Western Scenes and Reminiscences: Together with Thrilling Legends and Traditions of the Red Men of the ForestSchoolcraft, Henry Rowe
History
Western Scenes and Reminiscences: Together with Thrilling Legends and Traditions of the Red Men of the Forest
Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe
Indian captivities; Indians of North America
"In the early part of my life I lived very wickedly,
following the META, the JEESUKAN, and the WABENO, the
three great superstitious observances of my people. I did
not know that these societies were made up of errors
until my wife, whose heart had been turned by the
missionaries, informed me of it. I had no pleasure in
listening to her on this subject, and often turned away,
declaring that I was well satisfied with the religion of
my forefathers. She took every occasion of talking to me
on the subject. She told me that the Indian societies
were bad, and that all who adhered to them were no better
than open servants of the Evil Spirit. She had, in
particular, _four_ long talks with me on the subject, and
explained to me who God was, and what sin was, as it is
written in God's book. I believed before, that there was
One Great Spirit who was the Master of life, who had made
men and beasts. But she explained to me the true
character of this Great Spirit, the sinfulness of the
heart, and the necessity of having it changed from evil
to good by praying through Jesus Christ. By degrees I
came to understand it. She told me that the Ghost of God
or Holy Spirit only could make the heart better, and that
the souls of all who died, without having felt this
power, would be burned in the fires. The missionaries had
directed her to speak to me and put words in her mouth;
and she said so much that, at length, I did not feel
satisfied with my old way of life. Amongst other things
she spoke against drinking, which I was very fond of.
"I did not relish these conversations, but I could not
forget them. When I reflected upon them, my heart was not
as fixed as it used to be. I began to see that the Indian
Societies were bad, for I knew from my own experience,
that it was not a good Spirit that I had relied upon. I
determined that I would not undertake _jeesukà_ or to
look into futurity any longer for the Indians, nor
practice the _Meta's_ art. After a while I began to see
more fully that the Indian ceremonies were all bad, and I
determined to quit them altogether, and give heed to what
was declared in God's book.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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