--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1845 to 1846. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 6 number: 10 published: 1845-06-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Superstition,” *Times and Seasons* 6, no. 10 (June 1, 1845): 916." printed_title: SUPERSTITION. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1845-06-01_6_10 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v6n10.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1845-06-01_6_10 start_page: 916 end_page: 916 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1845 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1845-06-01_6_10 publication_year: 1845 --- # Superstition As the elders have been commanded to study the history of countries and kingdoms, and make themselves acquainted with the manners and customs of the same, that they may be able to set forth the judgments and calamities that await this generation, in a clear and understanding manner, we thought it advisable to present the following sketch:- CURIOUS SUPERSTITION AMONG THE NATIVES OF PORT PHILIP.-The idea generally entertained by the blacks, that they at their decease go to Van Diemen's Land, and come back white fellows, originated, no doubt, in this way. Buckley, on his first appearance among them, the first European they had seen, was received among them as the re-appearance of a native just dead, whom in every respect, except color, he closely resembled: was fully believed to be the very man; was adopted by the dead man's friends and tribe, and called by his name. No doubt but the similarity, fortunately for Buckley, saved his life. Afterwards, when settlers streamed over from Van Diemen's Land, and the natives heard it mentioned almost only as the place whence the white people came, and probably seeing many others in person or feature resembling their dead relatives, that they should have such an idea is nothing singular or wonderful. Much more singular and curious ideas they have; strange indeed is their notion of death, or rather, that with the constant and palpable decay of the human frame before their eyes, they have no belief in death, or rather, they have no belief in death from natural causes. All deaths they consider to be the result of accident, malice or magic. When a death occurs, they decide that the deceased person's kidney-fat has been stolen away in sleep by some enemy, aided by magic. The body is tied up immediately in a lump, tightly drawn together, body and limbs by strips of bark or cords; and he and every kind of property belonging to him, scrupulously and superstitiously-war implements, his waller-wallert, or opossum-rug, guns, if he has any, even double-barrelled [barreled] ones, although ever so highly valued-are broken; and these with the white and black money, in spite of itching hands longing to take it-every thing, in fact, goes with him into his grave, religiously.-Gravely also is it whispered into the ear of the dead man, that he may rest satisfied in his grave; that his black friends will, without fail, avenge his death. And in consideration of this arrangement, he is requested to refrain from terrifying his old friends and tribe; that he must not haunt them with alien voices, or the foot-marks of strange feet about their encampments. The mourners wear their white-paint mourning, never washing themselves, even if months should elapse before they have performed their vow to the deceased: when they have tasted the enemy's kidney-fat, the mourning ceases. This is a miserable superstition, and causes a great deal of bloodshed.-To discover in what direction the enemy of the dead is to be found, they take an insect, and observe in what direction it crawls; and that is an infallible indication, In that quarter they go, no matter how far, the first native crossing their path is the murderer of the dead, and in his turn becomes the murdered.-Howitt's Impressions of Australia.