Arizona republican., 1896-03-05
4 BIT OF PIMA HISTORY. How the Tribe Gets It's
 Name. When the ApaCheS First Came
 Upon Them. Deadly Foray From the Hills While the Pima Warriors
 Were Gone.


 the G:la reservation an old blind h. dian who claimed at that time to be 1e2 years old He had been blind for ten years. His name was Sao-tap- cupm-naw, meaning Bald Head, the only bald headed Indian of the Pima tribe I ever saw. He was called the historian of the tribe. Wm Richard, long since dead, brought him down in the month of February, 1869, to Casa Blanca, at which place I was then residing.
 The old Indian commenced his his tory of the world from the time of the deluge up ito the year named above And how do you suppose he had the history recorded? It was eight round sticks, fifteen inches long, and three quarters of an inch thick. On each stick were cut notches with spaces, ten notches being contained in each space. Those spaces went up along the stick in zig-zag form. Four spaces contained forty notches, which repre- sented a given period of time, Now mostly everybody knows about the deluge and if there are any who do not, all they have to do is to listen to our Baptist brother, John Walde, and he will tell them all about it. So in telling my story, as related iby the In | dian centenarian, I will skip the del uge and other matters and take up the origin of the word Pima.
 From my notes will go on with my old Indian.
 The day of the full moon twenty couriers came running like a whirl- wind into village called Wake (the Indian name of the old ruin on the Gila, Casa Grande) and requested an immediate audience with the chief -Nan-a.Kum meaning Big Ears. They were perfect strangers and had white duck skin cloths tied around their loins. They had long hair falling over their shoulders and face, in loose matted ringlets.
 They would not tell their errand, but it was evident from their actions that they had an extraordinary message An Indian runner started immediately for Swan On-pa (Yellow CottonwooOI ten miles east, for which point the chief had departed that morning. The chief returned to Wake just as the full moon raised over the eastern mountains. On the appearance of the chief the twenty strange Indians pros trated themselves on the ground before him and through an interpreter gave up the copper medals which they had attached around their wrists and were supposed to be credentials.
 The spokesman said:
 Great one, our chief, Vave-Ke-Hote Calling rain bowl sends us to beg of you help us or we will be all destroyed. We come from the south. Look over you mountain, there sits the NoX-hrl.. (the sign of the scorpion) that is our guide to our country. We have been forty-fve days on the trail. Help us, great one, or our people are lost. There have come among us men strong in arms and covered with clothing which shines as the sun Their skin is yellow and their faces are covered with hair. They have knives of 'vinum' GroD 80 long that at two paces distant they can cut a mans head off,"
 The great chief of the Pimas, who at that time had no other name than Ack-a-Mal-Othum, meaning River Men, consented to accompany the stran gers with all his able bodied war riors to their distant country. The Pima Indian is quite a believer in fatalism and their loyalty to their great war chiefs is well known, for even our own Captain w. J. Ross, who has led them in many battle against the Apaches, can vouch for their fatal istic belief and bravery.
 I will get back again to my centena- rian and his notched stick
 The rangers were feasted sumptu- ously for ten days while the Pimas made haste to commence their long journey. On the 10th day everything was in readiness, the women with their ke hoes (bread baskets) filled with food, the men with their war clubs and shields The clubs were of iron wood and the shields were made ol deer hide and mesquite bark. There was great multitude. After feast !, ing and bidding a lowing farewell tc /: their aged and young, whom they were to leave behind to care for thetl homes, they got themselvs together ) early in the morning and started witt , their strange guides to country they had never before seen. It was latt . in the evening when the last of tht q last of the column had vanished be-
 yond the southern hills and the olt l people and very young were left weep !, ing on the banks of the Gila. ,, They were ignorant of the agon, = which the destroying angels had il store for them on the other side of th'