The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-08-09
snME mniAN rnnrrna


soserufliion Lea che rimn rrfss
Give IN PoIyRnnfy.
A. Che time aud Cor centuries after
Che advent Of the Pima indians into
this country they practiced polyeamy.
and this win show how a little supor,
siitious belief win change a custom Of
centuries. As the story goes. a short
time after the restoration Of the IA.
huaro (iiass-cnl. the whole tribe wa
stricken with a strange disease. Il
was malignant In form and many
deaths Resulted. The great medicina
men aud maglcians from an parts q
the country were called together for
counsel e. see b. what means they
could propltlate M-klk-a.num. ne
death god The maglclans lahored
long and earnestly. but stlll the death
god refused 10 stay his hand
II seems that fasting has had much
70 DO IN TIE ritual Of the aboriginal
nave always noted that when commu-
hitIung their supersiitlOus bellcfn.
wncn they wanted 10 solicit or petition
any one or their gods, they always
considered u necessary 10 fast Tor a
giyen period. When they found they
could not subduc the cvll death eod -
Iagic the maglcians FASTENED 10 an
open plain and there tasted for threo
days. They were. however. privileged
10 eat roots and drink water carried
from the river In tho tanned stomach
OK an antelope and al the time slnefuc
their songs 20 the son Eod rranc-
THANH Finally. on the afternoon Of
The third day. an Immense herd OF an.
,eiopc appeared on a low hin not fnr
distant On their appearance the chlef
n1glclan arose and said 20 tha Others.
whatever these animals DO our poo
pc must do likewise; they arr spiritual
and have been sent by the grea. sun
god" While the medicine men wero
looking she antei0pcs paired OF anI
passed on. As the last pair diaappear.
~ the chief magician again spoke.
lie said: Return 10 your homes and
Then let each man consult with ht1
nclshbor and be content with one
woman iowa for wife. That wiz ap-
pcasc and crafty our sun rcd. Con-
.inue 10 prohibit plural wives. and tbs
death spirit viii abide with % no
longer" The people were very ~
luclant 20 break up their polygamlah
homes. but being driven By fear Of
death. they c0nss ntcd. Il Il a known
Fact that the Indians gave I'd polyg-
amy long before the Icsaiis arrived In
This country. But the abolition cf the
practice has wrongfully been nfirib.
ntcd to she influence Of the 1csnifs
fathers.
Strange as Il may appear. wlichcTafl
was neither known nor practioud
among the Indians prior 10 the advent
Of the Jesuit fathers. The irsl martyr
% the witchcuft was an old Indian
woman who lived alone with a blind
daughter about ten miles from san
Xavier. She was put TO death for
ttopping the water running down the
santa Cruz. A short distance from
tiils Woman's house the water rauk
Where the water disappeared some Of
the Indians saw the old woman dig
sing holes In the sand with her hande.
That was sufficient evidence Of witch
craft against her. She War arralgnnd.
condemned aud burned at the niakn.
FINALLY the medicine men got too a.
sidious In the hun, after wlichrr.
There were too many human bonfirrs
lcing made, 50 the people changed tho
proceedings and burned several Of lhn
medicine men. From that time to tho
present day, insteud OF accusing hu-
man beings Of wiichcrafi. the pFcscns
/ generation Of Indians accrso and ind
witches In anlma,s-dogS cows and
horscs-and IN many easel they End
witches IN lnanlmaie things. such al
stones. rags and stlcka-Tucsor tAEi1l
T Citizen.