Evening star., 1937-10-21
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

A study Of the folk ways and customs
of the Montagnais Indians on the eastern
coast of James Bay-one of the most re-
mote of aboriginal American tribes-was
made this Summer by Miss Regina Flan-
merry, Catholic University anthropologist.
Among these people, Miss Flannery
found, the strange cult of the bear is
particularly stressed. Whenever a bear
is shot and brought into camp an elab-
crate ritual is observed to assuage the
dead animals spirit which may be, to say
the least, slightly irritated over the rough
treatment accorded to it in the flesh.
The body is laid on clean, embroid-
cred blanket or shawl. Ornaments are
hung around its neck. A pipe filled with
tobacco is placed in the dead animals
mouth or some tobacco is sprinkled on
its lips. Because of these attentions. the
Montagnais believe, the bear will be
placated and look upon his slayers as
his friends. Otherwise he may be so
mad that he will warn all other bears
TO keep out of the way of the Indians
who are ungrateful scoundrels.
Ordinarily, it is believed. these ami
mails are friends of man. They have no
serious objections to being killed to pro-
vide their friends with meat and fur.
But they consider it due them at least
to be thanked for such sacrifice which
NAV put an individual animal to consid-
erable inconvenience until he can find
a new body.
In an aggravated case an offended bear
spirit might even complain about it to
Memeuuecio, the keeper of the bears.
The Indians refer to the animals as
"Memequecio's little dogs" If this spirit
took the complaint seriously he might
withdraw his charges from the land alto
gether, which would constitute a great
tragedy for the Indians.
Memequecio, Miss Flannery says, ap-
parently is supernatural figure COM
mon to all the Northern Algonquin
tribes, but only among the Montagna1s
is he especially associated with bears.
In some places, where the Indians were
dependent on gathering herbs for
livelihood, he was considered the keeper
of plants and a bit of tobacco for him
was always placed at the roots of a
plant which had been plucked. Among
other peoples he was stealer of fish
and considered a general nuisance. In
dians claim to have seen him padding
his stone canoe which always disap-
peared into the rocks when they gave
chase. Then they could hear the impish
sprite laughing at them inside boulder
or cliff by the sea shore.
But the Montagnais have the most
profound respect for the spirit. They de-
scribe him as grotesque dwarf with
long hair and fiat nose something like
a monkey. Whenever any bear meat
is eaten a little bit is thrown on the
fire for Memequacio, so that he will
feel always welcome in the family circle.
He is said to be somewhat sensitive over
his grotesque appearance. If he thinks
folks are laughing at him or don't want
him around 1t naturally makes him mad.
Miss Flannery also collected data on
the spring Thanksgiving festival of the
Montagnais which comes late in March
or early in April. Thanksgiving cere-
monies among whites are usually held
in the fall, when the crops are gath
cred. Farmers know what they can
count on for the winter and give thanks
for it.
The Montagnais are hunting people.
Their ceremony is to give thanks for the
game which has been given them during
the hunting season, the winter. So the
change from autumn to spring is nat
uraI enough. The festival never Is sched-
uled in advance. The household waits
for some fine morning when there Is
every prospect that 1t VIII remain far