Native American

Earth lodge. A dwelling partly under ground, circular in form, from 30 to 60 ft in diameter, with walls about 6 ft high, on which rested a dome-shaped roof with an opening in the center to afford light within and to permit the egress of smoke. The entrance was a passageway projecting from 6 to 14 ft long. The method of construction was first to draw a circle on the ground and excavate the earth within it from 2 to 4 ft deep. About 1 ft within the circle were set crotched posts some 8 or 10 ft apart, on … Read more

Indian Eagle. Among the many birds held in superstitious and appreciative regard by the aborigines of North America, the eagle, by reason of its majestic, solitary, and mysterious nature, became an especial object of worship. This is expressed in the employment of the eagle by the Indian for religious and esthetic purposes only. The wing-bones were fashioned into whistles to be carried by warriors or used in ceremonies, and the talons formed powerful amulets or fetishes, having secondary value as ornaments; the feathers were, however, of greatest importance. The capture of eagles for their feathers was a hazardous branch of … Read more

Most of the Indian tribes of North America made permanent dyes from organic materials. The demand for these dyes arose when basketry, quill work, and other textile industries had reached a considerable degree of advancement.

The influence of the Dutch on the Indians North of Mexico was confined to the period (1609-64) from Hudson’s visit to the surrender of New Amsterdam and its dependencies to the English. The region in which this influence was exerted lies between the Susquehanna and Connecticut rs., and between the Atlantic and L. Ontario. Ft Orange, now the city of Albany, was a noted trading post of the Dutch, and there they came in contact with the Iroquoian tribes of the N., in addition to the Algonquian tribes of the S. The harsh conduct of Hudson toward the Indians met … Read more

Dry painting – An art existing among the Indians, especially those of the S. W., the products of which have been named sand altars, sand pictures or paintings, and sand mosaics by various authors. It is doubtless of aboriginal origin and of great antiquity, but it has come to the knowledge of white people only within the last 25 years. The art has been found among various Pueblo tribes of New Mexico and Arizona, among the wilder Navaho and Apache of the same region, and, in crude form, among the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Siksika. According to Navaho information, dry-painting was … Read more

Most revelations of what was regarded by the Indians as coming from the supernatural powers were believed to be received in dreams or visions. Through them were bestowed on man magical abilities and the capacity to foresee future events, to control disease, and to become able to fill the office of priest or of leader. It was the common belief of the Indians that these dreams or visions must be sought through the observance of some rite involving more or less personal privation; an exception is found in the Mohave who believe that the dream seeks the individual, corning to … Read more

Dramatic representation. Among many tribes ceremonies were dramatic in character. Every religious rite had its dramatic phases or episodes expressive of beliefs, emotions, or desires, but in certain in stances the dramatic element dominated and became differentiated from the ceremony. In such cases there were masked and costumed actors with stage setting, effigies, and other properties, and events, historical or mythic, in the cultural history or life of the tribe were represented. The most elaborate of these exhibitions were those of the Pueblo peoples and the tribes of the N. W. coast. Among the Hopi a dramatic representation occurs, yearly … Read more

Domestication. The Indian learned a great deal from and was helped in his efforts by the actions of animals in their wild state. The period of domestication began when he held them in captivity for the gratification of his desires or they be came attached to him for mutual benefit. In this process there are gradations: Commensalism begins when food is left for serviceable animals to devour, so that these may give notice of danger or advantage. The coyote is said tore-veal the presence of the mountain lion. Small animals are tolerated for their skins and flesh. Plants would be … Read more

Indian Amusements. When not bound down by stern necessity, the Indian at home was occupied much of the time with dancing, feasting, gaming, and story-telling. Though most of the dances were religious or otherwise ceremonial in character, there were some which had no other purpose than that of social pleasure. They might take place in the day or the night, be general or confined to particular societies, and usually were accompanied with the drum or other musical instrument to accentuate the song. The rattle was perhaps invariably used only in ceremonial dances. Many dances were of pantomimic or dramatic character, … Read more

Indian dolls were common among all the American tribes. They were fashioned from stone, wood, clay, skin, dough, corncobs, plants, and rags. Those used merely as playthings were frequently elaborately dressed by the mother in accordance with tribal costumes. Human hair was sometimes fastened to the head and arranged in the tribal style, the face was painted, the eyebrows were marked, and tattoo lines were indicated. Labrets of bone or shell were put in place among the tribes which used these objects, and the doll was further adorned with ear rings, bracelets, and necklaces. The Eskimo father carved the small … Read more

Indian Dishes for the preparation and serving of food and other purposes were manufactured by all Indian tribes. While their use as receptacles prescribes a concavity of circular, oval, or oblong outline, there is a great variety of shape, decoration, etc., according to individual taste or tribal custom, and a wide range of material, as stone, shell, bone, ivory, horn, rawhide, bark, wood, gourd, pottery, and basketry. The vessels for serving food were not used to hold individual portions, for the Indians ate in common; but the little dishes held salt and other condiments, small quantities of delicate foods, etc. … Read more

Dictionaries have been made of at least 63 different North American Indian languages belonging to 19 linguistic families, besides many vocabularies of other languages. Of 122 dictionaries mentioned below more than half are still in manuscript. Beginning with the Eskimauan family, vocabularies of Greenland Eskimo have been supplied by the labors of Egede (1750), Fabricius (1804), Kleinschmidt (1871), Rink (1877), and Kjer and Rasmussen (1893); of Labrador Eskimo, by Erdmann (1864); of Chiglit (Kopagmiut), by Petltot (1876); and there are collections by Pinart of the Aleutian Fox (Unalaskan Aleut) dialect (1871, MS.), and of that of the Kaniagmiut (1871-72, MS.). … Read more

Nature is prodigal of life and energy. The dance is universal and instinctive. Primarily the dance expresses the joy of biotic exaltation, the exuberance of life and energy; it is the ready physical means of manifesting the emotions of joy and of expressing the exultation of conscious strength and the ecstasy of successful achievement the fruitage of well-directed energy. Like modern music, through long development and divergent growth the dance has been adapted to the environment of many and diverse planes of culture and thought; hence it is found among both savage and enlightened peoples in many complex and differing … Read more

Counting Coup (blow, stroke). The French-Canadian term adopted to designate the formal token or signal of victory in battle, as used among the Plains tribes. Coups are usually “counted,” as it was termed that is, credit of victory was taken, for three brave deeds, viz, killing an enemy, scalping an enemy, or being first to strike an enemy either alive or dead. Each one of these entitled a man to rank as a warrior and to recount the exploit in public; but to be first to touch the enemy was regarded as the bravest deed of all, as it implied … Read more

Two systems of counting were formerly in use among the Indians of North America, the decimal and the vigesimal. The latter, which was used in Mexico and Central America, was also in general use N. of Columbia r. , on the Pacific slope, while between that area and the border of Mexico it was employed by only a few tribes, as the Pomo, Tuolumne, Konkan, Nishinam, and Achomawi. On the Atlantic side the decimal system was used by all except the Eskimo tribes. Both Indian counting systems, based apparently on the finger and hand count, were as a rule fundamentally … Read more

Evidences of widespread commerce and rude media of exchange in North America are found in ancient shell-heaps, mounds, and graves, the objects having passed from hand to hand often many times. Overland, this trade was done on foot, the only domestic animal for long-distance transportation being the dog, used as a pack beast and for the travois and the sled. In this respect the north temperate zone of America was in marvelous contrast with the same latitudes of the Old World, where most of the commercial animals originated. The deficiency in the means of land commerce was made up by … Read more

To the aboriginal inhabitant of this continent civilization entails the overturning of his ancient form of government, the abolition of many of his social usages, the readjustment of his ideas of property and personal rights, and change of occupation. No community of natives was devoid of a social organization and a form of government. These varied, some tribes being much more highly organized than others (see Clan and Gens), but all possessed rules of conduct which must be obeyed, else punishment would follow. Native organization was based on kinship, which carried with it the obligation of mutual protection. The tribe, … Read more

Among the North American Indians a chief may be generally defined as a political officer whose distinctive functions are to execute the ascertained will of a definite group of persons united by the possession of a common territory or range and of certain exclusive rights, immunities, and obligations, and to conserve their customs, traditions, and religion. He exercises legislative, judicative, and executive powers delegated to him in accordance with custom for the conservation and promotion of the common weal. The wandering band of men with their women and children contains the simplest type of chieftaincy found among the American Indians, … Read more