INDIAN TRIBES OF THE MISSOURI VALLEY. 245 
fined to separate individuals, as a trade: each warrior or hunter made his own arms, or 
employed some old man to make them, whose time was of less value. 
The amount of their knowledge on this subject is small, even less than that of the sur- 
rounding nations. ‘They believe the earth to be an extensive territory of the same figure 
as their own country, intersected by rivers, mountains, lakes, and surrounded by oceans, 
the whole forming, as it were, a flat circle, joined around the edge to the sky, which is a 
solid mass of blue earth supporting the entire universe. ‘The sun, they say, is a body of 
light and heat, and is the great master of life, gives life, heat, and light to all things, and 
is a country inhabited by departed spirits. The moon also they regard as another world, 
but not a hot body, deriving its light from the sun and stars, and in the sun and moon is 
located the Indian paradise. Stars are small lights attached as by a cord to the sky, and 
are not supposed to be other worlds, but ornaments and luminaries to the upper regions. 
The Milky Way is called the “Chief’s Road,” and is thought to be a line of division 
separating the sky into two portions. This was done by their Great Spirit Chief for pur- 
poses set forth in their traditions, which are too lengthy to be recounted here. ‘The sun 
is thought to go round the earth, which remains stationary; and every effort proves abor- 
tive to make them understand that the apparent motion arises from the diurnal revolution 
of the earth. When the sun is in an eclipse, they say a portion of the material is burned 
up,—dead,—and this is what is meant by a “dead sun,” but they entertain no supersti- 
_tious fears of eclipses being the forerunners of great evil, as other nations, and look upon 
the extinction of a part as the natural result of a burning body, which, as it exists of 
itself, has the power to burn again. ‘The North Star is called the stationary star ; the Ursa 
Major, the “tail of stars.” These are all that have particular names attached. They 
are also aware of the revolution of the Ursa Major around the Polar Star, and can tell 
the watches of night by this with tolerable certainty. The Aurora Borealis is called the 
“dance of the dead,” who are supposed to be enjoying themselves in these regions. 
Meteors are stars falling out of their places by having the cords burned that attach them 
to the sky, and go out as they fall. In regard to comets they have no clear idea, neither 
have they any superstitious belief attending their appearance. Indeed, these Indians do 
not seem to fear any natural phenomena except thunder, which is supposed to be the 
screaming and flapping of the wings of a large bird, which they represent on their lodges 
as a great eagle. Wind is supposed to be produced by its flying, and flashes of lightning 
are caused by the light of the sun reflected from its white and golden plumage, and when 
strokes of lightning are felt, they are thunder-stones cast down by this bird. All storms, 
tornadoes, &c., are caused by its wrath, and fair winds, calm and fine weather, are regarded 
as tokens of its good humor. 
The Crees have no word signifying a year, neither is there any stated number of days 
