St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1911-03-04

Inoke as he sat with Huma one
evening witching the beautiful sun
set on the waters asked her if she
regretted leaving her home to go
with him. She answered that she
would miss the shallow water of the
lake where she and her girl friends
had SO often gone bathing. Then
Inoke told her that he and his war
riors would carry the earth from
each bank of the river that it might
be widened so that the water would
spread out and become shallow. Then
Huma said she and her girl friends
would make the baskets for him and
his braves to carry the sand in,
which they did. And the upper river
became so shallow that Huma could
wade across it at any place. And
to this day little children go wading
in the waters of this beautiful stream
without any danger of falling into
deep holes.
FLOAT NO. i.
Abita River, Name of and Indian
Chief.
Float No. 4, was representative of
the legend of the Abita River. An
Indian maid is seen through the
transparent water to be seated upon
a prominence in the undulating bot
tom of the stream, with dip-net
in her hand. An Indian brave on a
mound opposite her is playing crude
musical instrument of Indian fash
icn. Another brave near her is cast
ing seine, while the third is shoot
ing turtles with his bow and arrow.
All these are presumably victims. of
neglect in taking warning given by
the lgeneds of the tribe.
LEGEND.
Myth as is told by the Choctaw
Indians, Owa Naholo, meaning white
people of the water, who dwelt in
the deep pools of the Abita river:
Woe unto him who swims in the
deeps pools of Abita river, for sure
ly the DIVA Naholo will catch him,
and within three days he will have
scales, and will forever afterwards
have to live under the water like the
fish.
FLOAT NO. 5.
Ponchitoawa, means Singing Hairy
Shows Ochakwa being burnt at
the stake. The Indians, with their
knives and tomahawks are seen
dancing about the tortured victim,
beneath the spreading limbs of a
| huge oak
LEGEND.
Taklaha and his tribe lived on this
! stream. He was ugly; his men were
| ugly; his wives were ugly; his whole
tribe was ugly all except his little
son Ochakwa, he was beautiful
| Taklaha was cruel and wicked; his
men were cruel and wicked, likewise
| his wives and whole tribe were cruel
and wicked. Yes, all except his little
son Ochakwa, he was good and kind
Taklaha and his men would burn
their prisoners and all their wives
and the whole tribe would sit around
and enjoy seeing their catpives suf
fer, all except little Ochakwa, he
would run away and hide in the
bushes and put his fingers in his
ears that he might not hear the hor
rible cries. Taklaha die not like
Ochakwa, he called him coward anG
little squaw-man. One day Ochakws
turned some captives loose, Taklahs
and his men tied Ochakwa to stake
and built fire around him. While
he was burning he sang like bire
then they cut off his head and hung
his scalp with it's long black hair OF
the tree, but when the wind came i
sang too. And to this day the lons
Spanish moss will sing you to sleel
with a sweet lullaby, if you lie dow1
on the banks of the Ponchitoawi
twhen the winds come in the spring
time.
FLOAT NO. 6.
Chinchuba, (Aigator).
l. Float No. shows Father Roquett
teaching the Indians useful lesson
and instilling into them the prin
ciples of christianity. Chiefs, witt
their flowing headdresses of eagl
feathers, as well as the braves an,
the squaws, are seated on the gras
beneath the protecting shelter of al
oak tree listening to him.
LEGEND.
| The Reverend Pere Adrian Ro
quette lived on the banks of thi
picturesque stream and devoted hi
life to the elevating and bettering o