462 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
to read and write the languages of their teachers in religion, and therefore 
ceased to be pictographers. But where they have not been so instructed, 
indeed have been encouraged to retain their own language and to write 
it in a special manner supposed to be adapted to their ancient methods, 
the same result is observed. The Micmaes still with delight draw on 
bark their stories of Glooscap and Lox, and scenes from the myths of 
their old faith, but unless paid as for a piece of work, do not produce 
Christian pictures. This assertion does not conflict with the account 
of the “‘Micmac hieroglyphs” in Chap. x1x, Sec. 2. All the existing 
specimens of these were made by Europeans, and the action of the first 
Indian converts, which was imitated by Europeans, was the simple use 
of their old scheme of mnemotechny to assist in memorizing the lessons 
required of them by missionaries. It is also to be noted that some 
tribes for convenience have adopted Christian emblems into their own 
ceremonial pictographs (see Fig. 159). 
It has been found convenient to divide this chapter into the following 
sections: (1) Symbols of the supernatural. (2) Myths and mythic 
animals. (3) Shamanism. (4) Charms and amulets. (5) Religious 
ceremonies. (6) Mortuary practices. 
SECTION 1. 
SYMBOLS OFTHE SUPERNATURAL. 
This group shows the modes of expressing the idea of the supernat- 
ural, holy, sacred, or, more correctly, the mystic or unknown (perhaps 
unknowable), that being the true translation of the Dakota word waka‘. 
The concept of ‘‘crazy,” in the sense of influenced by superior powers 
or inspired, is in the same connection. Not only the North American 
Indians, but many tribes of Asia and Africa, consider a demented. per- 
son to be sacred and therefore inviolable. The spiral line is but a 
pictorial representation of the sign for waka", which is: With its index 
finger extended and pointing upward, or all the fingers extended, back 
of hand outward, move the right hand from just in front of the forehead 
spirally upward nearly to arm’s length from left to right. 
Fig. 640.—Crazy-Dog, a Dakota, carried the pipe 
around and took the war path. Cloud-Shield’s Win- 
ter Count, 183339, : 
The waved or spiral lines denote crazy or mystic, 
as above explained. 
Fic. 640, 
