RELIGIOUS BELIEF. 33 



more savage than the Dakotahs, while others, again, have 

 made slight progress towards civilization, and live in settled 

 villages, while they rudely cultivate the ground, and possess 

 herds of cattle. 



Although the Indian languages differ greatly from each 

 other, a great similarity in grammatical structure and form 

 has been found to exist among them, denoting a common, 

 though remote origin. They differ, however, so greatly from 

 any known language of the Old World, as to afford conclusive 

 proof that their ancestors must have left its shores at an early 

 period of the world's history. 



The governments also differed. In some tribes it ap- 

 proached an absolute monarchy, the will of the sachem or 

 chief being the supreme law ; while in others it was almost 

 entirely republican, the chief being elected for his personal 

 qualities, though frequently the leadership was preserved in 

 the female line of particular families. 



When describing the customs of the Indians, we are com- 

 pelled often to speak of the past, as the tribes, from being 

 pressed together by the advancement of civilization, have be- 

 come amalgamated, and many of their customs have passed 

 away. Most of the nations were divided into three or more 

 clans or tribes, each distinguished by the name of an animal. 

 Thus the Huron Indians were divided into three tribes— those 

 of the Bear, the Wolf, and the Turtle. The Chippeways, espe- 

 cially, were divided into a considerable number of tribes. 



RELIGIOUS BELIEF. 

 Though their language differs so greatly, as do many of 

 their customs, their religious notions exhibit great uniformity 

 throughout the whole country. They all possess a belief, 



(379) 3 



