The Springfield herald., 1897-06-18

Ava-Supi tribe is between the deep de-
files of Cataract canon, tributary OF
the Little Colorado river, which has
its rise in the Bill Williams mountains
The narrow valley is from 100 to 500
yards wide, with walls of sandstone
and granite rising perpendicularly on
either side to a sheer height or 2,ooo
to 1000 feet The approach is by a
narrow, twisting, tortuous trail. which
descends from the broad plateau above,
winding in and out beneath the tow
ering walls and precipices. Through
the center of the little valley flows
cold, clear stream. fed by the mountain
SHOWS OF the distant Bill Williams
peak. The current is rapid and the
power is utilized in crude way for
grinding the grain which is one of the
principal crops Of this Arcadian peo-
ple At the lower end of the streai"
the water is diverted into acequias,
which carry it to the fertile fields.
The Ava-Supis have but one wife at
time. with the exception of the head
CHIEF, to whom Is granted special dis
pensation permitting him to take as
many wives as he can secure and sup
port. Failure to provide justifies n wife
in securing divorce, which is done
in the simplest possible manner, by
leaving the lodge of her husband and
refusing thereafter to recognize him in
any manner. There is a rather inter-
esting tradition which the Ava-Supis
tell concerning themselves. In the
early days, ages and ages ago, the le-
gend runs. their forefathers dwelt in
great walled city on the mesas above.
They were a contented and prosperous
people, cultivating vast fields and rails
ing enormous herds of stock, In the
course of time, exalted by power ard
riches, they became aggressive and
domlneering toward their weaker
neighbors. For weeks at a time they
would neglect their fields and herds
while they raided some nearby tribe.
The Great Spirit whom they had al
ways worshiped grew angry at them
and resolved to send some terrible Wis
itation that they might know the
strength OF his hand. 1t came at noon
day, when all the men and women we're
In the fields. Suddenly out of a clear
sky a bright light burst and great
wind, followed by trembling of the
whole earth. The frightened peonle
turned to run for their homes. but he
fore they could reach the walls of the
pueblo the ground opened and they
were all swallowed up. Then darkness
covered the sky and for many hours
the shrieks of those who had been left
within the city walls were heard above
the sound of the falling of their homes.
When light came again there was not a
sign of habitation left upon all the wide
mesa. The whole tribe had been swept
away. But where the ground opened
1t had only partly closed again. lcay-
ing two separate mesas upon Its sides
The lower was broader than the up
per, and, moreover, opened out into the
channel of great stream, but the up
per was cut off from the APPROACH eth
er by ascent or from their brethren be-
low. At the bottom life might be sup
ported on fish and stray fowl, and on
the sides of their rocky prison grew
bushes and stunted trees which yielded
an abundance Of berries and pinoles in
season. So the little band set about to
begin life again. First of all they
sought to build path to their impris-
oned brothers on the upper mesa. Their
numbers were few, and they had only
such rude implements at hand IS might