490 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
a drawing at the entrance to a cave, which he found to contain besides 
many remarkable paintings. On the sloping roof the principal char- 
acter, i. e., the upper one of Fig. 689, was drawn. In order to produce 
the greater effect the rock about it was painted black and the figure 
itself colored with the most vivid red and white. It thus appeared to 
stand out from the rock, and Sir George Grey says he was surprised at the 
moment that he first saw this gigantic head and upper part of a body 
bending over and staring grimly down at him. He adds that it 
would be impossible to convey in words an adequate idea of this 
uncouth and savage figure, and therefore he only gives such a succinet 
account as will serve as a sort of description. 
Its head was encircied by bright red rays, something like the rays 
one sees proceeding from the sun, when depicted on the signboard of a 
public house; inside of this came a broad stripe of very brilliant red, 
which was crossed by lines of white; but both inside and outside of 
this red space were narrow stripes of a still deeper red, intended prob- 
ably to mark its boundaries; the face was painted vividly white and 
the eyes black, being, however, surrounded by red and yellow lines; 
the body, hands, and arms were outlined in red, the body being curiously 
painted with red stripes and bars. 
Upon the rock which formed the left-hand wall of this cave, and 
which partly faced you on entering, was a very singular painting, the 
lower character of the same figure, vividly colored, representing four 
heads joined together. From the mild expression of the countenances 
they appeared to represent females, and to be drawn in such a manner, 
and in such a position, as to look up at the principal figure, before 
described; each had a very remarkable head-dress, colored bright blue, 
and one had a necklace on. Both of the lower figures had a sort of 
dress painted with red in the same manner as that of the principal 
figure, and one of them had a band round her waist. In Sir George 
Grey’s opinion each of the four faces was marked by a totally distinet 
expression of countenance, aud none of them had mouths. 
SECTION 3. 
SHAMANISM. 
The term “shaman” is a corrupted form of the Sanserit word mean- 
ing ascetic, Its original application was to the religion of certain tribes 
of northern Asia, but now shamanism is generally used to express 
several forms of religion which are founded in the supposed communion 
with and influence over supernatural beings by means of magic arts. . 
The shaman or priest pretends to control by incantations and ceremonies 
the evil spirits to whom death, sickness, and other misfortunes are 
ascribed. This form or stage of religion was so prevalent among the 
North American Indians that the adoption of the term “shaman” here 
is substantially correct, and it avoids both the stupid expression 
