The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-03

and can be forgiven only by the par
ties involved.
A petty grudge where no crime is in
volved may not be held after the In
dian new year, the first new moon in
February, when the sap begins to run.
AT this time all ntaure begins anew,
and confessions, private or public, ac-
cordtng to the wrong, must be made.
Goods wrongfully held must be re-
stored.
The Indian must at all times hold his
heart in an attitude of thankfulness to
the Great Spirit. Great public thanks
giving ceremonies must be held at each
season, in which,, one by one, each
bounty of Providence must be recog-
nized and thanks given to the Creator.
The strawberry thanksgiving now
being celebrated is one Of the most inn
portant of the year, and the one in
which Chief Cornplanter should Off
cfate in his capacity as singer of the
laws At this feast the Great Spirit is
thanked for all the blessings of spring
and prayer is made for the success of
the planting.
The Creator is invoked, not only with
word and song, but also by dances.
These dances are dignified in the ex-
IRENE and are said by the pagans to
be conducive of spirituality
Men and women mingle in long line
and led by sachem move round and
round the council hall or long house,
as the Indians term it, and with almost
indescribable steps keep time to the
weird praise chants of the singers and
the beating of the kettle drums.
The bodies of the dancers are held
erect and their heads high, the only
motion being from the hips. No dancer
touches another, but each dances in
dividually.
From dawn to high noon the service
proceeds. The preacher exhorts the
keep pure and to seek only good things.
He recites the commands of Goneodiu,
the prophet of the Great Spirit and
chants the praise songs.
A dance follows and then another
speech is made by some saehem After
the sachem's address the sacred bowl
games are played.
These games are played to establish
the temporary supremacy of one of the
phratrieS or brotherhoods. of clans. In
one division are the clans of the Bear,
the Wolf, the Beaver and the Turtle;
in the other the Deer, the Snipe, the
Heron and the Hawk.
Representatives from each clan con-
test with those from the others in the
peach stone dice game. Beans are
used as counters, and when the contest
closes on Sunday at noon the side hav-
Ing the most beans will have won. At
present the Bear clan is ahead.
With the keeper of mysteries gone, a
convert to the pale invaders way, with
their young people in the Sunday
schools and the general decentralization
of the pagan forces, it is generally con-
sidered that with this ceremony the
last strawberry thanksgiving feast is
being celebrated
No physical opposition is made by
the Indians, who view with disfavor
the progress of the church; but often
!! words are INDUCED in. Wallace King,
brother of ex-Chief Job, for instance,
arose in the Presbyterian church and
said:
you have asked any one to speak.
You ask me to be a Christian. I cam
not understand your ways. When we
become that we have to lock our doors
for fear some one will steal our goods
and then get forgiven.
Converts sin with impunity and are
pardoned with a prayer. Let me tell
you that sin can never be forgiven by
God or man. It can only be pardoned
by the man sinned against, and then
only when. restitution is made.
Sin leaves its trace. 1t may be heal
ed by pardon, but scar remains.
| Nov you say, BE of our faith Ali
! OF faith held by the imposters that
| came as our friends and tricked away
our lands! Of the faith that seeks to
destroy our IDENTIFY
Men of that faith robbed us while
they prayed, murdered us when we re-
sisted.
Listen: When you black coats sur
render the illgotten land you occupy
and show yourselves penitent for the
crimes of your people by seeking to
| restore our lands and goods, then I will
see in your religion some real good and
will consider your invitation,
As rule, however, little is said to
the white man or Christian Indian by
the pagan, who passes by in sullen 81
lence. His discussion is with his own
people. He feels his weakness and
realizes now more fully than ever that
the days of his faith and party are
| numbered.