Evening star., 1933-09-24
Single Deity Belief Found n
Among Lo,o Culture Indians
c. U. Protesser Studies
Primitive Theology in
Hudson Bay Area.
DR.. Cooper Achieves Ain,
after Long Research
0yCree Tribe. 4s
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The concept of single, all-powerful
Deity among the primitive Northern
Cree Indians of the Hudson Bay re-
gion found this Summer, after search
for several years, according to an
nouncement of Rev. DIR. John M. Coop
er. professor of anthropology at Cath.
olic University, who has just returned
from visit to the tribe. =
The finding of this concept among q
people at a low stage Of human culture
DR.. Cooper said, Is of vital significance
theory it should have been there, but
DR.. Cooper had failed for so long to
find 1t that he was almost convinced 1t
did not exist Until he accidentally stum-
bled unpn it this Summer.
The theory Of the development Of re-
ligion held by many anthropologists is
that there is universal belief in sin
gle Deity at the lowest levels of culture
out Of which man arose. but with the
development Of systematized hunting
keeping of herds and cultivation Of the
soil this one God becomes split up into
many gods, usually with a supreme
spirit ruling over them. This later idea
is found among most of the more ad-
vanced primitive peoples. At still higher
stages the lone God" idea comes back
again.
Concepts Different.
Thus. Dr. Cooper points out, the con-
cept Of the Great Spirit" among the
Indians reported by early missionaries
and explorers was very different from
the "one God" idea. 1t pictured an es-
pecially powerful God ruling over host
Of lesser gods. But these people were
living on fairly advanced culture levels
Theoretically at the lower levels from
which they had arose, and which would
be represented by the peoples living at
the extreme habitable borders of their
world, the old religion should have sur
vived.
1t was found among the extremely
primitive F'uegan Indians on the south
isted on the northern fringe of North
America it eluded anthropologists. The
people would not talk about it.
For the past six Summers its discov-
cry has been one Of the detectives of
DR.. Cooper's expeditions among the
Cree, during which he has. formed
numerous contacts with Indians yersed
in the tribal lore. 1t was known to be
present among the most primitive
peoples In other parts of the world He
was led further to suspect its existence
by references found in the Jesuit rela-
tions of a Master of Life and Death"
described by Algonquin tribes along the
st. Lawrence with whom the early mis-
sionaries came in contact
Supposedly Lost Forever.
The essential point, he says, is that
the Cree have no hierarchy of gods such
as is found among other tribes. They
believe in various supernatural beings.
but after a careful study of these he
concluded that they could not be con-
sidered as having the status of gods,
but rather were minor demons and
hunting spirits. The concept he found
this Summer, he says. is essentially the
old Master of Life and Death" which
supposedly was lost forever
Most curious of all. DR.. Cooper points
out, is that this Cree Deity exists as a
trinity, the master of food. the master
of life and the master Of death There
arc not the gods. but one god in three
aspects. The idea is vaguely akin to
that of the Christian trinity, although
the three-fold attributes are quite diff
ferent. At later stage of development
these three attributes of one deity prob
ably would be split up into three sep
arate gods.
The Supreme Being of the Crees, DR..