Morris tribune., 1896-08-19
SOME INDIAN LEGENDS.
Superstition Led the Pima Tribe to Give
Up Polygamy.


-. Up Polygamy.
At the time and for centuries &ft
er the advent of the Pima Indian.
into this country they praotioed po
lygamy and this will show how {
little superstitious belief will change
custom of centuries. As the story
goes, a short time after the restora
ton of the Sahuaro (Hass-en) thu
whole tribe was stricken with q
strange disease. It was malignant
in form, and many deaths resulted
The great medicine men and magi
clans from all parts of the country
were called together for counsel tc
see by what means they could pro.
pitiate Mo- kik-a-num, the death god.
The magicians labored long and
earnestly, but still the death god re.
fused to stay his hand.
1t seems that fasting has had
much to do in the ritual of the
aboriginal. I have always noted
that when communicating their su-
perstitious beliefs, when they want
ed to solicit Or petition any one of
their gods, they always considered
it necessary to fast for a given pc.
riod. When they found they could
not subdue the evil death god by
magic, the magicians hastened to an
open plain and there tasted for three
days. They were, however, priv
legged to eat roots and drink water
carried from the river in the tanned
stomach of an antelope and all the
time singing their songs to the sun
god, Tas- than.
Finally, on the afternoon of the
third day, an immense herd of ante
. lope appeared on low hill not far
distant On their appearance, the
chief magician arose and said to the
others: Whatever these animals
do our people must do likewise
They are spiritual and have been
sent by the great sun god." While
the medicine men were looking the
antelopes paired off and passed on.
AS the last pair disappeared the
chief magician again spoke. He
said:
Return to your homes, and then
let each man consult with his neigh.
Dor and be content with one woman
(ova) for wife. That will appease
and crafty our sun god. Continue
to prohibit plural wives and the
death spirit will abide with US no
longer. - Z.
The people we're very reluctant to
break up their polygamish homes,
but, being driven by fear of death,
they consented. 1t is a known fact
that the Indians gave up polygamy
long before the Jesuits arrived in
this country, but the abolition of the
practice has wrongfully been attrib-
uted to the influence of the Jesuit
fathers.
Strange as it may appear, witch
craft was neither known nor prao-
ticed among the Indians prior to the
advent of the Jesuit fathers. The
first martyr to the witchoraft was
an old Indian woman who lived
alone with blind daughter about
ten miles from San Xavier. She
was put to doath for stopping the
water running down the Santa Cruz
A short distance from this woman s
house the water sank. Where the
water disappeared some of the In
dians saw the old woman digging
holes in the sand with her hanus.
That was sufficient evidence f
w1tchcraft against her. She was
arraigned, condemned and burned g
the stake. Finally the medicine
men got too assiduous in the hunt
after witches. There were too many
human bonfres being made, so the
people changed the proceedings and
burned several of the medicine men.
From that time to the present day
instead of accusing human beings
of witohcrait, the present generation
of Indians accuses and finds witches
in animals-dogs, COWS ard horses
and in many cases they find
witches in inanimate things, such
as stones, rags and sticks. Tucson
GA. T. Citizen.