but to the giver's own thought it should carry the meaning and
reward of true sacrifice.

Orphans and the aged are invariably cared for, not only by
their next of kin, but by the whole clan. It is the loving
parent's pride to have his daughters visit the unfortunate and the
helpless, carry them food, comb their hair, and mend their
garments. The name "Wenonah," bestowed upon the eldest daughter,
distinctly implies all this, and a girl who failed in her
charitable duties was held to be unworthy of the name.

The man who is a skillful hunter, and whose wife is alive to
her opportunities, makes many feasts, to which he is careful to
invite the older men of his clan, recognizing that they have
outlived their period of greatest activity, and now love nothing so
well as to eat in good company, and to live over the past.
The old men, for their part, do their best to requite his
liberality with a little speech, in which they are apt to relate
the brave and generous deeds of their host's ancestors, finally
congratulating him upon being a worthy successor of an honorable
line. Thus his reputation is won as a hunter and a feast-maker,
and almost as famous in his way as the great warrior is he who has
a recognized name and standing as a "man of peace."

The true Indian sets no price upon either his property or his
labor. His generosity is only limited by his strength and ability.
He regards it as an honor to be selected for a difficult or
dangerous service, and would think it shame to ask for any reward,
saying rather: "Let him whom I serve express his thanks according
to his own bringing up and his sense of honor!"