The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1912-12-12

in Lynden, November %, 1912.
Our experience among the Nook
sack tribe of Indians began more
than forty years ago. We found
them very friendly and naturally
well adapted TO be of much SER
vice to the white settlers.
THE Indian. his canoe and his
paddle, were of the utmost import
ance to US by making it possible to
live in the Nooksack valley where
there were no roads at all. We de-
pended wholly upon him to bring
our supplies from what is now
Bellin CHAM. They did Us much
good and no harm; and now that
they have nearly all passed away l
regret that We did SO little for
their happiness at the time when
they were SO numerous and were
living in so deplorable state OF
ignorance, superstition and fear.
"Often we were awakened at
the dead of night by the reports of
their firearms, which We're fired at
the "Leaums" tdevils) which they
imagined were haunting their
camps. Frequently we were seren-
AIDED by the unearthly music OF the
..tomanomous'' which always took
place when one of their number
smemaloosed (died) or became i'll
This was a very sacred ceremony TO
them-but incomprehensible TO US.
No doubt it Was tradition handed
down TO them from their ancestors
for generations.
"In a. camp close by, Sally s
daughter was seemingly about TO
pass away. When We heard the dis
NAL sound of the discordant toma-
uamous" we attended the services
with much more reverence than Gu
riosity. But when We witnessed the
heather incantations of these poor,
ignorant natives, my heart was
moved with both pity and disgust.
Here was an old Indian who had
often visited US, claiming to be a
'iumachin" (medicineman) and whe
had known God ever since he Was
small boy, now down on all
fours, leaping around the camp,
catching evit spirits (more probably;
microbes or germs. When he I'M
agined or made believe he had
caught one, he took his gun and
,ent outside the camp and fired i'll
10 the tree. All the time this per-
formance lasted the family and
friends were keeping time by sor-
rowful wall and drumming with
wooden sticks on boards. This
wailing and devils tattooins did
not cease until the old conjuror had
made away with all the evil ones.
Then all fear was removed from
the mind of the patient and she
rapidly recovered. Had she died,
the relatives would have taken the
old magician's life as forfeit.
immortality, or rather the be-
lief in it, was so deeply implanted
in their natures that when one OF
them passed to the higher realms
all of his valuables were placed with
the body in a box upon a scaffold
or in a canoe high up in tree.
If the deceased owned slaves, these
were killed to accompany their mas
ter to the happy hunting grounds.
Years ago, at the head of Pu-
get Sound, gave an "elita" (slave)
whose master had died, his last
meal. The poor fellow, bright
looking lad under twenty years OF
age, who could speak many Eng
lish words, was trying to escape
from captivity and the fate about
to befall him. He was on his way
to ShoalwateE Bay tnow called
Nillapa Harbor) hoping to hide a.
board some vessel, but he was over
taken and killed but a short dis
tance from eur home.
.'In these early days fear was
the predominant characteristic Of
these natives of the great somber
forests. Their lives were over
shadowed by omens of future evils,
and to protect themselves they
constructed hiding places away be-
meath the ground. There still re-
main evidences of these ancient un-
derground houses. They have been
described TO me as having been
built in rows, with passages lead
Ing underground from cave TO cave.
So deep were they that ladders were
used to reach the top.
"Chief Yellowcanim's last wife
once told me that her fathers death
was caused because, while in bat
tie with Northern Indians, an en-
emy secured a lock of his hair
There are people still living who
will recall the incident. He called
UPON his white. friends and told
them that at a certain time. only
few days away. he would have 10
die. So terrifying were the effects
of his bell in an evil power that
ne quickly became i'll and sent for
lis white friends. Capt. Henry Roe
der and his wife visited him. but
so firm were his convictions that
no amount of persuasion or riiicule
served TO shake thar. He passed
away at the appointed time. sur
round ded by his waiting friends and
relatio ions.
Y Lad small hope that these pco-
lie Nauld ever become Christianiz-
ed but late one Saturday eve, we
we're delighted to ~sicome 10 our
houlc two missionaries. the Rev