Chapter II: The Native Races of Old Walla Walla County (2)

First in the natural order of the investigators and records of Indian myths come the early explorers and writers of Old Oregon. Most of these give us little on the special subject of myths, though they give much on the habits, customs, occupations, and implements of the natives. The earliest explorer in Oregon, so far as known to the author, to give any native legend, is Gabriel Franchere, who came to Astoria with the Astor Fur Company in 1811. In his narrative, upon which Irving's "Astoria" is largely based, we find a fine story of the creation of men by Etalapass, and their subsequent improvement by Ecannum. Franchere says that this legend was related to him by Ellewa, one of the sons of Concomly, the one-eyed Chinook chief, who figures conspicuously in Franchere's narrative. Of valuable books of the same period of Franchere, are Ross Cox's "Adventures on the Columbia River," and Alexander Ross' "Adventures on the Columbia," both of which contain valuable references to the customs and superstitious ideas of the natives, though not much in the way of myths. Ross gives an interesting myth of the Oakinackens (Okanogans as we now say) about the origin of the Indians or Skyloo on the white man's island, Samahtumawhoolah. The Indians were then very white and ruled by a female spirit, or Great Mother, named Skomalt, but their island got loose and drifted on the ocean for many suns, and as a result they became darkened to their present hue. Ross gives also an account of the belief of the Oakinackens in a good spirit, one of whose names is Skyappe, and a bad spirit, one of whose names was Chacha. The chief deity of those Indians seems to have been the great mother of life, Skomalt, whose name also has the addition of "Squisses." Ross says that those Indians change their names constantly and doubtless their deities did the same.

Of valuable books a few years later than those just named, one especially deserving of mention is Dr. Samuel Parker's "Exploring Tour Beyond the Rocky Mountains," the result of observations made in 1835 and 1836. This, however, contains little in the way of mythology. Capt. Charles Wilkes, the American explorer of the early '40s, gives a very interesting account of a Palouse myth of a beaver which was cut up to make the tribes. This is evidently another version of the Klickitat story of the great beaver, Wishpoosh, of Lake Cleelum. One of the most important of the early histories of Oregon is Dunn's, the materials for which were gathered in the decade of the '40s. With other valuable matter it contains accounts of the religious conceptions of the Indians, and here we find the legend of the Thunder Bird of the Tinneh, a northern tribe. In this same general period, though a little later, we find the most brilliant of all writers dealing with Oregon; that is, the gifted scholar, poet and soldier, Theodore Winthrop. His book, "Canoe and Saddle," has no rival for literary excellence and graphic power, among all the books which have dealt with the Northwest. The book was first published in 1862, and republished fifty years later in beautiful form by John H. Williams of Tacoma. "Canoe and Saddle" commemorates a journey from Puget Sound across the mountains and through the Yakima and Klickitat countries in 1854. It contains several fine Indian stories, notably that of the Miser of Mount Tacoma, and that of the Devil of the Dalles. Winthrop does not state from whom directly he secured the second of these myths, but no doubt from the Indians themselves, though the peculiar rich imagination and picturesque language of Winthrop are in evidence throughout the narration. The tale of the Miser of Mount Tacoma is attributed by Winthrop to Hamitchou, an Indian of the Squallygamish tribe.

At about the some time as Winthrop's, occurred the visit and investigations of James G. Swan, whose book, "The Northwest Coast," was published in 1857. In this is found the creation myth of the Ogress of Saddle Mountain, relating the issuing forth of Indians from eggs cast down the mountain-side by the Ogress. Many years ago Rev. Myron Eells told the writer a variation of that story, which has appeared in sundry forms and publications, being the story of Toulux, the South Wind, Quootshoi the witch, and Skamson the Thunder Bird. In addition to the legend of the Thunder Bird, Swan gives many items of peculiar interest. Among these we find his idea that certain customs of the Indians ally them with the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. His final impression seems to be, however, that they are autocthonous in America. He refers to the observation of General George Gibbs of the similarity of Klickitat myths to those in Longfellow's Hiawatha. He also refers to the beeswax ship of the Nehalem. In connection with the thought of Indian resemblance to the Ten Lost Tribes, it is worth noticing that this has come forth from various directions. Miss Kate McBeth has expressed the same in connection with the Nez Perces. It was also a favorite idea with B. B. Bishop, one of the earliest builders of steamboats on the Columbia, who lived many years at Pendleton, Oregon. He told the writer that the Indians at the Cascades had a spring festival with the first run of salmon. They would boil whole the first large salmon caught, and have a ceremony in which the whole tribe would pass in procession around the fish, each taking a bit. They exercised the utmost care to leave the skeleton intact, so that at the end it had been picked clean but with not a bone broken. Mr. Bishop thought that this was a survival of the Jewish idea of the Paschal Lamb.

Among the great collectors of all kinds of historical data in what might be called the middle period of Northwest history and not exactly belonging to any one of the specific groups, is H. H. Bancroft, already referred to in the first part of this chapter. In his "Native Races," are found many myths, with references given, but these mainly deal with Mexican, Central American, and Californian Indians. He refers to Holmburg's ethnological studies in German as containing valuable matter in regard to our Northwestern Indians. _Harmon's Journal_, with its reference to the Tacullies of British Columbia and their legend of the Musk Rat, is also named. In the same connection we find reference to Yehl the Raven, an especial favorite of the Indians of British Columbia and the upper part of Puget Sound.

From what may be termed the first group of narrators of native tales, we may turn to those that may be called the scientific ethnologists. We are indebted to Dr. Franz Boas, himself the foremost of the group, for the list of these professional students of the subject. These men took up the matter in a more scientific and methodical way than the travellers and pioneers and have presented the results of their work in form that appeals to the scholar, the work of trained investigators, seeking the facts and giving them as exactly as possible, not affected by the distortions and exaggerations common to unscientific observers. They were all connected with the Smithsonian Institute, and their work was mainly under the Government.

The Bibliography as given by Doctor Boas, is as follows:

Edward Sapir, Wishram Texts (publications of the American Ethnological Society, Vol. II).

Leo J. Frachtenberg, Coos Texts (Columbia University contributions to Anthropology, Vol. I).

Leo J. Frachtenberg, Lower Umpqua Texts (Ibid., Vol. IV).

James Teit, Traditions of the Thompson Indians (Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, Vol. VI). (This is not Washington, but practically identical with material from the interior of Washington.)

James Teit, Mythology of the Thompson Indians (Jesup North Pacific Expedition Publications, Vol. VIII).

James Teit, The Shuswap (Ibid., Vol. II).

Franz Boas, Indianische Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Küste Amerikas.

Franz Boas, Mythology of the Indians of Washington and Oregon (Globus, Vol. LXIII, pp. 154-157, 172-175, 190-193).

H. J. Spinden, Myths of the Nez Percé (Journal of American Folk Lore, Vol. XXI).

Louisa McDermott, Myths of the Flathead Indians (Ibid., Vol. XIV).

Franz Boas, Sagen der Kootenay (Berlin Society for Anthropology, Ethnology, etc., Vol. XXIII, pp. 161-172).

Livingston Farrand, Traditions of the Quinault Indians (Publications of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Vol. II).

Franz Boas, Chinook Texts (Bureau of Ethnology, Government Printing Office, 1894).

Franz Boas, Cathlamet Texts (Ibid.).

James Teit, Traditions of the Lilloost Indians (Journal of American Folk-Lore, Vol. XXV).

Jeremiah Curtin, Myths of the Modocs (Little, Brown & Co.).

To these may be added, as of special value, the studies of Prof. Albert S. Gatchett among the Modocs, found under the title, "Oregonian Folk-Lore" in the _Journal of American Folk-Lore_, Vol. IV, 1891, Houghton, Mifflin & Co. The other volumes of the _Journal of American Folk-Lore_ from 1888 to 1913 contain valuable matter.

Doctor Boas found a treasury of information in an old Indian named Charlie Cultee, at Bay Center in Willapa Harbor, Wash., and from that source derived the material for the most scientific and uncolored study of Indian lore yet given to the public. These appear in the Chinook Texts of Doctor Boas. In this is a fine story of the first ship seen by the Clatsops. This is found also in H. S. Lyman's History of Oregon. In Professor Gatchett's book are found some of the finest fire myths and fish myths of the Northwest.

Following the groups of the explorers and the professional ethnologists, may come the larger body of miscellaneous collectors and writers, who, through local papers and magazines and published books, as well as personal narration, have rescued many quaint and curious gems of Indian mythology from oblivion and through various channels have imparted them to the slowly accumulating stock.

Those no longer living may properly appear first. Of comparatively recent students no longer living, Silas Smith of Astoria was of the best. His father was Solomon Smith of the Wyeth Expedition, while his mother was Celiast, daughter of the Clatsop chief Cobaiway. Through his Indian mother Mr. Smith obtained much interesting matter, much of which was preserved by H. S. Lyman in his history of Oregon, and in articles in the _Oregonian_, _Historical Quarterly_, and other publications. H. S. Lyman was also an original investigator, deriving his data mainly from Silas Smith and from a group of Indians who formerly lived at the mouth of the Nekanicum. These stories appear in his history of Oregon and in a group contained in the "Tallapus Stories," published in the _Oregonian_. Another intelligent and patient investigator was Rev. Myron Eells, who lived for many years on Hood's Canal. Many years ago the author heard from him legends from the Indians which he derived directly from the natives, such as the Thunder Bird, the Flood around Mount Tacoma (which he thought colored by the story of Noah in the Bible), and others. In the book by Mr. Eells, entitled "Ten Years' Missionary Work in Skokomish," he gives a valuable description of the "Tomanowas." In various numbers of the _American Antiquarian_ Mr. Eells has valuable articles as follows: "The Religion of the Twana Indians," July, 1879; "Dokidatl, or the God of the Puget Sound Indians," November, 1884; "The Indians of Puget Sound," May, 1888, and March, 1890.

Prominent among the scholars and lecturers of Oregon is the great name of Thomas Condon, for a long time in the State University, and the earliest student in a large way of the geology of the Northwest. He was interested in Indian myths as in almost everything that had to do with man and nature. The legend of the "Bridge of the Gods," already given in this chapter, particularly appealed to him. One of the notable students of both the geology and anthropology of the Northwest was George Gibbs, who came to Oregon as a Government geologist in 1853. In his report on the Pacific Railroad in House of Representatives Documents of 1853-4, he gives the first published version, so far as we can discover, of the "Bridge of the Gods." He tells the story thus: "The Indians tell a characteristic tale of Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens to the effect that they were man and wife; that they finally quarreled and threw fire at one another, and that St. Helens was victor; since when Mount Hood has been afraid, while St. Helens, having a stout heart, still burned. In some versions this story is connected with the slide which formed the Cascades of the Columbia." Mr. Gibbs also gives some Yakima legends.

One of the most distinguished of all the literary pioneers of Old Oregon was Samuel A. Clark. In his "Pioneer Days in Oregon" are several interesting legends well told. In this we find the legend of the Nahalem, with Ona and Sandy and all their tribulations. We find here told also the story of the Bridge of the Gods, in which Hood and Adams are represented as the contending forces, having been originally the abutments of the Bridge of the Gods. But the most noted contribution of Mr. Clark to this legend was his poem called, "The Legend of the Mountains," referring to the fabled bridge, which appeared in _Harper's Magazine_ of February, 1874. This represents Mount St. Helens as a goddess for whom Hood and Adams contended, hurling huge stones at each other and finally breaking down the bridge. The story of the bridge became the most noted of all native myths, being related to practically every traveller that made the steamboat trip down the Columbia.

Let us now turn to those discoverers and writers of Indian myths who are still living. The majority of these are from the nature of the case adaptors and transcribers, rather than original students. But some among them are entitled to the place of genuine investigators. Among these a foremost place must be accorded to Fred A. Saylor of Portland. He was for several years editor of the _Oregon Native Son_, and for it he wrote a number of stories which he derived directly from the Indians. A student of these stories from boyhood, he has accumulated the largest collection of matter both published and unpublished of anyone in the Northwest. This collection is preserved by him in fourteen large scrap books, and constitutes a treasury of valuable data which it is to be hoped may soon appear in a published form for the delight and profit of many readers. Among the legends of which Mr. Saylor is entitled to be regarded as the discoverer are these: "The Legend of Tahoma"; "Why the Indian Fears Golden Hair," or, "The Origin of Castle Rock;" "Speelyi, or the Origin of Latourelle Falls, and the Pillars of Hercules;" "Thorns on Rosebushes;" "The Noah of the Indians;" "The Strange Story of a Double Shadow;" "The Legend of Snake River Valley;" "A Wappato Account of the Flood;" "The Last Signal Fire of the Multnomah;" "The Legend of the Willamette;" "The Love of an Indian Maid;" "Enumpthla;" "Coyote's Tomb;" "Multnomah." The last named has been presented by students on the campus of the State University and also at the Agricultural College of Oregon.

Of investigators known to the author, none seems more worthy of extended and favorable mention than Dr. G. B. Kuykendall of Pomeroy, Wash. He was for a number of years the physician for the Yakima Reservation at Fort Simcoe. He began his work of collecting in 1875, deriving his knowledge directly from the Indians. His authorities were almost entirely old Indians, for from such only could he secure narrations of unadulterated character. His first published writings were in the "West Shore," of Portland, in 1887. His most mature contribution, which may indeed be considered the best yet given to the public, is found in Vol. II, of the "History of the Pacific Northwest," published by the North Pacific History Co., of Portland, in 1889. This is an admirable piece of work, and students of the subject will find here a treasure of native lore. The following is the list of stories given by Dr. Kuykendall in that work: "Wishpoosh, the Beaver God, and the Origin of the Tribes;" "Speelyi Fights Enumtla;" "Speelyi Outwits the Beaver Women;" "Rock Myths;" "Legend of the Tick;" "Mountain Lake Myths;" "The Origin of Fire;" "Water Nymphs;" "Wawa, the Mosquito God;" "Origin of the Loon;" "Castiltah, the Crayfish;" "Wakapoosh, the Rattle Snake;" "The Tumwater Luminous Stone God;" "The Wooden Fireman of the Cascades;" "Contest Between the Chinooks and Cold Wind Brothers;" "Speelyi's Ascent to Heaven;" "Coyote and Eagle Attempt to Bring the Dead Back from Spirit Land;" "The Isle of the Dead."

Another original investigator and the author of an unique and picturesque book devoted exclusively to Indian myths, is W. S. Phillips of Seattle, well known by his non-de-plume of "El Comancho." The book by Mr. Phillips is "Totem Tales." Mr. Phillips says that he gathered the matter for "Totem Tales" from the Puget Sound Indians and from Haida Indians who had come south. This work was mainly done about twenty-five years ago. He verified much of his matter by comparing with Judge Swan, and by the stories acquired by Doctor Shaw, who was at one time Indian agent at Port Madison, and whose wife was one of the daughters of old Chief Sealth (Seattle). He derived matter for comparison also from Rev. Myron Eells. The chief Indian authority of Mr. Phillips was old Chisiahka (Indian John to the Whites), and it was a big tree on the shore of Lake Union that suggested the idea of the "Talking Pine," which the author wove so picturesquely into the narrative. Mr. Phillips has also published the "Chinook Book," the most extensive study of the jargon language yet made. To the others he has added a most attractive book entitled, "Indian Tales for Little Folks."

Another present day investigator, whose work is especially worthy of mention is Rev. J. Neilson Barry, an enthusiastic and intelligent student of every phase of the history of the Northwest. In Chapter III of Volume I of Gaston's "Centennial History of Oregon," Mr. Barry gives a valuable contribution to Indian legends.

Yet another original student is Miss Kate McBeth of Lapwai, Idaho, who with her sister lived for years among the Nez Perces, performing a most beneficent missionary work for them. In her book, "The Nez Perces Since Lewis and Clark," may be found the Kamiah myth, and a few others derived directly from those Indians. Mention may well be made here also of a Nez Percé Indian named Luke, previously referred to, living at Kamiah, who has a very intelligent knowledge of all kinds of Indian matters. Miss McBeth says that the Nez Perces do not like to discuss generally their "heathen" stories and customs. In connection with the Nez Perces it may be stated that Yellow Wolf of Nespilem is an authority on the myth of the Kamiah Monster.

Still another enthusiastic student of Indian legends is Lucullus V. McWhorter of North Yakima. He is an adopted member of the Yakima tribe, and has been of incalculable benefit to the Indians in instructing them as to their rights, in presenting their cause to the Government, and in making known their needs as well as some of their wrongs to the general public through voice and pen. He has made a specialty in recent years of organizing the Indians and taking them to "Round-Ups" and "Frontier Days." A recent pamphlet by him on the treatment of the Yakimas in connection with their water rights is an "eye-opener," on some phases of Indian service and Indian problems. Mr. McWhorter has gathered a large amount of matter from the Indians, in which is material for three books: "Traditions of the Yakimas;" "Hero Stories of the Yakimas;" "Nez Percé Warriors in the War of 1877." Among the proteges of Mr. McWhorter from whom he tells me much of interest could be derived, are Chief Yellow Wolf of the Joseph Band of Nez Perces, and Mrs. Crystal McLeod, known to her people as Humishuma, or Morning Dove, an Okanogan woman of unusual beauty and intelligence and well instructed in the English language. Her picture appears in this work from photographs taken by Mr. John Langdon of Walla Walla.

Any reference to any phase of Oregon would be incomplete without mention of John Minto, one of the most honored of pioneers, one of the noblest of men, and one of the best examples of those ambitious, industrious, and high minded state builders who gave the Northwest its loftiest ideals. Mr. Minto was a student of the Indians and discovered and gave to the world various Clatsop and Nehalem legends. Hon. E. L. Smith of Hood River, Ore., well known as an official and legislator of both Oregon and Washington, and a man of such character that all who ever knew him have the highest honor for him in every relation of life, has made a lifelong study of the natives and has a great collection of myths both in mind and on paper. He is one of the most sympathetic, tolerant, and appreciative of investigators, one whom the Indians of the Mid-Columbia trust implicitly. He has written little for publication in comparison with what he knows, and it is to be hoped that his stores of material may be brought within reach before long. Worthy of mention as a general student of the geography and language of the Indians is Mr. John Gill of Portland. While he has not made a specialty of myths, he has studied the habits and language with special attention, and his dictionary of the Chinook jargon is one of the most valuable collections of the kind.

It is proper to mention here several who are well versed in native lore, yet who have not given their knowledge of legends or myths to the public in book or magazine form. The most conspicuous, indeed, of this group is no longer living. This was Dr. William C. McKay, a grandson of the McKay of the Astor Fur Company, who lost his life on the Tonquin. The mother of Doctor McKay was a Chinook "princess." He was a man of great ability and acquired a fine education. He lived for years, in Pendleton, Ore., where he died some time ago. In the possession of his children and grandchildren there is undoubtedly valuable material and if it could be reduced to written form it would furnish matter of great interest. Certain others of Indian blood may be properly added here who could give material for interesting narrations. Among these are Henry Sicade and William Wilton, living on the Puyallup Reservation near Tacoma, Samuel McCaw of Yakima, Wash., and Charlie Pitt of the Warm Springs Agency in Oregon.

This summary of Indian stories and their investigators is necessarily incomplete. One of the hopes in including it in this work is that it may lead to added contributions. As we contemplate the beauty and grandeur of Old Oregon, which includes Washington and Idaho and a part of Montana, and the pathos, heroism and nobility of its history, and as we see the pitiful remnant of the Indians, we cannot fail to be touched with the quaint, the pathetic, and the suggestive myths and legends that are passing with them into the twilight. In our proud days of possession and of progress we do well to pause and drop the tear of sympathy and place the chaplet of commemoration upon the resting place of the former lords of the land, and to recognize their contributions to the common stock of human thought.