Chapter III. 

 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES. 



THE sacred beliefs of these Indians are largely 

 formulated and expressed in sayings and narra- 

 tives having some resemblance to the legends 

 of European peoples. There are available large collec- 

 t ions of these tales and myths from the Blackfoot, Crow, 

 Nez Perce. Assiniboin, Gros Ventre, Arapaho, Arikara, 

 Pawnee. Omaha, Northern Shoshoni, and less complete 

 series from the Dakota, Cheyenne, and Ute. In these 

 will be found much curious and interesting information. 

 Each tribe in this area has its own individual beliefs 

 and sacred myths, yet many have much in common, 

 the distribution of the various incidents therein forming 

 one of the important problems in anthropology. 



Mythology. A deluge myth is almost universal 

 in the Plains and very widely distributed in the wooded 

 areas as well. Almost everywhere it takes the form of 

 having the submerged earth restored by a more or less 

 human being who sends dow r n a diving bird or animal to 

 obtain a little mud or sand. Of other tales found both 

 within and without the Plains area we may mention, the 

 " Twin-heroes, " the ''Woman who married a star and 

 bore a Hero," and the "Woman who married a Dog.-' 

 Working out the distribution of such myths is one of 

 the fascinating tasks of the folklorist and will some 

 time give us a clearer insight into the prehistoric cul- 



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