Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-08

as the Six Nations
| the confederation Of Indians composed of
| the Oneidas, Moha wks, Onendagas. Cayu-
| gas, Senecas and Tuscaroras. Mr.. Hewitt,
by applying novel system. will make die
tionartss and grammars OF these Indian
| languages, and by aid Of these data will
| make an interesting English translation OF
| the Bible Of the Six Nations, recording
their strange pagan beliefs concerning the
| Although more civilized than most Indians.
those of the Six Nations have never be-
| fore been studied ethnologicaHy. Mr.. Hew-
/ lit will Tive Indian with the big chiefs
| and will take elaborate notes upon all that
! they tell him. He can speak eight Indian
| languages and mas a knowledge Of practi-
| cally every language of the old world. He
| is preparing to carry with him phoao-
| graph, which will preserve for him the
| words I'D sentences which he will study.
| He will Isk the laxative Indians to speak
| very distinctly into this machine. and will
| afterward grind out each word slowly and
| carefully, noting each syllable, accent and
| infection. Reliable interpreters will supply
| the literal TRANSACTIONS to every sentence.
| Since no American tribe, except the Mayas.
| has ever had written language, the phil
| ologist must rely entirely upon his ears for
| correct arrangement of sounds.
| Special Alphabet and Typewriter.
For recording each sound tn its original
| tone Of utterance he will use a special al
phabet CT forty-eight characters, besides
| many additional signs for modified tones.
For rapidity and accuracy of work he has
had made a typew ritter. which writes In
dian as clearly as the ordinary typewriter
writes English. In the places of the keys
operating the English types are arranged
others operating the indian sound letters.
lfk> -
dams. which conversations when read will
mean the same to his ears as the original
words when spoken. Mr.. Hewitt says that
in certain lexical processes the languages
Of these people resemble provincial Latin
in a general way.
When beginning with a. strange language
he will commence the preparation of the
dictionary and grammar by inseribing as
many simple sentences as possible, having
| each word repeated again and again. Lists
Of as many words as he can think Of will
| be collected with their English equivalents
following. They will afferward be arrang-
sd TSs
lately prepared contains about Is, 800 words.
The different case endines and other modi-
fed ferns for the gyan,mars will be cor
to use the same word in many different
Gas es, moods. lenses. etc.
A Mixture Of PnEanfsm and Chris
tfnnity.
OF all the scattered Six Nations about
80 per cent are still pagans VINO believe
the ancient myths of their ancestors as
devottly as the most orthodox Christian
| believes the story of the Bible. The Bible
of the Six Nations will combine the beliefs
of all the tribes. These creeds virtually
correspond, the six tribes having descended
from the same stock. From a previous
visit among several Of the tribes he
brought back the pagan text Of what may
be called their Old Testament. This will
be printed as the first part of their Bible
The New Testament will comprise the new
pagan creed, an odd mixture of mythology
and Christianity. The change in the creed
was brought about early in this century
by Seneca boy. the nephew of Chief
Hands ONE Lake. The youth was educated
| tn Spain, and returning to his unele's wig
wan for brief vacation, proceeded to
convert the old chief to the more creditabie
story OF the Christian Bible. Before hav-
ing made his points sufficiently clear the
young man died. Handsome Lake made
use of the snaattering Of Christianity which
he had acquired and preached 1t among the
people of the Six Nations. TIE result WAS
an odd religion, taken bodily from the
Christian New Testament and celored fam
! tasticaHy with the myths OF the original
pagan creed.
The Old Testament.
very brief outline of the Old Testament
! Of the Six Nations. as recfted to the writer
by the phfiolosist, runs like fairy tale. The
most Interesting parts Of 1t follow: In the
beginning this world was a small mass of
| water. ruled over by the Sky God. The Sky
: God married a noble maiden Of the sky
world. She WIS born with q cauI, and was,
! therefore. Intellectually superior to the mass
| of her people. After they had lived together
for five days and nights the Sky God told his
young wife to go to her home at a great dis
| lance and to tell her people to take the roofs
/ off their houses. This they did. and the Sky
God caused shower of corn. which filed
each house full Of grain. When she re-
! turned to his home the Sky God, through
| mlsappfehehsion, suspected his wife of un-
fatthfuiness. He ordered that great tree,
growing near his house, be pulled up by the
roots. This was done, and where the tree
| had stood appeared q great hole, extending
down through the sky to the earth. Down
TINS mole ne pushed his wife, who fell
through space toward our world When the
fishes and other water animals occupying
| the eartn saw her falling. two ducks flew
I up TO carry her gently down, and the re-
| manning creatures began to build an island
upon which she might live. A turtle vol
unteered 10 serve as the foundation Of the
| island. and the other animals brought I'D
mud from the bottom OF the water and
spread 1T upon his back The ducks brought
| down their burden and placed her upon the
living island. The turtles back continued
| 10 grow larger and larger, until 1t became
| as broad as our land Is today. Thus was
| this continent created. and today, when an
| eafthquake occurs, 1t is caused by the mo-
lions OF the same old turtle, who is holding
! the land up. On the fifth day after her ar
rival the Sky Gods wife gave birth to a