Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-03

again may symbolic wisdom and power.
The original symbolism of the moccasin
has been considerably modified In recent
times. The Indian has abandoned much of
his ancient symbolic art and has followed
the white mans patterns, flowers. crosses,
rOsettes and SCROLLS The half-breed's in
flusnoe and the mission school influence
extend deeply into the native art Of every
tribe today, although Miss Da Costa, the
native teacher Of Indian decorative art
at Carlisle, Is S~ndsAvorins to revive all
the ancient symbolic designs.
NO s~un1lOwers or Roses.
II your m~oooSsins, probably bought on
some reservation, or at some collsc-
zion store. show q flower pattern,
It II certain hat they are not Of ancient
design and are not typical OF Indian art
Indian woman might represent the
intestinal tract Of the buffalo, but she
never initiated the prairie Bunflower or
the Wild rosa.
1t has been an interesting feature OF the
mOcoasin studies to discover II among this
most varied and abbreviated type OF In
dian symbolism there are any signs Of uni
verDal significance among the different
tribes. There hGvO not been found many
such signs, though there are Soma figures
OF symbols which appear to have q widely
accepted meaning.
Perhaps your pair Of old moocasins may
show q straight, narrow line IN quilts or
beads, extending from the toe TO the up
per portion This decoration may be found
IN q Cree or BlackfOot or Cheyenne or
Sioux. Grow or Arapahos shoe. 1t will not
occur invariably, but viii often appear.
This straight line seems to have about the
same significance In all the tribes, mean
ing the path OF tho sun. the path Of life,
- Aa-NN-aNt.a ~ AAaH AIan
to be the sign Of departure Of going
somewhere.
Possibly the owner Of . pair OF mecca
sins has noticed thereon, a. upon many
decorated buffalo robes, certain cross lines
done In beads or gull WORK These lines
may mean different things, but in proper
relations to other lines they seem TO In
dieats among many tribes the same thing
that Il 70 say, paths or trails usually in
the older specimens, OF the buffalo. Even
after the practical extinction OF the buff
falO the symbols indicating that animal
signifiad abundance and plenty, and few
mocoAsin signs occur more frequently.
The figure denOting the four winds, or
four cardinal points. usually takes the form
OF a cross with limbs OF equal length and
seems not to be confined to any one tribe.
At times the Cross takes the form OF the
sWastnna-
Indian I~nterDPets Picture.
One Of the government scientists asked
an Indian TO interpret a certain piece OF
decoration. The latter said that the
straight lines meant straight paths. a good
life, and that the cross shown meant the
morning star. The streak OF red at ths
edge meant tho rising OF the sun. the little
little LFtAngies along the bottom OF the pat
tern indicated clouds. etc.
The thunder bird, or eagle, appears here
and there in the moccasip patterns OF
nearly all the plains tribes In the form OF
a more OF less elaborated figure based on
the double triangle A few sharp lines at
the bottom OF this figure change II into a
swallow, that being tho simple method Of
denoting the stiff tail feathers Of the
latter.
The eagle figure has almost as vide q
Significance as the rows OF squares indi-
eating animal tracks or the transverse
straight lines which mean paths. The
Arapahoes denote the bird OF the sun upon
their moccasins BY an inverted pyramid.
a figure like a carpenters square. and
across Of which each arm IL formed OF
double lines.
II is a notable fac that the experts OF
the Bureau OF EthnOlogy now know more
about mOcoasin signs than 40 the Indians
themselveB Indeed Il is said tbs II you
took your moccasins back to the trfbs
which produced them scarcely two Indians
would be found 10 read their symbolism
alike. "Ah. II was a woman OF another
tribe, who married here, made them. She
make them like her own peoples" Il
al put all the satisfaction 10 be expected.
The color symbolism in mOecaSins hal