Identifier: ridpathsuniversa08ridp (find matches)
Title: Ridpath's Universal history : an account of the origin, primitive condition and ethnic development of the great races of mankind, and of the principal events in the evolution and progress of the civilized life among men and nations, from recent and authentic sources with a preliminary inquiry on the time, place and manner of the beginning
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects: World history
Publisher: Cincinnati : Jones
Contributing Library: University of Pittsburgh Library System
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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to an easy and success-ful government of thecountry. As among nearly allthe Turanian races, thereligious opinions ofthe Tinnehs, or Atha-bascans, include a sortof dualism. It is doubt-ful whether they havea knowledge of a greatspirit, but they recog-nize the existence ofmany local spirits, andthese are divided intogood and bad. It isbelieved that the evilspirits are much moreimportant from a reli-gious point of view thanare the good. This isbut natural when wetake into considerationthe hard conditions oflife in these high lati-tudes. It is easy toperceive that the evilin living would seemto the native mind topredominate over thegood. The good wouldappear only as a fitfuland transient sunshine, while the evilwould recur and recur Reasons for worshiping the again as shadow, darkness, bad spirits. . t, .. . storm, night, disease, suf-fering, conflict, cold, and death. Therefore the people frame their the-ory of the gods. In religion it is neces-sary, first of all, to propitiate with wor-

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TOTEMS AND IDOLS AT WRANGELL.

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Drawn by A. Slom, from a photograph. ship and sacrifices the evil spirits thatso largely control the destinies of life.These opinions are very hard to disturb.Missionaries and white teachers have,however, penetrated the country, and 464 GREAT RACES OE MANKIND. many of the tribes, such as the Chilkats,have nominally accepted Christianityand instituted schools. The Indian mindis sufficiently receptive to admit the su-periority of the new ideas over the na-tional superstitions. It is not needed that we should dwellat great length upon the subdivisions of ■•

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