Centenary College of Louisiana - Yoncopin Yearbook (Shreveport, LA)

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The end of the tribe was dramatic and beautiful. Clasping hands and singing the death song as they marched, they moved together into the mouth of the Pasca- goula River, and the waters closed over them. Another race passed from the eternal stage, but the memory of their valor lingered on, and even today the waters at that point sing a plaintive echo of their last song. The Mysterious Music of the Pascagoulas has been given no other explanation. Folk lore throughout all ages exhibits one char acteristic always prevalent. The people of the soil have recognized their close kinship to nature and have, in one degree or another, worshipped natural beauty. The religion of the Red Man, simple, sincere and powerful, recognized the sanctity of trees. According to the Indian there were four Sacred Trees in the world. One was at the mouth of the Mississippi, one on the eastern seashore, one at the entrance of Vermilion Bay; and one at Hi ' pinimc on Grand Lake. The last was a cypress. The Indians revered these trees and it was believed that any one who splashed water on them would be drenched by a thunder- storm. These beliefs were especially strong when, after a man had tied his boat to the cypress tree and even committed the sacrilege of cutting off a limb, the region was visited by a particularly rainy season and the crops suffered greatly from the storms. Not only did the Indians revere natural beauty but they had temples to their gods and much in their religion bears a striking resemblance to our own. The greater part of the nations of Louisiana, including the Caddo Indians, had temples. In all these places of worship there was perpetual fire. The small, simple temples of the less powerful nations could have been mistaken for cabins had it not been for two wooden posts at the door. The door was a swinging one, but at each end there was a fragment of wood planted in the ground to prevent the children from entering the temple and playing there. The door was so heavy that only a strong man could lift it. There were always other distinguishing features, such as dishes and small eleva- tions where bodies were buried. All nations buried their dead in the earth or in tombs near the temple. To illustrate the similarity of the Indian ' s religion to other forms, one might mention the fact that the Atakopas believed that they came out of the sea and that a prophet inspired by the Great Spirit laid down the rules of conduct to their first ancestors (peres). They also believed that those who obeyed the author of all things by doing no evil would go above while the disobedient would descend into the earth in the shades. Other objects of worship in the religion of the Indian were the nine gods — the sun, fire, the gods of the east, the north, the south, and the west, and the gods of heaven and of earth. These are but a few of the many legends of the various tribes. Their languages, their customs, their stories are many and varied. It is to be hoped that before the story of the Indian is forgotten, there will be an interest and a love for his culture which will direct some to the preservation of his tradition. Many nations have evolved a high degree of civilization and culture which have been destroyed care- lessly by its successors. Let not this be our mistake. Tradition is a golden heritage and from the past we may learn to build a more glorious future. F28J

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN Dr. John L. Scales Commercial National Bank Building, Shreveport VICE-CHAIRMAN Mr. J. C. Foster City Savings Bank and Trust Co., Shreveport SECRETARY Rev. W. W. Holmes Monrovia Street, Shreveport TREASURER Mr. T. C. Clanton City Bank Building, Shreveport EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE J. W. Atkins City Bank Building, Shreveport Donelson Caffery Audubon Building, New Orleans T. C. Clanton City Bank Building, Shreveport Rev. Briscoe Carter Alexandria, Louisiana H. T. Carle v 512 Camp Street, New Orleans, Louisiana Rev. W. W. Drake Ruston, Louisiana J. C. Foster City Bank Building, Shreveport E. A. Frost Commercial Bank Building, Shreveport Bishop Sam R. Hay 2308 Southmore Ave., Houston, Texas T. W. Holloman Alexandria, Louisiana Rev. W. W. Holmes Monrovia Street, Shreveport John B. Hutchinson Hutchinson Building, Shreveport T. L. James Ruston, Louisiana Randle T. Mooke Commercial Bank Building, Shreveport A. J. Peavy Commercial Bank Building, Shreveport G. S. Prestridge Commercial Bank Building, Shreveport John M. Robinson La Chute, Louisiana Rev. William Schuhle Clinton, Louisiana Dr. John L. Scales Commercial Bank Building, Shreveport Dr. Geo. S. Sexton Centenary College Rev. J. G. Snelling 1110 Louisiana Avenue, Shreveport xxF. T. Whited Shreveport, Louisiana Rev. R. H. Wynn Lake Charles, Louisiana Ex-Officio xxDeceased 1301