Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-09-23
STORY OF THE FLOOD
One Of the Strange Legends Of
the Yuma indians.
CAUSE OF THE GREAT STORM.
The Tipping Up Of tae Earth Caused
tho osluse Which En1uIfed tho
WorlS-The Mysterious Ark and the
Escape Of the Chosen Few.

! Az WIS oaN INC SEcut QtluSc fecorueN
In the Bible Is mystery TO the North
American Indian. He will not I've led
to believe that the flood was brought
about by the sins OF man. He IS
equally unwilling to believe that It was
the work OF an angry God. as he could
not see how the Almighty should be so
unjust as TO punish the Indians OF
America for the naughty things OF n
race OF people across the ocean. An
other reason which makes Il still moro
difficult for the Indian TO believe that
the food was punishment 10 the
world is the fact that with him there
Is no sin. In his language there is no
such word. nor does he expect To DO
punished for any OF his acts.
But though there is no equivalent TO
the word sin In the Indian language
(nor In the Indian mind until the
Christians camel. the Indians have
their philosophy I'm regard TO what IL
commonly so termed. Some OF their
teachers (most OF whom claimed To
have been taught the philosophy OF
life and Its laws directly 10y disem-
bodied spirits or by ethereal beings
from other planets) taught that ms
man lives here so IN his life hereafter.
If he Is quarrelsome or warlike here
so no will bc In the more spiritual life.
III he IL serone and contented here. SC
he will be there. etc.
The deluge, as described by tho few
who were miraculously saved. was tho
more grandly terrible I'm that Il came
on suddenly. From the highlands oc.
cupied by the Indians they saw the
waves OF the sea sweep I'm upon the
land and recede. only to advance with
Immensely increased volume and stu.
pendously huge breakers. Then there
came n terrific storm that seemed 10
blow from all and I'm all directions.
The storm caused huge waterspouts
which appeared over the wild ocean
as far as the eye could see The terri.
fed people fed to the mountains. but
these were MI soon TO be submerged.
with the exception OF one. This noun.
tain which alone remained uncovered
by the flood Is called Avee-hciluh
| CMountain OF the Noon, yet today it IL
not very high mountain.
| For awhile before the mountains be.
came submerged there was great
calm. and dense fog covered tho
earth. Then suddenly mighty boat
| appeared to the awed view OF the In.
dams. IL approached and stopped at
| the several mountains still uncovered
| by the waters, and Mt each point where
1t touched. as If guided by invisible I'm.
telligencc. the Indians, as if obcylng
sAttt
tered the boat.
The boat rested first at place called
Avee-qua-lul mountain peak. now ri.
lot Knob on the border Of Mexico
| There was mesa on the top OF this
mountain. though at this day IL does
not exist. and on this mesa the Indians
| first celebrated their delivery. This
they did by playing sacred games
| chanting sacred songs. etc. On rocks
at the foot OF this peak there are hicrC
| glyphlcs I'm an unknown language
which some OF the Indians believe were
made by those who survived the flood
Petrihed driftwood is still To be seci
two-thlrds the distance up the sides OF
Avee-hclah. which drift, the Indians
say. was deposited by the waves OF thu
great food.
The Indians, having rested for n time
on the mountain peak. again entered
the boat and were carried eastward.
eventually TO a small valley. Here
! they again rested, and then. leaving
the boat, they wandered from one place
| to another, after a time returning to
the valley. TO their surprise. the boat
was gone. IL could not have noated
away, for the land was dry whercon
/ they had left II. the food having sub.
/ sided after great calm OF its waters.
| The boat could not have crumbled 10
pieces. for there had not been time for
It's decay. They could only conclude
| that the mysterious boat, having full
! filed its mission OF preserving n few
Of their race. had disappeared as mi.
raculously as 1t had appeared.
| The spot where the mysterious boat,
or ark. had rested was marked by the
| Indians placing there huge log. They
called the place Qual-jo-para Cboats
resting place.. This spot is held sacred
| by the Indians, who will seldom point
Ii out 10 strangers Not many hundred
years ago. It is said, some Indian war
J riors were passing the spot. and one Of
them 20 show his skeptlcism shot an
! arrow into the side OF the great log
Immediately a stream Of blood gushcG
from the spot pierced. and the skcptic
fell dead The story OF the event was
carried 20 all the near tribes. and since
then Indians passing the place fear 10
even look leisurcly at the log.
A reason given by the Indians as tho
probable cause Of the food was that
there was tribe OF Indians who. like
Columbus. believed that the earth was
not fat, but round, and 20 prove whcth.
or this theory were true thousands
from the different tribes banded toypth
er md started out on Journey 10 end
the edge OF the earth II IL was fiat
The food occurred soon after the In.
dams started on this Journey. SO that
they really believed that those a1vcu.
turcrs had reached the edge OF the
earth and their weight had tipped the
earth to such an extent as TO cause The
water to rush IN on the land.-Los An
gcles Times