The Press., 1908-01-22
INDIAN sUPERsTITIoNs.
The Whirlvsind and the Thunder oh
 iects of Curious Theories.

 iects Of Curious Theories.
 The Dakotas believe that there Is a close relation between the whirlwind and the iuttering wings of a moth. The cocoon is regarded as the myste- rIous object from which a power sim- liar to that of the whirlwind emanateS, as attested by the emergence from 1t of the moth.
 Dr. Wissler explains in Discovery that the whirlwind meant by the Da- kota is the harmless little whirl one sees upon the plains every clear day. The long, slender column betraying its presence makes a profound impression upon the Indian.
 In the whirlwind somehow and somewhere resides the power to pro. duce confusion of mind. Thus 1t was natural that it's aid should have been invoked by the warriors on going into battle, for to be as intangible, invisible and destructive as the wind was their one great desire. When a man loses his presence of mind he Is said to have been overcome by tfe whirlwind.
 A cocoon of a moth taken with a portion of the twig upon which 1t was found and wrapped in an eagle plume or down is regarded as a perpetual prayer to the power of the whirlwind. This prayer is not only symbOlized by the genuine cocoon worn upon the per- son, but also by it's image in stuffed buckskin or by it's sketched or paint ed representation.
 The Blackfeet see a relation between the moth and sleep and appeal to it when they desire to have fdreams, for with them power Is always conferred in a dream. In the case of unreQuited believed that it can confuse the mind of a girl to such a degree that she cannot resist the pleadings of the en- amored swain.
 Some of the Dakotas believe that the bear controls the power Of the whirl- wind and that prayer must be ad- dressed to the animal for the assist ance of the whirlwind. Sometimes a person will receive power from the come to have the aid Of the Whirlwind because of the conceived relation be- tween the two. Finally the power of the whirlwind is also supposed to be associated with the buffalo and the spider web.
 A deity of equal importance among the Indians of the plains is the thun- der, which usually is associated with military exploits. While the Dakotas generally regard the thunder as bird, usually symbolized by the eagle, they sometimes speak of it as & horse, a man or & dog.
 The horse has always appealed to them as a creature of mysterious Ori- gin and in many cases is assumed to have been given by the thunder. In any event there Is an association in their minds between the power of a warhorse and the thunder.
 The thunder is often. represented by zigzag or wavy line, usually in red. But Dr. Wissler says that this symbol really represents the power of the phenomenon in the abstract, because the Indian lacks the conception of a force In nature, so that the symbol iS also a general sign for the presence of mysterious supernatural power.
 Whistles made from the leg and wing bones of eagles are employed by the Dakotas to symbOlize the cry of the eagle as a representative of the thunder bird. In battle or sometimes in stress of great trial they are sound ed to summon the aid of the power of the thunder. As rule, a zigzag line is scratched down the sides of these whistles.
 The yellow winged woodpecker is looked upon as an associate of the thunder bird, because when a storm Is approaching 1t utters a shrill cry not unlike the sound of the whistle and is believed to be speaking to the thun- der. :
 The spider is spoken of as a friend of the thunder, and it is the general belief that the thunder will never harm it, so that it is itself protection against thunder. The observed fact that spider manufactures a web and that tfis web is not destroyed by ar rows or bullets, since they pass through it. leaving only . hole, is cited as the basis for the conception that the spider has power to protect people from harm.