276 INDIANS. 



While each warrior head of a lodge is the priest for 

 himself and family, there is in each tribe a 'medicine* 

 chief,' who may be called the bishop of the diocese. He 

 is usually a man of strongly marked character, with brains, 

 savoir faire, and knowledge of men sufficient to enable 

 him to sustain his rather difficult role. He is necessarily 

 the head of a band, though his spiritual duties in no way 

 debar him from temporal command, or even from service 

 in the field. As a rule, however, he is content with the 

 ease and dignity of his position, and relies upon his in- 

 fluence with the head chief for prompt punishment of any 

 contempt or violation of his orders by any individual of 

 the tribe. 



The Indian, not being a worker, has no need of a 

 Sabbath day. ISTo regular time is set apart for the 

 ordinary duties of religion. The priest is not, therefore, 

 expected to perform any ceremonies; and his duties seem 

 to consist principally in taking care of himself and family 

 in all distributions of game killed, in maintaining his 

 precedence and superior sanctity by a studied non-inter- 

 course with the commons of the tribe, and by an occa- 

 sional visit to a sick man, for which he is paid if the 

 patient recovers. To his priestly office he unites the 

 professional duties of physician and surgeon. These 

 require no special knowledge of the healing art ; for as all 

 disease is only the presence of the bad god, if * he ' can 

 be exorcised by the spiritual power of the priest the 

 patient will get well at once. This exorcism is supposed 

 to be accomplished by incantation the performance of 

 mysterious ceremonies to the music of most doleful wails 

 and lugubrious howls, sufficient, one might suppose, to 

 drive out the most obstinate of devils. 



Almost all Indians have some knowledge of simples 

 and of the treatment of wounds, so that the medicine 

 chief is only called in in extreme cases. 



In winter, when cold and snow proclaim the presence 

 of the bad god, the Indian, his camp snugly ensconced 



