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.