THE CEREMONIAL USE OF TOBACCO. 177 



near the famous red pipestone quarry of the Coteau des Prairies 

 is mentioned by Catlin, who says that the Indians never went 

 quite to them, but standing some distance away they would throw 

 plugs of tobacco to them, thus asking permission of the indwell- 

 ing spirits to dig and remove the precious pipestone. 



Still later survivals of the ancient customs connected with the 

 use of tobacco may be noted. According to Colonel Garrick 

 Mallery, an instance of the use of tobacco as incense was fur- 

 nished by the Iroquois as late as 1882. The following words 

 were addressed to the fire : " Bless thy grandchildren ; protect 

 and strengthen them. By this tobacco we give thee a sweet- 

 smelling sacrifice, and ask thy care to keep us from sickness and 

 famine." The Iroquois still make an annual sacrifice of a white 

 dog, on which occasions tobacco is solemnly burned. The idea 

 underlying this employment of tobacco is well shown in the 

 prayer which accompanies the ceremony : " I now cast into the 

 fire the Indian tobacco, that as the scent rises up into the air it 

 may ascend to thy abode of peace and quietness ; and thou wilt 

 perceive and know that thy counsels are duly observed by man- 

 kind, and wilt recognize and approve the objects for which thy 

 blessing has been asked." Another late custom of the Iroquois is 

 thus related by Mrs. Erminnie A. Smith : " In a dry summer sea- 

 son, the horizon being filled with distant thunderheads, it was cus- 

 tomary to burn what the Indians call real tobacco, as an offering 

 to bring rain. . . . Every family was supposed to have a private 

 altar upon which its offerings were secretly made ; after which 

 that family must repair, bearing its tithe, to the council house 

 where the gathered tithes of tobacco were burned in the council 

 fire. . . . Burning tobacco is the same as praying. In times of 

 trouble or fear, after a bad dream, or any event which frightens 

 them, they say, 'My mother went out and burned tobacco/" 

 The Cohuilla Indians of California believe in evil spirits called 

 sespes, and when they can not sleep they make offerings to these 

 of tobacco. In making their buffalo medicine the Dakotas were 

 accustomed to burn tobacco to bring the herds. Some American 

 Indians before killing a rattlesnake would make an offering to its 

 spirit by sprinkling a pinch of tobacco on its head. Others would 

 beg pardon of a bear which they had killed, and by placing the 

 peace pipe in its mouth and blowing the smoke down its throat, 

 ask its spirit not to take revenge. The Sioux in Hennepin's time 

 looked toward the sun when they smoked, and when the calumet 

 was lighted they held it aloft, saying, " Smoke, sun." A like cus- 

 tom prevailed among the Creeks. Gordon William Lillie (" Paw- 

 nee Bill "), speaking of the pipe dance of the Pawnees, says that 

 " before lighting their pipes they throw a pinch of the tobacco 

 into the air. This, with the first three puffs of smoke, which are 



VOL. XLIII. 13 



