relied, while man depended upon this constancy to carry out any given
purpose. From thoughts upon this natural phenomenon and its effects on the
actions of men, ideas arose that led the Indian to the conception of truth,
that something, as between man and man, that can be depended on both in
word and in deed. "Thus," the old men said, "Wakon'da taught us the
necessity of truthfulness, if we would live peacefully together." Other
natural aspects, as the storm, with its terrifying thunder and destructive
lightning, and the passing of the clouds revealing the blue sky, when the
birds renewed their song, seemed to picture to the Indian the devastation
of war and the happiness of peace. Again, the tree, compacted of many
parts, suggested how the tribe could be made to stand and become strong.

So it came to pass that as the ancient people looked about and thought on
what they saw, they gradually formulated ceremonies and adopted symbols in
order to express what they came to believe. All their rites, their
vocations, their pleasures were born, practiced and enjoyed under the
arching skies, and were permeated, as by a vital spirit, with an
unquestioning consciousness of oneness with nature.

We shall not be false to any great truths that have been revealed to us
concerning the world in which we live, if we listen to the olden voice, an
unseen heritage of our bounteous land, as it sings of man's unity with
nature. May they who join in these dances and games catch their vital
spirit and learn to feel at home with the winds, the clouds, the fields and
the woods.



SONG AND DANCE AMONG THE INDIANS