Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-04-01
INDIAN CUSTOMS.
seme of the Tribes Are worshipeRs
of the Sun.


of the Sun.
A recent article written by Matt
Duhr contains graphic description Of
some of the strange customs of certain
tribes of Oklahoma Indians. Mr.. Duhr
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. beliage in spirits.
spiritual horses. dogs and birds. Billy
Dole. an old Iowa Amerind. once told
me: L 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
1t 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 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 reli-
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 $4,000 Iowas assem-
bled at the appointed place when the
flowers were blooming. Their provisions
had been used up. They were very
hungry. They were about starving.
Then the headmen asked the medicine
man when the promised feast would
come off. Then he laughed like a fool
and said: L just wanted to deceive, to
fool you. l have hardly anything to eat
myself Just then the thunder god sent
a lightning bolt from the clear sky and
killed the greatest liar of the Iowa ma
ton.
Most of the Amerindian parents re-
frain from teaching their infants baby
talk. The papooses are taught to speak
correctly from their birth or shortly
after. White folks first teach their Off
spring a doodg dorge jargon and then
take great pains to unlearn what they
impressed on their minds and tongues.
Hardly any of the Amerindian my
thologies have been condensed and
printed. The Amerinds have many as
sistant gods-the snow god, the rain
god the tornado gods and host Of big
ger and lesser gods. Some Of our Okla
homa Amerinds firmly believe that
some of their noted ancestors dwell In
certain stars. and when they see so
called shooting star-meteor-they ex-
claim that departed Amerind has de-
seconded from above TO visit his rela-
tives on earth.
''Some Of the ignoble red men mourn
with vigor for their dead and have
them entonbed in fifty dollar shroud
collins. Some have mourners to sing.
chant or grunt the great deeds perform
cd by the deceased. The hired mourn
ers have to abstain from eating during
the mourning. They are tied securely
on their ponies so that when sleeping
they cannot fall from their horses.
Some Of these paid mourners for the
dead refrain from eating for four days
and nights.
1.-THE last noted mourner was hired to
mourn for days and nights on the
banks at the salty Cimarron. He was
paid four gallons of whisky in advance
for his doleful services. He managed
to drink all his wages except one
mouthful before the last five minutes
Of his solemn contract. He drank the
last drink at midnight Of the fourth
day and expired In ten minutes."-Kan-
sas City Journal.