The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-02-24
Indians Made None
Of the High Mounds

H.T the Indian mounds
out the western part OF the
central States were not made
by Indians. as believed BY many his
torfans and archeologists, but by the
action Of The wind, and that no Indian
Of the past 600 years ever made INIT
head arrow. is the statement OF Dr.
Charles A Eastman. a full-blOooed
sioux Indian. who was educated IN
The Eas. and who IS now engaged by
the Government in South Dakota in
giving more euphonious and respect
able names TO the Indians than the
wicked ones many Of them have bsen
claiming for years.
T4a advances the theory which goes
far toward proving the accuracy OF
his claim. and says that In all the
years OF his carly life. which was lived
amone. the wild tribes OF the West. did
ne ever hear a word used which would
indicate a finthead arrow. Neither
has he ever seen nor heard OF any
Indian who ever knew OF one Of his
si.d making an arrow from flint rock
Tho Sioux have no traditions upon the
subject OF flint arrowheads-
Universally. among the Western
tribes. the hiht-head arrow was called
mysterious arrow" or the devils
arrow and. when shot. would not sail
well nor would It penetrate the thick
hairy sides OF the buffalo or bear
There is a large deposit OF flint rock
boz south Dakota. but the Indians had
no tools sufficiently tempered to work
the rock. When any OF their fints
were lost they procured others from
white traders
As 90 the origin Of the so-called indian
mounds. Dr. Eastman refers 20 the one
At RedheId. :. D. which has been ia
nous over the country for its size and
age He SAYS that. according to Sioux
traditions. mighty battle was fought
there or near the present site OK Red
field many decades ago. and that the
bodies of the dead were left on the spot
with O slight covering q earth Then
tbe wind drIfted sand and loose dirt
against the slight mounds and thus bit
by bit the mighty mound OF the present
dav was formed. But no Indian hand
was used 20 aid IN fashioning its ITO
tesque lines and forms
Or. Eastman is preparing book UpSn
the traditions OF the Sioux Indiana In
IL will be narrated all the peculiar
traits cherished by the various Western
tribes Of the continent Among these
none is more interesting than the al
most universal superstition held by tne
Indians in regard 10 the Black hills
:. D.. now famous for their deposits
or gold and silver
The Indians Of the plains believe that
the Great Spirit sits enthroned under
some one OF the lofty peaks there VINO
in nls angry moods, shoots forth tongues
OF lightning. forked and crooked. and
u1Irls OUT thunderbolts from his abiding
mace. The latter sometimes accompanied
0v violent wind. which, they believe, tne
Great Spisjt has stored UP IN some OF me
~ock-~fbDCd creNIces Of the tree-cOVerso
hills and peaks
1t is well known among the Selllers q
the West that no Indian was ever see1l
camping alone i'm the Black hills and
all the tribes seemed TO prefer huntins
along the foothills and over the bao
lands than eutrr the enchanted cany ons
and winding valleys OF the Black nils
The great spirit. they hold causes tne
terrible electrical storms for which the
Black hills are famous that come tear
ing down, twisting sPInterInG and
sweeping 10 earth and levehnS huge
mOnarchs OF the forest upon the noun
tainside. III is not surprising. IN vieT OF
given he Black hills a wide berth.
Even today travel through the bad
lands Is not without some peril on &C
count of the drinking water. The req
men hold that there was once deity
who walked over the rough land and
that wherever he stepped Th6. water
from that spot was highly charged with
Iye and thus rendered unit for drinking
purposes a large quantity OF the water
from the pools ia the Black hills. II
taken into the stomach. viii prove fatal.
The great quantity of bones, shells and
prehistoric relics to be found In the
bad lands are held in reverence by the
red men They believe, ard one must
give them credit for their logical Tea-
soning. that the region is the result OF
some Cod given curse, the deity causing
the whole country to be swept by fire,
whitening and smotherins and consum-
ing everything in the path, both snimats
and inanimate-