The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-10-31
The Legend of Speelyei.


Prof Lyman, in Whitman College Pioneer.
Speelyei was the great god of all the
Indians OF the upper country. He was
the-original coyote god and the ancestor
OF men, IN that men We're thought to
have first partaken Of the form and
character OF the coyote. Speelyei was
essentially a,magnifed Indian, lust az
Zeus and Phoebus were mapnifed
Greeks. Both illustrate the paraphrase
by lngersoll; IAN honest God is the
noblest work of man"
Speelyei was usually benevolent, but
often cunning, treacherous and petty.
One. grotesque idea about him Bas that
he had three sisters who lived in his
stomach. They acted as inward moni-
tors, warning him of the proper course
N case OF doubt. The anatomical diff
cultles connected with arranging for
these three sisters inside the stomach
OF the god were met by supposing them
to be in the form OF huckleberries. The
remarkable thing about it was that
when they had advised him about any
particular course he would always claim
that he had thought just the same him
self.
1t was Speelyei's mission to encounter
and rid the world of the monsters that
infected it. One Of his great exploits
was destroying the monster that in
habited the dalles Of the Columbia.
Like many OF the beings that involve
men in scrapes Of all kinds, this was Of
female persuasion, sometimes far to
look at, with golden hair flowing down
to her waist. At other times she be-
came a veritable monster, spouting
foam and grasping and dragging all the
beings that came near in her Implying
embrace.
So many fisherman, with their canoes
had been dragged dewn to death in this
way that they had become very timid
Speelyei pitied the unfortunate people
SO much that he determined to dispose
Of the monster. Coming to the verge Of
the cliff he looked over and saw her
writhing and twisting below, and upon
consulting his huckleberry sisters they
advised him to make feather Of him
self and float on the water and so be
swallowed by the monster. This was
accomplished, and once fairly inside he
transformed himself into an Indian
with fire-rods and stone knives. Strik-
ing light with the fire-rods he looked
around and discovered that the stomach
was full Of people, boats, animals, etc.
Among others Whiama the eagle was
there, wet and bedraggled.
Speelyei directed Whiama to be all
ready to seize canoe in his beak and
fly away at given signal and thus
rescue the people. Then he looked and
discovered the great heart OF the beast
throbbing against her ribs. Taking the
stone knives he began to thrust and
hack, and in short time had gashed
it to such degree that the monster
weakened and gasped and died
Now was the critical time to get out.
Whiama grasped the canoe in his beak,
the other beings rushed for the mouth
of the dying whirlpool beast, and alto
gether they rushed FORTH Speelyei
went out last, just in time, for the
mouth closed on his tail as he escaped.
For this reason the tip of the tail of
coyotes is black to tins day, Then
Speelyei pronounced curse on the
monster and declared that she should
never henceforth be so destructive.
Speelyei had another great struggle
with Wawa the mosquito god. This
evil deity Of the age Of the Wateetash
lived in the Yakima valley near where
the Setas now enters the Yakima
But Wawa was vastly larger than any
OF those now living. He was larger
than man and had a proboscs four
feet long. He was making away with
people at dreadful rate, and Speelyei
perceived that he would have to get
away with him in some manner.
The huckleberry sisters, upon being
consulted advised Spe-lyei to hide fire.
rods in his bosom and 60 on and accost
the giant, and then be governed by
what they should say. Having reached
Wawa's den, the monster called out,
"You can't pass" So Speelyei stopped
and on seeing that the weather was quite
cold and the giant was sluggish and tor
pid, proposed to make fire for his com
fort, saying that he would heap up twigs
and leaves and thus get everything
ready. Having got strong blaze start
ed he smothered it down with leaves,
and there was produced a suffoeating
smoke. Old Wawa was SO overcome by
this that he sank down insensible.
Speelyei then exclaimed: !You have
been torment to many, and | will split
your head open and let out race of in
ferior beings, who may sting but never
kill" /" So with his stone hatchet he
smote Wawa and out OF his head issued
swarms of small mosquitoes like those
Of the present.
The Indians learned from this to
make smudge to protect themselves
from annoyance by the mosquitoes.