368 ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS. 



and mountain has its tutelary spirit, whom 

 they attempt to propitiate, by some offering. 



All the Natives suppose the earth to be an 

 extensive plain, and that it is always at rest ; and 

 that the sun and moon and many of the stars con- 

 tinually revolve around it. The sun, they believe 

 to be a large body of (ire. To many of the stars 

 they have given names, such as the morning star, 

 the evening star, and the seven stars ; and by 

 their position in the heavens, they are able to de- 

 termine the time of night. They, also, direct 

 their course by them in travelling, in the night sea- 

 son. The stars which they have named, they 

 perceive change their position continually in the 

 heavens; and they believe that, like the sun and 

 the moon, they revolve around the earth. Of 

 the motion of the other stars, they take no notice 

 and consider them as stationary. The following 

 is the manner in which they divide a day and 

 night, or twenty four hours : from the first appear- 

 ance of day light to sunrise, from this time till 

 noon, from noon to sunset, from this to midnight, 

 and from midnight to day break. They are igno- 

 rant of the number of days, which there are in 

 a year ; but reckon thirteen moons, to complete 

 the four seasons. 



The following are the names of the four 

 seasons, in the Cree tongue. Winter, A-pe-pook 



