Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-07-16
PIONEER "REMINISCENCES
A LEGEND OF THE ABORIGINES.

OLYMPIA, July 2, 1856.
Always having felt an interest in the
aborigines of this Territory, made it
a point in early times to gain all the
information could of their origin and
history. AS they are people unlet-
tered and without the appliances we
have to hand down to posterity their
history, we must not Ike surprised if
errors, or what appear to be such,
should have crept into their traditions.
We find that all the information they
have regarding the past has been
handed down from one generation to
another, through their tamanawus
(medicine) men. And as they put
the utmost reliance upon their state
ments, why should We not D.? The
following is the history of the Nisqually
tribe, as it was told by one of them
who knew the legends and traditions
of this dusky people: A great many
years agO-so many that man cannot
enumerate them-the tribe became so
numerous that they ate up all the
game and fish, and then they turned
cannibals; after time they became
worse than wild animals, SO much so
that the Great Spirit sent a mighty rain
which flooded the whole country and
all living things were drowned, except
ing one squaw and dog, who both
happened to be on the head waters of
the Nisqually river, and they, seeing
the waters rising rapidly, fled to Mount
Tacoma, and remained upon it's
summit until the waters subsided.
From the squaw and the dog sprang
the present Nisqually Indians. With
the destruction OF all things on the
Earth was lost the Use of all arms,
tools and fire. The progeny of the
squaw and dog walked upon all fours,
and dug camas, fern and other roots
with their hands. They
LIVED IN HOLES IN THE EARTH.
They knew nothing about clothing
and they suffered much from exposure
in their naked condition. They nearly
all became diseased or deformed, and
to make matters worse large bear of
enormous proportions came up from
the south, and when he cast his eye
upon an Indian that Indian lost all
power of lOcOmOtiOn and became an
easy prey to the revenous appetite of
the beast. As the Indians had no
arms and knew nothing about
tamanawus, the Indians were entirely
defenceless, and the bear was about to
depopulate the country. The Great
Spirit seeing their deplorable condition
and taking pity upon them, sent over
the mountains from the East great
tamanawus man or saviour, whose
cOuntenance was as the sun and his
voice as the thunder, and he was
armed with bow, arrows and spear.
His first act was to assemble the peO-
pie together and ask them why they
annoyed their Great Father with so
much weeping, and they answered that
it was on account of the beast from
which none could escape. He then
taught them of the existence of two
great spirits-one of good and one of
evil. He taught them white and black
tamanawus and likewise how to walk
erect. He then returned to the noun
tains for one moon, to talk to the
Great Father. On the return he
again called the people together and
HELD A BIG PoTLATcH,
Giving the Indians what appeared to
them at that time great curiOsities.
To the young men he gave bows and
arrows, likewise spears, and taught
them how to make and use them. To
the old men he gave canoes, with the
proper instructions for their manufac-
ture, likewise how to make fish-hooks
and how to use them. To the old wo-
men he gave camas sticks, baskets
made of cedar bark and sea-weed, and
showed them how to make them and
explained their use and purposes; !;
likewise how to make fire, and its use !;
taught them how to cook and how to
carry burdens by the use of strap
across the head. In fact, taught them
all kinds of work that was calculated
to make woman useful to her lord and
master-man. The young women he
taught to sing and to adorn their per-
cons with paint, and to wear girdle,
made of the inner bark of cedar, reach
ing from the waist to the knee. He
taught them that woman should have
but one man, and that it was her duty
and interest to encourage her. man to
purchase all the wives his circum-
stances would permit. The tamana-
wus man, having instructed the peo-
pie in everything that was useful and
tending to their comfort, became full
of strong tamanawus. His next task
was the destruction of the great beast.
He took seven arrows from his quiver,
and being assisted by the men of the
tribe, made for one whole sun tamana-
mus over the sacred arrows and they
became fully charged. He took one
of the arrows and pushed it into the
ground in the center OF the Nisqually
plains. He then walked half day
towards the haunts of the bear
! whore he again placed another arrow