Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1903-05-13
EXPLORING WITH
MAJOR POWELL
A Beautiful Little In
dian Legend.
One of Major POwell'S Party Taken
Into Confidence of Indians to
Hear Its Recital.
NO. ".

NO. ".
That there was to be story told
was evident, by one of the young In
dams bringing a small arm full of
sticks and building a fire near the
south edge of the mesa. Squatted
around this fire was the story teller,
an old Indian, Frank, the interpreter,
and myself. The fire was just big
enough to illuminate our three faces
while squatted in the semi-darkness,
in a circle around us were some forty
or fifty other Indians. From time to
time the old Indian would either put
another stick on the fire, or push one
farther in that was partly burned. At
times in telling the story he would
hiss out his words, and his eyes would
blaze when be recited about the
wrongs done to his people, and at
other times his voice would be low
and soft. One could almost hear
tear in it. l almost knew the story
before it was repeated to me, and how
/ the old man would watch Frank while
he was repeating it, although he I'M
derstood never a word.
"a long time ago our people occupied
all of this country south of here
Their villages we're every where; they
were good people; they were happy;
they increased in numbers; they we're
not warriors neither were they hunt
ers; but they planted the corn and
melon, and the great spirit was good
to them. Their crops were abundant,
and they hungered not. But after a
time they were greatly troubled by
bad Indians who came from the south /.
and made war on them destroying
their villages and their crops, and !
killing our people. Our people we're |
good people not warriors. Their bows |
and arrows were made, but to hunt |
the rabbit and the bird. They were |
mere childreu's play things compared /
with those of the bad Indians. Little .
by little they were driven farther
north abandoning their fields and vii
lagos. Their wives and children cried
for food, but there was none. They
hungered much. At last they came to
a high rangesof moutaIns. These they
crossed, and the bad Indians did not
follow them over the mountains, and
again they raised crops, and were
happy and they hungered not. At this
time they we're ruled by a chief a
good man, wise in counsel. He had {
a good heart, and was loved by all of
his people. This good chief was the
father Of a son and seven daughters.
When the youngest daughter grew to
womanhood she was the most beauti
full woman that ever lived. Her hair
was black as the crows wing, eyes
like the stars, teeth whittier than our
whitest corn, a walk like an antelope
She was worshiped and loved by all
of our people, and the pride of her
father, but a great sorrow came upon
sister for wife. He would not listen
to the counsel of his father and the
wise men, who told him that should
he take his sister for a wife, the great
spirit would be angry, their crops
would fail and sickness would fall
among them. Twice did the son try
to steal his sister and take her to the
camp of the bad Indians. So his
father banished him from among our
people. The son went over the high
mountains and Joined the bad In
dians, who were camped on the other ,
side.
Before this the good chief had Sc
cured the services of lump Totan,
(Stone Jacket with his antelope with
all eyes, who would tell him when the
bad Indians were coming. to guard
the trail on top of the mountains.
When the son would try to cross, with ,
the bad Indians, to get his sister,
lump Totan would beat them back
killing many of them. But the son {
with his bad Indians never quit try {
ing to cross the mountains, and the G
antelope, from always watching be- {
came exhausted and went to sleep, I
when the son, with his bad Indians '
came up and killed lump Totan, and a
his antelope. They then came down 1
the mountain, killed a number of our
people and carried off the seven sis
tiers. Again our people were compell c
ed to flee farther north. The brother {
took his beautiful sister into the a
camp of the bad Indians, and made [
her his wife, and our people mourned +
much and the good chief, her faith I
er's heart, was sore. The beautiful |
sister bore children from her brother, I
but she would not suckle them nor
take care of them but laid them out in I
the brush and rocks, and they be- {
came coyotes. There were no coyotes g
before. Since then there have been
coyotes and the good chief grieved
much. His heart was sore, and the
great spirit saw it and told him to
grieve no more for | shall soon take
all of your daughters up to Heaven
where | am, and give them place in
Heaven where all coming generations
will see them and worship them.
And the great spirit let sickness fall
among the bad indians. and the seven
sisters died, and the great spirit took
them up to Heaven.
And the old man hung his head
for few moments, as if in silent
prayer, then raised it slowly and look
ing up he pointed to the seven stars,
saying: There they are, the brightest
one is the beautiful sister,
G. a. b.
BUSINESS