Brother Van

by Stella Wyatt Brummitt

The lodge was built in accordance with a plan which the Sun himself was supposed to have given to one of the young men of the tribe in ancient times. It represented the world,and was made by placing small trees of uniform size in a circle, and bending the branches toward the center to form the roof. One half of it was painted red for the Sun, and the other half black to represent night. In recent years the medicine lodge is seldom used owing to the effect of modern education in destroying the superstitious beliefs of the Indians, and within another generation the ceremony will probably be extinct.

Board of Home Missions and Church Extension Methodist Episcopal Church.

BROTHER VAN VISITING A MEDICINE LODGE ERECTED AS A TRIBAL CEREMONY BY THE BLACKFEET INDIANS

Brother Van also discovered that the tribal dances were not as simple as they had appeared to be, but that they were filled with hidden meanings, and that each had a history of its own. The story of the Pigeon Dance, which was one of those witnessed by the new missionary, shows the background of folk tales, dreams, and of the imitation of animal and bird life from which these dances grew. It is believed by the people that all of their dances originated in the dream of a seer of the tribe many generations ago. The custom was for some old man to go off into absolute seclusion out of sound of any human voice. He then subjected himself to various ceremonials, andbecoming at last exhausted sought sleep and dreams. The process was continued until something new and unheard of was dreamed. The seeker for “something new under the sun” would then come back to the waiting tribe, and patiently wait and watch for his dream to come true. Not until he saw it in reality could he call the tribe together and proclaim the glad news.

Once upon a time an old man went away to a quiet spot and after the proper ceremonials fell asleep and the much desired dream came to him. He saw a flock of beautiful, many-colored pigeons and as they circled and whirled, he perceived that they were in truth executing a rythmic dance. With grace and perfection of motion they performed wonderful and intricate figures. Their soft cooing made a weird and strange music which added to the charm of the mystical dances. The old man had dreamed the dream for which he longed. He came back to the tribe and said nothing, but he watched for the realization of the vision.

Eagerly he sought the nesting and feedingplaces of pigeons. One day he actually saw the birds dancing as he had seen them in his dream. Immediately runners were sent forth to call the people together. A great feast was prepared at which the seer announced the vision that he had seen, and the manner in which the dance was conducted. On the American nation’s birthday in the year 1917, this strange but beautiful dance was a part of the celebration at the Blackfeet Indian agency, and Brother Van, so long a friend of the Indians, was the guest of honor.

The missionary found that through their love of beauty and heroism the Indians had a peculiar understanding and appreciation of Bible history. There was much in their simple, wandering life that made them feel a close kinship with those shepherds, hunters, and warriors of the ancient East. They had passed through the same great human experiences, and they shared many of the same beliefs. In their crude and faltering way they, too, looked up to a Great Spirit who made all things and upon whose bounty all men depend. As they told Brother Van their triballegends, he was struck by the remarkable resemblance which many of these bore to some of the stories of the Bible. The Blackfeet story of the forming of the world is peculiarly interesting because it shows the belief which they have in a Creator.

“In the beginning there was water everywhere. A raft was floating on which Old Man (the Sun) and all the animals were gathered. Old Man wished to make land. He sent the beaver to the bottom of the water to bring up mud. The beaver never reached the bottom. The loon was tried and he failed. The otter made the perilous journey and failed. At last the muskrat was sent down. He was gone so long that Old Man thought he was drowned. Finally he came up and floated almost dead. He was pulled on top of the raft, and as they looked at his paws, they found a little mud on them. Old Man dried this mud and scattered it over the water, and land was formed.

“Old Man then began to make the earth to suit him. He marked places for rivers to run. Sometimes the rivers ran smoothly and sometimes with falls. He made mountains,prairies, and timber. He carried a lot of rocks around with him, and of these he made mountains. He caused grass to grow on the plains for the animals to feed upon. He marked certain pieces of land where berries should grow; others where camas should grow; others for wild carrots and turnips, and others for service-berries, bull-berries, and rosebuds.