fire was believed to be a giant that was fed on pygmies or small spirits existing only in the wind. the process of fanning the embers into flame with one's breath was only attempted at the greatest hazard, as it was "very bad medicine."
whoever might be engaged in the practice of any mystery should never be disturbed or interfered with except under penalty of the direst misfortunes and the suspicion of all his tribe. they might wonder in their own hearts, but they must never betray the least curiosity to find out what one of their number might be trying to bring about by his experiments, incantations or mysterious performances. the arrows of a curious hunter never hit the mark, and the corn planted and tilled by a curious woman bore only crooked and withered ears.
the sun was commonly known as "the smiling face of the great spirit," and when it disappeared at night it was supposed to have entered the door ? 162 ? of a great wigwam which was built in the form of a semi-circle. in the morning it reappeared at the other door of the wigwam. their ideas about astronomy were extremely vague and were constantly changing. the moon was believed to be a sister of the sun, and in time would be able to give as much light as her brother. the stars were bright and glowing brands of fire tied with thongs and held by spirits created for that purpose by the great spirit. one star alone, the north star, was held by the great spirit himself because it was always in the same place. it was called the guide. other stars and planets were named, but the names have not been preserved.
the springs and the streams they formed were first made for the convenience of the great spirit. he desired to leave the happy hunting-grounds and make a journey over the earth and so he sent a large white bird to carry water from the original spring near the great spirit's wigwam and plant it in the earth at convenient distances. sections of country that were without springs had not been visited by the great spirit.
language was looked upon as a sacred gift, and was as much a part of the body as the head or ? 163 ? limbs. for this reason an indian never spoke the language of another nation except in the capacity of interpreter. when a council was held between tribes the orators conducted the debate in their own language, and the words were translated, when necessary, as they fell from the lips of the speakers by those who had been trained for that purpose. it was considered the greatest possible affront to their ancestors and to the great spirit for the iroquois to speak any language other than their own. deaf mutes among them were pointed out as people who were not satisfied with the language of their fathers and in consequence had lost the power to speak or hear.
difficulties and contentions were spirits of evil that flew about inciting trouble. when disputes and differences were arranged or settled they would arise again unless buried. when terms of a settlement had been agreed upon it was customary to dig a hole in the ground, around which the disputants would gather, and each party to the dispute would talk his grievances into the excavation, absolutely unburdening himself of all he had to say. when the ceremony was concluded, the excavated earth was returned and firmly stamped and pounded ? 164 ? down. in this way, it was believed, the quarrel could be forever buried unless one of the parties to the ceremony deliberately removed the earth and again opened the prison of the bad spirits. from this belief grew the custom of "burying the hatchet" when peace was secured, and of digging it up when war was determined upon.
the aurora borealis was believed to be the reflection of the light of the camp-fires in the happy hunting-grounds. when its lights were seen it was supposed that the brothers who had passed into the future were rejoicing over the successful termination of some great hunt or participating in a feast. the size of a fire that could cast such wonderful lights was beyond their comprehension, and often the death-song of the warriors and chiefs would refer to their hope of soon standing beside the fire that was greater than the mountains. it was customary for them to stand in the open air and make long speeches to the spirits during the time the aurora was to be seen. they would chide the spirits for wastefulness in building so large a fire and call upon them not to burn all the forests of the great spirit before their friends on the earth were admitted to the charmed circle and permitted to enjoy the pleasures of a camp-fire of such gigantic proportions.
it was wrong to complain of pain of any kind or to show by any act that pain was experienced. both pain and suffering were caused by bad spirits, and surely one would not give their enemies the pleasure of knowing that their attempts had in any manner caused discomfort. the great spirit was trying with all his power to relieve those who suffered pain, and to complain when your friend was doing his best to aid you would make him think that his efforts were not appreciated. besides this, after the first shock of a wound, none of the animals betray by their cries the presence of pain. the dog will carry a broken leg for days, wistfully but uncomplainingly. the cat, stricken with club or stone, or caught in some trap from which it gnaws its way to freedom, crawls to some secret place and bears its agony in silence. the wolf or bear, caught in the pitfalls and pierced with scores of stinging arrows, indicate by no outward sign that they suffer. the wounded deer speeds to some thick brake and in pitiful submission waits for death. the eagle, struck by the arrow in mid-air, fights to the last against the fatal summons. there ? 166 ? is no moan or sound of pain, and the defiant look never fades from its eyes until the lids close over them never to uncover again. the indians learned many of their lessons from the animals and were taught to be as brave and uncomplaining as their brothers of the forests.
