Arizona weekly citizen., 1896-03-14
STORY OF THE DELUGE.
As Gathered From the Traditions
of Pima and Papago
Indians.
A Woman Violates an Injunction
and the Entire Tribe are Turned
to Stone.
(BY ISAAC D. SMITH,

The Pimas md Pspagos have great
faculty for telling stories and supersti-
tIous beliefs in their little coneshaped
wlckups during long winter nights. 1t
Is very interesting to hear them repest
their talee 10 their own language, much
more SO than when told in another
language, for their language has been
carried aed spoken by them from re-
mote ages, from the infancy OF human
ity. There are some words both IN sound
and meaning which are said to CORES
pond with, both Chsldean and Arabic.
They have q superstitious fear of the
mountain north Of the Gils river and
known by Americans as Superstitions
mountain, but known to the PImas ss
KA-KUr, CROOKED mountaIns.) The
story dates back from the time just be-
fore the Indian tradition of the deluge,
so to relate the superstitious fear which
the Indian has for the mountain named.
| will have tn return to the tradition of
the coming of the deluge.
just before the catastrophe which
DESTROYED the earth and all thereon,
sbedient to Gods command,
there livid great magician
named TAs-o THAN, (Sun mar). He
comm nded the chief of the Indians
oTA-TAT, (Wooden fooD to prepare all
the people for the great flood which
would come pouring down from the sky
10 a few more moons (months.)
The magician said to the chief, "Look
up some of your most wise children,
send them out into the surrounding
country, ana collect some very flexible
tree or plant, from which many ladders
can be woven, then hang those ladders
from one ledge of rock to another on the
face of the mountain which you see be-
fore you. When every thing is complete
order all your children to accompany
you, ascend the mountain on the lad
ders, and when you and your people
reach the top of the mountain, rest IN
silence. Let not one word be uttered
by man, woman or child, for il you do,
destruction shall follow fast" The chief
did as directed, and many men were
sent out to look up the needed material
suitable for ladders. They one and all
returned with various shru bs, but none
of them were pliable enough to be form
ed into ladders. The moons were
coming, passing away and the time set
| for the destruction of tbs world was
drawing very near. The chief men
we're worried over their repeated fall
ures to obtain suitable material for
| ladders.
The chief at length said "Some action
| must be taken for the magician Las
| refused all the material which has been
brought in by my most learned children,
you can rest for three days and L
will send forth two of the greatest fools
which can be found among our people.
On the I. flowing day the two fools were
dispatched on their errand, they did not
turn at night nor the next day, out
n the third day about noon, two very
large eagles came. soaring over the
village. The Indians knew that this
was a predictions good or bad omen
| out they could not tell what, for they
| nad great fear of those large birds. and
| finally the eagles di-appeared, but be-
| fore the sun went down the eagles again
returned. Each one carried branch
| of small bush in it's besk, and when
they came over the village, where the
chief and magician resided, the eagles,
| each one, let the branch fall from their
1 beaks. The branches were eagerly
taken up by some Of the men and carried
to the chief, and by him taken to the
magician for examination and learn if
| the material was suitable for ladders.
1t was found to answer the purpose
perfectly.
The shrub, from which the branches
| we're taken, the Indians called sEE-vIC-
| TAT-oosE, (red root woody which grew in
gres. quantities at the base of the noun
am. The eagles disappeared, and SO
| did the fools, for they we're never seen
afterwards. The Indians then went to
| work with a will aud soon had ladders
| of sufficient length and strength TO scale
the mountain. They attributed their
good fortune to the loss OF the fools and
supposed they had turned into eagles,
the wisest of all birds. When the In
dams were ready to ascend the noun
| ,ains, the magician cane forward and
he spoke kind words to all the people.
To the chief he SAID, II now invest you
with absolute power. take my children
90 on top of the mountain, but be care
full and do not utter a word because il
YOU do, destruction follows fast" The
Indians hastily executed the command,
although they did not know what desti-
ny had in store for them.
They reached the top of the mountain
in safety with the exception Of the ma
gician who remained below. just before
the rain commenced to pour down, they
saw the two eagles return and take the
magician bodily up and fly away with
him.
1t rained continuously for days and the
Indians stood in childish sullenness, moi
uttering a word. They could see the
great sheet Of water covering up the
earth, still no sound:escsped them until
one morning an old woman was grinding