North American Indians. — Diversity of Languages. — The Iroquois. — Dialects. — Descent of Iroquois chiefs through the female line. — Pagan Indians. — Belief in a Great Spirit. — Ceremonies. — Dakotas. — Superstitions. — Dreams. — Fasts. — Sun worship. — Medicine men. — Customs of mourning by widows. — Supernatural influences. — Lightning. — Transmigration. — Worship of Spirit rocks. — Serpent worship. — Human sacrifices. — Burial customs. — Method of curing sickness by steam. — Note upon analogies between the customs of the Indians, Maoris, and the natives of the Sandwich Islands. It is expedient with respect to the condition of the North American Indians, to take into consideration some of the circumstances relating to their languages, customs, and superstitions; particularly such of them as may appear to have remote analogies with the observances of other races, or with the more advanced state of civilisation that existed in the fifteenth century, among the tribes who had conquered the aboriginal inhabitants of Mexico, Central America, and Yucatan. It is also especially necessary that a brief investigation should be directed to certain exceptional forms of the Indian faith in the influence and power of the unknown gods by whom the Dakotas believed themselves to be surrounded and who were propitiated by acts of severe personal suffering and penance. In the Northern continent there are two principal facts which attract the attention of those who are thrown into contact with the Iroquois, Chippewas and Dakotas. The first of these which comes under notice is the extraordinary number and diversity of their languages, and afterwards, upon a more extended acquaintance with the customs of these Indians, the strange and most grave nature of the higher character of their ancient religion. With regard to the differences of the languages my attention was first called to this circumstance by M. Cuoq, who, when I visited the Missionary establishment upon the shores of the “Lac des deux Montagnes” in Canada, was in charge of the converts. M. Cuoq was a learned philologist and had published a volume of studies upon the Indian languages.[43]