St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-10-08
THE MoJAvE INDIANS.


Il among 10eur TFo01t10o0 Thoy Hove o.
Coooesning ths FlooA.
The Mojaves have number Of tra
ditions concerning the origin of tn,
world, which date back many cen
turies though how many we have beer
unable accurately to ascertain, but th>
traditions seem clearly 10 point to thu
existence Of these clans in prehistori,
times. Some Of the old members Of the
Mojave tribe relate, with much ave-
and reverence, . tradition to which
they still cling. regarding . rugged
mountain-peak north Of the val.
ley, known as Ghost mountain.
The story says that many years ago,
before the Indians came to this region,
. large volume of water covered thia
part Of the earth temporarily; that
there was . small boat or raft which
noated upon the surface Of the water
many days, saving the lives Of - small
number of persons, the rest being
drowned. At last the waters receded,
and the little craft rested safely on the
highest ledge of Ghost mountain, and
not brave among them win ever visit
the spot, nor are they willing 70 have
their white neighbors explore the
mountain, believing that should any
one ever reach the spot where the
boat rested he would suddenly be
stricken with death. Among other
strange beliefs held by the Mojaves, is
one resembling that Of the East In
dams, Of the transmigration of soula
Il teaches that the evil spirits which
have inhabited the body during life arc
transmitted at death to the body Of
some bird or animal. The physicisn At
the Herbert Welsh industrial school,
being summoned on one occasion to at-
tend . young Mojave woman who was
very Ill with . fever, was told BY the
young woman's husband that his
remedies would do no good; his wife
could not recover. - she had. some
years before, eaten the flesh Of . beaver.
These superstitions and traditions
are. in many eases, serious obstacles to
the establishment Of and success Of the
hospitals At the government schools
and agencies, where the people may be
intelligently treated and supplied with
proper remedies: many of the more con-
preferring the methods en-
ployed by the native medicine men" to
those Of the white physiciana Some Of
the more advanced, however, are glad
to avail themselves Of the treatment Of
the government physician. Soon after
the establishment Of . free hos
pital IN connection with the in
school mentioned above, q
young girl who had been given up to
lie BY the medicine men," was
. distance Of eighteen miles
through the broiling sun of an Arizona
upon an improvised stretcher
.anied by two men. to receive medical
treatment 1t the hospital She was
treated, and nourishing food
prepared for her, but she was very i'll.
)n the day after her admittance to the
hospital her relatives and friends gath
red around the building and began
he death WALL" all efforts to quiet
hem proving ineffectual They de-
handed that the patient be given them
a order that they might take her to
he river bottom. where wood was more
and her body could the more
ss,ly be disposed Of when she should
lie. The situation called for con-
iderable nrmness on the part Of
he superintendent and the physi.
ian, who resolutely refused to comply
With the demand Of the importunatc
telling them that they could
ave their kinswoman back when she
or would be given her body
D case Of her death. Finally. this ar
angement being satisfactory, the
eath-wail ceased and the crowd dis.
ersed, leaving the young woman to re-
over undisturbed by the visions Of |
he funeralpile and its barharous fes-
ivitieA In ten days the patient WAS
TO her relatives cured, and |
er recovery has been potent factor
4 weakening their faith in the old |
eathenish rites Of the medicine-men,
nd breaking down, to = degree 1t
,ast, some Of the strongest barriers to
utilization and enlightenment-Stsnd-