Kitchi-Gami: Life Among the Lake Superior Ojibway

CHAPTER VI

CIIARITY AMONG THE INDIANS. 65 CHAPTER VI. INDIAN GENEROSITY-BEJIAVI017R O:P TilE CKillll&-CJU.li.&CrB:U. OJ TilE W.AliS-TIIE PILLA.GEllS-SAl'ETY O:P E17ROPBANS-LIJE AT U POINTBCOJOroNIBK -A.PPEALS TO TilE GREAT BPIRIT-IIOSPITALI'rY-'liiE INDIAN SQUAW-TilE BREAD WINNER-C17li.I0178 CEREKONY- GBACB BBJORE "MEAT-TilE SWIP'r B.UNNER-TIIE LAND S17B.VEYOB.--AN INDIAN PA.SSTIIE SA17VAGBS DES TEB.B.ES-TIIE TB.ADBB.S-ADVANCBS TO TJIB INDIANS -A NOBLE RETUB.N-'lliB CIIIPPEWAY CHlEI-liVB B17NDB.BD DOLL&B.S IN JEOPARDY--A BARD WINTER-:PB.ESH ADVANCBS-CONJDDBNCB lOB. CONPIDENCE-CIVILISATI9N RETAB.DED. WE Christians regard the law to love our neighbour, and the preseing recommendation of charity, as the most material feature of our morality, and as something which distinguishes it from all other religious dogmas. In a certain sense, anu to a certain degree, this may be true; but we must be cautious not to exalt ourselves too much, and deny the natural goodness of the rest of humanity. Charity and liberality, as regards the goods given by God, and noble hospitality, are praised as the principal virtues among non-Christian nations equally as with us. Among the Indians this reaches such a pitch, that it is one of the chief obstacles to their conversion. 66 A. MEAL~ MAN. I will presently showthe meaning to be attached to this, but first adduce some facts suited to verify my general assertion. As a universal rule, next to the liar, no one is so despised by the Indians as the narrow-hearted egotist and greedy miser. The Indians might possibly give a murderer or other sinner the seat of honour in their lodges, but a man known as a " sassagis" (mean man) must sit at the doorway. As long as a man has anything , according to the moral law of the Indians, he must share it with those who want; and no one can attain any degree of respect among them who does not do so most liberally. They are almost communists, and hence there are no rich men among them. Their chiefs and warriors live and behave much like the first barefooted kalifs, and they bestow all their gains on their followers. "Those vain scamps," a man said to me, " whom you see here parading their silver medals and other European presents, are not the influential chiefs and great men among the Indians. They ridicule them. The right men conceal themselves, and are worse clothed than the others." They give to the tribe not only what they obtain by the chase, but also all the presents they get from the Europeans, even to their tribute-money. Frequently, when a chief receives very handsome goods, either in exchap.ge for his peltry, or as a recognition of his high position, he will throw them all in a heap, call his followers, and divide all among them. If he grow very zealous, he will pull off his shirt, give it away, and say, " So, you see, I have now nothing more to give; I am poorer than any one of you, and commend myself to your charity." A man who lays up sue'1 ~apital in the hearts of his CHARACTER OF WARFARE. 67 followers is thence much richer than if he had all the wares under lock and key. In case of need, all his followers blindly obey his orders. How little the Indians are prone to cupidity is seen in the character of their wars. The forays of the wild predatory Beduin tribes are nearly all for plunder, but the Indian wars solely for revenge. When a young Indian prepares an expedition, he never dreams, like the thievish comrades of Ulysses, about the plunder he can obtain, but only of the relations he can avenge and the blood-foes he can punish. On the battle-field his first and most important business is to take the scalp of the enemy he has killed. Having this, he is satisfied, and leaves the ornaments on the corpse, which a predatory Arab or A:ffghan would fall upon first. In th~ enemy's camp they destroy more than they plunder. In order to injure him, they will, perhaps,. burn all he possesses, but, once holding the scalps, they do not burden themselves with much booty. Indeed, each of the warriors will leave something of his own behind, as proof positive that he has...