The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-28

on the north, where he landed. In the
first, the sole human figure is intended
to represent the redoubtable chief HIM
self. An arch on the left at the top
represents his lodge, or household
and the odd creature 1t contains is his
totem. 1t is made to fill the whole
space, to denote that the entire house
hold bears the same mark. Just below
is a wolf-the personal name of the
chief. A horned thing in violent
check pattern is a fabulous horned
panther, symbolizing power. The cross
lines, in which this monster is depict
ed, mean night, and the similar Great
ture without network denotes power by
day. Then there are lion and black
bear and a moose, all going to show
foresight. strength. sagacity and wari-
ness on the part of she chief. In like
manner two horned snakes. with legs,
symbolic swiftness and power to kill,
and the whole menagerie represents
the various powers the chief invokes
to aid him in his enterprise. The COM
panion picture to this one inscribed
on rock on the north shore shows
that he crossed with five canoes, all
duly depicted, of different sizes, car
rying altogether fifty-one men, repre-
scented simply and ingeniously by so
many little perpendicular dashes along
the sides of the canoes. The fact that
the first canoe was commanded by
chief named Kingfisher Is said to be
Enthusiastically denoted by a somewhat
equivocal representation of that bird
lowering over the boat just above the
PROV. The crossing occupied three days,
as shown by three suns under shaky
sort OF rainbow. representing the sky.
Alongside of this elegant conceit,
which, it must be confessed is not at
all clear except to the expert, Is drawn
a land tortoise, indicating triumph at
reaching land at last. To the left of
this again is a portrait of the chief on
horseback, the upper portion of the
warrior only being revealed, the rest
of his body being involved in the most
instrutable mystery. An eagle means
courage, and below a comic horned
panther and snake Cwhose attributes
were noted in the other picture) are
here duly acknowledged to have eX-
tended their patronage.
Picture writing. or sign language,
was also employed by the Indians In
the transmission of news. An example
in this wise was found recently in
scribed on the side of a blazed tree.
At the top right-hand side was the
figure of the tabled animal, the copper
tailed bear This was the totem OF
the hunter, and a thing beneath 1t,
curved up at each end. denoted the ca
noe he Travelled in. Under this again
was the totem Ga catfish) of a COM
panion hunter, with his canoe. AT
the top to the left, was common
black bear, and below ii six catfish.
The whole thing meant, it was ex-
planned, that the two hunters In ques-
ton, while encamped at that particu-
lar spot, killed a bear and caught six
catfish. which exciting intelligence
was left for the edification of anybody
passing that way.
1t is interesting to observe that the
idea of those advertisements of soaps
patent medicines, etc, in the shape oil
puzzles, was probably derived from the
principles of the Indian sign language
as there is a noticeable similarity in
method And IL is further to be re-
marked that those persons who delight
in exercising their ingenuity over the
one will find the greatest pleasure and
satisfaction in their efforts at unravel-
ling the mysteries of the other,