The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-07
INDIANS TRUST IN OMENS'
CURIOUS supERsTIrIoNs AMONG
 TRIBEs or SOUTHWEST.
Must Not Point at Rainbow-Bird Flying in House Means Death. To Kill e Cat is Unlucky.
 Such are c Few of
 Their Beliefs.

Phenix, Ariz., Cor. Baltimore Sun
 Students of folklore find much Of in- terest in the superstitions of the Indian tribes of the great Southwest. These oe- iiefs in signs and onens have been nano- ed down from father to son for so many of the past, and only the fact remains that credence is given to happenings out of the ordinary by young and old alike.
 At the recent commencement exercises of the Phenix Indian School there were twelve members of the graduating class representing seven different tribes. one of the members made a collection of the omens in which the various tribes express their belief and embodied the results of her investigations in her graduation es- say. Most tribes have their peculiar su- perstitions. although many are alike In some respects.
 Of the class there were five belonging to the Klamath tribe. These believe that If an Indian tells another one story the listener must repeat every word aloud as 1t is being told, or he will become hump backed. Another belief of these Indians is that if one kills flies he will become small. Whether or not the flies take ad- vantage of this unusual protection Is not recorded. At the Indian new year If one of the Indians looks at certain cup or basket placed on a rocky bar in a river.
 
 a snake. A bird flying into fhouse Is be- lieved to carry death to one of the fam fly residing there. Bad luck for seven years is supposed to follow the wlllful killing of a cat.
 To see a white deer Is a death sign for one of the family in the Ukiah tribe, and should his horse paw or snort when cross- ing river he thinks he should turn back Or run the risk of drowning. As prayer for rain they dance around a burning bush of poison oak, believing that the flames carried heavenward by the wind bear a petition for rain to the clouds.
 If mission Indian stumbles or falls on going to battle, he believes that he will surely be killed unless he turns back to avoid It. This belief must be hoary with age. for these Indians have been friendly for years. When a hunter goes out he must follow his first inclina- ton in the selection of a place to hunt or else he will get no game. Pointing at a rainbow means for the Indians that the pointed finger will become crooked or drop of. They also believe that cer- tain kind of basket. if worn on the head. will cause deformity or 3 crooked neck.
 The Maricopas believe that the appear ance of an owl near the house means the death of one of the family. while fox coming into the village means the death of some great man.
 For the Apaches the owl must be heard to boot in the night to mean death or that the owl, is awake and planning mischief.
 To let a woman touch his bow and ar row. gun or horse gives the Walapai the belief that he will have bad luck or will get no game on the hunt. If the hunter sees a young animal as he goes to hunt he will kill nothing. A snake bite is sure to follow the telling of fox story In the summer time.
 So the superstitions go. and 1t remains to be seen whether the future will show that the education the younger members of the tribes are receiving will disabuse their minds of the inherited belief in the old omens.