INDIANS 



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INDIANS 



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INDIAN BASKETFCrl 



Iroquois birch bark vessel 



the tribes were divided into clans of close 

 blood relations, whose totem was a particular 

 animal from which they were often believed to 

 have descended. The sun and the four princi- 

 pal directions, north, east, south and west, were 

 often objects of worship. The shaman, a sort 

 of priest, was often the medicine-man of a tribe. 

 Sickness was usually supposed to be the result 

 of displeasing some spirit or of witchcraft, and 

 was treated with incantations and prayers. 



The Indians have many beautiful and weird 

 legends. That of Hiawatha has a permanent 

 place in our literature, though unfortunately 

 the hero is portrayed as an Algonquin of the 

 Lake Superior region, when he was really a 

 chief of the Iroquois of New York state. Many 

 of the Indian traditions resemble the old Bible 

 stories, particularly those of Joseph, of the 

 passing through the divided waters of the Red 

 Sea, and of the guidance and feeding of the 

 Israelites in the wilderness. Other tales are of 

 the animals building the world, or bringing fire 

 to men, or of tragic romances or mighty 

 achievements of fabled ancestors. 



With the Indian the basis of virtue was self- 

 control. To conceal the emotions and to en- 

 dure torture unflinchingly was required of each. 



Gambling was believed an excellent pastime 

 because it gave the loser an opportunity to dis- 

 play his fortitude, especially if he lost every- 

 thing he possessed. Among the Iroquois theft 

 and other crimes are said to have been so infre- 

 quent that there were no rules for punishment, 

 and an Indian always kept a promise, no mat- 

 ter what the consequences to himself. It will 

 thus be readily seen why most white people 

 inspired in the Indian the thought of distrust. 

 Government. Perhaps because each man 

 governed himself with respect for the rights of 

 his neighbors, elaborate organization of the 

 Indian community was unknown. The chiefs 

 as a rule had little power of their own, but car- 

 ried out the will of the tribe. The chieftain's 

 office was not hereditary in the European fash- 

 ion, though a man's successor was usually of 

 his own family. His election was sometimes by 

 the women, of the tribe. Each tribe was a na- 

 tion in itself, with its own lands clearly bounded 

 by treaty with its neighbors. Besides the con- 

 federation of Incas and Aztecs which the 

 Spaniards looked upon as empires, there existed 

 a remarkably-organized union among the Iro- 

 quois, called the Five Nations, and later the 

 Six Nations. 



