Evening star., 1896-03-31
LEGEND OF CREATION
As Told by the Indians of the Pacific
Coast.
How Spee-Ovv Climbed Into the World
Above the Sky and Stole the
Daylight Box.

Among the Indians Of the Pacific coast
the doings of the Spee-ow, the Maker or
Changer, form the subjects Of number of
popular stories. These tales treat of the
beginning Of the world, and are extremely
interesting. The history of Spee-ow, as
heard by the flickering light of log fire,
runs thus. though 1t is difficult to give ex-
actly the Indian rendering:
A long. long time ago there was no light
In the world; 1t was always night, and the
people went about in darkness. The chief
Tah-mah-na-wis was a tall man with
long white beard. He was never seen, but
was known to the people by his deeds.
His name was Spee-ow, the Maker By his
magic he found that there was another
country, beyond the sky. ruled over by the
spider. This spider chief was very large,
and carried long rope with him to help
him in his travels about his land. One day
when he was on a journey he came to a
place where the ground, which is our sky,
had cracked open a little. Not knowing
what this meant, the spider tyee Uyee
means chief let down his rope to ascer-
tain how deep the hole was. He let down
SO much rope that he was unable to pull 1t
up again: SO he tied it to tree and went
to get help.
While he was gore the blue jay, who is
came along, and seeing the rope, flew down
the hole to learn what was there. He fol-
lowed the rope until he came to the coun-
try below, where We live. There, by his
noise, he attracted the attention of Spec
ow. Spee-ow Immediately investigated the
matter, and saw the blue jay, who had
alighted on the rope The great Tah-mah-
na-wis at once started to climb up and
catch the bird; but when he approached,
the jay ascended little way and again
alighted. Up climbed Spee-ow, and up flew
the jay, until both passed through the hole
in the sky and were in the country OF the
spider.
This place Spee-ow found to be a fine
land, much like what our world now is;
and he thought he would look around and
learn how to make his own domain re-
semble the new region. AS he did not
know what or whom ne might meet, Spec
ow changed himself into beaver. and
went to a swamp TO hide until he could as
certain the nature of the Inhabitants.
Now it chanced that the spider tyee had
set a beaver trap in this very swamp and
poor Spee-ow was caught fast The tyee
came to visit his trap, and. thinking Spec
oW was beaver, killed him and bore him
to the lodge. But Spee-ow being a great
Tah-mah-na-w-is, was not really killed; he
still lived in the dead body Of the beaver,
and in this manner was carried into the
tyee's wigwam. When the spider chief
reached his home he skinned the beaver.
threw the !sody into a corner. and stretched
the pelt to dry. Then he went out. Soon
he returned. bringing with him the sun,
moon and stars and the medicine box, with
which he made the da aylight. All these he
put in their regular places, and again de-
parted. Spee-ow saw his opportunity to OBJ
tain light, SO he jumped up, resumed mis-
own form, took the sun, moon, stars and
the medicine box, and ran to the hole where
the rope was hanging. On his way he
plucked fir tree, then started to slide down
the rope with his load. Owing to his haste
and the heavy load. he dropped the stars
the very beginning of his descent. and they
are still up there, in the sky. The moon
also escaped his grasp, but the sun and the
medicine box containing the daylight and
the fir tree he brought safely to the earth,
and, when he arrived, he opened the day
light box and threw the sun into the air.
Thus the world was first illumined.
Sree-ow still lives beyond the noun
tairs." From his dwelling place he hurls
forth the sun every morning, and it falls
into the ocean. Then Spee-ow shuts the
daylight box and m axes darkness, SO that
he can journey unseen by the people, and
sets out to bring back the sum- This trip
takes all night, and each morning, after he
opens his box, he throws the sun again. If
he did not open the daylight box he could
not see where the sun fell, so there is day
while the sun is in the air. Spee-ow always
throws the sun the same distance, but the
winter nights are long because the rain and
storms make his journey slow and difficult.
Also. in the summer, his people desire more
time to work and travel, and Spee-ow opens
the daylight box very early, and SO extends
the day He can make quicker trip after
the sun In summer, because the roads are
good The fir tree he planted near his lodge
and by his magic he increased the trees
until they covered the land.
The spider tyee, when he found that he
mad been robbed, tried to pull up his rope,
but, in the darkness-for his daylight box
was gone-it slipped from his hands and fell
to the ground, close by the lodge of Spee-ow,
who Immediately by his magic turned it in
to stone. On the Snouualmie river may be
seen curious rock formation, resembling
a column OF paint squeezed out of a gigantic
paint tube. This, the Indians assure YOU, is
the spider tyee's rope. The tyee sits by the
down many little spiders to look for his lost
rope You can see these spiders floating in
the air in summer time, but they cannot
hnd the rope, because it is stone The tyee
every now and then shades the moon as he
himself peers down and searches for his
property.