darwin and modern science-第67章

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rie…wolf　is　a　leading　personage；　think　that　they　are　descended　from　coyotes。　　At　first　they　walked　on　all　fours；　then　they　began　to　have　some　members　of　the　human　body；　one　finger；　one　toe；　one　eye；　one　ear；　and　so　on；　then　they　got　two　fingers；　two　toes；　two　eyes；　two　ears；　and　so　forth；　till　at　last；　progressing　from　period　to　period；　they　became　perfect　human　beings。　　The　loss　of　their　tails；　which　they　still　deplore；　was　produced　by　the　habit　of　sitting　upright。　　（H。R。　Schoolcraft；　〃Indian　Tribes　of　the　United　States〃；　IV。　（Philadelphia；　1856）；　pages　224　sq。；　compare　id。　V。　page　217。　　The　descent　of　some；　not　all；　Indians　from　coyotes　is　mentioned　also　by　Friar　Boscana；　in　（A。　Robinson's）　〃Life　in　California〃　（New　York；　1846）；　page　299。）　　Similarly　Darwin　thought　that　〃the　tail　has　disappeared　in　man　and　the　anthropomorphous　apes；　owing　to　the　terminal　portion　having　been　injured　by　friction　during　a　long　lapse　of　time；　the　basal　and　embedded　portion　having　been　reduced　and　modified；　so　as　to　become　suitable　to　the　erect　or　semi…erect　position。〃　　（Charles　Darwin；　〃The　Descent　of　Man〃；　Second　Edition　（London；　1879）；　page　60。）　　The　Turtle　clam　of　the　Iroquois　think　that　they　are　descended　from　real　mud　turtles　which　used　to　live　in　a　pool。　　One　hot　summer　the　pool　dried　up；　and　the　mud　turtles　set　out　to　find　another。　　A　very　fat　turtle；　waddling　after　the　rest　in　the　heat；　was　much　incommoded　by　the　weight　of　his　shell；　till　by　a　great　effort　he　heaved　it　off　altogether。　　After　that　he　gradually　developed　into　a　man　and　became　the　progenitor　of　the　Turtle　clan。　　（E。A。　Smith；　〃Myths　of　the　Iroquois〃；　〃Second　Annual　Report　of　the　Bureau　of　Ethnology〃　（Washington；　1883）；　page　77。）　　The　Crawfish　band　of　the　Choctaws　are　in　like　manner　descended　from　real　crawfish；　which　used　to　live　under　ground；　only　coming　up　occasionally　through　the　mud　to　the　surface。　　Once　a　party　of　Choctaws　smoked　them　out；　taught　them　the　Choctaw　language；　taught　them　to　walk　on　two　legs；　made　them　cut　off　their　toe　nails　and　pluck　the　hair　from　their　bodies；　after　which　they　adopted　them　into　the　tribe。　　But　the　rest　of　their　kindred；　the　crawfish；　are　crawfish　under　ground　to　this　day。　　（Geo。　Catlin；　〃North　American　Indians〃4　（London；　1844）；　II。　page　128。）　　The　Osage　Indians　universally　believed　that　they　were　descended　from　a　male　snail　and　a　female　beaver。　　A　flood　swept　the　snail　down　to　the　Missouri　and　left　him　high　and　dry　on　the　bank；　where　the　sun　ripened　him　into　a　man。　　He　met　and　married　a　beaver　maid；　and　from　the　pair　the　tribe　of　the　Osages　is　descended。　　For　a　long　time　these　Indians　retained　a　pious　reverence　for　their　animal　ancestors　and　refrained　from　hunting　beavers；　because　in　killing　a　beaver　they　killed　a　brother　of　the　Osages。　　But　when　white　men　came　among　them　and　offered　high　prices　for　beaver　skins；　the　Osages　yielded　to　the　temptation　and　took　the　lives　of　their　furry　brethren。　　（Lewis　and　Clarke；　〃Travels　to　the　Source　of　the　Missouri　River〃　（London；　1815）；　I。　12　（Vol。　I。　pages　44　sq。　of　the　London　reprint；　1905）。）　　The　Carp　clan　of　the　Ootawak　Indians　are　descended　from　the　eggs　of　a　carp　which　had　been　deposited　by　the　fish　on　the　banks　of　a　stream　and　warmed　by　the　sun。　　（〃Lettres　Edifiantes　et　Curieuses〃；　Nouvelle　Edition；　VI。　（Paris；　1781）；　page　171。）　　The　Crane　clan　of　the　Ojibways　are　sprung　originally　from　a　pair　of　cranes；　which　after　long　wanderings　settled　on　the　rapids　at　the　outlet　of　Lake　Superior；　where　they　were　changed　by　the　Great　Spirit　into　a　man　and　woman。　　（L。H。　Morgan；　〃Ancient　Society〃　（London；　1877）；　page　180。）　　The　members　of　two　Omaha　clans　were　originally　buffaloes　and　lived；　oddly　enough；　under　water；　which　they　splashed　about；　making　it　muddy。　　And　at　death　all　the　members　of　these　clans　went　back　to　their　ancestors　the　buffaloes。　　So　when　one　of　them　lay　adying；　his　friends　used　to　wrap　him　up　in　a　buffalo　skin　with　the　hair　outside　and　say　to　him；　〃You　came　hither　from　the　animals　and　you　are　going　back　thither。　　Do　not　face　this　way　again。　　When　you　go；　continue　walking。　　（J。　Owen　Dorsey；　〃Omaha　Sociology〃；　〃Third　Annual　Report　of　the　Bureau　of　Ethnology〃　（Washington；　1884）；　pages　229；　233。）　　The　Haida　Indians　of　Queen　Charlotte　Islands　believe　that　long　ago　the　raven；　who　is　the　chief　figure　in　the　mythology　of　North…West　America；　took　a　cockle　from　the　beach　and　married　it；　the　cockle　gave　birth　to　a　female　child；　whom　the　raven　took　to　wife；　and　from　their　union　the　Indians　were　produced。　　（G。M。　Dawson；　〃Report　on　the　Queen　Charlotte　Islands〃　（Montreal；　1880）；　pages　149B　sq。　　（〃Geological　Survey　of　Canada〃）；　F。　Poole；　〃Queen　Charlotte　Islands〃；　page　136。）　　The　Delaware　Indians　called　the　rattle…snake　their　grandfather　and　would　on　no　account　destroy　one　of　these　reptiles；　believing　that　were　they　to　do　so　the　whole　race　of　rattle…snakes　would　rise　up　and　bite　them。　　Under　the　influence　of　the　white　man；　however；　their　respect　for　their　grandfather　the　rattle…snake　gradually　died　away；　till　at　last　they　killed　him　without　compunction　or　ceremony　whenever　they　met　him。　　The　writer　who　records　the　old　custom　observes　that　he　had　often　reflected　on　the　curious　connection　which　appears　to　subsist　in　the　mind　of　an　Indian　between　man　and　the　brute　creation；　〃all　animated　nature；〃　says　he；　〃in　whatever　degree；　is　in　their　eyes　a　great　whole；　from　which　they　have　not　yet　ventured　to　separate　themselves。〃　　（Rev。　John　Heckewelder；　〃An　Account　of　the　History；　Manners；　and　Customs；　of　the　Indian　Nations；　who　once　inhabited　Pennsylvania　and　the　Neighbouring　States〃；　〃Transactions　of　the　Historical　and　Literary　Committee　of　the　American　Philosophical　Society〃；　I。　（Philadelphia；　1819）；　pages　245；　247；　248。）

Some　of　the　Indians　of　Peru　boasted　of　being　descended　from　the　puma　or　American　lion；　hence　they　adored　the　lion　as　a　god　and　appeared　at　festivals　like　Hercules　dressed　in　the　skins　of　lions　with　the　heads　of　the　beasts　fixed　over　their　own。　　Others　claimed　to　be　sprung　from　condors　and　attired　themselves　in　great　black　and　white　wings；　like　that　enormous　bird。　　（Garcilasso　de　la　Vega；　〃First　Part　of　the　Royal　Commentaries　of　the　Yncas〃；　Vol。　I。　page　323；　Vol。　II。　page　156　（Markham's　translation）。）　　The　Wanika　of　East　Africa　look　upon　the　hyaena　as　one　of　their　ancestors　or　as　associated　in　some　way　with　their　origin　and　destiny。　　The　death　of　a　hyaena　is　mourned　by　the　whole　people；　and　the　greatest　funeral　ceremonies　which　they　perform　are　performed　for　this　brute。　　The　wake　held　over　a　chief　is　as　nothing　compared　to　the　wake　held　over　a　hyaena；　one　tribe　only　mourns　the　death　of　its　chief；　but　all　the　tribes　unite　to　celebrate　the　obsequies　of　a　hyaena。　　（Charles　New；　〃Life；　Wanderings；　and　Labours　in　Eastern　Africa〃　（London；　1873）　page　122。）　　Some　Malagasy　families　claim　to　be　descended　from　the　babacoote　（Lichanotus　brevicaudatus）；　a　large　lemur　of　grave　appearance　and　staid　demeanour；　which　lives　in　the　depth　of　the　forest。　　When　they　find　one　of　these　creatures　dead；　his　human　descendants　bury　it　solemnly；　digging　a　grave　for　it；　wrapping　it　in　a　shroud；　and　weeping　and　lamenting　over　its　carcase。　　A　doctor　who　had　shot　a　babacoote　was　accused　by　the　inhabitants　of　a　Betsimisaraka　village