Chapter III. 



RELIGION AND CEREMONIES. 



The sacred beliefs of these Indians are largely 

 formulated and expressed in sayings and narratives 

 having some resemblance to the legends of European 

 peoples. Large collections of these tales and myths 

 have been collected from the Blackfoot, Nez Perce, 

 Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, Arapaho, Arikara, Pawnee, 

 Omaha, Northern Shoshone, and less complete series 

 from the Dakota, Crow, 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 down a diving bird or animal to obtain 



97 



