Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, vol 8

Myths And Legends of Our Own
Land, vol 8: Pacific

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Title: Myths And Legends Of Our Own Land (On The Pacific Slope)
Author: Charles M. Skinner
Release Date: October, 2004 [EBook #6613] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on December 31,
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MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF OUR OWN LAND
By Charles M. Skinner
Vol. 8.
ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE

CONTENTS:
The Voyager of the Whulge Tamanous of Tacoma The Devil and the
Dalles Cascades of the Columbia The Death of Umatilla Hunger Valley
The Wrath of Manitou The Spook of Misery Hill The Queen of Death
Valley Bridal Veil Fall The Governor's Right Eye The Prisoner in
American Shaft

ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE
ON THE VOYAGER OF WHULGE
Like the ancient Greeks, the Siwash of the Northwest invest the unseen
world with spiritual intelligence. Every tree has a soul; the forests were
peopled with good and evil genii, the latter receiving oblation at the
devil-dances, for it was not worth while to appease those already good;
and the mountains are the home of tamanouses, or guardian spirits, that
sometimes fight together--as, when the spirits of Mount Tacoma
engaged with those of Mount Hood, fire and melted stone burst from
their peaks, their bellowing was heard afar, and some of the rocks flung
by Tacoma fell short, blocking the Columbia about the Dalles.
Across these fantastic reports of older time there come echoes of a later

instruction, adapted and blended into native legend so that the point of
division cannot be indicated. Such is that of the mysterious voyager of
the Whulge--the Siwash name for the sound that takes the name of
Puget from one of Vancouver's officers. Across this body of water the
stranger came in a copper canoe that borrowed the glories of the
morning. When he had landed and sent for all the red men, far and near,
he addressed to them a doctrine that provoked expressions of
contempt-- a doctrine of love.
To fight and steal no more, to give of their goods to men in need, to
forgive their enemies,--they could not understand such things. He
promised--this radiant stranger--to those who lived right, eternal life on
seas and hills more fair than these of earth, but they did not heed him.
At last, wearying of his talk, they dragged him to a tree and nailed him
fast to it, with pegs through his hands and feet, and jeered and danced
about him, as they did about their victims in the devil- dance, until his
head fell on his breast and his life went out.
A great storm, with thunderings and earthquakes! They took the body
down and would have buried it, but, to! it arose to its feet, as the sun
burst forth, and resumed its preaching. Then they took the voyager's
word for truth and never harmed him more, while they grew less
warlike as each year went by until, of all Indians, they were most
peaceable.

TAMANOUS OF TACOMA
Mount Tacoma has always been a place of superstitious regard among
the Siwash (Sauvage) of the Northwest. In their myths it was the place
of refuge for the last man when the Whulge was so swollen after long
rain that its waters covered the earth. All other men were drowned. The
waves pursued the one man as he climbed, rising higher and higher
until they came to his knees, his waist, his breast. Hope was almost
gone, and he felt that the next wave would launch him into the black
ocean that raged about him, when one of the tamanouses