Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-11-12
MYTHS OF THE INDIANS.

MYTHS OF THE INDIANS.
Interesting Discoveries BY the UnIver-
sity of California.
When men spend five years In the
collection of Indian myths from one
section Of a state one might expect
that the result of their labors would
be of real value, says the Berkeley
(C,al) correspondent Of the New YORK
Times. Those who are qualified to pass
on the scientific merits Of the work
done in that period by the department
of anthropology of the University OF
California say that the results are
more than satisfying to them. Others
than scientists have taken a good deal
of interest in the summing up OF that
work, as presented in a report when
has just been made by DR.. A. Il.
Kroeber, one Of the most assiduous OF
searchers for stories which have been
handed, or talked, down among the In
dian tribes of California for many
hundreds of years.
The department of anthropology at
the state university is one of the hard
est working staffs that ever labored
under President Wheeler. Mrs Phoebe
A. Hearst some time ago provided the
money for the labors of the depart
ment. She has since supported the
men in the department have toiled like
beavers. Some of them have spent
months living in Indian camps and
settlements. 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 trou-
BILE, Indians have been brought to the
expert observers that their myths
might be recorded accurately on phon-
ograph- like machines and preserved
for the scientists of the year 5000. II
there are any then.
Some records of this work have al
ready been printed, but none OF the
reports has contained so much real
text as Dr. K. KroebeTs most recent.
His report concerns the Indian myths
Of the southern part Of the central Sec
ton of California-thats the way Doc
tor Kroeber defines it--only it's actual
ly that section south Of the latitude of
,.t1 nf oh n a nj
Pass.
Some of the tribes of Indians are
nearly gone. The Costonoan family,
for instance, has shrunk to a few doZ-
en- persons. This family. once extend
ed all the way from San Francisco to
Monterey. In Monterey the myth hun
ter found two aged women bearing
Spanish names, who belong to the
family, and from them he got six
myths. or fragments Of myths. These
are valued by Doctor Kroeber as an
enthusiastic entomologist would prize
specimen of a practically extinct
Species of butterfly. The Costonoan
myths, like the others dug up. contain
frequent references to coyote, who
always appears "in a role more or less
opposed to that of the Creator" For
instance. this is the beginning 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 humming
bird and Coyote, flew to the Sierra de
Gablian. There they stood until the
water went down. Then the eagle
sent Coyote down the mountain to see
| If the world were dry. Coyote came
back and said: THE whole world is
dry"
One of the most interesting myths
on the beginning of the world was told
by a Yokuts Indian. 1t contains Coy
ote, an eagle. very wise magpie-
magpies are always wse-and falcon
and Il mudhen. Here it is in part:
Far in the south was a mountain
1t was the only land. Everything else
The people had nothing u eat. They
were eating the earth and it was near
" gone. Then Coyote said: Can we
not obtain earth? Can we not make
mountains?" The eagle said: Il do
not know how" Coyote said: There
is a man that we will ask" Then they
got the magpie. The eagle said: Can
we obtain earth?" The magpie said:
Yes" Where" Right below u.s.
Then all the ducks dived and tried to
bring up the earth.
Some were gone half a day. They
could not reach the bottom and died
and flOated up. The eagle said:
When you reach the ground take hold
of it and bite it, and fill your nose and
ears" For six days they dived and
found nothing. There was only one
more to go down. The mudhen. Then
the eagle said: Now, you go. Let us
see if you can find the earth The
mudhen said: Good" Then it dived.
1t was gone for a day and a night. In
the morning it came up. 1t was dead.