St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-12-13

Iau1IlH Oh blo NdGCuCA " do SI@NCN -
wonderful girl became the chieA OF the
tribe, and it was decreed that her near
est female relation should be her sue
cessor.
The worship of the sun which she Ia d
rivaled at her resurrection was estab :
lished at once. and in addition to this,
a perpetual fire was kept, called the
Living Sacrifice of the Sacred Fire, "
and it was the belief of the survivors that
SO long as this fire blazed upon their
affairs the tribe of the Natchez should
be peaceful and happy. On the spot
where the sacrificed maiden was relnG
carnated when the fire from heaven
descended and surrounded her body
with glory they built their mound to in
dictate that their wanderings were at an
end 1t was only on this mound at the
Festival Of the Fruits that the Prlestess
of the Sun showed herself to the people
arrayed in robes of white with a girdle
about her waist adorned with sparkling
gems. She assisted in the early greet
ing of her ancestor (the SUM- and as the
god of day assembled into the east his
first rays fell upon the figure Of the
sacred priestess, which circumstance
was hailed by the worshipers as rec
ognition of sympathy and acknowl-
edged Relationship between the real sun
and his queenly representative. The
Chippewa tribe formerly inhabited the re-
gions around Lake Superior, and its coun-
Gil house and the seat of the eternal fire
were west of the KeeWenaW Point Here
lived the principal Chief, called the
Mutchekewis, who exercised more au-
thority and assumed more state than
would be compatible with the present
feelings of the Indians. The designa
ton was official, not individual, and the
Office was hereditary in the direct male
line. He was supported by voluntary
contributions, his muskineWa or ''pro-
vider' making known his necessities
from time to time by public proclama-
ton. Whatever was required on these
occasions, either of food or clothing,
was Immediately forthcoming. He APP
pears to have been the chief priest, and
could not engage in war or hunting. In
the village where he resided, and near
his cabin, the eternal fire was kept burn
ing. The altar was a kind of rude oven,
over which no building was erected.
Guardians were selected by the Mutche-
kewis to take charge of the fire; two OF
these were men and two women. They
were all married, but the wives of these
men employed in this service were re-
quired to cook and do the necessary
domestic service, while the husbands
of the women engaged in the sacred
duties were always engaged IN hunt
ing, and providing whatever else was
wanted. The persons devoted to the
altar were thus left without any secular
cares to divert their attention from the
holy trust committed to them. A per-
petual succession was kept up in the
priesthood by prerogative of the
Mutchekewis and the principal head
women, the former selecting husband
and the latter wife for the services
whenever either of these eight persons
died. The chain was thus always I'M
broken and traditionary rights trans
mitted unimpaired. Death was the
penalty for any neglect of duty, and
was inflicted without delay and without
mercy. The council fires were lighted
at the great fire and carried wherever
the council was held. After the ternli-
carefully returned and the remainder
extinguished. Whenever person be-
came dangerously i'll, if not too far dis
tant, he was taken to the house of the
MutchekeWis, where his fire was extin-
guished and brand taken from the al
tar, the fire rekindled, at which a feast
was prepared. A great dance was held
and the Viands consumed. It is
stated as a fact that patient
seldom failed to recover. Once in
eight years the whole Chippewa tribe
assembled at their principal village
/" about the season of the buds" Early
in the morning the great pipe was
lighted at the sacred fire, and delivered
to the MutchekeWis. He took one puff
and then delivered it to the women,
and by them to the men, who each in
turn smoked it in the same brief but
solemn manner. 1t was then passed to
the children. This ceremony occupied
the greater part Of the day. Early on
the following morning feast was held,
at which the men, women and children
silently ate in separate groups, and in
the evening of the second day they de-
parted for their different villages. The
fire was called Kangagerskoote, or the
everlasting fire. The legends told in
connection with this curious custom
are not a few, many Of them being of
highly romantic and poetic nature.
What led to the discontinuance of this
custom, which had such firm hold
upon the religious or superstitious feel
ings of the wild tribes, is one of the
mysteries that has never yet been ex-
planned. But there is not known on
the North American continent to-day
any people or tribe who practice in any
form this custom of the orientals.-