Arizona weekly citizen., 1896-03-14
INDIAN SUPERSTITIONS
A Pima Legend of the Origin Of
the 0c0tilio.
Met hods Used to Raise the Spirits of
the Dead and orsse the
Future.

interesting In the life OF the Pima and
PspsQo Indians than their superstitious
beliefs, both ancient and modern. In
fact there is no passing event which
troubles The mind of the poor aborigira al
more than this bell. I. T his superstitious
belief has followed him, and has been
impregrated into his soul thoughts, from
infancy to age. HIS coming into close
contact with civilization has changed
him somewhat but not much for new
superstition are continually arising.
will relate some of the queer ones which
l noted many years ago; the first was
related to me by an old Indian called
oPAP-KURLEY, meaning Old Maricopa.
1t was concerning the cause of the pro-
duction and growth Of the tree known
as the oUT-oUA, (Ocotillo) and JUE-JUsTs
CPetalla) a fruit we'll known by all
Arzonans. OPAP-KURLEY, related
Ihusly.
A great many years ago the Pimas
who lived on the rivers5 and those who
lived on the plains, or hills, wreDgled
and quarreled every summer when the
HAAs-sEN (sahusro) fruit ripened and
was ready to be gathered. The Indians
VINO lived in the hills and plains
claimed all the HAAs-sEN fruit for them
selves, and objected very much to the
river Indians coming down to their
country and picking the fruit. Finally
the hill Indians concluded to sepd
delegation of their medicine men to the
river and notify the Indians living there,
that unless they gave some oompepsa-
lion TO the hill Indians for the fruit
gathered they would not De allowed to
take any more OF the fruit, and also
make other agreements. The river
Indians would not concede to tbes-
arrangement, and the delegation having
been sorely abused, returned to their
own country and reported. The bill
Indians then concluded to band them
selves together and make war on the
| river Indians and drive them out OF the
| dill country whenever they came to
| gather the fruit. The river Indians
heard of the action the bill men had
| taken and went prepared harmed with
| heir clubs and shlelds-their women
| bringing up the rear with their KEN Es
| (head baskets) and babies. They met
| and the hill Indians proved TO be the
stronger, and from the beginning 1t
IVES evident that the hill men would
GAIN the day. The river men returned
demoralized, their women having lost a
| great many of Their KE HOES, so that Year
toe river Indian had 10 be conteuted
without his Suhusro syrup.
The conduct of the bill Indians caused
| ths river men extreme anger, 20 ihes
called their chief medicine men togt Their
to devise some means to explain to tn
bill men their feelings. They hs
among them one very learned msgl,ia j
named sEE-vICK- CHE-vIT (Red EN- tn
who said be Was ready and wiling 10 go
down TO the hill men's country aud
show them the folly OF their ways. That
evening the river medicine men started
for the lower country and when they
arrived early nexE morning at a certain
point q one highest peaks south from
toe river, the magician at once made
ready, enrobed in all the fantastic
xr4ndure which the aboriginal mIno
could invent, and jet as the sun appear
ed over the eastern mum tain top cum
meuced to show his magical skill. and
with a few powerful wh'rls Of hi
Tea her tipped wand, ne' y all OF the
grand and stately sahuaros burst s.
under and fe apart in spllntered slender
Fragments. The magician then said,
"ThIs will show our friends the evl
Of their ways, but | will be generous
with them, and not destroy all OF the
grand aud beautiful trees which bear
our delicious fruit" The riven sahua'
ros lived but grew differently and thus
the ocotlllo with Its blood reu flower
was produced.
The hill men we're filled with wrath
| when they discovered what the river
Medicine men had accomplished and in
| their anger they called together Their
| wise and magical men to see what couio
DE done TO renew the growth of the -
| nuaro and to de-troy the hateful ocotillo
The hill tnsgiclans Went TO work with
| powerful lamentations, but to their dis
may they learned that instead OF des
truction of the ocotillo they had des
troyed the remainipe sahu8ros, which
burst apart and stood out with the
| beautifully rounded arms OF the pitalla
| The hull magician then sp' lie and saiC
Hasten to the river, tell the men there
| TO come into our country, We will de
vide our new fruit, the pitella. amoDG
them end that hereafter We will have N
more trouble. That came year thou
sands of ravens came to the hill coun'
try each one bearing in its beak sahua
70 fruit. The ravens dropped the fruit
where ever they rested, so that in the
near future the sshuaro was again pro
duced, and the aboriginal was made hap
py. and from that day to the presen
each indian, both Pima and Papago
have their own groves of sahuaro, HAAS
sEN).
The next is the spirit watch. Fol
G. turtles the Pima has cultivated wheat
| big red wheat which they call SIOUX
BE-LIK-KA, (bara wheat wheel whIcf
tradition says WIS carried from then
far eastern homes, wheat similar u
that which has of late years been found
iu the eepulchres OF old Egypt.
The 2 mas after sowing their wheat
and the grain having sprouted, the CHIEF
medicine man OF each town or village
would appear on stated day, at some
lonely epot on the river, it then being
| near the time of full moon, and at the
point on the river bahk which they hac
designated they would fast In silence {,
six dsys, no food or drink passing the'l
ps, only roots and the tassel Hover Of
J the eweet willow. On the seventh day
; at dark, they would betake themselves
to some previously agreed upon gray,
yard, there sit themselves in silence
: about 100 psces from the nearest grave
in the full light OF the rounded orb o
night. When the moon reached the
, zenith they expected the performance t.
commerce Dy the appearance of all the
departed spirits DO b young and old. l
the spirits OF the departed appeared t.
: them crying with their heads boweC