Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-28
Bureau of EthnoIogy Makes
Public Secret of Ancient
Fox Tribe.
FRIENDLY MANITOU GAVE
PETS TO FIRST TWO GEMS
Secret of Religious Ceremony
Guarded Until Death
Of Informant.
BY THOMAS r.. HENRY.

The secret ritual of one of the most
mysterious of primitive religions, zeal
ouSly guarded for generations from out
siders, has just been revealed by the
Bureau Of American Ethnology Of the
Smithsonian Institution.
This is the ceremonial attending the
sacrifice of boiled puppies and was OBJ
tanned more than ten years ago among
the Fox Indians by DR.. Truman
Nicholson of the bureau staff. It's
publication has been delayed for fear
of revenge against his informant, an
old Indian, who eXacted the pledge that
the material not be released until after
his death.
The cult constitutes what is prac-
tically secret society into which its
members are born. The ceremonialS
are those of the Bear gems of the
Foxes. While some of the old rigidity
has broken down, DR.. Nicholson points
out, known informer doubtless would
be expelled from the society, subjected
to jibes and insults and made to suffer
socially and politically. DR.. Nicholson
has been working among the Fox In
dams for many years in trying to OBJ
tain a permanent record of their
language, beliefs and customs while the
present older generation is alive. The
work is complicated by the variations
running through the "genS"-roughly
families, although the idea of blood
relationship Is not so strongly implied
Have Little knowledge.
The present younger generation, ac-
cording to Dr. Nicholson, are so thor
oughly converted to the ways of the
white men that they have only smat-
tering of the old language and no
knowledge Of the ceremonies. Conse-
quently If he did not obtain the texts
Of the secret rituals they, soon would
be lost altogether.
The principal ceremony of the So
ciety is the thunder dance, ritualistic
performance symbolizing the Indian
story of creation and the origin of some
of their religious customs. The entire
ritual, DR.. Michelson'S informants told
him, was revealed to the tribe In the
beginning by q manitou, one of those
supernatural. symbolic beings who
abound in the religion of the Red Men
The first two members of the gems
according to the legend of the ritual
as translated by DR.. Nicholson, were
starving. The manitou who had Gre
ated them took pity on them and made
provisions for their welfare. Then he
called a meeting in the skies Of the
other manitouS, in which he urged them
to respect the lives of his people.
Given Tobacco.
He had placed on earth an intermedi-
airy between them and himself. the spirit
of fire. He had also given them, as q
special gift, the tobacco plant, which
henceforth was their exclusive prop-
erty, which not even the manitous
themselves could have unless the human
beings gave it to them Whenever they
wished to share their tobacco with the
gods, they were first to throw It to
the spirit OF fire, who would have the
first puffs and then pass it along to the
other gods. This constitutes one of the
chief features of the ceremony, the In
dams throwing handful after handful OF
wild tobacco on the fire. Handouts are
thrown in the four directions of the
| compass to propitiate the four thun-
derers.
The friendly manitou, according to
the legend, also gave them puppies as
pets, which were to live with them
throughout the year. But, in order to
| convince the mapitous that they were
sincere in their Offering Of tobacco, they
should make the sacrifice Of killing and
boiling the puppies. This also is done
relative to the four points OF the COM
pass. the dogs flrst being dubbed to
death.