Evening star., 1927-11-11

Magic Of the nomadic Indians OF
Northeastern Canada was studied this
Summer by DIR. John M. Cooper. pro
fessor of anthropology at Catholic
University, in a 1,000-mile canoe trip
through the desolate tundra region
along the Albany River and the
shores Of James Bay.
DR.. Cooper has brought back to
Washington numerous articles used
by the aborigines in their magic rites,
besides original material regarding the
methods Of divination which they
practice.
The country, he says, is very sparse
ly populated and the people live en-
tirely by hunting and trapping, de-
pending on the Hudson Bay Co. posts
for their trade. Each family has its
exclusive hunting and trapping area,
which may be from $50 to 300 square
miles in extent and is looked upon as
its exclusive property.
Among the magic rites reported by
Dr. Cooper Is that Of 'scapulimancy."
The breastbone of a grouse or shoul-
der blade of a rabbit is held over an
open fire. AS it dries brown spots ap.
pear. The Indians interpret these
spots as representations of certain
Whichever one appears on the bone
will be the one to hunt.
Fear of Cannibal Shown.
Sometimes the brown spots appear
somewhat in the configuration of a
man. This means bad luck and that
the Witago. a cannibal being who is
supposed to lurk in the woods, is lay.
ing in wait for them. This fear of a
cannibal, DIR. Cooper believes, has a
real basis in the history of the race
In old times starvation was not un.
common and individuals sometimes
were driven to kill and eat their fell
lows. This, he believes, probably
made them outcasts from the tribe
and forced them to wander alone in
the wilderness. But the eating OF
human flesh is likely to create a
neurosis in the mind of the eater SO
that he will eat it again if he has a
chance. Thus, DR.. Cooper thinks, the
Witago legend had at some time a
definite basis in fact.
Another curious custom which he
found this Summer was that OF
"scrying", a magic rite somewhat
similar to crystal gazing as practiced
IN more civilized society. The prac.
tice was first reported approximately
800 years ago in the Jesuit Relations
reports and has not been observed
since before this Summer. DR.. Cooper
found it quite prevalent among these
people.
1t con-.sts simply of covering the
head with a blanket so as to be in
total darkness and then looking into
bowl Of water, mirror, a piece of
polished tin or a pearly clam shell.
The image Of unknown enemies will
anpear on the surface, the Indians
say. He believes that they often
really see something and that the
phenomenon is. very similar to the
images which appear in a crystal. The
reasons behind the phenomenon are
still very obscure.
Traverse Desolate Region.
DR.. Cooper and his guides started
from Lake st. Joseph, near the source
Of the Albany River, and continued
500 miles down the Albany through
a desolate, treeless region to James
Bay. Then they padded their canoes
along part Of the James Bay coast.
line. The coastal shelf extends out
ward for about 5 miles. At high
tide the water is about feet
deep. so that a boat can be handled
perfectly. When the tide goes out
there is only about foot of water
and the party is trapped several miles
off shore with the necessity of wad.
ing to land. DR.. Cooper and his guides
several times were caught in this
way.
~he people. he said, belonged to the
Obijway and Swamp Cree tribes. He
found one sub-tribe not hitherto re.
ported, the Barren Ground Crees,
whose chief source of food is the carl
bou and who have the typical cul-
ture Of the caribou hunters further to
the west.