While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
1 This work was undertaken
as a preparation for similar observation in connection with
the Hemenway Archæological Expedition. I am indebted to Mrs.
Mary Hemenway, of Boston, for opportunities to make these
observations. 2 I have given below English versions of
these, or the Indian stories told in English. 3 My surprise at this coincidence was very
great, but I confess that I was also interested to hear from
the lips of my Indian friend, at parting, the familiar
Italian word, "Addio." 4 Some Indoor and Outdoor Games of the
Wabanaki Indians, Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada, Section II. 1889. 5 I myself have never witnessed the
snake-dance. The description which follows was obtained from
Mrs. Brown, who has seen it performed twice, as well as from
Peter Selmore, Noel Josephs, and other Indians who have
frequently taken part in it. The song was recorded on the
phonograph from the lips of Josephs, who is recognized by
the Indians themselves as one competent to sing the song.
Josephs told me that he remembered when this and other
dances took place in a large wigwam made of bark. 6 The last part of this dance somewhat
resembles a play among boys, known as "Snap the whip." 7 The Zuņi folk-tales always begin with a
similar introduction, which may be translated, "In the time
of the ancients." The Passamaquoddies often end a story by
the words which, being translated, mean "this is the end."
The same occurs in other Indian stories. 8 The wind (Wochowsen) is represented as
resisting the Thunder-Bird. According to Chamberlain and
Leland, "thunder beings are always trying to kill a big bird
in the south." It is said by the Passamaquoddies that
Wochowsen is the great bird which overspreads all with his
wings and darkens the sky. Often when he passes by, the
glare of the bright sun is ample to blind them. 9 The version gives only the incidents as
remembered, and can hardly be called a translation. 10 Probably Sable had a m' toulin, or magic
power, and his song was heard by Black Cat, although miles
away beyond hills and mountains. 11 Evidently to excite the curiosity of the
Snake. 12 The fire was outside the wigwam, and the
Snake put his head out of the wigwam, when he was struck.
Possibly the Snake watched the process of straightening the
stick through curiosity, and was off his guard. 13 In another story which was told me,
Glooscap turned the eyes of the Snake white in the following
manner:-
"Once on a time Glooscap was cooking something in his
wigwam, and the Snake wished to see what it was. So the
Snake crawled up the outside of the wigwam and looked down
through the smoke-hole into the cooking vessel. But Glooscap,
who was stirring the pot of cooking food, held in his hand a
great ladle. He noticed the Snake peering in at the
smoke-hole, and, filling the bowl of the ladle full of the
hot food, threw it into the eyes of the Snake. From that
time the eyes of the Snake have been white." 14 According to the narrator, the bird that
did this was a very large one. Possibly it was Cooloo, the
offended husband of Pookjinsquess. 15 Quahbet, or the Giant Beaver, was not on
the best of terms with Black Cat, for Glooscap had slain
many of the beavers, whose bones still exist, and are of
giant size. This hatred probably arose, says Leland, from
the time when Quahbeetsis, the son of the Beaver, inspired
Malsumsis to kill Glooscap. 16 The ants assisted Black Cat in many
ways. They were also friendly to Leux, and on one occasion
are said to have gathered the bones and fragments of the
"Merry God" together and restored his life. Whether in the
present instance they tried to keep the tree upright by
piling the earth about its trunk or not, the narrator does
not say. 17 Possibly the gnawing of the Beaver is
the ripple of the waves around the base of the tree. 18 Mrs. Brown has identified Wewillemuck as
the snail. Some of the Indians say that it is a large lizard
like an alligator. The bark picture of this creature, made
by Noel Josephs, is that of a nondescript difficult to
identify. 19 In this manner he obtains his revenge.
Dr. Boas tells me he has heard a similar story of the origin
of the mosquitoes on the West Coast. 20 Mrs. Brown writes me that the Black Cat
referred to is not identical with Glooscap. "There were very
many of these mythological personages," she says, "who were
able to do things as wonderful as Glooscap, but they were
not of his nature. He worked for good, they for selfish
purposes."
Mr. Leland's work exhibits throughout want of exactness in
recording just what the Indians told him. It is in
deductions and explanations that error is liable to arise. A
story made up from the recital of several Indians is likely
to exhibit their attempts to explain doubtful parts of the
story. 21 It would seem, from Leland's account,
that the wolf admired Leux greatly because he cared so
little for the cold or their care. 22 It was possible that the wolf gave him
some charm or medicine with which to accomplish this. 23 The above story is told substantially as
here given by Leland, but with many additions. The source
from which Leland obtained his account is not given. The
account which I give is from Noel Josephs. In Leland's
account Leux froze to death. 24 Notice, also, that the thunder-birds
were not able to approach the trees, and the Indian who was
turned into a thunder-bird was warned not to approach the
forest, for he moved so rapidly that he would get caught in
the crotch of a tree. 25 It would be more in accord with the
Indian words to say "have one of them" instead of "have one
of them for a wife." 26 The wigwam may have been so dark that he
could not see anything, or perhaps he was blinded by his
admiration for the girls. 27 By combining this story with some given
by Leland it would seem that the child was Glooscap. If that
is so, this is the only account in Passamaquoddy lore in
which his parthenogenetic origin is traced. Mrs. Brown
insists, however, that the medicine man was not Glooscap. 28 The resemblance of this story to the
tale of Moses is very great. Whether or not it is derived
from the early teaching of the church through Catholic
priests, or from still earlier Norse legends, I leave others
to decide. 29 Dr. Rand (American Antiquarian, p. 8,
vol. xii. No. 1) mentions a personage (Koolpejot) as "rolled
over by means of a handspike." He is a great medicine man:
he has no bones, always lies out in the open air, and is
rolled over from one side to the other twice a year, during
spring and fall. He adds that an intelligent Indian once
suggested that this was a figurative representation of the
revolution of the seasons. 30 Quoted from Leland's Algonquin Legends. 31 According to Leland's story. 32 The word "squat" in Passamaquoddy means
fire. Mrs. Brown spells the name of the swamp woman as
follows: Squaw-oc-t'moos. The a is very long, and possibly
can be best represented by aw. 33 Pictographic writing, which is so well
known among the Micmacs, was also practised by the
Passamaquoddies. The sign of the Passamaquoddies is a canoe
with two Indians in it and a porpoise. This sign appears on
rocks in certain places. The design for the present flag of
this tribe is of late conception, and shows the Christian
influence.
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