Read Ebook: To the American Indian by Thompson Lucy

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 350 lines and 85719 words, and 7 pages

All this time Lock has kept himself secreted from the eyes of all the workers and on the morning of the fifth day, very early, he and Lock-nee go up the mountain side and select the first one of the long beams or stringers that is to be put in on the north side of the river, starting just above the large rock under which he keeps himself secluded up to this time, and when he has selected the one that suits him he makes a small fire at the roots of the tree and burns his incense, then sits down by the fire and prays to God to give blessings to the whole people with health and plenty. Now all of the workers knowing the time, and the boys and the men have followed up and are all looking for the posts, twenty-two in number, and the rest of the stringers which are ten besides the one that Lock selects, making eleven altogether. After Lock has finished with his prayer to God he commences to cut the tree, Lock-nee helping him and together they cut it down and when it falls with a crash all the workers shout loudly, "oh-oo", and the whole side of the mountain echoes with their voices. Lock-nee begins to trim off the branches and peel the bark while others come in and help. All the workers are scattered off in different places, each squad looking for posts and the rest looking for stringers and cutting them down and as each tree fell they all holler "oh-oo." They take the bark off and trim and sharpen the posts. All these pieces are complete in one day and taken down to the river's edge by evening and before any one can eat or drink water after all the pieces are finished. Lock and Lock-nee take the lead with the stringers, a rope tied around the large butt end which is quite heavy timber and start down the mountain with it, Lock all the while talking in prayer to God, and if the timber stops he prays and talks good and as he has all his life been so good that God causes the timber to move along easily. As Lock starts all the rest follow with their timbers and all arrive about sunset on the north bank with all the heavy frame part for the fish dam. These people while they are working all day are full of jokes, laughing and telling funny stories, and if one has done a mean trick of any kind and others know of it, he is twitted about it; they poke fun at each other continually, yet they all keep good natured about it and they are all very witty in their answers. They all smoke during the day, each one using his own pipe and all have their own buck-skin sack to carry his pipe and tobacco in. Now all the timbers are in the water and tied to the bank and left floating, ready for morning. Men and boys now bathe themselves and clean their hair, when all depart for their different camping places, parting with jests and jokes, and eat their only meal in twenty-four hours. Lock addresses the girl as my child, my daughter and other endearing terms. After the meal is over Lock and Lock-nee go to the sweat-house to rest and sleep for the night and in the morning, early, all are out and ready and go down to the river and across in their canoes, they having many of them on such occasions. Lock now gets the rock for driving the post, this is of granite and flat, from twelve to fifteen inches across and from two to four inches thick and weighs from fifty to sixty pounds. Only those who use this rock ever have a chance to examine it and it is said to have been made many generations ago. It is kept hidden in a secret place and only brought to view for this purpose and all the other tools that are used for every part and purpose in putting in the fish dam are hidden in a secret place, not all being in one place, and there are never more than two persons at one time that know where to find them, being handed down from one to another. This rock they call Milth-me-ah-lisi and in calling for it they say, Say-yah. The other tools are called by their different names, the hammer they call Tec-wan-ore. Lock and Lock-nee drive the first two posts which starts the fish dam, the first one is driven nearly perpendicular, and now the workers have to put up a staging which Lock climbs upon as the post is long and has to be driven quite deep into the ground. Lock-nee holds the post so as to keep it in place while Lock takes a maul and as he raises it he talks to God, using words for lots of salmon and to bless all, and at this he comes down with a hard blow, and keeps it up until the first post has been driven to the proper depth, he does not strike his blows fast, each blow is struck slowly. The second post is set at an angle on the down river side of the first one, set to make a brace against the current of the river, and also the top ends come together so as to leave a fork or crotch at the top which is tied securely together with hazel rope, leaving it so beam poles can be placed in the crotch and tied securely. Now when Lock-nee has the second post properly set in place, Lock commences as on the first and drives it down to the proper depth and after this is done Lock and Lock-nee take the hazel withe and tie it to the first one, leaving the crotch. This being done Lock passes the mall over to the other workers and drive the rest of the posts, the next two of which are set angling down the river and the third two are set angling up the river so as to make it in a shape like the old style of a worm fence made of rails; this is also done for the purpose of bracing the whole structure against the current of the river. As soon as the posts are all driven Lock and Lock-nee place the first long stringer in its right place, which is on the north side of the river, then the workers soon place the rest of them and tie them with hazel withes. Then smaller posts are driven at the corners for each trap, at the corners two posts are driven, one angling down the river and they are placed so as to leave the crotch, in which a pole is placed. The traps are about twelve feet wide and fourteen feet long commencing so the center of the first trap will be in the center of the first worm of the main frame work and this is started first on the north side of the river. When the posts are all driven for the traps which are many of them for the corners and side and also to brace against the current of the river. The top pieces are placed and braced, then poles are withed to the sides and ends all around each trap. The mat or woven work of small split poles are taken in and placed, unrolled, letting them close up, close to the frame work of the structure. These traps are set on the down river side of the main structure so that all of this mat work has to be put on the inside of the frame work of the traps. Then all of this matting is tied with hazel withes very carefully. These traps are not put up close together, there is a place of about six feet left between each trap so that a canoe can be run between them. This matting is placed all the way across on the upper side of the main frame, except on the south side of the river where there is an open place of about twenty feet in width, this only has the main beam over it and is left so all can pass up and down the river in their boats, and also a chance for many salmon to pass up river. They place boards along the main fish dam so as to leave a good foot walk all the distance across the river from one bank to another. They put in a gate at the lower end of fish traps and one at the upper end of each trap, and at this time the water begins to roar so that when close to the dam it is deafening. Now there are so many families to each trap, so the upper gate is closed down and the lower gate is opened. We are now up to the noon hour of the tenth day, when there is a long pole some twenty to twenty-four feet long set just at the south side and end of the fish dam and just on the lower side, on the top of this pole all of the fancy work that the boys have been making is tied and there is a mound of sand heaped around the foot of this pole to a height of three or four feet and from eight to ten feet across. Now it is about four o'clock in the afternoon and Lock and Lock-nee are with the Nah-quirlth, busy as bees putting the final touches to the fish dam. And of all the tribes, the women are the most anxious and are from place to place asking the others how the girl Normer is, if she is well, can she go and if she is going, when out comes Normer from her place where she has been kept from view all these days. She has in the palm of her right hand a small basket in which is a small piece of acorn dough, and she goes in a swift run on a broad smooth trail in an easterly direction for a distance of five hundred yards to this pole, which she runs up to, facing it, then going around to the right she sets the basket on top of the mound, close up to the pole. All are watching for her and as soon as one sees her they all shout at the top of their voices. Then Lock runs to hide as he does not want to see her at this time. Now she turns and goes back at the same swift speed and at this time all of the girls that she sent for are in their place where they dance. The ground is all fixed, having been scooped out leaving a depression some four feet deep and twenty feet across, gently sloping to the center. Normer comes up to the dancers and passes on in a westerly direction down the river until she comes to a woman who has been a Normer before her and tells her where to turn to the river, where she bathes herself, then turns back and walks to where the girls are dancing and sits down in front of them and urges them to sing louder and dance faster. These Wa-clures stand erect moving the body forward and backward by the action of the knees, raising first one foot and then the other. Normer keeps watch of the sun and as it is getting low and it is getting time for all to come, she raises to a kneeling position and bids the Wa-clures to sing louder and dance faster, they then move very lively. Normer is the absolute ruler of her people as she is the child of God's own purity. Then comes Lock with Lock-nee closely behind and thirdly comes the boy, Charrah, with the same basket that Normer left at the pole and which is now full of water, and as Lock walks up to Normer the girls all drop down and hover over Normer, then Lock and Lock-nee drop over them, then the boy who has the basket of water lowers his hand and throws the basket, water and all as high up in the air as he can and the water comes down over them in a shower. As the boy throws the basket and water up in the air he and all of the boys drop down over the others, hovering over Normer like a swarm of bees hovering over the queen. This is done for her protection, for now come all the workers, each one having a long pole on the top of which are tied the bark ribbons and fancy carved Indian pipes that the boys made, and as they come running up they form a half circle around the heap letting the long heavy poles fall over them with a crash which is done so quickly that it is very hard to see how it is done, and just as quickly the whole heap raises up out of this place and place themselves in fours for the next move. At this time if Normer was silly enough she could command every man, woman and child to lie flat on their abdomens and go without eating for another twenty-four hours, as all must obey her commands, no matter what they might be. Now the fish dam is completed and all go to their camps. Normer goes to the lodge with Lock, while Lock-nee secures and takes to her the first salmon taken from the fish dam and Lock-nee cuts out from the middle of this salmon enough for her supper, while no one else can eat of the salmon until the next day. Every thing now becomes quiet for an hour, as they are all taking their evening meal. Then first one than another will begin to inquire about Normer and her health. Now all depends upon Normer, if she is strong enough she quietly goes out and cleans off the ground this same evening but if too tired she puts it off until morning. After making her plans she then gives her orders to Lock and he in return gives it out to the people and they all begin to prepare. After Normer has cleaned the ground she makes a small fire just in front of the dancers and on which she places the incense roots, then as the dancers come up and take their places she sits there with her hair hanging loose, down on each side of her face, and with beads over her neck and hanging down over her breast, she has on a white buck-skin dress trimmed with beads and shells, all of which are made by her own hands as we use only of our own make. She does not use feathers of any kind. Normer sits there a model of beauty with the teachings that have been hand-down through the many generations, that if she should, while carrying out her duties, lose her virtue, or disobey any of the laws of her God, that she would be struck dead for doing so. Now the dance starts and this is the beginning of the White Deer-skin dance. This place is about ten miles up the river from the place where the White Deer-skin dance is held but is started first at this place after the finishing of the fish dam. Normer starts it here and then all go home, but Normer, Lock, Lock-nee, the girls and the boys remain here, Lock and Lock-nee taking charge of the fish dam and all stay here as long as the fish dam holds intact, except the last day of the White Deer-skin dance when Lock calls all of them and asks if they want to see it the last day, if they decide to go not one of them must eat the last day and all go together and return in the evening when they all eat. Now all is fun and mirth with all of them that remain at the fish dam, Lock and Lock-nee leading them all in the plays and fun of every nature. Normer stays with Lock and Lock-nee but she now goes out and plays and jokes and has her share of the fun, and all have their regular meals. This place where the fish dam is put in is called by them Cap-pell and is a bar of some twenty or thirty acres, high enough so the river never over-flows it and yet it is very level. It is a pretty place, being situated on the south bank of the Klamath river. There are two villages on this pretty spot, one being Cap-pell which was very large in the ages gone by and which contained a very large number of Indians. The other village was called Sy-ah and was very ancient, being the place where the lodge was situated. The house they stay in is called Lah-wa-alth and the house where Lock and Lock-nee sleep is called Ur-girk.

I will say to the white race that my people, or any other Indian tribes as far as I know them, do not use the name of our Creator when using profane language, as we would feel it a disgrace to do so, even to think of such a thing. We never use the sacred name of God, only in our prayers.

The following are a few expressions sometimes used: Kee-mol-len-a Ta-ga-ar-a-wah-ma, pointing the right hand, with the fingers extended, toward a person and at the same time saying: Woo-saw-ah, means that the person is badly born, and they never forgive you for this. Another is: Char-reck-quick-cal-lah, and means: "I wish you were in hell", and for this also they never forgive.

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD.

In a vision, the Indian through his mysterious eyes Sees yonder in the distant skies, A scene sublime of the past ages, That for aye will enchant bards and sages.

On His mighty Throne, high in the infinite realms of Heaven, sat the great ruler of the stars and endless skies, Wah-pec-wah-mow . As he peered down through the darkness of a cheerless and lonely space, He created a new world, the earth on which we live. He first made the soil of the earth and placed it in a buck-skin sack. He opened the sack and shook the soil from it; it fell down into the chasm of darkness, and Wah-pec-wah-mow could not see anything but the intense darkness. He commanded that the rays of light should penetrate the awful darkness, and there should alternately be night and day. The sun to shine by day and the moon to shine by night, to break the awful stillness of this once dark and cheerless world.

Gazing down from His Throne on high, Wah-pec-wah-mow saw the world he had created was a desolate waste without human life, or life of any kind. He now began the transformation of the new world, and lo, the once barren surface of the earth was clothed in verdure; forests lifted their giant branches sky-ward; tranquil streams flowed and great rivers wended their way to the ocean.

The first living thing placed upon the earth was the white deer . The white deer roamed over the hills, mountains, in the valleys and on the plains. He was the pride and dignity of the animal kingdom. This is why the Klamath Indians revere the white deer that is so sacred to their hearts and use the skin as an emblem of purity, in one of their greatest festivals, or worships, which is termed in English as, "The White Deer-skin Dance." In the Indian language it is called, "Oh-pure-ah-wah"; which does not mean dance but means one of their most sacred religious festivals.

The next living creature that Wah-pec-wah-mow placed upon the earth was the red eagle, Hay-wan-alth, who has ever since ruled as the monarch of the skies. The Indians prize the feathers of this eagle very highly, and use them in their great festival. In the decoration of their head-gear, they take a single feather, fasten it in the hair at the back of the head, arranging it so that it stands straight up. They also use the feathers of the bald eagle, Per-gone-gish, and the gray eagle, Per-gish, sometimes as a substitute for the feathers of the red eagle.

After the white deer and red eagle was placed upon the earth, Wah-pec-wah-mow now created all the other animals of the earth. Some were to roam upon the plains, others in the forests, some to eat grass and others to devour other animals, etc.

Wah-pec-wah-mow did not give our people any single day during the week or month, as a day of worship, but gave them a certain season of the year in which to hold their religious ceremonies. This season of worshipful ceremonies usually begins in the month of September, and lasts for several days. It is the season of the year when the water of the rivers and brooks ebb lowest, and the summer is almost ready to wane into the glories of Autumn. This season is called, "Kne-wal-la-taw," the eighth month of the year, according to our way of reckoning time.

When Wah-pec-wah-mow had finished creating the plant and animal life of the earth, He then created the first real man. He made the first man of the soil of the earth, and placed him in the beautiful valley of Cheek-cheek-alth. This valley was located in a far off northern clime. When the first man was created and he became a living being upon the earth, Wah-pec-wah-mow said to him, "You are a living man." God named this man He-quan-neck. Inspired with the breath of life, He-quan-neck first saw the light of day in this sweet valley of sunshine, flowers, fruits and herbs. Among the growing herbs was the herb walth-pay, which has a forked root. God saw that the man was lonely in this sunny valley, and he was not pleased with his work. Wah-pec-wah-mow now requested He-quan-neck to blow his nose, which he did, and immediately the forked root, or walth-pay turned into a living woman, Kay-y-yourn-nak. Man now became blessed with a living companion and for a time they dwelt together in the chaste life of peace and happiness.

Our tradition has been handed down through the long centuries, the first dwelling place of man and woman was far away in a northern clime. It would seem a distant land across the waters from the North American continent that is located in the northern part of the world, which we call Cheek-cheek-alth.

Man and woman in the valley of Cheek-cheek-alth knew no sin, two pure souls were they in this valley of perpetual sunshine and flowers.

The loneliness of two human beings dawned upon Wah-pec-wah-mow so he decided to have the earth populated with people. He now caused He-quan-neck and Kay-y-yourn-nah to fall asleep, and while they slept He caused the snake to crawl across the woman's bare abdomen, that awakened the sleepers, and this opened their eyes to their nudeness and thereafter they knew sin. The finer senses of the woman awoke, as she became deeply humiliated at the sight of her naked self, and she began to fasten leaves together from the herb, Cur-poo-sa-gon, out of which she made an apron to clothe herself. Thus the first garment that woman wore was from the leaves of this wonderful plant. This plant grows in abundance along the lower Klamath river and its surrounding regions, and the little Indian girls up to this day like to gather these leaves, rub their face and hands with and wear them upon their heads under their caps. These leaves have a very strong and unpleasant odor.

Wah-pec-wah-mow commanded the man and woman to go forth and bring children upon the earth. A curse fell upon the woman, that she should bear children with pain, therefore every woman after her, through all the long centuries has had to endure this hardship. The first children were born some with light hair and fair skin and blue eyes, and some with black hair, dark skin and black eyes and as they married they would mate with black hair, the others with light hair and when they left the old land Cheek-cheek-alth they were not so dark, many of them were light haired, fair and blue eyed.

Wah-pec-wah-mow put a curse upon the snake that it should crawl upon its belly as long as the earth should last.

God's laws were that every man and woman should marry and bring forth children. These people were taught to obey the laws and be honest. They increased in number until they became very numerous, and at that time, they all talked the same language. As time sped by they became very numerous and Wah-pec-wah-mow now caused our people, the Indians, to start on their long journey, away from their native haunts and childhood's land, Cheek-cheek-alth. We do not know how long, but they wandered thus in search of a new land, leaving behind them only a memory of the old land. A land that claims its own no more in life and like a people in exile they wandered on.

THE WANDERING TRIBE.

From the land of Cheek-cheek-alth, the mystic Eden of long ago, came our wandering tribe of people who long since inhabited North and South America; for we are all one people. Among them were our leaders, the men who possessed in their secret breasts the true name of God. These men and women in our language we call Talth, and were the High Priests, and great rulers who ruled our people. Therefore, we were one of the tribes that was never ruled by a single chief, but by our Talth, or High Priests. Upon leaving the old land the Talth carried with them the forked root, Walth-pay, and the stalk of this root as a divine rod of strength, endurance and courage, being used as a saviour of the tribe. With it the Talth would command food for their famished members and bring peace and rest to their weary bodies. The Walth-pay stalk kept perfectly green, and blossomed all the while, and the High Priests carried it with them on their long journeys and years of wanderings.

In my infancy, I was taught all that was good, and to make for a true and noble womanhood; that there was a God in Heaven who ruled over all, and during my researches throughout I have found nothing better. When these last two members finish their earthly reign, with us perishes the true name of God to my people. With it has perished from the earth our true Indian laws, our sublime religion, our deeds of chivalry, as rich as the civilized world has ever beheld. Also our glorious manhood and womanhood; immoral, corrupt, tottering, down-trodden and debauched by a superior race, we have perished in that winter night of the transition period. At a single blow our laws were torn asunder; loathsome diseases we had never known crushed out the life and beauty of our physical bodies, and demented our spiritual minds with lowly passions. Poisonous spiritous drink has set the brain on fire, degrading man and womanhood, thus as a race we have perished. And this great land, the richest the world has ever known, the land of our forefathers for so many thousands of years. Now another race is struggling on where our reign has ended. Already our great rulers are at rest, and forever; laureled with the glories of the primeval ages that have passed away in silence. As a nation, like the ancient Egyptians, we have grown old and passed away; we have seen a great civilization rise to the highest of its splendors and pass away to another land beyond recall. Today we see another civilization endowed with a splendor of its own, rising over the debris of the eternal years.

We are all one tribe from the source of the Klamath river to its mouth, and down the coast as far as Trinidad, and up the coast as far as Wilson creek, which we call Ah-man. We are classed in two divisions and term ourselves as Po-lick-las along the coast and up the river as far as Weitchpec, designated as the lower division of our tribe. From Weitchpec on up the river to its source we term as Petch-ic-la, the upper division of our tribe. We intermarry to a great extent, having the same marriage laws and religious ceremonies and all our traditions and teachings are the same. We call God, Wah-pec-wah-mow, which means in our tongue the father of all and we do not consider Him as one "which has been so much of the white man's allegory, but as an Invisible Omnipotent Being, who rules this great universe with an all seeing eye, He is everywhere."

Wah-pec-wah-mow is the common name applied to God, used by all classes of our tribe, as the real and true name of God is never spoken. Our high priests, born of the royal marriages, are initiated in the Holy Lodge and are given the true name of God, but they never speak it outside of the lodge, it is only spoken inside after they have gone through a long and secret communion, and then the name is only whispered in the lowest whisper from mouth to ear. This true name is only used by the Talth with profound reverence to the Great Creator, in the sacred lodge and in the hallowed lonely places far back on the high mountains where they go to worship in the profound solitudes, away from the gaze of curious people. Our religion has been too sacred, too sublime an ideal to quarrel over, hence we have remained silent through the gloom of so many years and borne patiently the insults on royal society as being heathens. This true name of God, as great as the universe, will never be spoken again. If it should be uttered in a loud and harsh tone of voice, it is said that the earth will tremble, ignite in mighty flames and pass away forever. Ever thus, since the creation of the world, the Talth have handed down our religion and traditions from the old land of Cheek-cheek-alth, from generation to generation. It is the duty of every Indian child to be pious and worship the Great Creator. Our sacred religion is O-pure-ah-way where all the members of the tribes in unison and worship, and entertain our guests with much hospitality.

In our recollections of the past we left the land of our birth many thousands of years ago with our leaders, the Talth, who were given the true name of God in the old land, and carried with them the forked root, or Walth-pay. With this divine rod they commanded food, comfort and peace during their long years of weary wanderings. After we left the beautiful valley of Cheek-cheek-alth, for years we wandered down a European land, always moving toward the south, having our origin in the far north. Over this land we wandered like exiles, we know not how long, as it might have been centuries until we reached the rolling waves of the ocean. Upon reaching this salt water we made boats or canoes, and paddled over the waves until we reached the opposite shore, having crossed the straits in safety. Having reached this opposite shore, upon this new continent we continued our weary years of wandering, ever on, far on, down this land, always going south as before. We carried the memory through the long ages, the perils of the far north, the huge icebergs, the regal monarchs of the North that floated like ghost-ships at night on dream-land seas, the splendors of the aurora borealis flickered across the snowy fields and through this land of the midnight sun came our brave forefathers. In this land of the frozen North some of our people were left, the Esquimau; they were given a language as they were separated from our sturdy band and emigrated over the snowy fields and have long since from this time on inhabited the land of perpetual ice and snow.

Our tribe would often become weary with travel and become very dissatisfied and would quarrel much among themselves. The Talth would stop after hearing so much grumbling and build a lodge where their members would hold a meeting and offer up worship to God, that He would guide them aright, endow them with power to bring peace among their people, comfort them in their wants and give them food. After the lodge meeting and prayer the Talth would command with the rod of Walth-pay food for their people. The food came to them in the form of acorn dough out of which they made bread or pop-saw. The Indians would never see pop-saw falling to the ground, but they would find it where the Talth told them to look, and each one would be compelled to gather up their own, or they would go hungry. As long as they remained camped in the same place the pop-saw would come to them but when they would break up camp and travel on the pop-saw would cease to come and the tribe would grow very hungry and begin to quarrel again. The Talth would stop after days of fatigue and hunger, and build another lodge where their members would worship at the sacred shrine. After the worship food would come again in the form of the acorn dough, commanded with rod of Walth-pay. Sometimes the Talth would leave the camps for several days, during which time the people would become very restless and discontented and some of the people would try to perform the duties of the Talth in their absence, and some of them would pray to the sun, some to the stars and other idols. The Talth would be very much humiliated upon their return to find their people so corrupt in their worship, and it would take much faithful work to assure peace and order among them again. The Talth would plant the herb, Walth-pay at their stopping places during their travels, and it would readily take root and grow, at almost every stopping place some of our people were left and God would give them a language; they would inhabit the locality permanently and branch out to other localities, while our part of the people traveled on until they reached their final earthly home on the Klamath river, which we call Health-kick-wer-roy, and here we found the white race, which will be told of in another chapter. Thus we traveled on down a great continent, leaving behind at our stopping places, a portion of our people, which were given different languages. Thus were our languages confounded among the tribes of America, and our tribes became numerous, being scattered over the land of the midnight sun of perpetual ice and snow, over the continent of North America to the equator and regions of perpetual sunshine; and beyond the equator over the continent of South America to its farthermost southern borders, where we merge into the regions of ice and snow again, our tribes have been scattered. Over this great land we are all one people, however some of our tribes were far superior to others. We know not how many centuries we wandered, or when we reached our last stopping place on the Klamath river and where we decided our long journey should end, and that we would make this our final home. The Wah-teck, Wah-ker-rah, Cor-tep and Pec-wan villages were among our first camping grounds on the Klamath river. Here we spread our camps and built our first houses long ages ago, and have resided in them and kept them in repair from generation to generation. Some of these primeval houses yet remain in these old villages, haunted with the romance of centuries and the inspiring history of past ages. Upon our first arrival there were a great many of our people and we began to divide off into different villages and locate along the Klamath river and down the coast as far as Trinidad, and up the coast to Wilson Creek . The other tribes were placed by Wah-pec-wah-mow in different localities, that all the people might sustain themselves with plenty of game and food, and be kept comfortable.

The Talth kept the Walth-pay in commemoration of God's creation of woman and their travels, and planted it in a few selected places back in the lonely mountains. The Talth all know where to find this wonderful herb growing, but it is also fading with the remote ages as there are only a few Indians left who know where to find it. With them passes away the sacred rites and laws of an ancient nation forever, and the primeval art becomes a thing of the mystic ages.

TRADITIONS OF THE ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE.

When the Indians first made their appearance on the Klamath river it was already inhabited by a white race of people known among us as the Wa-gas. These white people were found to inhabit the whole continent, and were a highly moral and civilized race. They heartily welcomed the Indians to their country and taught us all of their arts and sciences. The Indians recognized the rights of these ancient people as the first possessors of the soil and no difficulties ever arose between the two people. Their hospitality was exceedingly generous in the welfare of our people and all prospered together in peace and happiness, in their pursuit of human existence. After a time there were inter-marriages between the two races, but these were never promiscuous. For a vast period of time the two races dwelt together in peace and honored homes, wars and quarrels were unknown in this golden age of happiness. No depredations were ever committed upon the property of their people, as the white people ruled with beacon light of kindness, and our people still worship the hallowed places where once they trod. Their morals were far superior to the white people of today, their ideals were high and inspired our people with greatness. After we had lived with these ancient people so long, they suddenly called their hosts together and mysteriously disappeared for a distant land, we know not where. We have no memory of their reason or cause why they abandoned their ancient homes where they had dwelt for untold centuries. Wars did not drive them forth, for we loved them more than brothers, and difficulties were unknown between the two people. On leaving they went toward the North from whence we came, and disappeared from our land beyond the northern seas. It was a sad farewell when they departed from this land, for our people mourned their loss, as no more have we found such friends as they, so true and loyal. In their farewell journey across this land they left land-marks of stone monuments, on the tops of high mountains and places commanding a view of the surrounding country. These land-marks we have kept in repair, down through the ages in loving remembrance. I have seen many of these land-marks myself that they left as a symbol of the mystic ages and the grandeur of a mighty nation that passed in a single season. Oh, how little we know of the depths of the ages gone, how wide, how profound and deep is the knowledge we seek; a monument of stone, a stone bowl, a broken symbol, a hallowed unknown spot, a lodge of ruins, all this makes a golden page glittering with diamonds that trills the emotions with mysterious longings for truth and light in the depths unknown.

When the Wag-as left this land they assured my people that they would return to them at some future time. Perchance thousands of years have elapsed since then, and they have not returned, we have waited in vain for it seems that our cherished hopes are fading. However, some of our people are still looking for the return of the white man. The traditions handed down lead us to believe that the Wa-gas returned to the land of their birth, in the far north, the valley of Cheek-cheek-alth, as their traditions were given to us that their origin was in this same land of Cheek-cheek-alth, as they came down from the North when they came to this land. When the Wa-gas first arrived on this continent they handed down the traditions to us that it was inhabited by a giant race of people when they first came. These giants were represented by the Wa-gas as being very swarthy in complexion, and they used implements so large that no ordinary man could lift them. It was an age when large animals roamed the earth, and it seems the birds and fowls were all very large in size. It appeared to be the first age, and was the age of the giants. The recollections transmitted by the Wa-gas were that these giants were very cruel and wicked. It was said that God became displeased with them and destroyed them and they all perished from the earth. It was also said that God appeared to the High Priest of the Wa-gas and told them that he was going to destroy the giant race and that the Wa-gas themselves would survive upon the earth as a new people. Smaller birds and animals would appear upon the earth for the use of man, thus the age of giants perished, but the Wa-gas do not hand down any tradition of how they perished from the earth, as my people have no recollections of ever seeing giants. My mother says that our people in ancient times have seen many relics belonging to these prehistoric giants, such as huge stone bowls, stone slabs and other implements so great that our people could not move them. During the ages of rains and wearing away of the earth, these implements have been buried so deep and have sunk into the earth, that is the reason we cannot find them today. The Indian name for the giant race is Pah-pel-ene, which means people that have all died and passed away.

When the Wa-gas returned to Cheek-cheek-alth it is supposed they found a ladder in this beautiful valley which extends from earth to Heaven, and climbed it to Werse-on-now, where they dwell with God. All the half castes with the exception of a few went away with the Wa-gas, and nearly all those that were three quarters Indian remained with our people. This is said to be the reason why some of our people are very fair. Some of the Indians are still looking for their return to the earth, when they come back it is believed that peace and happiness will reign supreme again over this great land and all evil will be cast out. When the present race of the white people made their first appearance upon the American continent, we believed it was the Wa-gas returning and a hearty welcome was extended to them and there was great rejoicing among our tribes. But soon the sad mistake was discovered to our sorrow, when the men began to debauch our women, give whiskey to our men and claim our land that our forefathers had inhabited for so many thousands of years, yet not a single family has ever been driven from their house on the Klamath river up to this day. We no longer termed them as Wa-gas, but as Ken-e-yahs, which means foreigners, who had no right to the land and could never appreciate our kindness, for they were a very different people from the Wa-gas. They had corrupt morals that brought dissolution upon our people and wrought the horrors of untold havoc.

When the Indians first reached the Klamath river there were large prairies and vast tracts of grassy land, which have since grown up in timber and under-brush. Many of the prairies were set on fire and burnt off every year during the dry seasons which kept the timber from growing up very fast.

The Klamath emptied into the ocean at Wilson creek, about six miles north of where it now goes into and ocean at Reck-woy. There were high bluffs of rocks between the river and the ocean all the way from Reck-woy to Wilson creek, which kept the river in its course to Ah-man where it emptied into the ocean. The river was said to have kept in this course until our Christ caused the mighty rocks to split open and the waters of the river rushed ahead to the ocean at Reck-woy, where it has ever since flowed into the ocean.

The traditions handed down say that the land, north of Redwood creek, where it goes into the ocean, extended far out into the sea to the large rock that is now known to the white people as Redding rock, has continually washed away leaving this rock jutting up from the ocean depths and can be seen for many miles over the surrounding area of land and sea. This rock is located at a distance of about ten miles from the shore and is called by the Indians Sa-quan-ow. This name translated into English means an acorn pestle, a conical shaped stone, carved out of granite and is used to pound acorns and grass seeds into the finest flour. Long ages ago Redding rock extended up from the ocean to a great height, and from a distance appeared to be a huge Sa-quan, or pestle, hence its name. After ages of erosion the massive rock became surrounded by water and the receding bluffs left it alone out in the ocean where its greater portion has crumbled and fallen beneath the waves as it is seen today. The Indians still call it Sa-quan-ow.

There has been but little change in the channel of the Klamath river, except at its mouth since our arrival in this land. In olden times the channel of the river was very deep and clear and much narrower than it is now and large bars of alluvial soil composed its banks, where luxuriant grasses grew, and upon these lowlands during the winter months great herds of deer and elk would graze, coming down from the snow covered mountains. The channels of the large creeks and tributaries of the river, such as Blue creek, Tec-tah and Pec-wan have practically never changed as they still flow into the river in the same places. Where the Trinity river flows into the Klamath river it has made but little or no change during the passing ages as has been handed down to us.

We have no word of severe earthquakes in our regions, but have had slight shocks from time to time throughout the centuries. We have no tales of any great damage ever done by earthquakes and our people never held any fear of tremors of the earth. But my people tell of great tidal waves that have swept our country. They say a long time ago one swept up the Klamath river to the mouth of the Trinity river, a distance of over forty miles, and did great damage, as it swept away houses and thousands of our people were drowned and carried away by the rolling waves of the ocean, so few of our tribe were left that they were well nigh exterminated. Many smaller tidal waves have swept over the coast where the destruction was not so great.

They tell of epidemics that came up the river and laid us low in the devastation of life, thousands of our people would pass away in a single season; they would die so fast that they could not be buried and many of the bodies would be thrown into the river. The only way we could keep the whole tribe from complete devastation by the ravages of these dreadful diseases was to abandon the dead and leave the river and go back into the high mountains and there we built bark houses and remain until the snow and cold would compel us to retreat to the lowlands again. In our mountain home we subsisted on wild game, berries, pine nuts, roots and herbs. Some of our people would have such a terror of the fatal diseases that they would refuse to return to their homes and would brave the fierce storms of the cold winter until they were convinced that all dangers had ceased. In our traditions of the passing centuries many of these epidemics have almost devastated the land of human life. During one of these contagions it was said that the children would go down to the river to swim and would lie down in rows from six to twelve in number upon the sand, as if they were alive and had been placed there by careful hands; but they would be in their eternal sleep, contagion having overtaken them.

TIME AND NAMES.

We have ten months for one year, and four seasons, as follows:--

Spring: Key-atch-ker. Summer: Kis-sa-no. Autumn: Ka-yock-ka-muck. Winter: Cah-mah.

We lose time in our count each year, so we throw in or stop counting until the time comes around to start again. The Klamath Indians are good in counting and can count up into the thousands. We count ten, and ten hundreds for one thousand. All of our counting is done by whole numbers; we have no fractions. All the women have to count and count closely in weaving baskets in order to make the designs come out correctly. We have astronomers, called Haw-getch-neens, and they keep close observation of the sun, which we call Ca-chine-wan-now-slay. Day we call Ca-chine; the moon, Nas-cha-wan-now-sloy, this means the night sun.

English names. Klamath Indian.

An old woman Ca-par-a Young women Way-yun Little girl Wer-yes Baby Oaks Boat or canoe Yacht House Och-lum-ilth Come in the house Och-la-may How do you do my friend I-ya-quay Nec-tor-mer Me or I Neck Yes A Fire Metch Mother Calk Father Tat, or Tatus Grandfather Peach Grandmother Gooch Old man Ma-we-mer Young man Pay-girk Large boy Che-na-mouse Small boy May-wah Mother-in-law Cha-win Father-in-law Par-ah Sister-in-law Netch-nah Brother-in-law Weitch-tay, or Tay Uncle Jim Aunt Tool Klamath river Health-kick-wer-roy Redwood timber Keilth Mermaids Squer-tuck Silver Salmon Nep-puoy Steelhead Salmon Squalth King Salmon Ah-pus Hook-bill Salmon Cha-goon Grizzly Bear Nick-witch Sea or Ocean Pis-calth

The Bald Hills we call Cho-lu, contains many hundreds of acres of open land, high up where one can see as far as the eye can reach in all directions.

There is another species of the Salmon caught in the Klamath river, the English name of which I do not know but we call it Ra-gawk.

In the year 1850 my people had never heard of the present white race and we were then making our fires with two pieces of wood, one the willow and the other of hardwood.

My mother and father never learned to talk English, so I talk to them only in our own language.

DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND.

There is a large and silent river that flows through the shadowy vale of death. On the banks of this awful and mysterious river dwells an old woman, called Sye-elth, and she keeps at her side a large dog, Chish-yah, .

When an Indian dies, if he has led a dishonorable and wicked life, a broad path leads his soul down to the banks of the river to the very door where the old woman lives in her house. When the wandering soul reaches her door, the Chish-yah tries to drive it back to the dead body, but the old woman fights the dog off and if she is successful in her efforts she takes charge of the miserable soul and sends it on to the opposite side of the river, in the shadowy land of endless anguish. If the dog is successful in fighting the soul back it returns to the dead body where life is regained and the person lives again. This seldom occurs, and only where the body lives in a state of coma and is supposed to be dead, but after a few hours comes out of that state and revives into life again. The Chish-yah is seldom successful, as a case rarely occurs. This is why the Indian never likes to scold or treat the dog badly.

The old Indians do not like to look at a photograph or to have their photographs taken, because they say it is a reflection or a shadowy image of the departed spirit, O-quirlth. They do not like to see spirits, but they say they have often seen them. This is the reason they turn their backs on the camera and object so strongly to having their pictures taken. Often have my people been ridiculed for their strange actions, but they have a reason for every one of them. If the civilized man could only respect the reasons and simple ways of the highest type of primitive man, as much as primitive man venerates his civilization.

When the spirit comes back to the tired and weary body, and that body lives again, that person is said to meet a very unfortunate existence. It is said he is never satisfied with earthly things again. He is very restless and unhappy as nothing can satisfy his longing soul, and always meets death suddenly.

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet