THE SIOUX MYTHOLOGY. 89 



Before the advent of the white man these people believed that 

 the earth was fiat, with a circular form, and was suspended in a 

 dark space, and sheltered by the heaven or sky in the shape of a 

 hollow hemisphere. The sun was regarded as the father and the 

 earth the mother of all things that live and grow ; but as they 

 had been married a long time and had become the parents of many 

 generations, they were called the great-grandparents. As far as I 

 can judge, the moon seemed to be their servant ; at least, she was 

 required to watch, together with her brothers, the stars, over the 

 sleeping universe, while the sun came clown to rest with his 

 family. 



In the thunder-bird they believed God had a warrior who pre- 

 sided over the most powerful elements the storm and the fear- 

 ful cyclone. This symbolic creature is depicted as an impatient 

 and wrathy god of war, at whose appearance even the ever-smil- 

 ing grandfather, the sun, hides his face. In the realms of water 

 the whale is the symbolized chief of the finny tribes. In every 

 great lake the Sioux imagines a huge fish as ruler of its waters. 



Yet none of these possess the power of speech. The Great 

 Mystery had shown them some truths denied to man, but he did 

 not trust them fully, therefore he made them dumb. They can 

 only show to man some supernatural things by signs or in dreams ; 

 as, for instance, to foretell future events or explain the use of cer- 

 tain powerful remedies. The savage holds that the key of heaven 

 is vested in the visible phenomena of the universe. All creatures, 

 save man, are assigned to a peculiar paradise, in which there is 

 a forbidden fruit namely, the apple of speech and reasoning. 

 Hence the animals and inanimate things are exempted from sin. 

 Thus it is that rocks, trees, and rivers are surrounded with an 

 atmosphere of grandeur, beauty, and mystery. Nature is the 

 interpreter of the Great Mystery, and through her man is con- 

 vinced of truth. 



The root-eating animals were believed to be intrusted with 

 the mysteries of medicine. They were the medicine-givers. The 

 sun and the thunder-bird also possessed efficacious treatments, 

 but without the use of roots and herbs. On account of these 

 beliefs the practices of no two medicine men among the Sioux are 

 exactly the same. E^ch claims that his knowledge of medicine 

 was obtained from some particular animal, of whom the bear, 

 beaver, etc., are first in the profession. Those who found their 

 treatment upon the power of the sun or the thunder-bird do 

 not use any medicine. There was but one general organization 

 among the Sioux, and this was based upon medicine and religion 

 combined. It was called the "Holy Medicine Lodges." There 

 were many of these lodges, each one different in its medicines and 

 medicine songs, but alike in all other respects. They had a com- 



