THE MESSIAH KNOWN TO THE ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF AMERICA.
James Wells, D.D., in the Sunday Magazine, says:
"A Savior, at once human and divine, has a supreme place in the creed of the Red-man. The thoughtful Indians also felt the pressure of the solemn facts and needs of life. They groped in the darkness, and stretched forth hands of entreaty to God. In their deep need, they yearned for a teacher and helper; and somehow or other, they believed that he had come, or would yet come to them. They had dim, confused suggestions and cravings that could find their realization only in Christ. Their traditions are rich in myths and legends which cluster round Hiawatha, the messenger and representative of God. They regard Hiawatha as the relative of the Great Spirit and they call him 'uncle,' that is, kinsman. Schoolcraft has collected the Hiawatha legend in a very interesting book.
"Hiawatha was a sort of Red Indian Messias. Though a heavenly being he was born a child on earth, and his birth was wondrous. He came into the world long ago and instituted 'the Grand Medicine.' He had super-human powers, and used them all to bless men. In sending him, the Creator smiled upon His helpless children. All the evil spirits strove against him, but he conquered them and gained strength from the struggle. He used to spend days in fasting and prayer, and he went about continually doing good. He prophesied that, after he had left them, they would take to quarreling and fighting, and that they would be driven from their hunting-grounds far westward. He told them of the isles of the blest and the land of the hereafter. They also believe that he conducts souls to the other world; and they expect him to come again to the earth."