Besides these, the aborigines
celebrate their own ruder festivals; the people of different
tribes combining-- for, in most of their features, the merry-
makings were originally alike in all the tribes. The Indian idea
of a holiday is bonfires, processions, masquerading, especially
the mimicry of different kinds of animals, plenty of confused
drumming and fifing, monotonous dancing, kept up hour after hour
without intermission, and, the most important point of all,
getting gradually and completely drunk. But he attaches a kind of
superstitious significance to these acts, and thinks that the
amusements appended to the Roman Catholic holidays as celebrated
by the descendants of the Portuguese, are also an essential part
of the religious ceremonies. But in this respect, the uneducated
whites and half-breeds are not a bit more enlightened than the
poor, dull-souled Indian. All look upon a religious holiday as an
amusement, in which the priest takes the part of director or
chief actor.
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