Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1898-08-17
ITEocATL, THE RAVEN GOD.
Battle of Mount st. Elias-sitka Indian
Legend of the Tides

asked the Indian boy who was pad
ding back to .Sitka after an excur-
sion among the nearby islands. It
was low tide, and he pointed to the
high water mark some Is feet up
rock. 1t showed a difference that
suggested some tremendous power,
and ! knew that he had theory of
his own to account for it. The Alas
ka Indians have easy theories about
everything. But / told him the
San Franciscos, . the Indian name
for all whites, attributed the rise
and fall of the waters to the moon.
! Beautiful" he said, "but ours is
easier to believe. -"
Then he gave it.
In the beginning the world was
all water, and no living creature
could live, for those that were born
were drowned before they could
build a canoe. The water was as
furious and as hungry then as now
and much mightier in battle. But
one day, after a rain, Teochtl, the
BLACK raven that is god, came flying
across the waters, and he was full
of the spirit of war. He was going
Ito engage the waters in hand to
hand conflict. He had been seeking
"a chance for many, many winters,
more than there have been since
that day, but he could not find
| foothoid
This day, however, the light of
the sun shone deep into the waters,
and Teochtl, piercing into the cold
shadows under the waves with his
all seeing eye, spied the white top of
Mount ST Elias. That was his
chance. That was the battle-ground
! he had been looking for since the
world began.
| Now, Teochtl is no swimmer. He
| would be able to swim if he needed
the power, but it is too easy and too
common. He never gave himself the
trouble to learn to swim either like |
a goose or an iceberg. Teochtl can
dive when it is necessary, when he |
has world to conquer. So the great |
raven circled about the top of Mount |
st. Elias till the waters perceived
his purpose and began leaping up at
him. But no waters can fly like
Teoohtl, and every time they rose
at him he laughed, Cav, caw,"
and down they fell. sinking almost
as low as they had risen
That was just what the willy raven
expected. And he challenged the
waters till they. enraged, sprang at
his tail, and clinging to it were lift
ed high in the sky. Then they fell
back exhausted, slid down the noun
tain side and almost exposed the
peak of Mount ST. Elias 1t was near
enough for Teochtl. The brave god
dived to the top of the peak, made
fast with his feet, and, graphing
with the waters, pushed them off the
summit. I
Then began the battle of the ages.
Teochtl, the mighty wrestler, clutch
ed the waters in his deadly grip and
showed them down the mountain
side. When he took breath, the wa
tiers forced him back up toward the {
peak, and down he bore them again
and again. Sometimes he was al
most tired out and the waters al
most regained their lost ground. 6
Teochtl fought on, however, never 6
giving up. He uncovered the white
caps that summer, and the next v
he got half way down the t
mountain side. The waters never @
gave up either, and though each
time Teochtl wrestled with all his a
night he threw the waters farther
Town the mountain, they each time s
'arried him back part of the way
So it went on for thousands of
years and the waters rose and fell
'torming, freezing, flowing and "
grinding, but Teochtl, the god of the II
and and the air, gradually wore the ?
waters out. They were driven off L
he great white mountain, then off q
he smaller mountains, then off the II
stands and then off the mainland, I
md Teochtl had all the space he .
needed for man and trees bears and l!
leer and birds, and he created man u
md the animals, planted the trees
nd made the land beautiful and fat Il
But the connection of that battle K
lever ceased The waters never 81
orgot or gave up They havenever
ettled down to peace They still :
Use and fall, swinging from that
mighty wrestling match just as they !.
10 when stick my paddle in like .
hat. See2-New York Commercial