The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-03-01
Observation-Disclosures
Indian
Lodge Tales
BY
Ford c. Frick
7iIiIIIiiIiiiIiIIIIIIIIIIIiIIiiIliIIiIIiII
THE DECISION OF DEATH

Nov. when the Mar.tou created the
~ Red Man to rule over the world he
created him In his own image and
made him walk upright with his eyes
to the sky-and he was not forced to
watch his feet. as were the beasts.
But when the Red Man was created
and had lived for years in the peace
full valley the Manitou found that he
was too strong and too brave and that
he had been created too much In the
Image of the Maker of US all. So he
decided that 1t would not do for the
Red Man to live too long, else he
would become as wise and as great ~
Manitou himself.
So one day the Manitou appeared
to his daughter. the mother of the
Red Man, and to her he told his fears.
And as remedy he suggested that
the Red Man he allowed to live only
for an allotted span Of years. and
that then he be supplanted by his
children and his children's children
until time ended
But first he thought he would give
the Red Man a chance to determine
how he was to live. And so. In COM
pany with his daughter he went to the
valley. where lived the Chosen People.
and he called forth the wisest and old
est chief Of them all to be the Judge.
In his one hand he took a buffalo
chip and in the other a stone and
with the chief and his daughter he
went TO the bank Of the stream to male
the test.
First he tossed the buffalo chip into
the stream and the chip fioated for
awhile until II struck the rapids and
then II submerged for q little why
and again IT fioated and again It sub
merged, until finally 1t disappeared
from sight around a bend In the
stream.
And SO the Manitou ruled that the
Red Man should live for four years
and then die and remain dead for four
years, following which he would again
come to life for similar period. And
the old chief was pleased and accepted
the ruling.
But the daughter Of Manitou. the
mother of all the Red Men, was not
pleased and pleaded with her father
that some other arrangement might
be made. And the Manitou, who loved
his daughter dearly. listened to her
pleading and agreed that there should
be one more test made and that the
result of that test should stand for
ever. and the method of the test he left
to his daughter.
She, seeing that the Manitou had
not yet thrown the stone, and thinking
that perhaps the stone had some magic
unknown except to the Maker of US all
suggested that he throw the stone 10
the water.
The Manitou, taking her at her
word, tossed the stone far out into the
stream. and IT fell with a splash into
the water and sank out of sight. And
thus was the fate Of the Red Men de.
cided.
The Manitou ruled that each Red
Man should live In the valley an al.
lotted span of years, and that then he
should die and his body should perish
from the earth and should never more
come to life In the valley.
But In order that the Red Men
should not be hopeless and forlorn he
promised that those of them who kept
the faith and praised the Manitou and
his good work should live again In the
happy hunting ground above the Peak.
where there would be no death and
where there would be no war and no
trouble. And so the ruling stood. The
Red Men were made mortal, to die
when their time came, but knowing
Of the promise of Manltou they felt no
fear Of death. And so II Is today. We
all must die, but living well, we live
again In that great hunting ground.
where all is happiness and peace.
Note.-Thls legend bears a marked
similarity to legend of Death told by
the Blackfeet and credited TO Nabi. the
semi-human God Of earth, who. ac-
cording to the Blackfeet. is a second
airy god to Manitou himself. Grinnell
In his "BlackfOot Legends" has quoted
this story, although no mention Is made
of the after-llfe and the test Is made
In distinctly different manner.