Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 27

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 27

[21] This fetish or amulet is also exposed and smoked to as a medium

for his prayer to the Great Medicine.

 

A feast of corn, flour, or berries is as often used on these occasions

as animal flesh. The article sacrificed must be something of value,

must have caused the Indian some trouble or expense to procure;

otherwise it is of no avail. On one occasion an Indian bought at this

place the following three articles at the price of six buffalo robes,

viz., two kettle covers, a ball that had been shot out of a gun, and

a chew of tobacco that had been thrown away. Now, although he could

have procured any of these articles for nothing in his own camp, yet

according to his promise to Wakoñda he was obliged to pay a high price

and to travel a long distance to procure them.

 

Every warrior or man of family among them makes these sacrifices

whenever he feels disposed, or their promises to Wakoñda become due,

and if they do not fulfill these promises or neglect these ceremonies

they are punished, or at least any accident, loss, or failure would

be attributed to this cause, that could not be accounted for by any

other. Another mode resorted to of propitiating the anger of Wakoñda or

securing his aid is fasting and cutting their bodies. This is not much

practiced by the Assiniboin except for success in war.

 

Several principal warriors will lie out in the cold, rain, or snow

for three or four days and nights, without eating, drinking, smoking,

or speaking, making internal prayers to Wakoñda to aid them in

accomplishing their objects and the dreams that present themselves

under these circumstances are received as favorable or unfavorable

omens according to the nature of the visions presented. This is done

by those who are desirous of leading a war party or becoming capable

to lead by some great exploit, and the leader chosen is he whose dream

appears to present the greatest appearance of success. These fasts are

sometimes accompanied by cutting the breast with a knife horizontally

or the arms transversely above the elbow, making incisions about 3 or

4 inches long and half an inch deep, which are not bound up. Among

the Mandan and Gros Ventres these ceremonies are still more severe.

Incisions are made on each side of the shoulder blade on the back and

a stout stick is thrust through. A cord is then attached to the stick

and they are drawn up off their feet to a post planted for the purpose.

By an impetus given with their feet they throw themselves out from the

post and swing themselves around violently until the cord winds and

unwinds successively, for one or two days, when the hold breaks and

they fall to the ground.

 

If not already too much weakened, new incisions are made and cords

10 or 12 feet long are tied therein. To the ends of these cords are

attached three or four buffalo bulls’ heads and horns, each weighing

from 15 to 20 pounds, and they drag this weight over the ground, the

horns plowing it up until the holds break, or fainting from exhaustion

they are carried away by their relatives. Nothing is eaten or drunk

during all this time.[22]

 

[22] We perceive by the printed inquiry that this is not credited, yet

it is so common among these people as scarcely to attract the attention

of the traders.

 

These and other ceremonies are what they think appeases the anger,

averts the evil, or secures the aid of Wakoñda or Great Mystery. They

are not made with the view of any atonement whatever for bad deeds,

neither with the object of purifying their minds for communion with

him or it, but as a payment. The idea is that he who undergoes so much

voluntary punishment or pain, or destroys so much property to him

valuable, entitles him to the protection of that unknown power and that

it can and will favor those who thus remember and worship him.

 

They have no idea of national and individual atonement, nor that any

person was to or has come on earth to answer for them. To make this

idea reasonable to them they would first have to be taught that they

are guilty of crime and a correct knowledge of the attributes of the

Great Mystery, together with a moral sense of justice. To do this the

entire regeneration of the grown Indian must be brought about, which it

would be little less than a miracle to accomplish.

 

They would, to please any missionary, give a tacit consent to his

creed, whatever it was. Knowing him to be an educated and superior

man, not striving after personal gain, they would be induced to give

it a trial, but would continue their own ceremonies at the same time

in secret, and any failure of their expectations would be blamed on

the missionary. They might actually appear to him converted by outward

show, but their minds would undergo no change, unless it was to become

more confused and skeptical. This is the reason why all attempts at

reformation should be made with their children. Abstract truth will

not admit of general application, without taking into consideration

the existing state of things. The necessity of law must be felt before

it would avail; their ignorance made manifest before truth could be

introduced; a moral sense of justice and of their depravity implanted

before moral rectitude can be expected.

 

Horses sacrificed on an Indian’s grave are an offering to the Great

Mystery to conduct the soul of the departed immediately to the south,

where the Indian Paradise is said to be situated, and also includes a

desire that the Great Mystery should supply the place of the deceased

parent, as a father and protector. Dogs and other animals that are

killed in sacrifice, are eaten by those invited, and only appear to be

part of the ceremony, not of the sacrifice. The entrails of the animal

thus killed are neither eaten nor burned, but thrown away as on any

other occasion.

 

In eating these feasts small bits are thrown on the ground with these

words: “This to Wakoñda to keep us from, harm,” “This to the Sun,”

“This to the Thunder,” or to some of their dead relatives, and these

ejaculations are uttered in a very low voice, not always audible. They

offer no human sacrifices to Wakoñda, neither do their traditions

mention their forefathers to have done so. Though enemies are tortured

to death in many ways, yet it is only to satisfy their revenge and

thirst for savage glory. Within the last year several of these acts

have been committed a short distance from this place, which to convey

an idea of we may mention here. Five Blackfeet were caught stealing

horses from the Crow village in the spring of 1853, then at the mouth

of the Yellowstone River, and the enemies were pursued a mile or so,

when they took refuge in a cluster of bushes. The Crows surrounded them

and by constant firing killed all except one, who was shot through

the leg. This man they took out alive, scalped, and cut his hands

off, gathered their boys around who fired into his body with powder,

striking him in the face with his own scalp, and knocking on his head

with stones and tomahawks until he died. Afterwards the five bodies

were carried to camp, the heads, hands, feet, and privates cut off,

paraded on poles, and thrown around the camp, some of which found

their way to the fort, and were presented by the Crows to the Cree

Indians then here.

 

A few weeks before the period at which we write some Blackfeet stole

horses from the Cree camp, were pursued and 11 out of the 12 of which

the party consisted were killed. The remaining one was taken alive,

scalped, his right hand cut off, and thus started back to his own

nation to tell the news. Now as this man was leaving the Cree camp he

met a Cree[23] boy whom he managed to kill with his remaining hand, was

pursued and taken the second time, and was tortured to death by slow

mutilation.

 

[23] Evidently should be Blackfeet.

 

The trunks are generally burned, but all the members and the head are

carried about the camp, if near, and insulted by the old women and

boys in every possible manner. The Sioux, Assiniboin, and Cree will on

occasions tear out the heart of an enemy, place it on a stick and roast

it before the fire, dance around, sing, and each bite off and swallow

a small piece. There are no religious associations attending these

acts, and they are not made with the view of appeasing the anger or of

sacrifices to the Great Mystery; neither do their words and actions on

these occasions imply any such idea; all is insult to the dead enemy,

and savage glory and revenge to themselves.

 

The moral character of their priests or doctors does not differ in any

respect from that of ordinary Indians, which have by this time been

seen to possess no such qualities as sobriety, truth, etc. Whether they

actually believe in their own powers we can not say, but rather think

they do. Perhaps some strokes of fortune or remarkable coincidences

have produced this belief, or they may think that the pains and

exertions they use may induce the Wakoñda to aid them. We have already

noticed this class of priests in their medical capacity, and will now

state their other qualifications. They wear no badge of office, are

either of the male or female sex, are not hereditary, nor is their

number limited. As many as are believed to be Wa-con, or Divine, and

are willing to run the risk attending the profession, do so. They are

all called by the same general name of Wa-con, independent of their

individual or real name. They affect to cure diseases, reveal future

events, direct where lost articles are to be found, interpret dreams,

etc. The ceremony attending any of these things (except sickness) is

conducted by the medicine man, first being paid for his services.

Afterwards he enters a small lodge built for the purpose, like the

vapor bath and drums, rattles and sings alone the greater part of the

night, returning his answer to those concerned in the morning. These

answers partake of the nature of those of the ancient oracles, are

ambiguous, with the view of evading decided failure. They do not claim

the power of witchcraft, as this is a dangerous profession, but this

power is ascribed to them by the other Indians.

 

The majority of these people believe, or say they believe, that some of

these old conjurors can “shoot them with bad spells” (as they express

it) at the distance of 100 miles off, and it is on the assumption that

they are the cause of some of their deaths, that the lives of these

professors are sometimes forfeited. We believe their confidence in the

powers of these priests and medicine men is pretty general, though

some of them (the priests) are more divine or Wa-con than others. When

an Indian is sick they endeavor to cure him, as has been stated, and

if unsuccessful and death ensues they usually keep out of sight until

the first bursts of grief are over. Others of the same profession who

have not been called to administer to the patient attend the funeral,

their object being to secure whatever property they can by loud crying,

cutting their hair and bodies, and other display of profound grief.

Nothing resembling a prayer is said over the dead at the burial nor

anything spoken. Indeed, on account of their loud lamentations it

would be impossible to hear it if it were. Some weeks afterwards,

however, other ceremonies take place regarding the dead which will be

described in another place. The body is placed in the fork of a tree,

on a scaffold, or occasionally interred on the top of a high hill. No

device, inscription, or hieroglyphics are made at or near the place of

interment by any of these nations.

 

As far as we have proceeded with their religion, belief is the general

one, though it may be clothed in different language by different

Indians, sometimes superstitious and fabulous, but our object has been

to arrive at the philosophy of their religion by rejecting fables,

etc., which do not bear upon the inquiry.

 

From this point all other religion diverges into different minor

beliefs and superstitions according to the fancy of each individual.

Many believe in certain evil spells and troubles brought on them by

lesser spirits or ghosts and even of the spirits of monsters which

have no existence nor ever had except in their dreams and morbid

imagination. It appears that these ghosts are the cause of all petty

malice, vexations, or bad luck, not being of sufficient consequence to

attract the attention or induce the influence of Wakoñda. To relate

the different kinds of belief in these powers as each would explain

it would require the labor of years, and it is somewhat difficult to

generalize, owing to the prevailing differences. Under some of the

answers that will follow regarding charms, amulets, ghosts, etc., will

be detailed enough in conjunction with what has already been stated to

form a tolerably connected idea of this feature of their faith.