Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 17.djvu/30



22 O. B. SPERLIN

then raised one, and left it thus for a short time, and during all this he remained in a sort of abstraction which indicated that he was praying mentally." Harmon" reports that the Carriers, when the sun was eclipsed in 1811, "took their hands full of swans' down and blew it through their hands towards the sun, imploring that great luminary to accept the offering thus made him, to be put on the heads of his sons when en- gaged in dancing, and to spare the Indians."

Ideas 100 of future life varied with different tribes and even with individuals. Haswell 101 records that they supposed their departed friends became guardians and senders of the fish animals that are of most service to them. "They think it gives the deceased great pain to cut particular fish with a knife, and that they send no more if it is allowed of." Jewitt 102 says that at death, property of the deceased was burned, destroyed, or buried, not that it might accompany him to the spirit land, but to keep people from the temptation to speak his name. Ross 103 says that the deceased's property was burned or de- stroyed, otherwise the spirit would never be at rest. Most journalists agree with Franchere 104 that Indians believe in a state of future existence. Thompson records several cases which show how the idea of "Life after Death" was deep- rooted in every nature. Indians like other races were all super- stitious in one way or another. The superstitions were strong- est regarding the salmon, the universal food, even for the inland tribes of the Northwest, the failure of which meant starvation. "Salmon do not like the smell of iron," the Dinees declared to Mackenzie ; 105 they said the same thing of venison, that the salmon would smell it and come no more. When one of his men threw a deer bone into the river, a native instantly dived, brought it up, and burned it. So they would not let him use his astronomical instruments, for fear he might

99 Journal: p. 207.

100 Alexander Henry: Travels.

101 Voyage: p. 86.

1 02 Adventures: p. 174.

103 Adventures: p. 321.

104 Narrative: p. 250.

i 5 Voyages: Vol. It., p.