Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-08
.83, LAST OF TRIBE,
WOMAN CL|NGS ON
TO TELL OF LORE
Death and Science Fight Each
Other While Language and
Legends Are Recalled.
SMITHSONIAN EXPERT
SITTING AT BEDSIDE
San Juan Indian History Told, Fill
ing Big Gap in Cultural
Map of U. S.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

LEGENDS OF VanlSneQ people, White MIS-
Assertion Solorsano, 80 years old, tor
tured by pain and with the black silk
dress she has bought to be buried IT.
laid out before her, bravely recalls out
of tenacious memory the speech and
gossip of her childhood.
The dramatic story is told in letters
to the Bureau Of American Ethnology OF
the Smithsonian Institution from DR..
John A. Harrington, specialist in Indian
languages.
AS explained by Mathew w. Stirling,
chief of the bureau, ethnologistS have
long despaired of obtaining any first
hand information concerning the San
Juan Indians, who occupied part OF
central California early in the last cen
fury, but who rapidly disappeared
through death and intermarriage. This
left a big gap in the cultural and
linguistic map, since the San Juans we're
key people, forming bridge between
the cultures of the north and south
Pacific tribes.
One Survivor Living.
Mr. Harrington. who went to CAL
ifornia this Summer on different prof.
ect, heard a rumor that one member
of the tribe still was alive. He finally
traced this rumor to house in a
suburb of Monterey. where, surrounded
by her children and grandchildren, the
old lady was bidding farewell to her
friends. The doctors had given her
only a few weeks to live and she was
suffering from a tumor which caused
such intense pain that she was eager
to die.
The ethnologist explained his mission
to her Son-in-law, former colonel in
the Mexican army. He was also accom-
panied by an Indian woman from
another tribe, who talked with the dying
old woman until she finally con-
sented to devote her last hours to saw
ing the memory of her people from
oblivion. The more she thought about
it the more enthusiastic she became and
when DR.. Harrington visited the house
again he heard her muttering in
Spanish: God is very good. He has
sent His agent to save that which would
not exist except for me-"
Fortunate Discovery.
The old lady, Mr.. Harrington ex-
planned, was an especially fortunate
discovery, since she had been a "medi-
cine woman" practically all her life with
an intimate knowledge not only of the
magic and legends but of the material
culture of the vanished people. She
was born when her parents already were
past middle age and she remained with
them in narrow environment until
they died at old age. Born within five
miles Of the Pacific Ocean, Mrs. Solar
sano had never seen It until she was so
years old, so closely had her life been
confined to the dying remnants of her
people.
But she had long since ceased to
speak the language of her childhood and
for years she had been surrounded by
persons who spoke only Spanish and
English. But Mr.. Harrington found
that the old lady, with the hand of
death heavy upon her, had been re-
living with increasing intensity the old
days, so that when he began to question
her she showed an extraordinary
memory for details.
She consented to get out of bed to
have her picture taken in her burial
dress, Of which she was quite proud,
but the effort was painful.
Is Propped in Bed.
Now, with death getting closer, the
old lady Is propped up in bed with
Mr.. Harrington sitting beside her. She
is able to endure this only for short
periods, when she Is attacked by spasmS
of pain. But so anxious is she that the
work be completed before she goes that
she grits her teeth, takes some pain
killing tablets" and continues her con-
versation.
Mr.. Harrington is provided with the
only relic of the culture of the San
Juans, vocabulary written down over
a century ago by Spanish priest, who
apparently knew nothing OF Indian
phonetics, so that his work Is practical
" useless. The scientist is going over
this with her, word for word. Every
now and then word Will stimulate her
memory and she will recount long
stories of the pictures it revives. The
old words serve as keys to reopen the
locked gates of her childhood.
Among the things she has revealed
to MFR. Harrington Is the secret OF max
ing Indian cigarettes, one or TWO punS
of which villa knock out q strong man.
She used to make them Tor the eloerS
when she was little girl. Mr.. Harring-
the Smithsonian. They consist Of hollow
stems of bushes. like the elder, stuffed
with wild tobacco. Each cigarette Is
about ten inches long and haII men
The men gathered in the steam house
before retiring used to pass around one
of these cigarettes. Each man woulo
take few puffs and Excel over.
Religious Significance.
There was some erligious significance
in this. for Mrs. Solarsano describes Lne
effect as "like bened1ctioD." Inc
Strength of their tobacco was source
of great pride to the San Juans. Lhe
old lady proudly recounted to Mr.. Har-
rington of the time when man CT ner
tribe was freed by a bear. He nad
pouch of tobacco dangling from ms
waist. The bear, in hot pursuit, clawed
at the man as he sprang into the tree
and ripped open, the pouch: Then tne
bear sinelled of its claw and ran.
She has told MFR. Harrington marvei-
Gus fairy stories of her girlhood, Sucn
as that of the man "who turned after
death into q frog as big as a man." the
prize story, the scientist writes, is that
Of "Old One Leg" a marvellous creature
with one leg, one arm and one eye. who
hoped around at night. knocking e.t
houses. When little boy came to the
door One Leg would grab him. carry
him awsy and eat him.
Finally, as the old lady solemnly re-
counts, the Indian families Joined hands
and Law In wait for One Leg. They
pursued the mythical creature with his
latest victim into cave. Then they
piled brush at the opening and set IL on
FIRE. hoping to suffocate him But ne
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