The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-08
TnE MENOMiNEE FLOOD.
Row the Beavers Helped Manapos

How the Beavers Helped ManapOse.
Here is the story of the great Hood as
it is told in the wigwams of the Men0mi-
nee Indians, in Northern Wisconsin.
When the great Hood came Mauapose
was the only man living on The earth. and
as the waters began 10 rise he became
very much frightened aud hurried away to
the chief of the fishes and asked him to
make a fish OF him. According TO the
way the Indians believe the fish could
have done this, but he would not because
Manapose had played 50 many tricks on
him and had killed great many of his
brothers.
Then Manapose hurried to the beavers
and the musk rat aud all Of the animals
that can live in the water, but all Of them
refused his request because he had done
each one of them some wrong at one time
or another, The waters were rising so
fast that Manapose had to stop begging
the animals and hurry away TO IA great
high mountain Still the waters kept chas-
ing him, and he climbed away no to the
very top of high pine tree which stood
on the mountain
As the water kept coming higher and
higher he felt sure that his end had fin
ally come for sure. When the water came
up to his knees he happened TO see a
musk rat swimming in the water and he,
called out TO him, but the musk rat only
laughed az him and said that if he was
drowned il only served him right When
the water was up to his waist ne saw h
bird flying and he called to the bird, but
the bird asked him il he ever RENE m bered
stealing some Of her eggs, and flew on.
A httle later the water was up to his
chin, and he knew that in a short time he
must drown when he saw a beaver He
called the hqaVar !, 4
If he would only help him this one time
he would make the beavers the most cum
ming of all animals and teach them how
TO make beautiful houses IN the banks OF
the rivers to live in so that they could
escape their enemies The beaver final
ly consented and he dived down deep In
the water and brought up "a little mud
iManapose was very much pleased at this
and told him to get lot of the other beav-
ers and together they would build an ISL
and So the beaver called to a lot OF his
brother beavers and they al went to work
ana Just when they had an island built the
water was UP 20 Manapose's mouth ana
he kept calling to them to hurry. The
island which they built was just barely
large enough for Manapose to stand on
but as the water kept getting higher they
kept on building the little island Every
once IN q while they would get tired ana
talk about quitting. This would scare
ny and tell them all the things ne was
going to do for them when the waters
went down
II was really very dreary position to
be IN, for he could not sit down and his
legs got very tired, but he had no choice
50 he kept on lifting one foot while they
put some mud under it and then the
other foot while they put some under that
| For seven days and nights Manapose had
10 go on climbing in this way aud some
times he felt very much like giving up
nut when he saw nothing but water All
around him and the bodies of anima 4
floating by he would take another step
Finally the waters went down again and
Manapose was very happy and he did moi
forget the beavers or the promise he haI
made to them, but he told them how To
build the prettiest kind of bones, and the
beavers still make them TO this day An
other thing, he was always very careful
not to play any tricks on them and the
Indians who lived after all this happened
remembered what the beavers had done
and they gave the totem, or sign, OF the
beaver 10 one of the great chiefs.
This chief grew to be very old warrior
and had a great many children and grand
children. and each of these took the totem
of the beaver Just as you took your faith
er's name. Descendants of this chief stu
live among the Menominee tribe and when
there is a great war or a prospect Of
cold winter, or Of the game in the forests
leaving, or anything of this sort, the living
members of the tribe who bear the totem
of the beaver can go down to the banks
of the river, and the beavers viii tell them
about much that is going to happen by
making queer signs I'm the water with their
tails.
This is rather different story than the
one that is told about Noah, but Il is the
one that is told to the young Menominees,
and they all believe il, and If you question
the story they shrug their shoulders and
tell you that the beaver Is a very wise an
imal and he tells the Indians lots of Things
because they are friends, and they wouldn't
tell the pale faces anything at all because
they always kill them.
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