Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-04-01
BY GARRETT p. sERvIss.

Whoever walks thoushtfuliy through
the hall Of The American Museum Of Ma
turai History that are devoted TO the ex-
hibitions Of tho life, persons. dwellings.
occupations. apparel, customs. ceremonies,
weapons, utensils. ornaments, toys and
fetishes OF the former red-skinned owners
OF this continent win gain an insight into
the minds and ways OF savages that
hardly any amount Of reading could sivo
so well, and that will place before HIS
eyes, almost as vividly as in a motion
picture. the thrilling scenes by which
our forefathers were surrounded when
they were subdung a new world.
Among the things there shown nothing
is more curious than the strange maRks
that we're used by varions tribes In their
religious and other ceremonies The inn
agination OF the red man rioted in the
invention OF these groteaque objects. and
yet the play of fancy exhibited IN them
was not purely capricious. but was al
rected according TO certain fixed notions
and beliefs concerning tho gods, demons
imps and other superhuman powers and
agents supposed 20 watch over and inter-
fere with the lives of human beings.
The tendency 90 represent the human
face under extraordinary DISCUSSES and
in nondescript forms and 10 imagine
supernatural powers to be concealed be-
hind such masks IL common 20 savagcs
all over the world. Among civilized peo-
pie II shows itself, without the superstl-
tious element In masduerades, eRrnivais
and conventional symbols. But even civ
liiEed or partially civillsed people, Ia
some cases, have not been free from the
superstitious practices connected with the
use OF masks. When DR.. Schiemann un-
covered the so-called royal graves" az
Mycenae, which he supposed TO contain
the bodies OF Agamemnon and his COM
panions, slain after their return from
the siege of Troy, he found. In some OF
the gravel, masks of pure gold, fitted or
pressed over the faces OF the skeletons,
and although these masks arc thought 20
have been intended for portraits Of the
persons on whose faces they rested, yet
there can be little doubt that they had
ceremonial meaning, Just as have the
various objects that nearly all primitive
peoples deposit In graves Their grotesqus
appearance may be due TO tho lack
Of skill Of the makers and TO the fact that
the graves eayed In centuries ago, flat
tening out all their contents.
The Iroquois Indians, the original Five
Nations OF Central New York, had q
most popular institution called the 'Faise
Face Band" consisting OF certain menu
bers of the tribe who wore for ceremonial
purposes grotesque masks initiating the
imagined faces of evil demons. who were
believed 70 inhabit the earth. and TO be
bodiless. except that they possessed
hideous faces OF the human type.
Whether in visions or by pure force OF
fancy the Indians had acquired definite
ideas concerning the aspects OF those
demon faces. and their typical forms were
closely minickod IN the masks. II was
believed that the maslSers. by their mum
mefies, were able TO counterfeit. or render
innocuous. the evil influences OF the de-
mons. The power 70 heal the sick was
also ascribed 10 the makers, In which
case they reversed the magic Of the
false faces" as the demons were called.
One OF these masks. which may be-
seen I'm the museum. has a curious story
connected with It that shows the reach
of the Indian imagination. The face OF
the mask has one side slngulaFiy dis
torted. This was done IN strict imitation
Of the fancied face OF the particular
demon whose evil practices It was in