The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-04
AN INDIAN TRADITION.

The following rather singular tradition
which exists among the Papago Indians re-
| specting MonteZuma, their founder, and the
| deluge, has, we believe, never vet appeared
| in print; at least, not in its present shape.
1t was related by Captain Con Ouan, an aged
and intelligent member of the tribe, and was
| taken down from his lips by an interpreter
fer Judge Henry r. Backus, of Arizona Ter
ritory, and formerly Of this city. Judge
Backus has visited many of the places men
| toned in the legend, and has been an eye
witness of the quadrennial feast still cele-
| brated at the cave. He represents the Papa
| goes as being nominally Catholics, yet cling
ing to their national traditions with great
tenacity, and cherishing the memory of Mon
tezuma with even more than sanity venera-
| ton.
The tradition of the deluge is interesting
in its relation to the origin of the Indians of
the country, and especially the ancient tribes
who lived in the twilight of civilization, until
| the Spanish Christians annihilated them. Did
| they bring this tradition with them from the
| Asiatic continent? Or, did they come in
| contact with the people of the Old World,
antecede1It to any historical evidence of
that fact, from whom they derived this tra-
| dition?
These are inquiries naturally suggested by
| the following narrative. Montezuma, it will
| be understood, is not the monarch of that
name whom Cortes dethroned. 1t is the
| generic term of their rulers, like Pharaoh,
| Caesar, etc.
| Before the flood men lived to a great age,
| so that they lost their teeth and crept about
like children. After time they would get
new teeth, and walk upright again like men
in the prime of life. Then it was that the
Great Spirit created the mountains and
peopled the earth on all sides. Then, too,
animals talked like men, and were the first to
tell of the approaching flood. About this
time appeared MonteZuma, who collected a
large quantity of gum from a plant called
MUchS, and with this gum, which is said to
be insoluble in water, and with other mate
rials, he built large vessel, in which he took
refuge, closing and sealing the door behind
him. In like manner cayote or prairie dog
crept into large cane stalk and closed the
ends against the water The food came up
to the highest mountains, and reached even
the birds, which cried like men, with fright.
When the waters came down. Montezuma and
the cayote landed at Cerro Prietta, which
mountain some believe to be Montezuma's
vessel.
According to another tradition they landed
in the centre of the earth, and, having come
| out of their vessels, Montezuma noticed the
| trail of beetle, which he followed until he
| found the beetle fast in the mud He then
| turned back, and meeting the cayote they
| embraced each other in grief. Montezuma
| sent the cayote southwark to find the sea,
which it soon found and returned, when it
| was sent on the same errand to the north
| ward, but returned unsuccessful. They then
| lay down to sleep, when MonteZuma dreamed
| that he should form men and women out of
clay, which he accordingly did, making two
| for each nation Meanwhile the cayote sat
| behind him also making men, but the latter
| were Informed so that MonteZuma ordered
them to be removed. His own people mul-
tiplied rapidly, and built large city on the
north bank of 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, fol-
lowed by large numbers of people In ac-
cordance with dream, he thrust rod into
the earth and water flowed thence, which is
the origin of the springs at Santa Rosa and
elsewhere. After time the Great Spirit
appeared to MonteZuma as an old man, and
asked to baptize the people, that they might
| live beyond the sky after death, but Monte
yuma became angry and killed the Great
Spirit. Then the latter arose from the dead
by night and repeated the request, when
Montezuma grew angry again, declared that
he would take his people to heaven by q
tower, and killed the Great Spirit second
time, leaving him on the ground, where he
was dragged about as playthlng for four
years. He then returned to heaven, remov-
ing the sun further from the earth as he
assembled.
After long interval he descended again
with the same request as before At this
time MonteZuma was living at the Casa
Blanco, or white house, close to the Pimo
villages, on the Gila river. The inside of the
house was overlaid with pure gold. A third
time he threw the Great Spirit, but the latter
now becoming angry, threw a louise into
Spain, which led to an invasion by the
Spaniards. Twice did Montezuma meet and
repel the invaders, but before the third en-
gagement the golden ring flew from the finger
of his daughter to the finger of the Spanish
commander, and the silver ring of the latter
flew to the finger of the former. Thus did
she become leagued with the enemy, and
when they were out of provisions she pre-
vailed upon her people to threw them t0n1dIes
instead of arrows, and thus they were fed at
Montezuma's expense.
After many severe conflicts the Spaniards
were victorious, when the traitorous Princess
demanded the hand of the commander in
marriage. He agreed to this on condition
that an eagle which he set free should alight
on prickly pear tree. The eagle did 80, and
the commander started to celebrate the mar
riage at the pear tree, being followed by a
large train of Papagoes; but, under the pre-
text of getting violins, powder, etc, he
travelled on and on until the Indians all de-
serted him.