suing such a course of life and occupation as will convince them of the sincerity of their beliefs and endeavors. The grace of God operates meanwhile in their' untutored minds and hearts to bring them to the knowledge of the true and holy faith, which he alone can give; as it is written in the holy scriptures: " Faith is a gift of God."
It is therefore advisable to know what is the true nature of their religion when closely analyzed; what are their ideas of the Creator, worship, of futurity; what in their opinion constitutes crime. Are crimes offenses to the Great Spirit or to the individual? Have they, or are they under, any moral obligation to serve the Great Spirit? Are good deeds rewarded and bad ones punished in this life or in a future state? Do they believe in a future at all? How does this belief affect their course of action in this life? Are they in reality idolaters? and if so, in what and of what do their idols consist? These and other points bearing upon their moral conditions are what I propose to explain, though not perhaps in the order in which they stand.
All these Indians believe in the existence of a Great Spirit, the Creator of all things, and this appears to be an inherent, original and inborn idea. They do not, however, embody it; it is ,a spirit. The name of this spirit is Wakan Tankah or Great Medicine. The word " medicine " in this case has no reference to the use of drugs, but means all that is incomprehensible, supernatural, all-powerful; everything that cannot be explained by ordinary means, or that is above their comprehension.
Their own priests or conjurers are likewise termed Wakan. A steamboat, a watch, any machinery, even toys of whose principle of motion they are ignorant, would be called Wakan-medicine. Now this great medicine, Wakan Tankah, refers to something greater than the power of man; consequently the acts of the Great Spirit are manifested in the elements, natural phenomena, sickness and death, famine and distress, loss occasioned by invading foes,