The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-05-12
Indian Belief.


6lst, that Yale (crow) made everything.
That man possesses never-dying soul
The brave who fall in battle, and those
who are murdered, enjoy everlasting hap
piness in Heaven while those that die a
natural death are condemned to dwell for
ages among the branches of tall trees
The world was originally dark, shapeless,
chaotic, the only living thing being Yale.
For long time he flew round and round
the watery waste, until at length, growing
weary of the intolerable solitude, he de.
termned to people the universe. He
babe the waters recede, and the sun shine
forth and dry the earth. The effect of
this was to cause dense mist to arise !;
out Of thismist he created salmon, and
put them into the lakes and rivers. Birds
and beasts we're afterwards created on
land.
After Yale had finished his work of
creation, he made a survey of it, and
found that all creatures were satisfied with
the universe in which they had been
placed, with the exception of the lizard,
who, having stock of provisions laid up
for winter use, and being, moreover,
great sleeper, preferred request to be
allowed five months winter. "Not so,"
replied Yale, "for the sake of the other
animals there shall be but four snowy
months" The lizard insisted on five,
stretching forth at the same time his five
digits, for in those days he had hand
like man. The crow seized his hand,
and cutting off one finger gave him to I'M
derstand that the remaining number should
indicate the months of the seasons, four
rainy, four snowy, and four summer
The crow finding, as winter came on, that
he had no house to shelter him, or to
store the salmon he had prepared for win
ter use, made two men to build houses
He then taught them how to make ropes
out Of the bark of trees, and to dry sal
mon. After time, feeling the want of
q helpmate, the crow began to look out
for wife. His first choice fell upon
salmon, but having treated his first spouse
SO badly that she left him, he began to
look out for q second, and this time mar
ried young lady belonging to the sun,
who bore him son; which youth, ovi-
IDENTIFY the Phaton of Indian mythology,
attempting to guide the course of the sun,
the latter grew unmanageable, and came
so near the earth as to parch and burn
up everything. The old crow, however,
came to his assistance and restored the
luminary of day to its proper orbit.
One day Yale went to Mass River and
asked the people for something to cat
They replied they were too poor to offer
him anything; he therefore created SAL
mon for them and put it into their river
Another time the all-important crow
made call on an old acquaintance,
named Cannock. Being tired and thirsty
toward nightfall, he asked for bed and
something to drink. Cannock told him
he might lodge under his roof, but water,
he, for some incomprehensible reasons of
his own, positively refued to supply him
with. When all had retired to rest, the
crow seized the opportunity of assuaging
his thirst, but Cannock's wife perceiving
him, called out to her husband, who
jumped up and threw some wood on the
fire. The crow tried to escape by the
hole in the roof for letting out the smoke,
but Cannock kept piling on fresh wood,
and the result was that, before the crow
could extricate himself, he was as thor
oughly black and smoke dried as Lon
don sparrow.
From the period of this notable adven-
ture the great crow and all his descen-
danfs, from having been white, before, be-
camo perfectly black. A long time after
the creation of all things by Yale, seri-
Gus misunderstanding arose between the
crow and the inhabitants of the world he
had made. To punish them he sent
deluge. The clouds grew dark and lower
ing, rain fell in torrents, the rocks opened
and poured forth streams of water. At
length the waters rose until the face of
earth was hidden, and all people took ref.
uge in their canoes. Higher still rose the
food, until all but tho SUBMITS of three
very lofty mountains were covered. To
these numbers, who had no canoes, fled !;
many of the latter were upset, and their
occupants drowned. Finally, the waters
began to subside, and the earth was once
more dry and habitable. Travels in Brit
ish Columbia.