The Indians have a very fanciful mythology, which would make exquisite
machinery for poetry. It is quite distinct from the polytheism of the
Greeks. The Greek mythology personified all nature, and materialised all
abstractions: the Indians spiritualise all nature. They do not indeed
place dryads and fauns in their woods, nor naiads in their streams; but
every tree has a spirit; every rock, every river, every star that
glistens, every wind that breathes, has a spirit; every thing they
cannot comprehend is a spirit: this is the ready solution of every
mystery, or rather makes every thing around them a mystery as great as
the blending of soul and body in humanity. A watch, a compass, a gun,
have each their spirit. The thunder is an angry spirit; the aurora
borealis, dancing and rejoicing spirits; the milky way is the path of
spirits. Birds, perhaps from their aerial movements, they consider as in
some way particularly connected with the invisible world of spirits. Not
only all animals have souls, but it is the settled belief of the
Chippewa Indians that their souls will fare the better in another world,
in the precise ratio that their lives and enjoyments are curtailed in
this: hence, they have no remorse in hunting; but when they have killed
a bear or rattle-snake, they solemnly beg his pardon, and excuse
themselves on the plea of necessity.
Besides this general _spiritualisation_ of the whole universe, which to
an Indian is all spirit in diversity of forms (how delighted Bishop
Berkeley would have been with them!), they have certain mythologic
existences. Manabozho is a being very analogous to the Seeva of the
Hindoo mythology. The four cardinal points are spirits, the west being
the oldest and the father of the others, by a beautiful girl, who, one
day while bathing, suffered the west wind to blow upon her. Weeng is the
spirit of sleep, with numerous little subordinate spirits, his
emissaries, whose employment is to close the eyes of mortals, and by
tapping on their foreheads _knock_ them to sleep. Then they have
Weendigos--great giants and cannibals, like the Ascaparts and Morgantes
of the old romances; and little tiny spirits or fairies, which haunt
the woods and cataracts. The Nibanaba, half human half fish, dwell in
the waters of Lake Superior. Ghosts are plentiful, and so are
transformations, as you have seen. The racoon was once a shell lying on
the lake shore, and vivified by the sun-beams: the Indian name of the
racoon, _aisebun_, is literally, _he was a shell_. The brains of a
wicked adulteress, whose skull was beaten to pieces against the rocks,
as it tumbled down a cataract, became the white fish.[30]
As to the belief in sorcery, spells, talismans, incantations, all which
go by the general name of _medicine_, it is unbounded. Henry mentions,
that among the goods which some traders took up the country to exchange
for furs, they had a large collection of the little rude prints,
published for children, at a halfpenny a piece--I recollect such when I
was a child. They sold these at a high price, for _medicines_ (_i. e._
talismans), and found them a very profitable and popular article of
commerce. One of these, a little print of a sailor kissing his
sweetheart, was an esteemed _medicine_ among the young, and eagerly
purchased for a love-spell. A soldier presenting his gun, or brandishing
his sabre, was a medicine to promote warlike courage--and so on.
The medicines and manitos of the Indians will remind you of the fetishes
of the negroes.
[Footnote 30: I have heard the particulars of this wild story of the
origin of the white-fish, but cannot remember them. I think the woman
was put to death by her sons. Most of the above particulars I learned
from oral communication, and from some of the papers published by Mr.
Schoolcraft. This gentleman and others instituted a society at Detroit
(1832), called the _Algic Society_, for "evangelising the north-western
tribes, inquiring into their history and superstitions, and promoting
education, agriculture, industry, peace, and temperance among them."]
With regard to the belief in omens and incantations, I should like to
see it ascertained how far we civilised Christians, with all our
schools, our pastors, and our masters, are in advance of these
(so-called) savages?[31]
Who would believe that with a smile, whose blessing
Would, like the patriarch's, soothe a dying hour;
With voice as low, as gentle, as caressing,
As e'er won maiden's lip in moonlit bower;
With look, like patient Job's, eschewing evil;
With motions graceful as a bird's in air;
Thou art, in sober truth, the veriest devil,
That e'er clench'd fingers in a captive's hair!--Halleck.
Mr. Johnson tells me, what pleases me much, that the Indians like me,
and are gratified by my presence, and the interest I express for them,
and that I am the subject of much conversation and speculation. Being in
manners and complexion unlike the European women they have been
accustomed to see, they have given me, he says, a name among themselves
expressive of the most obvious characteristic in my appearance, and call
me the _white_ or _fair English chieftainess_ (Ogima-quay). I go among
them quite familiarly, and am always received with smiling good-humour.
With the assistance of a few words, as ninni, a man; minno, good;
mudjee, bad; mee gwedge, thank you; maja, good-bye; with nods, smiles,
signs, and friendly hand-taking,--we hold most eloquent conversations.
Even the little babies smile at me out of their comical cradles, slung
at their mothers' backs, and with the help of beads and lolly-pops from
the village store, I get on amazingly well; only when asked for some
"English milk" (rum or whisky), I frown as much as I can, and cry
Mudjee! Mudjee! bad! bad! then they laugh, and we are friends again.
The scenes I at first described are of constant reiteration. Every
morning when I leave my room and come out into the porch, I have to
exchange _bo-jou!_ and shake hands with some twenty or thirty of my
dingy, dusky, greasy, painted, blanketed smiling friends: but to-day we
have had some new scenes.
First, however, I forgot to tell you that yesterday afternoon there came
in a numerous fleet of canoes, thirty or forty at least; and the wind
blowing fresh from the west, each with its square blanket sail came
scudding over the waters with astonishing velocity; it was a beautiful
sight. Then there was the usual bustle, and wigwam building,
fire-lighting and cooking, all along the shore, which is now excessively
crowded: and yelling, shouting, drinking and dancing at the whisky
store. But all this I have formerly described to you.
[Footnote 31: "One of the most distinguished men of the age, who has
left a reputation which will be as lasting as it is great, was, when a
boy, in constant fear of a very able but unmerciful schoolmaster, and in
the state of mind which that constant fear produced, he fixed upon a
great spider for his fetish (or manito), and used every day to pray to
it that he might not be flogged."--_The Doctor_, vol. v.
When a child, I was myself taken to a witch (or medicine woman) to be
cured of an accidental burn by charms and incantations. I was then about
six years old, and have a very distinct recollection of the whole
scene, which left a strong and frightful impression on my childish
fancy.]