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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1926)
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN PAGE 4 TOTEMISM (Continued from page 1) pact was made. In later stages the notion of kinship and then of descent entered as explanation of the fact once im agined as real. Meanwhile the living or dead animal was treated as was the human; in Egypt corpses of both were mummified, in Greece they were buried or burned. But from sacredness to godship was but a stage, the individual became deity—so with the cat, bull, crocodile, etc., in Egypt, and in Greece the horse, mouse, snake, ram and even the lobster. But thought grew more anthromorphic, and the animal head was placed on a human body as in Greece and Egypt. Next the animal came to represent deity, and finally was simply sacred to him. The relation ship of totemism to religion is thus in part revealed, though there are other connections. That out of this came in part zoolarity, idolatry, and even polytheism is demonstrable. In Australia totemism is almost universal. In North America it prevails principally among the In dians on the northwest coast as far south as the United States frontier; it has quite a large following in parts of South America; in Africa it prevails in Senegambia, among the Bakalhi on the equator and elsewhere; there are numerous totem worshipers in Bengal and it is very popular in parts of Siberia. With regard to ancient nations totemism may be re garded as certain for the Egyptians, and highly proba ble for the Semites, Greeks and Latins. Professor Sayce finds totemism among the ancient Babylonians, but he has not been able to produce conclusive evidence. DOMESTIC ART NOTES As ye sew, so shall ye rip! The tenth grade girls are busy making booklets rep resenting the different types of women, afternoon dresses, party dresses and children’s clothing for Red Cross work. The ninth grade are making middies and the eleventh grade are now on children’s clothing. The eighth grade are busy making gingham dresses. Martha Orsen is practice teacher for the fourth grade. They have finished their embroidery and are now kept very busy darning stockings and mending clothes. ORIGIN OF THE WHITE MAN The following Indian Legend was written by Archie Greycloud as a test in English: Long ago there lived a boy with his grandmother. As he grew up she talked to him about doing great things. She wanted him to be a great warrior some day. Years passed and he became a bright young man. One day she called him into the wigwam and told him that now, as she was growing old, he should get a squaw (wife) to care for him. The chief of the tribe, Turtle Toes, as he was called, had two daughters who were beautiful. All of the young men of the tribe wanted them, but the girls did not know which of the young men to marry, as they were all brave and proven warriors. The chief decided that he would do something to help his daughters to choose their husbands. So he finally settled that the young men should have a contest. He sent his run ners throughout the land to announce that all the young men of the tribe would meet at his wigwam on the next full moon and that the two who could make the best cakes could marry his girls, for the chief knew very well that the young men of his tribe were not good at cooking. When the day came for the contest men arrived from far and near. Now the grandmother had told her grandson a secret in making cakes before he left. When all arrived at the scene of the contest they were each given a bowl of corn meal and other things out of which to make cakes. The chief and his two daughters were to pass around and taste the cakes and the two that made the best ones were to be chos en between the two daughters. The contest started and the grandson remembered what his grandmother told him to do, so when the others were busy and not looking, he went to an ant mound and put his hands into the soft nest and let the ants crawl all over them, after which he went back and mixed his meal. This gave the cake an unknown fla vor which created a longing on the part of the girls for our friend, the grandson. Both girls liked him, but the older of the two girls would not have him because he was bald-headed, but the younger girl said she would stay by her promise and they were married. In the course of time a son was born to them and the baby had brown hair and blue eyes, and the Indians say this was the origin of the whiteman. ITEMS FROM THE TRADES The carpenters have been busy of late putting a new floor in certain parts of the Superintendent’s home. A fire drill was held for the entire school on Thurs day afternoon, last. Everything in connection with the drill passed off nicely. A large new woodshed is now in course of construc tion at Chemawa. It is to be just west of the old shed now in use. The new shed will have cement pillars and be of a commodious size. This has become a neces sity, as the old shed has been in use for thirty years, or longer. This is another case of the old giving way to the new.
