American citizen., 1876-10-14
INDIAN MYTHOLOGY.

Some Curious Facts About the Aborig
| ines - Extracts from Interesting z
Lecture Delivered by Maj. Powell Be
| fore the Science Association.
The following is the substance of q
paper read by Major Powell before the
American Association for the Advance
ment of Science at Buffalo. The paper
began with the general statement that
in the study of the mythology of any
race of people, we discover O that
they have a cosmology or cosmism; i.
e., theory of worlds and an explana-
ton of the universe; (2) theism en-
bracing a class of personages with ex-
tra-human powers; (3) a body of fable
lore concerning the words and actions
of the gods; (G religion explaining
the relation between gods and men. A
knowledge of all these four classes Of
| facts is requisite to an acquaintance with
any given mythology. In each instance
where North American mythology has
been studied, a cosmism has been found
embracing a system of worlds; i. e., the
world of this life and two or more
worlds of the future, and also an ac-
count of the origin of natural
phenomena. Many tribes believe that
the worlds where the spirits of the dead
go are separated from this by noun
tains, gorges and difficult passways, or
by a river The lower believers inva-
riably divide their dead into good that
go to one world and bad that 60 to an
other. Sometimes the happy land is
beyond the world of sorrow, and in the
latter the traveller is beset by evil beings
or magical obstacles. Sometimes there
is an easy way to the land of misery,
and a difficult path to that of bliss.
Fewer tribes believe that the worlds lie
one above another; there is always in
such cases one world below and one or
more above; but with some tribes the
good world is below, and the bad above;
with others, vice versa. These worlds
are sustained by pillars or magic. The
lower world is sometimes to be reached
through a cave, or by the sea, or by
journey around the edge of the horizon.
To the world above the way is some
times by a mountain, sometimes by the
air, sometimes by miraculous ladders.
Thus there are two classes of worlds
those arranged horizontally, and those
arranged vertically. The personnel of
the mythology in these two classes diff
fers greatly. - -
The gods of the Indians are (one)
fetch gods, inanimate things sup
posed to have life, will and active pow
er; (two) animal gods-wonderful be-
ings, progenitors or prototypes of pres
ent animals of power to
govern the cosmos; (three) hero goes
-mythological men and women OF SUI
pernal powers and who knew the Sc
crets of nature; four) nature gods
the personifed and deified phenomena
and powers of nature. To these might
be added deifed ancestors not very re-
mote, who serve as tutelar deities, one
for each person who adopts him as his
god. There is no authentic influence
known to Major Powell of personifca-
ton or abstract qualities or attributes.
Belief in spirit, refined, interior per-
sonage, is universal among North
American tribes. Gods, as we'll as men,
have spiritual as well as a material
existence. }ft
The lowest form of fetichism does
not exist. Indian tongues perhaps in
variably distinguish animate from in
animate things by gender. But the
thing which has no life may have a
spirit; especially a thing seeming to
have individuality, such as mountain,
river, lake or spring. Thus the spirit
of the pine, the spirit of Mount Nebo,
and the like; there are thus water
gods, land gods, and tree gods-affixed
to special objects, or with the last Of
these of a class or species of tree Major
Powell calls his belief ''theo-fetichism. .
There is universal tendency to ap
propriate the gods; to attach one Of
J them individually to the fortunes of ar
Indian; in short, to have tutelar gods
secured by the wearers of amulets
Diseases are ascribed to resident devils
which may be exercised by amulets
; The gods of amulets may lead to sue
cess in the various enterprises of In
dian life. .. .a.,.f
Animal gods are the most worship
l ed, and are the principal gods O
many tribes, the god being an ideal
lied prototype of the present race O.
animals. There is a god for eaci
species of mammal-bear god, vol
god, etc.. for each sort of bird, as eagle
god, humming-bird god; for ever,
kind of fish; for reptiles for insects, a.
the grasshopper and spider god. Blu
animals of minor importance are apt t.
drop from the mythology, while th'
wolf, bear, rabbit and antelope anon:
mammals remain the longest; there i
a similar survival of the crane god, tn,
rattlesnake, trout, grasshopper ane
, others. Neurological monsters among
animals are also worshiped. The ami
NAL gods are likely to be selected es
> pecially as tutelar gods; these are liza
: BILE to be changed by person, famil..
: or tribe, if unsatisfactory. Where thi
god is kept from time immemorial by
tribe or family, it may become tn
totem of the tribe. The hero gods Q
the Indian are deifed Indians who hav
exhibited bravery, prowess or skill, o
# whose success in sorcery is of high re
= pute. The story of their deeds is hand
l. ed down from one generation to anott
# er, till they become esteemed as gods
, This class Of gods is yerv numerou;