Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-09-10
INDIAN SPIRlTUALlSM,


seances Held by the Redskins.
There Is tradition among the OF
lava branch of the great Algonquin
iamlly, believed to this day, that cen
turtles ago, their first parents migrated
westward from the seacoast. near the
mouth OF the st. Lawrence river, and
settled In the valley OF the Ottawa
river in Canada, where they lived for
untold centuries, and that their main
| siiiase was at place they named Ke-
tchi-nebis-sing, which name It still
| pears. There daughter of the CHIEF
Oh the village went down TO the lake
% pathe one morning. leaving her in
liant boy tied to fiat piece OF wood
As was the custom. On returning to
The spot where she had left her child
ne could nowhere be found. Distracted
she ran back to the village, frantically
screaming that her child had been
stolen. The villagers turned out and
searched long and we'll. but not trace
of the child could be found.
A few days after this two young
lovers sat on a mound near the spot
where the child had been lost, and
while they were kissing and making
love, they were startled by hearing
deep in the ground beneath them, an
infant crying and sobbing as IL its
heart would break. They ran In great
haste to the village and reported what
they had heard All the inhabitants
believed that Ii was the lost child
which had been heard crying under
ground. The old chief called together
hll the magicians-as is the custom
TO this day, where the Indians are not
under the influence of Christianity-tc
hold a seance for communion with thu
unseen spirits. to divine what had be-
come OF the child. | will here briefly
describe the manner in which Indiana
proceed to receive communications
from the spiritual world, as have my
self witnessed.
Poles 10 to u feet high are set in
The ground in the form of circle from
six to eight feet in diameter The
top of the lodge is left open The sides
are tightly covered with birch bark OF
the skins of animals. A fire is built
close TO the lodge for the purpose OF
enabling the spectators to light their
pipes, as they generally smoke dur.
ing the strange performance. All be-
ing ready, low tinkling sound is heard
like several small bells at distance
With rush. on comes the leading per-
former. carrying magician's little fiat
rattlebox. somewhat like tambourine
He sits down by the fire and begins by
telling his audience how he can call
up spirits of the dead. as well as those
yet living in the world, and that any
present can ask them questions and
receive true answers thereto. He next
sings peculiar song. which can
scarcely be understood. He then eth
er goes into the lodge by crawling
under or sits outside with the audi
ence. throwing his blanket or some 9TH
er clothing over the top of IL. Imme-
tiately the lodge begins to shake, like
creature of life with an ague chill.
Then is heard In the lodge sound
like that of distant, strong wind
sweeping through leafiess trees and in
termingled with strange voices. When
questions are asked by any one pres
ent they are always answered In an
unknown tongue, but, luckily. among
the spirits there is always special
interpreter to explain what the spirits
say.
According to the tradition above re-
ferred to, when the performance closed
party was sent to the lake to dig near
where the lost child was left by its
mother. They did so. and. as deep
down in the ground as they were tall.
they found the remains of the child in
cavern from which fed, through an
underground channel into the lake, a
spirit monster. The magicians then de-
clared that the country was ruled by
Mau-tchi Mantito. the evil one. who
was an enemy seeking to do them all
the harm possible; that all the mis-
fortunes which had befallen them came
from that source alone. and that their
only means of safety was to seek a
new land toward the setting sun. Thus
Il was that those tribes of the great val
ley of the ottawa was moved west
ward along the northern limits of Lake
Huron and Lake Michigan, and all
about Ot-chip-we ki-tchi-gami (Lake
Superiorl, where many OF them remain
to this day.-Simon Pokagon, in the