Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-08-07
NUMBER -.
GENESIS ACCORDING T0 INDIAN
MYTHOLOGY.

the Great Spirit made this mountain first
of all. Boring hole in the sky, using n
large stone as an auger, he pushed down
the snow and ice until it had reached the
desired hight then he stepped from cloud
to cloud down to the great icy pile, and
from it to the earth where he planted tho
first trees by simply putting his finger in
to the soil here and there. The sun be-
gan to melt the snow the snow produced
water; the water ran down the sides of the
mountain, refreshed the trees and made
rivers. The Creator gathered the leaves
that fell from the trees, blew upon them,
and they became birds. He took stick
and broke into pieces; of the small end
he made fishes, and of the middle of tho
stick he made animals the grizzly bear
excepted, which he formed from the big
end of the stick, appointing him mastor
over all the others. Indeed, this animal
was then so large, strong, and cunning,
that the Creator somewhat feared him,
and followed out Mount Shasta as wig
wam for himself, whore ho might reside
in perfect security while ON earth. So
the smoke was soon to be seen curling up
from the mountain whore the Great Spirit
and his family lived aud stil live, though
their hearth-lre is no longer alight, now
that tho white man is in the land. This
was thousands of SHOWS ago, and thero
came after this late and severe SPRING
time, in which memorable storm blew
up the sea, shaking the lodge to its base.
The Great Spirit commanded his daugh-
ter, little more than an infant to go up
and bid tho wind to 100 sti)l, cautioning
her at the same time, in his fatherly way,
not to put hor head out into the blast, but
only to thrust out her little red arm, and
make sign before She delivered tho
message, The eager child hastened up
to the hole in tho roof did as she was in
structed and then turned to descond but
the Eve was too strong in her to permit
her to leave without n look at the forbid
den world outside, ut the rivers and the
trees, ut the iar ocean aud the great waves
that the storm had made rs honry as tho
forests when the snow is on the trs. She
stopped she put her head out to look
instantly the storm took her BY the long
! hair, and blew her down to tho earth,
down the mountain side, over the smooth
| ice aud soft snow, down to the hand OF tho
grizzly bears.
Now the grizzly bears were somewhat
] 4 a .
ent. In appearance they were the same
it is true, but they walked on their hind
legs then like men and talked and carried
I clubs and used their fore limsb a. men uso
| their arms.
! There was family Of these grizzlies
living at the foot Of the mountain, ut the
place whore the child wa~ blown to. The
father was returning from hunting with
his club on his shoulder aud young elk
in his hand when he saw tho little shver-
ing waif lying in the snow, with her hair
all tangled about her The old grizzly,
I plying aud wonde ing at tho t ange for
! lorn creature, lifted it up, and carried it
to his wife to see what should be done.
She too was pitiiul, aud she fed it from
hor own breast, bringing it up rs one OF
the family. So the girl grew up and tho
eldest son Of tho old grizzley married her
and their onsprng was neither grizzly nor
Great Spirit, but man. Very proud in
deed was the whole grizzly nation Of tho
new race, and uniting their strength from
all parts Of the country, they built tho
young mother and her family mountain
wigwam near that OF the Great Spirit
and this structure OF theirs is now known
as Little Mount Shasta. Many years
passed away and at length the old grand
mother grizzly became very feeble, and
felt that she must soon die. She knew
that the girl she had adopted was tho
daughter OF tho Great Spirit and her con-
science troubled her that she had never
| let him know anything concerning thI
late OF his child. So she called all tho
| grizzlies together at the new lodge, and
sent her eldest grandson up on a cloud to
! the summit Of Mount Shasta, to tell tho
father that his daughter yet lived. When
the Great Spirit heard that, he was 50
glad that he immediately ran down tho
mountain side toward where he had been
told his daughter was and such was tho
swiRlness OF his pace, that the snow was
melted here and there aiong his coursr,
as it remains to this day The grizzlies
had prepared him an honorable reception
aud rs he approached hl. daughter's
home, he found them -tanding in thou.-
and. in two files on either side ot the door
with their clubs urdcr their arms. Il1
had never pictured bis dau 5htsr as aught
but the little child he had loved so lOI
ago, but when he found that she was ~
mother, and that he had bern betrayed
into the creation OF II now race, his anger
overcame him and no scowled so terribly
on the poor old GRANDMOTHER grizzly that
she died on the spot. AT this all OF tho
bears set up fearful howl, but the exas-
perated father, taking his lost darling on
his shoulder, turned to the armed host,
and in his fury cursed them. " Peace !"
he said. "Bc silent forever Let no
articulate word ever again pass your lips.
neither stand any more uplight, but u'e
your hands rs feet, and look downward
till come again F." Then he drove them
all out 4; he drove also the new race of
men out, shut the door OF Little Mount
Shasta and passed away TO his mountain,
carrying his daughter; and her or him
no eye has since seen. The grlzzlhs
never spoke again or stood up save III
deed when fighting for their life, when
the Great Spirit still permits them t"
stand as in the old time and to use ther
fists like men. No Indian tracing. his
descent from the spirit mother as here
described, and the grizzly, vii ever XII
u grizzly bear and it, 10y evil chance
grizzly ever kill man in any place. mat
spot becomes memorable, and every one
that passes casts stone there lill g,ehe
pile is thrown up.-Baacr9i1S N"tee