Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-04-29
RED men have
OCCULT SECT
"Dreamers" of Yakima Tribe
Had Gospe! Much Like Gandhi
in India Today.
MYTHS SHOW POETIC QUALITY
Yakimas Recently Assured by Federal
Authorities They May Fish and
Pick Berries for Ten Years
More Without Interference.

MnshingtOn.-AS they would put II,
the wise men OF the Children OF the
Narrows have been assured by the
Great White Father that their tribe
may fish. dig roots ard pick berries for
ence from palefaces.
Technically, the Yakima Indians. of
Shahaptlan stock, have been granted
freedom of their reservation. In Wash
Ington state. for ten more years. with
out acceptance of any duties and priv
ileges OF American citizenship.
"Some 1900 of the YakImas thus
are assured the untrammeled freedom
Of their tribal customs" explains a
bulletin from the Washington head
quarters Of the National Geographic
society. Thus not only are these In
dians made happy, but the friends OF
the Red man will be given further OPP
portunity to study one OF the more
/ primitive groups OF American abO-
rhymes. who have not been spoiled by
a too sudden imposition of the white
mans civilization.
Derisive Name Stuck.
THE Yakimas take their name from
derisive nickname. meaning 'runa-
ways applied by other tribes; and
! they have given this name TO the
Yakima river along which they live.
! They call themselves 'Waptnilmin.
meaning Children Of the Narrows In
reference TO the narrows of that river,
less POLITICALLY designated Union Gap
on the maps.
| Tribal customs among all the
Shahaptians. to which linguistic family
/ the Yakimas belong. are similar. The
Shahaptians ranged over what now Is
northeastern Oregon and southwest
Idaho as well as In Washington.
"Offshoots Of the Shahaptlan stock
/ included the Nez Perces. the 'pinched-
nose men, whose leader. Joseph, won
I comparison with the march of Keno
/ phons Ten Thousand for his retreat
after an attack upon white usurpers
Of his ancient home lands In Oregon.
"Smohalla, the preacher. founder OF
that mystic Indian band known as
! 'Dreamers' also was Shahaptlan. In
the Columbia river region. near the
I present day home Of the Yakimas. he
preached a gospel strikingly like that
OF Gandhi, leader of the nOn-cO-op-
Grafton movement In British India to-
day. After wanderlngs in the deserts
south 10 Mexico. during which he
claimed TO have visited the spirit
world, he returned TO counsel that In
dams return to their native ways Of
! ton with white men. and above all
/ follow their own gods. Chief Joseph
/ embraced this faith.
Disputes over land In the Yakima
/ reservation were made the occasion
/ for federal military investigation Of
] this sect In 1884. The salmon thanks
/ giving. the berry festival and the ghost
dances were reported upon, and
seances marked by frances and bell
I ringing were found.
To-day the Yakimas may roam at
I will over an area nearly as large as
that of Rhode Island. The treaty by
/ which this reservation, within the
bend hut not bordering the Columbia
river, was set aside dates back to the
SOS and included among its sigma
tories representatives, of 13 other rem
nant tribes of the Shahaptian family.
Myths Show Poetic Quality.
primitive. without system Of
clans or tendency toward agriculture.
these tribes have folk lore which
often challenges the myths of Greece
or Scandinavia. Where the Columbia
now cascades its way through narrow
defiles the Klickitats believed nat
ural bridge once spanned It's waters.
Two sons of their gods. they ex-
planned. quarreied Ia possess so fair a
land. The two shot arrows to deter
mine the land they should occupy. To
one son fell the region Of the present
day Yakimas and TO the other the
willamette valley.
ITO insure peace between the peo-
pies the chief god raised high noun
talns hut, so they might be friendly.
he threw great stone bridge across
the Wanna (Columbla) river This
bridge the Indians called 'Tamahna-
wos.' bridge of the gods. a witch
woman lived on il and IA her was en-
trusted all the fire In the world After
lntercesslon with the chief of the gods
she won permission Ia build Il great
fire on the bridge 10 which both tribes
might come and light their fagots.
This act so pleased the chief god that
he transformed the witch woman into
n beautiful maiden.
"No sooner did the two chiefs be-
hold her than they fell victims To her
w0ndrous charm and set their people
Ia battle so they might win her hand.
Then the god was wrathful. He de-
stroyed the bridge. But so the maid
and her lovers might be beautiful in
death as In life he created three noun
talns with snow-capped peaks. He
who doubts this tale may see these
mountains for himself. Are they not
beautiful. and are they not perpetu-
ally snow-crowned. as the god. Sagha
lie. decreed.