The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1908-09-17
AN OLD INDIAN MYTH
It Tells a Curious Story About
the Creation.
MOUNT TAHoMA MADE FIRST.

Then Came the Trees, the Birds, the
Fishes and All the Animals, With the
Grizzly Bear the Last and the Great.
| est Of AIl-The Origin Of Man.
The Indians say that the Great Spirit
made Mount Tahoma the first of ALL
Boring hole in the sky, using a large
stone as an auger. he pushed down
snow and ice until they reached the
desired height. then stepped from cloud
to cloud down to the great icy pile
and from it to the earth. where he
planted the first trees by merely put
ting his finger into the soil here and
there. The sun began to melt the
snow, the snow produced water, the
water ran down the side of the noun
tain, refreshed the trees and made
rivers. The Great Spirit gathered the
leaves that fell from the trees, blew
upon them, and they became birds. He
took q stick and broke 1t into pieces
OF the small end he made fishes. and
Of the middle Of the stick he made ami
mails. the grizzly bear excepted. which
he formed from the big end of the
stick, appointing him to be master
over all the others.
Indeed, this animal grew 80 large
strong and cunning that the Creator
somewhat feared him and so followed
out Mount Tahoma as wigwam for
himself where he might reside while
00Ffh IN tho u{x
and comfort. So the smoke was soon
to be seen curling up from the noun
tain where the Great Spirit and his
family lived and still live. though their
hearth fire is alight no longer, now that
the white man is in the land. This
was thousands of SHOWS ago.
After this came late and severe
springtime. in which memorable
storm blew up from the sea, shaking
the huge lodge to its base. The Great
Spirit commanded his daughter, then
little more than an infant, to 60 up and
bid the wind to be still, cautioning her
ut the same time not to put her head
out into the blast but only to thrust
out her little arm and make q sign be-
fore she delivered her message.
The eager child fastened up to the
hole in the roof, did as she was told
and then turned to descend. but her
curiosity impelled her to look at the
forbidden world outside and the rivers
and trees, at the far ocean and the
great waves that the storm had made
as hoary as the forest when the snow
is on the frs. So she stopped and put
out her head to look. Instantly the
storm took her by the long hair and
blew her down to the earth. down the
mountain side. over the smooth ice and
soft snow, down to the land of the
grizzly bears.
Now, the grizzly bears were then
somewhat different from what they
are at the present time. In appear
ance, it is true, they We're much
the same. bat they walked then on
their hind legs like men and talked and
carried clubs. using the fore limbs as
men use their arms. At the foot Of the
mountain. at the place where the child
was blown to. lived family of griz-
lilies. The father grizzly was return
ing from the hunt with his club on his
shoulder and young elk in his hand
when he saw the shivering little wait
lying on the snow with her hair al;
tangled about her.
The old grizzly, plying and wonder.
ing at the strange, forlorn creature.
lifted it up and carried it in to his wife
to see what should be done. She, too.
was pftiful and fed it from her own
breast, bringing 1t up as one of their
family. So the daughter Of the Great
Spirit grew up, and the eldest son Of
the old grizzly married her. and their
offspring was neither grizzly nor Great
Spirit. but man:-Forest and Stream.