A long time ago, no definite date, came among the Chitimacha a strange, fair complected man who spoke their language, which amazed the Indians. He was very smart. The Indians said he knew everything. He taught them to make better crops by using fish byproducts and even fish by their plants, and it would make them grow healthy and strong. He helped them to substitute herbs when one was not available at different seasons. Then came one day, he told the Indians it was time for him to leave the Chitimacha and go do his father’s work. He picked out a cypress tree and climbed to the top. Then he told the Chitimachas, “Whenever you need rain for your crops, come and wet this tree and it will rain according to your needs.” And until this day, it works. It has been proven by many, many people, white and black. All over South Louisiana, people know about it and believe in it strongly. That is how the Indians were blessed by the Great Spirit. He gives and he takes. The Chitimacha did not think it feasible to ask the Great Spirit for anything. All they taught their children was how to thank him for all the good things they got from him. If something went wrong along the way, you just checked the past—you have done something to displease the Great Spirit. It has always been and still is until today. So the Indians would punish themselves to try and please the Great Spirit. Now the Indian has been ridiculed for talking to the Great Spirit which is an Indian belief. The white prophets of old spoke to their gods. Why should it be unreasonable for an Indian to do the same under the Great Spirit? Guidance as afore stated, the Chitimacha do not believe Adam and Eve naked in the Garden of Eden ate an apple; however, the white man says so, so the Indians do not deny it, since they had to accept the white God, which is the same Supreme Being with different names. They are both sacred to the Chitimacha. Since the Indians could not read or write, all this was handed down mouth to mouth. So many things might be left out and some could have been added. We do not know for sure, yet some of your strongest and oldest organizations do not have anything written and are still going strong. We do know that the Indians did not preach religion. They live it. They have a ceremonial for everything, and it was all done with respect to the Great Spirit. Their dances, their chanting was somewhat like your unknown tongue of today, and it was always done around a fire because we believe that fire has life. If you watch a fire, you will notice part of the flame leaves the fire and goes up to carry the message to the Great Spirit, thanking him for a good harvest, good hunt, a good fish catch, and many other things.