Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-09-14
THE THUNDER BIRD.
ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL INDIAN
SUPERS STITIONS.
The Causes of Storms According TO
Aboriginal MytholOgy-lis Origin
According 10 James q. Swan, an
Authority on such Matters.

among the Indians oi Puget Sound
has made Investigations into the
myths and traditions of the people
among whom he has labored, and has
stored up many an interesting story
of the thunder bird superstition. He
says:
1.-The general idea among the In
dians is that thunder is caused by an
immense bird, whose size darkens the
heavens, whose body is the thunder
cloud, the Tapping OF whose wings
causes the thunder, and the bolts OF
fire, which it sends out OF its mouth
to kill the whale for its food, are the
lightning. The Makahs and some
other tribes, however, invest the ami
NAL with two-fold character, human
and bird-like. According to them
the being is supposed to be gigantic
Indian named in the dialects of the
various coast tribes Kakaitch, THU.
kluts, and Tu tutsh, the latter being
the Nootkan name. He lives in the
highest mountains and his food con-
sists of whales. When he wants food he
puts on great garment, which is
made OF birds head. a pair of very
large wings, and feather covering for
his body, and around his waist he
ties the lightning fish, which slightly
resembles the sea horse. This animal
has head as sharp as a knife, aud
when he sees whale he darts the
lightning fish into his body. which he
then seiZes and carries to his home.
Occasionally, however, he strikes a
tree and more seldom man.
The origin OF the bird, according to
Mr.. Swan, as given by the Chehalis
and Chinook Indians is as follows
Ages ago an old man named Too.lux,
or the south wind. while travelling
north, met an old woman named
Quoots-hooi, who was an ogress, or
gisntess. He asked her for food,
when she gave him net, telling him
she had nothing to eat, and he must
go and try to catch some fish. He &C
cordingly dragged the net and sue
ceeded in catching the grampus, OF
as the Indians called it, a little whale
This he was about to cut with his
knife when the old woman cried out
to him to take sharp shell and not
to cut the fish crosswsys, but split il
down the back. Without giving heed
to what she said he cut the fish across
the side and was about to take off a
piece OF blubber, but the fish immed-
lately changed into an immense bird
that when flying completely obscured
the sun, and the noise made by its
wings shook the EARTH They also
add that this thunder bird flew to the
north and lit on the top of the Saddle
back mountain near the Columbia
river, where it laid nest full OF eggs.
It was followed by the giantess, who
found the eggs; whereupon she began
to break and eat them, and from
these mankind, or at least the Che
halls and Chinook tribes, we're pro-
duced. The thunder bird, called
Hahness by these Indians, came back
and finding its nest destroyed went to
Toolux, the south wind, for redress,
but neither of them could ever find
the ogress, although they regularly
went north every year.
As to the cause OF thunder among
these tribes, Mr.. Swan says that when
a young girl reaches womanhood she
has to go through process of purifi-
cation which lasts a month. Among
other customs at this time, if there is
q southwest wind, with signs of rain,
she must on no account 60 out of
doors, else the southwest wind is so
offended that he will send the thunder
bird, who then by shaking his wings
causes the thunder, and from whose
eyes go forth the flashes of lightning.
As far as Mr.. Swan knew, every
thunder storm which oceured while
he lived at Shoalwater Bay, three
years was attributed by the Indians
to this cause-that is, to some girl
disobeying this law.
The Indians are very superstitioua
in regard to this bird, believing that if
they possess any feather, bone, OF
other part of it, or bone of the light.
ming fish, it will be of supernatural
advantage to them. A Makah, who
had been very sick, reduced to a skele-
ton, and it was believed could not re-
cover, yet he managed to crawl one
day, says Mr.. Swan, to a brook near
by. and while there he heard q rust
ling which so frightened him that he
covered his face with his blanket
Peeping out he saw raven near him,
apparently trying to throw up some
thing, and, according to the Indian, ii
did throw up a piece of bone about
three inches long. The Indian &C.
cured this, believing it to be the bone
of the thunder bird, and he was told
bv the Indian doctors that it was
medicine sent to him by his Tamah'
nous, or guardian spirit, to cure him
r. WAS a fact that he did recover very
quickly, perhaps through the effect Of
his imagining it to be such bone and
strong medicine.
On one occasion, at display OF nre'
works in Port Townsend, q number Of
rockets bursting showed fiery serpents
These the Indians believed belonged
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