The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-12-03
INDIAN TRADITIONS.
The story Of the Delugs, on this Con
UNa

the story OF Ahe beAuSoi VIZ
ttneut.
From the Detroit Postl
The following rather singular tradition
which exists among the PapagO Indians re-
spccting Montczumn, their founder, and
the delupo. has, We believe, never yet ap-
reared i'm print. ut least not in its present
shape. It was related by Captain Con Ou-
ON, an aged and intelligent member OF the
tribe. and was taken down from his lips by
an Interpreter for Judge Henry Il. Backus,
of Arizona Territory, and formerly OF this
city. Judge Backus has visited many OF
the plnces mentioned in the legend, and
has been an eye witness of the quadrennial
| Toast still celebrated at the cave. He rep
regcnis the papagoos as being nominally
Catholics. vet clinging 90 their national
traditions with great tenacity, and cherish
1 ing the memory Of Montezuma with even
more than sanity veneration.
This tradition Of the doluFo IS interest
ing I'm les relation to the origin Of the In
iiaus Of tbi. country, and especially the
, ancient tribes who lived in the twilight OF
I civilization. until the Spanish Christians
a|nailiIutgd them. Did they bring TINS
tradition with them from the Asiotic Con-
/ tiuUrif Orwas there % distinct dcluge upon
this continent Or did they ccmc la con-
ts,t vitu Oh, people Of the old world, ante
,.a,ut .p any historical evidence OF
tNf H.l from whom they derived TINS
Tradition
TU...ut iuq.iu,s naturally suggested
ty Oh. following narrative, MuutgIuma, %
.iIl I. understood, is not Tho monarch OF
.l.t n4.t whom Cortcl d,turoucd IL rs
,Ha generic term ct their %rulers, like Thar
ut.. Caesar, etc.
..lUl. OBJ. food men lived t0a great age,
.. .l.t .a,, los. their teeth and crept about
3d.. .l.llron After % time they would get
Sow teeth. aud walltuprght lgain ike men
in DO. tume OF lie. Then IL was that the
Great Spirit created the mountain and poo
.r..i tHo earth on al sides. Then, too, ami
hluis talked like men, and were the FIRST to
tell Of the approaching flood. About Thu
time appeared Montczuma, who collected q
large quantity Of gum, IRON o plant called
cLucLi, and with this gum, which Is SAID TO
be insolublc In water. and with other ma
%terials. lac built a large vessel, in which he
took refuge, closing and scaling he door
behind him. In Il like manner q cayote or
prairie'dog crept into a large can stalk and
closed the ends against the water. The
flood came up to the highest mountains,
and reached even the birds, which cried,
like men, with fright. When the waters
went down, Montezuma and the cayote
landed ut Cerro Prietta, which mountain
some believed to be Montezuma's vessel.
According to another tradition they
landed In the centre Of the earth, and hav-
ing come ont Of their vessels, Montczuma
noticed the tmil Of a beetle, which he fol-
lowed until he found the beetle fast in the
mud. lie then turned back aud meeting
the cayotc, they embraced each other IN
grief Montczumo sent tho cayote south
ward to find the sea, which it soon found
and returned, when it was sent on the
same oIrand to heuorthward, but returned
unsuccessful They then lay down to
sleep, when MOutCZuma dreamed that he
should form man and woman Of clay, which
he accordingly did, making two for each
nation. Meanwhile the cayotc sat behind
him also making men, but the latter were
ill-formed, so that Montozuma ordered
them 30 be removed. His own people null
tipiied rapidly, and built q large city on
the north bnk OF n river, supposed TO be
at the mouth Of Salt River, IN Arizona,
where the remains of large bitches are still
visible.
Montezuma next travelled southwark,
followed by q large number Of people. In
accordance with a dream, he thrust n rod
lAAb AAN NbAAAi anu NNANA ApNAh AANAANt
which is the origin of he springs of Santa
Rosa and elsewhere. After q time the
Great Spirit appeared TO Montezuma as an
old man, and asked to baptize the people
that they might live beyond tho sky after
death. But M0utC2uma became angry and
killed the Great Spirit. Then the latter
arose from the doadh by night, and repeated
the request, when MonteZumn grew angry
again, declared that he would take his peo-
plo 10 heaven by a tower, and killed tho
Great Spirit q second time, leaving him on
the ground, where be was dragged about
as "a plaything for -four years. He then re-
turned 10 heaven, removing the sun farther
from the earth as be nscendod.
After along interval ho descended again
with thes same request as before. At this
time MoutCzuma was living az the Casa
Blanche, or white house, close 20 the Pine
villages on the CHA river. The inside oil
this house was ovOrlaid with pure gold. A
third time no slew the Great Spirit, but III
latter now becoming angry, threw n Ions,
into Spain, which led TO an invasion by
the Spaniards. Twice did Montezumf
meet and repGl the invaders, but before
the third engagement the golden ring 1ev
from tho finger of his daughter to the fin,
ger Of the Spanish commander, aud the
silver ring OF the latter few 90 the finger o
the former, Thus did she become leaguot
with the enemy, and when they were on.
of provisions she prevailed upon her ptO
pie 90 throw Thorn tomatoes instead Of M
rows ana tbus dizzy were fed ut MoutcIu
1u.s expense. After severe conflicts The
Spouiarls were victorious, when the trtitor
css princess demanded the hand o! IA.
Commander in marriage. lie egrecd &
this Uu condition that Gu eagle, which b.
agt free, should light ou o. prickly pea
tgo, The eagle 1il go. and the Comunu
lot started 20 celebrate the marriage at tLu
pear tree, being followed 10y % large TRAIN
@. l'tpago0s. but under the protest Of ret
Ting NuiAs, powder etc., Bio Travelled OF
and on until I'D the Indians deserted him
llenceiorth as the story goes, Monte
zumr made no improvements, oud his pee
pic were scattered over the country. ii
afterwards deposited the archives OF Tia
lnpago aud Pimo nations in q cave noa
Santa Rosa, and ordered that they cele
brutc @ feast there every fourth year, whic.
custom Is still observed. Tho nation grad
uully diminished, and MontCzuma war
duTcd about until the Indians have lost a
traces Of him,
CAN'T You LET HIM STARE. Not a hur
dred miles nom ChieoBu Ia tho. rural bar
of Dundee lives IN ancient widow lad
who has a lout of a son, about twenty-fou
years old who, like tho mans son, sis
darnod smart boy, but don't know any
thing" Not long since the old lady wa
taken sick and lay at the point of death
Feeling her end approaching she called he
son to her bedside TO give him her partin
counsel. Abe stood with open mouth, az
parently swallowing every word, tho oil
lady's words seeming 10 have n good eheC
upon him.
"Abram, said she, "hero l lie with deaf
| ptoripO mo In tho fooo