Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-30
4 DHLAWARE INDIAN LkGEnD.
The Hattie of the mastodons and the Origin
of crnuberrt-s,

In his booklet, "A Delaware Indian
Legend, Richard 9. Adams, a mem,
ber of the tribe. and the tribes repre.
sentative. records for the first time in
print this legend Of the battle of the
nastodons, and the origin of cranber-
ries:
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 tho 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 nan came and the indians
turned their ear to the white man 8
God: when every warrior believed that
bravery, truth, honesty and charity
were the virtues necessary TO take him
to the happy hunting grounds; when
the Indians we're 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 beast
Of huiden and to make itself generally
useful to the Indians. This beast re-
boiled. 1t was fierce, powerful and in
yincible its skin being so strong and
so hard that the sharpest spears aud
arrows could scarcely penetrate It. It
made war against al, othei animals
that dwelt in the woods and on the
plains which the Great Spirit had
created 10 be used as meat for his chill
dren, the Indians
A final battle was fought, and all tho
beasts Of the plains and forests arrayed
themselves against the mastodon. Tho
indians wero also to take part in this
decisive hattlo il necessary. as the
Great Spirit had told them they must
annihilate the mastodon. The great
bear was there and WAS wounded in
the battle. The battle took place in
the Ohio Valley, west OF the ALE.
ghenies. Tho Great Spirit descended
and sat on rock on the top of tho
Aileghenics to watch the tide Of batto.
Great numbers of the mastodons came,
and still greater numbers of the other
animals.
The slaughter was terrific. The
Inastodons were being victorious until
at last the valleys ran in blood. The
battlefield became great mire, and
many or the maStodonS, by their weight,
sank in the miro ard were drowned
The Great Spirit became angry at the
mastodon, and from the top of The
mountain hurled bolts of lightning ut
their sides until he killed them all eS-
cept one largo bull. 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 hattle may yet be
seen. The marshes and the mire are
still there, and in them the Zones of
the mastodon arn found, as well as tho
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
| Rrieved 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
ceat always bathed in blood. in remem-
trance of that awful battle.