MEANING OF INDIAN TOTEMS AND NAMES
An Indian, while hunting, followed a bear a long way into the forest. The rain came and he was lost, so he cut the bark from a tree and made with his tomahawk a picture of a fox. He put a ring under one foot in the picture. He belonged to the Fox tribe and had been lost one day. He made more such marks on the trees as he went on.
Another hunter from the same tribe found him after three days. He had trailed him by the little marks on the trees; by bent twigs and branches; by his footprints in the mud or sand. He knew the lost one was very weak and hungry, for the last fox picture had three circles to show that he had been lost three days, and other marks to show that he had shot nothing. An untrained white hunter would not have seen one sign of the lost Indian. [[36]]
If the Fox Indian had been asked why he used the fox picture, he would have said, if ready to talk: “My grandfather was a fox.” This would mean to us that his totem or first ancestor was a fox.
Other tribes believe they are descended from bears, wolves, cranes, or other creatures. They nearly all have their totems, or sign-pictures. We write our names with letters; they use pictures. It is their coat-of-arms. Our names also have meanings.
The tall, curiously carved totem poles of Alaska are really carved family histories. Where two or more animals are pictured on one pole it shows the marriage or other union of different bands to which the family belongs. These totem poles are usually put up before each native house. The natives will not sell them, for they are valuable family records.
A Dakota warrior shot an arrow into the sky; the clouds parted just as his arrow turned to fall. He was thought to have shot the clouds; he was called Hole-in-the-sky.
Old Chief Sleepy-eye had a bright mind, but his eyelids did not serve him well; hence his name.
In some tribes the little ones are named after the first object that is seen, as Buffalo Horn, White Pony, Lame Dog, and names that are sometimes better but more often seem to us not so good.
Alaskan Totem Poles
From a Photograph
The Sioux have names for their boys or girls [[38]]according to their order of birth. The first boy is called Chaska, until by some feat of bravery he changes it himself. The second son is Harpam; his next brother is Hapeda; the fourth son is Chatun; and the fifth boy has the name of Harka all ready for him.
The first girl has the musical name of Winona, and her next younger sister takes the name of Harpan. Harpstena will be the name of the third girl baby. Waska and Weharka are for the fourth and fifth girls of a family, and other names are provided for a greater number of children.
The Indians have titles and descriptive names for the white people whom they know. A certain military surgeon who has been among them and has keen, dark eyes and gray hair is always called Gray Eagle. Their senses are trained to observe very keenly, and they quickly know each person. Perhaps the paleface might be startled if he understood the name they gave him.
Some Indian tribes call the horse Foot-with-one-toe. Few white Americans would have noticed the horse’s foot so closely. [[39]]