The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-08

particularly In the chnsr after the buffalo which
became his chief support
When the railroad entered hs country" says
tho author, Its whistle sounded the beginning ri
the end OF Indian n old lie. This was not So much
bechus" the railroad brought the white man into
actual contact with the Indian NJ bech rs" II at tone"
opened a market for the hides and furs " the ami
mails on which he slhsisted, IN" buffalo, the elk,
Me deer. and the antelope, and because, 10 supply
the demand Tor the skins Of these animals, white
hunters proceeded at once ~ rSutminnte them,
ana mus soon deprived the Indian Of his natural
iood WITHIN q few years IN. savage found TINT
We n,irnlne no longer yielded HIM a living, and
mat II he would escape starvation h. must present
himself at the agency 10 receive h9 weekly ration
OF peel, lhlS, then, was the beginning 81 Tie
lndlln. problem rs we know II 10 day "A problem
81 CIVILIZATION. 81 assimilation, wholly different
from til" 3li war problem, which was settled once
ana Tor all with the disapprhrnnc' Of the buffalo ="
TRADITIONS AND MYTHS
Pushed from place 10 place. ever further west.
ward, forced into wars with tribes mnon whose
territory he was driven 10 encronch ,he h,rsssed
Indian chung ~ his ,r,ditions AMI cus,ona With
the greatest ,enacity' IL is oniy within The last
few years that This Traditional spirit hna hegnn
10 die out and the histnricni dabt 10 n, GIN
nell IL the greater Tor ha,i"r rui,ec,ed SOM. -,
the religious tenrts and myths Of his curious
fiefs and Stories For their tribal and religious
traditions the Indians der.nd ,In,n their msmn'
RES. which are said To- be- wnniariully exact
Written records are unk nnwn ,n them 90 ,bei,
history is handed down nv word nf mouth Each
| tribe has Old men who nc, "a historians and who
raDaat Ia certain cbnsap ynupu man Of fha tr,ha
he traditions sacred s,nrI e SuH ,r,bal history and
the elaborate religious riiu,l This il regarded
as A sacred duty and among the Older Indians
the old stories are implr,ily believed 10 this dey
cism in growing nm nni Tins the only so,ircs
| OF tribal history viii soon have dr,ed m In
this connection il il interesting 10 note that A
| careful and iull history Of The religion and mvths
of the tribes Of this State IL being prepared by
a white woman who is member Of one Of the tribes.
| Ask nm milan ahnrt any 81 HE mv,hs az raIi
uio,,. l,l,,f, I'D h., Iii .su.. - r.a,L,,- 40 ,l,a
| effect with characteristic caution 10 saw nothing
which il not the exact truth,
This is what the old men have told us; they
received il from their grandfathors who had It
from theirs, so the story has been handed down,
| but we do not know that 1t Is true"
| white ouestioner even though the Indian be Of
the old school and have the utmost faith In the
matter To another Indian he would express
himself In no such dubious terms. Constant
familiarity with the forces Of 'ature and entire
Ignorance of the underlying principles has bred
in the Indian a deep religious awe and given
| rise 10 A rich fund Of foil, lnr. in Which the great
| forces OF nature and the familiar wild animals
are alike personifrd and delfed. The sun is
a man who makes a daily pilgrimage across
the sky To his great lodge somewhere beyond
the sunsets purple rim, a lodge painted with
figures Of mystic animals and surrounded by
wonderful weapons and medicine bundles Of
| great potency. Here he lives with his wife, the
moon. and their son, the morning star. who is
the only one left to them Of many children, all
the others having been killed. In the summer
me sun ia Ill Inc MI al n1t thNbT nlI VII me
waning Of the wear his strength lea YES him until
in winter he becomes very Old and feeble and
walks across the sky bent and lettering like an
aged man. But in spring his yigor comes back
again and he IS ready for his summer work
| Some Of the tribes believe that the brighter stars
are men who traverse the sky every fine night
OF women from their lodges By These stars and
the strange adventures Of the Shareholder horn
Of such unions.
The earth is the blessed and prolific mother
Of all life, to whom the Indian pays, particularly
in time Of famine or drought. The Great owe
put the earth here and it Is therefore sacred In
shape ii Is fat and circular with edges running
vertically downward. Very many traditions Of
the creation are given by the different tribes,
though some tribes are entirely without tradition
as to the origin Of the universe, Winter is caused
nv Cold Maker or the Winter Man who comes
from the far North, a sort Of maiehcent Santa
Claus, driving back the sun before him and cover,
ing all the earth with snow. But in the spring
the reNiyifed sun engages Holm a ha, the Cold
Maker, again and vanquishes him. Long ago
a hero Of the Cheyenne tribe, who seems. 10 have
been hal like the Baldcr Of the Morse legends,
went 10 the lodge of the Winter Man, chased him
and his children forth and killed them all but one
child. who ran into a rock crevice, Every morn
ing frost appeared in the entrance Of this crcNicr.
! The Chcycnnes used To pour hot wafer into it
in the hope OF killing the Winter child, for il they
could have slain him there would have been no
| more winter. The wind is the messenger of the
principal god who dispatches it on brands or
sends IL 10 fetch people 10 him. The Blackfcet
believe that the wind is caused by the tapping
Of the ears of an enormous animal which lives In
UNEMPLOYED mountains.
Naturally, the Indian breads the thunder with
a SupersiiiiouS awe. THAT dreadful one" he
calls it, and he regards it As a huge bird whose
wings darkcn the heavens and whose eyes fash
forth the lightning. Agains, the lightning the
tree, and this has a sounder basis than super,
s,ition, for, il is said. lightning never strikes a
cedar. According to some beliefs the thunder
is caused by the beating OF the Thunder Birds
wings, while others hold il 10 he his shouting.
Worship Of the thunder il partly propiia tory,
hut partly from gratitude. too, for il is the thunder
that brings the rain which makes the plants and
berries grow. The %Ceremonia of thunder WOr-
shin is very elaborate. Another good point about
the I hundcr Bird is his hatred Of the under water
monsters. who are malcvulent and mysterious
creatures for the most part, though some Of them
are much like land folk. Indian mermen. as it
were Most Of them, however, lie in wait TO seize
and drag down humans who venture on the water.
In sunny weather they love To come 10 the surface
and baSk. or even to crawl out upon the land,
there is the mcrest wish of cloud in the sky they
! will not venture forth. ON ton ~ the water their
. movements are sluggish. and as soon as the thun-
| der bird sees one Of them he swoops down upon it
and carries IL of, In which act he has been seen
land Sins along The Missouri River bluffs as
he irecE Of the Thunder Bird " here he has Swonped
down m seize ono nf The monsters who was crav /
inr rom the water 10 land. where he would doubt
iasSs have done much harm There are many
white m N tn day who believe that when The Thun-
w., NJ um ,b,S.i ,hc vster rrco t'ires scek their
lai,s and he is an exceptional fisherman that does
nnt ,esI in nc limos when il ,hundery Another
,,air, mate, rvtb ri The Indians is that which
aa,,,ih,, ,co n, tho snri,rs a tutclery deity 10 whom
,hey make propitiatory presents, TO leap across
~ s,,ean, nco, he sn,ing head renders ono
~ I,'i'"" 500" " ~ nIp'1 - 49, ~,