INDIAN CONCEPTS OF THE SUN — STIRLING 395 



Eclipses were interpreted as good or bad auguries depending on 

 the place in the sky at which they happened to be. One darkening 

 of the sun was supposed to have happened because the Great Turtle, 

 which holds up the earth, in changing its position brought its shell 

 before the sun and thus cut off the light. 



Among the Mohawk and some of the Huron, eclipses were believed 

 to be due to the Great Frog Monster swallowing the sun. Under such 

 circumstances the Indians had to organize impromptu ceremonies and 

 by dint of the beating of drums, howling, and in general making as 

 much noise as possible, force the frog to disgorge. Thus far these 

 methods have always been successful. 



The Huron also believed that if an individual failed to perform 

 the winter rites required of him through dreams, the sun would 

 be held back, i. e., the coming of spring would be delayed. 



The Canadian Iroquois had a legend that when the sun should make 

 his daily rounds for the benefit of man it was also decided that the 

 sun of the daylight should rule the earth. 



In addition, it was resolved that times should change; that there 

 should be winter months and summer months, thirteen in all, and 

 each should be given a name. 



"There is a tree, composed of the languages of the nations of the 

 earth, standing where the sun emerges. 



"When the sun flies along where the tree stands he dances, saying, 

 'I will take care of the people living towards the West.' Then he 

 climbs the sky. When in the middle of the sky he stops for awhile 

 to rest and repeats what he said on emergence and continues dancing. 



"In the evening at sunset, he says 'I am glad to have done my duty' 

 and sinks below the ground." 



The idea of the sun standing still for awhile at the zenith is found 

 among many tribes from coast to coast. 



In ceremonies among the Iroquois, the moon is always addressed 

 as "our grandmother" and the sun as "our elder brother." 



The Algonquians have a series of myths in which various deities 

 engage in a celestial ball game. The Golden Eagle is the leader of the 

 benign gods and the Bear the leader of the underground people. The 

 Eagle always wins. This game symbolizes the eternal conflict be- 

 tween day and night, the ball itself being the sun. The day is the 

 perpetual conqueror. 



There is also a story of the Menominee in which Tchakabech, a 

 kind of Indian Jack-and-the-Beanstalk, climbs to heaven on a vine 

 and snares the sun in a net. During its captivity there was no day 

 on earth, until a mouse cut the strands of the net with his teeth, releas- 

 ing the sun and restoring the day. 



