﻿68 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  gence 
  he 
  thought 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  exceedingly 
  wise, 
  having 
  access 
  

   to 
  knowledge 
  of 
  whicH 
  he 
  was 
  ignorant. 
  When 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  under- 
  

   stand 
  certain 
  of 
  their 
  habits 
  he 
  was 
  awed, 
  and 
  called 
  them 
  mysteri- 
  

   ous. 
  He 
  supposed 
  animals 
  capable 
  of 
  communicating 
  one 
  with 
  

   the 
  other 
  and 
  species 
  with 
  species. 
  Indeed 
  many 
  circumstances 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  this 
  supposition 
  until 
  it 
  became 
  a 
  

   fixed 
  belief. 
  If 
  a 
  man 
  were 
  unjust 
  to 
  animals 
  they 
  would 
  com- 
  

   municate 
  the 
  fact 
  to 
  all 
  other 
  animals 
  who 
  would 
  seek 
  opportunity 
  

   to 
  revenge. 
  If 
  he 
  were 
  just 
  and 
  kind 
  they 
  would 
  appreciate 
  his 
  

   goodness 
  and 
  give 
  him 
  '' 
  luck," 
  warn 
  him 
  of 
  danger 
  and 
  protect 
  

   him 
  in 
  peril. 
  The 
  condition 
  of 
  primeval 
  man 
  and 
  of 
  his 
  descendants 
  

   who 
  continued 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  primitive 
  way 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  continual 
  

   danger. 
  It 
  was 
  necessary 
  for 
  him 
  to 
  protect 
  himself, 
  his 
  mate 
  

   and 
  his 
  offspring 
  from 
  famine, 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  animals, 
  from 
  

   the 
  elements, 
  from 
  accidents 
  and 
  disease. 
  The 
  state 
  of 
  nature 
  and 
  

   the 
  state 
  of 
  human 
  society 
  made 
  his 
  life 
  one 
  of 
  continual 
  struggle 
  

   to 
  accomplish 
  these 
  ends. 
  Man, 
  therefore, 
  sought 
  to 
  eliminate 
  all 
  

   unnecessary 
  dangers 
  and 
  to 
  seek 
  protection 
  of 
  any 
  kind. 
  Regard- 
  

   ing 
  animals 
  as 
  he 
  did 
  it 
  was 
  natural 
  that 
  he 
  should 
  have 
  sought 
  

   their 
  good 
  will 
  and 
  protection. 
  

  

  To 
  primitive 
  man 
  dreams 
  were 
  oracles. 
  Regarding 
  himself 
  as 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  or 
  thinking 
  animals 
  mentally 
  endowed 
  as 
  men 
  

   are 
  and 
  living 
  in 
  close 
  contact 
  with 
  animals, 
  it 
  is 
  reasonable 
  to 
  

   suppose 
  that 
  savage 
  man 
  dreamed 
  of 
  ways 
  by 
  which 
  he 
  could 
  secure 
  

   the 
  favor 
  of 
  animals, 
  and, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  dreamed 
  what 
  the 
  

   wishes 
  of 
  animals 
  were. 
  Savage 
  races 
  are 
  great 
  dreamers 
  and 
  

   their 
  dreams 
  are 
  in 
  many 
  ways 
  different 
  in 
  character 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  

   civilized 
  men. 
  When 
  primitive 
  men 
  dreamed, 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  

   they 
  felt 
  bound 
  to 
  abide 
  by 
  the 
  dictates 
  of 
  the 
  dream. 
  If 
  they 
  

   could 
  not 
  understand 
  the 
  vision, 
  they 
  consulted 
  an 
  interpreter 
  of 
  

   dreams. 
  Desirous 
  of 
  the 
  patronage 
  of 
  animals 
  the 
  dreamer 
  would 
  

   dream 
  how 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  favor 
  of 
  certain 
  beasts 
  or 
  birds. 
  In 
  

   this 
  manner 
  may 
  have 
  originated 
  personal 
  totems 
  and 
  many 
  cus- 
  

   toms.^ 
  As 
  time 
  went 
  these 
  dreams 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  related 
  as 
  ac- 
  

   tual 
  experiences 
  and 
  were 
  handed 
  down 
  as 
  real 
  happenings 
  of 
  the 
  

   mysterious' 
  past. 
  To 
  the 
  savage 
  the 
  past 
  was 
  always 
  mysterious. 
  

  

  ^Although 
  "medicine 
  men" 
  versed 
  in 
  the 
  lore 
  of 
  their 
  people 
  assert 
  to 
  

   those 
  under 
  their 
  influence 
  that 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  certain 
  customs 
  and 
  cere- 
  

   monies 
  as 
  set 
  forth 
  in 
  the 
  legends 
  are 
  actually 
  true, 
  yet 
  to 
  outsiders 
  they 
  

   will 
  sometimes 
  admit 
  that 
  they 
  originated 
  in 
  dreams. 
  Esquire 
  Johnson, 
  the 
  

   aged 
  Seneca 
  chief, 
  whose 
  relations 
  are 
  found 
  elsewhere 
  In 
  the 
  Arch- 
  

   eologist's 
  notes, 
  said 
  in 
  an 
  interview 
  with 
  Mrs. 
  Asher 
  Wright, 
  " 
  All 
  

   the 
  dances, 
  feasts 
  and 
  other 
  ceremonies 
  originated 
  in 
  dreams." 
  

  

  