INDIANS (AMERICAN.) 



s men, and, in short, that all animated nature t reins 

 wiih -|'iriii. In llieir belief, sorcery is blended with 

 the healing art, ami their priests are also physicians 

 ami jugglers. These priests practise feats of sleight 

 of hand with all their religious ceremonies; but, with 

 a few exceptions, they have no power or influence 

 over the multitude. The future state of the Indians 

 is a material paradise, where they will follow the 

 same occupations, and enjoy the same delights, they 

 have experienced in this world. They have also a 

 vague idea of future punishment for sins committed 

 in ilu- body. Among the superstitions of the Algon- 

 quin and Dahcotah tribes, is a very singular one: A 

 man is sometimes devoted, by his parents or himself, 

 tn a life of ignominy. In this case, he dresses like a 

 woman, and performs all female avocations. He 

 associates with women only, and sometimes takes a 

 husband. He is held in utter contempt by all, though 

 his condition be not of his own choice. This con- 

 dition is frequently owing to a dream of his parents, 

 while lie is yet unborn. In many tribes, men have 

 what they call their medicine bags. These are filled 

 with bones, feathers, and other rubbish. To the 

 IK - i vation of their medicine bags they attach much 

 importance. Besides this, each holds some particular 

 animal in reverence, which he calls his medicine, and 

 can by no means be induced to kill, or eat when 

 killed, for fear of some terrible misfortune. More- 

 over, the Indians leave tobacco, worn out clothing, 

 and other articles, on rocks, as sacrifices to invisible 

 spirits. The above is nearly the sum of their religion. 

 It is, we believe, impossible to estimate the number 

 of tlie North American Indians with any degree of 

 accuracy. It is, however, very small throughout, in 

 proportion to the extent of territory; for a hunting 

 people cannot be very numerous. Their wars, of 

 which we have heard so much, do not materially 

 affect them. They are carried on in detail, by small 

 parties, and, consequently, are not very destructive. 

 They very seldom give quarter, but when a prisoner 

 is spared, he is sure of being adopted by the conquer- 

 ing tribe. The tribes who inhabit the prairies go to 

 war on horseback, and their weapons are spears and 

 bows and arrows. Those who inhabit the forests are 

 generally armed with guns. Their courage is moral 

 and passive rather than active. They think it 

 cowardice to be affected by calamity, or to give 

 way to passion or feeling. To be always ready and 

 willing to die, and to sutler whatever may befall with 

 constancy, is their idea of the perfection of courage. 

 As to government among them, there is none. They 

 have no laws ; but there are customs, which every 

 individual scrupulously observes. In cases of murder, 

 for instance, the rule is, blood for blood, and the 

 homicide rarely shuns the penalty of his deed. They 

 have chiefs, but the power of these is limited to per- 

 suasion, and they can command no one. Sometimes 

 a chief becomes such in virtue of his achievements in 

 war, or his wisdom. In some tribes, there is some- 

 thing like hereditary rank; but even then, authority 

 does not descend in a direct line. The son of a chief 

 is often set aside, to make room for one more worthy. 

 But in war, implicit obedience is given to the com- 

 mands of the leader. The tribes that inhabit the 

 prairies all live by hunting the buffalo, mostly on 

 horseback. Those who dwell in wooded countries 

 hunt deer and smaller animals. The more primitive 

 savages are the poorest, but at the same time the 

 least dependent, for they have few wants, and can 

 supply those few without assistance. Those who 

 live nearer the whites have more of the comforts of 

 life, but are no whit more civilized or happier, for 

 their enjoyments are not multiplied. We may say 

 that, if the Indian trade of the Mississippi were in- 

 terrupted for five years, all the aborigines of that 



quarter would be in danger of perishing, as they 

 depend on the whites for clothing and weapons. 

 The Indians can never be dangerous, as there is no 

 union among them. They have no letters, unless we 

 count a few rude hieroglyphics as such. On the 

 whole, we may speak of them as a brave, reckless, 

 generous, and unfortunate people. The Indians in 

 the southern part of North America liave been sub- 

 ject to the Spaniards, and are now dependent on the 

 republics of Mexico and Guatimala, if we except 

 some tribes, such as the Apaches, the Nabajoas, and 

 the Mosquitos. The independent tribes of the north 

 of Mexico resemble those of the United States ui 

 manners and customs. Living by the chase and 

 plunder, and provided with fleet horses, they harass 

 the frontiers and hunters. On the coasts of Yucatan, 

 the Indians live by hunting, fishing, and the trade in 

 dye-wood. The extensive ruins of cities in Mexico 

 prove the former extent of its population. The na- 

 tives possess great muscular force, are well formed, 

 and live to a great age. It is difficult to form an 

 opinion of the character of a people which has been 

 so long subjected to the most cruel oppression. At 

 the time of the conquest, the rich inhabitants of 

 Mexico fell a prey to the rapacity of the Spaniards, 

 and the Azteck priests, who were the depositaries of 

 all the historical knowledge of the country, became 

 the victims of fanaticism. The Mexican Indians are 

 grave, melancholy, and silent; their music and dances 

 display the same character. The Indians of South 

 America do not differ materially, in their physical 

 characteristics, from those of the northern half of the 

 continent, and, except those of Peru and Chile, are 

 without civilization. In the extensive regions for- 

 merly belonging to Spain, they may be divided into 

 two classes, the independent Indians, or Indies bra- 

 vos, and those who have been reduced to submission. 

 The former are entirely strangers to agriculture; sup- 

 port themselves by the chase, and fishing; some of them 

 eat ants, lizards, and even a kind of mud. The natives 

 of Peru, descendants of the ancient inhabitants of the 

 empire of the Incas, have, as well as those of Colom- 

 bia, been emancipated, since those countries have 

 delivered themselves from the Spanish yoke. Their 

 services were important during the war of the 

 colonies against the mother country. They are, in 

 general, well made and healthy. They are super- 

 stitious, wearing amulets on different parts of their 

 bodies. They make bitter, intoxicating drink from a 

 certain plant, and use poisoned arrows. Their vil- 

 lages are fortified, and, in case of necessity, they 

 retire into the mountains. The Indians of Chile are 

 mostly independent. Their features are regular, and 

 their complexion is not very dark. Their principal 

 wealth consists in herds of oxen, horses, and guana- 

 cos. They pay little attention to agriculture, being 

 nomadic in their habits. They worship the stars, 

 and recognize a Great First Cause. Astronomy is 

 not unknown to them. (See Ara.ucania.ns.') In 

 Buenos Ayres, the missions of the Jesuits succeeded, 

 in some degree, in civilizing the natives. The tribes 

 of Brazil are numerous ; many of them are entirely 

 savage, and both sexes go naked. Their manners 

 and habits are very similar to those of the North 

 American tribes. They live by the chase, which, 

 with war, is the only occupation of the men ; the 

 women are the labourers, beasts of burden, servants, 

 &c., of these warlike tribes. Their mutual wars are 

 very sanguinary, and many of them are constantly 

 at war with the Portuguese, while others have 

 entered into friendly connexions with them. Some 

 of them have adopted fixed habitations, and practise 

 a rude kind of agriculture ; some of them make vases 

 of clay, gather cotton, and make cloth. At the 

 southern extremity of South America are the Pata- 



