Indian Mounds and Earthworks. 103 
ness, of strength, revenge, or cunning—qualities which rank 
among the highest in his esteem—in the trophies of the eagle, 
the bear, the serpent, or the fox. If among the boldest of knights 
and kings, Europe had her Coeur de Leon, so have the chiefs of 
our Indians, though far less known to fame, their appellations ; 
such as the Black Warrior, the Grizzly Bear, the Swift Deer, the 
Watchful Fox, the Rolling Thunder, and the North Wind. And 
if in the proudest days of romantic chivalry, amidst the gorgeous 
panoply of the court, the tournament, or the battle field, all eyes 
might recognize him of the Falcon, the Leopard, or the Bloody 
Hand, so also in humbler guise, yet with not less pride of heart, 
have the brave of our aboriginal Indians commonly been dis- 
tinguished. No heroes of Greece, or Rome, or the Holy Land, 
were prouder of the badges of victory and the trophies of con- 
quest, than are the natives of our western world. Within their 
own limited sphere, they appear to have sought distinction and to 
have earned characteristic titles, by the exercise of those qualities 
which are most estimated in savage life; and our own ears are 
familiar, even at the present day, with such titles as the Black 
Hawk, the Panther, Alligator, and Rattlesnake; the Young Ea- 
gle, the Black Wolf, the White Dog. 
But it was not individuals, merely, by whom such appellations 
were borne. We have good evidence that many tribes of North 
America adopted, and even yet retain for their badges, the sim- 
ple natural objects whose names they also bear; as in the men- 
tioned instances of the Fox, the Turtle, and other tribes. Infor- 
mation on this head may be found in Colonel McKenney’s work 
*On the Indian Tribes of North America.” Another writer, 
familiar with Indian history, states that “all the Indian nations 
are divided into tribes, after the manner of the Jews.’’* 
The Shawanese nation was originally divided into twelve 
: tribes, or bands, all of which tribes were subdivided, in the usual 
manner, into families or clans, of the Eagle, the Bear, the Turtle, 
&c. These animals constitute their “totems,” among which is 
the family or totem of the Panther, which sprung from the.Kick- 
apoo tribe. 
The Crane was the badge of a branch of the Chippewa tribe, 
as was, doubtless, the Fox of another. The authority last 
* Johnston, Indian Agent. Archeologia Americana. 
