“On my arrival in the northwest territories with
the northwest mounted police, in 1874, I was curious
to find out how far these “medicine men” carried their
arts, and also what these arts consisted of
I heard
from Indians many tales of wonders done by them, but
it was a long time before I got a chance to be present
at one of these ceremonies. The Indians were reluc-
bat to allow a white man to view any of their “medi-
cine” ceremonies. As I got better acquainted with
several tribes, particularly the Blackfeet, I had many
chances to find out the truth regarding what I had
heard of them, and I was truly astonished at what I
saw at different times. Many of the medicine feats did
not allow of any jugglery, the man being naked, with
the exception of a cloth around his loins, and I sitting
within a few feet of him.
“All Indians believe in their familiar spirit, which
assumed all kinds of shapes, sometimes that of an owl,
a buffalo, a beaver, a fox, or any other animal. This
spirit it was that gave them the power to perform the
wonders done by them, and was firmly believed in by
them all.
“On one occasion I was sitting in an Indian tent
alone with one of the “medicine’ ‘ men of the Blackfeet
Indians. It was night and all was quiet in the camp.
The night was calm, with a bright moon shining. On
a sudden the Indian commenced to sing, and presently
the lodge, which was a large one, commenced to tremble:
and the trembling increased to such a degree that it
rocked violently, even lifting off the ground, first on
one side and then on the other, as if a dozen pair of
hands were heaving it on the outside. This lasted for
abut two minutes, when I ran out, exwing to find
some Indians on the outside who had played me a trick,
but, to my astonishment, not a soul was in sight, and
what still more bewildered me was to find on examina-
tion that the lodge was firmly pegged down to the
ground, it being impossible for any number of men to
have moved and replaced the pegs in so short a time.