The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-17
ABORIGINAL ASTRONOMY.
Some Indian Notions About the Sun,
Moon and Stars.

Moon and Stars.
Washington Star.
some queer and rather picturesque notions
about astronomy, said the Rev. ]. Owen
Dorsey THE north star, they declare. is
the only fixed celestial body; 1t never goes
anywhere. The Milky Way is the road
taken by the ghosts of the dead. Once upon
time, tradition says. a warrior of the
after he supposed to have died He
told his friends that he had had a rather
aisagreea6le experience; According to his his
the Milky Way, which, of course, was
brilliantly lighted thoroughfare. But on his
journey thither, which occupied four days
and nights, he was wholly in the dark 1t
is for this reason that the Omahas make a
practice of keeping fires lighted for four
their people who dies. When they see the
aurora borealis they understand it as a
sign that many human beings are dying.
tons are gods and goddesses. They have
a tradition to the effect that once upon
time the Osages possessed neither bodies
nor sous. They appealed to divinity
known as the Male Red Bird, who fur
nished them with souls in the bodies of
birds. Thus they pursued existence for
while in the likeness of feathered creatures
There they met another divinity called the
Black Bear. He offered to serve them, and
lations with petition in their behalf. They
wanted human bodies for themselves. The
Black Bear went successfully to the sun,
constellation of the Deer Head-meaning the
Pleiades-to the constellation Of the Goose
Foot, and finally to the Female Red Bird
who was found brooding on her nest. She
it was who granted the request which the
the bodies in which they have since dwelt.
The sun Is a god devoutly worshiped by
most Indians. The ceremony of the sun
Ponkas has often been described Every
body has heard how the warriors torture
themselves one part OF the performance
gone through by the young brave consist
ing in attaching himself to the dance pole
by lariats passed through loops of his skin.
then freeing himself by dashing away on
horseback or otherwise. For three days
and nights they dance, gazing continually
at the sun by day and the moon by night,
ther food nor water. AS a matter of fact,
however. the dance pole is planted usually
in a spot near which certain succulent
roots grow. These they pluck up slyly,
eating them and sucking the juices. Among
the Sioux Indians the buffalo bull is i'm
portantiy associated with the sun dance
Oddly enough, in ancient Egypt, the sun
god Ra was associated with the deified
bull called Apis
OF Indians the powers OF fire and wind are
associated with destruction of life. On the
are associated with the protection of life.
The sun. lightning and fire are fire powers
Red is the symbolic color of these powers
feu, therefore, Is associated WITH war, and
is always conspicuous in the war paint At
the four corners of the earth are locat ted
the four winds. Under tt corners are
the pillars which uphold .arth The
WIND powers are black. This rvants are
the four black spirits of niG Associated
with them are the black ray IN and the
wolf which bowls at night.
Inc moon is a goddess Il is owing to
her diablerie that sometimes become
as women. Among the Indians a queer
FORM of mania is frequently developed
While under its influence men adopt the
ways OF women, assume their dress ard
n
mestlc arts such properly belong TO the
gentler sex. a part of the discipline is 10
undergo prolonged fasting. After this has
been Sarried to a certain point the faster
experiences Authorizations, which are
termed visions In his first vision the
moon goddess comes to the young man with
bow. In one hand aad a strap for carrying
burden held in the other. Among savages
II Is the wonen's business to carry bur-
denE- The youthful warrior grasps al the
bow, but, if he is not very quick the god
dess is apt to substitute the strap. on
this account he Is subject afterwa.d to the
peculiar mania already described.
The Indians generally seem to have no
well-define1 notion OF hell. They say TO
their children: If you are not brave and
good you will go after you die to live with
the spirits of bad people Among the Ora
gcn Indians and those Of many other tribes
IL Is understood that the spirits of the dead
20 to the land OF the Old Woman Who
Never Dies, in the southwest The old
woman IS the mother OF all. On going back
to her the Indians are reborn into the worl
infants. common notion among the
Indians is that the world is shaped like a
cup. and on this account /. is not pos-
sibie for any one to climb out VI it and
obtain an entrance into the regions which
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