who felt himself
slighted; but this isolated story does not prove the existence of a
general dualistic scheme--the act in question has parallels in savage
systems that recognize various unfriendly Powers.[1776] The reports we
have of two definite morally antagonistic deities in Redmen tribes
resolve themselves on examination into misconceptions or exaggerations
on the part of the reporters; or, so far as the antagonism really
exists, it is due to Christian influence. The Iroquois dualistic system
as described by Chief Cusic (in 1825)--two brothers, Good Mind and Bad
Mind, the former the creator of all things good, the latter the creator
of all things bad--appears in the version of Brebeuf (in 1636) as a
simple nature myth, the two deities in question being somewhat more
definite forms of the friendly and unfriendly spirits met with in all
lower communities.[1777] In like manner Winslow's two opposed Powers of
the New England Algonkins turn out not to be morally antagonistic to
each other, in fact, according to Brinton, not antagonistic at
all.[1778] These facts warn us to treat with caution the vague
statements of early travelers respecting dualistic views supposed to be
held by tribes in North America and South America.[1779]

+971+. In West Africa the Ashanti embody the sources of physical
misfortune in several deities, who are malignant but do not stand in
opposition to the friendly gods. A preliminary step to the conception of
a god of misfortunes is the assignment of a sort of headship to one of a
mass of unfriendly or hurtful spirits--such a crude organization is
natural in a community in which there is a fairly developed form of
social organization, and the head spirit easily grows into a god. A
simple headship over hurtful spirits appears to be found in the Ainu
system, though this latter is in general not well developed.[1780]

+972+. A definite antagonism of good and bad Powers is found in the
religion of the non-Aryan Khonds of Orissa: the earth-goddess Tari, the
creature but the opponent of the sun-god Bella Pennu, introduced sin and
death into the world and contested (and, according to one native
account, still contests) with her creator the control of life. This
explanation of the origin of death is a higher form of stories that
occur abundantly in savage lore, with the important difference that in
these death comes by accident, but here by malicious purpose. It is not
clear whether or not the characters