INDIAN PRIESTS | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 29, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 22.

INDIAN PRIESTS.

The priesthood of the country has been considered by those long familiar with the subject to have done more than any other agency to keep the tribes from becoming civilized. They are often spoken of as medicine-men. They tried to frighten the demon that possessed the patient; they sucked and blew upon the diseased organ, sprinkled it with water, rubbed the parts with their hands, and made an image representative of the spirit of sickness, and knocked it to pieces.

They were much skilled in tricks of legerdemain, setting fire to articles of clothing, and instantly extinguishing the flames by magic. They summoned spirits to answer questions about the future, and possessed clairvoyant powers. They consecrated amulets, interpreted dreams, cast horoscopes, rehearsed legends, performed sacrifices, and, in short, constituted the chief center of the intellectual force of the people. They are thus a kind of priests, doctors, and charlatans, who perform penance, and submit to mutilation, fasting, and self-mortification.—McClintock and Strong.