RELIGION. 275 



Being, like all primitive people, extremely supersti- 

 tious, there is scarcely anything that does not partake of 

 one or the other character. The flight of a bird through 

 the air, the course of a snake in the grass, the yelping of a 

 fox, all sights and sounds of every-day life, have to the 

 Indian a spiritual significance and meaning. But for a 

 more intimate knowledge of the immediate future he 

 depends on. a process of ' making medicine,' thoroughly 

 known only to the Indians themselves. 



Different coloured earths or sands, ashes of certain 

 plants, or of particular bones of birds, animals or reptiles, 

 and other ingredients, which are kept sacredly secret, are 

 mixed together in a shallow dish or other receptacle, 

 and gently stirred with a stick (as one might compound 

 a dressing for a salad). From the combination of colours, 

 or some other peculiarity developed during this process, 

 the Indian believes that he can infallibly divine which 

 god is to him in the ascendant at that time. Should the 

 4 medicine ' be ' good,' a small quantity is put in little 

 pouches of dressed deer skin, and tied in the hair of the 

 warrior, and around the necks of the women and chil- 

 dren. What is left over is carefully burned on the lodge 

 fire. Should the process develope ' bad medicine,' the 

 mixture is taken outside of the camp, and is carefully 

 buried, no one touching it. 



No Indian will undertake a hunt or trivial journey of 

 a few days without first ' making medicine.' If ' good/ 

 he goes off happy and contented ; if ' bad,' he remains at 

 home. In summer, when the Indian life is active, 

 scarcely a week passes that ' medicine ' is not made in 

 every lodge. 1 This may be called private devotion ; 

 Each band occasionally ' makes medicine ' in common, 

 and at least once a year the whole tribe is assembled, 

 and spends even weeks in a ceremony as interesting, and 

 sometimes as tragic, as can be well conceived. 



1 Many of the old trappers of the plains have firm faith in their power of 

 1 making medicine,' and in their religion are as good Indians as any. 



T 2 



