Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-13
A MODERN METHuSELAH,
The Patriarch of the Wakoyas of Northern
Arizona.

AAALoN"
ga Moqui Indian whom we had
brought along as a guide and Interpreter
explained to the chief that our inten-
tons were peaceful and that we had
only come to take Il look at some of his
people, among whom the Indians of
other tribes had told us were a few who
were extremely old. The chief proved
to be of an obliging disposition and
showed us all about the village. We
were followed by a crowd of yoang
Wakoyas and were preceded by the
chief, while around us barked and
howled Il number o fdogs, with which the
village abounded. After proceeding q
short distance we paused before the dooc
of a low stone hut, covered with a skin
roof, the cracks ia the walls being filled
up with brown adobe. Ourleader entered
without going through the ceremony OF
knocking. 'Muskee! Muskee! we heard
him shout repeatedly from within,
But Muskee was evidently not at home,
and the chief came back with a disap-
pointed look upon his dark face. We
met the object Of our search about
twenty yards from his door and were
presented to him in Indian fashion. He
appeared to marvel at olr unexpected
appearance, but his aslonishment was
nothing compared to ours as we gazed
at his strange and unnatural form. His
shoulders and limbs We're clothed with
deerskin robes, and his face, which
seemed to be barren of flesh, was COW
cred with dry, wrinkled skin; his fingers
were extremely long, and his palms and
wrists We're withered and shrunkcE.
while his whole body, which was much
attenuated, was bent over until his back
assumed the shape of a half circle. j
had never seen such q specimen of aged
humanity before.
Did you discover his age?" inquired
the interviewer.
"Our Moqui guide who spoke English
almost perfectly, and whose veracity
we had tested on previous occasions,
told us, after making the necessary in.
quiry, that the man was n hundred
and seventy-iive years old, and L have
not the slightest doubt. nor would any
one have after receiving the ancient
Wakoya, that such was indeed his age.
After looking at us for some few mo.
ments, during wi.;ah lie rested his chin
heavily upon the long staff which he
clutched with one of his dried-ur
hands, he mumblcd a few words in an
swer to questions put by the chief and.
our interpreter, and then, raising his
head and stretching out his limbs, he
shambled on toward his hut at a t~olera,
bly, smart pace for Il man one hundred
and seventy-tive years old. The next
curiosity in this line was seen summing
himself by the side of an adobe hut. AL
though bearing evidence of great Ion
gevity and being in fact in the neigh.
borhood Of one hundred and ten years
Of age, he was nevertheless very well
preserved in body and features, inclin-
ing somewhat to obesity, which is
rather remarkable in an Indian. l was
told that this man was, even at his adj
vanced age, capable of great feats OF
endurance, could move about with agil-
ity and was one OF the best trappers
among the people. He was related to
Muskee, whose family are all long,
lived, especially the males. Muskec's
brother had recently died at the age OF
one hundred and thirty and his father
had been a centenarian. There were
eight persons in the family, whose con.
bined ages at the dates OF their death,
Muskee being the sole survivor, nearly
reached II thousand years. These
ce%ntenarians are very proud of theil
length of days and take great care in
keeping the records Of their ages" -A,.
ixonu Cor. Sam Francisco Chronicle.