The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1906-10-19
INDIAN CUSTOMS.
sesse 81 the Tribes Are sun vNse
shfpers.


s9ne 81 the Tribes Are sun Wsea
shippers.
A recent article written by Matt
Duhr sontains a graphic description OF
soma Ut the strange customs of certain
tribes Of Oklahoma Indians. Mr. Duhr
sayss
Yes, some of our redmen are sun
worshipers. 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 ana birds. Billy
Dole, an old Iowa Amerind. once told
me: 7 hav. eleven squaws and
papooses up theN ] can see them, and
see lots OF my ponies grazing on the
ever green prairies where white men
can't burn the grass
when asked who made the light
ming 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 light
ming 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 chill
dren with religious precision.
Long ago. when over 100000 Iowas
lived in the State of Iowa, certain
foremost medicine man sent word te
all the members Of the tribe to come
to his wigwam during the time wher
the trees were green and partake of 9
nine days feast Over $4,000 Iowas
assembled at the appointed place wher
the flowers were blooming. Their pro
visions had been used up. They were
very hungry: they were about starving
Then the headmen asked the medicin,
man when the promised feast woul,
come off. Then he laughed like foo
and said: 4 just wanted to deceiv,
you, to fool you. have hardly any
thing to eat myself ust then tn
thunder god sent lightning bolt iron
the clear sky and killed the creates
liar of the Iowa nation.
| Most of the Amerindian parents re
frain from teaching their infants bah,
talk. The papooses are taught to speal
correctly from their birth or shortl
after. White folks first teach their of
spring doodge dorg jargon, and the
take great pains to unlearn what the
impressed on their minds and tongues
Hardly any of the Amerindian my
thologies have been condensed an
printed. The Amerinds have many al
sistant gods; the snow god, the raj
god, the tornado gods and host G
bigger and lesser gods. Some of on
Oklahoma Amerinds firmly believe ths
some of their noted ancestors dwell |
certain stars, and when they see a S,
called shooting star-meteor-they e,
claim that departed Amerind has d
scended from above to visit his rel
tives on earth.
Some of the ignoble red men mour
with vigor for their dead and ha,
them entombed in $50 shroud coffin
Some have mourners to sing, chant
grunt the great deeds performed by IL
deceased. The hired mourners have
: abstain from eating curing the mour
ing. They are tied securely on the
: ponies, SO that when sleeping they ca
not fall from their horses. Some
these paid mourners for the dead r
frain from eating for four days al
nights.
THE last noted mourner was hire
to mourn four days and nights on II
banks of the sandy Cimarron. He w,
paid four gallons of whisky In advan
for his doleful services. He manag,
: to drink all his wages, except OF
|, mouthful, before the last five minut
Of his solemn contract. He drank Il
. last drink at midnight of the four
day and expired in ten minutes"
Kansas City Journal.