Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-03-16
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
Red Men Have Occult Sect

| AS tney would put IL the wise men
Of the Children of the Narrows have
been assured by the Great White
Father that their tribe may fish. dig
roots and pick berries for ten more
summers without interference from
pale faces.
Technically, the Yakima Indians
OF Shahaptian stock, have been
granted freedom of their reservation
in Washington state, for ten more
years, without acceptance of any
duties and privileges of American eli
izenship.
Some 1900 of the Yakimas thus
are assured the untrammeled free.
dom of their tribal customs" e
plans q bulletin from the Washing
ton, d.. c., headquarters of the Ma
tional Geographic Society. Thus
not only are these Indians made
happy, but the friends OF the Red
Men will be given further opportun.
ity to study one of the more print
tive groups of American aborigines
who have not been spoiled by a toe
sudden imposition of the white
mans civilization.
Derisivc Name Stuck
THE Yakimas take their name
from a derisive nickname, meaning
'runaways,' applied by other tribes
and they have given this name to
the Yakima river along which they
live. They call themselves 'Wap-
tailmin,' meaning Children of the
Narrows,'-in reference to the mar
rows OF that river, less POLITICALLY
designated Union Gap on the maps
"1ribal customs among all the
Shahaptians, to which linguistic
family the Yakimas belong. are sim
liar. The Shahaptians ranged over
what now is northeastern Oregon
and southwest Idaho as well as in
Washington. Uncertain food sup
plies kept them nomadic, though
village communities frequently
formed, and just as frequently
would migrate to more productive
places. They ate salmon, roots and
berries, and Lewis and Clark, who
found them in 1906 said that they
also hunted.
"Offshoots of the Shahaptian
stock included the Nez Perces, the
'pinched-nose men, whose leader,
Joseph, won comparison with the
march Of Xenophon's Ten Thousand
for his retreat after an attack upon
white usurpers of his ancient home
lands in Oregon.
High Priest of the Dreamers"
''Smohalla, the preacher foun-
der of that mystic Indian band
known as .Dreamers' also was Sha-
haptain. In the Columbia river re-
gion, near the present-day home of
the Yakimas, he preached a gospel
Ike that of Gandhi, lead
Of the non-cooperation move
in British India today. After
49, ~JNsa-- - III. 1nanyfo CnyIth m
Mexico, during which he claimed to
have visited the spirit world he re-
to counsel that Indians re-
turn to their native ways of living,
decline instruction or association
with white men and above all fol-
low their own gods. Chief Joseph
this faith.
Disputes over land in h Yak1-
mas reservation were made the &C.
for a Federal military inves-
tigation ot this sect in 1884. The
thanksgiving, the berry fes-
tival and the ghost dance were re-
upon, and seances marked by
frances and bell ringing were found.
Today the Yakimas may roam at
will over an area nearly as large as
that of Rhode Island. The treaty
by which this reservation, within
the bend but not bordering the Co
river, was set aside dates
back to the fifties and included
among it's signatories representa-
of thirteen other remnant
tribes Of the Shahaptian family.
Myths Show Poetic Quality
primitive, without a system OF
clans or tendency toward agricul-
ture, these tribes have a folk lore
often challenges the myths OF
Greece or Scandinavia. Where the
now cascades it's way
through narrow defiles the klicki-
believed a natural bridge once
5panned it's waters. Two sons OIL
their gods, they explained, quar-
relied to possess so fair a land. the
two shot arrows to determine the
land they should occupy. To one
fell the region of the present
day Yakimas and to the other the
Valley.
ITO insure peace between the w Q
the chief god raised high
mountains but, so they might be
friendly, he threw a great stone
bridge across the Wanna (Colum-
bia) river. This bridge the indians
called 'Tamannawos,' bridge of the
gods. A witch woman lived on 1t,
to her was entrusted all the ire
in the world. After i~ntercession
with the chief Of the gods she won
permission to build a great fire on
the bridge to which both tribes
might come and light their fagots.
This act so pleased the chief god
that he transformed the witch wo-
man into a beautiful maiden.
'No sooner did the w chiefs be-
hold her than they fell victims to
her wondrous charm and set their
people to battle so they might win
her hand. Then the god was wrath
full. He destroyed the bridge. But
so the maid and her lovers might
be beautiful in death as in life he
created three mountains with snow
peaks. He who doubts this
tale may see these mountains for
himself. Are they not beautiful,
and are they not p~erpetually snow
as the God. Saghalie, de-
'1The white men call them Mount
Hood, Mount st. Helens and Mount
Adams"