Chapter XXXII: Earthquake Beliefs

Lassen Peak and its vicinity are subject to many local earthquakes today. The geologic nature of the area indicates that this has been so for thousands of years. Lassen Peak was known to the Atsugewi as Wicuhirdiki, which has no meaning. The area was thought to be inhabited by a powerful spirit, but Garth notes that there seemed to be no fear about hunting and fishing there, and the Indians apparently utilized the hot springs medicinally. Garth recorded one pertinent bit of Atsugewi (Apwaruge) myth as follows:

“There once was an earthquake that shook this country up and made
those boulders out on the flat shake. It shook so much that it made
people sick. There was a very old woman whose hair was almost green.
She picked up a rock and pounded it on another rock while she sang.
She was praying for the world to stop shaking. Soon she got an answer,
and the shaking ceased. Many people were killed. Those who lived in
canyons were covered by rocks that were shaken down.”

Yana interpretation of the perplexing and frightening phenomenon of earthquakes is tied in, as we might expect, with mythology as follows, to quote from Sapir and Spier:

“A series of fabulous malignant beings were conceived as dwelling in
certain localities. In the Sacramento River were water grizzlies
(hat-en-na) which pulled fishermen down to devour (them).... They were
spotted black and white, like dogs. Somewhere (not specified) was a
serpent (e-k-u) which killed people. Near Terry’s mill were believed
to dwell malignant little beings (yo-yautsgi), like little children.
They often enticed people and ate them up. At a marshy spot and spring
on Round Mountain, called Ha-mupdi (?), dwelled a being called
Mo-s-ugi-yauna who caused the ground to shake when he was displeased.

“Once Mo-s-ugi-yauna made a little baby of himself and put himself in
the road of two women. One of them took it up and in sport gave it one
of her nipples to suck, though she was really without milk. The baby
kept sucking until the girl tried to take her breast away, but without
success. The baby kept sucking at her, sucked up her flesh, and at
last sucked up her whole body.

“This being was displeased if strangers came near and talked anything
but Yana. Once some Yreka Indians came and talked Chinook jargon at
that place, whereupon the earth began to shake violently. At last the
owner of the place cried out to Mo-s-ugi-yauna that it was not he who
had thus spoken and begged him ‘in the doctor way’ to stop, whereupon
he did.”