BULL. 30] 



ETHICS AND MORALS 



441 



Lac at the head of L. Athabasca. There 

 were 248 enumerated at Fond du Lac in 

 1902, and 368 in 1904. 



Cariboo eaters. — Ross in Smlthson. Rep. 18ti6, 

 306, 1872. Eastern Folks.— Richardson, Arct. 

 Exped., II, 5, 1851. Ethen-eldeli.— I'etitot, Diet. 

 Dene-Dindjie, xx, 1876. ^then-elteli.— Petitot, 

 Autour du lac des Eselaves, 363, 1891. Ettine- 

 tinney.— Ross quoted by Gihbs, MS. notes, B. A. E. 

 ('caribou people'). Gensdu Fort-de-pierre.— Pet- 

 itot, Autour du Grand hu' des Eselaves, 363, 1891. 

 Uangeurs de cariboux. — I'etitot, Diet. Dene-Din- 

 djiiS XX, 1876. Michinipicpoets. — Dobbs, Hudson 

 Bay, 25, 1744 ('people of stone of the great lake': 

 Cree name). Northern Indians. — Ibid, 17. Ris- 

 ing Sun Folks. — Richardson, Arct. Exped., ii, 

 5,1851. Rising Sun men. — Prichard, Phys. Hist., 

 V, 376, 1847. Sa-essau-dinneh. — Schoolcraft, Ind. 

 Tribes, ii, 27, 1852 (trans, 'eastmen'). Sah-se- 

 aah tinney. — Ross quoted by Gibbs, MS. notes, • 

 B. A. E. (trans, 'eastern people'). Sa-i-sa- 

 'dtinne. — Richardson, Arct. E.xped., ii, 5, 1851 

 ('peopleof the rising sun'). Sawassaw-tinney.— 

 Keane in Stanford, Compend., 534, l.s78. Saw- 

 cesaw-dinneh. — Franklin quoted by .^choiilcraft, 

 Ind. Tribes, ill, 542, 1853. Sa-w-cessaw-dinnah. — 

 Schoolcraft, ibid., V, 172, 1855. Saw-eessaw- 

 dinneh.— Franklin, Journ. Polar Sea, ii, 241, 

 1824 (trans. 'Indians from the ri.sing sun,' or 

 'eastern Indians).' Sawessaw tinney. — Keane in 

 Stanford, Compend., 464, 1878. See-issaw-dinni. — 

 Latham in Trans. Philol. Soc. Lond., 69, 1856 

 (trans, 'rising-sun-men'). The-Ottine. — I'etitot, 

 MS. vocab., B. A. E., 1865 (' stone people'). The-ye 

 Ottine.— Petitot in Jour. Roy. Geog. Soc, 651, 1883. 

 The-ye-Ottine.— Petitot, Autour du lac des Es- 

 elaves, 363, 1891 ('people of the stone fort'). 



Ethics and Morals. It is difficult for a 

 person knowing only one code of morals 

 or manners to appreciate the customs of 

 another who has been reared in the 

 knowledge of a different code; hence it 

 has been common for such a one to con- 

 clude that the other has no manners or no 

 morals. Every community has rules 

 adapted to its mode of life and surround- 

 ings, and such rules may be found more 

 rigorously observed and demanding great- 

 er self-denial among savages than among 

 civilized men. Notwithstanding the dif- 

 ferences which necessarily exist between 

 savage and civilized ethics, the two sys- 

 tems must evidently have much in com- 

 mon, for from the days of Columbus to 

 the present travelers have given testi- 

 mony of customs and manners of Indians, 

 who were still in the barbarous or the 

 savage stage, which displayed a regard for 

 the happiness and well-being of others. 



It is often difficult to tell how much of 

 Indian manners and morals may have 

 been derived from white people; but 

 there are still some tribes which have held 

 aloof from the intrusive race and have 

 V^een little contaminated V)y it, and we 

 have the testimony of early writers to 

 guide us. The latter may be narrow in 

 their judgment of Indian conduct while 

 they are accurate in describing it. 



To discuss the rise of ethics among 

 primitive peoples would lead too far 

 afield; but it is clear from all that is 

 known of the natives of this continent 

 that there existed among them standards 

 of right conduct and character. Both 



from folklore and other sources we learn 

 of conscience among the Indians and of 

 their dread of its pangs. The Navaho 

 designate conscience by a term which 

 signifies "that standing within me which 

 speaks to me." Abundant evidence 

 might be adduced to show that Indians 

 are often actuated by motives of pure 

 benevolence and do good merely from a 

 generous delight in the act. 



Social ethics obtained among all the 

 tribes, and public opinion was the power 

 that compelled the most refractory to obe- 

 dience. A system of ethics having once 

 taken shape, the desire for the approval 

 of one's a.ssociates and the wish to live at 

 peace furnished sufficient incentive for 

 compliance with the less onerous rules. 

 But these motives were not sufficient in 

 matters of graver import. Some tribes 

 had executive bands, which had limited 

 power to punish offenders in certain cases, 

 such as violation of the orders of the tribal 

 council; but among other tribes there was 

 no established power to punish, nor were 

 there even the rudiments of a court of 

 justice. The pagan Indian is destitute 

 of the faith in heaven and hell, which 

 affords a strong incentive to moral life 

 among many of our own people; but he 

 has faith in good and bad luck, and fre- 

 quently attaches different imaginary pun- 

 ishments to different offenses. Some 

 regard various inanimate objects as the 

 agents of these punishments. " May the 

 cold freeze you!" "May the fire burn 

 you!" "May the waters drown you!" 

 are their imprecations. 



When during the tribal hunt runners 

 were sent out to seek a herd of buffalo, 

 they had to give, on their return to camp, 

 their report in the presence of sacred em- 

 blems in attestation of the truth of their 

 statement. Scouts must report accurately 

 or meet disgrace. The successful warrioV 

 must not claim more than his due; other- 

 wise he would not be permitted to receive 

 the badge of honors rightfully won. The 

 common punishment for lying in many 

 of the tribes was the burning of the liar's 

 tent and property by tribal sanction. 

 Not to keep a promise deliberately given 

 was equivalent to lying. There are many 

 instances of Indians keeping their word 

 even at the risk of death. 



Honesty was inculcated in the young 

 and exacted in the tribe. In some com- 

 munities the rule was limited in its 

 operation to those within the tribe itself, 

 but it was not uncommon to find its 

 obligations extended to allies and to all 

 friendly tribes. As war removed all ethi- 

 cal barriers, pillage was legitimate. The 

 stealing of horses was a common object of 

 war parties, but only from a hostile tribe. 

 When a theft was committed the tribal, 

 authorities demanded restitution; the loss 



