild denizens
.
'
r
of the forest—the wolf the bear the badger B u t , ,

.
none was aware of the way to the home of the Su n
god H e asked the birds but though they flew far

.
,
they were likewise in ignorance of the road thither .
A t last he met a wolverine who told him that he had

been there himself and promised to set him on t he ,
way F or a long and weary seaso they marched

. n
onward until at length t hey came to a great water

, ,
too broad and too deep to cross I t K n; . . e a
As Scar face sat despo dent on the bank bemoan

- n
ing his case two beautiful swans advanced from the

water and reques t ing him to sit on their backs bo re
, , ,
him across in safety L anding him on the o t her side .

,
they showed him which way to take and le ft him H e .
had not walked far when he saw a bow and arrows

lying before him B u t Scar-face was pu ctilious and
. n
would not pick them up because they did not belong

to him Not lon g afterward he encountered a beauti
.
ful youth of handsome form and smiling aspect ”

.
“
I have lost a bow and arrows he said to Scar ,
face . H ave you seen them E T
Scar face told him that he had seen them a little way
-
back and t h e handsome youth praised him for his

,
honesty i not appropriating them H e further asked

n .
him where he was bou d for n .
“
I am seeking t he Su n i his home replied the n
,
Indian and I believe t hat I am not far from my

“
,
des t i atio n n .
”
“
Y o u are right replied the youth “
I am the o n
,
. s
of the Su n Apisi aht the M ,

and I will
r s,
lead you to the prese ce of my r n .
1 93
MY T HS A MERICAN I ND IANS
‘
o r T HE
t he u n sigh tl scar O n qui tt ing t he S u -cou t ry t he
, n n
god his wi th and son presented Scar-face with ma y

.
n
,
good gift s a d showed him a short rou t e by which t

,
n o
r e turn t Earth la d once more

o - n .
S car face soon eached his home

- When he sought r .
his chief s daugh t e she did n t k ow him at fi st s

’
r o n r ,
o
r ich was the gleaming at t ire h e had obtained in t h '
S u n country
-
B u t when she at las t recognized him
.
she fell upon his breas t wi t h a glad cry That same .
day she was made his wife The happy pair aised . r
a medicine lodge t o t he Su n god a d henceforth

‘ ’
-
,
n
S car face was called Smooth face

- - .
T he L g d fP e en o
’ ‘
o1a
A variant of t his beautiful story as follows 18
O e summer mor ing a beau t iful girl called F eather

n n
woman who had bee sleepi g ou t side her lodge

,
n n
among the long prairie grass awoke j us t as t h ,

e
M orni g S t ar was risi g above t h e horizon Sh e gazed

n n .
i ten tly at it and so beau t iful did it seem that she fell
n
,
deeply i love wi t h it She awakened her sister who

n .
,
was lyi g beside he and declared t her t hat she would

n r, o
marry nobody but the M or ing Star The people of n .
h e t ribe ridiculed her because of wha t t hey co sidered

r n
her abs urd preference ; so she avoided them as much

as possible and wandered alo e eating her heart ut
,
n ,
o
i secret for love of t he M orning Sta who seemed to

n r
,
her u napproachable .
One day she went alone t the river for water and o
,
as she returned she behe ld a young man standing

before her At first she took him for e of t h
. on e
young men of the tribe d would have avoided him ,

an ,
but he said
“
I am the M or i g St ar I beheld you azing u p n n
ward at me and knew th at you lo ve d me gretur ed

.
. n
,
z oo
THE G REAT T U RNI P
your love d have descended t ask you to go wi t h
,
an o
m t my dwelling n t h e sky
e o i .
F eather woman trembled violently for she knew

-
,
t ha t he who spoke to her was a god and replied ,
hesi ta tingly that she must bid fa ewell to her father r
an d mo t he B u t t his M orni g Star would not per

r. n
mit .H e t ook a rich yellow plum f om his hair and e r
direc ted her t o hold this n one hand while she held i ,
a j unip e bra ch n the o t her The he commanded

r n i . n
her to clo se he eyes a d when she opened them again

r ,
n
she was in the S ky cou try s tandi n g before a grea t - n

,
and shining lod e M orning Star t old her that t his

g
.
was the home 0 ‘ his parents t he S u n and M oon a d , ,

n
requested her to en t er I t was daytime so that t he .

,
S u was away on his diurnal round bu t the M oon

n ,
was t home S h e welcomed F eather woman as t he

a .
-
wife f her son as did the Su n himself when he re

o ,
t ur ed n The M oo clo t hed her in a soft robe of

. n
buckskin t rimmed with elks teeth F eather woman

,
’
.
-
was very happy and dwelt conten t edly in the lodge o r

,
M o rning S tar They had a little son whom they

.
,
called St ar boy The M oon gave F eather-woman a

-
.
root-dig er a d t old her that she could dig up all

n
kinds froots but warned her on no account to dig

,
o ,
u t h e large tur ip which grew near the home of the

n
p
Spider M n telli g her t hat t would bring un happiness
a ,
n I
to all ? them if she did so

”
T he Great Tu ip rn
F eat her woman oft en saw the large turnip but

-
,
always avoided touching it One day however her .

, ,
curiosity got t he better of her and she was t empted ,
to se what migh t be underneath it S he laid her

e .
t h ground and dug u til h

on eroot digger n er -
t Two large cranes came flying o verhead

. .
zor
MYTHS OF THE A MERICAN I N D I ANS
S h begged t hese t help her
e They did so and sang
o .
,
a magic song which enabled them to uproot the turnip .
Now altho ugh she was unaware of it t his very

, ,
t ur ip filled up t h e hole through which M or ing S tar

n n
had brought her i to the Sky coun try Gazing down

n -
.
ward she saw t he camp of the B lackfeet where she had

,
lived The smoke was asce ding f om t he lodges she

. n r ,
could hear the song of the women as they went abou t

t heir work The sight made her homesick and lonely
.
,
and as she wen t back to her lodge she cried softly

to herself W hen she arrived M orning Star gazed
.
earnes tly at her and said wi t h a sorrowful expres

,
sio of countena ce
n
“
Y u have dug up t he sacred
n : o
tu n p
r i .
The M oon and S u n were also t roub led and asked ,
her t he meaning of her sadness and when she had ,
t old them they said t hat as she had disobeyed their

inj unction she mus t return to earth M orning Star .
took her to t he Spider M an who let her down to earth ,
by a web and the people beheld her coming to earth

,
like a falling star .
T he R E th
e turn to ar
Sh was welcomed by her paren t s and re t urned wi t h

e ,
her chil d whom she had brough t with her from t h e

,
S ky country to the home of her youth

-
,
B u t happi .
ness never came back to her Sh e mourned ceaselessly .
for her husband and one morning climbing to the

’
, ,
summit of a high mound she watched the beautiful ,
M orning Star rise above the horizon j ust as the ,

on
day when she had firs t loved him Stretching out her .
arms to the eastern sky she besough t him passionately ,
to take her back At leng th he spoke to her

. .
I t is because of your own sin he said tha t you

“ “ ”
, ,
are for eve shut out from th e Sky -country Your

r .
20 2
MYTH S OF THE AMERI CAN IN D IAN S
day On the third day when the Su n was sinking
s .
,
behind the rim of the ocean he saw a bright pathway ,
leadi g s traight t o t h e abode of the Su n H e resolved

n .
to follow the shi ing trail though he knew not wha t n ,
might lie before him in t h g eat Sky country H e e r -

.
arrived qui t e safely however at t he wonderful lodge , ,
of the Su n All ight he hid himself outside the lodge

. n ,
and in the mo ning t he S u n who was about to begin

r ,
his daily j ourney saw a agged wayfa er lying by his ,

r r
door H e did not k ow t ha t the intruder was his

. n
grandso but seeing t hat he had come from the Ear t h

n, ,
coun try he de t ermined to kill him and said so t o his

, ,
wife t h e M oon B ut she begged that the s tranger s

,
.
’
life should be spared and M or ing Star who at tha t ,

n
,
momen t issued f om the lodge also gave P oia his r ,
p otec tion P o ia lived very happily in the lo dge of the

r .
’
S u n and having on one occasion killed seven birds

,
who were about to destroy M or ing Sta he earned n r,
t he g atitude of his grandparents

r At the reques t of .
M orning St ar t he S u n removed the scar on P i face

’
o a s ,
a d bade him re t urn with a message to the B lackfeet

n .
If t hey would honour him once a year in a S u n D ance

he would conse t to heal thei sick The sec ets of n r . r
the S un D a ce we e t aught t P ota t wo rave s feathers

n r o
,
n
’
were placed in his hair and he was give a robe of ,

n
elk skin The latte he was t old mus t o ly be worn

-
. r
, ,
n
by a virtuo u s woman who should then dance the Su n ,
D ance so t hat the sick might be restored t o health

,
.
F om his father P o ta received an enchanted flute and a

r
’
magic song which would win the heart of the maid he

,
loved .
P o ia came t earth by the M ilky Way o as the

'
o r,
,
I dia s call it t he W olf trail a d communicated to the

n n ,
-
,
n
B lackfeet all t hat he had lear ed i t h Sk y country n n e - .
W hen t hey were thoroughly conversant with the Su n

204
A BLACK FOOT D AY A ND NI G HT MYTH ”
f I
D a ce he retu ned t t h S k y country t he h m e of his

n r o e -
,
o
fa ther acco mpa ied by his beautiful bride H ere t hey

,
n .
dwelt together happily and P ota and the M orning Star ,
t avelled together through the sky

r .
A B lac kfo o t D ay '

an d'
Night My th
M any stories are t old by t he B lackfoot India s of n
t hei rcreat or Napi and these chiefly relate t t h

, , o e
ma ner in which he made the world and its i habitants

n n .
O
.
myth connec t ed with this deity tells how a poor
ne
I dia who had a wife and two children lived in t he

n n
greatest i digence on roots a d berries This m had

n n . an
a d eam in which he heard a voice command him t

r o
procure a large spider web which he was to hang on -

,
the t rail of the animals where they passed th ou h t h r e
fores t by which means he would obtai plenty 0 food

,
n .
This he did and on retur ing t o the place in which he

,
n
had hung t h web he fo u d deer a d rabbits entanglede n n
in it m gi al me she These he killed for food for

i
’
"
s a c s .
,
which he was w never at a loss no .
Returni g with his game on his shoulders one

n
morning he discovered his wife perfumi g herself wi t h

,
n
swee t pine which she burned over t he fire H e sus

,
.
ec t e d that she was thus making herself attrac t ive for

p
t h benefit of some one else but preserving silence he
e , , ,
told her that on the followi g day he would set his n
s pider web at a greater dista ce as t he game in t he

-
n ,
n eighbouring forest was begin ing to know the t ap too n r
well Accordingly he went farther afield and caugh t ,
a deer which he c ut up carrying par t of it s meat back

, ,
with him to his lodge H e told his wife where the .
r emainde of the carcass was to be found and asked

r
,
her to go and fetch it .
H is wife howev er was not wi thou t her own sus

, ,
p ic io n and s concluding
,
that she was being
,
watched by
20 5
MYTH S OF T HE A MERICAN IN D IAN S
her husband she halted at t he top of t h e nearest hill
,
and looke d back to see if he was following her B u t .
he was sit ting where she had left him so she proceeded ,
on her way When she was quite out of sight the

.
I ndian himself climbed t he hill and seeing that she , ,
was not i the vici i ty returned to t he camp H e

n n
,
.
inquired of his children where their mother went t o

gather firewood and t hey pointed to a large patch of
,
dead timber P roceeding to the clump of leafless

.
trees the man instituted a t horough search and after a

, ,
while discovered a den of rattlesnakes Now it was .
one of these reptiles with which his wife was in love so ,
the Indian i his wrath gathered fragments of dry wood

n
and set t he whole plantation in a blaze Then he .
r e t urned t his lodge and told his children what he had

o
done at the same time warning them that their mother

,
would be very wrathful and would probably attempt t o ,
kill them all H e further said that he would wait for

.
her return but that they had bet t er run away and that
, ,
he would provide them with three things which they

would find of use H e the handed t o the children a
. n
stick a s t one and a bunch of moss which they were to

, , ,
t hrow behind them should t heir mother pursue them .
The children at once ran away and their fa ther hung , ,
th e spi der-web over the door of the lodge M ean .
while the woman had seen the blaze made by the dry
timber patch from a considerable distance and in great
-
,
a ger turned and ran back to the lodge Attempting

n .
to enter it she was at once entangled in the meshes of

,
the spider web - .
H ad
T he Pursuin g e
Sh struggled violently however and succeeded i

e , , n
getting t through t h e opening whereupon her ,
husband severed it from her shoul ders with his stone

z oo
MYTH S
interval t hey obse ved it rolling aft er t hem evidently
,
r
,
as f esh as ever The child who had the bu ch of

r . n
moss o w w e t it and wru g out t he water over t hei

n n r
trail a d immediately an imme se strait separated

,
n n
t hem from t he la d where they had been but a momen t

n
before The head unable to s top fell into t his great

.
, ,
wa t er a d was drow ed
n n .
The childre seei g that their danger was past

n, n ,
made a raft and sailed back to the land f om which t hey r
had co me Arrived the e they j ourneyed eas tward

. r ,
t hrough ma y countries peopled by m a y diEe e n t

n ,
n r
t ibes of I dia s in o der t o reach their own territory

r n n ,
r .
W hen they a rived t here t hey fou d it occupied by

r n
t ribes unknown to t hem so t hey resolved to se arate , ,
one going or t h and t he o t her south O n e 0 them

n .
was shrewd d clever and t he other simple and

an ,
i ge ious The shrewd boy 5 he who made the white

n n . 1
people and instruc t ed t hem n their arts The o t her i .

,
t he simple boy made the B lackfeet bu t being very

, , ,
s t upid was unable to teach them any t hi g H e it was

,
n .
who was called Napi As for t he mother s body it .

’
continued to chase her husband and S still following ,

I
him for she the M oo and he is the Su n If she

,
15 n .
succeeds in catching him she will slay him and nigh t ,
will reig for evermore but as long as he is able to

n ,
evade her day and night will continue to follow one

another .
Napi d th B uffal S t l
an e o' ea er
There was once a great famine among t he B lackfeet .
Fo mo ths no bu Ealo e were killed and the weaker

r n s
,
members of the tribe dropped o ff one by one while ,
even t he s trong braves a d hunters bega to sink under n n
the p ivat io The chief n despai prayed t ha t t h

c ea tor Napi w
r n . 1 r e
r ould send t hem food Napi mean

, ,
.
,
20 8
NAPI AND T HE B UFFALO S T EA LER '
while was f away i t he s u t aint i g the plumage

of t he birds in gorgeous ti t s t e v th le ss he heard
ar n o n
,
n . er e
t he voice of the chief over all t he distance and has t e ed ,

n
northward .
Wh has summoned me o he dema ded n .
“
I t was I said the chief humbly ,
” “
M y people .
a re starvi g and u less relief comes soo I fear we

n ,
”
n n
mus t all perish .
“
Y u shall have food
o a swered Napi I will ,
n .
p ovide game for you

r .
”
Taking wi t h him t he chief s o Napi travelled ’

s n,
t oward t he west As they went the youth prayed .
ear estly to the Su n the M oon and t he M orning

n , ,
S t ar bu t his companion rebuked his impa t ie ce and

,
n
bade him hold his peace They crossed t h e Sweet .
G rass H ills which N api had made from huge ha ndfuls

,
of herbage and where he loved to rest Still t here

,
.
was sig of game At leng t h they reached a li tt le

no n .
lodge by the side of a river and Napi called a halt , .
There dwells the cause of y ur misfortunes said o

,
he . H e who lives in t hat lodge is the B u E l steale a o -

r .
H e it is who has t aken all the herds from t he p airies ”

r ,
so that t here is none left .
To further his desig Napi t ook t he shape of a dog n,

,
a d turned t h e o u t h i t o a stick Not long aft erward

' n
fB uEal stealer was passing t hat way

n .
t h e li t tle son o o-
,
a d immediately desired to take t he li ttle dog home

n
wi t h him .
Very well said his mother t ake t hat stick and

,
drive it to t h lodge e .
B u t the boy s fa t her frowned angrily

’
.
I do n t like the look of the beas t he said Se d

lit away
o ,
. n
”
.
The boy refused to part with the dog and his mother ,
wa ted the stick t o gather roots with o the father w

n ,
s as
MYTH S OF THE AMERI CAN IN D IANS
obliged t give way S till he did not show a y good
o . n
will to the dog The following day he went u t of. o
the lodge and in a shor t time retur ed wi t h a bu Eal

,
n o,
which he skinned a d prepared for cooki g H is wife n n .

,
who was i the woods gathering berries came home

n ,
towa d evening and at her husba d s bidding cooked

r ,
n
’
part of the bu E lo meat The little boy incurred his

a - .
father s anger again by giving a piece of meat to the dog

’
”
.
H ave I not told you cried B u Eal -stealer irately ,

o
”
,
that he is an evil thing D o not touch him .
That night when all was silent Napi and the chief s ’
son resumed their human form aiid supped o E the

bu Ealo meat - .
“
It is B u Ealo stealer who keeps t he herds f om - r
comi g ear the B lackfoot camp said Napi

n n
“
Wait ”
, .
till morning and see .
T he H ds f B uff l S t l
er o a of ea er
I the morni g they were once more dog and stick

n n .
When the woman and her child awoke they set E for o
the woods agai t he former taking the stick t dig for

n, o
roots t h lat ter calli g for his lit tle dog to accompany
,
e n
him Alas when they reached t he spot they had ;
—
.
fixed upon for root gathering operat io s both dog and n
s t ick had vanished And this was the reason for t heir
disappea a ce As the dog was trotting t hrough t h
r n . e
wood he had observed an openi g like the mouth of a n
caver all but concealed by t he t hick undergrowth d

n
, ,
an
in t he aperture he perceived a bu E lo H is shor t a .

,
sharp barking attracted the atte tion of the stick which n ,
promptly wriggled snake wise aft er him Wi t hi the -

. n
cavern were great herds of deer a d bu E l enough to n a o,
provide the B lackfeet with food for years and years .
Napi ran among them barking and they were driven , ,
u t t o the rairie
o
p .
z io
MYTHS OF THE A MERICAN IN D IANS
H is piteous appeals moved t h heart of Napi and e ,
he let him go but not wi t hout an admonition

Go said he and hunt for food that you may
.
,
”
, , ,
support your wife and child B u t do not take more .
tha you need or you shall die

n ,
.
The bird did as he was bidden B u t t this day the . o
fea thers of t he raven are black and t grey ,

no .
T h e S to ry o f K uto y is
There once lived on the banks of t h M issouri a e n
old couple who had one daughter their only child ,

.
W hen she grew to be a woman she had a sui t or who

was cruel and ove bearing but as she loved him h r ,
er
pa ents Ee e d no oppositio to their marriage I deed

r o r n . n
,
t hey gave t h e bride t h e best part of t hei possessions r
for a dowry so tha t she and her husband were rich

, ,
while her father a d mother lived in a poor lodge andn
had very little to eat The wicked son -in law took .
-
adva tage of t heir ki dness in every way H e forced

n n .
t h e old ma t accompany him on his hunti g expedi

n o n
t io s a d t hen efused t o share t h e game wi t h h im

n
,
n r .
Sometimes would kill a bu Eal and some t imes the

o ne o
o t her bu t always it w s t h e younger m who g t t h

,
a an o e
bes t of t he mea t and who made himself robes an d

moccasins from t he hide .
Thus t h aged couple were nearly perishi g from

e n
cold d hu ge Only when he husba d was out

an n r . r n
hu t i g would t he daugh t e ven ture t carry a morsel

n n r o
of mea t to her parents .
O n one occasio t he younger man called i his n n
overbearing way t his father in law bidding him help o - -

,
i a bu E lo hunt
n The old man reduce d by wa t
a - .
, n
al most t a skeleto was t o much a fraid of the tyran t

o n, o
to venture to disobey him so he accompanied him i , n
t h e cha se Ere lon g they encountered a fine bu E l

. a o
,
an
HOW K UT OY I S ORN WAS B
whereupon bo th drew t heir bows and fired B u t it was .
the arrow of the elder man which pierced the animal and
b ough t it t o the round The old man set himself to
s k i the bu E l F
r .
n o r his son -in -law never shared in these

a o,
tasks but left them to his companion W hile he was thus

,
.
engaged the latte observed a drop of blood on one of his

r
a rows which had falle t the ground

r n o .
Thinking that eve a d op of blood was bette than

n r r
nothing he replaced the arrow in its quiver and e t

,
s
o E home As it happened no mo e f the bu Ealo

.
,
r o
t han t hat fell t o his share the rest being appropria t ed

,
by his son in law - - .
On his return the old man called to his wife to heap

fuel on the fire and put on the kettle She thinking .
,
he had brought home some bu E l meat has t ened to a o- ,
do his bidding She waited curiously t ill the wat e in

. r
the kettle had boiled ; t hen to her surprise she saw him
place in it an arrow with a drop of blood on it .
Ho w K uto y is w as B o rn
Why do you do that she asked .
Something will come of it he replied “

My ,
”
.
”
spirit tells me so .
They waited in silence .
Then a strange sound was heard in their lonely little

lodge—the cryi g of a child H alf fearfully h lf
n .
,
a
curiously the old couple lift ed the lid of the kettle

, ,
and t here wi t hi was a litt le baby boy

n .
H e shall bring us good luck said the old Indian .
—
,
They called the child Ku t y is t hat is D rop of o

‘
B lood —
,
and wrapped him up as is customary with

Indian babies .
“
L et us tell our son in law said the old man - -
, ,
“
that it is a little girl and he will let it live I f we
,
.
say it is a boy he will surely ki ll it .
P 21 3
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN I ND IANS
K u to y is became a great favourite in t h little lodge e
to which he had come H e was always laughing d .

,
an
his merrimen t won t h e hearts of the old people O n e .
day while they thought him much t o young to speak

,
o ,
they were as t onished to hear his voice .
Lash me up a d hang me from the lodge pole n ,

”
said he and I shall become a m
“
,
an .
W hen t hey had recovered from their astonishment

they lashed him to the lodge pole In a moment he .
had burst the lashings and grown before their eyes i to n
a tall strong man L ooking round the lodge which

,
.
,
seemed scarcely large enough to hold him K u to yi ,

s
perceived t hat there was no food about ”

.
“
Give me some arrows said he and I will bring
‘
”
“
, ,
you food .
W have no arrows replied the old man only

e , ,
”
four arrow heads - .
K u t o y is fetched some wood from which he cut a ,
t fine bow and shafts to fit the flint arrow heads

,
He -
.
begged the old Indian to lead him to a good hunting

ground and when he had done so they quickly killed
,
a magnificent bu Ealo .
M eanwhile the old Indian had told K u to y is how

badly his son i l w had treated him and as they were
- nf a ,
skinning the buEalo who should pass by but the subj ec t

of th ei r EEnv e rsat io n K u to y i hid behi d the dead
“
. s n
animal to see what would happen and a moment later ,
the angry voice of the son in law was heard - -

.
Get t ing no reply the cowardly hunter fitted an arrow

,
to his bow and shot it at his fat her in law E nraged at - -

.
the cruel act K u to y is rose from his hiding place behind

t h e dead bu f
,
falo and fired all his arrows at the young

man whom he slew H e afte rward gave foo d i n
, .
plenty to the old man and his wife and bade them ,
return to their home T hey were delighted to find .
21
4
MYTHS OF THE AMERI CAN I N D IAN S
them and very soon the bears were slain Still he
,
.
was unsatisfied a d longed for further adventures

,
n .
“
Tell me said he where shall I find another
,
“
,
village
T he Wrestling Wo man
There is a village by the B ig River said the old ,
wome “
n, but you mus t not go there fo a wicked ,
r
woman dwells in it who wrestles with and slays all

”
who approach .
No sooner did K u to y is hear this than he determined

to seek the village fo his mission was to destroy evil
,
r
bei gs who were a danger to his fellow men So in

n - .
spite of the dissuasions of the old women he departed .
As he had bee warned the woman came out of her

n ,
lodge on the approach of the stranger and i vited him n
to wrestle wi t h her .
“
I cannot said he pretending to be frightened
, , .
The woman mocked and j eered at him while he ,
made various excuses but all the time he was observing

,
how t h e la d lay When he drew neare he saw that

n . r
she had covered t h ground with h rp fl in ts over which

e s a n ,
she had strewn grass At last he said “

V ery well I
.
,
will wrestle with you .
It was no wonder t ha t she had killed many braves ,
for she was very strong B u t Ku to y is was still stronger

. .
W ith all her skill she could n o t throw him and at last ,
she grew tired and was herself thrown on the sharp

,
fli ts on which she bled to deat h The people rejoiced

n ,
.
g reatly when they heard of her death and K ut

y i ,
o s
was universally acclaimed as a hero .
K u t o y is did many other high deeds before he de

parted to the S hadowland and when he we t he left ,
n
sorrow in many l o dges .
21 6
CHA P T ER IV I R OQUOIS MYT HS
AND LEGEND S
I ro q uo is G ods H an d eroes
H E myth s of the Iroquois are of exceptional

interest because of t he portraits they prese t n
of several semi -his t orical heroes The earliest .
substratum of the myths of this people deals with the

adventu es oftheir principal deity H i u n t h Thunder
r ,
’
n ,
e
god who wi t h his brother the West Wind finally

, , , ,
overcame and exterminated the powerful race of Stone

G iants . Comi g to a later period we find t hat a
n ,
number of legends cluster rou d t he names of the n
chiefs At o tarho and H iawatha who in all probabili t y ,
at one time really existed These presen t a good i . n
s t ance o f t he rapidity with which myth gathers round a

‘
famous name Ato tarho the mighty warrior is now

.
, ,
regarded as the wizard p r xc llenc of the Iroquois a e e e ,
but probably this does not result f om the fact that r
he was cunni g and cruel as some writers on the tribe

n ,
appear to think but from the circumstance that as a

,
great warrior he was clothed in a garment of serpe t s n ,
and these reptiles besides bei g looked upon as powerful

,
n
war physic also possessed a deep magical sig ificance

-
,
n .
The original H iawatha H e who seeks the Wampu m

belt) is pictured as t he ather of a long line of persons
of the same name who appear to have been impo ta t
,
r n
functio aries in the tribal government

n To him was .
asc ibed t h e honour of having established t he great

r
confede cy of the Iroquois which so long re dered

ra
,
n
t hem formidable opponents to the tribes which u s r
rou ded t hem Like many other heroes in myth

n
t he Cel t ic M a a an for example—H iawatha possessed

.
n n
,
a magic canoe which would obey his sligh t es t behes t ,
and in which he finally quitted t h e te restrial sphe e r r
21 7
MYTH S
for that shadowy region to which all heroes finally take
their departure .
Hi n un
’
M a n y interesting
myths are related of the ma ner in n
which H i u n destroyed the mo sters a d giants which

’
n n n
i fested the early world A hunter caugh t in a heavy

n .
thunder—
,
shower took refuge in the woods Crouch

,
.
i g under t h e shelter of a g eat tree he became aware

n r ,
of a mysterious voice which urged him t follow it o .
H e was conscious of a sensation of slowly rising f om r
t h e ear t h a d he soon found himself gazin downward

from a point ear t h clouds t he height 0 ?many trees
,
n
n e ,
f om t h grou d H e was surrounded by bei gs who

r e n . n
h ad all the appeara ce of m e wi t h one among them

n n,
who seemed t o be t hei chief They asked him to cast r .
his eyes toward t he earth a d tell them whether he n
could see a huge water serpent U nable to descry - .
such a mons t er the chief anointed his eyes with a

,
sac ed oin t me t which gave him super at ural sight

r n ,
n
a d permit t ed him to behold a dragon like shape i

n -
n
the wate y depths far below him The chief com

r .
m de d one of his warriors to dispatch t h e monster

an
,
bu t arrow aft er arrow failed t o t fix it whereupo ran s

,
n
th e hun t er was requested to display his skill as a n
arche D rawing his bow he t ook careful aim The

r.
,
.
a row whizzed down the depths and was speedily

r
lost to sigh t but a t errible commotion arose i the

,
n
lake below the body of the great serpent leapi g from

,
n
t h e blood stained water wi t h dreadful w i t hings a d

- r n
co tortio s So appalli g was the din t hat rose up

n n . n
to them t hat even t he heavenly beings by whom the

hunter was surrounded fell in t o a great trembli g ; n
but gradually t h e tempest of sound subsided d the ,

a n
huge bulk of the mortally wounded se pen t sank back r
21 8
OF THE AMERI CAN I ND IAN S
MYTH S
atten t io from t he m in his dying moments and honour
n
able burial The unfortu ate man s aged mother was

. n
’
prostrate with g ief at t he sad news but was somewhat

r
,
r elieved to think that her son had been ki dly ministered n
t o at the end .
When t he brave who had been t hrown into the pit

regai ed his senses afte the severe fall he had sustained
n r
he perceived a ma of venerable aspect bendi g over n n
him solicitously W he t his perso saw that t h e . n n
you g man had regained consciousness he asked him

n
what had bee the intention of his comrades in son
cruelly cas t ing him into t hat abyss The you g ma . n n
replied t hat his fellows had become tired of carry

i g him a d had thus rid t he m selves of him
n n The
— —
.
old hermi t fo so he seemed to be made a has ty r
exami ation of the Indian s inj uries and a nounced

n
’
,
n
that he would speedily cure him on one co n di tion ,

.
The other pledged his word to accept this whateve ,

r
it m ight be whereupon the recluse told him t hat all he

,
r equired was t hat he should hunt for him and bri g n
ho m e t him such game as he sho uld slay To t his the

o .
b ave gave a ready assent The old ma lost n time

r . n o
in pe formi g his par t f t h bargai

r n H e applied o e n .
herbs to his inj u ies ! d assiduously t ended his gues t

r an
,
who made a speedy and satisfact ory recovery The .
g ateful warrior o ce more e abled to follow the

r
,
n n
chase brought home many trophies of his skill as a

,
hu ter to the cave on t he m un tain side a d soon t h

n o -
,
n e
pair had fo med a stro g at tachme t One day whe

r n n .
,
n
in th fores t the wa ior e countered a eno m ous

e ,
rr n n r
bear which he succeeded i slaying after a despe at e

,
n r
struggle As he was po de i g how bes t he could

. n r n
r emove it t t h cave he became aware of a murmur of

o e
voices behi d him a d gla ci g r und he saw th ee

n ,
n n n o r
men or beings i the shape of m clad in st ange

,
n e n, r
2 20
THE THU ND ERE RS
diaphanous garments standing near I reply to his ,
. n
ques t io as to what brought t hem t here they t old him

n ,
that t hey were t he Thunderers or people of H i n u n ,

’
whose mission it was to keep t h ear t h i good order e n
for t he benefit of huma ity and to slay or destroy n ,
every agency inimical to manki d They t old him that n .
the old man wi th whom he had bee residing was by no n
means the sor t of person he seemed to thi k a d that n ,

n
they had come to earth with t he express i t e tion of n n
compassi g his destructio I this t hey eques t ed his

n n. n r
assistance and promised him that if he would vouchsafe

,
it he would speedily be transported back t his mother s o

’
lodge Overj oyed at this proposal t h e hunter did t

.
,
no
scruple to return to the cave d tell t he hermit t hat an
he had killed the bear which he wished his help in ,
bringing home The old man seemed very uneasy .

,
a d begged him
n to examine the sky and tell him
whether he perceived the least sig of clouds The n .
you g brave reassured him and told him that not a

n
cloud was to be seen whereupon emergi g from his , ,

n
shel t er he made for the spot where th e bear was

,
lying H astily picki g up t h e carcass he requested

. n ,
his compa io to place it all on his shoulders which

n n ,
th you g man did expressi g surprise at his great

e n
,
n
streng th H e had p oceeded with his burden for some

. r
dis ta ce when a terrific clap of t hunder burst from t h e

n
menaci g black clouds which had speedily gathered

n
o ve head In great terror the old man t hrew down his

r .
load and commenced to ru with an agility which belied n
his years but when a second peal broke forth he

,
suddenly assumed t h shape of a giga t ic porcupine e n

,
which dashed t hrough t h u derg owth discharging e n r ,
it quills like arrows as it ran

s A veri table hail f . o
t hunderbolts now crashed dow upon the c eature s ’

n r
spiny b rick As it eached the en t rance to the cave

. r
2 21
MYTH SOF THE AMERICA N IND IAN S
one larger than the rest struck it with such tremendous
force that it rolled dead into its den .
Then the Thunderers swooped dow from the sky n
i triumph mightily pleased at the death of thei

n
,
r
victim The young hu ter now requested them to

. n
discharge the promise they had made him to transport

him back to his mother s lodge ; so having fas t ened ’
c lo ud win
_
; g on his shoulders
s they speedily brought ,
him t h t he r carrying him carefully t hrough the air a d

1
,
n
depositing him j ust outside t he hut The widow was .
delighted to see her so n wh o m sh had believed t o be ’
,
"
e
lo g dead a d the Thunderers were so pleased wi t h

n
,
n
t h e assista ce he had lent them that t hey asked him to

n
accompany them i their monster-destroyi g missio n n n
every spri g H e asse ted and o o e of t hese e xp

n . n ,
n n e
dit io n flew earthward to drink from a cer t ai po l

s n o .
When he rej oi ed his companio s they observed that

n n
the water with which his lips were moist had caused
them to shine as ifsmeared with oil At their request .
he in dicate d fh e p5 6 l J ET Wh ic h he had dru k and

-
,
' i
n ,
they informed him that i its depths there dwel t a n
monste for which they had searched for years Wi t h

r .
t ha t t hey hurled a great thu derbolt i to the pool n n ,
which immediately dried up revealing an immense ,
w t
) of the species which destroys the sta ding crops n .
The monster was indeed the K i ng of Grubs and his 1

‘
, , ,
death set back the conspiracies of his kind for many

generations The youth subseque tly returned to
. n
earth d having narrated t o the membe s of his tribe

,
a n r
the services which H i n u n had performed on their ’
behalf the considered it fitting to institute a special

,
worship 0 the deity and i fact to make him supreme , ,

n ,
god of their nation Even to day many Iroquois allude

.
-
t o H i n u n as their grandfather and evince extraordi ary

’
,
n
veneration at the me tion of his name n .
222
MYTHS OF T HE AMERI CAN I ND IAN S
to have co me together in the sixteenth century it ,
follows that H iawatha must have lived and worked

about that t ime I later days t h e League was called
. n
t h e Six Nations and still more rece tly the Seven

,
n
Nations .
Whe the Iroquois or Lo g H ouse P eople were

n ,
‘
n ,
’
found by t he F ench a d D u t ch they occupied t he

r n
western par t of what is now New Y ork Stat e d were ,

a n
at a much more adva ced stage of culture tha mos t of n n
t h e I dian t ribes
n They t illed t he grou d cul t ivat i g
. n ,
n
maize and tobacco and were skilled i the arts of war ,

n
and diplomacy They we e greatly streng thened by

. r
t h e G ra d League or K y e e n h K owa which as

’
‘
n ,
a an r , ,
has been said was founded by the chief H iawa tha and
, ,
were much the most important of the North American

tribes .
If we look to tradition for an account of the origi n
of t h Grand League we learn that the u n ion was

e ,
e Ee t d by H iawatha in the fourteenth ce tury

c e The n .
H urons a d Iroquois we are told were at one time o e

n
, ,
n
people bu t late they separated the H urons goi g to

,
r ,
n
t h e lake which is named after t hem and t h e Iroquois ,
to New Y ork where their five tribes were united u der

,
n
a Ge eral Council B u t tradi t io is qui t e evidently

n . n
wro g in assigni g so ea ly a dat e to t his impor tant

n n r
eve t for e of the two branches of t h e Iroquois

n ,
on
family (tha t which comprises t he M ohawks a d the n
O eidas) has left bu t few t races of an early occupatio

n n,
and t hese in the shape of s me ld town si t es are

,
o o -
,
j udged t o belo g to the lat t er part o f the sixteen t h

n
cen t ury .
The early connexion betwee the Iroquois and t he n
H uro s n d t heir subsequen t separa t io

,
an remai s n, n
u dispu t ed The Iroquois family was divided i n t o

n .
two branches the Si n k e (Ono dagas Cayugas and

,
n e s n , ,
22
4
HI AWATHA
S enecas ) and the Can ie n gas (M ohawks and Oneidas ) ,
of which th e subdivisio s composed t he F ive Nations n .
The S in ne k had established themselves in the western

es
portio of New Y ork and the Can ie ng at H ochelaga

n
,
as
( M ont eal ) and

r elsewhere on the S t Lawrence where .
,
t hey lived amicably enough wi t h their Algonquin neigh

bours B u t in 1 5 60 a quarrel arose between the
.
C n ie nga and t he Algonquins in which the latter

a s ,
called in the aid of the H urons This was the begi . n
ning of a long war i which t he ? C n ie nga had the

,
n a s
worst of it Gradually t he Canie ng were driven

. as
alo g the shores of Lake Champlain and Lake George

n
till they reached the valley of the M ohawk River where ,
they established themselves i a country bordering on n
that of the Onondagas .
Now the O o dagas were a formidable tribe fierce

n n
,
and warlike a d the Ca ie nga bei g long accustomed

,
n n s, n
to war were not the most peaceable of nations and

, ,
ere long there was trouble between them while both ,
were at war with the H urons At the head of the .
Ono dagas was the great chief Ato ta ho whose san

n r ,
g u in a
y exploits
r and crafty stratagems had become
the dread of the neighbouring peoples and among his ,
warriors was the generous H iawat ha H iawathawas filled .
with horror at the sight of the n Eeri g caused by s n
At ta h
o expeditions and already his statesman s
r o s
’
,
’
mind was forming project s of peace H e saw tha t in .
confederat io lay the means not only of preserving

n
peace among his people but of withstanding alie ,

n
foes as well I n two consecutive years he called an

.
assembly to consider his plan but on each occasio the ,

n
g im prese ce of Ato tarh made discussion im os

r n o
sible H iawatha in despair fled from the land 0 t h

. e
Onondagas journeyed eastward through the country

,
of the Oneidas and at last took up his residence

,
225
MYTH S OF THE AM ER ICAN IN D I AN S
amo n g the M ohawks , into which t ribe he was adopted .
It has been said by some au t horities a d the idea does ,

n
not lack p obability that H iawatha was originally

r ,
a M ohawk and that he spent some time among the

,
Onondagas afterward returni g to his own people

,
n .
At all events the M ohawks proved more amenable to

,
reas on t ha the Onondagas had done Among the

n .
chiefs of his adopted tribe H iawatha found one

—
D e k an e widah who fell in with his confederation
plans and agreed to work along with him M es sen
,
.
gers were dispatched to the Oneidas who bade them ,
return i a year at the end of which period n e go tia

n ,
tio s were renewed The result was that the Oneida

n .
chiefs signed a treaty inaugurati g the Kayan e e n h n r
K owa .An embassy to the Onondagas was fruitless ,
as At o tarh o pe sistently obstructed the new scheme ;

r
but later when the Kay an ere n h K owa embraced the

,
Cayugas messages were once more sent to the power

,
ful Onondagas diplomatically suggesting that At o tarho

,
should take the lead in the G rand Cou cil The grim n .
warrior was m llifie d by t his sop to his vanity and

o ,
condescended to accept the proposal Not only that .

,
but he soo became an enthusiastic worker in the

n
cause of confederation and secured the inclusion of the,
S e ecas in the League

n .
The confederacy of the F ive Nations was now com

p le te,
and the S ilver Chain as their Grand C ouncil ,
’
was called met together on the shores of the S lt

,
a
L ake . The numbe of chiefs chosen f om each tribe

r r
bore some relation t o its numerical s ta t us the l argest ,
number fourteen being supplied by the O nondagas

, ,
.
The o ffice of representative in the Council was to be an

hereditary one descending in the female line as with
, ,
t he P icts of Sc otland and other primitive peoples and ,
never from fat her to son .
2 26
OF THE AMERICAN I NDI ANS
MYTHS
a great and outstanding figure mythical B ut one pre .
fers to think of this Iroquois statesman as a real man a ,
bright particular star in a dark sky of savagery and

ignorance .
T h e S to n e G ian ts
The Iroquois believed that in early days there existed
a mali nant ace of giants whose bodies were fashioned
ut o f
r
o stone It is difli cult to say how the idea of

.
such beings arose but it is possible that the generally

,
dis t ributed conception of a gigantic race springing from

M other Earth was in this ins tance fused with another
belief t hat stones and rocks composed the earth s bony ’
framework W e find an example of this belief in the

.
beautiful old Greek m yt h of D eucalion and P yrrha ,
which much resembles that of Noah When after the .
great flood which submerged H e llas the survivors ship ’
grounded upon M ou t Parnassus they inquired of t he

n
oracle of Themis i what manner the human race might

n
be restored They were bidden by the oracle to veil

.
themselves and t o t hrow the bones of their mo ther

behind them These they interpreted to mean the
.
stones of the earth P icking up loose pieces of stone

.
,
they cast them over their shoulders and from those ,
thrown by D eucalion there sprang men while those ,
cast by Pyrrha became w men o .
These Sto e Giants of t he Iroquois dwelling in the

n ,
fa west took counsel wi t h one ano t her and resolved t o

r ,
invade the Indian territory and ext erminate the race of

men A party of Indians j ust starting on the war path
.
-
were apprised of the invasion and were bidden by th ,

e
gods to challenge t he giants to combat This they did .

,
and the opposing bands faced each other at a spot near

a great gulf B ut as the monsters advanced upon their
.
human e nemies the god of the wes t wind who was ,
228
WIT CHE S AND WITCHCRAFT
lying in wait for them swooped down upon the Titans , ,
so t hat t hey were hurled over the edge of the gulf far ,
down into the dark abyss below where they perishe d ,
miserably .
T he P igmies
In contradistinction to their belief in giants the ,
Iroquois imagined the existence of a race of pigmies ,
who had many of the att ributes of the Teutonic

g omes They were responsible for the beauty of
n .
terrestrial sce ery which t hey carved and sculptu ed in

n ,
r
cli ff scar and rock and like the thunder gods t hey
, , , ,
-
,
pro t ected the human race against the ma y monsters n
which i fested the world in early times

n .
Witc hes an d Witc hc raft

The Iroquois belief in witchcraft was very strong ,
and t he following tale is supposed to account for the

origi of witches and sorcery A boy who was out
n .
hun t ing found a snake the colours of whose skin were

so intensely beaut iful that he resolved t o capture it .
H e caught it and tended it carefully feeding it on ,
birds and small game and housing it in a little bowl ,
made of bark which he filled wi t h water In the

,
.
bottom of the bowl he placed down small feathers , ,
and wood fibre a d on going to feed the snake he

,
n
discovered t hat these thi gs had become living beings n .
F rom t his he gat hered that t h e reptile was endowed

with supernatural powers and he found that other ,
articles placed i t he water along with it soon showed

n
signs of life H e procured more snakes and placed

.
them in the bowl Observing some men of the tribe

.
rubbing oi tmen t o their eyes to e able them to see

n n n
more clearly he used some of the water from the bowl

,
in which t he snakes were immersed upon his own and ,
Q 229
OF THE AMERICAN I ND IAN S
MYTH S
10 ! he found climbing a tall tree that n thi g was
on o n
hidden from his sight which pierced all interveni g ,

n
obs tacles H e could see far in t o the ear t h where lay

.
,
hidden precious stones and rich mi e als H is sigh t n r .
pierced the trunks of trees ; he could see through

moun t ai s and could discern obj ects lyi g deep dow
n ,
n n
in t h bed of a rive
e r
.
H e concluded t hat t he great e r the u mber of rep tiles n
th snake liquid con t ai ed t he more pote t would it

e -
n n
beco m e A ccordi gly he captured several s akes a d

. n n
,
n
suspended t he m over his bowl in such a man er t hat n
the esse t ial oil they co t ained dropped i to the water

n n n ,
wi t h the result tha t the activi ty of the bei gs which had n
been so stra gely bred i it was increased In course

n n .
o f time he found t hat by me ely placing o e of his r n
fingers i the liquid and pointing it at y pe so he

n an r n
could i s tantly bewitch him H e added so m e roo t s

n .
t o t h e wa t e i t h e bowl some of which he the

r n
,
n
drank B y blowi g this fro m his m ou t h a great ligh t

. n
was produced by rubbi g his eyes wi t h it he could see

,
n
i t h e dark
n d by o t her applicatio s of it he could
,
an n
r ender himself invisible or t ake t h shape of a s ake ,

e n .
If he dipped a a row int t h liquid a d discharged it

n r o e n
a t an
y living bei g i t would kill it l though
n it m igh t a
n t strike it
o Not co t ent wi t h discove i g t his magic
. n r n
fluid t he youth esolved t o search for antidotes to it

,
r
,
and these he collected .
A ‘
Lg d
Medic in e ’
e en
A similar legend is t old by the Senecas t account o
for t h e o igi of their medicine Nea ly t w hu d ed

r n
‘ ’
r o n r
years ago —in t he savage estimation this is a ve y great

.
period f t ime— n I dia we t int o the wo ds on

o a n n n o
a hun t ing expedition One nigh t while asleep in his .
solitary camp he was awakened by a great oise f n o

230
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN I N D I ANS
saw t hat the beings who surrounded him were not
n t b —
huma as he had though u t animals foxes bears
— , , , ,
an d beavers who fled as he looked at them S u rprised .
and ev n terrified at the t urn mat t ers had taken he

e
,
made his way homeward with all speed conni g over ,

n
the prescrip t ion which t he stra ge beings had given him n
t h e while They had told him to t ake one stalk of

.
corn to dry the cob and pound it very fi e t hen to

,
n ,
t ake one squash cut it up a d pound it and t o mix t h e

,
n ,
whole wi t h wat er from a running stream ear its sou ce ,

n r .
This prescription he used wi t h very great success among

his people and it proved t h or igi of the great
,
e n
‘
medici e of the Senecas Once a year at t h season
n
’
. e
whe t h e deer changes his coa t t hey prepare it as the

n
fores t folk did s nging t h weird so g d dancing

,
i e n an
r ou d it to the rhyt hmic accompaniment of t h gourd

n e
shell rattles while they burn tobacco to the gods

,
.
G reat H d d th T B th
ea an e en ro e rs
It was commonly believed among the Iro quois

India s t hat there exi sted a curious and m al evolent
n
being whom they called Great H ead This odd .
crea t ure was merely an enormous head poised on

slender legs H e m ade his dwelling on a rugged rock
.
,
and direc tly he saw a y living person approach he n
would growl fiercely i n true o gre fashion “

I see thee ”
.
,
I see thee ! Thou shalt die .
F ar away in a remote spot an orp haned family of

ten boys lived wi t h their uncle The older broth ers .
went out every day to hu t bu t the you ger ones not n ,

n ,
yet fit ted for so rigorous a life remai ed at home with ,

n
t heir uncle or at least did not venture much beyo d

,
n
the immediate vicini ty of t heir lodge One day t h . e
hunters did not return at their usual hour As t he .
evening passed wi t hout bringing any sign of the missing

232
GREAT HEAD AND THE TEN B ROTHER S
youths the little band at home became alarmed At .
length t h e eldest of the boys left in the lodge v o lu n

teered to go in search of his brothers H is uncle .
consented and he set E but he did not return

,
o ,
.
In the morning another brother said : I will go to

“
seek my brothers H aving obtai ed permission he

.
”
n ,
wen t but he also did not come back Another and

,
.
another took upon himself the task of fi ding the lost n
hunters but of the searchers as well as of those sought

,
for there was no news for t hcoming At length only .
the youngest of t h e lads remained at h ome and to his ,
entreaties to be allowed to seek for his brothers the

u cle turned a deaf ear for he feared to lose the last of
n
,
his young nephews .
O e day when uncle a d ephew were out i the forest

n n n n
the lat t er fancied he heard a deep groan which seemed t ,

o
proceed from the earth exactly under his fee t They

—
.
st opped to listen The sou d was repeated u n mi tak

. n s
ably a human g oan H astily t hey began digging i t he

r . n
earth and in a mo me n t or two came upon a man covered

,
with mould d apparently unconscious

an .
The pair carried the u for t unate one to t heir lodge n ,
where they rubbed him with bear s o il till he recovered ’
consciousness When he was able t Speak he could

. o
give n explanation of how he came t be buried

o o
alive . H e had been o ut hunti g he said whe n , ,

n
suddenly his mind became a bla k and he remembered n ,
n othing more till he found himself in the lodge wi t h

the old m a d the boy H is hosts begged the
an n .
st a ger to stay with them and they soon discovered

r n
,
that he was ordina y mortal but a powerful

. no r ,
magician At ti mes he behaved very s tra gely One

. n .
n igh t while a great storm raged without he tossed

, ,
restlessly his couch i stead of goi g to sleep At

on n n .
las t he sought the old uncle .
2 33
MYTH SOF THE AMERICAN IND I AN S , ,
D you hear tha t oise

o he said That is my n .
brothe Grea t H ead who is ridi g on the wi d D o

r, ,
”
n n .
you n t hear him howling

o ?
The old man conside ed this as t ounding speech for r
a mome t then he asked n W ould he come here if

you sen t fo him 9 r
”
“
No said the other t houghtfully but we might
,
“
, ,
b i g him here by magic Should he come you mus t

r n .
have food ready for him in t h e shape of huge blocks ,
of maple wood for that is wha t he lives

-
,
on .
”
The st a ger depa ted i sea ch of his brother G reat

r n r n r
H ead t aking with him his bow and on the way he

, ,
came across a hickory tree whose roo t s p ovided him -

,
r
wi t h ar ows About midday he drew ear to t h e

r . n
dwelli g of his bro t he Great H ead I or de t see

n r, . n r o
wi t hou t bei g see he cha ged himself in t o a mole

n n, n
,
a d crep t through t h e g ass t ill he saw Great H ead

n r
pe ched o a ock f owning fiercely

r n r
“
I see thee he
,
r .
g owled wi t h his wild eyes fixed

r
,
an owl The on .
m n mole d ew his bow and shot an arrow at Great

a - r
H ead The a row became larger a d larger as it flew

. r n
t ward the m onste

o bu t it re t urned to him who had r,
fired it a d as it did so it regai ed its nat ural size

,
n n .
The man seized it and rushed back the way he had

come Ve y soo he hea d Great H ead in pu sui t
. r n r r
,
p u fli
g nd s o t i g along
an on the wings
n of
r a hurricane
n .
Whe the creature had almost over t ake him he t u ned

n n r
an d discha ged ano t her ar ow r Again a d agai he r . n n
r epulsed his p u rsuer i t his fashio t ill he lu ed him n n

,
r
to t h e lodge whe e his be efactors lived W he G ea t

r n . n r
H ead burst i t o t h house the u cle a d ephew bega

n e n n n n
to ham me h im vigorously with malle t s To t hei

r . r
surp ise t h e mons t e broke i t o laugh t e for he had

r r n r,
r ecog ized his b o t he and was ve y pleased t see him

n r r r o .
H e ate t h maple blocks they b ough t him with a

e - r
2 34
MYTH S O F T HE AM ERICAN I N D I AN S
R g
T he S e n ec a s
’
ev en e
A striking story is told of a Seneca you t h who for

ma y years and t h ough a wearisome captivity ourished
n r n
t h hope
e f ve gea ce so dear t t h Indian soul
o n A n o e .
certain tribe of t he S e ecas had set t led on t h shores n e
of Lake Erie whe t hey we e surprised by their a cie t

,
n r n n
enemies t he Illi ois and i spite of a stou t resist a ce

n ,
n n
many of them were slain and a woman a d a boy ,

n
t ake prisoner When the victors halted for the nigh t

n .
they built a g eat fire and proceeded t celebrate t heir

r ,
o
success by si ging t riumphant songs i which t hey

n ,
n
com ma ded the boy t j oin t hem The lad pretended

n o .
t ha t he did n t know t heir language but said t ha t he

o ,
would sing their so g i his own t o gue to which n n n ,
t hey assen t ed ; but i stead of a p a i t hei praise n a

e n n r
he sa g a so g of vengea ce i which he vowed t hat

n n n
,
n
if he were spared all of t hem would lose their scalps .
A few days aft erward the woma became so exhaus ted n
that she could walk no farther so t h Illinois slew her ,

e .
B u t before she died she ex t acted a promise from t h e r
boy t hat he would ave ge h e a d would eve cease n r, n n r
to be a Seneca .
In a few days t hey arrived at t he Illinois camp ,
where a council was held to consider t he fate of t h e
cap tive lad Some were for instan tly p u t t ing him t
. o
dea t h bu t t heir chief ruled t hat should he be able to

,
live through t heir tort ures he would be wort hy of

becomi g an Illi ois They seized t he w etched lad
n n . r
an d held his bare fee t to t h glowi g cou cil fire then e n n -

,
afte piercing t hem they t old h im t u a race H e

r o r n .
bou ded forward and a so swiftly that he soon

n ,
r n ,
gained t h e G eat H ouse of the tribe where he sea t ed

r ,
himself upo a wild cat ski n - n .
Anothe council was held a d the Illi ois braves

r ,
n n
2 36 .
agreed that t he lad possessed high courage and would
make a great war ior but others argued that he knew
r
their wa path and might bet ay them and it was finally

r- r ,
decided t ha t he sho uld be burnt at the stake As he .
was about to perish in t his manner an aged warrior

suggested that if he were able to withstand t heir last
torture he sho ul d be permitted to live Accordingly .
he held the unfor t unate lad under water in a pool u til n
o ly a spark of life remained in him but he survived

n , ,
a d became an Illinois warrior

n .
Y ears passed a d the boy reached manhood and

,
n
married a chief s daughter H is strength and e durance

’
. n
became proverbial but t he warriors of the tribe of his

,
adop t ion would never permit him to take part in their

warlike expeditio s At length a raid agains t the S enecas
n .
was m oo t ed a d he begged so hard to be allowed t o

,
n
acc mpa y the braves that at last they co sen t ed

o n n .
I deed so great was their admiration of the skill with

n ,
which he outlined a plan of campaig that they made n
h im chief of t h e expedi t io F o ma y days the party n . r n
ma ched toward the Se eca coun t ry but when at las t

r n
they neared it their scouts reported that there were o n
sig s ofthe tribe and t hat the Senecas must have quit t ed
n ,
t heir territory Their leader however proposed t go in

.
, ,
o
search of t h enemy himself along with a other warrior

e ,
n
of t h t ibe a d this was agreed t o

e r ,
n .
Whe t h e pair had go e five or six miles t h e leader

n n
said to his companio that it would be bet t er if t hey n
separated as they would t he be able to cover more

,
n
grou d P assi g n to where he knew he would find

n . n o
the S e ecas he warned t hem of t heir danger and

n , ,
arran ed that a ambush of his kinsfolk should lie in

n
wait or the Illinois .
Retur i g to the Illi n ois camp he re ported that he

n n ,
had seen o t hi g but t ha t he well remembered t h

n n ,
e
2
37
MYTHS OF THE AMERI CAN IN D IANS
Se e ca hiding place
n H e asked t o be gi ve the b aves t
-
. n r
war ior an d as s u red t h cou cil t hat he wo ul d s o o

r s, e n n
b i g t he m th scalps of t hei fo es Suspect i g o t hing

r n e r . n n ,
t hey a se t e d t
s his p po l d he was followed by
n o r0 sa ,
an
t h e flowe of t h Illinois t i be all un aware t hat five

r e r ,
hund ed Se e cas awai t ed t hem in t h e valley The

r n .
you t h led hi m righ t i t o th heart of th amb u sh

s en n e e
t he p e t e ding t o mi ss his foo ti g he fell Thi s

n, r n n ,
.
was t h signal fo t he S e ecas t o rise

e eve y side
r n on r .
Y elli g t heir wa cry t hey ushed f om t heir shel t er

n r- ,
r r
and fell on t h dismayed Illin ois who gave way e ,

on
every side The slaugh t e was i m me se Ve gea ce

. r n . n n
n e ved t h rms of t h Se eca braves a d of t h ee

r e a e n
,
n r
hu d ed Illinois bu t two es cape d The leade of t he

n r . r
expedi t io was bo ne i t riumph t t h S e eca village

n r n o e n ,
whe e t lis t e n i ng h u d eds he t old t he s t o y of hi

r o n r r s
a —
c p t ure d lo n g m e di ta t ed reve ge H e b e ca me a
an n .
g ea t chief amo g his people d eve t t hi s day his

r n ,
an n o
n ame is u tt e e d by t hem wi t h honour a d eve e ce

r n r r n .
T he B o y Mag ician
In heart of t h e w ilde ess t here lived
t he old rn an
woman and her little g a dso The t w fou d r n n . o n no
lack of oc cupa tio f om day t day t h e woma busyi g n r o ,

n n
her elf with cookin g n d cleani n g d t h b y wi t h

s a an e o
sh t i g a d hu t ing The g a d mo t he f eque t ly

oo n n n . r n r r n
s poke of t h tim e whe the child would g ow up d

e n r an
go u t i t o the world
o n .
“
Always go to t h e east she woul d say Neve , . r
go t t h wes t f t here lies da ge

o e ,
or n r
.
B u t wh t t h e da n ge was she woul d

a t tell him r no ,
i spi t e of hi impo t u a t e ques t ioni g

n s O t he boys r n n . r
we t wes t he t hough t t o himself d why sh uld t

n , ,
an o no
he Neve theless hi s g a dmo t he made him p omise

r r n r r
t h t he would
a t go w s t no e .
2 38
MYTHS OF THE AMERICAN I N D IANS
she scolded him heartily f his disobedience and be or ,
wailed t h fa t e before them The y ung ma soothed

e . o n
her fears saying : D on t cry gra dmo t her W

,
“ ’
,
n . e
sh all t ur the lodge into a rock d so we shall be

n ,
an
”
saved .
H aving some skill i magic he did as he had said n , ,
and the hurrica e passed harmlessly over t heir heads

n .
W he it had ceased t hey emerged from t heir re treat

n ,
and found an abundance of firewood all round them .
T he H il t m
a s or
Next day t h e youth was o the poi t of setti g ff n n n o
toward t h e wes t once more but the urgen t entreat ies ,
of his gra dmo t her moved him t p oceed eas tward

n o r
for a t i me D irectly he was out of sigh t of t h e lodge

.
he t urned his face once more t t h wes t Ar ived at o e . r
the lake he heard the voice once more t hough it

, ,
s
ow er was still i visible

n n .
“
I am going t send a great hailstorm on your
o
”
grandmother s hut it said ’
Wha t do you t hink of
,
.
t hat
Oh was the respo se I t hi k I should like it
,
“
n ,
n .
I have always wanted a bu dle of spears n .

”
Go home a d see said t h voice n ,

e .
Away the yout h we t through t h woods The sky n e .
b e came darker a d darker as he ea ed his ho m e a d

n n r
,
n
j ust as he was withi a bowshot of t h li t tle h u t a

n e
fie ce hailstorm b oke d he thought he would be

r r ,
an
killed befo e he eached shelte

r r r
.
”
“
Alas ! c ied the old woma whe he was safely
r n n
indoors we shall be destroyed this time H ow can

,
.
we save ourselves
Agai the young ma exe cised his m agic powe s
n n r r ,
and t a sfo med the frail hu t i to a h llow ock upon

r n r n o r
,
which the shaft s of the hails t o m spent themselves in r

THE CHARMED S TONE
vain At last the sky cleared the lodge resumed its
.
,
former shape and t h e young man saw a multi t ude of

,
sharp beautiful spear-heads on the ground

,
.
“
I will get poles said he to fit to them for
“
, ,
fishing ’
When he returned n a few minutes with the poles i
he found that the spears had vanished .
”
Where are my beautiful spears ? he asked his
grandmother .
“
They were only ice-spears she replied “
They ”
,
.
have all melted away .
The young Indian was greatly disappointed and ,
wondered how he could avenge himself on the being

wh had played him this malicious trick
o .
“
B e warned in time said t he aged grandmother ’’
, ,
shaki g h e head at him

n Take my advice and leave
r .
”
him alone .
T h e Ch armed S to n e
B ut the youth s adventurous spirit impelled him to
’
see the end of the matter so he took a stone and tied ,
it round his neck for a charm and ought the lake ,

s
o ce again Carefully observing the directio from

n . n
which the voice proceeded he saw in the middle of t he ,
lake a huge head with a face o every side of it n .
“
Aha uncle he exclaimed I see you H ow
“
,
”
,
would you like it if the lake dried up

No sense ! said the voice angrily
n
”
that will ,
never happen .
Go home and see shouted the youth mimicking , ,
the mocki g t one the other had adopted on the pre

n
vi uo occasions As he spoke he swung his charmed

s
stone round his head and t hrew it i t o the air As it i

.
n .
descended it grew larger and larger and t he moment ,
it entered the lake the water began to boil .
24 1
MYTH SOF THE AMERICAN I ND I ANS
The lad returned home and told his grandmother
what he had done .
It is of no use said she M any have tried to

,
.
slay him but all have perished in the attemp t

,
.
Next morning our hero we t westwa d again a d n r ,

n
f und the lake qui t e dry and the animals m it dead

o , ,
with t he exception of a large green f og who was in r ,
reality the malicious being who had tor m en t ed the

Indian a d his grandmo t he A quick blow with a
n r .
s t ick put an d to t h e creature d t he triumphant

en ,
an
youth bore t h good news to his old grandmo t he who

e r,
from that time was left peace and quietness 1n .
T he F i dly S k l t
r en e e on
A little boy living the woods with his old uncle wasin
warned by him not to go eastward bu t to play close to ,
the lodge or walk toward the wes t The child felt a

atural curiosity to know what lay in the forbidden
.
di ection and one day t ook adva tage of his u cle s

r
,
n n
’
absence on a hunting expedi t io to wander away t t h n o e
eas t At le gth he came t a la ge lake on the shores f

. n o r ,
o
which he stopped t rest H ere he was accosted by a o .
man who asked him his name and whe e he lived

,
r .
”
“
Come said the s tra ger when he had finished
,
n ,
questioning the boy let us see who can shoo t an

“
”
,
a row the highest

r .
This they did and the boy s arrow went much higher
,
’
than that of his companion .
The stranger then suggested a swimmi g match n .
Let us see h e said who can swim farthest under

“
,
’’
wat er without taki g a breath n .
Again the bo y beat his rival who next proposed ,
that t hey should sail out to an island the middle of in
the lake to see the beau t iful bi ds t hat were to be

,
r
found there The c hild consented readily and they

.
,
242
MYTH S OF T HE AMERICAN I N D I AN S
— “
,
”
To night said the latter the man who brought ,
o u here is coming to drink your blood Y mus t

y o u .
dig a hole in the sand and hide When he comes out of .
the canoe you must enter it Say Come swans let us .

, , ,
”
go home and if the man calls you do not look back
,
’
.
T he L t Si t
os s er
Everything fell out as the skeleton had foretol d .
The boy hid in the sand and directly he saw his ,
tormentor step ashore he j umped in t o t h canoe e ,
saying hastily Come swans let us go home Then

, , ,
.
”
he bega to sing as he had heard t h e man do when

n
t hey first embarked I vain the man called him back

. n
he refused to look rou d The swa s carried the n . n
canoe to a cave in a high rock where the boy found ,
his clothes as well as a fire and food When he

,
.
had donned his garments and satisfied his hunger

he lay down and slept In the morning he returned .
to the island where he found the tyrant quite dead

,
.
The skeleton now commanded him to sail eastward to

seek for his sister whom a fierce man had carried ,
away H e set out eagerly o his new quest and a

. n ,
three days journey brought him to the place where his

’
sister was H e lost no time in finding her

.
”
.
“
Come my sister ,
said he let us flee away
“
, ,
”
together .
“
Alas I can no t answered the young woman,
A .
wicked man keeps me here It is t ime for him to .
return home and he would be sure to catch us B u t

,
.
let me hide you now and in the morning we shall go ,
away
S t;she dug a pit and hid her brother though not a ,
moment too s oon for the footsteps of her husband

,
were heard approaching the hut The woman had .
c ooked a child and this she placed before the man .

,
2
44
LO S T S ISTER
T HE
”
Y o u have had visitors he said seein g his do gs , ,
sn u fli n
g”aroun d uneasily .
“
No was the reply I have seen no one but
,
“
,
I shall wait till to morrow said the ma to himself

-
,
n .
Then I shall kill and eat him H e had already .
guessed that his wife had not spoken the truth H ow .
ever he said nothi g more but wai t e d till morn g

,
n
,
in
,
when instead of goi g to a distant swamp to seek for

,
n
food as he pre t ended to do he co cealed himself

, ,
n
at a short distance from the h u t and at length saw ,
the brother and sister maki ng for a canoe They were .
hardly seated when they saw him running toward them .
In his hand he bore a large hook with which h e ,
caught the frail vessel ; but the lad broke the hook
with a stone and the canoe darted out on to the lake
,
.
The man was at a loss for a moment and could only ,
shout incoherent threats after the pair Then an idea .
occurred to him and lying down on the shore he

, , ,
began to drink the water This caused the canoe to .
rush back again but once more the boy was equal to
,
the occasion Seizing the large stone with which he

.
had broken the hook he threw it at the man and slew

,
him the water at the same time rushing back into the
,
lake Thus the brother and sister escaped and in

.
,
three days they had arrived at the isla d where they n ,
heartily thanked their bene factor the skeleton H e ,

.
,
however had still another task for the young Indian

,
to perform .
Take your sister home to your uncle s lodge said ’
he ; then return he e yourself and say to t he many

“
r ,
bo es which you will fi d o t h e island Arise a d

n n n , ,
’
n
they shall come t o life again .

”
When the brother and siste reached their ho me r
they found that their old uncle had been grievously

R 24 5
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN I N D IAN S
lamenti g the loss of his nephew and he was quite
n ,
ove j oyed at seeing them O n his recomme dation

r . n
t hey built a large lodge to accommodate t he people they

were to bring back wi t h them W hen it was completed .
,
the youth revisited the island bade the bones arise , ,
and was delighted to see them obey his bidding and

become men and women H e led t hem to the lodge .
he had b u ilt where they all dwelt happily for a long

,
time .
T he P igmies
When the Cherokees were dwelling in the swamps
of F lorida the Iroquois made a practice of swoopi g n
down on them and raiding their camps O n o n e .
occasion the raiding par ty was abse t from home for n
close on two ye ars On the eve of t heir return one

.
of their number a Chieftain fell ill and the rest of

, , ,
t he party were at a loss to know what to do with him .
Obviously if t hey carried him home with them he

,
would considerably impede their progress B esides .

,
there was the possibility t hat he might not recover ,
and all their labour would be to no purpose Thus .
they debated far into t he night a d fi ally decided to ,

n n
abandon him to his fate d return by themselves an .
The sick man unable t o sti hand or foot overheard

,
r
,
their decision but he bore it stoically like an Indian

, ,
warrior Nevertheless when he heard the last swish

.
,
of t heir paddles as they crossed the river he could not

help thinking of the friends and kindred he would
probably never see again .
Whe t h e raide s reached home they were closely

n r
questioned as to the whereabouts of the missi g chief n

,
and the inquiries were all t he more anxious because

the sick man had been a great favou ite among his r
people The guilty warriors answered evasively They

. .
2
46
MYTH SOF THE AMERI CAN I NDI ANS
This story is interes t i g as a record of what weren
perhaps t he last vestiges of a pigmy folk who at one

time inhabited the eastern portion of North A merica ,
before the comi g of the R e d M an We have already

n .
alluded to this people in the pages dealing with t he

,
-
discoveries of the Norsemen in the contine t n .
T he Magical S erpen t
I n the seventeenth century a strang e legend con
cerning a huge serpent was found among the H urons ,
who probably got it from the neighbouring Algonquins .
This monster had on its head a horn which would

pierce anything even the hardest rock Any one
, .
possessi g a piece of it was supposed to have very

n
good fortune The H urons did o t know where t h e

. n
c eature was to be found but said that the Algonquins

r ,
were in the habit of selling them small pieces of the

magic horn .
It is possible that the mercenary Shawnees had

borrowed this myth from the Cherokees for their own
purposes At all events a similar legend existed among
.
both t ibes which told of a monster snake t he K i g

r
,
n
of Rattlesnakes who dwel t up amo g the mountain

,
n
passes at te n ded by a reti ue of his kind Ins tead of

,
n .
a crown he wore on his head a beau t iful j ewel which

,
possessed magic properties M any a brave t ried t . o
obtain possession of t his desirable gem but all fell ,
victims to the venomous rep t iles At leng t h a mo e . r
ingenious warrio clothed himself en t irely i lea t her

r n ,
and so re dered himself impervious t o t heir a ttack

n .
M aking his way t the haunt of t h e se pe t s he slew

o r n ,
t heir monster chief T he t iumpha t ly t aki g p

. n, r n n os
session of the wonderful j ewel he bore it t o his t ribe , ,
by whom it was regarded with profound veneration and

j ealously preserved .
2
48
THE ORIGIN OF ME D ICINE
T he O igi f M di i
r n o e c ne
An interesting Cherokee myth is that which recounts

t he O igin of disease and the co sequent i stitutio
r of
,
n n n
curative medicine In the old days we are told the .

, ,
me mbe s of the brute creation were gift ed with speech

r
and dwelt i amity wi t h the human ace bu t ma ki d

n r ,
n n
multiplied so quickly that the animals were c owded r
into the forests and desert places of the earth so that ,
the old friendship between them was soon forgotten .
The breach was farther widened by the invention of

'
lethal weapons by the aid of which man commenced

,
the wholesale slaughter of the beasts for the sake of

their flesh and skins The animals at first surprised .
, ,
soon grew angry and resolved upon measures of re

,
taliation The bear tribe met in council presided

.
,
over by the Old White B ear their chief Aft er several ,

.
speakers had denou ced mankind for their bloodthirs t yn
tendencies war was unanimously decided upon but

, ,
the lack of weapons was regarded as a serious drawback .
H owever it was suggested that man s instruments

’
should be t urned against himself and as t he bow and ,
arrow were considered to be the principal huma agency n
of destruct on t was resolved to fashion a specimen

i ,
i .
A suitable piece of wood was procured and one of the ,
bears sacrificed himself to provide gu t for a bowstring .
W hen the wea on was completed it was discovered

that the claws o the be ars spoiled their shooting O n e .
of the bears however cut his claws and succeeded in

, , ,
hitting the mark but the Old White B ear very wisely
,
remarked tha t wi t hout claws t hey could not climb trees

or bri g down game and that were they to cut them
n ,
o E they mus t all starve .
The deer also met in council under their chief t he , ,
L ittle D eer when it was decided that those hunters who

,
49
2
MY TH S AMERICAN I N D IANS
O F THE
slew of t heir umber wi t hout asking pardon in
o ne n
a sui table ma ner should be afllic t d wi t h rheuma

n e
ti ms They gave no t ice of t his decision t the neares t

. o
se tt leme t f I dians and instruc ted t hem how t

n o n ,
o
make prop t a t o whe forced by necessi t y t kill o

i i i n n o ne
of t h deer folk S o when a dee is slai by t he

e - . r n
hu t e t he Li tt le D eer ru s to the spot a d be di g

n r n ,
n ,
n n
over t he blood stai s asks the spi i t of t he dee if it

-
n ,
r r
has heard the prayer of t h hu t er for pardo If the e n n .
reply be Y s all is well and the Little D eer departs

e ,
’
but if the a swe be in the negative he tracks the

n r
,
hunter to his cabin and strikes him with rheumatism , ,
so that he becomes a helpless cripple So me times .
hunters who have t lea ed t h p oper formula for no rn e r
pardo attempt to turn aside t he Li t tle D eer f m his

n ro
pursui t by buildi g a fire behind them i the trail n n .
T he Co un c il o f the Fi h s s e
The fishes and reptiles t hen held a j oint council a d ,

n
arra ged to hau t those huma bei gs who tormented

n n n n
them with hideous dreams of serpen t s twi i g round n n
them and of ea t ing fish which had become decayed .
These snake and fish d eams seem to be of common r
occurrence among t he Cherokees and t h services of ,

e
t h s/ m m t o banish t hem are i constant dema d

e za a n n .
Lastly t h birds d t h insec t s with t he sm ller

,
e an e
,
a
a imals gathered together for a similar purpose t h

n , ,
e
grub worm presiding over t h meeting Each in tur

- e . n
expressed an opinio and the co sensus was agai st n, n n
ma kind They devised a d named various diseases

n . n .
W he t h e plan t s which were f iendly t ma hea d

n ,
r o n, r
wha t had been arra ged by the animals t hey de t e mi ed n ,

r n
t o f us t ra t e their evil designs

r Each t ee sh ub and . r ,
r ,
herb down even t o the grasses and mosses agreed t o

, ,
furnish a remedy for some on e of t he diseases named -

.
2 0
5
OF THE AMERI CAN IND IAN S
MYTH S
him rise from his couch and pass through a trap door -
in the floor from which he shortly emerged bea i g

,
r n
a rusty kettle the bottom of which he scraped in ,
du st io u ly r F illing it with water he set it on t h

s .
,
e
blazing fire As he did so he struck it wi t h a whip

.
,
sayi g t every blow Grow larger my kettle

n
“
a ,
The obedie t ke ttle became of giga tic p oportio s

n n r n ,
and aft e se tti g it aside t o cool the man ate its conte ts
r n n
with evide t relish n .
H is watchful younger brother well content with ,
the result of his observation turned over and went to ,
sleep .
When the elder had set o E next morning the boy , ,
filled with curiosity opened the trap door and dis ,

-
covered the ket tle “

I wonder what he eats he said .
, ,
and there within the vessel was half a chestnut H e

was rathe surprised at this discovery but he thought
r
,
to himself how pleased his brother would be if on his

return he found a meal to his taste awaiting him .
When evening drew near he put the kettle on the

fire took a whip and hit t ing it repeatedly exclaimed
, , , ,
G ow larger my kettle
r
,
The ket tle grew larger but to the boy s alarm it ,

’
kept on g owi g un t il it filled t he room and he was

r n ,
obliged t get on t he roof and stir it through the

o
chimney
”
What are you doing up there P shouted the hunter ,
when he came withi hail n .
“
I took your kettle to get your sup per ready ,
answered the boy .
Alas cried the other now I must die 1 ,
H e quickly reduced the ke t tle to it original pro s
p o rtio s a d put it in its place

n n B u t he still wo e such . r
a sad and serious air that his brother was filled with
dismay and prayed that he might be permitted to
,
2
5 2
THE WHITE HERON
undo t he mischief he had wrought When the days .
wen t past and he found that his brother no longer

we t out to hunt or displayed any i t erest in life bu t
n n ,
grew gradually thinner a d more melancholy his dist essn ,

r
k ew no bou ds
n n .
“
Let me fe t ch you some chest uts he begged n ,
”
earnestly Tell me where t hey may be found
. .
T he Wh ite Hero n
“
Yo u must travel a full day s j ourney said the hunter ’
in response to his e treaties “

Y o u will then reach
n .
a river which is most di ffic ult to ford O n the opposite .
bank there stands a lodge and near by a chestnut ,
t ree . Even then yo ur difli c ult ie s will only be begun .
The tree is guarded by a white heron which ever ,

n
loses sight of it for a moment H e is employed for .
that pu pose by the six women who live in the lodge

r ,
a d with t heir war clubs they slay any one who has the
n -
temeri ty to approach I beg of you do not think of

.
,
going on such a hopeless errand .
B u t the boy felt that were the chance of success even

more slender he must make the attempt for the sake of
his brother whom his thoughtlessness had brought low
,
.
H e made a little canoe abou t three inches long and ,
set E on his j ourney in the direc t io indicated by his

o
,
n
brother A t the end of a day he came to t he river

.
,
whose size had not been underestimated Taking his .
little canoe from his pocket he drew it out till it was of ,
a suitable leng t h and launched it in the great stream

,
.
A few mi utes su E ce d to carry him to the opposite

n i
ba k and there he beheld the lodge and the chestnut

n
,
tree O his way he had ma aged to procure some

. n n
seeds of a sort grea tly liked by herons and these he ,
scattered before t he beau t iful white bird strutting round

the t ree While the he on was busily engaged in
. r
2 53
MYTH S THE AMERICAN IND IAN S
OF
picking them up the youn man seized his opportu ity n
an d ga t he ed qua ti t ies o t h e ches t nu t s which were

r n ,
lyi g t hickly t he ground Ere his task was fi ished

n on . n ,
howeve t he heron pe ceived t he i t uder d called a

r, r n r ,
an
loud warning t o the women in t h e lodge who were not ,
slow t o espo d They ushed out wi t h t heir fishing

r n . r
li es i t hei ha ds d gave chase to t h t hief B u t

n n r n ,
an e .
fea for his bro the as well as f himself le t t h

r, r or ,
n e
you t h wi gs and he was well out on the river i his

n ,
n
ca oe when the shrieking wome reached t he bank

n n .
The eldes t t hrew her line and caught him but wi t h a ,
s harp pull he broke it Another li e met with the . n
same fa t e and so ,
until all t h wome had t hrown
o n, e n
t heir li es They could do othing further and were

n . n ,
obliged to watch the retreating canoe in impotent

a e
r
g .
At length the youth having come safely through ,
the perils of t h e j ourney arrived home wi t h his ,
precious burden of chestnu t s H e found his bro t he . r
still alive bu t so weak that he could hardly speak A

,
.
meal of the chestnuts however helped to revive him , , ,
and he quickly recovered .
a ts
T h e S to n e G i n e s
In bygone times it was customary for a hu ter s wife n

’
to accompany her husba d when he s ugh t t he chase n o .
A du t iful wife these occasions would carry ho m e

on
t h game killed by the hunter and dress and cook it

e
for him .
There was once a chief among the Iroquois who was

a very skilful hunter In all his expedi t ions his wife
.
was his co mpanio and helper O one excursion he

n . n
fou d such large quan t ities of game t hat he buil t a

n
wigwam at the place and set tled t here for a t ime wi t h

,
his wife and child One day he struck out on a new

.
254
MYTH SOF THE A MERICAN IN D IAN S
very shor tly retur ed bearing in one ha d a load of
n ,
n
game which four me could scarcely have carried a d n

,
n
t he woman recog ized in her a ve y valuable assis ta t

n r n .
The t ime of t he hunt er s retur drew near, d t h ’

n an e
S to e G iantess bade the wife go o u t

n d mee t h an er
husband and tell him of h e visitor The ma was r . n
very well pleased to learn how the e w comer had n -
helped his wife a d he gave her a hearty welcome I

,
n . n
the morning he we t out hunti g as usual Whe he n n . n
had disappeared f om sight in t he forest t he giantess

r
t ur ed quickly to the woman and said

n
“
I have a secret to t ell you M y cruel husband is .
after me and i three days he will ar ive here On

,
n r .
t h e third day your husba d must remain at home and n

”
help m e to slay him .
When the third day came round the hunter remained

at home obedien t to the inst uctio s of his gu est
,
”
r n .
Now said the giantess at last I hear him

,
“
,
coming Y o u must bo t h help me to hold him Strike

. .
”
him where I bid you n d we shall certai ly kill him ,
a n .
The hunter and his wife were seized with t error

when a grea t commotio outside announced the arrival n
of t he S to e Gia t but t he firmness and courage of

n n ,
the giantess reassured t hem a d wi t h somethi ng like ,

n
calm ess they awaited the m onster s approach D irect ly

n
’
.
he came in sight t h gia tess rushed f rward grappled

e n o ,
wi t h him and threw him t the ground o .
Strike him o the arms she cried to the others

n .
Now o the nape of t h eck

n e n
The trembli g couple obeyed a d very shor tly they

n ,
n
had succeeded in killing the huge creature .
I will go and bury him said the giantess And ,

.
that was the e d of the St o e Giant

n n .
The strange guest stayed on i the wigwam till the n
time came for the hunter and his family t go back to o

25 6
THE H EALING WATER S
the settlement when she announced her intention of
,
re t urni g t her own people

n o .
M y husband is dead said she ; I have

“ ”
no
,
”
longer anythi g to fear Thus having bade them
n .
,
farewell she departed

,
.
T he H ali g Wat s
e n er
The Iroquois have a touching story of how a brave

of thei race once saved his wife and his people from
r
ex t i ction
n .
It was wi ter t h e snow lay t hickly on t he grou d

n ,
n
,
and there was sorrow in the encamp ment for with t he ,
cold weather a dreadful plague had visited the people .
There was o t one but had lost some relative and

n ,
in some cases whole families had bee swept away n .
Among those who had been most sorely bereaved was

N k u mo n t a a handsome y oung b ave whose parents
e ,
r
, ,
brothers sisters and children had died one by one

, ,
before his eyes the while he was powerless to help

,
them And now h is wi fe the beau t iful Sh n e wi was

.
,
a s,
weak and ill The dreaded disease had laid its awful
.
finger on her brow and she knew that she must shortly ,
bid her husband farewell and take her departure for the
place of the dead Al ready she saw her dead frien ds
.
beckoni g t o her and inviting her to j oin them but it

n ,
grieved her te ribly to think that she must leave her

r
young husband in sorrow d lo eliness H is despair an n .
was pi t eous to behold when she broke the sad news

t o him bu t after the firs t outburst of grief he bore up
,
bravely and determined t o fight the plague with all

,
his s t e gt h
r n .
“
I mus t fi d t h heali g herbs which the Great
n e n
M ani tou has plan t ed said he “

Wherever they may ,
.
be I must find them

,
.
S o he made his wife comfortable on her couch ,
25 7
MYTH SOF THE A MERI CAN I ND IA N S
covering her with warm furs and then embracing her , ,
gently he set out on his difli cu lt mission

,
.
All day he sought eagerly in the forest for the

healing herbs but everywhere the snow lay deep
, ,
a d not so much as
n a blade of grass was visible .
When night came he crept along the frozen grou d n ,
thinki g that his sense of smell might aid him in his

n
search Thus for three days and nights he wande ed

. r
through the forest over hills and across ivers in a,

r ,
vain attempt to discover the means of curing the malady

of Shan e wis .
When he met a little scurryi g rabbit i the path he n n
cried eagerly Tell me whe e shall I find the herbs ,

r
which M anitou has planted P ”
B u t the rabbi t hurried away without reply for he ,
knew that the herbs had not y e t risen above the ground ,
and he was very sorry for the brave .
Ne k u mo n ta came by and by to t h e de of a big n
bear and of this a imal also he asked t he same ques

,
n
tio n B u t the bear could give him no reply and he

.
,
was obliged t o resume his weary journey H e c o . n
s u lte d all the beas t s of the f rest i t ur bu t f om o n n, r
n one could he get y help H ow could t hey tell him

an .
,
indeed that his search was hopeless P

,
T h e Pity T o f the rees
On the third night he was very weak and ill for he ,
had tas ted no food since he had first set out and he was ,
numbed with cold and despair H e stumbled over a .
withered branch hidde un der the snow a d so t i ed n ,

n r
was he that he lay where he fell and immediately went ,
t sleep
o All t h bi ds d the beas t s all the mul t itude
. e r an ,
of creatures that i habit the forest came to watch ove

n ,
r
his slumbers They remembered his kindness to them

.
in former days how he had never slain an animal unless

,
2 58
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN IN D IAN S
down the vale carrying life and happi ess wherever
,
n
they went The young man bathed his aching limbs

.
in the healing stream and in a moment he was well ,
and stro g n .
Raising his hands he gave thanks to M anitou W i t h

,
.
eager fingers he made a jar of clay d baked it i t h ,

an n e
fire so that he might carry life to Sh wi As he

,
an e s .
pursued his way homeward with his treasure his despair

was changed to rejoicing and he sped like the wi d n .
When he reached his village his companions an to r
greet him Their faces were sad a d hopeless for the

. n ,
plague still raged H owever Ne k u m ta directed

.
,
on
them to the H ealing Wate s d i spired them with r an n
new hope Sha ewi he found on t h verge of t he

. n s e
Shadow-land and scarcely able to murmur a farewell

,
to her husband B u t Ne k u m n ta did not lis t en to her

. o
broken adieux H e forced some of the H ealing Water

.
between her parched lips and bat hed her hands and ,
her brow till she fell into a ge tle slumber Whe '
n . n
she awoke the fever had left her she was serene and ,
smili ng and Ne ku mo n ta s heart was filled with a great

,
’
happiness .
The tribe was for ever rid of the dreaded plague ,
and the people gave to N k u mo n t t he title of Chief e a
of the H eali g Waters so that all might k ow that it

n ,
’
n
was he who had brought them the gift of M a itou n .
S ay adio in S p irit lan d '
A legend of the Wyandot tribe of the Iroquois

relates how Say dio a young Indian mourned greatly
a , ,
for a beau tiful sister who had died you g S deeply n . o
did he g ieve f her t hat at le gth he resolved to seek

r or n
her in t he Land of Spirits L ong he sought t he maiden .

,
and many adventures did he meet with Y ears passed .
i t h e search which he was about to abandon as wholly

n ,
2 60
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN IND IAN S
resuscita tio The gi l s corpse was b ought from its
n . r
’
r
resting place to be reanimated wi t h its spirit and all

-
,
was p epared for the cerem ny when a wi tless India n

r o ,
maiden mus t needs peep in t o t he calabash in her

curiosity to see how a disembodied spirit looked .
Ins t antly as a bird rises whe its cage bars are opened
,
n
and flies for t h to freedom t h spirit of S y di sis t er ,

e a a o s
’
flew from the calabash before the s tartled y uth could o
dash forward and shut dow the cover F or a while n .
Say dio could not realize his loss but at length his
a ,
st a ning eyes revealed to him that the spirit of his

r i
siste was not withi sight In a flash he saw the ruin

r n .
of his hopes and with a broken heart he sank senseless

,
t the ear th
o .
T he Peace Q ue en
A brave of the Oneida tribe f the Iroquois hunted o
in the forest The red buck flashed past him but n t

.
,
o
swifter than his arrow fo as the deer leaped he loosed ,

r
his shaft and it pierced t he dappled hide .
The you g man s trode t oward t h e carcass knife n

n ,
1
hand but as he seized t he horns t h e branches pa rted

, ,
and t he angry face of an Onondaga warrior lowered

between them .
L eave the buck Oneida he commanded fiercely , ,

.
It is the spoil of my bow I wounded the beast ere .
you saw it .
’
The Oneida laughed M y brother may have shot .
at the buck he said but what avails that if he did

“
,
”
,
not slay t P 1 .
The carcass is mine by righ t of forest law cried ,
the o t her in a rage “

W i ll you qui t it or will you
.
fight ?
The O eida d ew himself up and regarded the
n r
Onondaga scornfully .
2 62
THE Q U ARREL
As my brother pleases he replied Next moment ,
.
the two were locked in a life and-death struggle -
Tall was the Onondaga and strong as a great tree

of the forest The Oneida lithe as a anther fought
.
, ,
wi th all the courage of youth To and ro they swayed .

,
till their breathing came thick and fast and the falling
sweat blinded their eyes At length they could struggle .
no lo n ger and by a mutual impulse they sprang apart

,
.
T he Q uarrel
H ! o Onondaga cried the younger man what , ,
profits it thus to strive for a buck P Is there no meat

i the lodges of your people that they must fight for
n
it like the mountain lion P

P eace young man
,
retorted the grave Onondaga .
“
I had not fought for t h e buck had not your evil
tongue roused me B ut I am older than you and I .
, ,
t ust wiser L et us seek the lodge of the P eace

r
,
.
Q ueen hard by and she will award the buck to him

,
”
who has the best right to it .
”
It is well said t he Oneida and side by side they
, ,
sought the lodge of the P eace Q ueen .
Now the F ive Nations in their wisdom had set apart

a Seneca maide dwelling alone in the forest as arbite
n r
of quarrels between braves This maiden the men of .
all t ribes regarded as sacred and as apart from other

women L ike the ancient V estals she could not become
.
,
the bride of any man .
As the P eace Q ueen heard the wrathful clamour of

the braves outside her lodge she stepped forth little ,
pleased that they should t hus profane the vicinity of

h e dwelli g
r n .
P eace she cried If you have a grievance .
enter and state it It is n o t fitti g that braves should

. n
quarrel where the P eace Q ueen dwells .
2 63
MYTH S
OF THE AMERICAN IN D I ANS
At her words the men stood abashed They entered .
the lodge and told the story of their meeting and the
ci cumstances of t heir qua rel
r r .
When they had finished the P eace Q ueen smiled

scornfully So two such braves as you can quarrel
.
about a buck ? she said Go Onondaga as the

.
, ,
elder and take one half of the spoil and bear it back
, ,
to your wife and children .
B u t the Onondaga stood h is grou n d .
T he Off ers
“
ueen he said my wife is in the Land of
O Q , ,
“
Spirits snatched from me by the Plague D emon

,
B ut .
my lodge does not lack food I wo uld wive agai . n

,
an d thine eyes have looked into my heart as the sun .
pierces the darkness of the forest Will you come to .
my lodge and cook my venison P

B u t the P eace Q ueen shook her head .
Y o u know that the F ive Nations have placed

”
G e n e t ask a apart to be P eace Q ueen she replied ,
fi mly and that her vows may not be broken Go

r
“
,
.
”
in peace .
The Onondaga was sile t n .
Then spoke the Oneida “

0 P eace Q ueen .he ,
said gazin stead fastly at G e ne taska whose eyes

dropped bef
, ,
ore his glance I know that you are set

“
,
apart by the F ive Nations B u t it is in my mind to

.
ask you to go with me to my lodge for I love you

”
,
.
What says G e task a P en
The P eace Q ueen blushed and answered”

To you
also I say go in peace but her voice was a whisper
, ,
which ended in a stifled sob .
The two warriors departed good f ie ds now that ,

r n
they possessed a common sorrow B u t the P eace .
M aiden had for ever lost her peace F or she could .
2 64
CHA PT ER v S IOUX MYT HS
AND LEGEND S
T he S io ux or D ako ta I n dian s
H E S ioux or D akota Indians dwell north of

t h e A ka sas River on the right ba k of the
r n n
M ississippi s tre t chi g ove t Lake M ichiga

,
n r o n
and up t he valley of the M issouri O e of t heir pri . n n
c i al t ribes is the Iowa

p .
T he Ad tu v en f I ti ik
res o c n e
M any tales are told by the Iowa Indians regardi g n
I c tin ik e the son of the u god who had E d d

,
s n- ,
o en e
his father and was co seque tly expelled f om t h

,
n n r e
celestial regions H e possesses a very bad repu tatio

. n
among t h India s for deceit d trickery They say

e n an .
t hat he taught t hem all t h e evil t hings the k ow and n

,
they seem to regard him as a F ather o Lies The .
Omahas state t hat he gave t hem thei wa -customs and r r ,
fo one reason or another t hey appear to look upo

r n
him as a species of war god A series of myths ecou t - . r n
his adven t ures wi t h seve al inhabitants ofthe wild The r .
firs t of t hese is as follows .
One da I cti ik e encountered the Rabbit and hailed

r n
him in a fiie n dly manner calli g him g andchild and

,
’
n r
‘
, ,
requesting him t o do him a service The Rabbi t ex .
pressed his willing ess t o assist the god to the best of his
n
ability and i quired what he wished him to do

,
n
”
.
O h grandchild
,
said the craft y e poin t ing u p
,
on ,
ward to where a bird circled in the blue vaul t above

t hem ,
t ake your bow and arrow and bring down
”
yonder bird .
The Rabbit fitted an arrow to his bow and the sha ft ,
transfixe d t he bird which fell like a stone and lodged

,
in the branches of a great tree .
2 66
AD V ENTURE S O F ICT I NIKE
T HE
”
N w grandchild said I ctin ik e
o ,
“
go into the tr e e
, ,
”
and fetch me t he game .
This howeve the Rabbit at first refused to do but

,
r, ,
at leng th he took o E his clothes and climbed into the

tree where he s tuck fast among the to tuous bra ches
,
r n .
I c t in ik e seei g that h e could not make his way dow

,
n n
,
donned t h e unfortunate Rabbit s ga ments and highly ’

r , ,
amused at the animal s predicamen t be t ook himself to ’
t h e nearest villa e There he encountered a chief who

had two beauti f
.
ul daughters the elder of whom he ,
married The younger daughter regarding this as an

.
,
aE o n t to her personal attractions

r wandered o E into ,
the forest in a fit of the sulks As she paced ang ily

up and down she heard some one calling t o her fibm
.
'
above and looking upward she beheld the u n fo tu

, , ,
r
nate Rabbit whose fur was adh erin to the natural

,
gum which exuded f om the bark o the t ree The r .
girl cut down the tree and lit a fire near it wh ich ,
melted the gum and freed the Rabbit The Rabbit .
a d the chief s daughter compared notes and dis

’
n
,
covered that the being who had tricked t he one and

aE o n t e d the o t her was the same
r Together they pro .
e e de d to the chie f s lodge where the girl was laughed

’
c
,
at because of the strange compa ion she had brought n
back wi t h her Suddenly a eagle appeared i t h air

. n n e
above them I c ti ik shot at and missed it but t h

. n e ,
e
Rabbit loosed an arrow wi t h great fo ce and brough t r
it t o ear t h E ach morning a fea t her of the bi d b

. r e
came a o t her eagle and each mor i g I cti ik e shot t

n
,
n n n a
a d missed this
n ewly created bird which t he Rabbi t
n ,
invariably succeeded in killi g This went on un t il n .
I t i ik h ad qui t e worn u t the Rabbi t s clothi g and

’
c n e o n
was wearing a very old piece of tent skin ; but t h e
Rabbi t returned to him t h e garme ts he had been n
forced to don when I c tinik e had stolen his The . n
2 67
MYTHS AME RI CAN I ND I ANS
O F THE
the Rabbit commanded the I ndians to beat the drums ,
and each time they were beaten I ctin ik e j umped so

that every bone in his body was shaken At length .
,
a more t han usually loud series of beats he leap t to such ,
a height that whe he came down it was found t hat the

n
fall had broke his neck The Rabbit was ave ged
n . n .
I c tinike an d the B uz z ard

O ne day I c ti ik e footsore and weary encountered
n
, ,
a buzzard which he asked to oblige him by carryi g

,
n
him on it s back part of the way The crafty bird .
immediately conse ted and seating I c t in ik e between

n
, ,
its wi gs flew E wi t h him

n ,
o .
They had not go e far when they passed above a n
hollow tree and I c t i ik e began to shift uneasily in his

,
n
seat as he observed t h e buzzard hovering over it H e .
requested t he bird to fly ward but for answer it on ,
cas t him headlong in t o t h e tree trunk where he found -

,
himself a prisoner F or a long time he lay t here in

.
want a d wretchedness un t il at last a large hu ting

n
,
n
par ty struck camp at t he spot I c ti ik e chanced t be . n o
wearing some racoon skins and he t hrus t the tails of

-
,
these through t he cracks in the tree Three wome . n
who were s ta ding ear i magi ed t hat a number of

n n n
racoo s had become imprisoned in the hollow t unk

n r ,
and t hey made a la ge hole in it for the purpose of r
cap t uring t hem I ti ik e t o ce emerged where

. c n a n
,
upo t he women fled I cti ik e lay on the grou d

n . n n
pre t e di g to be dea d and as he was covered wi t h the

n n ,
racoo ski s t he birds of prey the eagle the rook

n- n , , ,
a d the magpie ca m e to
n devour him While they
, .
e e k d at h im the buzzard made his appearance for the

e
p
purpose of j i i g in t he feast but I c tin ike rising
o n n , ,
quickly to e the f the s f om it scalp That is why

,
r ea r r s .
t h e buzzard has no feathers on its head .
2 68
I CT I NI K E A ND THE C REAT O R S
I c tin ike an d at the Cre ors
In course of time I c tin ike marr ed and dwelt in 1
a lodge of his own One day he intimated to his wife .
tha t it was his intention to visit he grandfather the r
B eaver O arriving at the B eaver s lodge he found

’
n
that his ran dfath e in—

.
law and his family had been

r-
without go d for a long t ime and were slowly dying ,
of starvatio Ashamed at having no food to place

n .
before their gues t one of the young beavers o Ee re d

,
himself up to provide a me al for I c tin ik e and was ,
duly cooked and served to the visitor B efore I ctin ik e .
partook of the dish however he was earnestly re , ,
quested by the B eaver not to break any o f the bones

of his son but unwitti gly he split one of the toe
,
n
bones H aving finished his repast he lay down to

.
,
rest and the B eaver gathered the bones and put them
,
in a skin This he plunged into the river that flowed

.
beside his lodge and in a moment the young beaver

,
emerged from the water alive .
”
H ow do you feel my son P asked the B eaver , .
”
Alas father replied the young beaver one of
,
“
,
my toes is broke n
—
.
F rom that time every beaver has had one toe that
n t —
ex to the little one which looks as if it had been split
by biting .
I c tin ik e shortly a ft er took his leave of the B eavers ,
and prete ded to forget his tobacco pouch which he

n -
,
left behind The B eaver told one of his yo ung ones

.
t o run aft er him with the pouch but being aware , ,
of I c tinike s treacherous character he advised his o E

’
spring to throw it to the god when at some distance

away The young beaver accordingly took the pouch
.
and hurried after I cti ik e and obeying his fat he s n , ,

r
’
ins truction was about to throw it to him from a

,
26
9
MYTHSOF THE A MERICAN I ND I AN S
considerable distance when I c t in ik e called to him ”
Come closer come clos e r ,
.
The young beaver obeyed and as I c tinike took the ,
pouch from him he said “

Tell your father that he :
must V t me 1 s1 .
”
When the young beaver arrived home he acquainted

his fat her with what had passed and the B eaver showed ,
signs of great an oyance n .
“
I knew he would say that he growled a d that , ,
n
”
is why I did o t want y u to go nea him n o r .
B u t the B eaver could t refuse the invitation no ,
and in due cou se eturned the visit I cti ik wish r r . n e,
ing to pay him a co mplime t was abou t to kill one of n ,
h i o w children wherewi t h to regale the B eaver a d

s n
,
n
was slappi g it to make it cry in order t hat he might

n
w k himself i t o a passio su fficie tly murde ous t

or n n n r o
e able him to t ake its life when t h e B eaver S poke t

n
,
o
him sharply and t old him t hat such a sacrifice was

un ecessary Goi g dow to t he s tream hard by the
n . n n ,
B eaver found a young beaver by the wa t er which was ,
b ough t up t the lodge killed and cooked and duly

r o , ,
eate n ..
On ano t her occasion I ct i ik a nou ced to his wife n e n n
his i t e t ion of calling u po her grandfat her the

n n
‘
M usk at At the M usk rat s lodge he met wi t h the

-
r .
-
’
sam e t ale of starvatio as at t he home of t h e B eave n r

,
bu t t h e M usk rat t old his wife t o fetch some water

-
,
p u t it i the ket tnle d hang the ke t t le ove t h e fi e

,
an r r .
W he the water was boili g the M usk at upse t t he

n n -
r
kettle which was found to be full of wild rice upon

, ,
which I ct i ik feasted As befo e he left his tob cco

n e . r ,
a
pouch with his host and t he M usk rat se t one f his ,

- n o
childre aft er h im with t h e article A i vi t atio for

n . n n n
t h e M usk at t visit him resulted a d the call was

-
r o ,
n
duly paid I c tinik e wishing t display his magical

.
,
o
2 70
MY THS OF THE AMERICAN I ND I ANS
centu y ago A party of Pawnees the wa path raided
r . on -
r
t he horses belongi g to some Omahas dwelli g beside n n
Omaha Creek M ost of t he a imals were the property

. n
of Wabaskah who immediately followed on t hei trail

a, r .
A few Omahas who had t ried t rescue t he horses had o
also been car ied E and on the arrival of the P awnee

r o ,
party at t he Republican Rive seve al of the P awnees r r
proposed t o pu t thei p iso e s to death Othe s r r n r . r ,
howeve refused t o pa ticipate in such an act and

r
,
r ,
strenuously opposed the suggestio A wife of one of n .
t h e P awnee chiefs fed the captives aft er which her ,
husband gave them permission t depart o .
Aft er t his incident qui t e a feeli g of friendship sprang n
up between the t w peoples and the P awnees were o ,
continually inviting t h e Omahas t feasts and other o
e tertai ments but they efused t return the horses

n n
,
r o
they had s t olen They told W baskaha that if he . a
came for his horses in t h e fall they would exchange

them then for a certain amou t of gunpowder and . n ,
t h at was the best arra geme t he could come to n n
with them On his way homeward Waba k ha mourned

; s a
loudly for t he horses which cons t ituted nearly t he ,
whole of his worldly possessions and called upon ,
Wakanda his god to assist and avenge him I

, ,
. n
glowing language he recounted the circumstances of

his loss to t he people of his tribe and so st on was ,
r
thei sense of t he i j us t ice do e him that next ay a

r n n
general meeting was held in t he village t consider his o
case A pipe was filled and Waba kaha asked the

. ,
s
men of his t ribe t place it to their lips if t hey decided

o
to take vengeance on the P awnees All did so but .

,
the premeditated raid was postponed until the early

autumn .
After a summer of h un t ing t he braves so u ght the

war path They had hardly star t ed whe a number of
-
. n
2
7 2
T he W
ar-c hie f k ill s th e Mo n st e r Rat t l e sn ak e
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN I ND IAN S
conquered t heir scruples and made them deci de t o cook
and eat it To their surprise they fou d the meat as
.
,
n
savou y as that of a bu E lo which it much resembled

r a ,
.
All partook of the fare with the excep t ion of o boy ,

ne ,
who persisted in refusi g it though t hey pressed him n ,
to eat .
When the warriors had finished their meal they lay

down beside the camp fi e and fell asleep Later in -
r .
the night the chief awoke and was horrified to find

that his companions had turned to snakes a d that he ,
n
himself was already half snake half man H astily he ,

.
gathered his transformed warriors and they saw that ,
the boy who had not eate of the reptile had etained n r
his own form The lad fearing that the se pents might
.
,
r
attack him began to weep but the snake warriors

, ,
-
t eated him v ery kindly giving him t heir cha ms and

r ,
r
all they possessed .
At their request he put them into a large robe and

carried them to the summit of a high hill where he set ,
them down under the trees .
“
Y o u mus t retur to our lodges they t old him n , ,
and in the summer we will visit o u ki dred Se e r n .
that o u r wives n d children come out to greet us

a .
The boy carried t he news to his vi llage a d t here ,

n
was much weeping and lamentatio whe the f iends of n n r
the warriors heard of their fate B u t i the su mmer the . n
s akes came a d sat i a group outside t he village d

n n n
,
a n
all the people crowded round them loudly ve ting ,

n
their grief The l}9rse L whic h had belo ged to the

. n
snakes were brought out to them as well as their

/
moccasins leggin s whips and saddles

t be ag
, , , .
”
“
D o no raid of t hem said t he boy to the ,
assembled people D o n t flee f om t he m les t

. o r
,
somethi g happe t o you also So t hey let the snakes

n n .
creep over th em and no harm befell ,

.
2 74
THE THREE TE S TS
In the wi ter the s akes vanished altogether and
n n ,
with them their horses a d other possessions and the n ,
people never saw them more .
T he Th T t
re e es s
There dwelt in a certain village a woman of re

markable grace and attractiveness The fame of her .
beauty drew suitors f om far and near eager to dis

r ,
play their prowess and win the love of this imperious

creature—for besides being beautiful she was ext emely
, ,
r
hard to please and set such tests for her lovers as none
,
had ever been able to satisfy .
A certain young man who lived at a considerable

distance had heard of her great charms and made u p ,
his mind to woo and win her The di fficulty of the .
task did not daunt him and full of hope he set out on
, , ,
his mission .
As he t ravelled he came to a very high hill and o ,

n
the summit he saw a man rising and sitti g dow t n n a
short i tervals W hen the prospective suitor drew

n .
nearer he observed that the man was fastening large

stones to his ankles The youth approached him sayi g :
.
,
n
Why do you tie these great stones to your a kles P n

”
Oh,
replied the othe “
I wish to chase bu Ealo e r
,
s
,
a d yet whe never I do so I go beyond them so I am

n
,
tying stones to my ankles t hat I may not run so fast .

”
“
M y friend said the suitor you can run some
,
”“
,
other time I the meantime I am wi t hout a com

. n
”
panion come with me .
The Swift One agreed and they walked on their ,
way together E e they had o e very far they saw

r n
two large lakes B y the side 0 g e of t hem sat a ma

.
. on n,
who frequen t ly bowed his head to the wa t e and d a k r r n .
S urprised that his thi st was o t que ched t h e said t

r n n
,
o
him Why do you sit there drinking of the k P e

”
2
75
MYTHS OF THE A MERICAN I ND IAN S
‘
I ca never get e ough water When I have

n n
finished this lake I shall start on the other .

”
M y f iend r said the suitor do not trouble to

,
” “
,
dri k it j ust now Come and j oin us

n . .
”
The Thirsty O n e complied a d the three comrades ,

n
j ourneyed on W hen they had gone a little farther

.
t hey noticed a man walking alo g with his face lifted n
to the sky Curious to know why he acted thus they

.
,
addressed him .
“
Why do you walk with your eyes turned sky
”
Ward P said they .
“
I have shot an arrow he said an d I am waiting
”
, ,
for it to reappear .
Never mind your arrow said the suitor

”
Come ,
.
with us .
I will come said the Skilful Archer

,
.
As the four companions journeyed through a forest

they beheld a stra ge sight A ma was lying with his
n . n
ear to the ground and if he lift ed his head fo a ,

r
moment he bowed it again liste ing intently The ,

n .
four approached him sayi g Friend for what do ,

”
n ,
you listen so earnestly P ”

“
I am listeni g said he to the plants growing
“
n , ,
.
This forest is full of plants and I am listening to ,
their breathing .
”
Yo u can listen when the occasion arises they ,

”
told him . Come and join us .
H e agreed and so they travelled to the village where

,
dwelt the beautiful maiden .
When t hey had eached their destination they were

r
quickly surrounded by the village s who displayed no r ,
small curiosity as to who their visitors were and what

obj ect they had i comi g so far When they heard
n n .
that one of the strangers desired to marry t he village

beauty they shook th eir he ad s o ve r him D id he no t .
27 6
THE RACE
know the difli c ultie s i t he way ? F inding that he
n
would o t be tu ned from his purpose they led him

n r ,
t o a huge rock which overshadowed the village a d ,

n
described the first t es t he would be equired to meet r .
If you wish t o win the maiden t hey said you

“
,
”
,
mus t first of all push away that great stone It is .
ke epi g t he sunlight from us

n .
“
Alas said t he youth it is impossible
“
,
.
Not so said his compa ion of the swift foot ;

,
”
n
”
n o thing could be m ore easy .
Sayi g this he leaned his shoulder against t he ock

n
,
r ,
and wi t h a mighty crash it fell from its place From .
the breaking up of it came the rocks and stones that

are scatt ered over all the world .
The seco d test was of a diE e n t nature The

n er .
people brought the strangers a large quantity of food

and water and bade them eat and drink B ei g very
,
. n
hu gry t hey succeeded in disposing of the food but

n
, ,
the suitor sorrowfully regarded the great kettles of

wate r .
“
Alas said he who can drink up that P
“
,
I can said the Thirsty One and in a twinkling

, ,
he had dru k it all n .
The people were amazed at the prowess of the

visi t ors H owever they said There is still another
”
.
, ,
test and they b ough t ut a woman who was a very

,
r o
swift un er so swift that no one had ever outstripped

r n
,
her i a race
n .
T he Ra ce
must run a race with this woma said t hey

Yo u n, .
If you win you shall have the hand of the maiden

you have co m e to seek .
Naturally t he suitor chose t he Swift O n e for this test ”
When the runners were started the people hailed t hem as

T 27
7
MYTHS OF THE AMERICAN IND IA N S
fa irly matched for they raced together till they were
,
out of sight .
When they reached the turning point the woman -
said Come let us rest for a little

: , .
The man agreed but no soo er had he sat down

,
n
t han he fell asleep The woma seized her opportunity

. n .
M aking sure that her rival was sleeping soundly she ,
set E for the village runni g as hard as she could

o ,
n .
M eanwhile the four comrades were anxiously await

ing the return of the competitors and great was their ,
disappointment when the woman came in sight while ,
t here was yet no sign of their champion .
The man who could hear the plants growing bent

h is ear to the ground .
”
H e is asleep said he ; I can hear him snoring
“
,
.
The Skilful Archer came forward and as he bit ,
the point o E an arrow he said “

I will soon wake
him .
H e shot an arrow from the bowstring with such a

wonderful aim that it wounded the sleeper s ose and ’
n ,
roused him from his slumbers The runner started to .
his feet and looked round for the woman She was gone . .
K nowing that he had been tricked the Swift One put ,
all his energy into an e Eo rt to overtake her She was .
wi t hin a few yards of the winning post when he passed -
her It was a narrow margin but nevertheless the

.
,
S wift One had gained the race for his comrade .
The youth was then married to the damsel whom ,
he found to be all that her admirers had claimed and ,
more .
T h e S nake Ogre o
One day a young brave feeling at variance with the

,
world in general and wishing to rid himself of the

,
mood left the lodge s of his people and j ourneyed int o

,
27 8
MYTH S
No she replied ,
B efore you go you must kill
”
.
me and put a robe over my bones .
T he Magic Mo cca sin s

The young brave forthwi t h proceeded to carry these
i structions i t o e Ee ct F i s t of all he killed t he old
n n . r
woman and disposed of h e remai s i acco da ce with

,
r n n r n
her bidding I the morni g he put . nt he magic n on
moccasi s which she had provided for him and with

n ,
o e great step he reached the distant headland

n He e . r
he met a old m who received t he aper from

n an ,
him and the givi g him ano t he pai fmoccasins

J
n, n r r o
, ,
di ected him to a far o E poi t where he was t o deliver

r - n
a other piece of paper to a ma who would await him

n n
t here Turni g the first moccasins homeward t he

. n
,
young brave put the second pai to use and t ook r

,
a other gigan t ic step Arrived at t h second s tage

n . e
of his j ourney from the Snake s lodge he fou d ’
,
n
it a repe ti t ion of the first H e was directed to .
a other dis tant spo t a d from that to y t another

n ,
n e .
B u t when he delivered his message fo the fourth time r
he was treated somewhat diEe tly re n

”
.
“
D own t here in the hollow said the recipient of ,
the paper t here is a stream Go toward it and walk

,
.
,
s traight on bu t do not look at the water

,
.
”
The youth did as he was bidde and shortly found n,
himself the opposite bank fthe stream

on o .
H e j u neyed up the creek a d as evening fell

o r ,
n
he came upon a place where the river widened to a

lake .S kirting it s shores he sudde ly found himself ,
n
face to face wi t h the Snake Only then did he .
remembe the wo ds of the old woma who had

r r n,
war ed him t hat in the eve i g the S ake would over

n n n n
take him So he tur ed himself into a little fish wi t h

. n
red fins lazily moving in the lake

,
.
28 0
Wit h o ne gre at st e
p h e re ac h e l
d t h e dist an t h e ad an d
MYTH SOF T HE AMERICAN IND IAN S
F ollowing the stream the S nake came upon a la ge ,
r
green frog floating i shallow wat er n .
“
I have been seeking a perso since mor i g he n n n ,
said . I think that you a e he r .

”
The Frog allayed his suspicions sayi g Y u will ,

n o
meet him fart her down t he s tream .
The Snake ext found a la ge t ur tle float ing among

n r
t he green scum o a lake G et ting t he Turtle s

’
n . on
”
back he said : Y u mus t be t he person I seek
,
“
o ,
a d his head rose higher and higher as he prepared t

n o
strike .
I am not replied the Turtle

,
The nex t perso . n
you meet will be he B u t beware for if you do t .

,
no
recog ize him he will kill you

n .
”
When he had go e a li ttle farther down the S ake

n n
attempted to cross t he stream In the middle was a . n
eddy Craft y as he was the Snake failed t o recog ize

.
,
n
his enemy a d the eddy drew him dow i to the

,
n n n
water and drow ed him So the youth succeeded

n .
in slaying the Snake who had sough t throughout the

day to kill him .
T he S to ry o f the S almo n
A certain chief who had a very beautiful daughter
was unwilling t o pa t wi t h her bu t k owi g t ha t t he
r ,
n n
t ime mus t come when she would ma ry he arra ged r n
a contest for her suitors in which t he feat was to ,
break a pair of elk s antlers hung in the cent e of the

’
r
lodge .
“
Whoever shall break these antlers the old chie f ,
declared shall have the hand of my daughter

—
,
.
The quadrupeds came first the Snail Squirrel , ,
Otter B eaver Wolf B ear and P anther but all thei

, , , ,
r
s t rength and skill wo uld not su fli ce to break t he

antlers Next ca me the B irds but their e Eo rt also
.
,
s
28 2
TO RY O F T HE SALMON
T HE S
were unavailing The only creature left who had not.
attempted the feat was a feeble thing covered with

sores wh om t he mischievous Blue Jay derisively sum
,
mo n e d to perform t he task After repeated taunts .
from the tricky bird the crea t ure rose shook itself , , ,
and became whole d clean and very good t look an o
up n and the assembled company saw th at it was t h

o ,
e
Salmon H e grasped the elk s antlers and easily broke ’

.
t hem in five pieces Then claiming his prize t h .

, ,
e
chief s daughter he led her away

’
,
.
B efore they had gone very far t he people said

”
Let us go a d take t he chief s daughter back and
n
’
t hey set o E in pursuit of the pair along the sea-shore .
When Salmon saw what was happe i g he created a n n ,
bay between himself and his pursuers The people at .
lengt h reached t he poin t of the bay on which Salmo n
stood bu t he made another bay d when they looked

, ,
an
t hey could see him on the far-o E point of tha t one S . o
t h e chase went on till Salmon grew tired of exercising ,
his magic powers .
Coyote and B adger who were in advance of the ,
o t hers decided to shoot at Salmon The arrow hit

,
.
him in t he eck a d killed him insta tly When the

n n n .
rest of the ba d came up they gave the chief s daughte

n
’
r
to t he Wolves a d she became the wife of one f ,

n o
t hem .
In due t ime the people returned to t heir village ,
and the Crow who was Salmon s aunt learnt of his

,
’
death She hastened away to th e spot where he had

.
been killed to seek for his remains but all she could
, ,
find was one salmon s egg which she hid in a hole in ’
t h e river bank Next day she found that t he egg was

- .
much larger o the third dz it was a small trout and

n !
'
so it grew t ill it became a ?ull g own salmon and at

—
, ,
r
,
length a handsome yo uth .
28
3
MY THS OF THE A MERICAN IN D IAN S
S almo n
’
s Magic B ath
Leading young Salmo to a mountai po o l his n n ,
gra d aun t said

n -
B athe t he e t hat you may see r
,
sp r t s
i i .
”
O e day Salmon said

n
“
I am t i ed of seeing spiri t s r .
L e t me go away
”
.
The old C ow thereupon t old him of his fathe s

r
’
r
death at t he ha ds of B adger d Coyo t e n an .
They have take your fathe s bow she said n

’
r ,
”
.
The Salmo sho t arrow t ward t h e forest a d

n an o ,
n
the forest we t on fire H e shot an arrow toward the

n .
prairie a d it also ca u ght fire

,
n
”
.
“
Truly m u ttered t he old Crow you have see
, ,
n
sp r t s
i i .
”
Havi g made up his mind to get his fa t her s bow

n
’
S al mon j our eyed to t h e lodge where Coyote

n d an
B adger dwel t H e found t h door shu t and t he

. e ,
c eatures with their faces blackened pretendi g t o

r
,
n
lame t the dea t h of old Salmon H owever he was

n .
,
no t deceived by thei t ricks bu t boldly e t ered an d r

,
n
dema ded his father s bow F ou t imes t hey gave him

n
’
. r
o t he bows which broke when he d ew t hem

r ,
The r .
fift h t ime it was really his fathe s bow he received ’

r .
Taking Coyote and B adger outside he knocked t hem ,
toge t her and killed them .
T he Wo lf Lo dge
As he t ravelled across the prairie he stumbled the on
habi tation of the Wolves and on enteri g t he lodge he ,

n
encountered his father s wife who bade him hide befo e ’
,
r
the mo sters returned B y means of strategy he got

n .
the better of them shot them all and sailed away i a , ,

n
little boat with the woman H ere he fell into a deep .
sleep and slept so long t hat at last his compa io

,
n n
28
+
MYTHS OF THE AMERICA N IN D IANS
horses d goods i abundance to be given to an y one
an n ,
W IK L WOU ICI venture

C
.
Two men came forward who claimed to possess

super atural powers and to them was entrusted the
n
,
work of findi g t h child The grateful father gave

n e .
the m a pipe filled with tobacco and promised them ,
all his possessions if their mission should succeed .
The two gifted me painted t heir bodies one making

n ,
himself qui t e black the other yellow Goi g t o t he

,
. n
n eighbouri g river t hey plunged i to its depths and

n ,
n ,
so arrived at the abode of the Water 0d This bei g . n
a d his wife
n having no children 0 t heir own had ,
,
adopted the I dian s little so who was supposed to

n
’
n
have been drowned and t h e t w me seeing him alive

,
o n,
an d w ell were pleased to t hink t hat t heir t ask was as

,
good as accomplished .
The father has sent for his son they said He ,

.
has commanded us to bring him back We dare n t . o
return without him .
Y u a e too late
o r responded the Water god ,
-
.
Had you come before he h ad eaten of my food he

might safely have ret urned wi t h you B ut he wished .
to e at and he has ea t e n and now alas

,
he would die , ,
if he were take out of the water n .

” 1
S orrowfully t he men rose to t h e surface a d ca ried n r
the t idings to the fa ther .
“
Alas ! they said he has eaten in the palace of
“
,
t h Water god
”
e H e will die if we bring him home
-
. .
Nevertheless the father persisted i his desire t o see n
the child .
I must see him he said and the two men prepared

, ,
for a second j o urney saying : If you ge t him back

“
,
”
,
the Water-god will require a white dog in payment .
The Indian promised to supply the dog The two .
T he So u l
”
1
Se e p . 12
9 ,
’
s J o urn e y .
28 6
MYTH SOF THE A MERICAN IND IAN S
Waka da who h d permit t ed him t fi d it H is
n ,
a o n .
rejoici g was somewha t pre mature however for whe

n , ,
n
he app oached t h spring a snake star ted up f om it

r e r .
The you t h was badly scared and ret eated t a safe ,

r o
dista ce wi t hou t d inking It seemed as though he

n r .
mus t die of t hi s t aft er all Ven t u i g to look back

r . r n
after a t ime he saw t hat t h s ake had disappeared

,
e n ,
an d very cau t iously he re t ur ed Agai t h snake n . n e
darted f om t he wa ter a d t h t hirs t y hu ter was

r ,
n e n
forced t flee A t hird e t urn t the spri g had no

o . r o n
happier result s bu t when his t hi s t d ove him to a

,
r r
fourth a t t e mp t t he youth f u d i s t ead of a s ake a o n ,

n n ,
very beau tiful wo ma Sh Ee e d him a dri k in a n . e o r n
small cup which she replenished as oft e as he emptied

,
n
it S s truck was he by h grace d beau ty t hat h

. o er an e
promp tly fell in love wi t h her Whe it was t ime for . n
him t o re t ur home she gave him a ri g sayi g

n n ,
n
When you sit dow t o eat place t his ring on a seat n ,

”
d say Come le t us at and I will come to you
’
an , ,
e ,
.
Havi g bidde h e farewell the you g m turned

n n r ,
n an
his s t eps ho m ewa d d when he was once mo e r

,
an r
a mo g his ki dred he asked t ha t food m igh t be placed

n n
befo e him
r M ake haste said he “
for I am very , ,
”
hu g y
n r .
Q uickly t hey obeyed him and se t down a varie ty of ,
dishes W he he was alone t he you t h drew t h e ri g

. n
”
n
from his finger and laid it on a seat Come he .

,
said let us eat

“
,
.
”
Immediately t he Snake woman appeared a d j oined -

n
him at his meal When she had eat en she vanished as

.
mysteriously as she had come and t h e disco sola t e ,

n
husband (fo the youth had married her) wen t out of

r
t h e lodge to seek her Thinking she might be amo g . n
the wome of t he village he said to his fa the

n Le t ,
r
the wome dance bef re me n o .

”
28 8
THE RIN G U N AVAI LI NG
A n old man was de u te d to ga t her t he women
together but not o e o them so much as resembled
,
n
the Snake woman -

.
Again the youth at down to e at and repeated the s ,
formula which his wife h ad described to him Sh e ate .
with him as before and vanished when the meal was ,
over .
F ather said the young man

,
“
let the ve y young ,
r
”
women dance before me .
B u t the S ake woman was not found among t hem

n -
either .
Another fleeti g visit from his wife i duced t he

n n
chief s son t o make yet ano t he attemp t t o find her

’
r
in the community .
“
Let t he you g girls dance he said Still the
n ,
.
mysterious S ake woman was not found

n - .
O n e day a girl overheard voices i the youth s lodge

’
n
,
an d peering in saw a beautiful woma

, ,
shari g his n n
meal Sh e told the news to the chief and it soon

.
,
became known that the chief s son was married to a ’
beautiful stranger .
The yout h however wished to marry a woman of

, ,
his own tribe ; but the maiden s father having heard ’
t hat the young m was already married told his an

,
daughter t hat she was only being made fun of .
S o the girl had no t hing more t do with h e wooer o r

,
who turned for consola tio to his ri g H e caused n n .
food to be brought and placed the ri g on a seat ,

n .
T he Ri g U a ili g
n n va n
”
Come he said let us eat
“
, ,
.
There was response ; t he S nake -woman would

no
n t appear
o .
The youth was g eatly disappointed and made up r ,
his mind to go in search of his wife .
28
9
MYTH S OF THE A MERICAN IN D I AN S
”
I am going a hunting said he and again his -
, ,
father gave h im good clothes and saddled a horse for

him .
When he reached the spot whe e t he S nake woman r -
had first met him he fou d her trail leadi g up t o the

,
n n
spring and beyond it on the other side St ill f llow

,
. o
i g the trail he saw before him a very dila pi dated

n ,
lodge at the door of which sat a old man in rags

,
n .
The yout h felt very sorry for the tattered o ld fe ll w z

o ,
and gave him his fine clothes in exchange for which ,
he received the other s rags ’

.
“
Y o u think you are doing me a good turn said ,
the old man but it is I who am going to do you one

,
.
The woman you seek has gone over the Great Wate r
.
When you get to the other shore talk with the people
o u shall meet there and if they do o t obey you send n
y ”
,
them away .
In addition to the tattered garments the old man ,
gave him a hat a sword and a lame old horse , ,

.
At the edge of t he G reat Water the youth prepared

t o cross while his companion sea t ed himself on the
,
shore closed his eyes a d e cit e d a spell In a m me n t

, ,
n r . o
the youn man found himself on the opposi t e shore .
H ere he o u n d a lodge inhabited by two aged Thunder

me n, who were apparen t ly given t o ea ting huma n
bei gs The young stra ger made the discovery that
n . n
his hat rendered him invisible and he was able t move ,

o
unseen among the creatures Taking o E his hat for a .
moment he took the pipe from the lips of a Thunder

,
m an and pressed it against the latter s ha d ’

n .
Oh cried the Thunder man I am burnt

,
-
,
B u t the youth had clapped his hat and dis on
appeared .
It is not well said the Thunder man g avely ,

- r .
A stranger has been here and we have let him escape .
29°
MYTH S
OF THE AMERICAN IN D IANS
When I come back I will visi t you and if you a e eat ,
r
ing bu E lo e s you shall remai bu t if you are eati g

a n
,
n
m en I shall se d you awayn .

”
The Thu der me promised they would e at o ly

n - n n
bu Ealo e i futu e
s n d the you g m
r ,
we t on his
an n an n
way t o seek f t he S ake woman Whe at las t he

or n -
. n
came to the village where she dwel t he fou d she had n
married a man of ano t he t ribe and i a g ea t rage he

r ,
n r
swung the swo d the mag c a had give him a d slew

r i i n n n
her and her husband and the whole village aft e

, , ,
r
which he re t u ed the way he had co me Whe he

rn . n
reached the lodge of the Thu der me he saw that t hey n - n
had n o t kept their promise to t o ly bu E l e ea n a o s .
I am going to send you above he said H ithe to ,

”
. r
you have des t oyed men bu t when I have se t y u

r ,
n o
away you shall give them cooling rai to keep them n
alive .
S he sent them above where they became t h

o ,
e
thunder clouds -
.
P roceedi g o nhis j ourney he again crossed the

n ,
Great Wat er with a si gle s tride and related to t h

n ,
e
old wizard all that had happened .
I have se t t he Th u nder men above because they

n -
,
would not stop eating men H ave I done well ? .
V ery well .
I have killed the whole village where the S nake

woman was because she had taken another husband
,
”
.
H ave I do e well Pn
V ery w ll I t was for that I gave you the sword

e . .
T h e you t h returned to his father and married a ,
very beautiful woman of his own village .
A a
S ubterrAd tu
n e an v en re
There
.
lived in a populous village a chief who had
t w o so s and one daughter all of the m u nmarried
n
,
.
2
9 2
A S U B TERRANEAN AD VENT URE
B o t h the so s were in the habit of j oining the hunters
n
when they went t shoot bu Ealo e and on o e suc h o s, n
occasion a large im l became sepa ated fro m the herd

an a r .
O e ofthe chief s sons followed it and when the pursuit

’
n ,
had t aken him some dista ce from the rest of the party n
the bu E lo suddenly disappeared into a large pit B efore

a .
they could check themselves man and horse had plunged

in after him When the hunters returned the chief
.
was greatly distu bed to learn that his son was missing
r .
H e sent the criers in all directio s and spared no pai s n ,

n
to g t ews of the youth

e n .
If any perso knows the whereabouts of t he chief s

n
’
”
son shouted the criers let him come and t ell
,
“
,
.
This they repeated again and agai till at length n

,
a you g man came forward who had witnessed t he

n
accident .
“
I was standing on a hill he said and I saw the , ,
hunters a d I saw the son of the chief And when he

,
n .
was on level ground he disappear ed and I saw him no

”
,
mo e r .
H e led the men of the tribe to the spot and they ,
scattered to look for signs ofthe youth They found his .
t rail ; they followed it to the pit and there it stopped ,

.
They pitched their te ts round the chasm a d the n ,

n
chief begged his people to descend into it to search

for his son .
If a y man among you is brave and stout hearted

n
”
-
,
he said let him enter

“
,
.
There was no response .
If any one wi ll go I will make him rich .
S ti ll o one ve tu ed to speak
n n r .
If a y one will go I will give him my daughter i

n n
marr age i .
There was a stir among the braves and a youth came

forward .
293
MYTH S
I will go he said simply ,
”
.
Ropes of hide were made by willing hands and ,
secured to a skin shaped to form a sort of bucke t .
A ft e arranging signals with the party at t h e mouth

r
of t he pit the adventurous searcher allowed himself to

,
be lowered Once fairly launched in the Cimmerian

.
depths his eyes became accustomed to the da kness r ,
a d he saw fi st t he bu f
n falo t hen the horse t hen t h
r , ,
e
young brave quite dead H e put the body of t h

,
. e
chief s son into the ski bucket and gave the signal
’
n ,
for it to be drawn up to the surface B u t so g eat . r
was the excitement that when his comrades had drawn

up the dead man they forgot about the living one still
in the pit and hurried away
,
.
Lo st Un dergro und
By and by the hero got tired of shouti g and n
,
wa dered o ff in t o the darkness

n .
H e had not gone very far when he met an old woman .
Respectfully addressing her he told her his story and ,
begged her to aid his return to his own country .
“
Indeed I ca not help you she said but if you
n , ,
will go to the house of the wise ma who lives round n
the cor er you may get what you wa t

n n .
”
H aving followed the directio she had indica t ed n
with a withered finger the youth shortly arrived at a ,
lodge H ungry a d we ary he knocked so mewha t

. n
,
impatiently Receiving no answer he knocked agai

.
, n,
still more loudly This time there was a movement .
inside the lodge and a woman came to the door Sh

, . e
led him inside where her husba d sat dej ectedly not
,
n
,
even rising to greet the visi t o Sadly the woma told r . n
him that t hey were mour i g the dea th of t heir o ly n n n
so n At a word from his wife the husband looked at

.
the youth Eagerly he rose and embraced h im

. .
294
THE RETURN TO EARTH
Y o u are like our los t child said he Come .
and we will make you our so n .
The young brave t hen told him his story .
”
We shall treat you as our child said the Wise ,
M an “
.W hatever you shall ask we will give you ,
eve should you desire to leave us and to return to

n
your own people .
Though he was touched by the k ind ess of the good n
folk there was yet nothing the youth desired so much

,
as to return t o his ki dred ”

n .
“
Give me said he a white horse and a white
”
“
, ,
mule .
T he R tu t Ea th
e rn o r
1
The old man bade him go to where the horses were

hobbled a d there he found what he had asked for
,
n .
H e also ec e ived from his host a magic piece of iro

r n ,
which would enable him t obtain whatever he desiredo .
The rocks even melted away at a touch of this talisman .
Thus equipped the adventurer rode o E

,
.
S hortly aft erward he emerged in his own country ,
where the first persons he met were the chief and his
wife to whom he disclosed his identity as he was by
, ,
this time very much changed They were sceptical at .
first but soo they came to recognize him and gave

,
n
,
him a very cordial recep t ion .
H e married the chief s daughter and was made ’
head chieftai by his father in law The people built a

n - - .
lodge for him i the centre of the encampment and

n
,
brought him many valuable present s of clothi n g a d n
horses O n his marriage day the criers were sen t o u t

.
-
to tell the people that on t he following day no e on
must leave the village or do a y wo k n r .
O the mo row all the m e of the tribe we t out t

n r n n o
hunt bu Ealo e s and the young chieftain accompanied

,
2
95
MYTH SOF THE AMERI CAN IN D IANS
them B y mea s of his magic piece of iro he charmed
. n n
ma y bu E l e s and slew more t han did the others

n a o
,
.
Now it so happened that the chief s remaini g son ’

n
was very j ealous of his brothe in law H e thought r- - .
his father should have given him t he chieftai ship n

,
and t he honours accorded by the people to his young

relative were exceedingly galling to him So he made .
up his mi d to kill the you t h and destroy his beautiful

n
white horse B u t t he sagacious beast told its mas ter

.
t hat some one was plotting agai st his life and duly n , ,
warned he watched in the stable every night

,
.
O the occasio of a seco d great bu Ealo hunt t h e

n n n
wicked schemer found his opportunity B y waving his .
robe he scared the bu ffaloes and caused them to close

i on the you t h and trample him t o death
n B u t when .
the herd had scattered and moved away t here was no
trace of the young brave or of his milk white steed - .
They had re t urned to the U nderworld .
Wh ite Feathe r the G ian t iller

There once dwelt in the heart of a great forest an
old man a d his grandchild So far as he could
n .
remember the boy had never seen any human being

,
but his grandfather and though he frequently ques ,
t io n e d the latter on the subject of his relatives he

could elicit no information f o m him The truth was r .
that they had perished at the hands of six great gia t s n .
The nat ion to which the boy belonged h d wagered a
their childre against those of the giants that they

n
would beat the latter in a race U fort unately the . n
iants wo the childre of the ash I dia s were

n n n n
g
r
,
o f
r e it e d d all were slai with the exception of li t tle
,
an n
Ch ac pe e whose g andfather had t ake cha ge of him

o ,
r n r .
The child learned t o hunt and fish and seemed quite ,
contented and happy .
2
96
MYTHS THE AME RICAN IND IA NS
OF
Chac o pe e returned home and every t hi g happened ,
n
as t h M an of Wood had predic ted The old gra d

e . n
father W s g eatly surprised t see a flock of pigeons

a r o ru
issui g from the lodge from which Chaco pe e al

F
n so
,
sho t ly emerged weari g on his head a white fea t her

r ,
n .
Remembering the prophecy the old man wept to ,
think that he might lose his grandchild .
I n S earc h o fth e Gian ts

Next morning Chaco pe e set o E in search of the
giants whom he found in a very large lodge in the
,
ce tre of the forest The giants had lea ed of his

n . rn
approach from the little spirits who carry the news ‘

.
’
Among themselves they mocked a d sc Ee d at h im n o ,
bu t outwardly t he y greeted him with much civility

i
,
which however in nowise deceived him as to thei

, ,
r
t rue feeli gs Without loss of tim e they arra ged

n . n
a race between Chaco pe e and the youngest giant t h ,

e
wi ner of which was to cut o E the head o f t he o t he

n r .
Chaco pe e won with the help of his magic vine

,
,
d ,
an
killed his oppo en t Next mor n i g he appeared agai

n . n n,
and decapita t ed another of his foes This happe ed . n on
five mor ings O the sixt h he set out as usual bu t

n . n
,
was met by the M n o f Wood who i formed him a ,

n
tha t on his way to the giants lodge he wo uld encoun t e ’

r
the most beautiful woman in the world .
D o w nfall
’
Chac o pe e s
P ayattention to her he said earnestly

no S he , .
is there for your destruction When you see her t u n . r
yourself into an elk and you will be safe from her ,

”
wiles .
Chac o pe e proceeded on his way and sure e ough ,

n
before long he met the most beautiful woman i the n
world Mindful of the advice he had received he

.
,
293
Ev e ry thing h ap pe n e d as the Man of Wo o d h ad p re dic t e d 98
2
MY THS A MERICAN IND IAN S
O F T HE
a piece of rotten wood Nevertheless the gian t had .
some success in t he chase and his wife repaired to t he ,
home of her father to tell him what a skilful hu t er n
her husband was She also spoke of the dog t hat

.
lived with her sister and his skill in the chase

,
.
T he T ansf m ti r or a on
The old chief suspected magic and sent a deputa ,
tion of you t hs a d maidens to invi t e his you ger

n n
daughter and her dog t visit him To the surp se of o . ri
the deputat ion no dog was there but an exceedi gly

, ,
n
handsome warrior B u t alas Chac pe e could not

. o
speak The pa ty set o E for the home of the old

. r
chief whe e t hey were warmly welcomed

,
r .
It was arranged to hold a ge eral meeti g so that n n ,
the wearer of the white feather might show his prowess

a d magical powers F irs t of all t hey took t h e giant s
’
n .
pipe (which had belo ged t Ch co p e) and the war n o a e ,
i rs smoked it one after the othe W hen it came t

r o r. o
Ch c pee 3 turn he signified t hat t he giant should pre

’
a o
cede him The gia t smoked but to the disappoi t

. n
,
n
ment of t he assembly o t hing u usual happened The n n . n
Chac o pe e t ook t he pipe and as t h e smoke ascended it ,
became a flock of pigeons At the same mo ment he .
recovered his speech a d recou t ed his stra ge dv e

,
n n n a n
t ures t o the as t ounded lis t e ers Thei i dig atio n . r n n n
agai s t t he giant was unbounded a d the chief orde ed

n ,
n r
t ha t he should be given the form of a dog and stoned

t o dea t h by t h e people .
Ch é c o pe e gave a fur t her proof of his righ t to wear

t h e white fea t her Calling for a bu Eal hide he cut it
. o- ,
i t o lit tle pieces and strewed it o t he prairie Next

n n .
day he s ummoned the braves of the t ribe t o a buEal o
hu t and at no great distance t hey fou d a mag ifice t

n
,
n n n
herd The pieces of hide had become bu Ealo e s The

. .
300
HOW THE RAB B IT CAUGHT THE S UN
people greeted t his exhibitio of magic art with loud n
acclamatio s a d Chaco p n reputation was firmly

,
n ee s
’
established with the tribe .
Chac pe e begged the chief s permission to take his

’
o
wife on a visit to his grandfather which was readily ,
granted and the old man s gratitude and delight more

,
’
t han repaid them for the perils of their j ourney .
Ho w the R bbit Ca ught th S u

a e n
Once upon a time t he Rabbit dwelt in a lodge with

no one bu t his grandmother to keep him company .
Every mor ing he went hun t i g very early but no

n n
,
mat t er how early he was he always noticed that some

one with a very long foo t had bee before him and n
had left a trail The Rabbi t resolved to discover t he

.
identity of the hunter who forestalled him so one fi ,

ne
mor ing he rose even earlier than usual in the hope of

n
,
e countering the stra ger B u t all to no purpose for

n n .
,
t h mysterious one had gone leaving behind h im as was

e , ,
his won t t he trail of t he long foot

,
.
This irritated the Rabbit profoundly and he returned ,
to the lodge t consult with his g a dmother

o r n .
Grandmother he grumbled although I rise early ,

”
,
every morni g and set my traps i t he hope of snaring

n n
game some one is always before me a d frightens t h

,
n e
”
game away I shall make a s are a d catch him
. n n .
“
W hy sho u ld you do so P eplied his grand r
mo t her .In what way has he harmed you P ”

“
It is su fficient that I hate him replied the qu eru ,
lous Rabbit and departed H e secre t ed himself among

,
.
t h bushes and waited for nightfall

e H e had provided .
himself wi t h a stou t bowstring which he arranged as a ,
trap i the place where the footprints were usually t

n o
be fou d Then he we t home but returned very

n . n ,
early to examine his snare .
30 1
MYTHS
’
When he arrived at the spo t he discovered tha t he

had caught the intruder who wa indeed no less a ,
s, ,
personage t han the Su n H e ran home at t he t o p of .
his speed to acquaint his grandmother with t he news .
H e did not know what he had caught so his gra d ,

n
mother bade him seek the fo est o ce more and find r n
out O n returning he saw that the Su n was in a violent

.
passion
H w dare y o u snare m
.
o e ! he cried angrily .
Come hi t her and untie me at once

The Rabbit advanced cautiously and circled round ,
h im abj ect terror

in At last he ducked his head a d . n ,
ru ing nn c u t the bowstri g whic h secu ed the S u

i n, n r n
wi th his k ife The Su immediately soared upward

n . n ,
a d was quickly lost t o sight

n And the reason why .
the hair be tween the Rabbit s shoulders is yellow is tha t ’
he was scorched t here by the great heat which came

f om the Su n god when he loosed him
r - .
Ho w the R bbit S l w th D u i g Hill

a e e ev o r n
I t h e long ago there existed a hill of ogre like

n -
propensities which drew pe ple in t o it s mou t h d o an
devour ed them The Rabbi t s gra dmother war ed

.
’
n n
him not to approach it upon a y account n .
B u t t h e Rabbi t was rash d t h very fact that he ,

an e
had been wa ned agai s t t h vicinity made him all t h

r n e e
mo e anxious t o visi t t So he we t to t h hill d

r i n e an
cried mocki gly

.
,
“
P ahe Wat hah u i draw me i to
n : -
n n
your mouth ! Co me devour me !

,
—
,
B u t P ahe Wat hah u n i knew the Rabbit so he t ook ,
no no tice of him .
S hortly aft erward a hunting party came that way -
—
,
and ahe Wat hahu n i opened his mouth so t hat t hey

P ,
t ook it to be a great cavern and entered The Rabbit ,

.
,
waiting his chance pressed in behind them B ut when ,

.
02
3
THE RAB B I T AND T HE DEVOURIN G HILL
he reached P ahe Wathahu ni stomach the monster felt
-
’
s
t hat some t hing disagreed with him and he vomited the ,
R abbit up .
Later i t he day another hun t i g party appeared

n n -
,
an d P ahe Wat hahu n i again opened his capacious gullet

- .
The hunters entered unwit t i gly and were devoured n ,

.
And once more the Rabbit entered disguised as a man ,
by magic art This time the cannibal hill did not ej ect
.
him Imprisoned i t he monster s en trails he saw in

. n
’
the dista ce t he whi t ened bones of folk who had bee

n n
devoured t h still undigested bodies of others a d

,
e ,
n
some who were yet alive .
M ocki g P ahe Wat hahu n i the Rabbit said

n -Why ,
do you n t eat ? Y o u sho u ld have eate that ve y

o n r
fat heart And seizing his knife he made as if t

.
”
, ,
o
devour it A t this P ahq at hahu i set up a dism l

. n \
a
howli g but the Rabbit merely moc k ed h im an d sli t

n ,
the heart n twai At this the hill split asu der a d

i n . n ,
n
all t he folk who had been imprisoned within it went

out again s tretched their arms to the blue sky and
, ,
hailed the Rabbit as their deliverer ; for it was P ahe

Wat hahu ni s heart that had been sundered
’
.
The people gathered together and said : L et us“
make the Rabbit chief B u t he mocked them d . an
told them t o be gone that all he desired was the heap ,
of fat the hit j i d c nge ale d within its ent ails which T
r ,
would serve h m n d his old g andmo t her fo r food for

1 a
4 r
many a day With that the Rabbi t wen t homeward

.
,
ca ryi g t he fat o his back and he d his grand

r n n
,
an
mother rejoiced exceedingly and were never in wa t n
again .
0
3 3
CHA P T ER VI MY T HS AND LEGEND S
O F T HE P A WNEES
T he Paw n ee s , or Caddo an I n dian s
H E Caddoan
stock the principal representatives ,
of which are the P awnees a e now settled in ,

r
Oklahoma a d Nor t h D akota From t he earliest

n .
period they seem t o have been cultivators of t he soil as ,
well as hun t e s a d skilled in the arts of weaving and

r
,
n
pot tery making They possessed an elabora t e form

- .
of religious ceremo ial The follow ng myths well n . i
exemplify how strongly the P awnee was gifted with

the religious sense .
T he S ac red B un dle
A certain you g man was very vai of his personal
n n
appearance and always wore t he fi est clothes and

,
n
richest adornmen t s he could procure Among othe . r
possessio s he had a down fea t her of an eagle which

n ,
he wo e on his head when he went t o war and which

r ,
possessed magical proper t ies H e was u married and . n ,
ca ed no t hing for wome t hough doub t less there was

r n
,
more t han one maiden of the village who would n t o
have disdai ed t he hand of the young hunter for

n
,
he was as brave and good natured as he was hand -
some .
O n e day while he was out hunting with his com

panions—t h e Indians hu ted on foo t in t hose days n
he go t separated from the others and fo llowed some ,
bu Eal for a considerable distance The animals

o es .
ma aged to escape wi t h the exception of a young cow

n , ,
which had become s tranded in a mud hole The youth - .
fitted an arrow to his bow and was about to fire , ,
whe he saw t hat the bu E lo had vanished and only a

n a
young an d pretty woman was i sight The hunter was n .
30
4
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN IND IAN S
lo g a d wearisome j ourney they had The woman
n n .
was a gry with her husband a d dried up ever creek

n ,
n
they came to so that he feared he woiild die o t hirs t

‘
'
, ,
but the st ategy of his son obtai ed food a d drink for

r n n
him u t il they arrived at t h home of t h e bu Ealo e The

n e s .
big bulls the leaders of the herd were very angry d

, , ,
an
th eatened to kill him F irst however t hey gave him

r .
, ,
a test telling h im that if he accomplished it he should

,
live Six cows all exactly alike were placed in a o w

.
, ,
r ,
a d he was told t hat if he could point o u t his wife his life

n
would be spared H is o helped him secretly d . s n ,

an
he succeeded The old bulls were sur p ised a d much

. r ,
n
annoyed for they had not expec t ed him to disti guish

,
n
his wife from the other cows They gave him a o t her . n
test H e was requested t pick out his son from among

. o
several calves Again the young bu Ealo helped him

.
to perform the feat Not t sat isfied they decreed . e

,
tha t he mus t run a race I he should win t hey would .
let him go They chose their fastes t un ers but

. r n ,
on
t h e day se t for the ace a thin coa t ing of ice cove ed the
r r
ground and t he bu Ealo e could t u n at all while t h e

,
s no r
,
you n g Indian ran swiftly and steadily a d won with ,

n
ease .
T he F th
Magic ea er
The chief bulls were still a gry however and de n , ,
t e m in e d that they would kill him even though he

r ,
had p assed thei t es ts S they made him sit on t h

r . o e
grou d all the stro gest a d fie cest bulls rou d h im

n ,
n n r n .
Together they rushed at him and in a little while his ,
feather was seen flo ating i the air The chief bulls n .
called o the others to stop for t hey were sure t ha t he

n ,
must be t ampled to pieces by t his time B u t when

r .
they drew back t here sat the Indian in the centre of the
circle with his feather in his hair
,
.
306
THE MA G IC FEATHER
It was in fact his magic feather to which he owed
, ,
his escape and a seco d rush which the bu Ealo e made

,
n s
had as little e Ee c t on him Seeing that he was possessed .
ofmagical powers the bu E lo e s made the bes t ofmatters

,
a
a d welcomed him i to their camp

n on condition that
n ,
he would bring them gifts from his tribe This he .
agre e d to do .
When the Indian returned with his wife and son to

t h e village people they found that there was no food
to be had ; but the bu Ealo wife produced some meat -
from unde r; her iy be a d they ate of it

x
Aft erward
,
n .
they went back to the herd with gifts which pleased the ,
bu Ealo e s greatly The chief bulls knowing that the

.
,
people were in want of food o Ee ed t return with ,

r o
the hunter H is son wlio also wished to re t urn

'
.
, ,
arranged to accompany the herd in t he form of a bu E l a o,
while his parents went ahead in human shape The .
father warned the people that they must not kill his
s o when they went to hunt bu Ealo e fo he said the
n s
,
r, ,
yellow calf would always return leadi g more bu E lo e n a s .
B y 5n d by the child came to his father saying that he

3
would no more visit the camp in the form of a boy ,
as he was about to lead the herd eastward E e he . r
went he told his father that when the hunters sought

the chase they should kill the yellow calf and sacrifice
it to Atiu T irawa tan its hide and wrap i the skin
s
, ,
n
an e ar of corn and other sacred thi gs Every year n .
c fi
t hey ho u ld lo o k out for another yellow calf sacrifice

'
s ,
it and keep a piece of its fat to add to the bu dle

,
n .
Then whe food was scarce and fami e t hreatened t he

n n
tribe the chiefs should gat her i cou cil a d pay a n n n
f iendly visi t to the you g bu Ealo d he would tell

r n ,
an
T irawa of t heir need so t hat a other yellow calf might

,
n
be sent to lead t he herd to the people .
When he had s aid thi s t he bo y le ft the c amp All .
07
3
M YTH S OF THE A MER ICAN I N D IAN S
was done as he had ordered F ood became plen t iful .
,
and t he father became a chief greatly respected by his ,
people H is bu Ealo wife however he almost forg t

.
-
, ,
o ,
and o neight she va ished So distressed was t h

n n . e
chief a d so remorseful for his neglect of her t hat he

,
n ,
never recovered but wi t hered away a d died B u t t he

,
n .
sacred bundle was long preserved in the t ibe as a r
magic char m t bring t h bu E lo

o e a .
Their sacred bundles were most precious t o the

I dians a d were guarded religiously I n t imes of
n
,
n .
famine they were ope ed by t h priests wi t h muchn e
ceremony The above s t ory is give to explain the

. n
origin of that belonging to the P awnee t ribe

—
.
T h e B ear Man
There was once a boy of the P awnee tribe who
imitated the ways of a bear ; and indeed he much , ,
resembled that animal W hen he played with the .
other boys of his village he would pre tend to be a

bear and even when he grew up he would often t ell his
,
compa ions laughingly that he could turn himself in t o

n
a bear whenever he liked .
H is resemblance to the animal came about in this

man er B efore the boy was born his fa t her had gone
n .
on t he wag path and at some distance from his home

-
,
had come upon a t in bear cub The lit t le creature - .
looked at him so wist ully and was so small and help

less t hat he could o t pass by wi t hout taki g notice of
n n
it So he stooped and picked it up in his arms tied

.
,
some India tobacco round it s neck and said

n
“
I ,
:
k ow t hat the Great Spiri t T iraw will care for you

n ,
a,
,
but I can ot go on my way wi t hout pu t ti g these

n n
things round your neck to show t hat I feel ki dly n
toward you I hope that t h e a imals will take care

. n
son when he is born and help him to grow up ,

MYTH S OF THE A MERICAN I ND IANS
T he R esu sc itatio n o f the B ear Man f
The sun was shining but fitfully that day however ,

.
Lo g i tervals of gloom succeeded each gleam of sun

n n
ligh t B u t t he t w bears set about collecting the

. o
~
remains of t h B ear man who was i deed s adly muti e -

,
n
late d: and ly ing down o n his body they worked

, n m ,
over him wi t h t heir mag ic medi ci e till he showed

g
signs of re t ur ing life At length be fully rega ned n . i
co n sciousness and finding himself in the p resence of

, ,
two bears was at a loss to know what had happen ed

,
t
o him B u t the a imals related how t hey had brought
. n
him t o life and the sight of his dead comrades lying

,
around him recalled what had gone befo e Gratefully r .
ack owledgi g t he service the bears had done him he

n n ,
accompanied the m to t heir den H e was still very .
weak d f equen t ly fai ted but ere long he recovered

,
an r n ,
his stre gth and was as well as ever only he had no

n
,
hair on his head for t he Sioux had scalped him D uri g ,

. n
h i iEoj o fi n with t he bears he was taught all the t hings

' P '
‘
s
t ha t t he knew —which was a great deal for all Indians ,
know t at the bear is one of t he wises t ofanimals H ow .
ever his host begged him not t o egard the wonderful

,
r
t hings he did as the outcome of his own strength but ,
to a who had made the bears and

"
i k o Ti a
4 g v
gt ha t w n s r ,
1 had g ve t he m t hei
i wisdom d greatness F inally
n r an .
he t old t he B ea man to re t ur _to his people where her- n ,
would become a very g eat man great i $573 ? a d in

" '
r n n
,
weal th B u t at the same time he must not forget the

.
bears nor cease to imi tate them for on that would

, ,
depe d much of his success

n .
“
I shall look after you he concluded “
If I die ,
”
.
,
you shall die ; if I grow old you shall grow old alo g n
with me This t ree —

,
pointi g to a cedar
. shall be n
a protector to you I t never becomes old ; it is always .
310
THE RE SUS CITATION OF THE B EAR MAN 2
fresh and beautiful the g ft of T i awa A nd if a

,
i r .
thunders t orm shou ld come while you are at home throw

some cedar wood on the fire and you will be safe
- .
—
Giving him a bear skin cap to hide his hairless scalp ,
the B ear then bade him depart .
Arrived at his home the young man was greeted with

,
amazement for it was t hought that he had perished

,
with the rest of the war pa ty B u t when he c o r . n
v i c e d his parents tha t it was indeed their son who

n
visi t ed them t hey received him j oyfully When he

,
.
had embraced his friends a d had been congratulated n
by the m his retur he told them of the bears who

on n, ,
were wai t i g ou t side t he village Taking presents of

n .
I dian tobacco sweet smelling clay bu Ealo -meat and

n
,
-
, ,
beads he e tur ed t o them and agai t alked wi t h the

,
r n ,
n
h e bear
- The latter hugged him saying
.
“
As my ,
:
f r has touched you you will be great ; as my hand s

a ,
have touched your ha ds you will be fe arless ; and as

n ,
”
my mouth touches your mouth you will be wise ,
.
With t ha t the bears departed .
True to his words the animal made the B ear man

,
-
v
t h e g eat est warrior of his t ibe
r H e was the originator
r .
of the B ear D ance which t h P aw ees still practise

,
e n .
H e lived t an adva ced age greatly honoured by his

o n ,
people .
1
3 1
CHA P T ER VII MY T HS AND LEGEND S
O F T HE NO R T HER N AND NO R T H .
WES T ER N IND IA NS
Haid a D e mi G0ds 2
H ER E is a curious H aida sto y told of the r
origin of certain supe natural people who are r ,
supposed to speak through the h m ns or s a a ,
medicine-me and of how they g t their names

n
,
o .
Te bro t hers went u t to hu t wi t h their dogs

n o n .
While t hey were climbi g a s t eep rocky m oun ta a n in
t hick mist enveloped t hem d t hey were compelle d to ,

an
remai on t he heights B y a d by t hey made a fire

n . n ,
a d the younges t
n who was full of mischief cast his
, ,
1 bgw n it i Whe t he bow was burn t th e hu ters were
. n n
asto ished to see it on t h level ground below The

n e .
mischievous brother thereupo an ou ced his in t en n n n
tio of followi g his weapon and by the same mea s

n n ,
n .
Though the o t hers t ied hard t dissuade him he r o ,
threw himself o t h e blazi g fi e a d was quickly

n n r ,
n
consumed H is b others t hen beheld him

. r the on
plai vigorously exh rt ing t hem t follow his example

n o o .
O ne by one t hey did so some boldly some t i morously , , ,
but all fou d them selves t las t o t h e level ground

n a n .
As the bro t hers t ravelled on t hey heard a wren

chirping a d they saw t hat one of t heir number had
,
n
a blue hole in his heart F arther on t hey fou d a . n ,
hawk s feat her which t hey t ied in the hair of the !

’
,
’
j o u n e st
g Th came at length to a deserted village
t h shores 0a
y.
on e an i le t and t ook possessio of one of

n
,
n
the hu ts F or food t hey ate some mussels and havi g

.
,
n
satisfied their hunger they set out to explore the set t le

ment No t hi g rewarded t heir search but an old canoe
. n ,
moss grown and covered wi t h et t l es Whe they had

- n . n
removed the weeds and scraped o ff the moss t hey

31 2
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN I NDIAN S
T he S upern atural S ister
The ten brothers floated round the coas t till they
reached another village H ere they t ook on board a .
woman whose arms had been accidentally burned by

her husband wh mistook them for t he arms of some
,
o
one embracing his wife The woma was severely . n
burned and was i grea t dis tress The super atu ral n . n
brothers made a crack in the bottom of t he canoe

and told the woman to place her hands in it H er .
wounds were immediately healed They called her .
their sister and seated her i t h canoe to bail out t he

,
n e
water W hen t hey came to the D j u the s tream near

.
,
which dwel t F ine weather wo man } the latter came and

- -
talked to them repea ting t he ames which the sh m n

,
n a a
had given them and calling their sister S upernatural

,
woman who does the bailing

- - - - .
P addle t the island you see in the distance

o she ,
added “
. The wizard who lives t here is he who pain ts
those who are to become superna t ural beings Go .
to him and he will paint you D ance four nights in .
your canoe and you will be finished .
They did as she bade t hem d the wizard dressed ,

an
them n a manner becoming to their position as super

i
natural bei gs H e gave t hem danci g hats dancing

n . n
,
skirts and pu fli n beak rattles and drew a cloud over

'
-
, ,
the outside of their ca oe n .
T h e B irth o f S in
The H aida of B ritish Colu mbia and the Q ueen
Charlotte Islands possess a striki g my t h relating t n o
the incarnation of t h e S ky god t heir principal dei ty -

,
.
T h e daugh t er of a certain chief went one day to dig n i
the beach After she had worked some t me she dug

. i
1
Se e p age 3 1 6 .
314
IRTH o r siN
T HE B
up a cockle— shell She was about to throw it to one
.
side when she thought she heard a sound coming from

it like that of a child crying Examini ng the shell she .
,
found a small baby inside She carried it home and .
wrapped it in a warm covering and tended it so care ,
fully that it grew rapidly and soon began t o walk .
S he was sitting beside t he child n day when he o e
made a mo vement with his hand as if imitating the

drawing of a bowstring so to please him she t ook a ,
copper bracelet from her arm and hammered it into the

shape of a bow which she strung and gave him alo g
,
n
with two arrows H e was delighted with the tiny

_
.
weapon and immediately set o u t to hun t small game

,
with it Every day he returned to his foster mo th i

.
-
e
with some trophy of his skill One day it was a goose .

,
another a woodpecker and another a blue jay ,

.
One morning he awoke to find himself and his

mother in a fine n ewllg u se wi th gorgeous door pos t s ,
-
splendidly carv EEEnd illuminated i rich reds blues n

, ,
and greens The carpenter who had raised this fine

.
building married his m6fh r and was very kind to him

”
e ,
.
H e took the boy down to the sea shore and caused -

,
him to sit with his fage looking toward the expanse

of the PaEi fic And so long as the lad looked across
.
the boundless blue there was fair weather

—
.
H is father used to go fishing and one day Sin for

—
,
such was the boy s name expressed a wish to a ecom

’
pany him They obtained devil fish for bait and pro
.
-
,
c e e de d to the fishin ground where t h e lad instructed

-
g ,
his father to pronounce certain magical formul e the a ,
result of which was that their fi hing line was violently s -
agitated and their canoe p ulled round an adjacent islan d

t hree times When t he dfstu rban ce s t opped at last they
“
p alled in the line and dragged out a monster covered

“
with piles of halibut .
31 5
OF THE AME R I CAN IN D IAN S
MYTH S
O day Sih went o u t weari g a wren ski
ne H is n -
n .
mother beheld him rise i stat ure un t il he s o are d n
above her and brooded like a bank of shining clouds

over the ocean The he descended and donned t h
. n e
skin of a blue jay Agai he rose ove t h sea a d . n r e

,
n
shone resplende t ly O ce mo e he soared upward

n . n r
,
weari g the skin of a woodpecker and t he waves

n ,
reflected a colour as of fire .
The he said “
M other I shall see you no more
n : ,
.
I am going away from you W hen the sky looks like .
my face pai t ed by my father there will be no wind

n
”
.
Then the fishing will be good .
H is mo t her bade him farewell sadly yet with the , ,
proud knowledge t hat she had nurtured a divinity .
B u t her sorrow i creased when her husband intimated

n
that it was t ime for him to depart as well H er super .
natural son and husba d however left her a port io

-
n , , “
n
of their power F or whe she si t s by the i ileit and

. n r
loosens her robe the wi d scurries down between the n
ban kgand t he waves are ru ffled with tempest ; and the

more she loo sens t he garment the greater is t he storm .
They call her i t he Indian t ongue F ine weather woman

n - -
.
B u t she dwells mostly i the winds d when t he cold n ,

an
morning airs draw up from t he sea la dward she ‘
makes an o Ee ing of feathe s to her glorious son The

r r .
feathers are flakes of s ow and they serve to remind n ,
him that the world is weary for a glimpse of his golden

face .
Master Carpe n ter an d S o uth East

2 2
A H aida myth relat es how M aster carpenter a -

,
supernatural being went to war with South east (the

,
-
—
south east wi d) t S qa i t h e t own lying farthest sou t h
- n a ,
on the Q ueen Charlot t e Islands The south east wind .

-
is particularly rude and boisterous on that coast and it ,
3 1 6
MAS T ERC ARPENT ER AN D S O UT H EAS T a
was with the inten t ion of punishing him for his violence
that M aster ca penter challe ged him F irst of all
- r n .
,
however he set about building a canoe for himself

,
.
The firs t one he made Elit and he was obliged to 3 ,
throw it away The se c n d also s plit notwithstanding

. o ,
the fact that he had made it stout er than t h other e .
Anoth er a d another he built making each o stronger

n ,
ne
than the last but every attemp t ended in failure and at

, ,
last exceedingly vexed at his unskilfulness he was on

, ,
the poin t ofgiving t he task up H e would have done .
so indeed but for t he i terven tion of Greatest F ool

, ,
n .
H itherto M aster carpenter had been trying to f rm

- o
tw p ca oes from one log by means of w dges

n Greatest
e .
F ool stood watching him for a ti me amused at h i ,

s
clumsiness and fi ally showed him that he ought to

,
n
u e bent wedges
s And though he was perhaps the
.
las t person from whom M as t er carpenter might expect -
to learn anythi g the unsuccessful builder of canoes

n ,
adopted the suggestion with the happiest results ,

.
W hen at length he was satisfied that he had made a

good canoe he let it down into the water and sailed ,
o E in search of S outh east -

.
B y and by he floated right down to his enemy s

’
abode and when he j udged himself to be above it he

,
rose in the c a1_0 e and flung out a challe ge There

1 n .
was reply Agai he called a d this t ime a ’ id

no n ra
current bega to float past him bea ing on its su rfaic e

. n ,
n r
,
a quantity of seaweed The shrewd M aster carpenter .

-
fancied he saw the matted of his enemy floating

amo g the seaweed He seized hold of it and after
n .
,
2
it came South east The lat t er i a great passion

- . n
began to call o n his nephews to help him T h e fi t

'
’
* ~
. 1s
to be summoned was Red s t orm -cloud Immediately - .
a deep red u Eus d t he sky Then the stormy tints

s e .
died away a d the wind rose with a harsh murmur

,
n .
3 1 7
MYTH S OF THE AMER ICAN I ND IAN S ‘
When this wind had reached its full strength anothe r

was summoned Taker o E f the tree -tops The blast ,
- -o - - .
increased to a hurricane d the tree tops were blown ,

an -
o E and carried away and fell thickly about t h canoe e ,
where M aster carpe ter was making use of his magic

- n
arts to protect himself Again another wind was called .
up P ebble rat tler who set the stones and sand flying
,
-
,
about as he shrieked in answer to the summons .
M aker fthe thick sea mis t came next the spirit of

-o - - - -
,
the fog which strikes terror into the hearts of those

at sea and he was followed by a numerous band of
,
other nephews each more to be dreaded than the last

,
.
F inally Tidal wave came and covered M aster carpenter

- -
with water so that he was obliged to give i Relin

,
n .
q u is hin
g his hold on S outh east he ma aged to struggle -
,
n
to the shore It was said by some t hat South east

.
-
died but the sh m ns who ought to know say that he

,
a a , ,
returned to his own place .
S outh east s mother was named To morrow and the

’
- -
,
Indians say that if t hey utter that word they will have
bad weather for Sou t h east does not like to hear his
,
-
mother s name used by any one else

’
.
T he B eav er an d th e Po rc upin e
This is the tale of a feud between the beavers and
the porcupines B eaver had laid in a plentiful store of
.
food but P orcupine had failed to do so and one day

, ,
when the former was o u t hunting the latter went to his

lodge and stole his o v i i n When B eaver returned r s o
he fou d that his F

.
nood was gone and he questioned ,
P orcupine about the matter .
“
D id you steal my food P he asked .
No answered P orcupine One cannot steal food

,
“
.
from supernatural beings and you and I both possess ,
supernatural powers .
”
3 1 8
MYTH S OF THE AMERICAN IND IANS
T he Fi di g f P upi
n n o o rc ne
Aft er a time the we ather became very cold a tro hg ,

s
wind blew from the north and the water became ,
smooth with a layer of ice When it was u E cie tly . s i n
frozen t bear the weight of t he P orcupine P eople they

o
crossed over to t h e island in search of their brother .
They were greatly rej oiced to see him but fou d him ,
n
so weak t hat he could hardly walk and he had to be ,
car ied to his father s lodge

r
’
.
W hen they wanted to k ow why B eaver had treated n
him so cruelly he replied that t was because he had i
eaten B eaver 3 food The P orcupine P eo ple thi king

’
.
,
n
t his a small excuse were greatly i censed agai st the

,
n n
beavers and immediately declared war on them B u t

,
.
the latter were generally victorious and the war by ,
an d by came to a inglorious nd for the porcupines

n e .
The spi y tribe t ill however imagi ed that they had a

n s , ,
n
grievance against B eaver and pl t t d to take his life ,

o e .
They carried him to the top 0i a tall tree thinking that

t
,
as t he beave s could not climb he would be n the same

r i
plight as their bro t he had been o the island B u t r n .
by t he simple expedient of ea ting the tree downward

from the top B eaver was enabled to return to his
home .
T he D ev il Fish
’
f
s D aughter
A H aida Indian was sailing in his canoe with his
two children and his wife at low tide They had been .
paddling for some time when t hey came to a place ,
where some devil fish stones lay and t hey could ,
discern the devil fi h t racks and see where t food

- s
’
3 i s
was lying piled up The m who was a sh m n > . an , a a ,
landed upon the rocks with the intentio of finding n
and killing the devil fish but while he was searching -

,
3 20
THE D E VI L FI S H S D AU G HTER ’
for it the monster sudde ly emerged fro m it hole and

'
n s
dragged him thro ugh the aper t ure i to it den H is

T
n s .
wife and children , believing him to be dead paddle d ,
away .
The monster which had seized the man was a

female devil fi h and she dragged him far below into
- s
,
t h e precinc t s f the town where dwelt her father the

- f
”
o ,
devil fish chief and there he married t he devil fi h

-
,
- s
which had captured him M any years passed and at .

,
length the m became home sick and greatly desi ed

an - r
to see his wife a d family o ce more H e begged t he

n n .
chief to le t him go and after some demu his request ,

r
was gra ted n .
The sh m n departed in o e canoe and his wife the

a a n , ,
devil fi h s daughter in another The ca oes were

-
s
’
,
. n
magical a d sped alo g of themselves Soon they

,
n n .
reached his fath e s town by t he aid of t he e cha ted

r
’
n n
craft H e had brought much wealth wi t h him from

.
the devil-fish ki gdom a d with this h g t ad d and

n
,
n r e
became a great chief Then his childre foun d him . n
and came to him They were grown up and to cele .

,
brate his home coming he held a great feast F ive

- .
great feasts he held one after ano t her d t each of , ,

an a
them his children and his human wife were presen t .
B u t the devil fi h wife began to pine for t he sea life

-
s - .
One day while her husband and she at in hi fat h e s s g

m
r
’
house he began to melt At the same time the devil .
fish wife disappeared betwixt t h e planks of t he floor

ing H er husband then assumed t he devil fish fo m
.
- r ,
and a second soft slimy body followed the first t hrough

,
the planks The devil fi h wife a d her husband had

.
- s n
returned to her father s realm ’

.
This my t h of co urse approximates to those of the

, ,
seal wives who escape from their mo tal husbands and

-
r ,
the swan and othe bird brides who pining for t hei r -
,
r
3 2 1
MYTH SOF THE AMERI CAN I ND IANS
natural environment take wing one fine day and leave ,
their ear t h mates -

.
Chin o o kTl a es
The Chinooks formerly dwelt on Columbia River ,
f om the D alles to it mouth a d on the Lowe

r s ,
n r
Willamette With the exceptio of a few individuals

. n ,
they are now extinct but t heir myths have bee success
,
n
fully collected and preserved They were t h e atives . n
of t he nort h west coast cun i g i ba gaining yet

-
,
n n n r ,
dwelli g o a communal plan Their chief physical

n n .
cha acterist ic was a high a d na ow forehead a t ificially

r n rr r
flat t ened Conce ning this people P rofessor D a iel

. r n
Wilson says
“
The Chinooks are amo g t he most rema kable n r
of the fl at headed Indians a d carry t he process of

-
,
n
cranial distor t ion to t he great est excess They a e i . r n
some respects a superior ace making slaves of o the r ,

r
tribes and evincing considerable skill in such a ts as

,
r
are r equired i their wild forest and coast life Their

n .
chief war implements a e bows d a rows t he fo me

-
r an r ,
r r
made from t h e yew t ee a d the latte feathe ed and

-
r ,
n r r
pointed with bone Their canoes are hollowed out of

.
the t ru k of the ceda tree which at tains to a great

n r-
,
size i t hat region a d are f eque tly o namented with

n
,
n r n r
much t aste a d skill In such a canoe the dead

n .
Chinook chief is deposited sur ounded with all the ,

r
requisites for war or t h e favourite occupatio s of life

,
n
presenti g a correspondence i his sepulchral rites to

n n
the ancient pagan viking who as appea s alike fro m , ,

r
t h e conte t s of the S candinavian Shihss tn ng r a d

’
n ae z e n
f om the na ratives of the sagas was inte red or con

r r
,
r
sumed in his war galley and th e form of t hat favourite

-
,
scene of ocean triumphs perpetuated in the earth work -
that covered his ash s e .

”
32 2
MYTH SOF THE AMERICAN I N D IANS -
Two days said he ,

.
The we ca do o t hing replied the S uper

n n n ,
n atural F olk for we can o ly restore people who

“
,
n
have been dead one day H owever you can go to .

,
the town where those are brough t to life who have “
been dead two days .

”
Another day s j ourney brought B lue Jay a d his

’
n
wife to the t hi d t own Agai he fou d himself a day

r . n n
la te a d was directed t a fou t h town and from that

,
n o r ,
on e to t a o t he At the fiftn t own however t h e

y e r .
, ,
S upe a t u al P eople t ook pity o h im a d ecovered

rn r ,
n r
his wife fro m dea t h B lue Jay they made a chieftain .
amo g the m d co fe ed m
n ,
honours upon him
an n rr an .
Aft e a t ime he got t ired livi g in state among

r 0 n
the Super a t ural P eople d re t u ned home

n ,
an r .
Whe he was once m ore amo g his ki dred his

n n n
you g br ot her i law the chief s o learnt that his

n - n-
,
’
s n,
sister was alive a d married to B lue Jay n .
H astily t h e boy car ied the news t o his father the r ,
old chief who se t a message t B lue Jay dema ding

,
n o n
his hai in paymen t f his wife The messenge

r or . r
r eceived no reply and t he angry chief gathe ed his ,

r
people round him and led them t B lue Jay s lodge o

’
.
On their approach B lue Jay t u ned himself into a bi d r r
a d flew away while his wife swooned

n
,
All the e fforts .
of her kindred could n o t bring t h woman round and e ,
t hey called on her husba d to e t urn I t was in vain n r .

,
however B lue Jay would n t come back and his wife

: o ,
j our eyed fi ally to the Land of Souls

n n .
T he Marriage o f Io i
The seco d por tion of t h e t ilogy relates how the
n r
G hos t people set t ing out o e igh t f om t he Shadow

-
,
n n r
land to buy a wife t ook Ioi the sister of B lue Jay who
, , ,
disappeared befo e morning Aft e a year had elapsed

r . r
24
3
A F ish in g Exp e dit io n in Sh ado w l an d
MYTH S OF THE A MERICAN IN D IANS
until he came to the fourth of them B lue Jay dis .
obeyed her as he was wont to do and wi t h dire

, ,
resul t s for when he reached the fifth prairie he found

,
he had no water to pour on it While endeavour .
ing to beat out the fla mes he was so seriously

bu ned that he died a d returned to the Ghosts as
r ,
n
o e of themselves but without losi g his mischievous

n ,
n
propensities .
B lue J ay an d I o i G 0 Visitin g
The third tale of the trilogy tells how B lue Jay and
Ioi went to visit their friends The M agpie was the .
first to receive t he visitors and by means of magic he ,
provided food for them P utting a salmon egg into .
a kettle of boiling water he placed the kettle on t he ,
fir e a d immedia t ely it was full of salmon eggs so that

,
n ,
when they had eaten enough B lue Jay and Ioi were able
to carry a number away .
On the f llo wini day the M gpie call d for the kettle
o a l e
they had borrowe d? Blue Jay tried to entertain his V isitor

in the same magical fashion as the latter had enter
t in e d him
a B ut his attempt was so ludicrous that the
.
M agpie could o t help laughi g at him n n .
The pair s next visit was t o the D uck who obtained

’
food for them by making her children dive fo trout r .
Again t here was twice as much as they could eat and ,
B lue Jay and Ioi carried away the remainder on a

mat D uri g the return visit of the D uck B lue
. n
frié d t emulate this feat also using Ioi s ch

’
o
,
instead of the ducklings H is attempt was again u n .
successful .
The two visited in t urn t he B lack B ear the B eaver , ,
and the Seal all of whom similarly supplied refresh

,
ment for them i a magical ma ner B u t B lue Jay s

n n .
’
attempts at imitati g these creatures were futile n .
32 6
THE HEAVEN S O UG HT B RI D E '
A visit t the Shadows concluded the rou d and the

o n ,
adventurers re t ur ed home n .
T he Heav en r
so ught B ride
A b other and sis t e left destitu t e by t he death f
r r o
t hei father a chief of t h e Chi ooks were forced t o go

r
,
n ,
hu t i g sea ott ers every day t obt ain a livelihood As

n n - o .
t hey hunted t h e mists came down a d with them t h e ,

n
S upe na t u al P eople o e of whom became ena m o u red

r r ,
n
of the gi l The ghos tly husband sen t his wife gift s

r .
of st a ded timbe d whale mea t so that when her

r n r an -
,
son was b rn she might wan t for o t hing The mis

o n .
c h ie v u B lue Jay heari g of t h e abundance of mea t i

o s ,
n n
t h e young chief s house app ised his w chief of the

’
r o n
,
circums t a ce and brough t all t h e village t sha e it

n o r .
The Supe natural P e ple a noyed that t heir bounty

r o ,
n
should be t hus misused abducted the young chief s ,

’
sis t er alo g wi t h her child

,
n .
T h e woman s au t t he Crow gathered many pote

’
n n
, ,
tilla d other roots placed t hem i her ca oe and pu t

an ,
n n ,
out t o sea Sh e came to the cou try of the Super

. n
nat u al F olk d whe n t hey saw her approaching t hey

r ,
an
all n down t the beach t o greet her They greedily

ra o .
snatched t the roots she had bro ught with h e and

a r
devoured t hem ea t ing t h e most succule t a d throwing

,
n n
away those t hat were n o t so much to their t aste The .
C ow soo fo u d h e
r n iece who laughed at her for
n r n ,
b i ging such fare t such a la d

r n o n .
D you t hink t hey are me tha t you bri g them

o n n
potentilla oots P she cried

r
“
They only eat cert ain
”
.
of the roots you have fe t ched hi t her because they have

magical proper tie s The next time you come bring .
.
t h e sort of roo t s t hey seized upo — a d you ca also n n n

”
bri g a baske t of po te tilla oo t s f m e
n n r or .
32
7
MYTHS OF THE AMERICAN I N D IAN S
T he Whale catc her f
Sh e then called upon a dog which was gambolling

close at hand .
Take this dog she said to the Crow ,

“
It .
belongs t your g a d nephew When you come

o r n -
.
near the shore say Catch a whale dog and see what , , ,
’
”
happens .
The Crow bade farewell to her niece and e — enteri g , ,

r n
her canoe steered for t he world of mor tals again The

,
.
dog lay quietly in the stern Whe abou t half way . n -
across t h e Crow recollected her niece s advice ”

’
.
Ca t ch a whale good dog she cried encouragin gly

, ,
.
The do g arose and at that moment a whale crossed

,
the path of the canoe The dog sank his teeth in the .
grea t fish and the frail bark rocked violently

,
.
”
“
H old him fas t good fellow ! cried the Crow
,
exci t edly H old him fast

. B u t t h e canoe tossed -
so da gerously and shipped so much water that in a

n
great fright she bade t h dog let go H e did so and e .

,
lay down in t h e ster again n .
The Crow a rived at t h world of me n once more

r e ,
and aft er la di g t urned round t call her wo derful

n n o n
do g ashore B u t no trace of him was visible

. H e had .
disappeared .
Once more the Crow gathered ma y oots d n r an
p lan t s t
,
ak‘
in
g especial care to collec t a good supply
of the sort the S upernat ural P eople were fond of ,
and gathering only a small basket of potentilla F or .
the second time she crossed over to the land of the

D ivi e B eings who on espying her succule t cargo
n
, ,
n ,
devoured it t once Sh ca ied t h e pote tilla oo t s

a . e rr n r
to her niece and when i her house noticed the dog

,
n
she had received and lost H er iece i fo med her . n n r
that she should n t have o dered t he a imal t o seize o r n
32 8
THE CHI NOOK S VI S IT THE SUPERNAT U RALS
the whale i mid ocean but should have waited until
n -
,
she was nearer the land The Crow departed once .
more taki g the dog with her

,
n .
When they approached the land of men the Crow

called to the animal to catch a whale but it stirred not , .
Then the Crow poured some water over him and he ,
started up and killed a large whale the carcass of which ,
drifted on to the beach when the people came down ,
and cut it up for food .
s Vi it th S up atu al
T he Ch in oo k s e ern r s
S ome time after this the young chief expressed a

desire to go t o see his sister so his people manned a ,
large canoe and set forth The chief of the Sup e r .
natural P eople observing their approach warned his

, ,
subj ects that the mortals might do somethi g to their n
disadvantage and by means of magic he covered the

,
sea with ice The air became exceedingly cold so

.
,
cold indeed that B lue Jay who had accompanied the

, , ,
young chief leapt into the water At this one of

,
.
the Supernatural P eople on shore laughed and cried

out “
H a ha ! B lue Jay has drown ed himself !
,
At this taunt the young chief in the canoe arose and , ,
t aking the ice which covered the surface of the sea ,
cast it away At sight of such power the Supernatural

.
F olk became much alarmed .
The chief and his followers now came to land and , ,
walking up t h beach found it deserted Not a single

e ,
.
Supernatural P erson was to be see Espying the n .
chie r s house however the Chinooks approached it

’
, ,
.
It was guarde d by sea lions o e at each side of the -

,
n
door The chief cautiously warned his people against

.
attempting an entrance B ut t he i repressible B lue Jay

. r
tried to leap past the sea lions and got severely bitten -
,
for his pains H owling dismally he rushed seaward

.
,
.
3 2
9
MYTHS OF THE AMERI CAN I N D I AN S
The yo ung phie f annoyed t hat the D ivine B eings should
,
have cause far laugh t er against any of his people now ,
darted forward seized t h monsters one in each hand

,
e
,
and hurled them far away .
At t his second fea t the S uper atural F olk set up a n
hubbub of rage and dismay which was turned to loud ,
laughter when B lue Jay claimed t he deed as his loudly ,
chanting his own praises The Chinooks taking hear t .

, ,
e tered the lodge B u t t he Supernatural F olk vanished,

n .
leaving only th chief s sis t er behind e

’
.
The Chi ooks had had othing to eat since leaving

n n
their own country and B lue Jay who like most , , ,
worthless folk was always hungry complained loudly

, ,
that he was famished H is brother Robi sullenly . n
ordered him to be silent Sudde nly a Super n atural .
B eing with a long beak emerged f om under the bed r

,
and splitting wood with his beak kindled a large fire

, , .
“ Robin ”
said B lue Jay that is the spirit of o u r
v
, ,
”
great grandfather s slave
-
’
.
Soon the house was full of smoke and a voice was ,
heard calling o ut for the Smoke eater An individual -

.
with an enormous belly made his appearance and ,
swallowed all the smoke so that the house became ,
light A small dish was brought containing only one

.
,
piece o fme at B u t the mysterious voice called for t he

. .
Whale-meat cutter who appeared and sliced t he frag

-
ment so with his beak tha t t he plate was full t over—l

, ,
flowing Then he blew upo it d it became a large

. n
,
an
canoe full of meat which the Chinooks finished much , ,
to t he amazement of the Supernatural P eople .
T heF u T st o r e s
After a while a messenger from t he D ivine P eople

approached and asked to be told whether the India s n ,
would accept a challenge to a diving contest the ,
33°
MYTH S
OF THE AMERI CAN IND IANS
P eople suggested that the t wo chiefs should e ngage in
a whale catchi g contest This was agreed to and the
-
n .
,
S upernatural chief s wife aft er warni g them place d

’
n
, ,
B lue Jay and Robin under her armpi t s to keep them

quiet As t hey desce ded t the beach she said to her
. n o ,
brother F our whales will pass you but do not har

”
,
poon any un t il the fift h appears .
Robi did as he was bid but the woman had a hard

n ,
time in keeping the curious B lue Jay hidde The n .
four whales passe d but the you g chief took no heed ,

n .
The t he fifth slid by H e thrust his harpoon deep

n .
into its blubber and cast it ashore The S upernatural

,
.
chief was unsuccessful in his attempts and so the ,
Chinooks won agai O n the result bei g known B lue n . n
Jay could no longer be restrai ed and falling from n , ,
under the woma s arm he was drow ed n

’
,
n .
On setting out for ho me the chief was advised to tie

Robin s bla ket to a magical rope with which his sister
’
n
provided him W hen the Chi ooks were in the . n
middle of the ocean the Supernatural P eople raised

a great storm to encompass their des truction B u t the .
charm the chief s sister had given t hem proved e ffica

’
i u s and t hey reached their w land in safe ty

c o ,
o n .
B lue Jay s death may be regarded as merely figu ra

’
tive for he appears in ma y subsequent Chinook tales

,
n .
This myth is undoubtedly o e of the class which n
relates to the harrying of H ades Se e the remarks .

’
at the conclusion of the myth of The Thunderer s

“
”
’
So n ln law - -
.
T he Thu d S i Law n erer s

’
on o n f
There were five brothers who lived together F our .
of them were accustomed to spend their days in hunting

elk while the fifth who was the younges t was always
, , ,
compelled to remain at the camp They lived amicably .
33 2
THE TH U N D ERER S S ON-I N LAW ’
a
enough save that t he younges t gru mbled at never

,
bei g able to go to the hunting O n day as the youth

n . e
sat broodi g over his grieva ce the silence was sud

n n
de n ly broken by a hideous din which appeared to come

from t he region of th e doorway H e was at a loss to .
understand the cause of it and anxiously wished for ,
the re t urn of his bro t hers Sudde ly t here appeared . n
before him a man of gigantic size s t rangely apparelled , .
H e demanded food and the frigh t ened boy remem , ,
bering t hat thefi ere well provided has tily arose to ,
satisfy the s tranger s desires H e brought out an ’

.
ample supply of meat and tallow but was astonished ,
t
o find that th strange being lustily called for more
e .
The youth thoroughly t errified hastened to gratify

, ,
the mons t er s cravi g and the gia t t e steadily on

’
n ,
n a
,
hour after hour until the bro t hers returned at the end
,
of the day to discover the glut ton devouring the fruits

of their hunting The monster appeared not t o heed
.
the brothers but anxious to satisfy his enormous

, ,
appetite he still ate A fresh supply of meat had

,
.
been secured and this the brothers placed before him

, .
H e continued to gorge himself throughout th e night

and well into t h next day At las t the meat was
e .
at an end and t he brothers became alarmed W hat

,
.
next would th e i satiable creature demand ? They

n
approached him a d t old him that only ski s remai ed

n n n ,
but he replied W ha t shall I t gra dchildre now ea ,

n n
,
”
that there are only skins and you P They did not
appear to understand him until t hey had ques t ioned
him several times O n realizing tha t the glutton
.
meant t o devour them they determined t o escape so , , ,
boili g the skins which t hey set before him they fled
n , ,
t hrough a hole i the h u t Outside they placed a dog

n .
,
and told him to send t he giant in t he direc t ion opposite to

t hat whic h t hey had taken Night fell and the monster .
,
333
MYTH S OF THE A MERICAN I N D IAN S
slept while the dog kept a weary vigil over the exit by
,
which his masters had escaped D ay dawned as the .
giant crept through the gap H e asked the dog .
Which way went your masters P The animal .

’
replied by setting his head in t he directio opposite n
to the true one The giant observed the sign and

.
,
went on the road the dog indicated After proceeding .
for some distance he found that the young me could n
not have go e t hat way so he returned to the h u t to

n , ,
find the dog still there Again he questioned the animal

.
,
who merely repeated his previous movement The .
monster o ce m ore set out but unable to discover the

n , ,
fugi t ives he again returned Th ee times he repeated

,
. r
these fruitless j urneys At last he succeeded n get t ing

o . i
on to the right path and shortly came within sight of

,
the brothers .
T he Th u d n erer
Immediately they saw their pursuer they endeavoured

to outrun him but without avail The giant gained
,
.
ground and soon overtook he el dest whom he sle

, ,
H e then made for t he o th rs and slew three more , .
The youngest only was left The lad hurried on until .
he came t o a river t h e bank of which was a man

,
on
fishing whose name was the Thunderer This person

,
.
he implored to convey him to the opposite side After .
much hesitation the Thu derer agreed and rowing n

, ,
him over the stream he commanded the fugitive to go

,
to his hut and returned to his nets B y this time the

,
.
monster had gained the river and on see i ng t he fisher ,
man he asked to be ferried over also The Thunderer .
at first refused but was eventually persuaded by the

,
o ffer of a piece of twine Af aid that the boat might . r
capsize the Thu nderer stretched himself across the

,
r ver and commanded the giant to w alk o v er his b o dy

i , .
3 34
M YTH S OF THE A MERI CAN I ND IAN S
but concluded : Father says you may look at him ”
to morrow when he catches whales
- H e followed .
his wife back to the valley d washed his face I m an .
mediately he had done so t he storm abated Going up .
—
to his father in law he said To m orrow I shall go
-
,
-
down to t h beach and you shall see me catchi g

e ,
n
”
whales Then the Thu derer and he rebuilt their
. n
hut O n the following mor ing they went down t

. n o
Th e sea shore together

- The young man cast his net .
into the sea After a little while a whale entered the

.
net .The youth quickly pulled the net toward him ,
reached for t he whale and flung it at the feet of ,
his fa t her in law Thunderer was amazed and called

- - .
,
to him H o ho my son in law you are j ust as I was

, ,
- -
,
”
when I was a young man .
T he B e ast C m ad o r es
S oon after this the Thunderer s da u ghter gave birth

’
to two sons The Thunderer sent the young man into

.
the woods to capture two wolves with which he used to

—
play when a boy The son in law soon returned with
.
-
t h e animals d threw them at the feet of the Thun

,
an
derer B u t they severely mauled the old man who

.
, ,
seeing that they had forgotten him cried piteously to ,
his son in law to carry t hem back to the forest Shortly

- - .
aft er this he again despatched his son i law in search -

n-
of two bears with which he had also been friendly .
The young man obeyed B u t the bears treated the .
old ma as the wolves had done so he likewise re

n
,
turned them to t heir native haunts F or the third t ime .
the son-in law went into the forest for two grizzly
-
,
bears and when he saw them he called

,
“
I come to
carry you away The bears instantly came toward
.
him and suEe d t hemselves to be carried before the

re
Thunderer B u t they also had forgotten their former

.
3 36
IRI T LAN D T HE S P I
playmate a d immediately set upon him so that the

,
n
,
young man was compelled to return with them to t he

forest Thunderer had scarcely recovered from this last
.
attack when he sent his so i law into the same forest n- n-
afte two panthers which i his younger days had also

r
,
n
been his companio s Without t he slightest hesitation n .
the young man arose and went into the wood where he ,
met the panthers H e called to them in the same ge t le

.
”
n
manner “
I come to take you away
: The a i mals . n
seemed to understand and followed him B u t Thu ,

. n
derer was dismayed whe he saw how wild they had n
grown They would not allow him to tame them a d

.
,
n
after su Ee ing their attack he se t them back to the

r n
forest This ended the Thunderer s exciti g pastime

.
’
n .
T he T t es s
The Thunderer then sent his son i law t o splga l g -

n- o
of wood When this had bee do e he put the you g

. n n n
man s strength to the t est by placi g him within t he

’
n
hollow trunk a d closi g the wood around him B u t

n n .
t h e young man succeeded i freeing himself and set n ,
o E for the hut carryi g the log wi t h him O n reachi g n . n
his home he dr pped t h wood before the door a d o e ,

n
caused the earth to quake The Thu derer jumped up . n
i alarm and an t t h door rej oicing in t h might of

n r o e e
his son in law - O h my son in law

-
. he c ied you
“
,
- -
,
”
r ,
are j us t as I was when I was you g The t w con n o
t i n ed t live toge t her and t h you g man s sons grew ’

n o e n
i to manhood O n e day t h e Thunderer approached

n .
his so i law and said

n - n - Go t t he Super atural o n
”
F olk a d b ing me their hoops
n r .
T he S p irit l 2
a nd
The so in
n -
law obeyed H e t ravelled fo a lo g
-
. r n
distance ,
an d eve t ually eached t he land of t h e spiri t s
n r .
3 37
MYTH SOF THE A MERI CAN IN D IAN S
They stood in a circle and he saw that they played ,
with a large hoop H e then remembered t ha t he .
must secure the hoop B u t he was afraid to approach .
them as the light o f the place dazzled h im H e

,
.
waited u til dark ess had set in and leaving his hidi g
n n , ,
n
place dashed t h ough the circle and secu ed the hoop

,
r r .
The Supernatural P eople pu sued him with torches r .
Just as t his was taking place his wife remembered him .
S h e called t o her childre n Now whip your grand

father This t hey did while the old ma wept
.
”
,
n .
This chastise ment brought rain upon the Supernatural

P eople a d extinguished their t orches
n They dared .
n o t pursue the you g ma fart her so t hey re t urned

n n ,
to their country The adve turer was now left in

. n
peace to continue his homeward j our ey H e ha ded n . n
ove the hoop to Thu derer who now !sen t him to

r n
,
cap t ure t he targets of the Spi it F olk The son in law r .

- -
gladly u n de tB k t he j ourney and agai entered t h e

r o n
b ight regio of Spirit—

,
r la d H e fou d t h S uper
n n . n e
n at urals shooti g at the targets and when ight had

n ,
n
fallen he picked t he m up and a away The spirits r n .
lit t heir t o ches and followed him H is wife once

r .
more was remi ded of her abse t husband a d com

n n ,
n
m an de d her sons t o repeat the pu ishme t upo t heir n n n
g andfather The rai recomme ced and the t orches

r . n n
of the pursuers were destroyed The young m . an
retur ed i peace t his dwelli g and placed t h e

n n o n
t a ge t s befo e his father in law

r r H e had n t bee - -
. o n
long home befo e a restless spirit took possession o f

r
him H e l ged for fu ther adve ture d at las t

. on r n ,
an
decided t set out i ques t of it Arrayi g himself

o n . n
i his fi e ecklaces of teeth and strapping around his

n n n
wais t two quivers of arrows he bade fa ewell to his ,

r
wife and sons H e j ou eyed un t il he reached a large

. rn
village which co sisted of five rows of houses These

,
n .
3 38
MYTH SOF THE AMERICAN I ND IAN S
women the s t ory of t heir fat her s fate When they ’
.
heard t hat B lue Jay had used their father so badly

they were very angry B lue Jay meanwhile had .
, ,
become aware of the arrival of two strangers and ,
he went to the small house to smell them o u t There .
he espied the youths a d immediat ely retur ed to ,

n n
i fo m his chief of t heir presence i t h e village The

n r n .
chief t hen sent him back to invite t he strangers to

a shooting match but t hey ignored the i vitat ion
,
n .
Three times B lue Jay m ade the j our ey and at last n ,
the you t hs looked upon him whereup n his hai ,

o r
immediat ely took fire H e a back t his chief a d . r n o n
said Oh t hese stra gers are mo e powerful t ha we

,
n r n
”
are They looked at me and my hair caught fire
. .
The chief was amazed and went down to the beach to ,
await t h e arrival of the s trangers When t he young .
m e saw the t argets t hey would n t shoot and declared

n o ,
that they were bad They imme diately drew t hem .
out of t he ground a d eplaced them by t heir own the

n r ,
brillia ce of which d azzled t he sigh t of t heir opponent

n .
The chief was defeated H e los t his life and the .
people were subdued The y ut hs t hen cast B lue Jay . o
i t o the river sayi g as t hey did so Green St urgeo

n
,
“
n n
shall be your ame H e ceforth you shall not make

n . n
chiefs miserable Y o u shall sing W t e t e tse t se t e

. a s s s ,
’
a d it shall be a bad omen This performance over ”

n
,
.
t hey restored their father from his death slumber a d -

,
n
spoke kindly to t h M ice saying “

Oh you pi t iful
e ,
: ,
o es you shall eat every t hi g t hat is good Y o u

n
, n .
shall eat berries The aft er establishing orde in this

. n, r
st ange land they returned to t hei home accompanied

r
,
r ,
by t heir fa t he r .
This curi us story is an example of what is known

o
in mythology as t he harrying of H ades The land .

’
o f t h e supernatural or subterra ea bei gs always n n n
34°
T HE MYTH OF S T I K UA
e xercises a p ofou d fasci a t ion over the m i ds f
r n n n o
barbaria s a d such tales are inve ted by thei s t ory

n ,
n n r
tellers for the pu pose of minimizing the terrors which

r
awai t t hem whe they themselves must e t er the st a ge

n n r n
coun t y by death The i ciden t of the glu tt o would

r . n n
seem t show that two tales have bee amalgama t ed

o n
,
a t uncommon circums tance in primitive story telling

no - .
In these stories t he evil or supe natural power is r in
va iably defea ted a d it is touchi g to observe t h

r
,
n n e
child like a ttempts of the savage to quench the dread

-
of deat h commo to all ma ki d by creat ng amuse

,
n n n ,
i
me t t the ludicrous appeara ce of t h dreadful bei gs

n a n e n
whom he fears The sons of the Thunde e . of r r are ,
cou se hero gods whose e ffulgence confou ds t h e

r ,
- n
powe s of darkness a d t o so m e ext en t t hey resemble

r ,
n
t h Hu
e Apu and Xb l qu e of t h Cen t ral Ame ican
n- a an e r
P p l Vah who t avel t o the dark ki gdom of Xib lba

o o ,
r n a
t o rescue t heir father and u cle and succeed n over n ,

i
throwing its hideous denizens .

1
T he My th o f S tikiia
As an example of a myt h as taken from the lips f o
the I dian by t h collector we appe d to this series of

n e n
Chinook tales the s t ory of S t ik u in all its pris t i e a n
inge uous ess Such a tale well exemplifies t h diE

n n . e er
ence of outlook between the abo igi al d t h civilized r n an e
mi d and exhibits t he ma y di fficulties wi t h which

n
,
n
collec t ors of such my t hs have t c t end o on .
M a y people were living at N k t t Now their

n a o a .
chief died H e had [left] a son who was almos t g ow

. r n
up I t was wi t e a d t h people were hu gry They

. n r n e n .
had o ly mussels a d ro t s t eat O ce upo a t i me

n n o o . n
”
n
a hu ter saidn M ake yourselves ready All t h m e . e n
made themselves eady d went seaward in two ca es r

,
an no .
1
Se e t h e au t h o r s
’
My ths of M exico and Peru, in t h is ser e s,i p . 220 .
z 34 1
MYTH S OF THE AMERI CAN I ND IAN S
Then the hunter speared a sea lio I t j umped and - n .
drift ed t h e water [ dead]

on They hauled it ashore . .
B lue Jay said “

L t us boil it here They made a
e .
fi and si ged it
re They c u t it and boiled it B lue
n . .
Jay said “
Let us: e t it here l t us e t all of it a ,
e a .
”
Then the people ate Raven t ied t o hide a piece of . r
meat i his mat and carried it t t he ca oe [B u t]

n
,
o n .
B lue Jay had already seen it he a [afte him ] t ook r n r
it and threw it i t o t h fire H e bu ned it Then n e . r .
they went home They gathered large and small .
mussels I the eve i g t hey came home Then

. n n n .
”
B lue Jay sh u t ed “
St ik ti a fe t ch your mussels
o
,
.
St ik ua was t h name of B lue Jay s wife Then noise ’

e .
of ma y feet [was heard] and St ik u and t h e other

n ,
a
women came ru ning dow to t h e beach They wen t n n .
to fetch mussels The women came t o t he beach d . an
carried t he mussels t th e house Raven t ook care f o . o
t he chief s son The boy said To morr w I shall

’
“ -
. : o
accompa y y u n B lue Jay said t o h im

o .
“
What do :
you wa t t do The waves will carry you away you

n o
,
will d ift away even I almos t d ift ed away

r r .
"
The ex t mo i g t hey made t hemselves ready

n rn n .
They we t i t o t h ca oe a d t h e boy cam e down t o

n n e n
,
n
th e beach H e wa t ed t acco mpany t hem an d held

. n o ,
on t o t h e ca oe Go t the house go to t h e house

n . o , ,
said B lue Jay The boy went up but he was very

.
,
sad Then B lue Jay said

.
“
L e t us leave h im .
”
The people bega t o paddle Then t hey arrived t n . a
the sea lio isla d The hu ter wen t asho e and

-
n n . n r
spea ed a sea lio

r I t j u m ped
- d d ift ed o t he wa t er
n . an r n
[ dead ] They
. hauled it asho e d pulled it up f om r an r
t h wa t e
e B lue Jay said
r.
“
L t us e at it he e ; let : e r
us eat all of it else our chief s ,

would always want ’
so n
t o co m e here They si ged it carved it and boiled

”
. n , ,
it t here When it was done t hey te it all Rave

. a . n
342
OF THE A MERICAN IND IAN S
MYTH S
of meat at Rave s leg H e took it and bur ed it In n
’
. n .
the evening they gat hered la ge a d small mussels r n .
The t hey went ho me W hen t hey were ear home

n . n
”
B lue Jay shouted “
St ik ua fe t ch your mussels ! ,
Then noise of many feet [was heard] and Stik ua [her ,
children and t he o t her wome ] came down to t he beach n
a d carried t h e mussels up to the house

n The [women .
d child e ] and the chief s ate t he mussels all ’

an r n so n
n ight The t hat boy said

.
“
To morrow I shall
n -
accompany you B lue Jay said “

What do you
.
”
:
wa t t do Y o u will d ift away If I had t taken

n o r . no
hold of t he canoe I should have d ifted away twice r .
O n t h next morni g t hey made t hemselves ready

e n
for t h e fou th t ime The boy rose and made himself

r .
ready also The people hauled their ca oes i to the

. n n
water and went aboar d The boy tried to boa d a . r
ca oe also bu t B lue Jay took hold of him and t hrew

n ,
him into the water H e sto o d i t h water up to his .

1
n e
wais t H e held t he canoe but B lue Jay struck his

.
,
hands There he stood H e cried and cried

. d .
, ,
an
wen t up to t h e house The people went ; they paddled .

,
a d soo
n they reached the sea lio isla d The hun t er
n - n n .
wen t ashore and speared a sea lion It j umped a d -

. n
d ift ed on the water [dead] Again they towed it to

r .
th isla d and pulled it ashore They si ged it

e n ,
. n .
W hen t hey had fi ished si gei g it t hey carved it d n n n an
boiled it Whe it was do e B lue Jay said

. n
“
L e t us n
e at it he e They ate half of it a d were satiat ed

r . n .
They slep t because t hey had eat en t o o much B lue .
Jay awoke firs t and bu ed all t hat was lef

,
t In t h e rn .
eve i g t hey ga t hered la ge a d small mussels and

n n r n
went home Whe t hey we e ear the shore he . n r n
shout ed “
St ik ti fetch you m ussels !
: Noise of
a, r
”
many fee t [was heard] and Stik u [ her children and : a
the other wome ] came running down to t he beach n
344
THE MYTH OF S T I K UA
a d carried up the m ussels The boy said To
“
n
°
.
m r o w l shall accompa y you

o r B u t B lue Jay said n .
“
Wha t do you wa t t do We might capsize d n o an
”
you would be drow ed n .
Early on the following morning t he people made

themselves ready The boy a ose and made himself . r
ready also B lue Jay and t he people hauled t hei

. r
ca oes dow to the water The boy tried to board

n n .
,
but B lue Jay t h ew him i to t he wa t er H e tried to

r n .
hold t h canoe The wat er reached up t hi arm

e . o s
pi t s B lue Jay struck his hands [ un t il he let go]

. .
Then the boy cried a d cried B lue Jay and the o ther n .
people went away .
After some time the boy we t up f om the beach n r .
H e took his arrows and walked round a poi t of land n .
There he m e t a young eagle and sho t it H e skinned .
it a d tried to pu t the skin on It was t o s mall ; it

n . o
reached scarcely t his knees Then he took it ff o . o ,
and wen t on Aft er a while he met another eagle H e

. .
sho t it and it fell down It was a white headed eagle .

- .
H e skinned it a d tried the skin o bu t it was t o

n n, o
small ; it reached a little below his k ees H e took it n .
o ff left it and went on

,
S oon he met a bald headed
,
.
-
eagle H e shot it t wice and it fell d w H e skinned

. o n .
it d put t he skin on It was early large enough for

an . n
him d he tried to fly H e could fly downward only

,
an . .
H e did not rise H e t urned back d now he could

.
,
an
fly Now he went round t he poi t seaward f om

. n r
N k tat
a W hen he had nearly go e round he smelled
o . n
s moke of burning f t W he he came round t he a . n
poi n t he saw the people of his t own H e aligh ted on .
t o p of a t ee d looked down
r
[ H e
an saw t hat] t hey .
h d boiled a sea lion

a d that they t it - W hen t hey an a e .
had nearly finished eati g he flew up H e t hough t : n .
O h I wish B lue Jay would see me

,
The B lue Jay . n
345
MYTH S
OF THE AMERICAN I ND IAN S
looked up [and saw] t h e bird flyin g about “
Ah a .
,
bird came to get food from us F ive times t h e eagle .
circled over t he fire ; the it descended B lue j ay n .
to k a piece of blubber a d said : I will give you this

o
“
n
t
o eat The bird came down grasped t h piece of
.
,
”
e
meat and flew away

,
“
H a ! said B lue Jay .
“
that ,
bi d has feet like a man

r When t h people had eaten . e
e ough they slept Raven again hid a piece of meat

n . .
T wa d eve i g they awoke and ate again ; then B lue

o r n n
Jay burned the rest of their food In the eveni g . n
t hey ga t hered large and small mussels and went home .
W he t h e boy came home he lay down at once They

n .
app oached the village d B lue Jay shouted

r F etch
,
an
your mussels Stik ti Noise of ma y fee t [ was

,
a n
heard] and St iku [and the other wome ] ran dow to

a n n
the beach and carried up the mussels They tried to .
rouse t he boy but he did not arise

,
.
The next morni g the people made themselves ready

n
and launched their ca oe The chief s son s tayed in bed

n .
’
and did o t attempt to accompany t hem After sunrise\

n .
he rose and called t h e women and childre and said n
Wash yourselves ; be quick The wome obeyed .

”
n
and washed t hemselves H e continued : Comb your

”
.
hair . Then he put down a plank took a piece of ,
meat out [f om under his bla ket showed it to the

r n
,
wo me ”
d said]
n,
“
an Every day you husbands eat
: r
this . H e put two pieces side by side on the plank ,
cut t hem to pieces a d greased the heads of all the

,
n
women and children Then he pulled t he pla ks . n
fo mi g the walls of t h houses o u t of the grou d

r n e n .
H e sharpe ed them [at one end a d] t hose which

n ,
n
were very wide he split i two H e sharpened all of n .
t hem The last house of t h e village was that of the

.
Rave H e did n t pull o u t it wall pla ks H e put

n . o s - n .
t h planks o
e to the backs of t he wome
n d children n an
346
MYTH S OF THE A MERICAN I ND IAN S
of people F ive ti mes he called Now the people
. .
we t ashore and [t hey saw t ha t] t he walls of t h

n e
houses had disappeared The people cried B lue Jay . .
cried also but somebody said to him

,
B e quie t ,
B lue Jay ; if you had not been bad our chief s s

’
on
”
would n t have done so o Now they all made e . on
house O ly Raven had one house [by himself ] H e

. n .
went and searched for food on t h e beach H e found .
a sturge n H e went agai t the beach and fou d a

o . n o n
p poise Then B lue Jay went t o the beach and tried

or .
to search for food [As soon as he went u t] it began

. o
to hail ; t h hails t o es were so large [indic ting] H e

e n a .
tried t gat her mussels and wanted to break t hem ff

o o
,
but t hey did n t come ff H e could not break them

o o .
o f
f H e gave it up Rave wen t to search o the
. . n n
beach a d found a seal The others ate roots only

n . .
Thus their chief took revenge on them .
B elie fs of T ib
th e Califo rn ian r es
The tribes of California a fford a strange example of

racial conglomeration speaking as t hey do a variety ,
of la guages t t lly dis t inct from one anothe and

n o a r,
exhibi t ing many di ffc ren ees in physical appearance and

cus t o m Concerning their mythological beliefs B n
. a
croft says
The Californian tribes taken as a whole are , ,
pretty u iform in the main features of their theogonic

n
beliefs They seem without exception to have had a

.
, ,
hazy concep tion of a lofty almost supreme bei g for ,

n
t he m ost part referred to as a G reat M an the Old M ,

an
Above t he O n e Above att ibuting to him however

,
r
, ,
as is usual in such cases nothing but t h e vaguest ,
a d most
n egat ive functions d qualities The eal
n an . r
practical power t hat most interested them who had ,
m ost t do with them and they with h im was a demo

o ,
n,
34 8
B ELIEFS OF THE CALIFORNI AN TRI B E S
or body of demo s of a tolerably pro ounced cha acter
n ,
n r .
In the face of divers assertio s to the e ffect that no such n
t hing as a devil p oper has ever bee fou d in savage

r n n
my t ho l y we would draw atte tion t the following n o

g o
extract f m t he T m manusc ipt of M P owers—

,
ro o a r r . a
ge tle man who both by his study and by perso al

n ,
n
i v e t gat
n s 1 has made hi mself one of the best qualified
1o n ,
authorities on the belief of the native Californian and ,
whose deali gs h ave bee f t he most part with t ribes

n n or
tha t have ever had a y f iendly i tercourse wi t h White

n n r n
men O f course t h thin d meagre i magination of

. e an
the American savages was not equal to the creation of

M il t on s mag ificent imperial Satan or of Goethe s
’
n ,
’
M ephistopheles with his subtle i t ellect his vast

,
n
,
powers his maligna t mirth ; bu t in so far as the

,
n
I dian fiends o devils have t h ability t hey are

n r e ,
wholly as wicked as t hese They are totally bad .

,
they h ave o good thing them they thi k only evil

n 1n ,
n
but they are weak d u ndign ifie d d absurd ; they an an
a e as much beneath Satan as the B ig I ndians who ‘ ’

r .
inve t t hem are inferior n imaginat ion to John M ilton

n 1 .
“
A defi ite loca tion is generally assig ed t o the
n n
evil one as his favourite residence or resort ; thu s the

Californians n the county of S i kiy o u give over D evil s
’
1 s
Castle its mount and lake to the malignant spirits

, , ,
and avoid the vicinity of these places wi t h all possible

care .
The coast tribes of D e l Norte County California , ,
live in constant terror of a malignan t spi i t that takes A r
the form of certai a imals the form of a b t of a n n

,
a ,
hawk of a t ara tula and so o but especially delights

,
n ,
n,
in and a ffects that of a screech owl The belief of t h -

. e
Russian river t ibes and others is practically identical

r
wi t h t his .
“
The Cah o c have some conception f a great
r s o
34-
9
deity called Cha e ya the Old M a Above ; he is wont r ,
n
to appear upon earth at times t some of the m ost o
favoured sorcerers he is described as wearing a close

tu ic wi t h a medicine bag and as having lo g white
n ,
-
,
n
hair t hat falls venerably about his shoulders P rac t ically .

,
however the C h c like t he maj ori t y of Calif r ia

,
a ro s, o n n
tribes venerate chiefly t he Coyote Great dread is also

,
.
had of certai forest demons of nocturnal habits t hese

n -
,
say t h e C h s t ake the form of bears and shoot

a ro c , ,
arrows at benighted wayfarers .
“
B etwee th foregoing outlines of Californian
n e
belief and those con ected with the remaining tribes n

,
passi g south we can detect
n salie t di fference
,
no n
till we reach t h O l h e a coas t tribe between S e c on s, an
F ra cisc a d M onterey ; t h e u here begi s to be

n o n s n n
co ected or ide t ified by name with t hat great spi i t

nn ,
n ,
r ,
or rat her that B ig M n who made t h ear t h and who

,
a ,
e
rules in the sky So we fi d it again both around . n
M onterey and a ou d San Luis Obispo t h firs t fruits r n e
of the ea t h were o ffered in t hese neighbourhoods to

r
th g eat ligh t and his rising was gree t ed with cries

e r ,
fj o y f
’
o
F a t her
Ger o imo B oscana gives us the following ac
n
cou t of t he fai t h a d worship ft h e Ac gc h me m t ribes

n n o a e ,
who inhabit t h valley and eighbourhood of San Juan e n
Capistra o California n We give fi st t he version held

,
. r
by the s mn s or highlande s of t h interior country

ar a ,
r , e ,
three or four leagues inland fr m S Juan Capistra n o o an
B efore t he material world t all existed t here lived a
two beings bro t her d sister of a ature t ha t can o t

,
an ,
n n
be explai ed ; t h b o t he living above and his name

n e r r ,
meani g t h H eave s t h e sis t er living below and her

n e n
, ,
name signifying Earth From the union of these two .
t here sp a g a numerous o f r n fspring Earth and sand .
were the fi t f uits of this marriage ; then were born

rs -
r
35 °
child e d descendan t s of Quiot had nothing to eat
r n an
but a kind of whi t e clay A d while they co sulted . n n
together behold a marvellous thi g appeared before

,
n
them and they spoke to it sayi g : Art t hou our

, ,
n
‘
captain Quiot ,
B u t the spec tre said Nay f I am ,
or
g eater t han Quiot ; my habitat ion is above and my

r ,
n ame is Ch in igch in ic h Then he spoke further having .

’
been told f what they were co me toge ther I c ea te

or
‘
r
all t hi gs and I go now to make m another people

n ,
an ,
like un t o you ; as for you I give you power each , ,
aft er his ki d t produce all good d pleasan t t hings

n ,
o an .
One of you shall b i g rain a d ano t her dew a d r n ,

n
,
n
a othe make t h aco grow d others o t her seeds

n r e rn ,
an
,
and y t o t hers shall cause all ki ds of game to abou d

e n n
i the la d ;
n d your child en shall have t his power
n an r
for ever and t hey shall be sorcerers t o the me n I go

,
to create and shall receive gifts of t hem that t he game

, ,
fail o t and the harvests be sure Then Chi ig hi ic h

n .
’
n c n
made man out of the clay of t h lake he formed him e

,
male d female and the present Califo nia s e the

an r n ar
descendants of the one or more pairs t here a d thus n
creat ed .
“
S ends the known tradition of t h e mountaineers
o
we must now go back and t ake up t h e story a ew at n
it beginning as told by the p l y n s or people of the

s ,
a a a ,
valley of San Juan Capistrano These say t hat an .
invisible all powerful bei g called N c um made t he

,
- n ,
o a,
world and all t hat it co tains of thi gs t hat grow and n n
move H e made it rou d like a ball and held it in his

. n
hands where it rolled abou t a good deal at firs t till he

, ,
steadied it by s ticki g a heavy black rock called T au t

n os
into it as a ki d of ballast The sea was t t his t ime

,
n . a
o ly a little stream run ning round the world d so

n ,
an
crowded with fish tha t their t winkli g fins had n no
lo ger room to move ; so great was t h press t ha t

n e
35 2
ELIEFS OF THE CALIFORNIAN TRI B E S
B
some of the more foolish fry were for e ffec ti g a n
la di g d founding a colo y upon the dry la d

n n an n n
,
and it was o ly with the utmost diflic u lty that they

n
were persuaded by their elders that the killi g air and n
baneful sun a d the want of fee t mus t i fallibly prove

n n
the destruct ion before many days of all who took part
i such a despera t e enterpr se
n The proper pla was i . n
evide tly t o improve d enlarge their present home ;

n an
and to t his e d principally by the aid of one very large

n ,
fish the y broke the g eat rock T au t two findi g a

,
r os 1n ,
n
bladder n t he ce tre filled wi t h a very bitter subs t ance

1 n .
The taste of it pleased the fish so they emptied it into ,
the water and i stantly the wat er beca m e salt d

,
n an :
swelled up and o v e fl we d a great part of t he old r o .
ea t h and made itself t he new bou da ies that remain

r ,
n r
to this day .
Then N cu ma created a man shaping him out of

o ,
the soil of the earth calli g him Ej o n i A woma ,

n . n
also t h g eat god made presumably out of t h same

e r ,
e
material as the man calli g her Aé M a y child en ,

n . n r
were bor to this first pa r a d t heir desce dan t s

n i , n n
mul tiplied over the land The ame of one of these . n
last was Si u t that to say H andful of Tobacco a d

ro ,
13 , ,
n
the ame of his wife was Y iu t which means Above

n ca ,
and to Si u t and Y caiu t was born a

ro while t hey so n ,
lived i a place orth east about eight leagues from

n n -
S an J u a Capistrano The name of this son was

n .
Quio t tha t is t say D omi ator ; he grew a fierce and

,
o ,
n
redoub table warrior ; haughty ambi t ious tyran ous , ,

n ,
he extended his lordship o every side ruli g every n ,

n
where as wi t h a rod of 1 ; and t he people co spired ro n n
agai st him It was de t ermi ed t ha t he should die by

n . n
poiso ; a piece of t he rock T sau t was ground up

n o in
so deadly a way that t mere exte al applica tio was 1 s rn n
s u fli ie n t to cause death
c Quiot notwi t hs ta di g that .
,
n n
35 3
MYTHS OF THE AMER ICAN IN D IAN S
he held himself co sta tly on the alert havi g bee n n
,
n n
war ed of his danger by a small bur owing animal

n r
called t he cucum l was u able to avoid his fate a few

e ,
n
g ai s of the ca kerous mixture were d opped upon his

r n n r
b eas t while he slep t a d t h s t rong mi e al ate it s way

r
,
n e n r
t o t h e very spri gs of his life All th Wise me n of

n . e
the la d were called to his assis tance ; but t here was

n
no t hi g for h im save to die H is body was burned n

n . o
a grea t pile with songs of j oy and dances and t h e ,
natio rej oiced

n .
While the people we e gathered to this end it was r ,
though t advisable t o co sul t on t h feasibili ty of pro n e
curing seed a d flesh to eat i s t ead f t h clay which

n n o e
had up to t his t ime been the sole food of the hu man

family And while t hey yet t alked toge t her there
.
,
appeared to them coming they k ew o t whence ,

n n ,
o ne
called Att j n which name implies man o ra t ional

a e ,
‘
,
r
bei gn And Att j

.
’
u derstanding their desires a en, n ,
ch se out certai of the elders amo g t hem

o n d t n ,
an o
these gave he power ; one that he might cause rain t o

fall t o a o t her t ha t he migh t cause game to abound
,
n
,
a d so wi t h the rest to each his power and gift and to

n , ,
the successors of each for ever These were t h firs t

”
. e
medici e m n - en .
M a y years havi g elapsed since the death o r

n n
Quio t there appeared in the same place one called

O u iam t reputed son of Tacu and A n zar—people
,
o ,
u know but natives it is though t by B osca a f

n n,
,
n
,
o
”
“
some distan t la d This O u i mo t is better know
n . a n
by his g eat a me Chin igc hi i h which mea s Al

r n n c ,
n
migh ty H e fi s t ma ifes t ed his powe s t t he people

. r n r o
on a day when they had met in co grega t io for some n n
purpose or othe ; he appea ed danci g before t hemr r n
crow ed wi t h a kind of high c ow made of tall

n r n
feathers stuck into a circlet of some kind gi t with a ,

r
354
MYTH S OF THE A MERI CAN IN D I ANS
moun tains Very powerful this you n g god was , an d for
. a
long t ime he lived wi t h the a cesto s of t h P icu e n r e er s,
whom it is al mos t t be i ferred t ha t he creat ed ; t o n a
any rate we are t old t ha t he was able t o make men ,
drawing t he m up u t of t he ear t h The men at las t o .
killed their great hero a d t eacher and put a crow of n

,
n
thor s upo his head Somewhere or other he r mai s

n n . e n
lyi g dead t t his day ; and he remai s consta tly beau

n o n n
tiful n either does his body k ow co rup t ion B lood

,
n r .
drips constantly from his wou ds and though he c n an
speak more bei g dead yet there is a owl that

no
,
n ,
n
speaks t him o .
The o ther god was called W c or T u pa an A a ,

r . c
cordi g to the Nipa ya sec t t his Wac had made wa

n ra ,
r
o n thei favourite god a d had bee by him defeated and

r ,
n n
cast forth from heaven i t o a cave under t he ear t h of n ,
which cave t h e whales of t h sea were t he guardians e .
With a perverse though t u natural obs t inacy t h

,
no n , ,
e
sect that took Wac or T u pa a for their great god r n
persis t ed in holdi g deas peculia t themselves wi t h

n 1 r o
regard to the t ru t h of t h foregoing sto y and t heir e r

,
accou t of t he great w in heaven a d it results

n ar n s
di ffered from t he o t her as di ffe the creeds of hetero r
d x and
o r t hodox eve ywhere they ascribe for
o r ,
example part of the creation to other gods besides

,
Niparay a .
My t h s Ath pa
o f th e a s c an s
The grea t At hapasca family who i habit a vast ex n ,

n
t ent f terri t ory s t re t chi g or t h f om t h fift y fift h

o n n r e -
parallel nearly t t h Arct ic Ocea d wes t ward

o e n
,
an
to t he P acific wi th cog a t e ramificat io s to t he far

,
n n
sou t h are weak in my t hological conceptions Regardi g

,
. n
them B ancroft says 1
1
Th Native Rare; f
a tfie Pa ifi St
c c at es, vo l iii
. .
35 6
MYTH S
OF THE ATHAPA S CANS
They do not seem in any of their various tribes to
have a si gle expressed idea with regard to a supreme
n
power The Loucheux branch recognize a ce tain

. r
perso age eside t i t he moon whom t hey suppli

n ,
r n n ,
ca t e for success i s tarti g on a hun t i g expedi t ion

n n n .
This bei g o ce lived amo g them as a poor ragged

n n n
boy that an old woman had fou d and was bringing n
up ; d who made himself ridiculous to his fellows

an
by maki g a pai of very large snow shoes ; for the

n r -
people could not see what a s tarveli g like him should n
want with shoes of such unusual size Times of .
g eat scarci ty troubled the hunters and they would

r
,
often have fared badly had they not invariably on such

occasions come across a e w broad trail that led to a n
head or two of f e shly kille d game They were glad

r .
.
enough to get t he ga me d without scruples as to its an
appropriation ; s till they felt cu ious as to whence it r
came and how Suspicion at last poin t ing to the boy

.
and his great shoes as being i some way implicated in n
t he a ffair he was watched ,

It soon became evident .
that he was indeed t he benefactor of t he L oucheux ,
and the secret hunter whose quarry had so often

reple ished their empty pots yet t he people were far
n
f o m bei g adequately grateful and continued to t reat

r n
,
h im wi t h li t tle kindness or res pect O n one occasion

t hey refused him a certain piece of fat—him who had
.
so often saved their lives by his timely bounty That

n ight t he lad disappeared leaving only his clothes ,
behind hangi g on a tree H e returned to them in a

,
n .
mo t h howeve appeari g as a ma and d essed as a

n ,
r, n n, r
man H e t old t hem t hat he had t ake up his home

. n
i t h e moo
n t ha t he would always look down wi t h a
n *
ki dly eye to their success in hunting ; bu t he added

n
t hat as a punishmen t for t heir shameless greed and

ingratitude in refusi g him the piece of fat all animals
n ,
2 A 35 7
MY TH S OF THE A MERICAN IN D IAN S
should be lean the lo g Winter through a d fat only n
,
n
in summer as has since been the case .
According to H earne the T in n e h believe i a kind ,

n
of spirits or fairies called n nt n which people the

, ,
a a a,
earth the sea a d t h e air and are instrumental for

, ,
n ,
both good and evil Some of t hem believe in a good

.
spirit called T ih u gu my old friend supposed t n

,
‘
,
’
o
reside i the sun a d in the moo ; they have also

n n n
a bad spirit Chu tsai apparently o ly a perso n ifica

,
n, n
tion of death and for this reaso called bad

,
n .
“
They have no regular o der of sh m ns ; any one r a a
when the spirit moves him may take upon himself

their duties and pretensio s though some by happy n
,
chances or peculiar cunni g are much more highly

,
n ,
esteemed in this regard than others and are supported ,
by voluntary contributions The c o n u re r ofte shu t s

'
. n
himself in his tent d abstains from o o d for days till

an
his earthly grossness thins away and the spiri t s and ,
things unseen are co strai ed to appear at his behes t n n .
The you g T i e h care for none of t hese things t he

n nn
strong limb a d the keen eye holding their o w well

n
,
n
i the j ostle of life , mock at the t errors of the inv i

n
sible ; but as t h e pulses dwindle with disease or age ,
and the knees strike together i t he shadow of im n
pending death the ah m n is hired to expel the evil

,
a a
things of which a patie t is possessed Among the n .
T acu llie s a confession is oft en resorted to at this stage ,
on the truth and accuracy of which depend the chances

of a recovery ”
.
Co n c lusio n
concluding this survey of representative myths
In
of the Re d Race of North America the reader will ,
p obably be chiefly m e sse d with the circumsta ce

r 1 r n
that although many 0 these tales exhibit a striking

35 8
MYTH SOF THE AMERICAN I ND IAN S
of cu ni g but a bei g with like feelings and aspira
n n ,
n
tions t u own B ecause his custo ms and habi t s of

o o r .
t hough t di ffer from ours he has bee charged wi t h all n
m a ner of crimes a d o ffences wi t h which h e has

n n
,
i ge eral
n n othi g to do W e do n t de y t hat he
,
n n . o n
was till very rece t times a savage wi t h the habi t s

,
n , ,
and outlook of a savage B u t that he ever was a .
demon in human shape must be strenuously denied .
I n t he march of prog ess I dian m and women are r n en
t o day t aki g places of honou a d emolument side by

n r n
side wi t h t hei whi t e fellow ci tize s and ma y gift ed

r - n ,
n
an d cul t ured pe sons of Indian blood have done good

r
w k f t h e ace Let us hope tha t the ancie t vi tues

or or r . n r
of cou age a d endu a ce which have stood the I dia

r n r n n n
people i such good stead o f old will assist t heir

n
desce da t s in t h eve more st e uous t asks of civili

n n e n r n
z at io t which t hey are now called

n o .
360
B B I LIOG RAPH Y
B
BAEC ERT , J A C O : An Account of the Aboriginal I nhahitants of the Cali
fbrnia P eninsula T ran sl at e d by C harl e s Rau (Smit.h so n ian .
Re p o rt fo r 1 8 6 3 an d 1 8 64 ; re p rin te d 1 8 6 5 an d
BA KER, C . AL I CE : True Stories ofNew England Captives . C ambridge ,
1 8 97 .
BANCRO F I , ’ ‘
G EO RGE : History if the United S tates .
9 vo s l . Bo sto n ,
1 8 38 - 7 5 .
BA NC RO FT , H UB 39 E RT HOWE ; Wo k s r . vo s l . San F ran c isc o ,

1 886
o s i - v , Native R aces ; v i - v ii , Central America
V l
'
9 0
(
. . . . . .
; ix
.
xiv , North Mex ican S tates and Texas ; xvii , Ariz ona and New
. .
Mexico ; xviii -xxiv , C alifornia ; xxv , Nev ada, C olora do, Wyom
ing ; xxvi , Utah ; xxv ii xxv iii , North-west C oast ; xxix — —
. . .
. xxx , . . . .
Oregon xxxi , Washington, I daho, Montana xxxii , B ritish C alum

. .
hia xxxiii , Alasha xxxiv , C alg for nia as

. t oral ; xxxv ,
C a lf
i ornia . P .
P
inter acula ; xxxvi - xxxvii , P opular Trihunals ; xxxv iii , Essay s . . .
and M iscellany xxxix , Literar I ndustries

y ) . .
BA N D EL I ER, ADO LF F Historical I ntroduct i on to Studies among the

. :
S edentary I ndians ofNew M exica (P apers O f t h e Arc h ae o l o gic al .
I n st it u t e o f Ame ric a, Ame ric an Se rie s, vo l i , Bo st o n , . .
Final Report of I n vest igations among the I ndians ofthe S outh-western

United S tates carried an mainly in the 2ears fiam 1 8 8 0 t o 1 8 8 5
”
.
Arc haeo l o gic al I n st it u t e o f Ame ric a, Ame ric an

,
(P apers o f t he
S e rie s, vo l . iii , . C ambridge , 1 8 90 vo l iv , C ambridge , . .
BA R RA TT , JO EP H :
The I ndian of New England and the North-eastern
S
P rov inces : a Shetch a

] t he L] f
i ? o an I ndi an Hun ter,
A ncient Tr a di
tions relating to the Etchemin Trihe, et c M idd e t o wn , C o n n , . l .
1 851 .
B A RT O N ,
BE J N AM N S : I . New Views of the Origin o} the Trihes and
Nations f America
a . Ph il ade l ph ia, 1 7 97 I hid , . . 1 798 .
/ BAR TRA M , Ohservat ions on the I nhahitants, C limate, Soil, Rivers,

JO HN :
Productions, A nimals, and other M at ters w orthy o f Notice made hy
Mr j ohn B a rtra m, in his Travels from ensi lvania t o Onondaga,
. P
Oswego, and t he Lahe Ontario in Canada, to which is annexed 4
C urious Account of the C ataracts of Niagara, hy Mr Peter Kalm . .
L o n do n , 1 7 5 1
/
1 BART RA M , WI LL I A M :
Travels through Narth and South C arolina, Georgia,
Ea st and West Florida, the Cherohee C ountry , the Ext ensive Terri
f the Muscogulges or Creeh C anfideracy , and the C ountry qf
tories o
the Chactaws Phl lade lp h ia, 1 7 91 L o n do n , 1 7 92
. . .
364
B IB LIO G RAPHY
B AT T HO MAS C Life and A z aentures of a Quaher a mug the I ndians
’
TEY , .
B o st o n an d Ne w Y o rk , 1 8 7 5 I bid , 1 8 7 6 . . .
BEA CH , WI LL I A M W The I ndian M iscellany : containing P apers on the

. :
History , Antiouities, Arts, Languages, Religions, Traditions, and

S uperstit ions of the American Aborigines Alban y , 1 8 7 7 . .
BE AU CHA M P W LL A M
,
I I M The I roauois Trail ;
. : or, Footprints of the
Six Nations . ll
F ay e t t e vi e , N Y , 1 8 92 . . .
BELL , A W : On the Na tive Races of New Mexico

. . .
(J ournal o f t he
l l
Et hn o o gic a So c ie ty o f L o n do n , Ne w Se rie s, vo l . i , Se ssio n
.
1 8 6 8 -6 9 ; L o n do n ,
B ELL , RO BERT : The M edicine-man or,I ndian and Eshimo Notions a;

Medicine .
(C anada M edical and Surgical
7 ournal, M o n t re a , l
M arc h- Ap ril ,
Ba ss,E GENEU F (Edit o r) : D iary of

. D avid Zeisberger, a M oravian
M issionary a mong the I ndians f
o Ohio 2 v o s C
. in c in n at i, 1 8 8 5l . .
BO As, F RANZ Songs and D ances of the Kwakiutl .

(j ournal o f American
F alh-lore, v o l i ; B o st o n ,
. .
Chinooh Texts .
(B ulletin 20, Bure au o f Ame ric an Et hn o l o gy
Washin gt o n ,
Mythology of
The the B ella Coola I ndians .
(Me moirs o f th e
Ame ric an M use u m o f Nat ura l Hist o ry , vo l . Anthropology , i .

;
Ne w Y o rk ,
K athlamet Texts .
(B ullet in 2 6, Bure au of Americ an Et h n o l o gy .
Wash in gt o n ,
Tsimshian Texts .
(B ulletin 2 7 , B ure au o f Ame ric an Et hn o l y
og .
Wash in gt o n ,
BOLLAERT , WI L L I A M : Obse rvations on the I ndian Tribes in Texas .
(J ourna l o f t h e l l
Et h n o o gic a So c ie ty o fLo n do n , v o l .
BOLLER , HEN RY A Eight 2ears in the Far West

”
Among the I ndians . .
1 8 5 8 - 1 8 66 Embracing Shetches .
f
o M onta na an d Salt Lahe .
P h il ade l p hia, 1 8 6 8 .
BONN ELL , G EORGE W : Topographical D escriptian cf Texas ;

'
. to which is
added an Account o
f the I ndian Tribes A u st in , 1 8 40 . .
BO SCANA , G ERO N I MO
Chinigchinich ; a Historical Account of the Origin,
C ustams, and Tradi ti ons of t he I ndzans at the Missionary Establishment
6
3 5
BI B I L O G RAPHY
f
o St .
y uan Capistra no , Alta Califirnia , ll d the Acagchemem
ca e
Nation .
(I n A f l
re d Ro bin so n
’
s L ife in C alifornia ; Ne w Yo r , k
4 )
1 8 6
BO U RKE , JO HN G . The t he-D ance o f theMagais of Ariz ona ; being a

Narrative of a J ourney from ‘
Santa Fe, Ne w M exico to the Villages of ,
the Maaui I ndians of A riz ona . Ne w Y o rk ,

1 8 84 .
B RI CK EI L, . The Natural History of North Carolina ; with a n

J OHN :
Account 0} the Trade, Manners, and C ustanzs of the Christian and
I ndian I nhabitants D ub in , 1 7 37 . l .
BR I N TO N , D A N I EL G My ths of the New World Ne w Y o rk 1 8 6 8

. .
, .
National Legend of the Chahta-Mushohee Tribes M o rrisan ia .

,
N . Y .
, 1 8 70 .
American Hero-my ths A St udy in the Native Religions of the

Western C ontinent . P hil ade l p hia, 1 8 8 2 .
Essay s f
o an Americanist P h il ad l p hi
. e a, 1 8 90 .
The American Race . Ne w Y k 1 8 91 or , .
B ROW N ELL , C H A RLES D E W : . The I ndian Races f

o North and South
America Bo sto n , 1 8 5 3 . .
B U C H ANAN J AM Shetches of the History , M anners, and C ustoms

,
ES ! f the
o
North American I ndians, with a plan fir their Melioration . V l o s .
i - ii
. Ne w Y o r , 1 8 24 I bid , 1 8 2 5
. k . . .
B U REAU O F AM ER CAN ET HN OLOG (S M I T H SO N I N I N ST I T T I O

I
) A nnual Y A U N
Reports, i xxvi ; Wash in gt o n , 1 8 8 1 1 90 8
-
.
- .
—
B ulletins, 1 4 9 .
Wash in gt o n , 1 8 8 7 - 1 9 1 0 I ntroductions, i - iv ; Wash in gto n , . . .
1 8 7 7- 1 8 8 0 M iscellaneous ublications, 1 - 9 Wash in gt o n , 1 8 8 0

. P
1 07
9 C ontributions to North Am
. erican Ethnolog
y
B U H NELL
S , D L Jr .
,
. : The Choctaw of B ay ou Lacomb, St Tammany .
m o l o gy
P arish, Louisiana .
(B ulletin
4 8 , Bu re au o f A e ric an Et h n
Wash in gt o n ,
C A LLEN D E R JO HN
, An Historical
Religious D iscourse an the C ivil and
Afiairs of the C olany of Rhode-I sland and P rov idence Plantations in

'
New-England, in America C ctions, Rh o de

'
Bo st o n , 1 7 39 ( oll e . .
l
I s an d Hist o ric a So c ie ty , v o s i - iv ; ro v ide n c e , l l . . . P
C A MB R I D G E ANT HROPOLOO I CAL EXP ED I T I ON T o T O RR ES ST RA I TS : Reports ,
vo l ii p art s i an d ii Cambridge 1 90 1 - 3
. .
, . .
, .
C ARR LU C I EN : Food of certain American I ndians (Proceedings o f t he

, .
Ame ric an An t iq uarian So c ie ty Ne w Se rie s vo l x ; Wo rc e ste r

’
, , . .
,
1 8 95 )
6
3 6
B B I LIO G RAPHY
C U RT I S ,
E D WA R D S . : The American I ndian .
4 vo s l . Ne w Yo rk ,
07 -
1 9 9 .
C U SH I N G F H , . Z un i Fetiche s
. : .
(Second Report, Bure au o f Ame ric an
Et h n o l o
gy ; W ashin t o n ,
g
Outlines of Zuni Creation My ths (Thirteenth Re ort , B ure au
p . of
Ame rican Et h n o o gy ; Wash in gt o n , l

Zun i Falh-tales . Ne w Yo rk ,
I
9 01 .
D A LL WI LL I A M H
, . : Tribes fo Ethe
xtreme North-West .
(C ontributions
to North American E thnology , vo l i Wash in gt o n , . .
The Native Tribes 0 ] A la sha

(P rocee din g s . of t he Ame rican
Asso c iat io n fo r t h e Advan c e me n t o f Sc ie n c e , 1 8 8 5, vo l xxxiv
. .
;
l
Sa e m,
D AW O N G EORGE M
S , . Nates and Observations if the Kwahiootl Peapce of
the N thern P or art of V a ncouv er I sland a nd Adj acent C oa sts made
during the Summer of 1 8 8 5 , with Vocabulary of about 7 0 0 Words .
roceedings and Transactions O f t h e Ro al S o c ie ty o f C an ada,

P
( y
1 8 8 7, vo l v M o n t re a , . . l
Notes Shuswap on the Pe ple of B iti h Columbi
o r s a .
(P roceedi ngs
and Transactions o f t h e R y l S ie t y f C
o a d oc o an a a, 1 8 9 1 , vo l ix , . .
se c t ii ; M o n t re a ,
. . l
DE F OREST JO H N W , . : History 0] the I ndians of C onnecticut from the
Earliest K nown Pe i d ro to 1 8 50 . Hart fo rd, 1 8 5 1 I bid , 1 8 5 2, . .
1 8 53 .
D EAN S J AM Es :
, Tales y ram the Totems a } t he H ider
y .
(Archives of t he
I n t e rn at io n al F o lk -l o re Asso c iat io n , v o l ii . . C h ic ago ,
D ELL ENBAU G H F , . S . : North Americans of Yesterday . Ne w Y o rk an d

L o n do n , 1
9 01 .
D I XO N ,
R B . . : M aidu My ths ( B ulletins o f t h e Ame ric an
. M use um
o f N at ura l Hrst o ry , vo l v ii , p art ii ; Ne w Y o r ,
. . . k
D O D GE RI C H A RD I
,
. Our Wild I ndians . Hart fo rd, 1 882 .
D O N A L D SO N T H OM AS , The M agui I ndians of Ariz ona and uebla I ndia ns P

New Mexico ra Census B ulletin, E e ve n th C e n su s, U S l
0
] .
(Ex t . .
Washin gto n ,
D QRSEY G EORG E A
, Arapaho Sun D ance : The Ceremony a
.
; the Ofi g
erin s
P ublications o f t h e F ie l d C o ll e ge M use u m, An t hro o lo

Lodge .
( p
gic al Serie s, C h icago v o l. iv .
,
My thology a] the Wichita (Carn e gie . I n stit ut io n o fWashin gto n ,

Publication No 2 1 Washin gt o n .
,
3 6 8
B IB I L OG RA PHY
D ORSEY GEORGE A : Traditions of the Osage (Publications o f t h e
,
. .
F ie l d C o ll e ge M use um An thro p o l o gic al Serie s vo l vii NO 1 , , . .

, .
C hic ago ,
The Chey enne Part i Ceremonial Organiz ation ; part . The .

,
Sun D a nce P o ft h e F ie l d C o ll e ge M u se u m An t hro

( ublications .
,
p o lo ic al Se rie s) vo l ix
g N o s 1 an d 2 C h ica o
g , . .
, .
,
The Pawnee : My thology P art i (Carn e gie I n st itutio n Of . .
Washin gto n P u blication No 5 9 Wash in gto n , .

,
AN D K ROEBER A L : Traditions of the Arapaho (Publications o f ,

. . .
t h e F ie l d C o ll e ge M u se um An t h ro p o l o gic al Se rie s v o l v ; , , . .
C h ic ago ,
D ORSEY J O WEN Osage Traditions (Sixth Report Bure au o fAmeri

,
. .
,
c an Et h n o l o gy ; Washin gt o n ,
The Cegiha Language ( C ontributions to North Amer i can Ethnolog

y .
,
vo l v i Wash in gt o n
. .
,
A Study of Siouan Cults (E le venth Re ort

p B ureau o f Ame ric an .
,
Et hn o l o gy ; Washin gt o n ,
D RA K E SA M UE L G : B aoh of the I ndians o

, f North America Bo sto n
. .
,
1 8 33 . I bid , B o st o n ,. 1 8 4 1 ; Bo st o n
D U N N J AC O B
, P . : True I ndian S tories . Wit h G l o ssary o f I n dian a
I n dian na mes . I n dian apo is, 1 90 8 l . I bid ,. 1
9 9 0 .
EMER SO N , ELLE R I ndian My ths N . or, Legends, Traditions, and
Sy mbols o ] the Aborigines of America . Bo st o n , 1 8 8 4 .
EW B AN K,
T HO M As : North Ameri can Roch-writing . M o rrisan ia N Y , . .
,
1 8 66 .
F A I RBAN KS ,
G . R . : History 0
, F lorida ,
1 5 1 2- 1 8 42 . P hil ade l p hi a,
1 871 .
FEW K ES, J W . . Tusay an K atcinas

:
( fi
Fi eenth R e t ort,
. B ure au of
Ame ric an Et hn o o gy Wash in gto n , l

Tusay an M igratian Traditions .
(Nineteenth Report, Bure au o f
Ame ric an Et h n o o gy , p art ii l . Washin gto n ,
F I SCH ER JO SEP H : D iscoveries

, a the Norsemen in America . Lo n do n ,
1 03
9 .
F LET C H ER AL I C E C m North America

'
, . : I ndi an Story and Song f

ro .
Bo st o n , 1
900 .
F O ST ER J W : P rehistoric
,
. . Races f
o the United S tates W America .
C h ic ago 1 8 7 8 ,
.
3 69
B B I LIOG RAP HY
F OW RE G ERA R D
,
S tone Art
: ( Thirteenth Re ort, B ure au
p . o f Ame ric an
Et hn o l o g ; Washin gt o n ,
y
G Ass, PA TR C y I K T rournal
avels
}
a a C orp f
s if
o the U y g
a a es
‘
and
D iscovery , under Command of Lewis and Clarh it t sburg, 1 8 0 7 . P .
I bid , hi ade p h ia, 1 8 1 0 ; D ay t o n , 1 8 47 ; We sburg, Va ,

. P l l l .
1 85
9 .
B
G AT SCHET , AL ERT S A M igration Legend of the Creeh I ndians Vo l i ,
. . . .
P h il ade l p hia, 1 8 8 4 (Brin t o n s LI brary o f Abo rigin al Americ an

’
L ite rat u re , No 4) vo l ii , St Lo uis, 1 8 8 8 (Transactions o ft he

. . . .
Ac ade my Of Sc ie n c es, S t L o u is, vo l v , NOS 1 an d . . . .
G EN TLE M AN ELVAs : A Narrative of the Expedition 0

OF } Hernando de
Soto into Florida ub ish e d at Ev o ra, 1 5 5 7 P l
T ran s at e d fro m
. . l
t he P
o rt ugue se by Ric h ard Ha uy t Lo n do n , 1 60 9 (I n kl . .
F re n c h, B F , Hist C o La , p art ii ; z u d c d , h i ade p h ia,

. . . ll . . . . P l l
1 8 5 0)
G RI NNELL GEORGE ,
BI R D : Pawnee Hero-stories and Falh-tales . Ne w
Y o rk 1 8 8 9 ,
.
B lachfoot Lodge Tales . Ne w Y o rk , 1 8 92 .
HA LE, HO RAT I o z I roquois B aoh ofRites . Phil ad l p hia e ,

1 883 .
HECK EW ELD ER ,
J OH N G
A n A cc oun t qf th e H ist
.ory ,
MEanners, and
. :
Customs of the I ndian Nations who once inhabited Pennsy lvania and
the Neighbouring States P hil ade l p hia, 1 8 1 9 (Re p rin t e d, Memoirs
. .
o f t h e H ist o ric al So c ie t y o fP e n n sy l van ia, vo l xii Phil ade l phia, . .
1 876
)
HEW I TT , J N . . B
Legend 0 .
} : the Founding oy the I roquois League .
(American Anthropologist, vo l . v. ; Washin gto n ,
Orenda and a D efinition of Religion .

(American Anthro olo ist,
p g
Ne w Serie s, vo l iv ; Wash in gt o n , . .
I roquoian Cosmology (T w ent

y first Report,
B ureau . of Americ an
Et hn o o gy Wash in gto n ,
l
HO FFM A N WA LTER J The Mide Grand Medicine Society ,
’ ’
or .
-wiwin
, ,
b rt, Bure au o fAme ric an Et hn o l o

of th e Oj i wa (Seventh Repo .
gy ;
Wash in gto n ,
HO L M ES WI LL I A M H : Aboriginal P ottery 0} the Eastern United States

,
. .
entieth Re ort B ure au o fAme ric an Et h n o l o gy ; Washin gt o n

( Tw p , ,
9 )
1 03
HO U G H WALTER Antiauitie of the Upper Gila and S alt Riv er Valley s

,
s
in Ariz ona and New Mexico .

(B ulletin 3 5 , Bure au of A me ric an
Et h n o o gy ; Wash ingto n ,
l
37 °
B B I LIO G RA PHY
LEWI S MER I WET H ER A N D C LA R K WI LL I A M Original J ournals of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition 1 8 04—
, , ,
6 Edit e d by R G T h wait e s , . . . .
8 vo l s Ne w Y o rk 1 904 5 .
,
- .
L O N G JO HN : Voyages and Travels q; an I ndian I nterpreter and Trader

, ,
describing the Manners and C ustams of the North American I ndians .
L o n do n , 1 79 1 .
LOSK I EL, GEORGE HEN RY History ofthe M issian o

; the United B rethren
a mong the I ndians in North America . L o n do n ,
1 7 94 .
LU M HOLTz , C A RL : Tarahumari D ances and Pl ant- warship .

(Scribner s
’
Magaz ine , v o l xvi , No 4

. . . Ne w Y k or ,
LU M M I S C H A RLES
,
F : The Man who M arried the
. Moon , and other
Pu bl e o I ndian F alh-stories Ne w Yo r , 1 8 94 . k .
M CGEE W J , . . : The Siouan I ndians ( f

Fi teenth R e
p ort,
B ureau . o f
Ame ric an Et hn o l o gy ; Wash in gt o n ,
MA LLERY GA RRI C K : Sign-language among North American I ndians
, .
( F ir st R ep ort B ure au o f Ame ric an Et h n o lo

gy ; W
,ashin t o n
g ,
1 881)
P i tu e writing of the American I ndians (Tenth Report Bure au

c r - .
,
of American Et h n o l o gy Wash in gto n ,

1 89
MA TT H EW S WASH I N G T ON : Navaho
,
Legends . Bo st o n an d New Y o rk ,
1 8 97 .
M OO N EY J A M ES , The Sacred Formulas o f the Cherohee s .

(Seventh Re ort
p ,
Bure au o f Americ an E t h n o l o gy Wash in gto n ,
TheGhost-dance Religion and Sioux Outbreak a] 1 8 90
the .
(Fourteenth Report, B ureau o f Americ an Et hn o o gy, part ii ; l .
Wash in gto n ,
My ths of the Cherahee .
(Nineteenth Report, B ureau of Ame ric an
Eth n o p art i ; Washingt o n l o gy , .
,
NADA I LLAC M A RQU I S D E : P rehi toric

,
s America . T ran sl ate d by N .
D An ve rs
’
. Ne w Yo rk an d Lo n do n , 1 884 .
N OR D EN SK I O L D G : Clif dwellers of the Mesa Verde T ran sl ate d by

, . .
c
D L l o y d M o rgan St oc k ho l m an d C h ic ago 1 8 93
. .
, .
N ORT H WESTER N T R I B ES O F CA N ADA : Reports on the Phy sical Characters

-
,
Languages I ndustrial and Social Condition of the Narth Western

,
-
T ri bes of the D ominion of Canada (I n Re orts o f t h e

p B rit ish .
Asso c iat io n fo r t h e Advan c e me n t o f Sc ie n ce 1 8 8 5- 98 L o n do n , ,
1 8 86
PAYN E, E W D AR D J . History ofthe New World called America . l
2 vo s .
O xfo rd an d Ne w Y o rk ,
1 8 92 .
B B I LIOG RA PHY
P EAB ODY M U SEU M O F AME RI CAN ARC HE OLOGYET H NO OGY AND
Archa ological and Ethnological apers, v o s i —

,
’
iii , 1 8 8 8 4 904 P l .
.
. . .
M emoirs, vo ls i -iii - 1
904 Annual Reports, vo s i -
. . x xxvii , . l . . .
1 8 6 8 - 1 904 C ambridge , M ass . .
P ENSHALLOW , S M EL : The History A U o

f the Wars (y N ew En land
- '
with
the Eastern I ndians B o st o n , . 1 7 2 6 .
(C ollections o f t he Ne w
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(C ontributions to North
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nee . C o p e n h age n ,
1 8 37 .
SCH OO LC AF T R , HEN RY R . : Researches . 2 vo s l . Ne w Y o rk ,

1 8 39 .
Historical and Stati I nformatian respecting the I ndian Tribes qt

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t o n , 1 8 4 8 - 1 90 7 Miscellaneous Collections, vo l s i - iv Wash

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in gt o n , 1 8 6 2- 1 91 0 .
SN ELL I G , WI L I M J : Tales oy
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Li] ? and Character B o st o n , . 1 8 30 .
2 B 37 3
B B I LIO G RA PHY
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2 vo s l . Ne w Y o rk 1 904 , .
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N OT E ON P R ON UN CI AT I ON
WOR KER S in I n dian myt h o l o gy
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se s o f,
47
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B ri n t o n , 1 00- 1 0 1 man , 308 , 3 1 0, 3 1 1
37 7
G LO S S ARY AN D I N D EX
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G LO S S ARY AND I N D EX
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.
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.
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,
D A K OT A An e t h n ic divisio n o ft h e
,
49
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.
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F ET I S H E S A Z uni f e t ish fes
.
s t c k ; dw ll in gs o f 4 7 ;c o t u m
o e , s e .
o f. 59 t iv a l, 96
CO L OR A D O P re ist o ric re main s h D A Y AN D N I G H T M YT H A B l ac k
- -
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FACE PAI N TI N G
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MA C O N A QU A T h I di
- - - e n an n a me MA STER O F F E LI h y
I n t e st o r o f
fF
. .
o S l u m 44
ran c e s oc p b
t h e S irit - ride , 1 64
MA DO C L g d f 4 MA STER -C A RP E NTER A sup e r
,
e en o
MA D U A C lif i n atu al be in g in H aida m y th
. .
,
I . a o rn an tri b e r
; ,
dwe ll i n gs o f, c rea t io n - m yt h s t o y o fh is c o n t ac t wit h S o u t h

47
—
r
o f, 1 23 C o yo t e an d K o do e a st , 6 31 8
31
y au p s d e iti e s o f, 1 23 th e M ED A A . me dic in e s o c ie t y of
seas o n s o f 1 3 3 th A l q e go n u in s , 1 1 9
MA E Ch pp y t y f th MED A CH AN T Al go n quian
,
IZ i e wa s or o e . An
o rigi n o f, 1 8 0- 1 8 2 re ligiou s c e re mo n y 1 1 4
MA K ER O F T H E T H C K A M T Al
,
I -S E - IS ME D E CO LI N S o rc e re rs in go n
H id d it y
. .
,
in t ha t y e s or u ia n q my by t h c o n u e re d
qlo o k p 1 4 5
a e
fM t
o p t d S ut h
as e r-c ar e n e r an o s a
M ED I C I N E ME N r S H A M AN S 1 3 5
,
t 3 8
e as 1 - o
MAL C O U S MOT H ER N LA W
, , ,
I I I . 1 40 as p rie t s 1 36 as h l s , e a e rs ,
S to y f th r 76 80 o e, 1 -1
36 1 38
1 -
j o u n ey s of to f r
M (T h W lf ) A m l ig
,
MA LS U t e o a n an S p i it l an d 1 39- 1 40 in stit u t e d
r -
A l go n A t taien
.
,
c re at iv e de it y of th e by 3 54
A
.
quin s , t win wit h Gl o o sk ap , 1 41

l‘ ME D I CI N E .
’
t e rm s ign i fyin g
1 49
4 3, c o n t e s t wit
1 G loo s h magica l p o t e nc y , lly
u su a of a
k ap 1 41 - 1 42 ears lat er pp h e alin g o rd e r S e n e ca l e ge n d
—
a ;
Al q
,
in go n uia n m t as L o x yh of th e o rigin o f, 2 30 2 32
L k
,
or o i, 1 4 3 ; u t u re c o n ic t f fl Ch e o ke e l e gen d
r of th e o rigin
h
w it G lo o sk ap , 1 4 9 o f c u ra t iv e me di c in e 2 4 9- 2 5 1
MAN Origin o f, in
. me ric a , 5 A ME N -S ER P ENT S . Th e st o r
,
y o f th e ,
22 2 7 3- 2 7 5
MANA B O H O Z S ame as Mi h b c a o, ME N OM N EE I S A t ri be of th e
Al go n qu ian s toc k
. .
I I , which se e , 25
8
3 5
G LO S S ARY AND I ND EX
M AMI I A t ri e o ft h e b Al o n q u ian M QU S m H pi wh i h
O I a e as o c se e
Fran c es
.
M ORG A N L O I di
.
,
s t oc k in t h e s t o r y 0 mmu , . n n an c o
lo c u m 4 0 4
S 1 nit y h 4 5 46 o u se s , -
MI C E T WO su p ern tu l b in gs M OR N N G S T A R S Api i h t
, ,
a ra e I ee s ra s
MO U N D
. .
in Chin o o k myt h 3 39 340 - P hi t a th

S re s o ri c e r en
M C H A B O (T h G t H ) I f o u n d in Am
.
,
I e re a a re e re c tio n s e rica , 1 7
Al go n
. .
S up m d it y o f t h
re e e e 22 in 7 1 a n im al f m or 1 8
qu n s p b bly m M n it
,
i ro a sa e as a o, p p
u r o se o f, 18 c o n t e n ts o f,
—
,
1 9 1 01 in -c t i n my t h
2 re a o - 18 19 21 d es c ri t io n o f a p
A
, ,
1 07 - 1 08 II d e m i -go d o f g rpo u 1 9
- 20 th e u i de rs o f, b l
l M
. .
,
th e O i wa jb y s, ll
c a e d a so an a 2 0- 2 1 a ge o f, 2 1 - 2 2
bo z h o ; con f u sio n o f, w it h MU S - K RAT c re a tiv e de it of A y
H
.
iaw a t ha 22 3 t h e S io ux I c tini k e a n d 2 7 0
M C M AC A A l go n
, ,
I S t ri be of th e 27 1
qu i n st k 2 5 ; su b du e d by MU S K H O GE AN S An t hni di i
.
a oc e c v
f th A m i n I n di n
.
,
th I e qu is 2 7 ro sio n o 2 o e er c a a s,
MI L K Y WA Y Call d t h Wo lf
,
2 7 ; c o tu m o f 5 8
. marriag e e s e e
t il by t h e I n dian
ra 2 04 c u st o m of 7 3 c re atio n myt h s, s -
M NA S L AKE I n N o a S o t ia ;
,
I , o f 1 08 . v c ,
G lo o sk ap l eav es th e e art h u po n ,
1 46
MI NN E S OT A P rimit i imp le ve
A Chin o k ill ag
.
m n t s f un d in 7
e rt h NA K OT AT
o , ea . o v e
mo un d f o u n d in 8 9 0 s i n t h my th o f S t ik u 34 1 34 5 1 1 -2 e a,
MI NN ET A REE A t ib f t h e NAN T AQU AU S S o n f t h e c h i f
, , ,
S r e o o e
H id t sa st o c k ; c e atio n my t h
. .
a P wh t a n 3 3 r - o a ,
of 09 1 NANT E N A S p its o r f ai ie in ir r s,
M O C E N E B R DGE
.
,
An d t h e T inn e h myt h o l gy 3 5 8
‘ ’
I I o
igin o f man in A me ri a 6 N AP I T h c r at i d it y o f th e
.
,
or c e e ve e
M O H A V E A t ib o f t h e Y uman
.
,
. B l c kf e e t ; in r d y an d n igh t
e a a a - -
to c k ; c tu m o f 5 9 l g n d 0 5 08 in t h e l e gen d
20 8 —
s os e e e 2 2
MO H A WK S A t rib o f th e I
, , ,
f B uffal o st e al e 21 2 e ro o - r,
N A RR A G AN S ET S A t ribe o f t h e
.
q u o is st k 4 22 4 2 2 5 an doc 2
A lgo n quian st oc k 2 5
.
, , ,
th t win go ds m y t h
e f th e - o
H iaw at ha m y N ARVAE z P ANF I L O DE An d
,
I o qu o is 1 2 1
r a
Muskho g an p e pl 2 7
.
, ,
h a b l o n ge d t 2 3 2 2 6
ve e o, 2 e o e,
H iawat ha a do p t d in t 2 26
,
NAT CHE z I T h c it y ; disc o v e ries e o, e

MOH EGAN S S ame as Mo hican s
. .
o f p re his t o ric e ma in s a t 7 r
A trib o f t h e so c all ed
. .
, ,
wh h eic se II e -
MO H I CA N S o r M OH EG AN S
.
A N t ch e san s t o c k ; an d e arth . a
t rib e o f th e A l go n qu ia n st o c k
,
mo un ds 2 1 nd t h e gl e 1 12 a e a
N A V A H O A t rib of th A t h a
, , ,
25 a c mmu n it y h o u se o f 4 5
o , . e e
su b du e d by th e I ro q u o is 2 2 7 p ase an st o ck 2 2 a dwe llin g o f

MON D A M I N T h e mai pl n t ;
, , ,
4 9 ; c o t u m o f 5 9 ; b e lief o f
s t o ry o f t h e o rigin o f 1 8 0—
- - . z e- a s e , ,
1 82 res p e c t in g b ird an d th e win ds s

MO N T A G NAI S A t be o f th e
, ,
1 1 0 ; Ah so nn u t li t h e c h ief de it y ri
A l go n quian st o k 2 5
.
of 1 21 -1 2 b el ief o f res p ec t
c 2
M OO N G ODDESS S K o k o mik is
, , ,
- in g t h e o ul 1 29 ; an d th e ee s
M OO S E A b a e a g ea t hu n t e r
. ,
p in t o f t h e c o mp as 1 3 1
r v r o s s,
in th e s t o ry o f t h e Fairy W i e s N E B R A S K A P hist o ric re mains
.
,
v ,
. re
1 7 0- 1 7 2 disc o red in 8 ve
A c o un t e rfe it b ra e
,
MO O WI S N K U M O NT A An I ro q u o is b a v e v E r
t o ry o f E l e gan t an d l ge n d o f t h e H ealing
. .
in t h e s in t h e e
H andso me , 1 6 1-1 62 W at e rs, 2 5 7 - 2 60
38 6
G LO S S ARY AND I N D EX
P A W N EE A y of f
c o n e d e rac P O I A (S c ar f c ) T h e l ge n ds f
''
1 96 —
S . - a e . e o ,
b
t ri es o f th e oa c , Cadd n st o k 05 2
2 8 , 304 ; a n d e r e th t ib al f t is h P OR C UP I N E On e o f t h P u e o rc
pin e P eo ple in H aid myt h
.
o f th e e en n e , 91 an dCh y ,
a
h
t u n de r, 1 1 2 At i u s T iraw a
’
, st o ry o f t h e c o n fli t be tw n c ee
t h e c ie de it h f
o f 1 22 ; and y B ea r an d 3 8 3 0
ve 1 - 2
D P o S H A I -AN K I A A Zu ni d it y
, ,
t h e Y o un g D o g an c e , 1 90 - -
’
. e ,
b
s u du e d t h e I ro u o is , 2 2 7 by q f t h e f t h m di in s
a r o e e c e o
s t ro n g re igio u s s e n se o f,
304 ; l c i ti e 95 es , in c eat i n myt h r o -
,
yh
m t s a n d e ge n ds o f, 304- 3 1 1 l 1 07
st o ry o f th e o rigin h
o f t e ir P OWE LL C A P T A I N N A T H AN I E L
,
.
l
S ac re d B u n d e , 304 - 30 8 An d t h e st y f P o c ah n tas or o o
P A YN E E J
,
On se mbl an c of re e 32 36
-
u st ms fA m rica n a n d A siat ic P OWER S S TE P H E N O n

. .
,
il sp i ts
in I n di n my t h l gy 34 9—
c o o e , . ev ri
t b es
ri 0 1 1 - 1 a 3 50 o o
P E AC E Q U EE N P OW H A T AN A Chi f f t h
, ,
A m id n ap a e f e a er o
p in t d by t h e Fi N atio n t
. .
,
o e ve s o P o c hont a 32 33 as ,
P OWH A T AN S A t ib o f t h
,
b e bit o f qu rr ls ; t h
ar er a e e r e e
A l g n q u i n st k 5 ; b l f
.
l g n d o f G n task t h
e e 62 e e a e, 2 o a oc 2 e ie
ffi
,
2 65 th ab lis h d 65 e o ce o e 2 of birds 1 0 1
P E BB L E R A TT L ER H aid Win d P R A TT C A P T A N R H H is
.
, ,
-
a ho l I sc o
t ry o f M t
. . .
,
d it y
e in t h e s o as e r fo r t h e e du ca tio n o f I n dia n
ca rp n t n d S ut h
e st 31 8
er a o -ea Ch l
i dre n 7 9
P EQ U OT S A tribe f t h Al go n REH TO R C EM A N
, ,
. o e P IS I R I S D is .
qu ian t c k f u d be tw n th e
s o e ee c o v e ries o f 7 - 1 0
REY ROT H ER Ap
,
wh it es n d 30 a P B S riest o o d o f h
A C lif rn ian t i be ;
, .
P E R CU E S
I a o r the Z u ili 96
’
t h e h o til e di in iti s o f 3 5 5 — D eities o f t h e Zuii i,

.
,
s 3 56 v e P REY GOD
- S
‘
P ET I T A N S E P l a in Lo u i ian a
.
,
-
ce s 94 97
R I E S T H O O D o f t h e I n di an t bes
.
p h ist o ic re mains disc o e re d

re r v P ri
1 3 5 —36
,
a t 7 1
PH I L P P R I NC E O F S ER P E N T S A d it y
,
An I ndian c hi e f ca ll e d
I e
w h dw l t in t h e G reat La k
. .
,
K in g P hil ip war o f wit h t h

wh it e 30—
, e o e es ,
P I C T U RE WR I T I N G I N D I AN 7 6 —
31 s,
-
78 PU EB LOS I An t hn ic di i i n e v s o
f t h A m i n I n di n s b u il d
.
P I G M I E S I o q u o is be li f in a ac e
.
, ,
a l ge n d o f 2 4 6 —
. r e r o e er c a a
of 2 9
, 2 24 8 e ,
in g sf 47 49 ; o o t u me
,
f ,
c s o ,
p erhap ctu ally a p rehist o ric

s a 57 59 ; art is t i c w k o f 6 3 ; or ,
A me ric an rac e 24 8
,
f t i al o f 1 3 5 I I I n di n
es v s . . a
PI M A S A trib e o f
, ,
th e P u e o bl c o mmu n it y h o u ses 4 6 4 8
A f esti al o f th e
.
, ,
sto c k
; co st u me o f, 5 9 ; me t o d h PU S H K I T A . v
k p
o f e e in g re c o rds 1
33 Cree ks 1 34
PI P E TO N E Q U A RRY
-S
S o urc e o f
,
.
,
t h e I n di an spp
’
i e ; desc ri tio n p Q
o f, 1 1 6 1 1 8 —
P LA G UE D EMO N q I ro uo is deit , . y Q U AA Y AY P . A s o n o f th e P eric o e
2 64 de it y Nip aray a 3 5 5
LA N S N D AN C Q U A H B EET (G
,
P I I I S o st u me o f, 5 8 .
- rea t B ea v er ) . Al
art is tic wo r o f, 62 k k go n uian t o t e -d e it
; in m y myt h
q
ran
a mo n g, in dic at e d eat e rs by f h o f G oo sk a an d Malsu m , 1 4 2
w o rn , 6 3 marria ge amo n g, 7 3 Q U AH O OT ZE e ity o ft h e N oo t kas ,
OC AH O N T A
.
P S D aug t e r o f t h e h 1 00
Q U AP AW A
.
h f h y t ri be o fth C ddo an
c ie
—
P o w atan t h e st o r o f, S . e a
32 36 st oc k; an d ea t h mo u n ds 2 1
r -
,
G LOSS ARY AND I N D EX
R S CA L P N G N t I . a u re o f t h e a c t , 66 ,
p ti
rese rv a o n o f sca lp s 67
A
R B IT BPe rso nifie d a nima in
. l S CA R FAC E S - . ee Poia
‘ '
,
Sioux m t I c t i n ik e a n d 2 6 6 yh , S CH O OLCRA F I H R O n I n dian ‘ ‘
, . .
2 68 ; a n d t h e S u n 30 1 - 02
3 ; , hu n tin g 5 2 -
55 on
, I n dia n
an d P a e -Wa th ah u n i t h e D e h f
w a r are 6 6- 7 2 o n t h e I n di a n S ’
v o urin g H i
, ,
3 0 2 -
30 3 ll u se o f t o ac c o , a n d h is b
i e pp
AFN 1 1 5—
, ,
R K C C i t ed 1 4 ; an d th e 1 18 a n d t h e ide n t ity o f
°
W
.
H i awat a 2 2 3
.
D ig t o n ritin g R o c 1 6
, ,
h k h
A TT L E NAKE E C OT AN V ll
, ,
R S I n dian re gard fo r S A n I n dian i age in

—
. .
th 3e, 5 1 1 1 1 N o rt aro in a 4 8
hC l
R A VE N EM N O L E A
,
P nifi ti
. i Ch i e rso ca on n S I S t ri e o f t h e Mu s
. b
k myth ; in th t y f k h o gea n st o c , 2 7 c o s t u me o f, k
—
noo e s or o
S tik fi 34 34 8 a. 2 58
R EDP P E TO N E R O C K T h fi t
I -S
. e rs S E N E CA S A t rib e o f t h e I ro u o is
. q
p ip m d t 6 e a e a 1 1 sto c k t h e so -c a e d in ll
TORM C LO U D A H id G
, , ,
R E D -S - a a l h
Ok a o ma 2 4 o in t h e ra n d j
L ea gu e ‘ 2 2 6 st o r’ o ft h e o rigin
. ,
wi d d it y ; i t y y
—
n th - e f n e s or o
°
M t - p t
, ,
d S ut h of th e me dic in e o f, 2 30 2 32
—
as e r c ar e n er an o
t 3 7
e as 1 l
e ge n d o f 2 3 6 2 3 8
R ESERV A T O N S I N D AN 3 ER P E N T
, ,
3 I I 1- 2 S THE I n I n dian my t h o
R E U RRE C T O N
.
, , ,
S I di b li f i I . n an e e n, l y
og 1 09- 1 1 1 , 1 1 4 ; w o rs i o f
, hp ,
1 28 1 1 2- 1 1 4 re v e re n c e
°
aid t o , p
R O B I N A deit y o f t h Ch in o ks e o I 3S
H A DOW LAN D
.
,
b o t h er o f B lu e J ay 2 5 330
r ,
1 , ,
S - S ame as S irit . p
332 l
an d , wh ich s ec
R OGEL F A T H ER I n c id n t c n e o S H AN E W I S i e o f N e k u mo n t a Wf
in t h e e ge n d Of t h e H e a i n g
. .
,
n e t ed c wit h h i missio nary s l l

wo k 1 0 5 r W a t e rs 2 5 7 - 2 60
R O LF E J O H N Husb an d o f SH A W N EE A Al
, ,
, . S t ri e o f t h e .
go n b
P o c a h o n t as 32 quia n s t o c , 2 5 a s mo u n d k °
R OOT D I GGER S A t rib e o f t h e K

,
- . bu il de rs , 2 1 an d t h e in g o f
S h os ho n ea n st o c k 2 8 R a tt es na es 2 4 8l k
HO HON E A N
, ,
S S S (S na es ) An e t n ic k h
A
.
div isio n o f th e meric an l n

dians , 2 8 - 2 9 c os t u me o f 5 9
°
N D AN A
,
S HU S HW AP I I S S rlis h .
S AC RED B U N D L E Th . e st o r y of b C y
tri e ; o o t e t h e creativ e deit y
th 304 30 8
e, - o f 1 24
S AC RE D O TTER A h u t LV ER C H A N N a me a ie d t o
,
n e r ; in th e SI I ppl
G
. .
st o r y l of 50 the S n o w- o dge , 1 th e C
ra n d o u n c i o f t h e e a gu e l l
1 5 2 o ft h e F
iv e N atio n s 2 2 6 ,
S AL I H I N D I A N S A t rib p ro b bly
S e a S IN S k y -go d an d rin c i a deit p p l y
H aida ; m t o f t h e
.
o ft h e Al go n quia n t
.
k ho u ses s oc o f th e yh
of 47 st u m f 58 co e o in carn atio n o f, 3 1 4 - 3 1 6
S AL MO N T h e st o ry o f 8 2
,
p l l
,
85 2 -2 S I N N E K E S On e o ft h e t w o o i t ic a
.
S AN TEES
.
A tribe o f th e S i u an
,
. o di v isio ns o f th e I ro uo i s 224 , q ,
t oc k 2 8
s 22 5
S A S S ACU S
,
P qu o t c h ie f ; h is il e v SI O X orU D A KOT A An e t hnic

o f t h e A me ric a n
.
. ,
l g dest o y d 30
a e r e div isio n In ~
S AU KS A t ib o f t h e S io uan
,
. r e dian s , su p e rst i t io n o f,
s t oc k 7 1 rese mbl es t h at o f th e I t e lmian s

A y o u n g W yan d t Kamc hat k ll
,
S AY A D I O . o of a, 1 1 dwe in gs
brav e ; th e l ege nd o f 260-262 ,
o f, 48 f ac e -
ainting a p mo ng ,
8
3 9
GLO S S ARY AND IN D EX
6 1 - 62 wa r-c u st o ms o f 6 8 , SOUTH EA S T A H a ida de ity
- .
f h
e t i s e s o f, 92 ; e ie o f, re bl f p nt ng th
re ut h
re se t i e so -e as
p
s e c t i n g t h e win ds 1 1 0 ; a n d W n d c n t t o f W th M t
i o es as e r
p t 3 6—3 8
, , i
t h e e ag e 1 1 1 l
a n d t h e ra t t e l c ar e n e r, 1 1
S P DER MAN
,
sn a e k
1 1 4 ; Hao k ah
, th e c i e ,
h f I I n t h e l ge n d o f . e
h
t u n de r-go d o f 1 25 Wa u Po ia
‘
20 1 2 02
P R T B R DE
, , ,
kh e o n , a t u n de r- o d o f, 1 2 6 ;
g h S I I - I . Th e st o r y of th e ,
U n k t a h e , t h e w a t er-go d o f, 6 165 2- 1
1 26 ; a n d t h e so u s l y S P R T LAN D A b o de o f mo rt al s
’
-
j o u rn e I I
1 2 9—
.
f
a t e r de a t , 1 2
9 ; th e h
ea r o f, y a ft er de at h 1 30 th e ,
1 32 me t o ds o f t ime -re c o n h k l e ss e r s o u l o f s ic kp e rs o n s ta k en
in g o f, 1 3 2- 1 33 ; m t s a n d yh 1 39— V is it s of
‘
to, 1 2 9, 1 40 ;
l
e ge n ds o f, 2 6 6 - 0 3
3 m e di c i n e -me n t o , 1 39- 1 4 0 ; i n
S I R OU T ( a n d u of H o ac c o ) f l T b t h e st o r y o f t h e S irit - ri de p b
fi
.
,
One o f t h e rst me n in a n 1 6 2- 1 6 5 in th e st o r of y
—
,
A c agc h e me m cre at i o n m t , yh S ay a di o , 2 60 2 6 1 Ioi an d B lu e
353 JW i n. 3 24
—32 6
S i T S -B Y -T H E - D O OR Th e st o ry o f . , S QA -I . A t o wn in th e Q ue en
1 93- 1 96 Cha l r o tte Is l a n ds th e c o n t e st
S K R JE L I N G R N a me giv e n by Of M a s t e r-c ar p e nt e r and S o ut h
N o rs e me n t o A me ric an n at iv e s
.
e ast a t , 31 6- 3 1 8
1 3 ; a t t ac k t h e e arly N o rs e
,
SQ U ER E I , . G . An d t h e e ar th
vo yag e rs , 1 5 m o u n ds , 1 8
S KU LL OF TH E
D E F OR MAI I ON ‘ ‘
S T A R B OY F -
of P oi o irst n a me a, r
M kh o g n
, . .
by
P ra c t is e d th e us ea Sc f c 2 0 1 20 3 a r- a e ,
S T A R C O U N TRY T H
,
p pl es hi fly by Ch t w
eo c e oc a s, -I n th s t y E e or
f A l go n 1 5 5—
.
, ,
7 ; a m n g t h Ch n
2 k 3 2 o e i oo s, 2 o 1 56 ; in t h e
C O U N TRY I n
,
SK Y- r io n ft h a ve s o e t y o f Cl u d
s or i 1 56 o -c a rr e r
20 — in t h st y f t h e F
.
,
y fP y
GO D Of t h H d — S in
t
‘‘
s or 20 5 o o ia, 1 59 1 e or o a ir
S KY- e ai a see W 73 i v es, 1
S L O C U M F R ANC ES
.
T h st o y o f e r S T A R M A DE N Th t y f th
- I e s or o e,
—
. .
, ,
37 4 5 5 1 56 2- 1
S MO K E E A TER A b in g W t h
- e i STIK uA W f f B l J y ; th i e o ue a e
y f 34 —
. . .
m gic al p o w
a in Ch in o k e rs , o t s or 34 8 o 1
S TO N E G AN TES
,
my t h 3 30 Th t y f I S e s or o
S MO K I N G m n g t h e I n di n —
. .
1 1 5
a o a s th 54 57 e. 2 2
1 1 8 ; l g nd f th e igi n ef e o or o , S TO N E G AN T A m l ig t I S . a n an ra c e ,
1 1 6 ; imp o rta n c o f in I n d n e , ia in I ro qu o i s my t h , 21 7, 228
l ife 1 3 1 2 29 2 5 5- 2 5 7
S NA K E OGRE TY L E S D R D i gh t o n
,
T h e st o y o f t h
-
r e, S An d t h e
W
. , .
27 8 - 28 2 ri ti n g Roc k 16
S NA K E W F E - I Th e sto r y of th e , S U MMER Q u e en
,
o f th e E l ves of
Ligh t A l go n qu i a n
. .
87 29
-2 2 in myt h
S N OW ODGE
,
-B . Th e st o r y of th e , G lo o sk ap a n d 1 4 8 - 1 4 9 ,
1 49
- 1 52 S U N , T HE I n I n dian c re at io n
S O K U M AP I o un g rav e ; in
. A y b m t yh
1 0 6 ; w o rs i of 1 1 3 hp , ,
l kf
B a c o o t s t o r o f t h e o ri gi n o f y 3 50 I n S io u x m t , t h e R a it yh bb
t h e B e a r-s e ar, 1 8 7 - 1 90 p a n d 30 1 - 302
OTO ER NAN DO DE
H D ANC E
,
S An d t h e SUN B a c o o t c e re mo n l kf y
Mu kh gean p eo pl 7
. .
,
s o e, 2 fo r t h e re st o ra t i o n o f t h e s ic k
S OU L Th j u n y f th
. fter e o r e o e, a Poia b
rin gs t h e s ec re t s o f, t o
d t h in I n di n b el f
ea 9 a ie 1 2 t h e B ac l kf
e e t , 2 04
S O U LS T H L AN D O F C H LDRE N
, ,
, I n th E . e S UN- I E x trac t ro m t h e . f
l ge nd o f S ay adio 2 60-26 1
e ,
st o r y
o f t h e t wo , 9 3- 94
39°
G LO SS ARY AND I N D EX
8 0- 8 1 wide e x t e n sio n o f,
81, WAB O S E C AT H ER I N E , . Th e adv e n
8 2- 8 3 d ev e o l pm nt e o f th e t u re o f, 7 5 76
-
t o t e m in t o a ei ,
2 ru e s d ty 8 l WAC . A su p re me de it y of th e
of 83 , sev e r o t o t e mic it y f P e ric u es , ca ll ed al so T u p aran ,
ru e , 8 3 l S w an to n o n 8 4- 8 7 3 56
WA K AN D A
,
a ss o c ia t e d w it e tis is m , 9 3 h f h . A de ity o ft h e O ma h a
fl p
in u e n c e u o n t h e gro w t of h y fWab k h 7
in t h e s t o r o as a a, 2 2
l y
mo ra it , 1 02’
y f th S n k W f
in t h e s t o r o e a e- i e
T U L KAL U l
S
’
(S an tin g E es ) y A 28 8
WAK I N Y J AN (Th Fly ) S i u x
.
h u n t er-go d o f t h e e ro e e s, Ch k e e rs . o
1 2 5- 1 2 6 win d-de it ie s wh o se n d st o r ms
T A AN Wac
,
UP R S ame as wh ich I 10
WAL E Le ge n d N o rt h
.
,
se e S t h at
T U CA ROR A A meric an
.
S S . A t ri be of th e I n dian s ca me f ro m ,
Ir o qu
k 3 ; nd
o is s t o c 2 a th e 4 -
5
WALL U M LU M
,
y h o f t h I qu o is
t win -go ds m t e ro O P ic t ure -writ ”
in g re c o rds o f th e Le n i-Le n a e
.
,
1 1 2 p
T W N GOD f th I qu i 1 1
,
-
77 78
-
I S o e ro o s, 2
T Y RK R TY D S E R I n l g nd
E or K e e WA R D ANC E I N D AN 6 5 6 9 7
- I -
0
Am WA RFA RE AN D W A R C U TOM I N
,
f N
.
, , ,
o oy g t o rs e v a e o e ri c a , - S S,
1 4 I S D AN 6 3 7
I -
2
F e t ish e s WA A b by in Al g q i
. ,
T ZI -D AL T AI of th e SIS . a on u an
A p ac h e s
.
,
8 9- 90 my t h ; Gl k p d 45 46 oos a an 1 -
1
WA TER MAN TO U I Ch ipp w y
, ,
I . n a e a
l g d 79
e en 1
WATER GOD Of t h D k t
,
-
6 . e a o a, 1 2
i I q
n an i l g d 86 87 ro uo s e en 2 -2
WAU H N (T h d b i d ) A
,
U N DERWOR LD S i x st y f . ou or o an
th d un
K
g d f th D k t
EO
6
e r- o o
un
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e r-
a
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.
d
U N TED
t
a i
S T A TE
9 96
v e n u re
G OV ERN ME N T
n, 2 2- 2
WA Y N E G E N ER AL A 6 2
W E A EL N m f th F i y
, .
,
I S .
S a e o e a r
A d t h I di Wi
.
n 3 79 e n a n s, 2,
UN AH KT W t g d f th E. a er- o o e
7 v es,
W E T W N D T H I Al g q i
1 2
D ak o t a 1 26
S
d it y f t h f Mi h b
I ,
E . . on u an
A
,
e a er o c a o, 1 20
U T O N AG AN . t o t e m-s irit ; a n p II D e it y
,
of th e I ro qu o i
.
s,
I n dian s
’
a dv e n tu re wit , 74 h b ro t
.
h r f Hi n u n 2 7
e o
’
1 de
S t n G ian t s
,
75 st r o ys t h e o e , 22 8
229
WH AL E ME AT C U TTER - -
. A b ein g
VANC O UV ER G A d I n di an dw el l wit h m gic l p o w in Ch in o ka a e rs , o
, . n
myt h 3 30
i g 47
WH TE F E AT H ER S Ch a o p
.
n s,
V RG N A
I ee c ee
E th m f un d WH TE S Famil n m f E u
.
I I I . ar - o u n ds o
I i ar a e or ro
in 1 8 ; wa rs b e tw e e n w hi t s
p n s t t l s in A m
.
ly
2 9—
, e
ea e er e ri c a
—
e ar
a n d e ar ly s e tt e rs l in , 30 w a rs wi t h I n di s 9 3 an ,
2 1
a ly l tio n h ip w it h I n di n
2 9—
e r re a s a s,
30 3 ; B l kf t id , of 2 ac oo ea
t h o igi n t o
e rf 08 a r o 2
WH I T N EY P RO F E S S OR J D D is
,
. .
,
VVAB A S K AH A An O mah a b rav e

y of C l
c o v er ku ll by 8
—
a a v e ra s s
W C H I T A A t b ft h C dd n
.
,
th e st o r y of 27 1 27 3 I ri e o e a oa
Ch i f
,
WAB OJ E E G
.
An I n dian e to k 28
s c g b t f 48 ra ss u o
WI C K I UP An I n d n dw llin g 4 9
.
, ,
h u n t in g ex pl o it o f 54 a w ar ia e
WI G WA M An I nd n dw llin g 4 9
.
, ,
s o n g o f, 70 7 1
- . ia e ,
39 2
G LO S S ARY AND IN D EX
W LS O N
I , P ROF E S S OR D . On t h e W Y o MI N G P re h is t o ric . re mains
Chin o ks o 32 2 di sc o v e re d in 8
A
,
WI N
,
gian t in
-P E s o rc ere r,
Al go n q
.
u ia n m t y h ; Glo o k p s a Y
a n d. 1 —
4 3 1 44
WI N E LAN D I n e o o r
- l e g n d f N se Y AN K TO N S A t ib r e o f th e S io u a n
o y a ge t o A m
. .
v ic a 1 5 er st o c k 28
WI NN E B A GO A t be o ft h e S io u an Ab fi
, ,
. ri Y CAI U T ( ove ) On e o f t h e rs t .
st o c k as mo u n d - b uil de s r ,
w o me n in an Ac a gc h e me m
,
21 c re a t io n -m t 353 yh
W N L OW E O t h g d f t h O U N G D O G D ANC E L
,
I S , . n e o s o e Y e ge n d o f .
I d n 5
i an s , 1 0 t h e o rigin o f t h e 1 90- 1 9 3
W N TER A g t i Al g q i
I .
—
i an ,
n on u an Y UCHI . A
t ri e o f t h e U c e a n b
,
h
myt h ; G l k p d 47 48 oos a an 1 1 st o c ; a k
n d e art -mo u n ds 21 h
W C ON N E th m d f d
, ,
-
IS SI . ar o un s oun
i n, 1
7 Z
W T C H C R AFT I q i b li f i
I ro uo s e e n,
Z I N ZE N DORF T H E CO U N T O F
.
22 9
W O LF TR A L I di
.
,
- mI f n an na e or S t ry o f th t tl n k
o nd e ra es a e a
t h Milky W y
.
,
20 1 14 1 5 -
e 4 a 1
W OME N I N D AN P t i f 7 Z U NI A t ib f t h Zu fiian
,
,
I . o si on o ,
2 . r e o e
7 3 ; kill f i w
s i g 73 o n e av n st oc k ; f t i h i m m n g 93 e s s a o
W O N DER F U L K ETT L E T h t y
, , ,
e s or 97 ; t io n m yt h f
c re a 06 - o 1
—
. ,
o f th 5 54
e, 2 1 2 1 07 ; Aw n w il n th hi f o a o a, e c e
W YAN DOT A t ib f th I S r e o e ro d t y o f 1 06
ei 1 ; nd t h 1 2 a e
k llie d wit h Algo n
.
, ,
q u o is s t oc a ea gl I Ie, ; n d t h p n tI a e se r e ,
qu i tr an ib s 2 5 a l eg n d
e f,
e o , 1 3 1 th y f 1 32 di l ec t
e e ar o ,
a
2 60- 2 6 2 o f t h e p ri st h o d f 1 36 e o o ,
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U NIFORM WI T H THI S V O LU ME

Th e i llu stra t ion s , wh ich a re a fe a tu re of [ h is

J AM E S J ACK AND O T HE R I L L U S T R AT I ONS

HE North American Indian has so long been an

O f his picturesque and original mythologies and

the tales to which they have give rise is di fﬁcult of n

comprehe sion In boyhood we are wont to egard him

as instru me t specially designed for the execution O f

tu multuous i cident wherewith heart stirring ﬁction

may be manufactured In ma hood we are too apt to

co sider him as only ﬁt to be put aside with the matter

O fF aery and such evanescent s t u f

rence in the tales O f our youth we are perhaps but t o ,

ready to hearken credulously to accounts which picture

living by petty theft or the manu facture of he ad orna

I t is indee d surprising how vague a picture the

North American Indian prese nts to the minds O f most

research has do e on the subject is taken into account

As a matter of fact few books have been published in

E gla d which furnish more t han the scantiest details

concerning t he Red Race and these are in general scarce

and when obtained O fdoubtful scientiﬁc value

The primary O bj ect O f this volume is to furnish the

historical and ethnological information as will assis t

basic di fference between t h India and European e n

me tal outlook is insisted u on because it is felt that

no proper comprehe nsion 0 American In dia myth or n

tion is n o t recog ized and allowed for The di fference

between the view poin t mundane and spiritu l of t he

R e d M an and that of t h e E uropea is as vast as that n

which separates the conceptions and philosophies O ft he

American mythologies much tha t e ters into t h c o m n e

position O f t h e immortal tales O ft h e lder religio ns O f O

the Eastern H emisphere All myth Asiat ic Europea .

or America springs from similar natural conceptions

which we do not O bserve i the systems O fG reece Rome n

or Egypt we may be certain that t hese arise from circum

stances of environment and racial habit as modiﬁed by

I n the last thirty years much has been accomplished

sounder basis The Older school of ethnologists were

i g the origin O fthe Indians a d many O fthem believed

the Red M an t o be the degene a t e desce dant of the r n

lost Ten Tribes f Israel or O f early P h nician adv e n

B u t these a tiquaries had perforce t give

way to a new school of stude ts well equipped with n

scientiﬁc knowledge whose labours under t h e admirable

directio f the U ited S tates B ureau f Et h ology

have bor e rich fruit M any t rea t ises of the utmos t

value on the ethnology mythology and t ribal cus toms , ,

O f the North American I n dia s have bee issued by n n

this conscientious and enterprising State depar tment .

These are written by men who possess ﬁ st hand know r -

ledge f I dian life and languages many of whom have

faced great privations and hardships in order to collect

a monument to that nobler type O fheroism which science

u embellished verbi age of th e se volumes conceals many

a life story which for quiet unassuming bravery a d

co t empt for da ger will mat c h anything in the reco rds

of research and human endurance .