--- title: Meaning of Indian Totems and Names — Wigwam stories told by North American Indians · full text with trees description: Meaning of Indian Totems and Names, «Wigwam stories told by North American Indians» by Mary Catherine Judd: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: An Indian, while hunting, followed a bear a long way into the forest. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/14/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Wigwam stories told by North American…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/) / Meaning of Indian Totems and Names # Meaning of Indian Totems and Names Meaning of Indian Totems and Names of «Wigwam stories told by North American Indians» by Mary Catherine Judd: the whole text, 36 sentences and 589 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. An Indian, while hunting, followed a bear a long way into the forest.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") The rain came and he was lost, so he cut the bark from a tree and made with his tomahawk a picture of a fox.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") He put a ring under one foot in the picture.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") He belonged to the Fox tribe and had been lost one day.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") He made more such marks on the trees as he went on.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") Another hunter from the same tribe found him after three days.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") He had trailed him by the little marks on the trees; by bent twigs and branches; by his footprints in the mud or sand.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") He knew the lost one was very weak and hungry, for the last fox picture had three circles to show that he had been lost three days, and other marks to show that he had shot nothing.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") An untrained white hunter would not have seen one sign of the lost Indian.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") If the Fox Indian had been asked why he used the fox picture, he would have said, if ready to talk: “My grandfather was a fox.”[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") This would mean to us that his totem or first ancestor was a fox.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") Other tribes believe they are descended from bears, wolves, cranes, or other creatures.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") They nearly all have their totems, or sign-pictures.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") We write our names with letters; they use pictures.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") It is their coat-of-arms.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Our names also have meanings.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") The tall, curiously carved totem poles of Alaska are really carved family histories.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") Where two or more animals are pictured on one pole it shows the marriage or other union of different bands to which the family belongs.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") These totem poles are usually put up before each native house.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") The natives will not sell them, for they are valuable family records.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") A Dakota warrior shot an arrow into the sky; the clouds parted just as his arrow turned to fall.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") He was thought to have shot the clouds; he was called Hole-in-the-sky.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") Old Chief Sleepy-eye had a bright mind, but his eyelids did not serve him well; hence his name.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") In some tribes the little ones are named after the first object that is seen, as Buffalo Horn, White Pony, Lame Dog, and names that are sometimes better but more often seem to us not so good.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") The Sioux have names for their boys or girls according to their order of birth.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") The first boy is called Chaska, until by some feat of bravery he changes it himself.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") The second son is Harpam; his next brother is Hapeda; the fourth son is Chatun; and the fifth boy has the name of Harka all ready for him.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") The first girl has the musical name of Winona, and her next younger sister takes the name of Harpan.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") Harpstena will be the name of the third girl baby.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Waska and Weharka are for the fourth and fifth girls of a family, and other names are provided for a greater number of children.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") The Indians have titles and descriptive names for the white people whom they know.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") A certain military surgeon who has been among them and has keen, dark eyes and gray hair is always called Gray Eagle.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") Their senses are trained to observe very keenly, and they quickly know each person.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") Perhaps the paleface might be startled if he understood the name they gave him.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") Some Indian tribes call the horse Foot-with-one-toe.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") Few white Americans would have noticed the horse’s foot so closely.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [The Indian At Home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/13/) - next →: [The Indian Names For the Months or Moons](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/15/) - ↑ back to [Wigwam stories told by North American Indians](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/)