The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-10-23
MYTHS OF RED MEN,
How the Thlinkets Of Alaska
Pray to the Sum
JuDoE SWANS OBSERVATIONS.


II would Gil voiums to rels3e the myths
Of ths ThIinkets. md such . volume uould
b vel worth preserving. They seem 70
= mn b richer In mythology than more
northesu AIaskans. and hsve plurality OF
GODS IN their heaven. Among the coast
Indiana. the sun ID the representative OF
the Great Spirit. and TO him they make
their secret prnysr. Bald Captain John, .
CHIEF: The Indian Sunday II not one dsy.
ike your Sunday. bur Il Il many days-
When ue talk TO the Great Chief. Ne wait
til the moon b full, and thsn 80 into the
mCuntain and rub our BODIES With cedar
tNig. sitter frss having washed them
clean. The cedar makes m smell sweet,
and that the Great Chief likes. We watch
for The sun. When he 6rst appears. We
AK him 70 let us live long, to make as
strong % defend ourselves or attack orr
enemies, to let us Be successful in our fish,
exies or IN the pursuit Of game. and to give
- everything Ne want. Every night We
wash and rub ourselves with cedar. and
every morning ~ talk 70 the Great Chief
or his representative We pray Tor one
week. from full moon to quarter"
intermediate spirits or familiars are sup
posed 70 guard human destinies and to
manifest themselves by visions. signs and
dreams. These spirits are called Tamana-
was. and receiving . revelation II termed
seeing the TamanawAs" Judge Swan
has once. and once only. heard an Indian
call upon the Deity.
on one occasion, Was seized with violent
~ 81 sneexing. and on recovering repeated
aloud several short sentences. accompany
ing every one wifh . blowing NOISE from
his mouth He uas imploring the Great
Chief not TO kill him BIZ sneexing. bur % let
him hive longer. He said # the Indians
did not offer up . petition the tops Of their
heads would be blown of when they
snee1ed. Behold. the same myth Is found
in the folk lore Of almost every nation from
old Peru 70 modern Europe A sneeze In
Italy Is Immediately followed by Q solici-
tous and friendly 'feiicita i"-''happi-
nessl" While the French 1t once pray
God 70 bless tbs sneezer-"Qae Dieu vous
benisse!n
All along the Northwest coast are SINH
lar traditions regarding great food.
The Lummi Indians in Northern WASH
inglon point 70 Mount Baker - the Afarat
Of their flood.
The Puyallup Indians. near Tacoma. say
that the food overlooked all the country
except one high mound near 6teiIacoom.
This mound IL called ''fhe Old Land. be-
cause u R&9 n0b 0yeru0Eeo.
do ron see that mountain there? ?"
asked m old Indian Of mountaineer IS
they rode across the Cascade mountains
twenty wears ago.
Il do"
do you - that grove to the rightf"
"Yes."
well, = long time ago there WAS food,
and al the country Was overlooked. There
was an old man and his family on . boat
or laft. and he Seated about, and the wind
blew him 10 that mountain, where he
touched bottom. He stayed there some
time, and then sent . crow 20 hunt for
land. but Il came back without finding
any. After some time he sent the crow
again, and this time it brought leaf from
that grove. aud the old man was glad. for
he knew that the water was going away"
The ChlkAt and other tribes Of Alaska
carve figures Of salmon, inside Of which Is
the fuii-Iength figure Of nude Indian,
which represents the Skana of the Hal
dAihs. Casual observers, without inquiry.
viii Ct once pronounce il Jonah in the
whales belly. bot the allegory is of ancient
origin, far antedafing the advent of the
white men or the teachings Of the mission
ary.