The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-13
A DELAWARE INDIAN LEGEND.
The Battle of the Mastodons and the
Origin of Cranberries.

In his booklet, "A Delaware Indian
. Legend Richard c. Adams, a member
of the tribe, and the tribes representa-
tive, records for the first time in print
this legend of the battle of the masto-
dons, and the origin of cranberrieS:
Long ago, in times almost forgotten,
when the Indians and the Great Spirit
knew each other better; when the
Great Spirit would appear and talk
with the wise men of the nation, and
they would counsel with the people;
when every warrior understood the art
of nature. and the Great Spirit was
pleased with his children: long before
the white man came and the Indians
turned their ear to the white mans
God; when every warrior believed that
bravery. truth. honesty and charity
We're the virtues necessary to take him
I to the happy hunting grounds; when
the Indians were obedient and the
Great Spirit was interested in their
welfare. there were mighty beasts that
roamed the forests and plains.
The Yah Qua Whee or mastOdon,
that was placed here for the benefit of
the Indians, was intended as a beast
of burden and to make itself generally
useful TO the Indians. This beast re-
bellei. 1t was fierce, powerful and in
vincible, its skin being so strong and
so hard that the sharpest spears and
arrows could scarcely penetrate it, 1t
made war against all other animals
that dwelt in the woods and on the
plains which the Great Spirit had ere
ated to be useful as meat for his chill
dren, the Indians
/ A final battle was fought and all
the beasts of the plains and forests ar
rayed themselves against the masto-
don The Indians were also to take
\, se-;- y. s
as the Great Spirit had told them they
must annihilate the mastodon. The
great bear was there, and was wound
ed in the battle The battle took place
in the Ohio valley west of the Allie
ghanies. The Great Spirit descended
and sat on rock en- the top of the Allie
ghanies to watch the tide of battle
Great numbers of the mastodons came
ard still greater numbers of the other
animals.
The slaughter was terrific. The mas
todoas were being victorious until at
last the valleys ran in blood. The bat
tleField became great nlire. and many
OF the mastodons. by their great
weight, sank in the nire and We're
drowned.
The Great Spirit became angry at the
mastodons and from the top of the
mountain hurled bolts of lightning at
their sides until he killed them all ex-
cept one large bun, who cast aside the
bolts of lightning with his tusks and
defied everything. killing many of the
other animals in his rage. until at last
he was wounded. Then he bounded
across the Ohio river. over the Missis-
sippi swan the great lakes and went
TO the far north. where he lives to this
day.
Traces of that battle may yet be
seen. The marshes and the mire are
still there, and in them the bones Of
the nastodon are found..a well as the
bones of many other animals.
There was a terrible loss of the ami
mails that were made for food for the
Indians in that battle, and the Indians
glieved much to see it,, so the Great
Spirit caused. in remembrance of that
day. the cranberry to come and grow
in the marshes. to be used as food, its
coat always bathed in blood, in remem-
brance of that awful battle.