viously turned a second time over the hot stones; and afterwards,
with equal ceremony, pointed in succession to the four quarters of
the sky; then drawing a few whiffs from the calumet himself, he
handed it to his left-hand neighbour, by whom it was gravely passed
round the circle ; the interpreter and myself, who were seated at the
door, were asked to partake in our turn, but requested to keep the
head of the calumet within the threshold of the sweating-house.
When the tobacco was exhausted by passing several times round, the
hunter made another speech, similar to the former; but was, if possible,
still more urgent in his requests. A second hymn followed,
and a quantity of water being sprinkled on the hot stones, the attendants
were ordered to close the temple, which they did, by very care^
fully covering it up with moose skins. We had no means of ascertaining
the temperature of the sweating-house; but before it was
closed, not only those within, but also the spectators, without, were
perspiring freely. They continued in the vapour bath for thirty-five
minutes, during which time a third speech was made, and a hymn
was sung, and water occasionally sprinkled on the stones, which still
retained much heat, as was evident from the hissing noise they made.
The coverings were then thrown off, and the poor half-stewed worshippers
exposed freely to the air; but they kept their squatting
postures until a fourth speech was made, in which the deity was
strongly reminded of the value of the gifts, and exhorted to take an
early opportunity of shewing his gratitude. The ceremony concluded
by the sweaters scampering down to the river, and plunging
into the stream. It may be remarked, that the door of the temple,
and, of course, the face of the god, was turned to the rising sun ; and
the spectators were desired not to block up entirely the front of the
building, but to leave a lane for the entrance or exit of some influence
of which they could not give me a correct description. Several
Indians, who lay on the outside of the sweating-house as spectators,
seemed to regard the proceedings with very little awe, and were
extremely free in the remarks and jokes they passed upon the condition
of the sweaters, and even of Kepoochikawn himself. One of
them made a remark, that the shawl would havé been much better
bestowed upon himself than upon Kepoochikawn, but the same
fellow afterwards stripped and joined in the ceremony.
I did not learn that the Indians worship any other god by a specific
name. They often refer, however, to the Ketchee-Maneeto, or
Great Master of L ife; and to an evil spirit, or Maatche-Maneeto.
They also speak of Wettako, a kind of vampyre or devil, into which
those who have fed on human flesh are transformed.
Whilst at Qarlton, I took an opportunity of asking a communicative
old Indian, of the Black-foot nation, his opinion of a future
state ; he replied, that they had heard from their fathers, that the
souls of the departed have to scramble with great labour up the sides
of a steep mountain, upon attaining the summit of which they are
rewarded with the prospect of an extensive plain, abounding in all
sorts of game, and interspersed here and there with new tents,
pitched in agreeable situations. Whilst they are absorbed in the
contemplation of this delightful scene, they are descried by the inha-
bitants of the happy land, who, clothed in new skin-dresses, approach
and welcome with every demonstration of kindness those Indians
who have led good lives ; but the bad Indians, who have imbrued
their hands in the blood of their countrymen, are told to return from
whence they came, and without more ceremony precipitated down
the steep sides of the mountain.
Women, who have been guilty of infanticide, never reach the
mountain at all, hut are compelled to hover round the seats of their
crimes, with branches of trees tied to their legs. The melancholy
sounds, which are heard in the still summer evenings, and which the
ignorance of the white people considers as the screams of the goatsucker,
are really, according to my informant, the moanings of these
unhappy beings.