The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-11-21

I ; e; ;::5 : ::;:: :. e e: ::
| an important adj
dition TO the short list of domesticat-
| ed fowls
The turkey was introduced into
Spain in 1920. and into England in
| 1924. and soon was reared as a barn
| yard fowl in both countries Not for
| nearly half a century was it taken to
| France. So far as can be learned.
| the first turkey ever seen in that
| country was shipped in 1870 from Bos-
| ton, then little settlement in the al
most unknown American wilderness.
| the wedding feast Of King Charles TX
and Elizabeth of Austria
Civilized man prizes the turkey
| solely as table delicacy; but strange
| ly enough, the American Indians es-
| teemed it more for the sake of its
/ feathers than for it's flesh. When the
| bow and arrow constituted the most
| important weapon of war and Of the
| chase, feathers were of the greatest
I tached to the shafts Of their arrows
/ to give them buoyancy, and to cause
| them to carry straight. For this pur-
/ pose, most of the tribes employed the
! feathers Of eagles. some those Of tur-
| keys, and some those of both birds.
| The Cheyennes, whose hunting
| grounds comprised most Of the pres
| ent state of Wyoming. are said to
have used turkey feathers exclusively
for their arrows, and were known to
| the neighboring tribes by a name that
signified striped arrows" in refer
ence to this preference. The Apaches,
also, used turkey feathers for arrow
making, as did the Navajos, Sioux,
Arapahoes and many other tribes, al
! though no others employed them SO
exclusively as did the Cheyennes and
Apaches.
| Beyond doubt the most striking and
attractive headdress ever worn by
any aboriginal people was the war
bonnet of the western Indians 1t was
composed of the tail feathers of tur-
keys or eagles depending upon the
practice of the tribe). 1t was fash
toned to encircle the crown of the
wearer's head and extend down his
back to the ground. The war bonnet
was worn only by chiefs, and every
feather was supposed to represent
separate deed of valor.
| In the ceremonial dances, strange
and grotesque masks are worn by the
| participants, some of whom personate
!: the nature gods, while others take the
| role of the clan ancients. Many Of
| these masks are deliberately decorated
with feathers of turkeys, eagles, owls,
hawks and other birds. In the deco
ration of the affairs erected on cere-
| mOnial occasions for the worship of
| the nature-gods, feathers are conspic-
uous. But perhaps the most common
use Of feathers is in the making of
prayer sticks, which are planted at
springs, by the banks of running
streams, near the shrines of the gods,
in the fields where crops are growing,
or where seed has been planted, and
in hooks and crannies among the
rocks. The prayer sticks are made by
the priests and given to the people
Analogous to the use Of feathers In
the making of prayer sticks and altar
decorations, is their employment for
the making of fetishes, used by the
various secret orders, or fraternities
These fetishes, of course, possess
magical virtues, understood only By
| the initiated. Among the Zuni IL u
1 fraternity known as the "Hlewekwe,"
or sword swallowers. The Sword IL
long, wooden implement, which In
the course Of the ceremonial dance of
the order is thrust far down into the
throat CT the performer and then
withdrawn. To the upper end Of the
Sword" Is attached large bunch of
the tail feathers of the turkey, to
which, Of course. the ceremony owes
much Of its supposed magical power.
This dance of the sword swallowers
is important for the reason that it is
supposed to bring the SHOWS of win.
ter, which melt and sink into the
ground, thus preparing the soil for
the reception of the seeds at planting
time in the spring.
Feathers of many birds, and particu.
larly Of the turkey, are used In the
sports and games Of the Indians. The
game of "Pokiianni," favorite among
the Zuni, Is played with shuttlecocks
made Of corn husks and turkey feath-
ers. Fetishes are made by the priests
for foot racers, consisting mainly of
feathers from the legs of turkeys.
which are supposed to give feetness
Of foot to the runners.
: Teaching Is Plain.
Thanksgiving dav In M r,or> ,s~x1