The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-08
CHINOOK FOLKLORE.
STORIES OF Blue JAY. CRANE, COY
OTE. HERON AND ROBIN.

Monster Was OutWttted by the SUI
perior wisdom of the HerOes-BIue
Jays DiabOIicaI Performance and
His Excursion 10 the Land of the
spfrits-The Adventures of Caxal.
From the Baltimore sun.
Washington, Dec. 2.-Eecent ethnolOgi-
ca. researches by the government have
been rendered notable 10y the discovery
OF the sole survivor Of the Chinook In
dians. once powerful tribe OF the dis
tant west This survivor was found after
a long and patient search and was final
u made to understand the purposes OF
his American interviewer. He proved
TO be an intelligent man. who retained the
knowledge Of his own Language and a
memory of the tribal tales. This remnant
Of the obHterated tribe was known as
Charles Cultee among the Chehalis In
dians. with whom he now lives in Che
halls county, Washington. The ethnologi-
cal expert who took MIN in hand succeed
ed so far as TO perfect book Of legands
and to compile a dictionary which is
deemed reliable and complete, although the
editor confesses there may have strayed
into the collection some Katiamat idioms,
for that was the language of Cultee's
ing with his friends of that tribe. Cultee
was evidently-a gifted man. since he
spoke not only. his mothers tongue, but
used in his private life the language OF
the Indians with whom he dwelt, while
retaining a practical acquaintance with
his original dialect.
The stories told by this Chinook exhibit
that love of nature which one might eX-
pect from the free and untrammeled chill
dren of the wood. The Chinooks cyl
IDENTIFY had their heroes, who bore the
names of the birds and beasts OF the for
ests and the fishes OF the streams. They
were mostly men of daring Among the
prominent characters was a certain Blue
Jay. He was at times fiendish and again
sportive, but at all times he appears IN
vulnerable and irrepressible Another
character for favored mention Is Coy
ote," whose chief function was the point
ing of a learned moral. Others were the
Robin, the Heron and the Grow, not to
speak of the intricate names which can
only be conveyed to English language
by a series of symbols representing sounds
entirely foreign to civilized speech.
One of the stories is called the crane
myth. 1t is related that CoyotA Crane
and Heron lived together and engaged in
clam-digging. While asleep they were
inland in her basket. She put Coyote
at the bottom, and Crane in the middle
and Heron on the top" During the jour
ney Heron suddenly awoke and grasped
tree branch and so managed to extricate
himself Crane and Coyote finally awoke,
but remained quiet while the monster
carried them into her house and to her
children. Then she said to her Oldest
daughter: go and get two splits; bring
straight huckleberry sticks" and her
daughter did so. Then Coyote said - his
friend: Bend your neck when she starts
10 roast YOU" and when the spit was
brought Crane bent his neck. The mon
Eter then told her daughter TO bring
crooked stick, and Coyote said: when
the crooked spit is brought, stretch out
your neck" The girl brought a crooked
spit then Crane stretched out his neck
Five times the girl went and then she
became tired" This simple ruse of Crane
appears TO have completely frustrated
the efforts OF the monster to broi the
prisoners, and she determined to make
them her slaves. The four succeeding
nights appear to have been expended in
species of revelry, during which Coy
ote ceaselessly sang a conjuror's song.
After this protracted vocal effort II is
somewhat suggestively stated that on the
fifth night the monster and her children
slept. This opportunity was seized upon
by Coyote and Crane, who took dig
80 that only the handle remained visible.
To this the hair of the monster and her
children was tied. Then they secured
sublime revenge by setting IRE to the
house and burning the genii.
Coyote and Crane next located on river
rapids and re-engaged in fishing. Crane
had much better success than Coyote
whose envy was excited and who once
more resorted TO his conjuror's song, in
the rendition of which he was aided by
large baton. crane stretched out ms
his neck, but Crane bent 1t. Coyote was
ashamed because he had missed him.
This resulted in the separation of the
companions. Crane removing his fish
making several trips to carry the loac
away on his back Coyote resorted to al
Ingenious method OF removing his sup
plies, placing ell the fish in a TRAN. He
put a roe into his CULVER and thus drove
The fish ahead of him. In traversing 9
hill along the river bank the course of tbs
finny procession was diverted ana, 90 al
sn his power, Coyote could not prevent
them returning to their native element
IT is said in closing: "All the fsh had dis
people shall do thus: When they NOV,
from one place to the other they shall
not drive their food. Even could not dc
1t. They shall work and become tired
carrying it on their backs when they
move That is the story. Tomorrow i
will be good weather"
Another story is that of Caxal, chief
tain, who had lost his son and who went
daily to the beach to wall. 1t is related
that while here he observed a beautiful
abalone shell dropped by raven, Si.c
this incident suggested to him and his
followers, including the indomitable Blue
Jay, an excursion III quest of these treas
ures. The party set out in two canoes
and after travelling a long distance dis
covered the island where these shells lay
in abundance. CaXal strayed from the
party and did not return by the time the
others were ready to leave for home
Under Blue Jays baneful influence CaX-
ais people deserted him, and when he re-
turned to the shore he found no trace OF
his canoe or companions. He had how
ever, quite a valuable collection of aba
lone shells. His five days of lonely watch
were relieved only by the sound of hu-
man voices on the beach, where he could
see only such uncempanionable signs OF
life as the sea otter. a gull and alba
tross.
One morning he spied a stranger, who
promised that on the morrow ne should
be carried back. The next day on going
to the beach with his abalone shells he
saw a whale, in the middle of which was
hole. In this Caxal seated imself with
his store of abalone shells and was di-
rected not to open his eyes until he was
landed. He was propelled by the peli-
cans and gulls and snipe, and finally after
long trip he found himself laid on his
native shore. Bundling up his abalone
shells and taking five cuts of the whalf
he encountered a child with a bow an'6
arrow. He found that the infant was his
son and that he had been maltreated,' il
his fathers absence by the heartless IBlut
jay, who had utilized Caxals house, ids
sipated his property and robbed Cakars
wives OF their sight. CaXal by i RECOURSE
TO mystic ceremonies restored his (chilC
and his wives to health and hapbiness
and distributed the abalone shells among
his people.