The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-01
CoLLEoTINo INDIAN MYTHs.

Scientists of University Of CaIlfornli
 Make Discoveries.
 Berkley (cai) Dispatch to New Yorl
 Times.
 When men spend five years in tn,
 collection of Indian myths from on,
 section of State one might expect tha
 the result of their labors would be ol
 real value. Those who are qualified
 to pass on the scientific merits of tho work done in that period by the De.
 pertinent of Anthropo1ogy of the Uni.
 versity of California, say that the re-
 suits are more than satisfying to them
 Other than scientists have taken a | good deal of interest In the summing up of the work, as presented in a res port which has just been made by pr. A. l.. Kroeber, one Of the most as- | siduous of searchers for stories which have been handler, or talked. down | among the Indian tribes of California for hnany hundreds of years.
 Tho Department of Anthropology at the State University Is one of the hardest working staffs that ever labor ed under President Wheeler Mrs. Phoebe R. Hearst some time ago pro- vided money for the labors of this de- partment. She has since supported the work with large gifts. Meanwhile the men in the department have toiled like beavers. Some of them have spent months living in Indian camps and set- dement's, among surroundings that don't appeal to any but the real, un- discouraged scientist, Then they have spent other months writing up their notes and making comparisons. At considerable expense, and greater trouble. Indians have been brought to the expert observers that their myths might be recorded accurately on phonograph-like machines and pre- Cor aa .A &E- 5000, if there are any then.
 Some records of this work have already been printed. but none of the reports has contained so much real text as pr. K. Kroeber's most recent. His report concerns the Indian myths of the southern part of the central sec- ton of California--thats the way Dr. Eroeber defines it. only it's actually That section south of the latitude of San Francisco and North of Tehachapi Pass.
 Some of the tribes of Indians are nearly gone. The Costonoan family, for instance. has shrunk to few dozen persons. This family once extended all the way from San Francisco to Mon terey. In Monterey the myth hunter found two aged women bearing Spanish names. who belong to the family. and from them he got six myths, or frag- ments of myths. These are valued by Dr. Kroeber as an enthusiastic entomo- logist would prize a. specimen of q practically extinct species of butter fly. The Costonoan myths, like the others dug up. contain frequent refer ences to coyote, who always appear '1n a role more or less opposed to that of the Creator" For instance. this is the of the myth on the beginning of the world.
 When this world was finished the eagle, the humming bird, and Coyote were standing on the top of Pico Blanco. When the water rose to their feet the eagle. carrying the hummlng bird and Coyote, flew to the Sierra de 5abilan. There they stood until the water went down. Then the eagle sent Coyote down the mountain to see f the world were dry. Coyote came pack and said: The whole world Is fry"
 One of the most interesting myths ,n the beginning of the world was told ,y a Yokuts Indian. It contains Coyote, an eagle, very wise magpie- nagpies are always wise--and a falcon | md a mudhen. Here 1t Is in part:
 Ear in the south was a mountain IT |