| confidence. | | | | I met in California a young Englishman who had been living for | | several months with various tribes near the coast, between British | | Columbia and New Mexico. | | | | He told me that he had been present upon an occasion when a | | successful attempt at rain-making occurred. The event took place | | upon a promontory in the southern part of California. | | | | The tribe wanted rain, and their rain-maker declared that he could | | obtain what was desired. He proceeded to make upon an adjoining | | hill, a large bonfire which was kept well supplied with fuel and | | gave out dense volumes of smoke. The fire was kept burning for | | over twenty-four hours, and then the efforts of the rain-maker | | were rewarded by a good and sufficient fall of rain. Here, as | | elsewhere, the Indians employed fire and smoke as agents for | | producing rain. | | | | [49] See Chapter VI. | | | | [50] The offerings are sometimes made to appease the angry spirit | | dwelling in the serpent. | | | | Occasionally the Dakotas sacrifice a dog to it. | | | | [51] “Indian Tribes of North America.” Vol. IV. pp. 51. | | | | [52] The remaining daughters were alive when I was in Minnesota. | | One of them was married to a man of the tribe. The other was the | | wife of a white man, who, Faribault said, was employed as a | | drummer at Fort Snelling. | | | | [53] With many of the Dakota and Chippewa tribes there existed a | | custom of placing upon the scaffolding a wand which was painted | | red, blue and white. They believed that the spirit of the Indian | | had to cross a river over which was a long log of wood. Upon | | reaching the opposite bank, the spirit met the spirits of his | | enemies. To one of them he would show the red, to another the | | blue, and finally he pointed to the white and then all enmities | | ceased. |