Indian Mounds and Earthworks, 103 



ness, of strength, revenge, or cunning — qualities which rank 

 among the highest in his esteem — in the trophies of the eeigle, 

 the bear, the serpent, or the fox. If among the boldest of knights 

 and kings, Europe had her Coeur de Leon, so have the chiefs of 

 our Indians, though far less known to fame, their appellations ; 

 such as the Black Warrior, the Grizzly Bear, the Swift Deer, the 

 Watchful Fox, the Rolling Thunder, and the North Wind. And 

 if in the proudest days of romantic chivalry, amidst the gorgeous 

 panoply of the court, the tournament, or the battle field, all eyes 

 might recognize him of the Falcon, the Leopard, or the Bloody 

 Hand, so also in humbler guise, yet with not less pride of heart, 

 have the brave of our aboriginal Indians commonly been dis- 

 tinguished. No heroes of Greece, or Rome, or the Holy Land, 

 were prouder of the badges of victory and the trophies of con- 

 quest, than are the natives of our western world. Within their 

 own limited sphere, they appear to have sought distinction and to 

 have earned characteristic titles, by the exercise of those qualities 

 which are most estimated in savage life ; and our own ears are 

 familiar, even at the present day, with such titles as the Black 

 Hawk, the Panther, Alligator, and Rattlesnake ; the Young Ea- 

 gle, the Black Wolf, the White Dog. 



But it was not individuals, merely, by whom such appellations 

 were borne. We have good evidence that many tribes of North 

 America adopted, and even yet retain for their badges, the sim- 

 ple natural objects whose names they also bear ; as in the men- 

 tioned instances of the Fox, the Turtle, and other tribes. Infor- 

 mation on this head may be found in Colonel McKenney's work 

 "On the Indian Tribes of North America." Another writer, 

 familiar with Indian history, states that " all the Indian nations 

 are divided into tribes, after the manner of the Jews."* 



The Shawanese nation was originally divided into twelve 

 tribes, or bands, all of which tribes were subdivided, in the usual 

 manner, into families or clans, of the Eagle, the Bear, the Turtle, 

 &c. These animals constitute their " totems," among which is 

 the family or totem of the Panther, which sprung from the Kick- 

 apoo tribe. 



The Crane was the badge of a branch of the Chippewa tribe, 

 as was, doubtless, the Fox of another. The authority last 



Johnston, Indian Agent. Archseologia Americana. 



