Pre-natal Influence. Early Religious Teaching. The Function of the Aged.
Woman, Marriage and the Family. Loyalty, Hospitality, Friendship.

THE American Indian was an individualist in religion as in war. He had
neither a national army nor an organized church. There was no priest to
assume responsibility for another's soul. That is, we believed, the supreme
duty of the parent, who only was permitted to claim in some degree the
priestly office and function, since it is his creative and protecting power
which alone approaches the solemn function of Deity.

The Indian was a religious man from his mother's womb. From the moment of
her recognition of the fact of conception to the end of the second year of
life, which was the ordinary duration of lactation, it was supposed by us
that the mother's spiritual influence counted for most. Her attitude and
secret meditations must be such as to instill into the receptive soul of the
unborn child the love of the "Creatoe" and a sense of brotherhood with
all creation. Silence and isolation are the rule of life for the expectant
mother. She wanders prayerful in the stillness of great woods, or on the
bosom of the untrodden prairie, and to her poetic mind the immanent birth of
her child prefigures the advent of a master-man -- a hero, or the mother of
heroes -- a thought conceived in the virgin breast of primeval nature, and
dreamed out in a hush that is only broken by the sighing of the pine tree or
the thrilling orchestra of a distant waterfall.

And when the day of days in her life dawns -- the day in which there is to
be a new life, the miracle of whose making has been intrusted to her, she
seeks no human aid. She has been trained and prepared in body and mind for
this her holiest duty, ever since she can remember. The ordeal is best met
alone, where no curious or pitying eyes embarrass her; where all nature says
to her spirit: "'Tis love! 'tis love! the fulfilling of life!" When a sacred
voice comes to her out of the silence, and a pair of eyes open upon her in
the wilderness, she knows with joy that she has borne well her part in the
great song of creation!

Presently she returns to the camp, carrying the mysterious, the holy, the
dearest bundle! She feels the endearing warmth of it and hears its soft
breathing. It is still a part of herself, since both are nourished by the
same mouthful, and no look of a lover could be sweeter than its deep,
trusting gaze.

She continues her spiritual teaching, at first silently -- a mere pointing
of the index finger to nature; then in whispered songs, bird-like, at
morning and evening. To her and to the child the birds are real people, who
live very close to the "Great Mystery"; the murmuring trees breathe His
presence; the falling waters chant His praise.

If the child should chance to be fretful, the mother raises her hand. "Hush!
hush!" she cautions it tenderly, "the spirits may be disturbed!" She bids it
be still and listen to the silver voice of the aspen, or the clashing
cymbals of the birch; and at night she points to the heavenly, blazed trail,
through nature's galaxy of splendor to nature's God. Silence, love,
reverence, -- this is the trinity of first lessons; and to these she later
adds generosity, courage, and chastity.

In the old days, our mothers were single-eyed to the trust imposed upon
them; and as a noted chief of our people was wont to say: "Men may slay one
another, but they can never overcome the woman, for in the quietude of her
lap lies the child! You may destroy him once and again, but he issues as
often from that same gentle lap -- a gift of the Great Good to the race, in
which man is only an accomplice!"

This wild mother has not only the experience of her mother and grandmother,
and the accepted rules of her people for a guide, but she humbly seeks to
learn a lesson from ants, bees, spiders, beavers, and badgers. She studies
the family life of the birds, so exquisite in its emotional intensity and
its patient devotion, until she seems to feel the universal mother-heart
beating in her own breast. In due time the child takes of his own accord the
attitude of prayer, and speaks reverently of the Powers. He thinks that he
is a blood brother to all living creatures, and the storm wind is to him a
messenger of the "Great Mystery."

At the age of about eight years, if he is a boy, she turns him over to his
father for more Spartan training. If a girl, she is from this time much
under the guardianship of her grandmother, who is considered the most
dignified protector for the maiden. Indeed, the distinctive work of both
grandparents is that of acquainting the youth with the national traditions
and beliefs. It is reserved for them to repeat the time-hallowed tales with
dignity and authority, so as to lead him into his inheritance in the
stored-up wisdom and experience the race. The old are dedicated to the
service of the young, as their teachers and advisers, and the young in turn
regard them with love and reverence.

Our old age was in some respects the happiest period of life. Advancing
years brought with them much freedom, not only from the burden of laborious
and dangerous tasks, but from those restrictions of custom and etiquette
which were religiously observed by all others. No one who is at all
acquainted with the Indian in his home can deny that we are a polite people.
As a rule, the warrior who inspired the greatest terror in the hearts of his
enemies was a man of the most exemplary gentleness, and almost feminine
refinement, among his family and friends. A soft, low voice was considered
an excellent thing in man, as well as in woman! Indeed, the enforced
intimacy of tent life would soon become intolerable, were it not for these
instinctive reserves and delicacies, this unfailing respect for the
established place and possessions of every other member of the family
circle, this habitual quiet, order, and decorum.

Our people, though capable of strong and durable feeling, were not
demonstrative in their affection at any time, least of all in the presence
of guests or strangers. Only to the aged, who have journeyed far, and are in
a manner exempt from ordinary rules, are permitted some playful
familiarities with children and grandchildren, some plain speaking, even to
harshness and objurgation, from which the others must rigidly refrain. In
short, the old men and women are privileged to say what they please and how
they please, without contradiction, while the hardships and bodily
infirmities that of necessity fall to their lot are softened so far as may
be by universal consideration and attention.

There was no religious ceremony connected with marriage among us, while on
the other hand the relation between man and woman was regarded as in itself
mysterious and holy. It appears that where marriage is solemnized by the
church and blessed by the priest, it may at the same time be surrounded with
customs and ideas of a frivolous, superficial, and even prurient character.
We believed that two who love should be united in secret, before the public
acknowledgment of their union, and should taste their apotheosis with
nature. The betrothal might or might not be discussed and approved by the
parents, but in either case it was customary for the young pair to disappear
into the wilderness, there to pass some days or weeks in perfect seclusion
and dual solitude, afterward returning to the village as man and wife. An
exchange of presents and entertainments betweens the two families usually
followed, but the nuptial blessing was given by the High Priest of God, the
most reverend and holy Nature.

The family was not only the social unit, but also the unit of government
clan is nothing more than a larger family, with its patriarchal chief as the
natural head, and the union of several clans by inter-marriage and voluntary
connection constitutes the tribe. The very name of our tribe, Dakota, means
Allied People. The remoter degrees of kinship were fully recognized, and
that not as a matter of form only: first cousins were known as brothers and
sisters; the name of "cousin" constituted binding claim, and our rigid
morality forbade marriage between cousins in any known degree, or in other
words within the clan.

The household proper consisted of a man with one or more wives and their
children, all of whom dwelt amicably together, often under one roof,
although some men of rank and position provided a separate lodge for each
wife. There were, indeed, few plural marriages except among the older and
leading men, and plural wives were usually, though not necessarily, sisters.
A marriage might honorably be dissolved for cause, but there was very little
infidelity or immorality, either open or secret.

It has been said that the position of woman is the test of civilization, and
that of our women was secure. In them was vested our standard of morals and
the purity of our blood. The wife did not take the name of her husband nor
enter his clan, and the children belonged to the clan of the mother. All of
the family property was held by her, descent was traced in the maternal
line, and the honor of the house was in her hands. Modesty was her chief
adornment; hence the younger women were usually silent and retiring: but a
woman who had attained to ripeness of years and wisdom, or who had displayed
notable courage in some emergency, was sometimes invited to a seat in the
council.

Thus she ruled undisputed within her own domain, and was to us a tower of
moral and spiritual strength, until the coming of the border white man, the
soldier and trader, who with strong drink overthrew the honor of the man,
and through his power over a worthless husband purchased the virtue of his
wife or his daughter. When she fell, the whole race fell with her.

Before this calamity came upon us, you could not find anywhere a happier
home than that created by the Indian woman. There was nothing of the
artificial about her person, and very little disingenuousness in her
character. Her early and consistent training, the definiteness of her
vocation, and, above all, her profoundly religious attitude gave her a
strength and poise that could not be overcome by any ordinary misfortune.

Indian names were either characteristic nicknames given in a playful spirit,
deed names, birth names, or such as have a religious and symbolic meaning .
It has been said that when a child is born, some accident or unusual
appearance determines his name. This is sometimes the case, but is not the
rule. A man of forcible character, with a fine war record, usually bears the
name of the buffalo or bear, lightning or some dread natural force. Another
of more peaceful nature may be called Swift Bird or Blue Sky. A woman's name
usually suggested something about the home, often with the adjective
"pretty" or "good," and a feminine termination. Names of any dignity or
importance must be conferred by the old men, and especially so if they have
any spiritual significance; as Sacred Cloud, Mysterious Night, Spirit Woman,
and the like. Such a name was sometimes borne by three generations, but each
individual must prove that he is worthy of it.

In the life of the Indian there was only one inevitable duty, -- the duty of
prayer -- the daily recognition of the Unseen and Eternal. His daily
devotions were more necessary to him than daily food. He wakes at daybreak,
puts on his moccasins and steps down to the water's edge. Here he throws
handfuls of clear, cold water into his face, or plunges in bodily. After the
bath, he stands erect before the advancing dawn, facing the sun as it dances
upon the horizon, and offers his unspoken orison. His mate may precede or
follow him in his devotions, but never accompanies him. Each soul must meet
the morning sun, the new, sweet earth, and the Great Silence alone!

Whenever, in the course of the daily hunt, the red hunter comes upon a scene
that is strikingly beautiful and sublime -- a black thunder-cloud with the
rainbow's glowing arch above the mountain; a white waterfall in the heart of
a green gorge; a vast prairie tinged with the blood-red of sunset -- he
pauses for an instant in the attitude of worship. He sees no need for
setting apart one day in seven as a holy day, since to him all days are
God's.

Every act of his life is, in a very real sense, a religious act. He
recognizes the spirit in all creation, and believes that he draws from it
spiritual power. His respect for the immortal part of the animal, his
brother, often leads him so far as to lay out the body of his game in state
and decorate the head with symbolic paint or feathers. Then he stands before
it in the prayer attitude, holding up the filled pipe, in token that he has
freed with honor the spirit of his brother, whose body his need compelled
him to take to sustain his own life.

When food is taken, the woman murmurs a "grace" as she lowers the kettle; an
act so softly and unobtrusively performed that one who does not know the
custom usually fails to catch the whisper: "Spirit, partake!" As her husband
receives the bowl or plate, he likewise murmurs his invocation to the
spirit. When he becomes an old man, he loves to make a notable effort to
prove his gratitude. He cuts off the choicest morsel of the meat and casts
it into the fire -- the purest and most ethereal element.

The hospitality of the wigwam is only limited by the institution of war.
Yet, if an enemy should honor us with a call, his trust will not be
misplaced, and he will go away convinced that he has met with a royal host!
Our honor is the guarantee for his safety, so long as he is within the camp.

Friendship is held to be the severest test of character. It is easy, we
think, to be loyal to family and clan, whose blood is in our own veins. Love
between man and woman is founded on the mating instinct and is not free from
desire and self-seeking. But to have a friend, and to be true under any and
all trials, is the mark of a man!

The highest type of friendship is the relation of "brother-friend" or
"life-and-death friend." This bond is between man and man, is usually formed
in early youth, and can only be broken by death. It is the essence of
comradeship and fraternal love, without thought of pleasure or gain, but
rather for moral support and inspiration. Each is vowed to die for the
other, if need be, and nothing denied the brother-friend, but neither is
anything required that is not in accord with the highest conceptions of the
Indian mind.