The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-28

forefathers many, many generations before,
when the Minneways included most all Of
the Indians living this side of the big
river, the Mississippi and, by hereditary
descent, passed from family to family. On
the death of my grandfather my father
and his only brother became the sole rep
resentatives of this order. each having the
right to perform the ceremonies at these
human sacrifices
II asked him how often he had eaten
those to be devoured.
mo- he said, they were always prison
ers of war, and generally Indians from hos
tile tribes. with now and then a paleface.
In my younger days 1 participated in a
great many of these feasts. We all liked
the taste Of human fesh it was much
sweeter than the flesh of wild animals. We
never ate it solely for the purposes of food,
to satisfy hunger; we partook of ii as
religious rite. although some of the In
dams when invited to partake with us
would eat more than others; my brother
and sister liked 1t so well that they would
eat until they We're full. AS time passed
the custom gradually declined. The Cath
Ollie missionaries did much to stop these
sacrifices. 1t has been over twenty years
since 1 last tasted human flesh
white Skin prided himself upon the
fact that he represented a family that had
such great distinction conferred upon it.
When I was about twenty years DID, said
he. L attended grand feast of this kind.
held on the east bank of the st. Joseph
river, near Ke-ki-on-ga' Fort Wayne.)
"It was over there" said Mr.. Bruno.
pointing to a rise of ground, a plateau of
about ten acres, just east of where we
stood. " i have always understood that this
was the spot where these human sacrifices
took place. continued the old Indian. We
were notified the day before to be at the
place of sacrifice by the following after
noon. We reached the grounds about noon
time. The faces of the entire family were
painted black, even the pappoose on its
mothers back. A crowd of several hun
dred Indians had already assembled, anx-
iously waiting for the ceremonies to be-
gin. The prisoner, Sank Indian, who was
perfectly naked. fastened to a stake, was
chanting his death song. He was very
brave; when the sun about two hours
high squaw approached with a fiambeau
in her hand to ignite the faggots, when
the doomed prisoner snatched the fiambeau
from her hand and set fire to his own
funeral pile. At this act of bravery the
vast crowd sent up shouts of admiration
When dead the body was laid upon the
burning Goals until it was well cooked:
after prolonged ceremony my father cut
off a piece of the flesh for each member of
| the family. presenting 1t to us upon
sharpened stick, while we sat In a circle
around the smoldering embers After the
| family were all helped my father, in a loud
voice, asked If there was any person present
who wished to participate in the feast.
when several men and squaws came for
ward and seated themselves in the cir
Gle. They were then told to help themselves
While the feasting was going on a deep
silence prevailed. And just as the sun went
down behind the treetops it was announced
| that the ceremonies were ended when a
yell went up that shook the earth, and
the carcass was left for the dogs to eat
=" Mon Dieu! Mon Dieur exclaimed with
horror and disgust at this terrible recital
ION again filling our pipes, he stated
that his father and brother were both muir
dered while asleep in their camp. on the
return from one of these human sacrifices,
held near the mouth of the Wabash river.
|
did you ever conduct any of these cere-
| monies?''
WHITE MAN A VICTIM
| Eyes, once only, and that was over
twenty years ago, and then was the last
time that I ever tasted human flesh. My
| fathers brother, a very old man. who was
a head of the order, living on the Calumet
river, near Calumet lake, where my father
had often gone to assist in conducting
| these feasts, died the same summer my
father was killed His blanket fell upon the
shoulders of his only child, daughter, an
old. decrepit woman. Soon after his death
a prisoner was to be sacrificed; she sent a
messenger to invite me and my family to
come and assist her with the ceremonies
We got ready and returned with the mes
senger. On reaching the village, I found
the old woman very sick in her wigwam,
unable to take part in the exercises, and I
had to do it all myself. The prisoner was a
young white man, and / was glad of 1t,
for l did not like to eat the flesh of my
own race, but had no objection to eating
our then greatest enemy, the white man.
There were not many Indians in attend
ance; they were then on their big hunt
| Everything passed off with much satisfac-
| ton. About the usual number of invited
| guests participated I'm the feast with u.s. At
the request of the old woman, took her a
piece OF the flesh, which she ate with an
apparent relish. She died the next day; this
left me the cole representative of this great
order. But never since that day has there
been a sacrifice of life at which human
flesh was eaten. conducted by the Society
of Man-Eaters.
1.-THE point where these Calumet festivals
were held" said Mr.. Bruno. was where
now is located the town of Chicago, and
not a great ways from where the bloody
massacre of Fort Dearborn occurred in 1872
where my friend and neighbor, the brave
Captain Wells. was killed by the treacher-
Gus Pottawatomies, (the meanest and most
detestable tribe of Indians in the North
west). When Wells fell, pierced by a
dozen bullets, his murderers cut off his
head, cut out his heart and cut it into small
particles, which were eaten with avidity by
those who were lucky enough to secure a
piece, for each one religiousiy believed that
this would make them as brave as he from
whom ii was taken. This, no doubt, was
the last time that the Indians of this region
ever ate human flesh"
In the year 1856 the writer heard Father
Theodore Baden, the old and well-knowr