The Arizona sentinel., 1878-09-14
ARIZONA SENTINEL.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER IA, 1878
Tucson Starr
The Pima Indians Of Arizona.
THEIR HISTORY AND TRADITIONS.


The Pimas have but vague ideas of the
doing of their forefathers, and whatever
accounts may have been handed down to
them have been so changed in the trans
mission that they cannot be deemed relia-
BILE now. Their account of the creation
of the world is confused in different par
ties giving different details thereof. The
story most generally accepted among
them is that the first OF all created beings
was spider, which spun large web, out
of which, in process Of time, the world
was formed. They believe that the Su-
preme being or Creator took a nerve out
of his neck and thereof made q man and
woman. According to their traditions,
the first human beings lived near the Salt
RIVER, in Arizona Territory, near the Nc
Dowell Mountain. These people multi
piled rapidly, and soon populated the val
leys of the Salt and ella Rivers. There
appears to be g strong probability that
the Pima and Papago Indians, who speak
the same language and to all intents be-
long to the same nation, are the descen-
dants of the earliest occupants of this sec
ton of the country. Still the accounts of
the two above named tribes differ ma
terially in many essential points of their
early history Both seem to have heard
of a great flood, and each have their own
method of explaining how their fore
fathers were saved from the deluge.
The Pimas relate that the coming of the
food was well known to the eagles, for
these birds, soaring among the clouds,
saw the gathering OF the storm. One of
the eagles, friendly disposed towards the
Pimas, appeared to the principal prophet
of the tribe, and warned him Of the APP
preaching disaster, advising him to pre-
pare for it. At the same time cunning
wolf Coyote conveyed the same caution
to another prophet. The former and his
! followers paid no attention to the counsels
of the eagle; while the other prophet,
knowing the wolf to be sagacious an
imal, at once prepared boat for himself
and made provisions to take with him all
| kinds of animals then known. The Papa
COS claim to be descendants of the more
cautious one, the Pimas of the one who
refused to be guided by tie eagle. This
| bird appeared for the second time and re-
peated his caution, but the Pimas scorned
his advice. At last the eagle came for
the third time, violently tapped his wings
at the door of the hut of the principal
| prophet and with shrill cry announced
to him and his people that the flood was
at hand, and then flew screaming away
Suddenly the winds arose and the rains
descended in torrents, thunder and light
ing were terrific, and darkness covered
the world. Everything Oh earth was des-
troyed by this food, and all the Plmas
persisted except one chief named Soho,
good ana brave Indian, who was saved
by special interposition in his favor by
the Great Spirit.
The prophet who listened to and profted
by the caution of the wolf, entered his
boat, which safely rode through the storm
and landed, when the flood subsidized, upon
the Mountain Of Santa Rosa. The wolf
also escaped By crawling into large hol-
low cane, the ends of which he closed
with some resinous subtance. The Papa
gos of to-day belie7e that the prophet who
saved himself by means of the boat was
their forefather, and yearly visit the noun
tain and village of Santa Rosa in Arizona
Territory, in commemoration of the for
tunate escape Of the founder of their race.
1t is also said that Papago viii not kill
coyote The Pimas, however, claim to be
the descendants of the chief Soho, above
mentioned. The children of this chief re-
inhabited the ella River valley, and soon
the people became numerous. One OF the
direct descendants of Soho, King Si-Va-no,
erected the Casas Grandes on the ella
River. Here he governed large empire,
before-long before-the Spaniards were
known. King Si-va-no was very rich and
powerful, and had many wives, who were
known for their personal beauty and their
great skill in making pottery ware and
ki-hos, Baskets which the women carry
upon their beads and backs.) The sub
jects OF King Si-va-no lived in large city
near the Casas Grandes, and cultivated the
soil for raany miles around. They dug
immense canals, which carried the water
of the Gila River to their fields, and also
produced abundant crops. Their women
were yirtuous and industrious; they spun
the native cotton into garments, made
beautiful baskets Of the bark of trees,
and were particularly skilled in the manu-
factory of earthen ware (Remains OF the
old canals can be seen to this day, and
pieces of neatly painted pottery ware are
scattered for miles upon the site of the
old city,
Ito be continaed)
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