The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-04-08

ated in the beautiful Kamiah valley,
which they have named The Heart. "
This legend you all heard related in
that excellent paper on the Nez Perez
tribe. Many very entertaining legends
are given by Miss McBeth in her book
entitled "The Nez Perez since Lewis
and Clark" One of them follows
"Al-la-lim-yah, the Mountain Spirit,
or Sirit of the wind, was in the form
of person, tall old man, taller
than any tree, walking to and. fro
continually, never resting, never eat
ing-wailing and weeping. Tears of
blood were constantly dropping, not
only from his eyes, but from the great
staff which he carried in his hands.
Many of the people a long time ago
tried to touch his person, but found
nothing in their hands but air. They
could not tell whether man or woman
they grasped. With his breath he
started all the breezes. If he did
rest a moment, it was at his turning
places. One of these was over at that
mountain, "Ya-mas-tas," near Mos
COW. The other turning place was
near Asotin. He was on the go all
the time, first one way, then turned
and went back over the same road
Now that mountain, Ya-mas-tas, is
where the Nez Perez took refuge at
the time of the great flood "Noah's"
when all other places but that one
had been submerged. The stone is
there yet in which they pounded their
Rouse (root for food). The people
say it looks just like one of their old
mortars. Al-la-lim-yah was a great
spirit, ranking higher than the spirit
of the cold or heat He it was who
sent the "Wy-ya-kin," in form of bird
or beast, to their sons or daughters
when alone on the mountains.
Now "Wy-yakin' was an attending
spirit When a child was seven, eight,
or ten years old, he or she was sent
off to the mountains alone, to get his
or her "Wy-ya-kHn" and with it,
new name The chield was to remain
there night as we'll as day having
nothing to eat until some animal or
bird would come and speak to the
child. Then he was free to return.
A feather of that species of bird. or
a tail of the kind of animal that talk
ed to him, was to be kept and worn
throughout life as a symbol of his at
tending spirit. No arrow could kill
him. He was invulnerable while he
kept it and trusted in It, Al-la-lim-
yah, the spirit of the wind, or noun
tain, was all important in this mat
ter. He it was who sent the bird or
animal to speak to the child. Some
times from sheer exhaustion the child
would fall asleep, and in his dreams
would see the Wy-ya-kin. In after
generations boy was called usually
after the fathers people, the girl aft
err the mothers. Mems names were
from the large birds and fierce ami
mails women's from the lessed ami
mails, birds, or from the land.
All historians agree that the most
perverse and wicked men in all the
tribes are the medicine men. Speak
ing of his labors among the Occur
/ 'Alene Indians, that great and noble
Father De Smet says: Be-
lore his conversion to Christianity,
each Occur d'Alene Indian as well as
lis brethren Of the ether tribes, had |
lis Manitou (tutelary spirit or divin-
ty.) To this Manitou the Indian ad-
lresses his prayer or supplication,
Ind offers his sacrifices; When he
lets out for war, or goes fishing or
he prays to this manitou for
success in his venture. He believes
hat he can ask everything of his
nanitou, reasonable or unreasonable,
,ood or bad. To obtain favors, he
must be able to handle the bow and
rrow, and although initiation to the
nanitou is considered as the most
act of life, the adept is re-
uired to submit to ceremonies and
ractices, which are, generally, very
ifficult and often very painful. The
Dung man after making profound in
isions on the fleshy parts of the body,
r after a rigorous fast, is supposed
0 discover in his dreams the form
r resemblance under which the man
,ou manifests himself. During his [
hole life, he is bound to bear the Il,
mage or mark of it; and on all ocsft
asions he must present his offerings n
nd address his prayers to him. His
alisman is the feather or the beak '
Z bird, the claw or tooth of an ami !
lal, root, herb, fruit, stone, no {
latter what. He believes that this