The evening times., 1897-12-29
sUPERsHTI0Ns
Curious Stories Told Before the
Folk Lore Society.
ITS MEETING IN BALTIMORE
Antipatliy to Fish Among the In
dianS- Significance of the ScalE-
Jack Knife and Its Evolutton-Pa-
pers by washingtonians.

Baltimore, Nd, Dec. 29.-The ninth tn
nual convention OF the American Folk -L,re
Society. which opened here yesterj day. is
one OF the most interesting meetings it
has ever held. An Interesting listener yes
terday was Mr.. Francis La Flesche. a rull
blooded Omaha Indian, whose father " IS
one OF the leading chiefs of that tribe. Nc.
La Flesche was educated In the East. and
is now connected with tn. Indian Burel at
Washington. ID. C. Recently he spent some
time with his tribe, ,collectinginrormation re-
garding abs,riginal customs and Ceremonies.
some OF which were INCORPORATED in pa
per read by Miss Alice e. Fletcher. OF
Washington.
DR.. Washington Matthews, Of Washing
ton d. c., led off with a paper On
''Icthyophobia,' which he described ss
an antipathy to fish. This aversion is
especially strong in the Navajo, Apa me,
and other Indian tribes OF the IA r sonth vest
vic will not eat fish nor have anything TO
dp with articles made I'm the shape OF fish
THIS TIA boo with the Nayaj0s extends to
al things connected with water. A prOba-
bic reason why no more children % these
tribes are sent East to be educated. DR..
Matthews thought, was II fear that they
might bc required to overcome this cher
ished taboo superstition, which is as
firmly rooted as any religion.
A legend to account for this fish "tabOo
was given. There was a time when food
was scarce and the mountain India MS lad
a big pow-wow with the river Indians.
The result was that the river Indians
agreed to kill no deer, hut live entirely on
fish. and the mountain India rs agreed u
ca. no fish. but live entirely upon deer
This made food plenty for both.
In the discussion of the paper it was
stated that the Zuna India ms will not eat
fish because savage tribes in desert Lends
regard water sacred because of its
s,arcity, and this reverence extends to
animal life in water. Several iu.mbers
thought. perhaps. this idea conveyed the
true reason for the fish taboo
pr. Matthews is n retired major of The
United States Army. who spent many
years among tribes OF the far Southwest,
al d is regarded as the greatest living au-
thcrity upon the Navajo Indians. He is
the author of a book upon Navajo leg.n1s.
and is an ex-president OF the Ame.ican
Folk Lore Society.
Mss Fletcher gavean interesting oontribu.
tton upon Indian characteristics in paper.
entitled The Significance Of the Soup
Lock; Study of the Omaha Tribe" Miss
Fletcher, although a resident of " ish-
ipl ton, is Connected with Harvari Uni
We sity and is high authority upon the
Omaha Indians. She is president II the
Woman's Club and the Womans An
thtopological Society, of Washington.
The Omaha Indians. like many other
tribes. have peculiar ideas regarding Il con-
tinuity or life and kind Of spiritual link
between animate and inaninate objects.
They believe a piece OF any article Con-
meets them with the entirety. The hair is
thought to have a close connection wi,d life.
and one Possessing It may work his viii
uIcf. whoever or whatever the hair be-
longed to. From this Idea cam, the custom
OF scalpinG eneuies. Miss Fletcher describ-
ed the ceremony OF cutting the hair of an
Omaha child. by which IL was formally adj
ui,ted to membership in the tribe. Ritual
istic prayers un such occasions are address
oil to "Grandf athet. there, far above, On
hiah,'' instead OF to Father the term
dfather" being considered one of
greater respect.
Dr. Fl. Carrington Bolton, of Washing
ton told how astroiogy had given an i'm
pstus tn asti ionomy. He took as a text the
we'll known picture, found on the ocv.rs OF
many almapacs, of the figure OF man
surrounded by the signs Of the zodiac, and
explained ideas Of past ages regarding the
influence of these signs ON the human
anatomy. This picture was used as far
back as 14<6 in rude way. DR.. Bolton
said that he ha d been una BILE to find, how
fn
the tongue of a woman.
..Eut woman's tongue, once looscd in Pas
sion's vent,
Breaks out of this and other government"
The ancient craft, Combining 1strplogy
and astronomy, is being revived. A club
of women has been formed in New York
to study the influence OF the signs of the
zodiac upoL the human system.
Prof. Otis T. Mason, OF Washington.
told in an entertaining manner of the
jackknife. its evolution and its Us by vari
Gus people of various ages The right
way to use jackknife." saitkhe, lis To
wbittle toward you. All primitive tribes
and all good pencilsharpeners DO this
tLaughter.) He told of wonderful "arving
done with sharks teeth and beaver teeth.
Prof. Mason is one of the foremost an
thropologists in the United States. md is
the author of several well-kno wn works
A meeting of the council was held yester-
day. The new officers for the society wilt be
selected at the meeting today. Accor,li ,g
to custom, DR.. Henry Wood, of Baltimore,
first vice president, will become president
and Second Vice President Franz Boaz
viii! become first vice president. Mr.
William W. Newell, of Cambridge, Mass,
is the permanent secretary and Mr.. John W
Hinton, Of New York, will proba bly be re
tanned as treasurer. The society has about
zoo members. Two sessions will be held