The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-01-08
INDIAN SUPERSTITIONS,

INDIAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Among the northern coast tribes of
British Columbia the raven plays an
important part. He is the benefactor
of man, and by some tribes is consider
ed the Deity himself One of his adj
ventures was stealing the sun from the
chief who kept it from man in little
box, together with the moon and day
light. In one tribe he created salmon.
Another legend makes him the grand
son of the Deity, his father having left
earth for visit to Heaven and there
married the chief daughter
Another series of traditions refer to
the sun, and in a class of these the
mink is considered the son of the sun
These legends are told by the Bilqula
and kivakeutl tribes of British Colum-
bia. In this story you will notice the
remarkable resemblance to the Greek
Phaton. Once upon time the mink
played grace hoops with the ducks and
the mink won. Then they shot arrows
at stick and the mink proved to be
the best marksman. Then all the ducks
abused him, and maltreated him, and
finally broke his bow and said: ave
do not care to play any longer with
you. You do not even know where
you father is" Stung by this taunt,
mink FASTENED to his mother. She told
him his father was in the sky; it was
he who carried the sun every day.
Mink determined to visit him, and with
his new bow shot an arrow to the sky.
The arrow stuck in the sky; second
arrow hit the notch of the first, and
finally chain was formed, reaching
from the sky to the earth. Up this
ladder mink climbed and arrived at his
fathers abode. His father was glad to
see him and permitted him to carry the
sun in his stead for one day. He must
ascend slowly behind the mountains
and not 60 fast lest the earth should
burn. Equipping himself with his
fathers blanket and nose ornaments,
mink set out All went well till just
before noon. Mink became impatient
at his slow progress, began to run, and
to kick aside the clouds which OBJ
structed his path. He sat fire to the
earth. and man, in order to escape the
fearful flames, jumped into the ocean.
Part of them were transformed into
animals, part into real men (they had
been halt man and halfanimals before).
Poor mink was thrown from heaven
into the sea below, but was rescued and
carried home.
The legend of the visit to heaven oc-
ours in many of the tribes, but with
other animals than the mink. Many
stories told of the raven are also told
of the mink. He, too, obtained fire for
his tribe, obtaining it from the ghosts
who had it in their possession. Mink
stole the infant child of the chief Of
ghosts and would not give it up till
the firebrand was given him.
Further south along the coast the
sun becomes more important mytho-
logic figure. 1t is said the salish of
the interior burn food, blankets and
other property as an offering to the sun.
Some of the important legends refer to
gin of the new sun and moon. From
the language and from the legends it
appears that many of the coast tribes
considered the moon and sun as the
same person, or ut least as two broth
ers. One story runs: "A long time
ago the gun was Il man named Nom
hanate, who was blind. As he was un-
able to endure the heat of the sun, he
went fishing during the night. When
the day began to dawn his wife would
90 down to the beach and call him
home before the sun rose One day.
however, his wife slept too long, and it
was already daylight when she awoke.
She called to her husband to return as
quickly as possible, but before he
reached the shore he had melted.
Then the sons determined to avenge
their fathers death. They made a
chain OF arrows and climbed up. They
killed the sun with their arrows and
then thought, "What shall we do
ncxt?' The older one said, "Let us he
the sum- and he asked the brother
where he wanted to 90. The latter an
swered, Il will 90 tC the night; you 90