Search -
Sketches of the History, Manners Et Customs of the North-american Indians
Sketches of the History Manners Et Customs of the Northamerican Indians Author:James Buchanan Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: there is a tendency in the human mind, to form low and limited views of the Supreme Being; and that, in fact, all nations have fallen into the corruptions of pol... more »ytheism and idolatry: we should conclude, even in reasoning A priori, that the religion of the Indians would be found to partake of the' general character. Accordingly, the fact is amply attested, that while they acknowledge one Supreme Being, whom they denominate the Great Spirit, or the Master oj Life, they also believe in subordinate divinities, who have the chief regulation of the affairs of men. Charlevoix, who had all the opportunities of obtaining information which personal observation, and the united testimony of the French missionsiries could give, is an unexceptionable witness with regard to the Hurons, the Iroquois, and the Algonquins. Nothing, says he, is more certain, though at the same time obscure, than the conception which the American savages have of a Supreme Beina'. All agree that he is the Great Spirit, and that he is the master, creator, and governor of the world. The Hurons call him Ares- koui; the Iroquois, by a slight variation, Agreskoue. He is, with them, the God of war. His name they invoice as they march. It'is the signal to engage, and it is the war-cry in the hottest of the battle.f Charlevoix, Journal, Stc let. xxiv. p. 343. t Charlevoix, Journal, lu. lei-, xxiv. p. 344. '' IF paroit que dans ces chansons (de guerre.) on invoque le Dieu de la guerre que les Hurons appellent Jlnskoid. et les [roquois jjgreskaue. Je ne S5ai pus quel nom on lui donne dans les langues Algnnquines Mais n'est il pas un peiteton- .(Kim que dans le mot Grec AAg; qui est le Mars, et le D!pu de la guerre dans tous les pays, ou Ton a suivi laTheolgie d'Homere, on trouve Ib racine d'ou semblent deiver plusieurs...« less