CONTENTS.
[I.
INDIAN MYTHOLOGY.]
The heroes of Kansas in the early days.—The first inhabitants.—Pathos of Indian traditions and their tragic interest.—Interpretation of myths.—Tradition of the Mississippi Valley.—Theory of a dual soul.—Ancient religion of the North American Indians.—Ideas of Divinity.—Spirits.—Communication with the unseen world.—Description of heaven, found in the diary of Rev. S. M. Irvin.—Algonquin prayer to Father Allouez.—The totem.—The folk-lore of the Indian his literature.—Myth of a prehistoric world.—The transformation.—The burning earth.—Formation of the stars.—The Water-Maiden.—The Earth-Maiden.—Michabou.—Worship of the heavenly bodies.—Sacrifices.—Relation of dogs to the moon.—The Horned Serpent.—The Prince of Rattlesnakes.—Hiawatha, the Indian Messiah.—The Red Swan.—The Pipe of Peace.—Thunder and lightning.—The Storm Giant.—Rainmakers.—The Wild Parsnip.—The Spirit of Fire.—Fire legend of the Navajos.—The Shawnee and Delaware type of life.—The imagery of the red man.—Knowledge of the fundamental truths of nature.—Earliest record of the Middle West.—Dominant tribes.—The Paducas.—The emigrant nations.
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[II.
THE PAWNEES.]
Wanderings in Kansas and Nebraska.—Origin.—The word "Pani."—Imitation of wolves.—Bands.—Tuhk-pah-huks-taht.—Skidi-rah-ru.—Tuh-wa-hok-a-sha.—Tu-hi-'ts-pi-yet.—Hunting in ancient times.—Weapons.—Utensils.—Government.—Dress.—Lodges.—Music.—Courtship and marriage.—Religious ceremonies.—The Buffalo Dance.—Departure for semi-annual buffalo hunt.—The surround.—Ti-rá-wa, the Pawnee Deity.—The Na-hú-rac.—Sacrifices.—The wonderful horse.—Homes of the Nu-hú-rac.—The Nu-hú-rac doctors.—Medicine men and priests.—Belief in a prehistoric race.—Destruction of the giants.—Human sacrifices.—A Legend of Kansas.—Pit-a-le-shar'-u.—Hostilities against other nations.—Villages of the Iowas and Sacs.—War with the Iowas, 1839.—Battle amid the sunflowers.—Sale of Pawnee lands.—Removal to the Indian Territory.—Success in agriculture.
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