The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-08-18
INDIAN MYTHS.
A Taugle of Animism and POlytheism,


j. Henry Gcst, in his article on I'm
dian Mythology" in the Popular SCI
cace Montbly for August says;
Little by little, rs man becomes more
self-appreciating more confident in his
superiority in the midst of surrounding
nature, he gives to each great and
small spirit personality more or less
like his own. Some of these Will be
merely exaggerated men, others a com
bnation of man and animal. But the
result of the whole will be that out OF
animsm has grown polytheism, OF
which all know the conGruous ernorm-
ties in European mythology.
The Indian myths are tangIe OF an
imism and polytheism, and only when
we approach them with the information
Granted from the study of early Aryan
religious worship do the hitherto sense
less crudities open their hidden mean
inrs. A few instances will show the
animist of spiritual character. When
the Algonquin Indian meets something
he cannot understand, there he fancies
a manito present. The word has the
several meanings of spirit, soul and the
first. The mysterious steel OF the
white man is manitobiwabwik, /. e.,
spirit-stone. The strange woven cloth
is manito-wegin, spirit skin Among
the Chippewas manitowis designates
the magician. For this same idea OF
magic, my stery, spirit, soul, the Dakota
has the word wakan. Wakan-tauka is
the great spirit; wakan-hdi the lightning
literally the thing of spirit origin, hdi
meaning come. Thus, every mystery
is wakan. "He looks at sum- moon and
stars, but knows not who made them,
or of what they are composed; he hears
the winds, but, as their nature and
source are to him unknown, they are
wakan.
To the Indian, wind and his own
breath are Of all nature most like his
conception of the spirit force, and so
these are regarded as symbols. even as
embodiments Of the spirit. The princ'
pal Creek -ol is The Lord of Breathe
of the Cherokees, "The Oldest OF the
Winds" of the Choctaws, simply
"Storm-wind.
Like the Aryans, the Indians believe in
Immortality, and perform elaborate GER
emonies for the benefit of departed
souls.
Not content with souls and spirits in
themselves and in the forces Of nature,
they rive them to animals; SO that in
the dog companion is often the guard
ian spirit Of the Indian.
As You have already noticed, there
are spirits of unequal rank and unequal
powers in the Indian animism, but,
though a principal spirit is at times
found, yet there is no idea of single
all-powerful spirit from whitehall Others
come.
Now for some examples Of the Indian
pOlytheiSm. Compare the following
story with some myths of early Europe,
1t is given in the words of Mr., Knortx:
when the world still lay in darkness,
say the MiXccas, there appeared a god
'ion-serpeut by name, and a goddess,
riger-scrpcnt They went to live on .
HIGH mountain, where two sons We're
born 10 them, one Of whom they named
Wind Of the Nine Serpants, and the
other wind of the Nine Caves, When
the elder OF these wanted amusement,
he assumed the form OF an eagle and
flew about in the world; but the other
changed himself TO winged serpent, in
which shape he could fly not only
through the air, but also through rock.
and mountains How nearly is thi,
play of fancy Ike that which in dari
Europe created dragons for the fableC
knights.
Il The Algonpins have hcro-gol
Z. McnabuScno, whose remarkable advcn
{. lures Mr. knoriz rccOunls at SOM
n length Among others, is an iucjdnn
il Of the mysterious value Of dragon.oil
;, which we have learned in the Sogir.oD
myth Then he (Mcnabusrho) set on
= to war against the great chief Pearl
= father who had slain his grandfather
We shot the serpent staining guard
Nnd with the oil of the royal hcos
creased his boat, 50 that without stop
ping it ran through the fatal sea OF nj,
fortune After death it became tn
privilege OF Mcnauu,cho 10 lead II
souls OF Indian, into paradise,
There are numerous myths Of the or
alton Of the world and OF man; othc
of dcIngc from which only u sing
pair, man aud woman escaped,
These few examples give but an /
complete and very inadequate present
ton of Indian mythology But tm
are sufficient TO show the presence
animism, and add another straw 10 Il
. already accumulated evidence that ~
mism is the first definite shape while
So religious feeling takes,