The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-01-05
INDIAN MORALS.
Precepts Held Up before the Chip
pewas and Proverbs in Their
Belief.

1t may surprise many to learn that
the Chippewa Indians were governed by
| moral commandments before they
| came in contact with white races. An.
| drew j. Blackbird, the educated son OF
an Ottawa chief, has translated 9, of
these precepts into English, and hey
aye interesting because of the crudity
and quaintness of the thoughts eX.
pressed by them.
The following are some of the most
Interesting:
Thou shalt immerse thy body into
the lake or river at least ten days in
succession in the early part of the
spring of the year, THAT thy body may
be strong and swift of foot to chase the
game and on the warpath."
Thou shalt be brave and not fea1
any death. Look up to the skies often.
by day and by night. and see the sun
moon and stars which shineth in the
ornament, and think that the Great
Spirit is looking upon thee continu.
ally"
Thou shalt not mimic or mock any
mountains or rivers, or any prominent
formation of. the earth, and thy life
shall be continually in hazard if thou
Shouldst provoke the anger of these
Geities. Thou shalt not commit murder
while thou art ia dispute with thy
neighbor. unless it be whilst on the
warpath.'
Thou shalt disfgure thy face with
charcoals, and fast at least ten days OF
more Of each year. whilst thou are yet
young, or before thou reachest 20, that
thou mayest dream of thy future des
tiny"
That there is strong religious ten.
dency in the uncivilized Chippewa IS cx-
emplitied by the story of Tshusick, an
Oiibway woman who travelled on foot
and in the middle of winter from De.
troit to Washington that she might find
an instructor who would teach her how
TO worship the Great Spirit in proper
manner. This savage, reared among
her own wild people in the distant
regions of the northern lakes, who
could neither read nor write, spoke
with tiuency and precision III the
French tnogue on the great doctrine OF
sin, repentance and atonement, and
was possessed of such delicacy of feel.
ing that she desired none but her in
s;ructor to hear her thoughts on what
she considered too sacred subject for
public comment.
rrr,o+ Io.l IF on
tsrs into their makeup is well known.
Perhaps the most interesting anecdote
in proof of this fact is the legend of
the discovery of the sourcs of the
great waters" the Mississippi liver.
A Chippewa squaw went down to the
river to wash the family clothing. She
bethought her of some necessary but
forgotten article and returned to the
wigwam leaving her papoose on the
rivers bank. When she returned the
child was missing.
\ few days after this event pair of
Indian lovers were seated on the side
Of a mountain over whose surface the
head waters of the Mississippi flow. OF
d sudden they heard the cries of child
and discovered that they had their
origin in the interior of the mountain
This fact being reported to the medi-
cine men of the tribe search was in
stituted with the result that long
passageway was discovered starting in
the bed of the river and extending un-
der the mountain to it's center, where
the child was found and rescued from
two dragons whose place of abode the
passageway was, and whose occupation
was stealing children and secre.ing
them in the bosom of the mountain
from whence their tears rose to the
surface and formed the source of the
mighty stream.
The Chippewas believe in many prov
CRIBS that might be practiced with
good results by the white faces" One
of these declares that to talk about
ones self decreases the stature of the
egoist in proportion to the amount of
talking done.-Boston Globe.
DestrOyers Fail In SDeed