The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-07-22
sgaaersutl gatettigeater.
Indian Religion, Superstition. Etc
BY COLONEL GUIDO 1LGEs.


BY COLONEL GUIDO 11.eEs.
Itis as difficult to obtain clear under.
standing of ali Indians view of the 'Su-
preme Being: as it is to define our own
ideas of God.
He lives close to nature, and is i'm.
pressed and awed by her wonders and
mysteries; anything which is beyond his
comprehension partakes of the supetnae.
ufal, land is called medicine by him.
Thus he beholds in tho sun, moon, the,
stars, thunder and lightning, rain bows,
in animals, trees, in the flight of bird,
aud even in the peculiar waggiDg of his
horses ears or tail, the mysterious exhibi-
ton of supreme powers.
Everything in nature is of spiritual
significance TO him; his gods are without
number, but divided into two distinct
classes-the good and the bad.
He acts upon the indications of signs
in nature, and if he is successful in his
undertakings, whether in hunt, battlefield,
or.elseWhefe the good gods. have befriend.
ed. him, but If he meets with reverses and
defeat, then the bad gods have worked
his injury.
Unlike his Christian brother, he does
not ponder in resentful wonderment over
the apparent injustice often inflicted
upon him by these unknown powers, but
bows his head in humble resignation to
the inevitable, and seeks through peace
offering and bodily suffering, such as
fasting and self.mutilation, to propitiate,
the unfavorable influence.
His method of reasoning is simple and
child:like, his logic is undisputable, and
his conclusions are entirely satisfactory
to himself.
When Captain Clarke questioned q
Baanack Indian about thunder and
lightning, just. after Q neighboring tree
hadtbeen struck, the Intercepted. 1.-THE
thunder asked the mosquito why he was
so full of blood, and where he got it..
The mosquito said he got it out of the
pine trees. He would not tell that he
got It out Of animals, and so the thunder
believed it always, striking and destroy.
ing trees. I d., not know what the light.
ming las [ only know that it will kill,
and have no way of preventing it. a
Bannack Indian once tried to escape
= \ a storm--ran his pony before it.
sLat as he reached camp, and just after
he dismounted, the horse was killed"
It is, oficourse, impossible to ttate
back Indian religion prior to oar advent
among them, but 1t is reasonable to take
for granted that they have always wcr.
shipped a supreme power, and believed
in a hereafter-the happy hunting
grounds, -. !. . s.4s
! H RrSaf of this proposition, we will
:mentions tfiat, although our missionaries
have ever endeapored to convince the
Indian that there is a hell, a place Of
eternal torture and suffering for those
who have led d bad life, as we'll as q
heaven and eternal reward for the right
cons, His hnsophisticated mind has as yet
,sBrllg rejected the ideasthat any Indian
will.eyer visit such an abominable region,
though he freely grants the probability
of such q fate for the white man. .
AS rule, the Indian troubles himself
very little about the subject of here.
after; only the few medicine men-7-the
tdreamers-weave strange fabrics out of
their vague and misty ideas, and, these
spass al tIss cnfrent. .dniti of-Indian belief.
FheyI are not Influenced in their actions
by the lash of fear of future punishment,
tet stheE hops i5f. future reward. Their
deeds are the nstural result of the inher-
emf -pool Or had in them. shaped by the
socis1anil mora laws which govern their
.nhvs;cal ristence- s u. as
TGeN are so far as any faith in future
life goes. firnR III III the conviction that they
will 80 to the happy hunting grounds
beyond DEATH y '.sisfs:5=',.@ - =. g
The Indian lis unable tosssparate the
soul from the body. with him death is
:sin,plHnhe.stopIJing ofsmotion 1.-THE blow:
ini.fi ik.fin#ayof Tie breath; and thesgond .opt
AEfhs Sfss = .t'., - - ( ss;c =,
Some Of the tribes deny hereafter to
those who lost their lives BIZ stfangulation,
or who have been scalped. For the latter
reason they soimnaifmss ahstainlfrom using
the knife uponsthe top knot of fallen
enemy whom thay either respect as brave,
'6r whom they desire TO claim as 8 seryant
.in.t the: :hereafters ~ = 49,; :;
With his superstltlous natures the
Indian places great Significance in dreams
or visions. If they do not come to him
in natural and healthy sleep. he will
resort to artificial means to secure them
the sweat bath, solitude, and prolonged
fasting, hutildtiony ye:cis 4
Captain Glarketells of most remark
able dream which Crazy Horse, the great
Sioux chief, had some ten days before he
was killed; while walking on the
prairie, near his Camp, he tame across a
dead eagle. He went to5his tepee and
.ploomily sat there for many hours after.
wards. Being asked By some of his peo-
ple as to what was the matter, he said,
kthat he had # md his own dead body on
the, prairie near by and q. night or two.
after this he dreamt that he was on an
seleyatedf pisteaa riding aswhite horse.
He was surrounded by his, enemies and
big guns (cannons), and he WAS killed,
but not with q bullet. He had always
claimed that be bore q charmed life, and
could not be killed by q bullet. In put
ting him in the guard. house he attempted,
with his knife, to cut his way to liberty,
though surrounded by about twenty sol.
diers, ind was,bayoneted in the attempt.
A white pony was held by one of bis.
IL.