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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
33
Tree-worship
too
has
been
more
or
less
prevalent
among
the
American
Indians,
abundant
illustrations
of
which
have
been
given
by
travellers
at
different
periods.
In
many
cases
a
striking
similarity
is
noticeable,
showing
a
common
origin,
a
circumstance
which
is
important
to
the
student
of
comparative
mythology
when
tracing
the
distribution
of
religious
beliefs.
The
Dacotahs
worship
the
medicine-wood,
so
called
from
a
belief
that
it
was
a
genius
which
protected
or
punished
them
according
to
their
merits
or
demerits.[21]
Darwin[22]
mentions
a
tree
near
Siena
de
la
Ventana
to
which
the
Indians
paid
homage
as
the
altar
of
Walleechu;
offerings
of
cigars,
bread,
and
meat
having
been
suspended
upon
it
by
threads.
The
tree
was
surrounded
by
bleached
bones
of
horses
that
had
been
sacrificed.
Mr.
Tylor[23]
speaks
of
an
ancient
cypress
existing
in
Mexico,
which
he
thus
describes:--"All
over
its
branches
were
fastened
votive
offerings
of
the
Indians,
hundreds
of
locks
of
coarse
black
hair,
teeth,
bits
of
coloured
cloth,
rags,
and
morsels
of
ribbon.
The
tree
was
many
centuries
old,
and
had
probably
had
some
mysterious
influence
ascribed
to
it,
and
been
decorated
with
such
simple
offerings
long
before
the
discovery
of
America."
Once
more,
the
Calchaquis
of
Brazil[24]
have
been
in
the
habit
of
worshipping
certain
trees
which
were
frequently
decorated
by
the
Indians
with
feathers;
and
Charlevoix
narrates
another
interesting
instance
of
tree-worship:--"Formerly
the
Indians
in
the
neighbourhood
of
Acadia
had
in
their
country,
near
the
sea-shore,
a
tree
extremely
ancient,
of
which
they
relate
many
wonders,
and
which
was
always
laden
with
offerings.
After
the
sea
had
laid
open
its
whole
root,
it
then
supported
itself
a
long
time
almost
in
the
air
against
the
violence
of
the
winds
and
waves,
which
confirmed
those
Indians
in
the
notion
that
the
tree
must
be
the
abode
of
some
powerful
spirit;
nor
was
its
fall
even
capable
of
undeceiving
them,
so
that
as
long
as
the
smallest
part
of
its
branches
appeared
above
the
water,
they
paid
it
the
same
honours
as
whilst
it
stood."
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