THE FIRST AMERICANS

Press, 4 July 1978, Page 14

THE FIRST AMERICANS

By

RAPHAEL J. MacLOUGHLIN

Having spent a night in the wigwam of our Algonkian host, we awake to the crackle of dry timber on smouldering embers. Spark and flame follow in quick succession, as a thin blue column rises towards the smoke-hole overhead. Our hostess stands back from the re-kindled fire, it is dawn and her first chore is over. Her elderly husband greets us as we rise from our bed of pelts, he informs us the night’s storm has blown over. It’s heavy fall of snow will not make our trading expedition to the coastal Algonkians any easier, but. no matter, our trade goods will be loaded onto bark toboggans and drawn by the encampments dogs. However, now is the time for breakfast. Into our hands, hot bowls of steaming liquid are thrust, the ingredients of our savoury morning meal, beans, corn and fish, it’s name “succotash.” You wonder how the beans were c joked so fast, they were

put in a pot and buried at night in a hole in which our fire had been laid so that they were ready for this morning. But now voices can be heard over the excited barking of dogs. Our fellow travellers have arrived, with them two toboggans. One bears pelts for trading, the other food for ourselves. It seems the journey will be a long one. Following some brief instructions from the elderly Algonkian we move out across the white vastness. Our bark toboggans drawn by the eager dogs move easily across the snow despite their heavy loads. ‘‘Respect Manitou — he is the owner of all things, he will not intervene in your affairs but remember he sees all.” These parting words of our host come to mind as we endeavour to keep pace with our companions. It is obvious that though Algonkian religion is simple, there being but

one spirit or God, with lesser owners of the various parts of nature, it nevertheless dictates a code of conduct. There are no priests amongst these people but instead Shamans or medicine men who usually receive their power in dreams. These men specialise in curing sickness and driving off evil spirits, some of them can perform remarkable magic tricks. Making a hut dance and shake as if a storm were blowing outside, plunging a knife into empty air and bringing it back covered with blood, making anima! spirits talk out of darkness, these acts compare with the best that magicians do today. But we must keep up with the others for it will snow in an hour or two. See the heavy cloud bank to the north, remember separate and we are lost. What was that? It sounded like a cry of alarm, where is the lead toboggan, where has it gone?