The Cairo bulletin., 1905-05-15
INDIAN CUSTOMS.
some of the Tribes Are wOrshipers
of the san.

III the sum-
A recent article written by Matt
Duhr contains Il graphic description of
some of the strange customs of certain
rr4bes Of Oklahoma Indians. Mr. DuhF
says:
"Yes. some of our red men are sun
worshipers. l have seen many Iowas
and Tarvness address their prayers and
lamentations to the glorious orb of day.
The Iowas, who have dwindled down to
eighty-two persons, believe In spirits,
spiritual horses, dogs and birds. Billy
Dole, an old Iowa Amerind, once told
me: 4 have eleven squaws and papooses
up there. / can see them and see lots
of my ponies grazing on the evergreen
prairies where white men can't burn
the grass.
when asked who made the lightning
and thunder the late Chief Tohee said:
The big, very big thunder, God makes
ii to scare or kill bad people. When
he makes sheet or forked lightning,
! then he wants TO just scare bad people
| but when he wants TO kill a great liar
or thief then he shoots them to death
with ball. Only one Iowa Amerind
was ever killed by lightning. All Iowas
preserve the account Of that terrible
event with great care. 1t is taught and
retold to the Iowa children with rcli-
| gious precision.
Long ago, when over 100000 Iowas
lived in the state of Iowa, a certain
foremost medicine man sent word to
all the members of the tribe TO come TO
his wigwam during the time when the
trees were green and partake of nine
days feast Over 10000 Iowas assem-
bled at tie appointed place when tho
flowers We're blooming. Their provisions
had been used up, They We're very
, hungry. They We're about starving.
| Then the headmen asked the medicine
! man when the promised feast would
come off. Then he laughed like fool
+ and said: I just wanted to deceive, TO
! fool you. | have hardly anything 10 cat
myself Just then the thunder god sent
a lightnirg bolt from the clear sky and
, killed the greatest liar Of the Iowa ma
ton
:, Most Of the Amerindian parents re
! frain frora teaching their infants baby
talk. The napooses are taught to speal
!. correctly from their birth or shortly
after. White folks first teach their or
spring d doodg dorge iargon and then
+ take great pains to unlearn what thel
impressed on their minds and tongues.
Hardly amy of the Amerindian my
4 thologies have been condensed an'
= printed. The Amerinds have many as
II sistant gods the snow god, the rail-
u god. tile tornado gods and q host Of biz
ger ana lesser gods. Some Of our Okla
hnlna Amarinds firmly believe tina
some Of thuir noted ancestors dwell !
certain stars, and when they see 4 I
y called shooting star meteor they o.
~ claim that departed Amerind has az
It scended from above to visit bis rels
tiyes on earth.
some Of the ignohlc red men mour
n with vigor for their dead and hay
y them entonibed III fifty dollar shron
collins Some have mourners to SIM
chant or grunt the great deeds perform
" al bv the deceased The hired nour7
~ ers have to abstain from eating durir
" tile mourning. They are tied secure
on their ponies 50 that when sleepif
they cannot fall from their horse
Some Of these paid mourners for y
VI dead refrain from eating for four da,
I = and nights
W "The last noted mourner was hired
T.. mourn for days and nights ON y
.eo hanks AZ the salty Cimarron. He w
paid four gallons Of whisky ia advan
ne' for bis doleful services. He manag
III to drink all his wages except 9
mouthful before the last Ave minut
su. of his solemn contract. lie drank I
II last drink at midnight Of the four
~ day and expired In ten minutes ~ ha
sas City Journal