The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-07-26
INDIAN VIEWS OF IMMORTALITY.
Religious Conceptions of the Indians I'm
mortality and a Personal Obligation
10 The Great Spirit Recognized
v by the Sioux.

Luz pnySlcal aDulty OF n red man
is coupled with the assumption of his
Unframed ~ferocity. He is called a saw
age, while the record shows that the
Narragansetts of New England, the
Delawares of New York, the Pawnees
and W~innebagos of the Northwest have
faithfully kept their faith and have
done good service for the white man.
The popular impression holds fast
to theground that the.Indian hasneither
religion, morals, nor honor. In spite of
the fact that modern treaties have been
shams, and that Sitting Bull was SIM
ply emphatic when he said to General
Terry that lie would make peace ''when
he saw a white man who did not lie,"
there are some facts of a different ma
ture which dignity the Indian, and
teach the christian white mar a lesson.
These facts go farther than this, and
instruct skeptics that their notions,
professedly scientific, would be despised
by the Indians of the Northwest. In
gersoll's dogmas would be considered
foolishness and a sensible Indian would
cry out, "Wiskeat''-"Out of my
path" 81 despise you"
A few leading thoughts as to the re-
ligious views of the Sioux, Pawnees,
Arrapahoes, and Northern Cheyennes.
will illustrate'the idea now presented.
II 10 of rann fhat tho orNpautnpa r
who have i%nterposed in behalf of the
Indians have sought to teach them the
faith without seeking to find out what
they held as a spiritual faith. Inter
views with chiefs of all these bands
bring to light some startling facts as to
their views upon some quite orthodox
questions. Three are noted: 1, pro-
family; 2, future reward; 3, future
punishment.
The Indian holds that the PROCLAMATION
of the Great Spirit (God) is vile. An
old Indian called upon the writer Of
this article, and pointing to a child
only 8 years old, said: .'Pappoose wisk-
20 oiitSoo APhPPOOoO SuloC VI ,
''pappoose wiskeat autrara" (papoose
curse mother). When demonstrated
with, he answered: "Great Spirit gives
US air, earth, and water. Great Spirit
gave pappoose to white chief, Great
Spirit gave white chief this p%appoose."
mot so bad for pappoose to curse
white chief, as for white chief to curse
the Great Spirit"
Thus, while the Indian may borrow
expletives from the white man, he has
no tolerance of the idea of using in
vain the holy name of the Great Spirit.
This is a lesson from the Indian to the
white man.
AS to a future state, his views are
best reflected from a simple statement
of facts.
The battlefield, after the Phil Kear-
ney massacre, was a horrible scene.
Three officers and seventy-eight men
were brought into the fort for burial.
The mutilation were never before, never
since, equaled. On one rock was a
half-skull, cut through at the mouth,
cleared of brains, and filled with eye
balls, toe and finger joints. The calves
of the leg, the muscles of thigh, breast,
arm, and back, were taken out, so that
if the victim had mental consciousness
lo could not move his body. Earnest
inquiry of some Cheyenne chiefs de-
veleloped this explanation of this multi
alton. The explanation was the more
impressive, because the victims had not
been killed by rifle or pistol balls, but
had been slowly tortured to death, after
their ammunition was spent. Every
body was stripped, every body vas full
of arrows, more than a hundred were
taken from their bodies, and many
shafts had to be cut off before the dead
men could be loaded in wagons, when
their remains were rescued.
This seemed horrible; but the philoso-
ply of Indian torture brings to light a
strange Endorsement of the pervasive
ideas which all mankind entertain as
to eternal rewards and punishment. OF
course, there are exceptions to the term
all mankind. Colonel Ingersoll is not
one, for his whole nature is humane,
and when he really knows himself, he
cannot have lower aspirations than the
Indian. The exceptions proper, for
there are inidels, theoretically, rarely
%sentiously, can get a hint from the
North American savage.
What is the Indian heaven? 1t is a
happy hunting ground, where every
| physical taste or longing is promptly
and fully satisfied. If he wants food,
it is ready for his hand. Horses, game,
and all Injuries abound. Blossoms and
fruit grow upon the same tree, at the
same time. All is perennial and
perpetual. What is the Indians He'll?
1t is the same in placeand p~rofusion Of
luxury, but the bad cannot partake.
Like Dives, who beheld Lazarus in
Abraham's bosom, he sees, Graves, and
pants for relief, but he cannot grasp.
1t is in the light of these facts thai
the fortunes referred to have signiic
ance. With the muscles of the arm
cut out, the victim could not pull {