The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-11-06
QUEER AfAskA PEoP@.

QUEEN AIAoNA PEWTER
wan ne seen BY the Gold Huntsns
In the KlOndike.
Along the coast of southern Alaska
dwell some very queer aborigines. ~
gold seekers fiocking to the Klondikc
region will surely discover. They do
the most of the freighting across the
passes, into the interior, carrying loads
on their backs, but their population dur
ing many centuries has been SO shut
away from othsr. tribes. ahy gigantic
ranges of snow clad MOUNTAINS that,
they have deseloped a peculiar Culture
and customs unknown any where else
Hence the exceptional value of mono
graph about them prepared by DIR.
Franz Boaz, d distinguished ethologist,
which is to be published shortly BY the
National uuseum ~
These natives may be said to live
largely in world Of imagination, mas
much as their customs and habits of
living are based to great extent upon
ideas and beliefs wholly supernatural
Creation, from their point of view, is
peopled by strange monsters and de-
mons, which, while morally hostile to
man, may be rendered friendly and even
helpful with the aid of certain cere-
monials of quasi religious character.
For example the most important OF
these monsters is q serpent which has
a head at each end of its body and q
human head in the middle. To touch
this strange monster these natives be-
lieve is death. all the joints of the VIC
tim becoming dislocated, but specially
favored individuals are enabled to per-
form wonderful feats by wearing a
belt of it's skin, while its eyes, used as
sling stones, will kill any animal, even
whales. Another Of these fabulous be-
ings is a wild woman who lives in the
woods. She has enormous breasts, and
carries basket, into which she puts
| children whom she steals for the pur-
pose of eating. ~ ei -.
One of the most remarkable of the
| festivals celebrated by the Indians is
alcarnival of ghosts, which is held each
winter. 1t seems to be derived from a
| tradition that tells of journey made
| BY an adventurous individual to region
| beneath the earth, inhabited by phan-
toms. The celebration itself is mimic
representation of the visit to Hades
aforesaid, and the performer who rep
rcsents the submundane traveller wears
. necklace and headdress set round with
| skulls.
| sCannibalism is very conspicuous in
the myths current among these people,
who have themselves been eaters of
human flesh up to a recent period. In
deed, though the whites are supposed
to have put stop to such practices IL
wpuld seem that secret indulgence in
them has not been wholly done away
with. -
Quite number of strange demons
ate worshipped as guardian spirits
| among them cannibal demon that lives
on the mountains and is always en-
gagged in the pursuit Of human beings
f1r bis table. The smoke of his chimney
! Is the color of blood. and he has a fe-
| male slave who gets food for him by
catching men and collecting corpses.
In his house is q fabulous bird, with an
immensely long beak. which lives on
tho brains of persons whose skulls 1t
fractures with its bill. Anybody who
is so unfortunate as to encounter the
cannibal spirit may be transformed
into grizzly bear. On the other hand,
If he can please the demon, he may OBJ
tain power to handle fire without being
burned. !,
4 Another guardian spirit is a fearsome
warrior who lives in the far north He
travels constantly, land never leaves his
canoe. By obtaining his protection a
man may become invulnerable, or he
may acquire power to catch the invisi-
BILE disease demon. This demon is at
all time flying about in the air in the
form of worm. The fortunate protege
of the warrior spirit catching the worm
can throw it into the body of an enemY
who will lie at once. The suggestion
of the modern germ theory of disease
contained in this belief is quite interest
ing. Not to be neglected among the
guardian spirits are certain ghosts
which bestow the power or returning
to life after death. ~ sss } - .,:a
d. Boaz has secured for the National
museum large number of masks, such
as are worn by the Indians of the Alas
kan coast in their ceremonials. Some
of them are of enormous size and as
tonishingly grotesque.- Cincinnati En-
quirer. - m 20 sis<9s ftf'
1 Arctic Game. sseh
| 1G~sx II e.