The Cordova daily times., 1919-07-11
QUEER LEGENDS
OF NATIVES OF
KODIAK ISLAND

Did the Kodiak natives know of the
Chaldean flood? Had they any knowl-
edge of the biblical theory of the first
man anad woman? Are these natives
| identified with Alaska or did they mi
CRATE to Alaska from other countries :?
Some of their myths and legends
are so nearly identical with those of
the Bible that it seems as if they
must at some early day have talked
with nations having the same tradi-
tons as the Egyptians and Israelites.
Are they the descendants of the lost
tribe of Israel? Did the stories told
in the igloos and barabaras of the race
to the westward come down from the
days of Moses and other biblical char
acters?
No one can tell, but it is a curious
fact that the Kodiak natives have a
| 16SSuu VI JIG I1SI llldA1 anu WOALlcn
| in close relationship to the story of
Adam and Eve, grass causing the
downfall of the original genus homo
instead of the traditional appleJ
fruit Indigenous to Persia.
According to the Kodiak version,
ShIiam ShOa was the master of the
world, and he was worshiped as the
supreme god by the Kodiaks up to the
time of their conversion by the priests
of the Russian church in the latter
part of the seventeenth century,
Shliam Shoa created the heavens and
the earth, but of light there was none.
He sent two humans, boy and girl,
upon the earth to enjoy the fullness
thereof, but before going he enjoined
them not to eat grass. The girl was
curious to know what might be the
result of breaking the command, and
said to the boy, Let us eat Of the
grass What harm can follow our act?
Shliam Shoa will never miss what we
eat from the abundance around u.s."
But the boy demurred and urged her
to desist, saying that it might cause
them injury and that if the light came
they might be ashamed to look one
upon the other.
The girl, however, could not resist
| Tot no
of the seal and the choicest portions
of the game set before her, saying that
| it was as the stones on the shore, I'M
less eaten with the grasses springing
up so luxuriantly around them. The
opportunities of the girl finally had
their effect, and the boy and girl
plucked of the grass anad did eat
thereof.
And behold! the first dawn broke
in the eastern sky; the sun sending
it's ray to all parts of the world and
the boy and the girl looked one upon
the other and were ashamed of their
nakedness, and fashioned garments Of
feathers of the elder duck to cover
their nakedness. And Shliam Shoa
was angry and demanded Of the boy
and girl why they had broken his
command and eaten of the grass. And
| the man said the woman temepted him.
And Shliam Shoa drove them from
the land of plenty out into the world,
where the boy was forced to labor to
support himself and the girl who had
| followed him. They tried to return
to heaven, but found the doors locked,
and upon the steps leading to the home
of Shliam Shoa they looked upon one
another and the boy saw the woman
was fair to see They loved each
other and five children were born to
them, but died shortly after, to their
great sorrow. Just before the birth
of the sixth child Shliam Shoa came
and asked, why do you grieve?"
They replied, "All children born to
us die"
do not grieve any more said
Shliam Shoa. Il will sing you a song
and you shall have children thereafter
which will grow strong and multiply
and cover the earth. And they shall
pay me tribute of one skin each sea-
son of the Kaioog-ya-at (the season
the seals breed), and you shall live
long and find good hunting"
And thus it came to pass. The chill
dren of Kyktag, the first man, COW
cred the earth and from them the
whole human race sprang. But after
several generations the payments to
Shliam Shoa ceased and were refused,
wicked ones asking, why should we
ho oh &c o1rrc