THE ABORIGINES OF NORTH AMERICA. 205 
are the sources of information concerning especially the 
traditions of the uncivilised races :—(1) Indian interpreters, 
camp retainers, and private adventurers ; (2) there are many 
persons who have occasionally come in contact with the Indians, 
as travellers or explorers, or as newspaper correspondents, 
who have furnished a small amount of information concerning 
these native traditions; (3) a few military officers, especially 
surgeons, have made a specialty of the subject, and these are 
generally very reliable: among the number we are happy to give 
the name of Dr. W. Matthews, U.S.A.; (4) the Ethnological 
Bureau and the Peabody Museum have employed certain 
parties who have made their home among the aborigines, 
and have taken pains to learn all their traditions, and to 
become acquainted with their customs and tribal organisms : 
among those who have succeeded in penetrating the mysteries 
two persons should be especially mentioned, Mr. Frank 
Cushing, of Washington, and Miss Alice M. Fletcher, of New 
York ; (5) another source of information is represented by a class 
of educated gentlemen who have, by their circumstances, been 
thrown into contact with the natives, and who have taken up 
the study of tradition and have written monographs : among 
these should be mentioned Stephen Powers, of Ohio, and 
Judge Rose, of California; (6) the papal missionaries, who 
were formerly located among the Indians, have furnished 
many reports which are now very valuable; (7) the Protes- 
tant missionaries who are now labouring among the various 
tribes. 
These authorities are remarkably agreed in their evidence, so 
that we are quite sure that we are getting the traditions into 
a reliable shape, and can speak intelligently as to the religious 
beliefs of the Aborigines. 
On this subject there is much to say, but we shall be obliged 
to condense what we have to say into the smallest compass. 
I. There are some very remarkable coincidences. It is but a 
few weeks since I had the opportunity of listening toa gentle- 
man who had spent forty years as a teacher and Indiqn agent 
among the Chippewas. He held exactly the same views that 
Rey. Mr. Hells does. He said that he had been surprised 
to find so much correspondence between the teachings of 
conscience, as exhibited by the rude savages before they 
had been trained or even affected by missionary labour, and 
-the teachings of the Bible. He had noticed this among the 
pagans as often as among the Christian Indians. 
The Chippewas hold the opinion that the “ancient 
people,” the ancestors of the ancient tribe, were far advanced 
Tt 2 
