Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-28
A UTE TRADITION.

| La -lth3t sllit eu-lolli-. i Nt>ltuE IN
the city. Last evening Mr.. Walker
related a remarkable legend which he
heard from the lips OF several OF the
Ute chiefs with whom he was upon
terms OF friendship. The legend Is
the common properly Of the Ute tribe.
and is given below in the language in
which il IS told by Mr.. Walker and in
nearly the sans phrases used by the
Uios:
"'All Indian tribes said he, have
their legends. and super.tiiions. The
Utcs say that many years ago, long
before the time of Montezuma, the
God OF the Pueblos, a Christ was born
Of one of the virgins of the tribe I'M
der the following circumstances: \
certain young maiden OF the tribe had
been sent out 10y her parents with
several companions to look for p.noas
that is the nuts OF the pinon tree
which the Indians used for the m ak
ing OF bread. These nuts were then
and are now an important factor in the
culinary department OF every well
regulated Ute household. eNcep;
where Uncle sam furnishes something
more substantial, and at the same
time something that is less trouble to
hunt up and prepare.
.Ths particular young maiden OF
which the legend treats was los, from
her companions and was unsuccessful
in finding any nuts for the evening
meal Shortly after shutdown. when
she had despaired OF finding her way
back TO the Indian town and Just Is
she was sure Of being devourei b. the
wild beasts that were bowling around
her, she saw an old man with long
white hair and beard. in flowing
robes OF purest white, approaching
her. The legend states that she could
not have seen him al all but for the
fact that he was surrounded 10y halo
Of glory. or. as thoy put it, light Of
heaven
"When he-came near he addressed
her in the language of her tribe and
told her who her parents werc. who all
her relatives were, and who was and
had been chiefs of her tribe for ages
back, all OF which she knew tobc true
according to. tradition. He thon told
her how she had been. sent ont. and
how he had pnTposely caused her TO
stray away from her companions. and
tliat he had employed n angels in
picking all tins nuts ilIat lay in her
path. he said she WAS to bc much
more than all the other women Of the
tribe. Shs WAS To he the mother OF
the savior Of all the Uies. both Of the
north and the south. all over the
world.
ITO the Utes the world comprised
what is now Colorado. Uilh and New |
Mexico. He thea gave her two pin
ON nuts, Bidding her to swallow one |
ofthem NJ once and telling her tina; it
would cause her to conceive aid bear
the Christine Savior OF the ties. He
then told her tina. she should take the
other nut home with her and drop il
through the door OF the house. which.
according 10 the custom Of those times.
was in the roof-the house being adobe
or sod. lie told her that she would
not find any one AT home. a. he had
sent the family on; go hunt fog her.
but that her friends would soon re-
turn, and when she saw them she
must go 10 meet THIN at once and tell
them all that had occurred. and what ,
WAS to be expected. and also that there {
were plenty Of nuts in the house.
The stranger vanished in n blaze Of !
light more brilliant than the sun in 1
summer, and the maiden, upon look
ne around her, found that she was
ess than mile from home and in a
path, although she had
'een lost for hours before. She pro- v
ee1ed TO the village and sl..down TO s,
wait the arrival of the search
NJ parry The party soon made a
self known by the load wall .
igs of relatives, who had given up .
ie search as fruiiless, believing the :,
laiden to have bsen devoured by II
nd beasts. Having heard her story -
ie family, which, among the Utes,
clndes all that are even remotely ct
injected, and the head men OF the ~
ibe, repaired to the house desi-r.at. ~ n'
l and 10. the hoor was covered for n.
lore than foot in depth with p!Ron 70
ats, the flavor Of which far excelied
~ others ever before tasted, in thai VI
elton Of the country. In due time Ia
G child was born, and ne, as well as
5 mother, were sliowed 10 live.
hich is unusual anon: the Utes. a.
egitimaey is crime punishable by a.,
aih. From this time on The story -
Is IN the same line as tina, Of Jesus -
lrist- Al years be was precocious.
9 disputed with the medicine men WI
d n II taught them Ute lore and Ute AT
vs. and customs in a manner that WI
nvinced them he WAS their god. II oil
yone doubled his authority he alo
'uld perform miracles 10 prove that
was all that was claimed for him. bri
all this there wer- rot
ne IN the tribe who thought he was
imposior and that he and his the
',her should he put to death. This tbr
lion, being heade4 by strong DO IN .
cal wire puller who wanted to be 3
high-muck-a-muck of the tribe. spa
n grew in numbers and eventually Tn
anne so strong thai the savior; NOT
light best to leave the southern WI
5 and visit the Northern Utes. TO INC
ON he was also sent. ma
iere, however, he WAS destined 10 /
ei with phase OF trouble 20 which VIII
had hitherto been stranger: for no
had no more than introduced him so'
as the Ute Col when 4 CAV and r.,
rming Ute maiden. dressed in the Tn,
St style Of bears teeth necklaces am,
WHISTLES. and ankiels made out Of STA:
rai;ies o. rattlesnakes, and with n
remainder Of her wardrobe either ,ufi
2,ien or unlucsiiy in the wash. -
IN love with him and would no, r
i'm rest isy or night on account OF ~.
greatness Of tia, love. Among n, :
e'es me stricken female msy ci Il