This is a Pawnee Indian shown in ceremonial dress.
Click on image for full size
Image is now in public domain. It was originally published by Powell, J. W. Twenty-Second Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology - Part 2. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1904.

Tirawa

According to the Pawnee, the world was created by the god Tirawa, who sent the stars to support the sky. Some brighter stars were in charge of the clouds, winds and rain. This was to ensure the fertility of the Earth. Some lesser stars became jealous.

They found a sack of deadly storms entrusted to the brighter stars and emptied them on the Earth. This introduced death to the Earth. The Pawnee also believed that the first woman was born from the marriage of the stars, and the first man from the marriage of the Sun and Moon.

Last modified October 20, 2010 by Julia Genyuk.

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