Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-16
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.

At sunrise on the fourth day the
spirit of the little dead woman departed
from the wigwam on its long, long
journey.
But guardian spirits attended her
along the road through the perilous
dark to the campfire Of the village of
souls - green clad, helmeted figures
whose lives had been snuffed out a
dozen years ago in the barbed-wire
desolation of the Western front.
EthnOIOgist Tells Story.
As weird a story as ever came out
OF the North woods has been brought
to the Bureau of American Ethnology
here by Miss Frances Densmore, noted
ethnologtst and member of the Society
Of Women Geographers, who has lust
returned from village of the Winnie
bago Indians in Central Wisconsin.
The day before Miss Densmore's arrival
at the village an old acquaintance, Mrs.
Tom Thunder, died. She had been an
accomplished dancer and was greatly
was allowed to witness the greater part
of the funeral ceremonies where came
the strange appearance of ancient sup
erstitions of the Northern forests In
modern dress.
To the person unfamiliar with the
customs of the tribe, Miss Densmore
says, Mrs. Thunder was given q con-
ventional burial in the village cemetery
with a pretty coffin covered with
flowers, hymns by a male quartet, and
all the rest. But at night there was
quite a different ceremony.
The Winnebago believe, Miss Dens-
more explains, that the spirit Of q dead
person remains for three days and four
nights In its old home but at the first
blush of sunrise on the fourth morning
1t must set out for the land of spirits
along road beset with many dangers.
For fran woman it is terrible ordeal
Mastery Over Victims Believed.
But they also believe that O slayer
retains mastery for all eternity over the
spirit Of his victim and can call upon
him Tor service at any time. This is
apparently an extension of the wide
spread notion In sympathetic magic
that the person who possesses q part
OF the body Of another, such as q lock
OF hair, nail paringS, ETC., can control
the living person. The Winnebago hold
that this control can be extended after
death In the same way, even by the
possession Of an article of clothing. In
old days 1t was the possession of the
scalp which gave this power and this
may explain the scalping custom, she
believes, better than q mans personal
pride in the plumbers he has killed.
Now there Is no service at which such
controlled spirits are more adept than
protecting souls newly arrived in the
vast dark beyond life. Here the survivor
no longer can help his loved ones and
must rely on the spirits he has made
his servants by killing them. Mrs. Tom
Thunder deserved the best her people
could offer.
But the Winnebago have been at
peace for generations. They no longer
have braves with strings of scalps and
retinues OF ghostly servants to do their
bidding. A considerable number Of
their young men, however, served In the
World War, some were decorated for
valor and some have citations proving
that they killed German soldiers In
personal encounters. They brought
back from France, in common with
most other doughboys, helmets, eagled
belt buckles, iron crosses, ETC., which
they claim were taken from their own
victims.
War Exploits Are Relived.
The obvious conclusion is, Miss Dens-
more explains, that these veterans con-
troll the spirits Of the dead Germans,
just as If they had taken their scalps.
So the returned soldiers called on the
souls OF their late enemies to come to
the aid Of Mrs. Tom Thunder.
1t was a fortnight ceremony. Three
nights, while the woman'S spirit pre-
was in the wigwam, the four
soldiers addressed the assembled friends
with lengthy, detailed accounts of their
battle exploits, and how they killed the
Germans. This, Miss Densmore ex-
plains, was their method of presenting
their credentials, just as doctor hangs
his diplomas on the walls Of his Office.
They had to prove conclusively that
they were entitled to control spirits.
The fourth night they called upon
the Germans themselves, giving them
detailed directions to accompany Mrs.
Thunder, bring fuel and light q IRE for
her each night, and keep her supplied
with food and water. They must stay
with her, they were instructed, until
the party came within sight Of the
spirit village OF her friends who would
come out to meet her
The soldiers, Miss Densmore explains,
really were paying high compliment
to the souls of their former enemies by
trusting them with so precious a spirit.
There was no suggestion that the Ger
mans might fail to obey. So long as
their SlayerS possessed relics of them
they had no alternative.
Death Wigwam Taken Down.
During the fourth night one Of the
old men talked directly to the soule