When The
Women Had Completed The Preparations The Hunter Made His Appearance,
Perfectly Naked, Carrying In His Hand An Image Of Kepoochikawn, Rudely
Carved And About Two Feet Long.
He placed his god at the upper end of the
sweating-house with his face towards the door and
Proceeded to tie round
its neck his offerings, consisting of a cotton handkerchief, a
looking-glass, a tin pan, a piece of riband, and a bit of tobacco which
he had procured the same day at the expense of fifteen or twenty skins.
Whilst he was thus occupied several other Crees who were encamped in the
neighbourhood, having been informed of what was going on arrived and,
stripping at the door of the temple, entered and ranged themselves on
each side; the hunter himself squatted down at the right hand of
Kepoochikawn. The atmosphere of the temple having become so hot that none
but zealous worshippers would venture in the interpreter and myself sat
down on the threshold and the two women remained on the outside as
attendants.
The hunter who throughout officiated as high priest commenced by making a
speech to Kepoochikawn in which he requested him to be propitious, told
him of the value of the things now presented, and cautioned him against
ingratitude. This oration was delivered in a monotonous tone and with
great rapidity of utterance, and the speaker retained his squatting
posture but turned his face to his god. At its conclusion the priest
began a hymn of which the burden was, "I will walk with God, I will go
with the animal"; and at the end of each stanza the rest joined in an
insignificant chorus. He next took up a calumet filled with a mixture of
tobacco and bear-berry leaves and, holding its stem by the middle in a
horizontal position over the hot stones, turned it slowly in a circular
manner, following the course of the sun. Its mouth-piece being then with
much formality held for a few seconds to the face of Kepoochikawn it was
next presented to the earth, having been previously turned a second time
over the hot stones; and afterwards with equal ceremony pointed in
succession to the four quarters of the sky then, drawing a few whiffs
from the calumet himself, he handed it to his left-hand neighbour by whom
it was gravely passed round the circle; the interpreter and myself, who
were seated at the door, were asked to partake in our turn but requested
to keep the head of the calumet within the threshold of the
sweating-house. When the tobacco was exhausted by passing several times
round the hunter made another speech, similar to the former but was if
possible still more urgent in his requests. A second hymn followed and, a
quantity of water being sprinkled on the hot stones, the attendants were
ordered to close the temple, which they did by very carefully covering it
up with moose-skins. We had no means of ascertaining the temperature of
the sweating-house; but before it was closed not only those within but
also the spectators without were perspiring freely. They continued in the
vapour bath for thirty-five minutes, during which time a third speech was
made and a hymn was sung and water occasionally sprinkled on the stones
which still retained much heat, as was evident from the hissing noise
they made. The coverings were then thrown off and the poor half-stewed
worshippers exposed freely to the air; but they kept their squatting
postures until a fourth speech was made in which the deity was strongly
reminded of the value of the gifts and exhorted to take an early
opportunity of showing his gratitude. The ceremony concluded by the
sweaters scampering down to the river and plunging into the stream. It
may be remarked that the door of the temple and of course the face of the
god was turned to the rising sun; and the spectators were desired not to
block up entirely the front of the building but to leave a lane for the
entrance or exit of some influence of which they could not give me a
correct description. Several Indians, who lay on the outside of the
sweating-house as spectators, seemed to regard the proceedings with very
little awe and were extremely free in the remarks and jokes they passed
upon the condition of the sweaters and even of Kepoochikawn himself. One
of them made a remark that the shawl would have been much better bestowed
upon himself than upon Kepoochikawn, but the same fellow afterwards
stripped and joined in the ceremony.
I did not learn that the Indians worship any other god by a specific
name. They often refer however to the Keetchee-Maneeto, or Great Master
of Life, and to an evil spirit, or Maatche-Maneeto. They also speak of
Weettako, a kind of vampire or devil into which those who have fed on
human flesh are transformed.
Whilst at Carlton I took an opportunity of asking a communicative old
Indian of the Blackfoot nation his opinion of a future state; he replied
that they had heard from their fathers that the souls of the departed
have to scramble with great labour up the sides of a steep mountain, upon
attaining the summit of which they are rewarded with the prospect of an
extensive plain, abounding in all sorts of game and interspersed here and
there with new tents pitched in agreeable situations. Whilst they are
absorbed in the contemplation of this delightful scene they are descried
by the inhabitants of the happy land who, clothed in new skin-dresses,
approach and welcome with every demonstration of kindness those Indians
who have led good lives, but the bad Indians, who have imbrued their
hands in the blood of their countrymen, are told to return from whence
they came and, without more ceremony, precipitated down the steep sides
of the mountain.
Women who have been guilty of infanticide never reach the mountain at all
but are compelled to hover round the seats of their crimes with branches
of trees tied to their legs.
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