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TO THE 
 
 AMERICAN INDIAN 
 
 
 By Mrs. Lucy Thompson 
 (Che-na-wah Weitch-ah- wah) , y^ 
 
 EUREKA, CALIFORNIA 
 

 COl'VKKiHT. 1'>H) 
 
 liy Mrs. Luc\ ThDiiipsdii 
 (( ho iKi wall \\c'iK-h :ili wall) 
 
 rn^: 
 
 7 ' 
 
 AUG 25 1916 ^ 
 
« HI. \,\ WAll WKITCll-AIJ WAII. 
 
 In Mi'i WedJiiiK Uress 
 
(Ho Hilton 31. (Uliompsott 
 
 iBy hrlmipii huabaniJ. mith wbam all nf my marrirft lift 
 Ijaa bppn bo plrasantly sprnt. 3 ir&irate tltts book. 
 
 iHrB. IGurg iTiinmpBnu. 
 (Hhp-ua-utah Uritrh-ah-utali- 
 
 1^ 
 
tUMMlNS PRINT SHOP 
 Biihne Biiildirii;, Eureka, California 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Chapter Page 
 
 I. General History; Bill McGarvey's Store 11 
 
 II. Creation of the World 55 
 
 III. The Wandering Tribe 59 
 
 IV. Traditions of the Ancient White People 64 
 
 V. Time and Names 69 
 
 VI. Death and the Spirit Land 72 
 
 VII. Through the Pearly Gates of Heaven 83 
 
 VIII. Burial Customs 93 
 
 IX. The Indian Devil 97 
 
 X. The White Deer Skin Dance 101 
 
 XI. The Lodge Dance 111 
 
 XII. Our Christ 120 
 
 XIII. The Sampson of the Klamath Indians 124 
 
 XIV. The Deluge of the Klamath Indians ._-. 127 
 
 XV. The High Priests 133 
 
 XVI. Law s of the Fish Dam 135 
 
 XVII. The Ancient Houses 138 
 
 XVIII. Wars of the Klamath Indians 142 
 
 XIX. The Marriage Laws ^ . 145 
 
 XX. The Two Famous Athletes 153 
 
 XXI. Pec-wan Colonel 162 
 
 XXII. A Narrative of the Humboldt Indians 165 
 
 XXIII. Romance of a Wild Indian 168 
 
 XXIV. The Prophet that Failed . . 173 
 
 XXV. Teachings of the Klamath Indians on Child Birth 176 
 
 XXVI. The Wild Indian of Pec-wan 178 
 
 XXVII. How the Rich Tried to be a Talth 181 
 
 XXVIII. The Slaves 183 
 
 XXIX. The Wild Indian of Mo-reck 185 
 
 XXX. How a Cor-tep Girl had her Wish Granted 188 
 
 XXXI. Our Tobacco 190 
 
 XXXII. Our Mermaids 192 
 
 XXXIII. Fairy Tales . ,„. 193 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 As there has been so much said and vviitten about the 
 American Indians, with my tribe, the Klamath Indians, included, 
 by the white people, which is guessed at and not facts, I deem 
 it necessary to first tell you who I am, for which please do not 
 <'riticise me as egotistical. 
 
 I am a pure full blooded Klamath river woman. In our 
 tongue we call this great river by the name of Health-kick-wer- 
 roy, and I wear the Tat-toos on my chin that has been the 
 custom for our women for many generations. I was born at Pec- 
 wan village, and of highest birth or what we term under the 
 highest laws of marriage. I am known by my jjeople as a 
 Talth. My maiden name was Che-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah, C'he- 
 na-wah being my given name. My father, being also a Talth, 
 took me at a very early age and began training me in all of the 
 mysteries and laws of my people. It took me years to learn 
 and the ordeal was a hard one. I was made a Talth and given 
 the true name of God, the Creator of all things, and taught the 
 meaning of every article that is used in our festivals, togethei- 
 with all the laws governing our people. I can understand every 
 word, every nod and gesture made in our language. Therefore I 
 feel that I am in a better position than any other person to tell 
 the true facts of the religion and the meaning of the many 
 things that we used to commemorate the events of the past. In 
 this book I will endeavor to tell all in a plain and truthful way 
 without the least coloring of the facts, and will add many of 
 our fairy tales and mother's stories to their children. I will also 
 give the names of many things in my own native tongue. 
 
 Mrs. Lucy Thompson 
 (Che-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah) 
 Eureka, California 
 June, 1916. 
 
/(ItX:^;^^ /(Iia-a5(^W /('v^rTi /inX-^rT-i ii'v^r^T il'v^rxT i(K^^rxn 
 
 V\?^5 >vS3S VvftSS VvSS VvSJS VVS^ vV®3S >vS3-5 
 
 TO THE AMERICAN INDIAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 BILL McGARVEY'S STORE. 
 
 THE Old Klamath Bluffs Store, or fort, and in late years 
 the Klamath Post Office, was built in 1855 or 1856, by a 
 man named Snider. He conducted it as a trading post 
 for Indians, soldiers and travelers alike. It was built of rough 
 split lumber and strongly made of double walls with sawed 
 blocks four inches thick placed between the walls, and was bullet 
 proof, with port holes so that a few white men could defend 
 themselves against many Indians. This store is located twenty- 
 four miles up the river from its mouth, and is about eighteen 
 miles down the river from Weitchpec or the junction of the 
 Trinity River, and something like forty miles below Orleans Bar 
 on the Klamath. Orleans Bar was at one time the County Seat 
 of Klamath County. The old store is on the north bank of the 
 river on a bar that was formed in ancient times, and is high 
 enough to make it safe from all high waters. It is a beautiful, 
 sunny spot and on the line of travel up and down the Klamath 
 liver. 
 
 The north side of the river is mostly prairie along the 
 bank, and the old Indian trail is on that side. The whites took 
 up the Indian trails and improved them so they were traveled by 
 all. This old store is also the central ground for the lower 
 Klamath Indians, as here close by is where they held the sacred 
 White Deer-Skin Dance, which is a worship to their God. Here 
 for ages past have gathered the wealthiest and most prominient 
 Indians, both men and women of all the upper and lower Klamath 
 tribe, including the, Hoopa, Smith River and our Indians down 
 the coast as far as Trinidad. 
 
 White men have visited this famous old store, whose names 
 will go down in history, such as General Crook and many other 
 army officers, besides many wealthy business men. All of them 
 liked to linger in this beautiful spot where the sun shines warm 
 
12 HIl.L McCARN'KV'S STORE 
 
 and the ploasant s(vi ])r('('Z(> fans it all through the siimmei- months, 
 Tlieiv is a trail to this i)la('(^ from the north, Crescent ('ity. Reek- 
 woy and other phicc's. This is not a mining country as there are 
 IK) mines below the mouth of the Trinit}^ except in the river 
 travel or in the low bars that have been washed down from the 
 upper Klanrith and Trinity rivers where all the rich gold-})eai-ing- 
 mining ])lacers are found. These mines were the cause of the 
 old store being a central stopping place for the m?n in the e u'ly 
 <(ays, going to and from the mines. In the Fall of 187() I 
 counted upwards of three thousand Indians there at a White 
 n(Ma-Skin dance. There were five tlifferent languages spoken 
 among them, the lowcn- Klamath, upper Ivlamath, Hoopa, Smith 
 Riven- and ]\Iad River. Some of them could speak two and 
 some three, while others could only speak one. So it can I)e 
 seen that this old Klamath Bluff store or Klamath Post-office as 
 it is now called, has been the scene of many and not a f(nv 
 nnn-ders and this store will be mentioned often in my writing. 
 
 In about the year 1861 Snid(>r sold the stock of goods to 
 Bill McCxarvey, a jolly Irishman. It was Bill McGarvey that 
 named me Lucy, yet he always called me by my In(han name, 
 Che-na-wah. Bill McGarvey kept in stock plenty of wiskey, 
 always in the flat pint bottles, which he sold at a dollar a bottle 
 to the whites and Indians alike. He would only bring out one 
 bottle at a time in selling it to the Indians so that any time 
 they became quarrelsome he could tell them that it was all gone. 
 Bill ]\IcGarvey had many ups and downs in the way of hi.** 
 trading there among them and I will tell of some of his 
 (experiences. 
 
 Thre(> Indians came to the store (me day bringing with 
 them a fine looking young Indian girl and wanted to l)orrow 
 thii'ty dollai's and leave the girl as security. He talked it over 
 for awhile, the Indians saying that they had to have this 
 amount to make a settlement with some other Indians, that they 
 would come liack and pay him and take the girl in thirty days. 
 So he decided to let them have the money without due con- 
 sidei'ation (A how he would take care of the gii'l. Aftei' they 
 were gone he began to think of the situation that he had placed 
 himself in, as he was a l)a('heIor. So he made up a I'oom for 
 her and when it came to cooking he thought h(> would have 
 her wash the dishes and sweej) the house but she would do no 
 
RIT.L :\I('GARVEY'S STORE IS 
 
 house work unless he paid her for it. McG:uv(\v tried to argue 
 the case with her and told her that he had to furnish her food 
 and cook it, also furnish a room and a bed to sleep in and that 
 she ought to clean up the house. She answei-ed l)y telling him 
 that he was doing only what he had to do and that she would 
 not work unless he paid her for it. McGarvey had to absolut(;- 
 ly wait on her for the whole thirty days as completely as if she 
 had owned him as a slave. She could go and come as she liked, 
 always coming back in time so he could not make a complaint, 
 telling him that if he said so, she would stay in the house all 
 the time. He said that the experience was in after years a 
 lesson to him in dealing with the Indians. When the thirty 
 days were up they came with the money, paid him and took 
 the girl. 
 
 Another time he wanted to get in his winter supplies and 
 at that time he got his goods from Crescent City, (Caw-paw) 
 and he went to Cortep village which is about six hundred yards 
 above the store and on the same side of the river to see if he 
 could hire them to go down the Klamath and out to sea to 
 Crescent City with their canoes, as they had a large new one. 
 He hired five of them, all Cortep Indians to go and bring his 
 goods into the mouth of the river and store them there until 
 they had them all in before the ocean would get too rough, as 
 the winter months were coming on. 
 
 Early in the morning the five Indians of the Cortep 
 village (this was a town village of the Klamath tribe) started 
 down the river and on arriving at the mouth never stopped to 
 take a view of the weather, but put out to sea. The ocean was 
 very rough, the waves were rolling high, and when they got in- 
 to the breakers their boat capsized and all five of them were 
 drowned. This brought on serious trouble for Bill McGarvey. 
 The relatives of the drowned Indians talked it over for three or 
 four months and then decided to go to McGarvey and demand 
 pay, the most of it to be paid in Indian money. McGarvey 
 said that after counting it up it would amount in our gold to 
 about fifteen hundred dollars. He refused to pay it, telling them 
 that he was not responsible for the drowning, that he had only 
 hired them to bring in his goods by water, that their getting 
 drowned was not his fault and he would not pay. At this they 
 went away. 
 
14 ]^,1LL AlcClARVEYS STORE 
 
 Two or thr(H^ days :ift(>i-, late in the evening he heai'cl 
 small stones sti'iking on the shed-roof of the kitchen at the l)ack 
 part of the store. He listened, but heard no more, so he went 
 to the door of the kitchen, enclosed with a high, strong picket 
 fence, and opposite the kitchen door was a gate in this fence, 
 and as he looked out of the dooi' there stood a tall, slendei' tine 
 looking Indian woman, one that had always been a friend of 
 McCJarvey, and not only to him but to all the whites. This 
 woman was my close kindred which gave me the opportunity of 
 knowing it correctly. She beckoned to McGarvey to come, and 
 as he came up to her she told him to make preparations for 
 himself and the othei- two men that w^re in the store to defend 
 themselves as the Cortep Indians would be there very early the 
 next morning and would kill him unless they could manage to 
 hold the Indians off. Then the Indian woman stealthily crept 
 away and back to her home while McGarvey and his two 
 friends, Jack Paupaw and George A. White began at once to 
 pi'epare for their defence as well as they could. They got in as 
 good a supply of water as they had vessels to hold it in, closed 
 the doors and bolted them from the inside and opened the port- 
 holes. Under the store was a large cellar just on a level with 
 the ground from the outside. Sure enough, early the next 
 morning there came twenty-five or thirty of them, with their 
 faces blackened with war paint and yelling the war-hoop. But 
 McGarvey and his friends were ready to keep them at bay for 
 a few hours, until a young Indian that was a great friend of 
 the whites and a life-long friend to McGarvey came and as he 
 walked up to the door of the store he asked to be let in. They 
 opened the door and let him in. This Indian, named So-pin-itts 
 (Solomon), lived close by and is yet living. After he was in the 
 store awhile he went out and talked it over A\nth the Indians 
 and called a stop till the next day, during which time McCJarvey 
 tried to make a settlement with them; and finally by telling 
 them that it was too much money, that he never kejit so much 
 money in the store and that the only way he could pay that 
 amount was to .send to C'rescent City and get his friends there 
 to help him. Finally the Indians consented to this and all of 
 th(Mn went home. McGarvey wrote a letter to his friends in 
 Crescent City asking them to help him, telling them of the sit- 
 uation he was in and asked them to intercede in his behalf or 
 
BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 15 
 
 the three of them would be killed by the Indians. He also 
 wrote a letter to the Government officer in command of the 
 Smith River Indian Reservation, telling him of his predicament 
 and asking him to send a squad of soldiers to his assistance, and 
 then dispatched the letters by an Indian in post haste. The 
 Indian not knowing the contents of the letters went with all 
 speed to deliver them to the friend of McGarvey at Crescent 
 City. The friend, after reading them, also made haste to deliver 
 the one to the commanding officer, while the officer in turn 
 arranged to send ten soldiers with an officer to the McGarvey 
 store. They arrived at the store on the morning of the fifth 
 day after the truce had been given. At daylight the soldiers 
 came down the hill to the north of the store, whooping and 
 yelling at the top of their voices, after a long and tedious march 
 of almost day and night over rough mountain trails, up hill and 
 down, through brush and timber with only part of the distance 
 in the open ground, traveling for about fifty hours. 
 
 On the arrival of the soldiers the Indians were dismayed, 
 knowing that they had been out-generaled and that McGarvey 
 had sent for the soldiers instead of sending for the money to 
 pay them, and had done it by sending one of their own men to 
 deliver the message. At this turn of affairs the Indians quieted 
 down and abided their time, as they never get in a hurry to 
 make a settlement. 
 
 After the soldiers had been there for a few days they re- 
 ceived orders to remain until further notice. It was then that 
 McGarvey hired some men to build an addition to the store. 
 This was erected at the west end of the store, about twelve feet 
 wide and eighteen feet long and eight feet high to the eaves. 
 It stood out over a steep bank of a small creek that comes 
 down close to the west end of the store. This made comfortable 
 quarters for the soldiers where thej^ would be sheltered from 
 the hot rays of the summer heat and the rains of the 
 winter months, also privacy from the prying eyes of the in- 
 quisitive Indians. Here the soldiers remained for about eight 
 months, having all sorts of a jolly time, as Bill McGarvey had 
 plenty of whiskey to supply their thirst at a dollar a bottle 
 after each pay day. McGarvey on some occasions would take 
 quite freely of the whiskey himself, becoming intoxicated and 
 boisterous. On these occasions his friend Solomon, the Indian, 
 
16 liiLL m.(;ahvey's store 
 
 would <>;() into the store and k(>op him straight, iockin<>' the doors 
 and k'ltins no one in. 
 
 Jack Pau])a\v and (Jeorge White went to theii- own homes. 
 Jack Paupaw was a hkicksmith by trade and was working in 
 Crescent City. He was an old pioneer of Crescent City and the 
 Klamath river. He returned to Cresent Cit\' wliile White went 
 up the river to a place known as Big Bar, thus leaving Mc- 
 Garvey with the soldiers, as everything was now quiet. Things 
 proceeded smothly while the soldiers were there and all thought 
 that the trouble was forgiven and forgotten and the soldiers were 
 ordered back to their connnand. 
 
 But the Indians of the Cortep village began to scheme 
 for another plan for revenge of their lost relatives, but gave 
 up ]\IcGarvey and chose this time a man by the name of 
 Bryson who was the superintentlent of the Klamath Bluffs Min(\ 
 situated only about two hundred yards up the river from the 
 store. Bryson had a miner's cabin whicli he lived in while 
 working at the mines, up from the river out of the way of high 
 water. The mine was down close to the river. He was coming 
 up the trail to his cabin for dinner just about twelve o'clock 
 when one of the Cortep Indians shot him down in his tracks 
 with one of the old muzzle loading rifles; this Indian was named 
 Lotch-kum. Then all the Indians left for the timber to get out 
 of the way of the whites and friendly Indians. This started the 
 row going again and McGarvey barricaded his store until the 
 friendly Indians came to his assistance. The first family to 
 come was Weitch-ah-wah (my father) and his brother (my uncle). 
 
 At that time they were camped at the mouth of Tec-tali 
 creek, some four miles down the river from the store, and as 
 .soon as they heard of the killing of Bryson they started for 
 their home at the Pec-wan village about one mile abov(> th(> 
 store and on going home went by the store and stopped to leai'u 
 the particulars of the killing. McGarvey made arrangements 
 with Warrots (my uncle) to go up the river and give notice to 
 the whites, T. M. Brown, the Sheriff of Klamath County. 
 and to the soldiers stationed at Camp Gaston in Iloopa \'alley. 
 some twelve miles up the Trinity river from its junction with 
 the Klamath. After Warrots had d(>livei'ed the message at all 
 points he stealthily returned to his home at Pec-wan in the night 
 so the other Indians would not find out he was on this eri'and 
 
BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 17 
 
 against them. On the day following Warrot's return, the Sheriff 
 and other white men came among them. George A. White, who 
 was a cripple as has before been stated, started to w:dk on the 
 front porch of the store when some of the angry Indians said to 
 him, Melasses White you can't fight, you are crippled ( Melasses 
 was his Indian name). 
 
 White went back into the store and got one of the first 
 makes of Henry rifles. (The one Warrots had let McGarvey 
 have to defend himself with, andwas the one my brother had brought 
 from Oregon while he was up there with the white men and was 
 the only one to be found on the Klamath of the kind and make 
 at that time) As soon as the Cortep Indians saw the rifle they 
 knew at once that Warrots had given it to the whites to shoot 
 them with and it caused them to swear vengeance against Warrots 
 and his brother. Upon further inquiry they also found out that 
 Warrots had been up to Hoopa and told of the killing of Bryson. 
 T. M. Brown having been the Sheriff of Kin math County a 
 number of years and also a pioneer of the Klamath river was 
 quite well acquainted with the habits and customs of the 
 Klamath river Indians and he counseled whith the friendly 
 Indians and agreed to pay them for their sevices if they would 
 bring in the guilty Indian Lotch-kum dead or alive. So War- 
 rots set out to find Lotch-kum and kept watching different 
 places to find where he was hiding. The country being heavily 
 timbered Lotch-kum kept out of sight for nearly a year 
 but at last Warrots found where he was hiding in a creek some 
 eight miles down the river from the store and about one mile up 
 the creek from the river in the heavy redwood timber, in a large 
 pile of drift logs. He first heard Lotch-kum's little fist dog bark 
 and on watching patiently for awhile saw Lotch-kum come out. 
 At this he went back to his home in the Pec-wan village, then 
 visited with the Ser-e-goin village and told them that he had 
 found the hiding place of Lotch-kum. When they got ready 
 three of them, the other two being from the Ser-e-goin village, 
 Monmonth Jack and Marechus Charley, with Warrots leading 
 the way arrived close to Lotch-kum's hiding place. They com- 
 menced to keep a close lookout for him, as they could see his 
 tracks in the soft dirt and sand in the bed of the creek; and had 
 to keep up the watch for about ten days. Finally they saw him 
 come creeping out to the creek where he began to bathe himself. 
 
18 BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 
 
 W'aiTots r:iis(Ml his I'ifk^ To his slioulck'r, took aim and fii'cd, 
 Charley and Jack firing next. Lotch-kuni fell to the ground hut 
 kept raising np an<i falling down again, trying to get away, when 
 the thre(^ of th(nn ran up to him as fast as they could, drew 
 their long heavy knives and severed his head, put it in a sack 
 and carried it back to the old store in triumph. Inside they 
 ioIUmI it out on the counter, which satisfied the whites for the 
 killing of Bryson. Bryson was buried in a pretty spot a little 
 northeast of the store, with hardly a mark to show the place 
 where he was to sleep, and all settled down to peace and quiet- 
 ness again between the Indians and the whites. But the Pec- 
 wan Indians were divided between the Indians and the whites, 
 sonu> of them were friendly to the whites while others took sides 
 with the Cortep Indians. Warrots was a Pec-wan Indian and 
 full brother to Weitch-ah-wah. The Sheriff and Government 
 officers gave to the three Indians who had killed Lotch-kum, 
 letters of very high recommendations for their services and to the 
 good graces of all the whites. (I have seen these letters with 
 the signatures many times in my girl-hood days.) 
 
 Xow the Cortep village and part of the Pec-wan village 
 began to make plans to kill Warrots, and as he was considered 
 t(j be a good and faithful friend of the whites by these Indians, 
 it must be done in a way so as to deceive the whites and not 
 to let them know it was being done as a revenge for the part 
 he had taken in killing Lotch-kum. So they bided their time 
 waiting for a good chance, but all the time Warrots was 
 hearing of their schemes through his friends and he went to the 
 Sheriff and Government officers and told them that Loch-kum's 
 friends were planning to kill him and all of them j)romised him 
 that no one would be allowed to harm him. Sheriff Brown sent 
 him word to meet him at Trinidad as Trinidad was at that time 
 in Klamath County. Warrots came and laid the facts before 
 him and the Sheiiff promised him protection and Warrots went 
 back home. Aft(>r al)Out three weeks his brother Weitch-ah-wah 
 and all the family except myself (I was about eight years of age) 
 w(>nt away thereby Warrots' enemies got their chance to carry 
 out theii- plans. Early in the morning Warrots w(>nt down to 
 the creek which was only a short distance, to bathe and there 
 he met a little boy, the son of Pec-wan Ma-hatch-us. He sjioke 
 to the boy, bathed in the creek and went l)ack uj) to the house, 
 
BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 19 
 
 when lie saw another Indian coininji; up the vWw ti-ail from tlie 
 Cortep village, and as he ])assed the boy Wariots saw him stop, 
 talk to the boy and give him a piece of bread which he ate. 
 The boy then came up to the Pec-wan village while the Indian, 
 who was from the Cortep village, kept on up the river. As the 
 l)oy got to his hou.se he became ill and in about thirty minutes 
 died. Evidently the Indian had given him a jiiece of poisoned 
 bread which had killed him. They gave no attention to the one 
 that gave the i)read but instead laid all the blame on Warrots 
 for the death of the boy and as soon as the ceremony and burial 
 was over they pounced upon Warrots and shot him at the door 
 of his sweat-house, killing him. The next day Warrots was laid 
 to rest in the grave-yard of his own folks in Pec-wan village. 
 None of the whites ever made any attempt to punish any of the 
 Indians or stop them from killing him. This is the reward he 
 received for being a faithful friend to the whites in times of need. 
 His brother wdth his family was forced to leave their 
 home in Pec-wan village and move to Ser-e-goin village, where 
 lived the friends and helpers of Warrots, ]\Iermis Jack and 
 Ser-e-goin Charley. After living there for awhile w'e moved up 
 to Hoopa so as to get farther aw'ay from our enemies and where 
 we could have a better chance for protection. I took a position 
 with the Agent which they said I filled with credit to mj'self 
 and satisfaction to them. Mermis Jack and Ser-e-goin Charley 
 lived for many years but were never friendly with the friends 
 of Lotch-kum. Mermis Jack finally died suddenly and in a 
 manner that pointed strongly that he was given poison in his 
 food. Ser-e-goin Charley died a natural death in 1886. 
 
 In 1876 Bill McGarvey died in the old store that went by 
 his name so long. He had not been feeling well for some time. 
 In the large room at the west end of the store building he had 
 a large stone fire-place, put in many years before and he used 
 this room as his bed-room and also a sitting room. In this roorn 
 he was taking his bath in a tub when he fell over dead in front 
 of the fire-place. The same evening his Indian lady friend died 
 in her home which was just a short distance from the store. 
 McGarvey had outside shutters to his windows which fastened 
 from the inside and these he had fastened, and in the morning 
 as he did not open the store, his Indian friend Solomon waited 
 until late in the morning for the opening of the store, when he 
 
20 BILL McCIAHVES STORE 
 
 became suspicious of all not Ix-iug; right. He pried open the 
 shutter of the window on the south side of the store whieh would 
 give him a view of everything in the room where McGarvey 
 slept, and there before the large stone fire-place lay McGarvey 
 cold in death and beside him was the tub in which he was 
 taking his bath. When the IncUans heard of his death they all 
 said Bill McGarvey and Moliie have both gone over to the 
 other side together. (MoUie was closely related to all my folks) 
 Bill McGarvey was laid to rest by the side of Bryson, on the 
 flat above the store, and the store passed into the hands of 
 James McGarvey, a brother of Bill. James McGarvey made the 
 claim that he was the only living brother which was afterw:irds 
 said to be false, yet he got the store and ran it for several 
 years. He kept whiskey and sold it to the Indians and the whites 
 The Indians would get drunk and have fights and kill each other 
 until he finally got mixed up with them by having a row over 
 one Indian finding a pistol in the trail that belonged to a wliite 
 man by name of Jim Douglas. McGarvey thought he would 
 make the Indian give up the pistol in short order and he went 
 into the Wah-tec village which is situated but a shoit distance from 
 the store and as he got within a few yards of Ray-no, the 
 Indian, he drew his pistol and commenced to shoot at him. 
 McGarvey 's shots went wild and the Indian drew his pistol and 
 shot McGarvey, striking him in the back on the left side, just 
 missing the back-bone and went clean through the body on the 
 striffin of his stomach and he fell to the ground. The white 
 men went to his assistance and carried him to the store and the 
 Indians that were in the row left and went up the river to other 
 villages with the pistol in their possession. This raised quite 
 a furo of excitement and the whites were counseled with by the 
 Indians that were friendly to both sides and they were asked to 
 bring back the ones that were in the shooting of McGarvey and 
 to bring back the pistol to the rightful owner. The next day 
 they came back and returned the pistol to James Douglas and 
 he gave them five dollars to be given to the one that found it. 
 In some three weeks Jim McGarvey was up and walking around 
 and in a short time went to Orleans Bar, where there was a 
 Justice of the Peace and tried to swear out a warrant for the 
 arrest of the Indian but the warrant was refused by the Justice 
 who told him that he had commenced the row himself by shoot- 
 
BILL McGARVEY'S STORP] 21 
 
 in<i; first, while intoxicated. Several years before this, Klamath 
 <'ounty was taken off the map by beinjj; absorbed into Humboldt 
 and Del Norte Counties, leaving this old Klamath Bluffs store in 
 Humboldt County. 
 
 Jim MeGarvcy was sellinfi; whiskey to the Indians and 
 <"ausing so much trouble among them that it caused a number 
 of killing scrapes. After this trouble was settled and Jim 
 IMcGarvey got well of his wounds, he sold the store to Peter 
 Kane and moved down the Kliunath River to within about three 
 miles of the mouth of the river and settled at the mouth of a 
 ^mall creek close to the bank of the river, taking with him all 
 of his ill gotten gains and his beautiful little Indian woman that 
 had lived with him for years and to whom he had never been 
 married by any law. She was neat and tidy and a good cook 
 but MoGarvey got mad at her for crying over the death of hi'r mother 
 and struck her on the back of her head. From this she began 
 to lose her mind and he finally abandoned her and she became 
 a raving maniac and died, leaving no children. Her body was 
 taken back up to her birth-place and laid to rest with her kin 
 in the family grave-yard, while Jim McG&ivey lived on his 
 place for a few years and then died. 
 
 Peter Kane now had the store and he also kept whiskey 
 and a rough house. He would sell whiskey to the Indian -^ and 
 get drunk himself, having trouble all around. He said one fall 
 that he had two five gallon kegs of whiskey and that the Indians 
 close around there had four hundred dollars and that he would 
 get it all out of them for the two kegs of whiskey. His selling 
 to them was the cause of four of them get ting killed. Peter 
 Kane had an Indian woman belonging to Redwood creek. She 
 spoke the Hoopa tongue and bore him three children. One day 
 one of the little girls about seven months old was crying and 
 Kane grabbed her roughly by and neck, held her out, shook her 
 at the same time, he walked out through the kitchen and threw 
 the child flat on the ground with its face down, then turned 
 and walked back into and store cursing the child and its mother. 
 The next morning the mother got her things together and started 
 for her home on Redwood creek. Arriving at the Klamath river 
 w^hich she had to cross she proceeded to cross over with her 
 children and had almost reached the other side before Kane found 
 that she was leaving. As soon a.s he discovered that she was 
 
22 BILL Mc(;AR\'EV'S STORE 
 
 leaving. As soon as ho (liscovcred tliat she was soin<2; he ran 
 into the store, graljbed his rifle anil i-an down the bank to the 
 water's edge and began firing. He fiicd several shots at hei-, the 
 bullet's striking elose l)y but failed to strike her. She went lo 
 her home in the night, some twenty miles away, over a lough 
 mountain trail and through heavy timber most of the way. 
 She nevei' eame back. The Indians preventing him from 
 foUoAving her that night was all that kept him from killing her. 
 It got too warm for him and he sold the store to C. H. Johnson 
 and aft(n-wards went to the Indian woman on Redwood creek 
 and remained there with her. This brute took the same little 
 girl by her I(>gs and dashed her brains out against a large red- 
 wootl post, so every one said. The woman again had to flee for 
 her life. She left for Hoopa Valley, where she could get some 
 protection and Kane did not dare^ to follow her there. He 
 drifted down on the coast and lived for a number of years but 
 finally took sick and died in the County Hospital. The woman 
 he had lived with and bore him children remained at Hoopa and 
 raised the other chiklren. Can you expect children, born to such 
 fathers under such conditions to grow up to be good and respect- 
 able men and women ? Many of them are a credit to their 
 Indian mothers while those who have gooil respectable fathers 
 and are born under wed-lock, having a birth that they can be 
 proud of, over the average, make the best of men and women. 
 
 I have strenuously fought the whiskey traffic carried on by 
 the unprincipaled white men for years and did all that I could 
 to stop it, and made bitter enemies in doing so. Yet it is going 
 on just the same under the very eyes of some of those who are 
 employed by the U. S. Goverment to put it down. It looks 
 as if thej' were paitl to keep their eyes closed ami not s(h> it. 
 
 When C. H. Johnson took over the store he cleaned it up 
 and built an addition to it and put in a large stock of provisions, 
 made friends with the Indians and did not keep any intoxicating 
 liquors and he allowed no one to drink around the store. He 
 gave the Indians good advice so that all looked up to him as a 
 friend among them and he nevei- meddled with any of their wives 
 but treated them with respect, so that all could come and go, 
 trade and chat with joerfeet ease and freedom. Many of them 
 would lay their troul)les before him and he would listen pati(Mitly 
 and always try to give them good advice and keep down trouble 
 
BILL McGARVEY'S STORE. 23 
 
 among them as far a.s it was in his power to do so. Mr. John- 
 son kept this store for over twenty-five years and the Indians 
 never at any time made a threat against him or offered to harm 
 him in any way. He began with the help of the settlers and 
 succeeded in getting the government to establish a post office at 
 the store and which he named Klamath Post office, while he 
 was the Postmaster. He ran the Post office with the store 
 and made a good official, striving at all times to do what he could 
 for the patrons of the office. It was very few times that any 
 complaint was made for mislaying mail. He ran the Post office 
 for about twenty-two years and duiing this time many of the 
 Indians sent letters and received others and he used to read theii" 
 letters for them and did much of their correspondence for them. 
 He kept the office until he died. Mr. Johnson used to keei) 
 quite a stock of patent medicines and acted as doctor to the 
 Indians if any of them were sick, often going to see them and 
 give them medicine if he thought by doing so he could cure them. 
 In serious cases he would advise them to go to a white doctor 
 which they would sometimes do. 
 
 As Mr. Johnson never kept any whiskey, being opposed to 
 selling it to the Indians, his neighbors now took advantage of 
 the whiskey business and began to get it in quantities and sell it 
 to the Indians and mixed bloods which still kept the quarrels 
 going. It looks as if it will still continue so to the end. It is a 
 well known fact that Mr. Johnson made money at the store and 
 when he became sick he was attended by white men until he 
 died. It was said that no money was found above a small sum. 
 The stock of goods was run down until there was but little left. 
 The reader can guess how this happened as Mr. Johnson never 
 made a failure and always paid for his goods, his credit being 
 good for whatever he orderd. He was the father of one daughter, 
 her mother being a Klamath Indian woman. This daughtci- he 
 always claimed as his child and made arrangements for her to 
 have aU he posessed at his death, but she will never get but 
 little. He was buried upon the flat beside the grave of Mr. 
 Bryson in a deplorable manner. 
 
 A man by the name of Oscar Chapman, after the lapse of 
 several weeks was sent up to take charge of the store until the 
 estate could be settled. The Post office was moved from the 
 store and Chapman continued to run the store about one year 
 
24 
 
 BILL McnARVEY'S STORE 
 
 •ami kci)t wiiiskcy to sell and ran }i;aiul)ling tables in the store. 
 He meddled with the women, hoth married and single for wliich 
 he was shot dead in amhush. The Coronei' was sent up fronT 
 Ai'cata to take eharge of the l)ody and brought it down to 
 Areata for burial. 
 
 BILL McGARN KY S SIOKI-: 
 
 Then a man named William Lawson was sent up there to 
 take charge of the store and remained a few months and would 
 not stay any longer. The order was given to him to sell all he 
 could and liox up the I'emainder and take what was left down to 
 
BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 25 
 
 the moulli of the Klamath by boat an<l store it there for safe 
 keeping until some future time. Thus, the ohl stoie at Khuuath 
 Bhiffs is dismantled and now stands there unoccupied. 
 
 After the death of Mr. Johnson the (Jovernment put two 
 lady matrons on the Klamath river to look after the interests of 
 the Indians. They at once began to look after this store and 
 made reports against it. The order came that no one could buy 
 it or start it np as a trading-post without first giving a bond in 
 the sum of ten thousand dollars, yet it had been run by different 
 men, sokl a number of times and none had ever given any 
 l)onds for over fifty years. 
 
 Around this store there are many tales woven, and I will 
 tell quil^e a number of them, using this place as a center to start 
 with, ns this is where the lower Klamath Indians have their 
 White Deer-skin dance and a short distance above the store is 
 where one of their sacred lodges is located. They have the true 
 n.' me of God which is used in the lodge only in a low whisper, 
 and outside of the lodge when three or four of them are out in 
 a secret place, and then only in a whisper when they are burn- 
 ing certain roots and herbs that give sweet and pleasant odors 
 to their God. While the festival is being held all difficulties are 
 settled. Those of lower birth at the present time are pre- 
 tending to carry out the worship, but for the past few years 
 have made a sorry affair of it. 
 
 MARRIAGE 
 
 In the high marriage of the Talth the woman is most 
 beautifully dressed on her wedding day. A buckskin dress all 
 strung with beads and shells that clink and rattle with her 
 ever graceful step. Her hair is parted in the middle, brought 
 down on each side and rolled with the skin of the otter. This 
 skin is nicely dressed or tanned and then cut into about one 
 inch strips, thus holding the hair so it hangs down to their hips 
 or lower, according to its lenght. Around her neck are strings 
 of most beautifully arranged beads and of high value among 
 them; they hang down to her waist, almost completely covering 
 her chest. A buck skin, dsessed and made as white as it can 
 be made, goes over the shoulders and fastens around the neck 
 and hangs down covering the back. This makes her very 
 
26 GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 beautiful. She is so (piick in inovenient tiiat one has to keejj 
 their eyes on lier eh)s(^ly to see all of her actions, while she 
 speaks low and softly. These higli niai'riages are vei'\' few and 
 this' beautiful sijiht of the bride is seldom seen. The sii'l^^ '^oi'i^ 
 of these niarri:it>es were always looked up to by the Indians. 
 When these j;ii'ls vmuv ;don<>; or were met by any children of 
 other births, the latter would always get out of the trail and let 
 them pass. 
 
 The Klamath Indians never had a chief like the other 
 lai'<i(' trilies but were luled Ijy these men and women of such 
 births that became members of the order. 
 
 Another system is the ''half married" one, the woman 
 taking her husband to her house to live with her. By this 
 marriage she is the absolute boss of the man and has complete 
 control of all tlie children. She has the power to correct her 
 husband in all his actions and can send him out to hunt, fish or 
 work just as she deems proper, he being a slave to her, as they 
 usually both belong to the class that are slaves. It amuses one 
 to hear them use tht^ tei'm against white men that marry white 
 women, the man having no home of his own, and the woman 
 taking him to her home. They say that white man is half 
 married just the same as our people are half married and that 
 tlie white man can not walk out at any time as he is not boss 
 for the woman owns everything. They have a third form of 
 marriage that belongs to the middle class. These marriages are 
 considered by the whole tribe as good marriages and the children 
 boi-n })y these marriages have a good standing in all walks of life. 
 The marriage is performed bj' a part barter and trade, such as 
 giving in exchange a boat or fishing place or any other property 
 of a personal nature. This ceremony is more of the common 
 ihan the imposing way. Since the coming of the white man he 
 has brought this mari-iage around to a simple form of buying 
 out-right by giving a price as one would for a horse, cow or any 
 other piu'chase. The old Indian law was an exchange of valual)le 
 articles and often the woman did not go to the man she mari'ied 
 and live with him in his own home until they had been married 
 one, two oi' three years. 
 
 The Klamath Indians were, at the coming of the white 
 man, a very lai'ge tiibe, there being sev(M'al thousand of th(Mn. 
 It taxed every resource of the (-ountiy in which they Yivod for 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 27 
 
 all of them to ol)tain a subsistance, therefore everything was 
 owned in the same way that it is now owned by the white man. 
 The land was divided up by the boundaries of the creeks, ridges 
 and the river. All open prairies for gathering grass seeds, such 
 as Indian wheat, which looks similar to rye, besides oth«r kinds 
 of seed; the oak timber for gftheiing acorns, the sugar pine for 
 gathering pine nuts, the hazel flats for gathering hazel nuts and 
 the fishing places for catching salmon. 
 
 The most frugal and saving of the families had l)ecome 
 the owners of these places and their own(M-ship undisputed and 
 these ownerships were handed down from one generation to 
 another by will. In time this left a great many of them owning 
 no property by which they could make a li^'ing and many of 
 their own people became slaves to the wealthy class. They made 
 the slaves work and kept them from starving, and by this there 
 came about the ''half married" system. There are some of these 
 Indians that were born slaves living j'et, and they are the ones 
 that are always ready to tell the white man all of the Indian 
 legends in a way to fit their own cases. They cannot tell the 
 true legends at all, as they are ignorant of such facts. The 
 wealthy ones would see that the men got wives and that the girls 
 got husbands, build them houses and some families were very 
 kind to their slaves. When they were sick they saw that they 
 had doctors and the proper care. Some families were mean and 
 over-bearing to their slaves, giving no care to the sick, letting 
 them die and going so far as to throw them into a hole, leaving 
 them there to suffer and starve until they died. This sort of 
 treatment was looked down upon by the ones that had better 
 humane feelings and they sometimes prevented such inhuman 
 actions. The most of the doctors are women and they exercised 
 great power, especially those who had a high standing as to 
 family, and the art of curing most all diseases or cases of sick- 
 ness. A few of the doctors were men and they used roots and 
 herbs of different kinds and they are hard to beat as doctors in 
 a great many kinds of sickness. They can cure the bite of a 
 rattle snake, not one of them ever dying from the bite. I knew 
 many of the people that were bitten by the rattle snake at dif- 
 ferent times and they were cured and lived to be very old. For 
 this cure they use salt water out of the ocean and the root or 
 the onion of what you call kelp and which is taken out of the 
 
28 GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 ocean. They pound the onion of the kelp and make a poultice 
 out of it, place it over the wound and keep it wet with the salt 
 water, at the same time letting the patient drink all he can of 
 the salt water. The patient is kept perfectly still and not alow- 
 ed to move about more than is necessary. They bind the limb 
 or place where the part is bitten to prevent the free circulation 
 of the blood through these parts. 
 
 In other things they are equally as good. In child l;)irth 
 they prepare a woman for giving birth to her child and at the 
 birth of the child they have an old woman to take care of the 
 mother and child. After the birth of the child the cord is cut 
 and tied, then they take the black part of a large snail, which 
 has an oily substance, and place it over the navel. They put 
 a bandage around the child which is kept there for some time. 
 I have never known an Indian of the old tribe to be ruptured 
 and yet they do not know anything about surgery. If anything 
 of a serious nature happens to a woman during child-birth they 
 are at a loss to know what to do to save her. If the woman 
 gives birth to twins and they are a boy and girl, they try to raise 
 them both, but if it be two boys or girls thej' pick one of them 
 and raise it while the other one is neglected and starved to death, 
 and when it died they went through all the forms of sorrow by 
 crying and mourning over the loss of the child just the same as if 
 they tried to raise it. If anything happens to the mother that 
 causes her death at child-l)irth or after and the child is yet an 
 infant, they take sugar-pine nuts or hazel nuts and pound them 
 into fine flower and mix this in warm water, making a milky suIj- 
 stance out of it. They can raise a child on this preparation as 
 well as if it was nursed at the mother's l)reast. Every family in 
 the olden times was very careful to keep a good supply of 
 pine and hazel rmts on hand. 
 
 The Indians were presevers of the sugar-pine timber which 
 grew on the high ranges of mountains on the north side of the 
 river and there was a very heavy fine and also death to the 
 Indian that willfully destroyed any of this timber. The sugar 
 from these trees was also used by them as a medicine in diffei- 
 ent cases of sickness. The salt water mussels that they gather 
 which cling to the rocks close to the sea-shore, is an article of 
 food for them and they gather and eat them while fresh by boil- 
 ing them. They also dry them and take them up the river to 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 29 
 
 their homes for winter use. In the month of August and a part 
 of Septem])er these mussels become poisoned, in some years worse 
 than in others, with phosphorus. Sometimes whole families 
 would get poisoned by eatinjj; them out of season and in this 
 case they use the sugar which is taken from the sugar-pine tree 
 and which is a sure cure if taken in time. This made the Indian 
 prize the sugar-pine tree very highly and putting to death even 
 a member of their own tribe who harmed a tree in any way. 
 
 In the early days when a white man arri\^(Hl among the 
 Indians, he took an Indian woman, and in the fall of the year she 
 would want to gather some pine nuts, the white man would go 
 with her, taking his axe, and cut down the tree, as he could not 
 climb it, and told the woman there they are, what are you going 
 to do about it ? At first the woman complained and finally said 
 that the white man would spoil everything. Then the Indians 
 began to cut the trees. In the last few' years these trees have 
 become very valuable in the eyes of the white man, and it has 
 become the complaint of the white man that the Indians ought 
 to be arrested and punished. Some of them have gone so far as 
 to say that the Indians ought to be shot for cutting down this 
 fine timber for the nuts. I leave the reader to decide which one 
 ought to be punished for the cutting of the great number of 
 these fine sugar-pine trees. 
 
 The Indians also took the greatest of care of the hazel nut 
 flats as the nuts are used in many ways. The nuts were gather- 
 ed and stored, away as they could be kept for a long time and 
 could be pounded into flour, put into w^arm water and made a 
 good substitute for milk which could be used for weak, sickly 
 children, also in some cases for sick persons that needed nourish- 
 ment and had weak stomachs. The hazel is used in all of their 
 basket making, as the frame of all the baskets are made of the 
 hazel sticks. In taking care of the hazel flats they got out in 
 the dry Summer or early in the fall months and burn the hazel 
 brush, then the next spring the young shoots started up from 
 the old roots. On the following Spring in the month of May, 
 when the sap rises and the shoots start to grow, the women go 
 forth and gather these young shoots which are from one to tw^o 
 feet in lenght. Some of these sticks grow up to a height of three 
 feet and are gathered for making the hu"ge baskets and also the 
 wood baskets. They gather these sticks by the Ibousands and 
 
30 CKXERAL HLSTORY 
 
 tak(^ thoin lioine where the women, children and nu^n all join in 
 peeling tlie hark off the sticks. They take up a handful in the 
 I'iti'ht hand, then place the hutt end of one of them in their 
 mouth taking hokl of it with their teeth and the left hand, giv- 
 ing it a twist so as to peel the bark around the end, and as they 
 get the hark st;.rted they give the stick one quick jerk and the 
 hark peels off at one (>ffort. After they are peeled they are laid 
 out in the sun, on a smooih place, in thin layers and allowed to 
 hleach and di\' an«i when they are dried they gather them up 
 and assort them out according to their size and length, and tie 
 the different sizes in l)untlles and lay them away for use, some- 
 times three or four years later, before they are made up into 
 baskets. The small sticks are used for making up the very fine 
 baskets. The reader can easily see by this why the hazel was 
 preserved and not destroyed as it had a gi'eat value to them in 
 many ways. They made withes of it for tying their boats and 
 other things. The oak timber they were very careful to preserve 
 as they gathered the acorns from it late in the fall, Octoi)er and 
 November. The oak tree furnished them with the staff of life, 
 as it was from the acorn they made all their Ijread and mush 
 and this bread they could take for use on long journeys on their 
 hunting trips. They would wrap up a large lump of dough and 
 placing it in a cool place, keep it for several days before it 
 would begin to spoil or sour. From this dough they made their 
 mush by taking a piece about the size of a tea cup and put it 
 into one of the baskets, fill it nearly full with water, then take 
 some wash stones taken from the river or creek and put them 
 in the fire until they were hot and often red-hot when they 
 would take two sticks and lift them out, drop them into the 
 basket and stir the whole briskly with a paddle, made for this 
 purpose, they would soon have it boiling and by putting in an- 
 other stone and with a little more stiring they would soon have 
 the basket of nuish cooked. They call this mush Ka-go and it 
 is very nutritious and gives great power of endurance. After the 
 basket of nmsh has been set aside for thirty or forty minutes it 
 is then dipped out imto small baskets made for the i)urpose and 
 of size to fit the stomach. One person serves, handing out 
 tlie nuish together with a piece of dry .salmon or venison or dif- 
 ferent things that may he prepared for eating. The acorn 
 furnishes the bread to all the Klamath river Indians. 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 31 
 
 All the oak timber Avas owned by the well-to-do families 
 and wa^ divided off by lines and boundaries as carefully as 
 the whites have got it surveyed today. It can easily be seen 
 l)y this that the Indians have carefully preserved the oak timber 
 and have never at any time destroyed it. 
 
 The Douglas fir timber they say has always encroached 
 on the open prairies and crowded out the other timber, therefore 
 they have continuously burned it and have done all they could 
 to keep it from covering all the open lands. Our legends tell 
 when they arrived in the Klamath river countiy that there were 
 thousands of acres of prairie lands and with all the burning that 
 they could do the country' has been growing up to timber more 
 and more. 
 
 The redwood timber they use for making their canoes and 
 Iniilding their houses. In making a canoe they took a redwood 
 log in length and size to suit the canoe they wanted to make, 
 and split the log in half, shaping the bottom of the canoe first, 
 then turning it over and chipping off the top until they get it 
 down to the light place when they would start shaping the 
 guards; after this they dug out the inside, leaving it a certain 
 thickness and this the}' gauged by placing one hand outside and 
 the other inside, moving both hands slowly along — and it is sur- 
 prising how even the thickness is in all parts. They cut out the^ 
 seat in the stern with a place to put each foot on the side in 
 fi'ont of the seat so one can brace himself while paddling it with 
 a long and narrow paddle, pointed at the end, so they can 
 paddle or push the canoe wdth it. They are certainly expert in 
 the Klamath river with a canoe, either the men or women. They 
 have no keel on their canoes, just a round smooth bottom, with 
 a rounded bow and stern. A large hazel withe is put through 
 holes in the corners of the bow^ and draAvn very tight across it 
 so as to keep the canoe from splitting in case it strikes the 
 rocks very hard, which often happens, as they grind upon the 
 rocks in the rough places in the river. These canoes will carry 
 heavy loads, much larger than they would seem to carry; some- 
 times from forty to one hundred and fifty sacks of flour at a 
 loacL In making a canoe, the Indians always leave in the 
 bottom and some two feet back from the front or bow% a knob 
 some three inches across and about two inches hight, with a 
 hole about one inch deep dug into it, and this they call the 
 
82 GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 tlif li(>ai-t of tlic canoe and without this the canoe woukl be 
 dead. When I was a 3'oung woman no Indian would use a 
 canoe unless it had the heart left in it to make it alive, as it 
 was not safe to use if not thus fixed, something after the fash- 
 ion or notion of the sailors as to a vessel being christened. The 
 redwood canoes are being used for a distance of one hvuidrcMl 
 miles u]) the Klamath river but the redwood is u.sed only for a 
 distance of about thirty miles up the river, for houses, after this 
 distance they use red fir for houses. The redwood is a soft, easy 
 timber for working and not susceptalile to l)eing sun cracked and 
 is an ideal wood for making a canoe. After they liave finished 
 making the canoe they take the shavings and some dry brush 
 and burn it both inside and outside and then brush off the dry 
 parts which leaves it very light and dry. After using the cancje 
 for a few days and if any light cracks start in it they take it 
 out, dry it ])erfectly and go ovei' it with pitch taken from the 
 fir tree. In doing this they first put the pitch on the cracks 
 then put hot rocks on the pitch which melts it and it fills up 
 the cracks. After this treatment the canoe will last for years. 
 
 Th(nr tt)ols for working timber were very crude and they 
 had to work very slow. For axes and wedges they used the elk 
 horn. They would cut the horn to the length preferred with flint 
 and then use a granite rock where the quartz w^oiild adhere to it 
 making it very rough, and with this they would whet the hoiii 
 into shape. After this they put grease on them and lay them 
 u]) so that the fire would dry the grease into them, until it be- 
 came very tough and could be used for yeai-s before wearing out. 
 For their malls or hammers the took a granite lock and by 
 pecking on it, could work it down to about one foot in length, 
 then work it down so that at one end it would be about four 
 inches across the face of it and the other end about two inches 
 across it, while in the middle they would bring it to about one 
 inch, making it so one could hold it with ease, using the large 
 end foi- the mall part. With these crude tools they cut tr(>es, 
 made their canoes and houses, l)y the aid of the fire to helji in 
 many ways. They could split up a log into slabs and get some 
 nice looking lunibei', only I'ough and of different thickness and in 
 this way they could build a veiy wai-m and comfortable hous(\ 
 in building a house they leveled off a ])iece of gi'ound from 
 thirty to foiiy feet scpiare, then b(>ginning in the center of the 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 33 
 
 square they duj;- clown ahout fwv fc(>t and from twelve to twenty 
 feet across, surrounding tliis part they dug a treneh two feet 
 deep and in this they set the slabs or boards up endwise, being 
 careful to put thick ones at each of the four corners with holes 
 burned through the top ends. These boards were about eight feet 
 long, which would leave them about six feet above the ground 
 on two sides. To this they tied with hazel withes a heavy pole 
 of the same size across the two gabel ends on the same level of 
 the side poles. They tamped the ground in tightly 
 around these boards the same on all sides. At one corner of the 
 gable end they had a very wide plank about four feet in width 
 and about four inches thick; they cut out a hole in this plank 
 about two feet across and around this they put in about two 
 feet from the corner setting it dow'n in the trench, tramping it 
 very solid, for the door. Then they put across the top from 
 four to six very heavy poles for rafters, the two top poles being 
 only about three feet apart, with one a little lower than the 
 other so as to give it a slope for the water to run off when it 
 rained. Then they tied all this with hazel withes until the 
 whole thing is fastened solidly together and after this part is 
 finished they put on the roof, using the same heavy slabs which 
 are about eight feet long, doubling them so as to make it rain 
 proof w'hile the center part or comb of the roof is short slabs 
 about four feet long and in the center they leave a large wade 
 plank, so they can raise it to a slanting position so as to keep 
 the rain out and at the same time let the smoke out. After the 
 roof planks are all placed they put the large poles across the 
 top, over the joints and tie them down to the ones undoi' with 
 the hazel wdthes, making it all quite substantial as to strength. 
 Then they make a hole in the center of the basement ai^out one 
 foot deep and side this up with stones to fit for a fire-place, 
 making it very smooth, then put gravel in the bottom of the 
 fire-place to the thickness of four inches in depth. They then 
 put a plank wall all the way around the house or basement part 
 holding them firmly to their place, after the fashion of the white 
 man's wainscoting. After this they take a good quality of clay, 
 w^et it with water until they get it to suit and plaster it over 
 the floor of the basement, tramping it until they get it plastered 
 over about four inches thick, while it is drying they keep very close 
 watch of it, and where it starts to crack they go over it with 
 
34 GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 more clay, filling in the cracks. They keep the cracks filled un- 
 til the floor becomes very dry and hard and this makes a very 
 smooth floor. Tliey smooth off the uppei' floor which is irregular 
 in shape and place* a slab or post at the four places whicli 
 come opposite the corners of the house, back about one foot from 
 the wall and undei' one of tlie rafter poles, so as to give support 
 to the rafters. Then they put in an inside partition in front of 
 the door, letting this come back some ten feet on each side of 
 the door, reaching up to the roof and an inside door, which is 
 like the white man's door. This is a place fixed in all the houses 
 for keeping their winter's wood in while the rest of the place is 
 for storing aw^ay their provisions for the winter months, such as 
 dried salmon, eels, acorns and the other kinds of food which they 
 store in larg(> Ijaskets, some of these baskets are large enough for 
 a man to lie down in. Some of the girls make their beds in this 
 upjx'r part of the house for the summer months. In a house 
 where there is a large family this upper part of the house is well 
 filled with baskets holding the different articles of food stuffs, 
 some of which have been stored there for a numl^er of years. 
 They have shutters to iDoth the outside and inside doors and the 
 roof projects well out all around the house, which makes the 
 house warm in the winter time and cool in the summer. Going 
 down into the basement they take a log about one foot through 
 and cut the right length, cut notches in it for foot-steps and set 
 it in place and the little Indian children can go up and down 
 this like sciuirrels with less accidents than the whites have on 
 their stairs. The wdrole family eats in the basement and all the 
 cooking is done there and at night things are cleared away and 
 all the women and girls sleep in this basement, while the men 
 and boys all go to the sweat-houses to sleep. Outside in front 
 of the door they make a sort of porch, the floor of which is 
 made; of smooth rocks, thus completeing the house. In going 
 through the doors they have to stoop vcny low and almost in a 
 crawling position and raise straight up on (Mitering the inside. 
 The imier door is high and they can stand up on going through 
 it. The doors in most cases face toward the river. One of these 
 houses w'ill stand for fifty years and with some repairing will 
 stand a great while. There were from ten to forty of these 
 houses in a village and the villages were from one half to three 
 miles apart, some on one side and some on the other side of the 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 35 
 
 river. Generally there was a sweat-house to each dwelling but 
 sometimes there was only one sweat-house^ for \\\'o houses. The 
 men and boys visited from one sweat-house to another for a 
 social time and to remain over night. The Indians that travelled 
 up and down the river used to stoj) with old friends or relatives 
 and would get in the sweat-house, exchange news and smoke 
 their pipes until a late hour in the night. There is no law for- 
 bidding the women from sleeping in a sweat-house, but the men say 
 the women have to many fleas on them and the women say the 
 men talk to much, so the women let the men sweep, get the 
 wood and make their own fires in the sweat-houses. Sometimes 
 an Indian will take his wife or favoiite daughter to the sweat- 
 house to sleep if the weather is cold but the women prefer to 
 sleep in the dwelling houses as they are very comfoi-table there 
 and can be kept very warm with a small fire. The women 
 make a sort of matress of the tules that grow in the swamps. 
 They gather this tule, let it dry and bleach it, then take strings 
 of their own make and commencing in the middle of the string 
 they lay one of the stalks of the tule and plat them closely to- 
 gether. They weave the tules close together, putting about six 
 strings in a mat about three or four feet wide and have the mat 
 five or six feet in length, sometimes making them three and four 
 thicknesses which they can fold up and put out of the way in 
 the day-time and take out and unfold at night. These mats are 
 quite comfortable to sleep on. The old women sleep on the 
 basement floors while the young girls sleep on the upper floors 
 in the warm months and on the lower floors, with the old 
 women during the cold months. My people were in the habit of 
 eating but two meals a day, the first meal or breakfast came 
 about eleven o'clock and in the evening, after dark the women 
 prepare the supper, the menu differing according to the season 
 of the year. 
 
 As soon as it begins to get cold the men would go out 
 and get large loads of small limbs and brush, tie it up in a 
 bundle which they placed on their backs and held with both 
 hands and as they came in they sang a song for luck in what- 
 ever they might wish for, such as making money, good health and 
 many other things. With this wood they make a fire in the 
 sweat-house and the smoke coming out of the crevices would 
 make it look as if the house was afire for a short time, when 
 
3() GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 the wood would l)iini down to ;i Ix'd of coals and the smoke all 
 disappeared and tiien the men and boys would strip and creep 
 into them, one at a time and in about thirty or forty minutes 
 would all coin(^ crawlino; out of the small I'ound door, steaming 
 and cover(>d with prespiration, weak and limp, appearing as if 
 they could hai-dly stand up. After crawling out they lay flat on 
 the ston(> ])latfoi-m that is fixed for the purpose and sing the 
 same songs, only at this time in a more doleful way. They lay 
 in this way for thirty or forty minutes, then get up and still 
 looking weak start off down to the bank of the river, one at a 
 time, and ])lunge into the cold water and swim and splash for a 
 time, then all go back to the dwelling house and go in when^ 
 the women folks are preparing the evening meal, take their scats 
 ai'ound the basement floor, out of the way of the wonen while 
 they are cooking, and all will join in laughing and talking until 
 the evening meal is over. Then the men and boys go bock to 
 the sweat-house for the night and prepare for a big smoke, all 
 laughing and talking about different topics and telling amusing 
 tales. Some of the older ones would ciiscuss points on Indian 
 law, others tell how things are changing, how this and that used 
 to be and is different now, how they fought the other tribes, 
 when they were victorious and when they were defeated, praising 
 one that was the leader or condeming another, one that was a 
 good general and many other things, and some were very in- 
 teresting talkers. They talked until they were ready to go to 
 sleep for the night and then they would place the wooden pillows 
 under their heads. Some of them would not use any kind of 
 covering and would be almost naked, as the sweat-houses would 
 keep veiy warm for at least twelve hours after a big fire had 
 been built in them. Early in the morning they would come out 
 and each take his own way for the day, such as hunting, trapp- 
 ing, fishing or getting something that might be needed for the 
 family. The old men dressed deer-skins, many of which the hair 
 was left on and these were for the women to use as blankets 
 and for shawl-like coats which they wear, for moccasins 
 (noch-i) they take a dressed deer-skin and smoke it and then 
 make it u]) into moccasins. They make dresses and many other 
 things out of skins. Others would dress furs which they use in 
 many ways. They use the Fisher skin for quivers to carry 
 arrows in, also the young Panther skin. The frcsh water Otter 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 37 
 
 they dress very nicely for the women to tie their hair with. 
 Some would make mawls and wedges for future use and others 
 were making bows and arrows, while a few would give directions 
 to the others. The women went about their work such as pound- 
 ing acorns, soaking the flour and preparing it to make bread or 
 mush, some cutting fresh salmon and preparing it for cooking, 
 others go out after wood for their part of the living and cooking 
 quarters and others made baskets for cooking purposes. Some 
 made hats and baskets they used for storing away food, while 
 others made fine dresses for wearing and anything that was to 
 be done, but few of them being idle, unless it was some of the 
 old women that were very weathy. The Klamath people have 
 the same kind of tobacco that grows over a large part of the 
 United States, which, when it grows up has small leaves. They 
 prepare the ground and plant the seed but will not us3 any they 
 find growing out of cultivation. They are very careful in gather- 
 ing the plant and cure it by the fire, or in the hot sun, then 
 pulverize it very fine, then put it up in tight baskets for use. 
 It becomes very strong and often makes the oldest smokers sick, 
 which they pass over lightly, saying that it is a good quality of 
 tobacco. The women doctors all smoke but the other women 
 never do. Their pipes are made out of yew wood with a soap- 
 stone for a bowl, the wood is a straight piece and is from three 
 to six inches long and is larger at the bowl end where it joins 
 on to the stone, it is notched in so it sets the bowl on the wood, 
 making the pipe straight. They hold the pipe upwards if sitting 
 or standing and it is only when lying on the back that one seems 
 to enjoy the smoke with perfect ease, however they can handle 
 the pipe to take a smoke in any position. Some of these pipes 
 are small, not holding any more than a thimble-full of tobacco. 
 My people never let the tobacco habit get the better of them as 
 they can go all day without smoking or quit smoking for several 
 days at a time and never complain in the least. The men, after 
 supper, on going into the sweat-house take their pipes and smoke 
 and some take two or three smokes before they go to bed. The 
 old women doctors will smoke through the day and always take 
 a smoke before lying down to sleep. All inhale the smoke, letting 
 jt pass out of the lungs through the nose. 
 
 Women doctors are made and educated, which comes 
 about in a very peculiar way. They are usually from the daughter 
 
38 (^,EXERAL HISTORY 
 
 of wealthy familios. Most of them begin quite young, and often 
 the (loctof will take one of her daughters that she selects, along 
 with her and liegin by teaching her to smoke and help her in 
 her attendance on the sick, and at the right time will commence 
 with her at the sweat-house; while others will have a dream that 
 they are doctors and then the word will be given out, and in 
 either case along in the late fall all will be made ready, the day 
 being s(>t. The sweat-house (which is the white man's name and 
 does not luu'c the same meaning in our language, we call it Ur- 
 girk) being selected they take her to it, dressed with a heavy 
 skirt that comes down to her ankles and which is made of the 
 inner bark of the maple, with her arms and breast bare. 
 They all go into the sweat-house, there being from fifteen to 
 twenty men and women in number, she having a brother or 
 cousin, sometimes two, that look after her. All begin to sing 
 songs that are used for the occasion, dance jumping up and down, 
 going slowly around the fire and to the right, they keep this up 
 until she is wet with i^erspiration as wet as the water could make 
 her and when she gets so tired that she can stand up no longer 
 one of her brothers or cousins take her on his back with her 
 arms around his neck and keep her going until she is completely 
 exhausted, then they take her out and into the house. There 
 she is bathed in warm water and then allowed to sleep as long 
 as she wishes, which reviv(Nv her and gives her back her strength. 
 On awakening she appears rested and vigorous, with a beautiful 
 complexion. She can now eat her meal such as is allowed her. 
 While she is training for a doctor she is not allowed to drink 
 any water or eat any fresh salmon, all the water she gets is in 
 the acorn mush or in the manzanita berry, pounded to a floui' 
 and then mixed with water, made into a sort of nuish and 
 warmed. They are allowed to eat all other kinds of food. These 
 dances are kept up at inteivals all through the wintei- months 
 until late in the Sjiring, when they will take her far back on the 
 high mountains and keep her there all through th(> Sununer, 
 never allowing her to drink water, only as mixed with mush, nor 
 eat any fresh salmon. In the fall they bring her back home to 
 the river when she will go through Ww same performance in the 
 sweat-hous(\ Sonu'tinies she will be from three to ten years be- 
 foic being ready for the final graduation cxcfciscs when slic will 
 !)(' taki-n buck to some almost inaccessible place on a high peak 
 
GENERAL HLSTORY 39 
 
 or on a very high rock \vhor(> they will smoke, pray and fast for 
 from three to five days. While at this place none eat or drink 
 and on leaving it the pipes are left secreted so as to he found 
 on the next visit. On this trip there will not be more than three 
 or four with her and always one of them is an old doctor so as 
 to care for her, and on coming back, after they get down the 
 hill part way to a suitable place they make a stop and all eat 
 and take a rest. The young doctor bathes herself, loosens her 
 hair and washes it, then dries it and combs it with a bone knife. 
 These knives of deer bone, about the size of a table knife 
 and have a hole bored through the handle and a string tied 
 through it and fastens around the wrist, and in carrying it the 
 point of the blade is up and lays against the arm so that a per- 
 .son would hardly know that she carried it. This comb is beauti- 
 fully carved and checkered with black stripes. She gently strokes 
 the hair with it until it is dry, then she thrusts the point 
 through it, close to the head, gently pressing the blade down 
 through it, she keeps the comb in motion until the hair is per- 
 fectly straight and glossy and then she parts the hair in the 
 middle of the fore-head, then takes stripes of Otter skin and ties 
 it up, letting it hang down on each side of the head and in front 
 of each shoulder. This girl is a virgin, as perfect in statue and 
 active in movement and health as God can make her. She can 
 bear hardships and punishment without complaint or murmur, 
 that would make a bear whine. After all have rested they start 
 for home which will perhaps take them two or three days 
 to reach and all the time her health is looked after to see that 
 she is in good spirits and does not become wearied, and on ar- 
 riving home she is allowed to rest for two, three or four weeks 
 when all is made ready to give her the final degree. This time 
 preparing one of the large living houses for the purpose, by tak- 
 ing off a part of the roof and fixing it so that all can come and 
 get a chance to see the whole performance. The time is set and 
 word is sent all up and down the river and at the appointed 
 time they will be there, some coming for many miles to see and 
 take part in giving the young doctor her final degree. At sun 
 down the fire is made in the center of the living room and at 
 the commencement of the hour of darkness she is brought in, 
 goes through the door and down into the basement, takes her 
 place, when the others that are to help her take their places. 
 
40 GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 forming a circle around th(^ fire and all start singing in a low 
 and monitoniou.s voice, jumping up and down, the young doctor 
 taking care of herself at first and taking instructions from tlie 
 old doctor who sits close by but takes no part other than to in- 
 struct her. After keeping this up for from two to four hours the 
 young doctor becomes very warm and fatigued and they keep 
 close watch of her until the time comes, when one of the men 
 takes hold of her and holds her up and helps her to stand, still 
 wearing her down until two men take hold of her by each arm 
 and in this way keep her dancing until she is helpless and so 
 limp that she can no longer go on. Then they lay her up and 
 out of the way, still keeping on with the ceremony until daylight 
 in the morning, when all repair to their places to sleep for a few 
 hours, then arise, go forth, bathe and eat and go back to their 
 homes. The young doctor does not always go through this or- 
 deal and come out safely, as sometimes she became so warm 
 that she would never recover from the effects of the severe pun- 
 ishment, but this seldom happens. After going through this she 
 is pronounced a doctor and can begin practiceing her profession. 
 She is now allowed to get married if she so desires and the most 
 of them do and raise large families and live to be very old. 
 They wield a big influence among the tribe if they are success- 
 ful as doctors and some of them are very successful as doctors 
 while others are of the ordinary class. These women doctors are 
 seers, as when they are called to doctor the sick they claim to 
 tell what is the cause of the sickness and what will cure it. They 
 suck the body where the pain is located and sing in a sort of 
 chanting way for awhile, then suck the body again and keep this 
 up for four or six hours, if it is a serious case there will be two 
 doctors and sometimes three and in this case they will 
 not agree as to the cause, if the patient gets well there will l)e 
 one of them that gets the credit for the greater part of it and 
 sometimes all of it. When there is a case of sickness, the rela- 
 tives of the sick one decides on the doctor, and the amount of 
 money or other valuables, oi- all valuables just as they may, 
 go to the doctor and laying it before her at which she will accept 
 or refuse the offer, but if it is satisfactory she will pi'cpare to go 
 with them and if it is rejected she will demand more and some- 
 times she will call for some valuable relic which she knows the 
 family has in their possession, sometimes an article that has in 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 41 
 
 years gone by been in the doctors own family, and slio will strive 
 to get it back again. If the sick one should die while she is trj'- 
 ing to get more they will make her pay to them all that they 
 liave laid do^\^^ to her, but if she accepts the money and goes 
 and the patient dies, then they make her return all that was 
 given to her. If there was two or three doctors then they all 
 have to return all that was given to them and then they will 
 debate among themselves as to which one of the doctors is the 
 best. Some of the doctors were very successful and hardly ever 
 lost a patient, and accumulated great wealth, ow^iing the best 
 fishing p]aces and large tracts of land where they could gather 
 acorns, hazel nuts and grass seeds, besides many slaves. Ther 
 were great talkers and always had a ready answer to every 
 question and were almost habitual smokers, using a large pipe 
 and smoking often. They had a wonderful! constitution. To 
 give an idea of the power of one of these most successful doctors 
 I will give a sketch of one and her methods. This doctor was 
 born at Cortep village and of a wealthy famih' who had been 
 for many generations back. She married a man that was born 
 at Pec-wan village, also of a wealthy family and would be called 
 after marriage in the Indian tongue as Peck-wish-on, but not in 
 this case as she was. called by the tribes as Caw. She became 
 famous among her people and would come out of her house and 
 ■sit on the porch of the stone platform in front of her door, take 
 off her cap, stroke her hair down over her face and eyes an<l sit 
 this way for hours at a time, and all, young and old, would be- 
 come afraid of her and say; look at Caw, she will make some 
 one sick, and there would be such a dread of her that there was 
 sure to be some one sick in two or three days, then they would 
 say that Caw made them sick, and if they could get her to 
 doctor the sick one she would cure the sick one as she seldom 
 ever failed to cure any of her cases. She doctored and took all 
 the wealth of her mother and father into her own hands besides 
 all that her brothers and sisters and other relatives had, for 
 doctoring them. She Uved to be quite old and had raised a 
 family of boys and girls. She had lots of slaves, land and fishing 
 places and money. Her son was the richest Indian in the whole 
 tribe and w^as known as Pec- wan Colonel. I knew a girl that 
 this doctor took for a doctor bill and who was to be the wife of 
 one of her grand sons. But as the grandson and girl grew up to 
 
42 GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 l)(> of inai-ria,u('al)l(' iiix,c he did not want hvv for his wife and the 
 money was returned, which freed her and she married another 
 man. one of choice. These doctors n(>ver act m cases of child- 
 birth, nor do they ever attend or have a-ny part in these cases. 
 An old woman tliat is always very pleasant takes these cases, 
 taking chai'ge of the woman that is about to become a mother 
 and pr(>pares her for the task of giving birth. She has a medi- 
 cine which she prepares and gives to the woman which does not 
 fail to do its work in a very short time. This is the pitch or 
 gum of the fir tree, that has l)y fires or otherwise dropped into 
 the waters of the creeks or streams and laid in the water for a 
 long time which makes it very brittle and hard, They take a 
 piece of this and after pounding it until it Ixx-omes as fine as 
 flour put it into a cup of water and let the patient diink, which 
 in most cases brings her out in good condition. This is not the 
 only rem(>(ly they have for they have many for use in the differ- 
 ent condition of the patient; the l)al;)y is also cared for l)y thes(> 
 women. They wash the child and dress it in soft furs, such as 
 rab])it skins or other soft kinds of fur. They now pound hazel 
 nuts into flour, put it into warm water wich makes a kind of 
 milk and then feed it to the child, they also take milk from the 
 mother's l)reast and give to the baby, they do not let the Ijaljy 
 nurse at the mother's breast until after the first ten days, at 
 which time the child is allowed to do so until time to wean it. 
 The baby is provided with a basket made for the purpose and 
 the child is placed in this in a sitting position, it has a stra)) 
 fastened in the back so that the mother can swing it across her 
 back, set it up against the wall or lay it down flat just as she 
 may choose. The baby if in health will dodle its feet and laugh 
 when any one takes notice of it. The baby baskets are changed 
 in size as the baby grows older and larger, the older liaskets are 
 burned. These granny women are called Na-gaw-ah-clan. The 
 Klamath Indians have men doctors and they use many kintls of 
 roots, herbs and some mincM-als, and when it comes to wounds, 
 bites of poisonous reptiles, chionic deseasc^s, women are ailing 
 with such desease as falling of the womb and many othei' kinds 
 of sickness, they are called in rich families, and they too are 
 I)aid in advance and if they fail to cure they have to reluiii the 
 money or if they refuse to come and the patient (H(^s the.y have 
 to make good all that was offered them. These men doctors 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 43 
 
 liand down their secrets of the different kinds of medicines they 
 use and foi- what each kind is used, to their sons or close rela- 
 tives, and before one begins to pratice he goes back on the 
 mountains to some distant and secluded place where there is a 
 large rock or high peak, where he can look over the whole sur- 
 rounding country all alone. There he prays to his God for health, 
 strength and success. He does not drink water or eat and pun- 
 ishes himself as much as he can and stands up under the strain, 
 he is gone from eight to twelve days and on his return he bathes 
 himself, rests and sleeps, smokes his pipe for three or four weeks 
 and then is ready to take up the calling of the doctor and will 
 go with the old doctors for quite awhile so as to make sure that 
 he makes no mistake in handling the cases nor in the uses of 
 the different kinds of medicine to be used for different cases or 
 diseases. These men doctors are called Pe-girk-ka-gay, the 
 women doctors being called Kay-gay. Most of the men doctors 
 are of the higest birth and are often members of the highest 
 families and are aften members of the secret lodge. It is only 
 them that stop the women doctors and make them many of their 
 accusations or retract their sayings, thus keeping them in bounds 
 of reason, though they are very linenant wdth them and often let 
 them go too far before they stop them. These men doctors help 
 to start and to make the settlements for the white Deer-skin 
 dance, and this is the time when all troubles between individuals, 
 clans and villages are settled, so the wiiole tribe is in peace. If 
 any of them are not willing to settle their dffficulties they are 
 strictly forbidden to attend the worship, and if they should at- 
 tend the}^ would loose the respect of the whole tribe, besides 
 they would be dealt with harshly. So in case there be some 
 that cannot make a settlement it is best for them to remain 
 away for this is a time and place where all is free and the best 
 of good cheer and behavior must prevail. The White Deer-skin 
 Dance they hold every two years unless something of a serious 
 nature happens and which sometimes did happen and so crippled 
 the people that they could not hold them for a number of years, 
 such as contagious deseases or other calamities. In years that 
 everything was all right these men doctors would get together 
 about the last of July or the first of August and have a talk 
 and settle the question and give out the announcement that they 
 
44 GENEKAL HLSTORY 
 
 wen' going to have the Deer-skin Dance (Oh-puie-ah-\vah). The 
 word Avouid be senv out to all the Indians up and down the river, 
 to the Hoo[)a and Siuiti) ri\-er Indians and down the coast as far- 
 as Trinidad, and any and all of them of the other tribes could 
 come and se(> th*' dance and none of them would ever l)e molest- 
 t'd. Now they would begin to settle all of their (juarrels among: 
 themsel\-es by i)aying, thia was done l)y arbitration in m(3st of 
 the cases, as they would sele-ct the ones that were friends to/ 
 both sides of the ones in disj)ute. They would argue the case 
 and bring them to a settlement if pos^sible, and if they could not 
 make a settlement they could no't come to see the dance. This^ 
 way things would move along and all kinds of sayings would be 
 learned and disputed as those that had no authority would be 
 gu(^ssing and often timers give out something as coming from 
 some of the head men. All would l)elieve it to be true until it 
 got far enough wlien the head ones would pronounce it as not 
 authoritive and the false sayings would stop. Another false story 
 would take its place and this would go on until about the middle 
 of August when the Talte wcjuld get together and set the time 
 for the dance to start. They always put m the fish dam fu-st„ 
 it being a part of this great festival. 
 
 The one that handles the putting in of the fish cLim is-, 
 knowji as Lock, and the fish dain is called La-og-gen. Lock 
 selects one other of the high priests and one girl of cxpial 
 high birth and the thiee go to a secluded place out on a high 
 mountain from which place they can have a good view of the 
 surrounding country anil there the gu-1 makes a smalt fire and is. 
 given instructions of how and what to do. The other man is 
 also directed what to do. Lock umoUs his emblems, which is 
 a closely woven scroll that is absolutely water proof and takes 
 from it the roots that he burns slowly over the fire that the 
 maidian keeps burning. These roots are Ijurned as an incense 
 and have a sweet odor as they bin-n, and wliile they :)r<' burn- 
 ing Lock prays and sings to ( I )d lo gi\'e him iicallh and power 
 to carry through all tlie hai-dships of putting in the dam. They 
 i-emain iiere i'or two days and m'ghls, then go back down the 
 live)- to where the fisli dam is to be placed. There they land 
 with their boat and stop at a very hirge rock whicii is close up 
 to the water's edge, and a large cicek of ch'ai- pure water which 
 eiiteis int(j the I'iver just at and a little below this lai-ge i-ock. 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 45 
 
 In the middle of the inijilit the maiden gets wood and starts a 
 small fire and fixes things for Lock and his helper This girl is 
 a virgin of purity. She goes across the river and bathes herself 
 and dresses her hair, using her Indian knife like a comb, which 
 she carries fastened to her wi-ist, until her hair is dry and glossy, 
 then she lets it hang loose, wearing a band around her head 
 made of beads which keeps the hair from falling over her face, 
 just coming to the jaw, and if at any time the hair comes over 
 her face she strokes it back with her Indian comb, but she never 
 touchss her hair with her hands. After she has bathed and 
 dressed she goes to the lodge and lies down and sleeps until late 
 in the morning when Lock and his helper come to the lodge and 
 lie down and sleep until late in the morning when Lock-nee and 
 his helper come to the lodge, when the three of them all take a 
 bath, and then eat for the first time since they started. None 
 of them are allowed any water and will not be allowed to drink 
 any for mony days yet. Some of these people would start in 
 looking fine and when they came out they would often look like 
 a walking skeleton, they would soon regain their flesh although 
 sometimes they never would regain their normal condition. 
 These three keep themselves secluded and no one has seen or 
 heard of them, but all are anxiously waiting to hear the word. 
 After they have had their meal, Lock and his helper go back 
 across to the large rock, then Lock unrolls his scroll, burns some 
 more incense and gives his order to his helper to go out to all 
 the villages and call on as many to come forward and help to 
 put in the fish dam as is needed, and this is the time for them 
 to appear before Lock. Sometimes there will be from one hun- 
 dred to two hundred young men, no old or sickly ones are 
 wanted. After they all appear before Lock, he assigns to each 
 lot of eight or ten of them, the part and amount that they are 
 to do. After this they go home, fix up their provisions and 
 camp outfit and in about thirty hours time the I'iver bars in 
 and around this place are alive with Indians, and the air is filled 
 with merriment and jokes. 
 
 Early in the morning they all start out without eating, 
 and cut the small pines that are from two to three inches 
 through at the butt ends. Some will make a fire, and as the 
 others are cutting and packing in they will take the green pine 
 poles and run them through the fire until they are scorched 
 
iC> OEXERAL HISTORY 
 
 thou take them out and the bark is peeled off easily. While 
 they are yet hot they si:)lit tnich one in two and four pieces, then 
 others get lon-i hazel withes and run them througli th(^ fire and 
 while they are lu/i split them in two i)ic('es, then they take them 
 and the jiine pieces and plat them together like mats, leaving; 
 the pine sticks al>out one and two inches apart, these mats when 
 set ui)on end are about nine feet long, with five or six hazel 
 withes" about fourteen inches apart. After they get a mat pui 
 together they roll it up, making each mat so that one man can 
 l)ack it on his shoulder and at a given time they all carry them 
 down to the river to the place where the fish dam Ls to be put 
 in. Others get the jxjsts which are about eleven feet long and 
 five or six inches through, they are all sharpened at (Jiie end and 
 made veiy smooth, all the bark Ijeing taken off. Some get the 
 long pole-beams or girders which are from twenty to twenty-four 
 feet long and about six or seven inches through with the bark 
 taken off. The girl that carries the true name of (Jod is, during 
 the day, in the lodge or house that is used only on these occa- 
 sions. This house was kept in good condition at all times but 
 no one lives in it, except on these occasions, also the sweat-hous(^ 
 tliat Lock sleeps in while this work is going on. In the evening, 
 al)out dusk, after all the workers have retired for the day, she 
 quietly goes out and crosses the river, as Lock's helper at this 
 time is watching for her and takes the canoe over to take her 
 where Lock is concealed under the large rock close to the bank 
 of the river, and she gathers a (juantity of chy wood by which 
 Lock keeps a small fire burning all through the day and on 
 which he burns incense. Lock keeps out of sight of all the 
 workers as they do not want to see him and avoid doing so. 
 Lock gives orders to his helper, dircx'ting him so that he can 
 (k>Iiver the orders to the different companies of workers. This 
 helper is one that has th(! birth hut has not the secret of the 
 true name of (lod. I^ock gives him all the orders in a low 
 whispci'. and this lu'lper is called L()ck-(H'. 
 
 .Vs s(jon as the girl wIkjiii tlie\' call .Xormei', has finished, 
 the tluce cross the river to the south si(k' and after lam ling they 
 all bathe, there being a secluded place close by where the girl 
 takes her bathe and when tln\v liave finish(ul they proceed to 
 the Lali-wah-alth or house where Lock's wife and his help{M''s 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 47 
 
 wife are preparing the onh' meal that they eat every twenty-four 
 hours. After the meal is finished Lock and his helper go to the 
 sweat-house for the night in which a fire has been started by an 
 old man who was selected to get the wood and thus the 
 place was warm for the night. Lock and his helper take a 
 smoke and then retire. Very early in the morning there is a 
 fire made in the sweat-house and Lock and Lock-nee take n 
 sweat and then go back across the river, Lock going to his se- 
 cluded place and keeping himself hid so that none can catch 
 even a glimpse of him. The girl also keeps secluded by keeping 
 in the house where the wives of Lock and Lock-nee are, and she 
 is busy fixing her dresses, combing her hair and keeping herself 
 very neat and what spare time she may have after this she is 
 making a new dress or skirt from the inner bark of the wild 
 maple that grows on the river. The bark is bleached until white, 
 then platted and hung to a band that goes around the waist, 
 making it as a skirt, coming down to the ankles. All the work- 
 ers which are called Nah-quelth are ready to work like beavers 
 getting everything in readiness. No one eats more than one 
 meal a day and all must be in good health and young before 
 they are accepted to work on the fish dam. The day that it 
 starts and until it is completed must not exceed ten days. The 
 girl, Normer, now sends Lock's wife or Lock-nee's wife, (either 
 one can go) to select for her ten girls all of which must be of 
 good birth from the middle class or rich, and not more than ten. 
 but if ten cannot be secured a less number will do. These 
 young girls now come and are called Wah-clure, but they do not 
 see Normer. They remain with their kindred and are drilled 
 and fixed up to be ready for the last day and final finish of the 
 fish dam. Now Lock-nee has selected from the Nah-quelth or 
 workers, either five or six to act as managers over the different 
 pai'ts of the work, and these take the bark of the madrone and 
 make a hat which looks very much like an old style plug hat 
 that the white man wears. This is striped and painted in a 
 novel fashion and these workers are very noticable as they go 
 from place to place giving instructions to the workers. These 
 plug hat men now select twelve or less boys and put them to 
 making ribbons of bark which they stripe off very flowery by 
 painting and carving, also making fancy Indian pipes, carving 
 and painting them vcny artistically. These boys are called Char- 
 
48 GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 rah and the pipes ami ribbons made by them are put on the top 
 of long slim poles from twelve to fifteen feet long and are to be 
 used at the finish of the fish dam. These poles have the bark 
 taken off and are clean and white. 
 
 All this time Lock has kept himself secreated from the 
 eyes of all the workers and on the morning of the fifth day, 
 very early, he and Lock-nee go up the mountain side and select 
 the first one of the long beams or stringers that is to be put in 
 on the north side of the river, stai'ting just above the large rock 
 under which he keeps himself secluded up to this time, and when 
 he has selected the one that suits him he makes a small fii'e at 
 the roots of the tree and burns his incense, then sits down by 
 the fire and prays to God to give blessings to the whole jieople 
 ^^'ith health and plenty. Now all of the workers knowing the 
 time, and the boys and the men have followed up and are all 
 looking for the posts, twenty-two in number, and the rest of the 
 stringers which are ten besides the one that Lock selects, making 
 eleven altogether. After Lock has finished with his prayer to 
 God he commences to cut the tree, Lock-nee helping him and 
 together they cut it down and when it falls with a crash all the 
 workers shout loudly, "oh-oo", and the whole side of the 
 mountain echoes with their voices. Lock-nee begins to trim off 
 the branches and peel the bark while others come in and help. 
 All the workers are scattered off in different places, each squad 
 looking for posts and the rest looking for stringers and cutting 
 them down and as each tree fell they all holler "oh-oo." They 
 take the bark off and trim and sharpen the posts. All these 
 pieces are complete in one day and taken down to the river's 
 edge by evening and before any one can eat or drink wat(>r 
 after all the pieces are finished. Lock and Lock-nee take the 
 lead with the stringers, a rope tied around the large Initt end 
 which is (juite heavy timber and start down the movmtain with 
 it, Lock all the while talking in prayer to God, and if the 
 timber stops he prays and talks good and as he has all his life 
 been so good that (Jod causes the timber to mov(> along easily. 
 As Lock starts all the rest follow with their timbers and all 
 arrive about sunset on the north bank with all the heavy frame 
 pai't for the fish dam. These people while they are working all 
 day are full of jokes, laughing and telling funny stories, and if 
 one has done a mean trick of anv kind and others know of it, 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 49 
 
 he is twitted about it; they poke fun at each other continually, 
 yet they all keep good naturcd about it and they are all very 
 witty in their answers. They all smoke during the day, each 
 one using his own pipe and all have their own buck-skin sack to 
 carry his pipe and tobacco in. Now all the timberslife' in the 
 water and tied to the bank and left floating, ready for mornings 
 Men and boys now bathe themselves and clean their hair, when^ 
 all depart for their different camping places, parting \^^th jests 
 and joke«, and eat their only meal in twenty-four hours. Lock 
 addresses the girl as my child, my daughter and other endearing 
 terms. After the meal is over Lock and Lock-nee go to the 
 sweat-house to rest and sleep for the night and in the morning, 
 early, all are out and ready and go down to the river and across 
 in their canoes, they having many of them on such occasions. 
 Lock now gets the rock for driving the post, this is of granite 
 and flat, from twelve to fifteen inches across and from two to 
 four inches thick and weighs from fifty to sixty pounds. Only 
 those who use this rock ever have a chance to examine it and it 
 is said to have been made many generations ago. It is kept 
 hidden in a secret place and only brought to view for this pur- 
 pose and all the other tools that are used for every part and 
 purpose in putting in the fish dam (La-og-gen) are hidden in a 
 secret place, not all being in one place, and there are never more 
 than two persons (Lock and Lock-nee) at one time that know 
 where to find them, being handed down from one to another. 
 This rock they call Milth-me-ah-lisi and in calling for it they 
 say, Say-yah. The other tools are called by their different 
 names, the hammer they call Tec-wan-ore. Lock and Lock-nee 
 drive the first two posts which starts the fish dam, the first 
 one is driven nearly perpendicular, and" now the workers have to 
 put up a staging which Lock chmbs upon as the post is long 
 and has to be driven quite deep into the ground. Lock-nee holds 
 the post so as to keep it in place while Lock takes a mall and 
 as he raises it he talks to God, using words for lots of salmon 
 and to bless all, and at this he comes down with a hard blow, 
 and keeps it up until the first post has been driven to the pro- 
 per depth, he does not strike his blows fast each blow is struck 
 slowly. The second post is set at an angle on the clown river 
 side of the fisrt one, set to make a brace against the currant of 
 the river, and also the top ends come together so as to leave a 
 
50 (JENERAL HISTORY 
 
 fork or crotch at the top which is tied securely together with 
 hazel rope, leaving it so beam poles can be placed in the crotch 
 and tied securely. Now when Lock-nee has the second post prop- 
 erly set in place, Lock commences as on the first and drives 
 it down to the proi)er depth and after this is done Lock and 
 Lock-nee take the luizel withe and tie it to the first one, leaving 
 the ci-otcli. This leing done Lock passes the mall over to the 
 other workers and di-ive the rest of the posts, the i^.ext two of 
 which are set iuigiing down the river and the third two are set 
 angling up the river so as to make it in a shape like the old 
 style of a worm fence made of lails; this is also done for the 
 purpose of bracii'-^; the whole structure against the current of the 
 river. As soon j^s the posts are all driven Lock and Lotk-nee 
 place the first long stringer in its right place, which is on the 
 nortli side of the river, then the workers soon place the rest of 
 them and tie them with hazel withes. Then sma''er jkjsIs are 
 driven at the corners for each traji, at the corners two posts are 
 driven, one angling down the river and they are i'ac ( d so as to 
 leave the crotch, in which a i)ole is placed. The traps are 
 about twelve feet wid(^ and fourteen feet long commencing so the 
 center of the first trap will be in the center of the first worm of 
 the main frame work and this is started first on the north side 
 of the river. When the posts are all driven for the traps which 
 are many of them for the corners and side and also to brace 
 against the current of the river. The top pieces are placed and 
 braced, then poles are \\dthed to the sides and ends all around 
 each trap. The mat or woven work of small s]ilit poles are 
 taken in and ])laced, unrolled, letting them close up, close to the 
 frame work of the structure. These traps are set on the down 
 river side of the nuun structure so that all of this mat work has 
 to be ])ut on the inside of the frame work of the traps. Then 
 all of this matting is tied with hazel withes very carefully. 
 These ti'a])s aic not put up close together, there is a place of 
 about six feet left between each trap so that a canoe can be run 
 between them. This matting is placed all the way aci'oss on the 
 upjiei- side of thv main fi'ame, exce])t on the south side of the 
 river where there is an open place of aI)out fwenty feet in width, 
 this only has th( main beam o\-ei' it and is left so all can pass 
 up and down the river in theii' boats, and also a chance for 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 51 
 
 many salmon to pass up river. They place boards along the 
 main fish dam so as to leave a good foot walk all the distance 
 across the river from one bank to another. They put in a gate 
 at the lower end of fish traps and one at the upper end of each 
 trap, and at this time the water begins to roar so that when 
 close to the dam it is deafening. Now there are so many 
 families to each trap, so the upper gate is closed down and the 
 lower gate is opened. We are now up to the noon hour of the 
 tenth day, when there is a long pole some tw^enty to twenty-four 
 feet long set just at the south side and end of the fish dam and 
 just on the lower side, on the top of this pole all of the fancy 
 work that the boys have been making is tied and there is a 
 mound of sand heaped around the foot of this pole to a height 
 of three or four feet and from eight to ten feet across. Now it 
 is about four o'clock in the afternoon and Lock and Lock-nee 
 are with the Nah-quirlth, busy as bees putting the final touches 
 to the fish dam. And of all the tribes, the women are the most 
 anxious and are from place to place asking the others how the 
 girl Normer is, if she is well, can she go and if she is going, 
 when out comes Normer from her place where she has been kept 
 from view all these days. She has in the palm of her right hand 
 a small basket in which is a small piece of acorn dough, and 
 she goes in a swift run on a broad smooth trail in an easterly 
 direction for a distance of five hundred yards to this pole, which 
 she runs up to, facing it, then going around to the right she sets 
 the basket on top of the mound, close up to the pole. All are 
 watching for her and as soon as one sees her they all shout at 
 the top of their voices. Then Lock runs to hide as he does not 
 want to see her at this time. Now she turns and goes back at 
 the same swift speed and at this time all of the girls that she 
 sent for are in their place where they dance. The ground is all 
 fixed, having been scooped out leaving a depression some four 
 feet deep and twenty feet across, gently sloping to the center. 
 Normer comes up to the dancers and passes on in a westerly 
 direction down the river until she comes to a woman who has 
 been a Normer before her and tells her where to turn to the 
 river, where she bathes herself, then turns back and walks to 
 where the girls are dancing and sits down in front of them and 
 urges them to sing louder and dance faster. These Wa-clures 
 stand erect moving the body forward and backward by the ac- 
 
52 GENERAL HISTORY 
 
 tion of the knees, raising first one foot and then the other. Nor- 
 mer keeps watch of the sun and as it is getting low and it is 
 getting time for all to come, she raises to a kneeUng position 
 and bids the Wa-chn-es to sing louder and dance faster, they 
 then move very lively. Normer is the al)solute ruler of her 
 people as she is the child of God's own purity. Then comes 
 Lock with Lock-nee closely behind and thirdly comes the boy, 
 Charrah, with the same basket that Normer left at the pole 
 and which is now full of water, and as Lock walks uji to Nor- 
 mer the girls all drop down and hover over Normer, then Lock 
 and Lock-nee drop over them, then the boy who has the basket 
 of water lowers his hand and throws the basket, water and all 
 as high up in the air as he can and the water comes down over 
 them in a shower. As the boy throws the basket and water up 
 in the aii- he and all of the boys drop down over the others, 
 hoveling over Normer like a swarm of bees hovering over the 
 queen. This is done for her protection, for now come all the 
 workes, each one having a long pole on the top of which are 
 tied the bark ribbons and and fancy carved Indian pipes that 
 the boys made, and as they come running up they form a half 
 circle around the heap letting the long heavy poles fall over 
 them with a crrsh which is done so quickly that it is very hard 
 to see how it is done, and just as quickly the whole heap raises 
 up out of this place and place themselves in fours for the next 
 move. At this time if Normei' was silly enough she could com- 
 mand every man, woman and child to lie flat on their alxlomens 
 and go ^^^thout eating for another twenty-four hours, as all must 
 obey her commands, no matter what they might be. Now the 
 fish dam is completed and all go to their camps. Normer goes 
 to the lodge with Lock, while Lock-nee secures and takes to her 
 the first salmon taken from the fish dam and Lock-nee cuts out 
 from the middle of this salmon enough for her supper, while no 
 one else can eat of the salmon until the next day. Every thing 
 now becomes (juite for an hour, as they are all taking their 
 evening meal. Then first one than another will begin to inquire 
 al)Out Normer and her health. Now all depends upon Normer, 
 if she is strong enough she (luietly goes out and cleans off the 
 ground this same evening but if too tired she puts it off until 
 morning. After making her plans she then gives her orders to 
 Lock and he in return gives it out to the people and they all 
 
GENERAL HISTORY 53 
 
 begin to prepare. After Normcr has cleaned the ground she 
 makes a small fire just in front of the dancers and on which she 
 places the incense roots, then as the dancers come up and take 
 their places she sits there with her hair hanging loose, down on 
 each side of her face, and with heads over her neck 
 and hanging down over her breast, she has on 
 a white buck-skin dress trimmed with beads and shells, all of 
 which are made by her own hands as we use only of our 
 own make. She does not use feathers of any kind. Normer sits 
 there a model of beauty with the teachings that have been hand- 
 down through the many generations, that if she should, while 
 carrying out her duties, loose her virtue, or disobey any of the 
 laws of her God, that she would be struck dead for doing so. 
 Now the dance starts and this is the beginning of the White 
 Deer-skin dance. This place is about ten miles up the river 
 from the place where the White Deer-skin dance is held but is 
 started first at this place after the finishing of the fish dam. 
 Noi-mer starts it here and then all go home, but Nor-mer, Lock, 
 Lock-nee, the girls and the boys remain here. Lock and Lock-nee 
 taking charge of the fish dam and all stay here as long as the 
 fish dam holds intact, except the last day of the White Deer- 
 skin dance when Lock calls all of them and asks if they want to 
 see it the last day, if they decide to go not one of them must 
 eat the last day and all go together and return in the evening 
 when they all eat. Now all is fun and mirth with all of them 
 that remain at the fish dam, Lock and Lock-nee lead- 
 ing them all in the plays and fun of every nature. Normer 
 stays with Lock and Lock-nee but she now goes out and plays 
 and jokes and has her share of the fun, and all have their reg- 
 ular meals. This place where the fish dam is put in is called by 
 them Cap-pell and is a bar of some twenty or thirty acres, high 
 enough so the river never over-flows it and yet it is very level. 
 It is a pretty place, being situated on the south bank of the 
 Klamath river. There are two villages on this pretty spot, one 
 being Cap-pell which was very large in the ages gone by and 
 w'hich contained a very large number of Indians. The other 
 village was called Sy-ah and was very ancient, being the place 
 where the lodge was situated. The house they stay in is called 
 Lah-wa-alth and the house where Lock and Lock-nee sleep is 
 called Ur-girk. 
 
54 (iEXERAL HISTORY 
 
 I will say to the white race that my people, or any other 
 Indian tribes as far as I know them, do not use the name of our 
 Creator wlien using profane language, as we would feel it a dis- 
 grace to do so, even to think of such a thing. We never use 
 the sacred name of God only in our prayers. 
 
 The following are a few expressions sometimes used: Kee- 
 mol-len-a Ta-ga-ar-a-wah-ma, (bad talk) pointing the right hand- 
 with the fingers extended, toward a person and at the same time 
 saying: Woo-saw-ah, meanfe that the person is badly born, and 
 they never forgive you for this. Another is: Char-reck-ciuick-cal- 
 Jah, and means: "I wish you were in hell", and for this also they 
 never forgive. 
 
ifMsf ^ iMm iwiif} SMm SMm SxSm SMm MSm 
 y^SSS v^i®^ V^f?vS v\ffiS v\M§ vnM^ vxS^ v^®^ 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. 
 
 In a vision, the Indian through his mysterious eyes 
 
 Sees yonder in the distant . skies, 
 A scene subhme of the past ages, 
 
 That for aye will enchant bards and sages. 
 
 ON His mighty Throne, high in the infinite realms of 
 Heaven, sat the great ruler of the stars and endless 
 
 skies, Wah-pec-wah-mow (God). As he peered down 
 through the darkness of a cheerless and lonely space. He 
 created a new world, the earth on which we live. 
 He first made the soil of the earth and placed it 
 in a buck-skin sack. He opened the sack and shook 
 the soil from it; it fell down into the chasm of darkness, and 
 Wah-pec-wah-mow could not see anything but the intense dark- 
 ness. He commanded that the rays of light should penetrate 
 the awful darkness, and there should alternately be night and 
 day. The sun to shine by day and the moon to shine by night, 
 to break the awful stillness of this once dark and cheerless world. 
 
 Gazing down from His Throne on high, Wah-pec-wah-mow 
 saw the world he had created was a desolate waste without hu- 
 man life, or life of any kind. He now began the transformation 
 of the new world, and lo, the once barren surface of the earth 
 was clothed in verdure; forests lifted their giant branches sky- 
 ward; t^aiiquil streams flowed and great rivers wended their way 
 to the ocean. 
 
 The first living thing placed upon the earth was the 
 white deer (Moon-chay-poke). The white deer roamed over the 
 hills, mountains, in the valleys and on the plains. He was the 
 pride and dignity of the animal kingdom. This is why the Kla- 
 math Indians revere the white deer that is so sacred to their 
 hearts and use the skin as an emblem of purity, in one of their 
 
56 CREATION OF THE WORLD 
 
 greatest festivals, or worships, which is termed in EngHsh as, 
 ''The White Deer-skin Dance." In the Indian language it is 
 called, "Oh-pure-ah-wah"; which does not mean dance but means 
 one of their most sacred religious festivals. 
 
 The next living creature that Wah-pec-wtdi-mow placed 
 n])on the earth was the red eagle, Hay-wan-alth, who has ever 
 since ruled as the monarch of the skies. The Indians pi-ize the 
 feathers of this eagle very highly, and use them in their great 
 festival. In the decoi'ation of their head-gear, they take a single 
 feather, fasten it in the hair at the back of the head, arranging 
 it so that it standi st might up. They also use the feathers of 
 the bald eagle, P(M-gone-gish, and the gray eagle, Per-gish, some- 
 times as a substitute for the feathers of the red eagle. 
 
 After the white deer and red eagle was placed upon the 
 earth, W^ah-pec-wah-mow now created all the other animals of 
 the earth. Some were to roam upon the plains, otheis in the 
 forests, some to eat grass and others to devour !,ther animals, 
 etc. 
 
 \\'ah-pec-wah-maw did not give our people any single day 
 during the week or month, as a day of worship, but gave them 
 a certain season of the year in which to hold their religious 
 ceremonies. This season of worshipful ceremonies usually begins 
 in the month of September, and lasts for several days. It is the 
 season of the year when the water of the rivers and In'ooks ebb 
 lowest, and the sunmier is almost ready to wane into the glories 
 of Autumn. This season is called, "Kne-wal-la-taw," the eighth 
 month of the year, according to our way of reckoning time. 
 
 When Wah-pec-wah-mow had finished creating the plant 
 and animal life of the earth. He then created the 
 first real man. He made the first man of the 
 
 soil of the earth, and i)laced him in the beautiful valley of 
 Cheek-cheek-alth. This valley was located in a far off northern 
 cliiiic. When the first man was created and he became a living 
 being upon the earth, Wah-pec-wah-mow said to him, "You are 
 a living man." (lod named this man He-quan-neck. Inspired 
 with the breath of life, He-quan-neck first saw the light of day 
 in this sweet valley of sunshine, flowers, fruits and herl)s. 
 Among the gi'owing hcMbs was tlic hci-b w;dth-])ay, which has a 
 foiked loot. (lod saw that the man was lonely in this sunny 
 
CREATION OF THE WORLD 57 
 
 valley, and he was not pleased with his work. Wah-pec-wah- 
 moh now requested He-quan-neck to blow his nose, which he 
 did, and immediately the forked root, or walth-pay turned into 
 a living woman, Kay-y-yourn-nak. Man now became blessed 
 with a living companion and for a time they dwelt together in 
 the chaste life of peace and happiness. 
 
 Our tradition has been handed down through the long 
 centuries, the first dwelling place of man and woman was far 
 away in a northern clime. It would seem a distant land across 
 the waters from the North American continent that is located in 
 the northetn part of the world, which we call Cheek-cheek-alth. 
 
 Man and woman in the valley of Cheek-cheek-alth knew 
 no sin, two pure souls were they in this valley of perpetual sun- 
 shine and flowers. 
 
 The loneliness of two human beings dawned upon Wah- 
 pec-wah-mow so he decided to have the earth populated with 
 people. He now caused He-quan-neck and Kay-y-yourn-nah to 
 fall asleep, and while they slept He caused the snake to crawl 
 across the woman's bare abdomen, that awakened the sleepers, 
 and this opened their eyes to their nudeness and thereafter they 
 knew sin. The finer senses of the woman awoke, as she became 
 deeply humiliated at the sight of her naked self, and she began 
 to fasten leaves together from the herb, Cur-poo-sa-gon, out of 
 which she made an apron to clothe herself. Thus the first 
 garment that woman wore was from the leaves of this wonderful 
 plant. This plant grows in abundance along the lower Klamath 
 river and its surrounding regions, and the little Indian girls up to 
 this day like to gather these leaves, rub their face and hands 
 with and wear them upon their heads under their caps. These 
 leaves have a very strong and unpleasant odor. 
 
 Wah-pec-wah-moh commanded the man and woman to go 
 forth and bring children upon the earth. A curse fell upon the 
 woman, that she should bear children with pain, therefore every 
 woman after her, through all the long centuries has had to 
 endure this hardship. The first children were born some with 
 light hair and fair skin and blue eyes, and some with black hair, 
 dark skin and black eyes and as they married they would mate 
 with black hair, the others with light, hair and when they left 
 the old land Cheek-cheek-alth they were not so dark, many of 
 them were light haired, fair and blue eyed. 
 
58 CREATION OF THE WORLD 
 
 Wah-pec'-wah-inow put a curse upon the snake that it 
 should crawl upon its belly as long as the earth should last. 
 
 God's laws were that every man and woman should marry 
 and bring forth children. These people were taught to obey the 
 laws antl be honest. They increased in number until they became 
 very numerous, and at that time, they all talked the same 
 language. As time sped by they became very numerous and 
 Wah-pec-wah-mow now caused our people, the Indians, to start 
 on their long journey, away from their native haunts and child- 
 hood's land, Cheek-cheek-alth. We do not know how long, but 
 they wandered thus in search of a new land, leaving behind them 
 only a memory of the old land. A land that claims its own no 
 more in life and like a people in exile they wandered on. 
 
 
HvOT^b Jiv^i^i^b J1VOT^3 Jlv^^b Ji'v^'^^^^b J v^lb J v^x#b J v^^#: 
 
 ^^SW^ zs^(M ^Mf^ ^MM ^M^^ ^iM^2 ^il^ ^i^^ 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 THE WANDERING TRIBE. 
 
 FHOAI the land of Cheek-cheek-alth, the mystic Eden of 
 long ago, came our wandering tribe of people who long 
 
 since inhabited North and South America; for we are all 
 one people. Among them were our leaders, the men who 
 possessed in their secret breasts the true name of God. These 
 men and women in our language we call Talth, and were the 
 High Priests, and great rulers who ruled our people. Therefore, 
 we were one of the tribes that was never ruled by a single chief, 
 but by our Talth, or High Priests. Upon leaving the old land 
 the Talth carried with them the forked root, Walth-pay, (the 
 root from which woman was made) and the stalk of this root as 
 a divine rod of strength, endurance and courage, being used as 
 a saviour of the tribe. With it the Talth would command food 
 for their famished members and bring peace and rest to their 
 weary bodies. The Walth-pay stalk kept perfectly green, and 
 blossomed all the while, and the High Priests carried it with 
 them on their long journeys and years of wanderings. 
 
 The Talth were the mediators between man and God 
 during their years of hardships and wanderings, and could com- 
 mand for the tribes anything that was needed for human 
 existance. These Priests all possessed the true name of God and 
 were members of the ancient order sometimes termed as "The 
 American Mysteries." The only members left to survive theiV 
 ancient order at the present writing is my father, Weitch-ah-wah, 
 now past the century mark several years, an unlettered man 
 who can speak no English, and the other member is myself. In 
 my infancy I was taught all that was good and all that would 
 make for a true and noble womanhood; that there was a God in 
 Heaven who ruled over all, and during my researches throughout 
 I have found nothing better. When these last two members fin- 
 ish their earthly reign, with us perishes the true name of God 
 to my people. With it has perished from the earth our true 
 
()0 THE WANDERING TRIBE 
 
 Indian laws, our sublime religion, our deeds of chivalry, as rich 
 as the civilized world has ever beheld. Also our glorious man- 
 hood and womanhood; immoral, corrupt, tottering, down-trodden 
 and debauched by a superior race, we have perished in that 
 winter night of the transition period. At a single blow our 
 laws were torn asunder; loathsome diseases we had never known 
 crushed out the life and beauty of our physical bodies, and de- 
 mented our spiritual minds with lowly passions. Poisonous 
 spiritous drink has set the brain on fire, degrading man and 
 womanhood, thus as a race we have perished. And this great 
 land, the richest the world has ever known, the land of our fore- 
 fathers for so many thousands of years. Now another race is 
 struggling on where our reign has ended. Already our great 
 rulers are at rest, and forever; laureled with the glories of the 
 primeval ages that have passed away in silence. As a nation, 
 like the ancient Egyptians, we have grown old and passed away; 
 we have seen a great civilization rise to the highest of its 
 splendors and pass away to another land beyond recall. Today 
 we see another civilization endowed with a splendor of its own, 
 rising over the debris of the eternal years. 
 
 We are all one tribe from the source of the Klamath river 
 to its mouth, and down the coast as far as Trinidad, (Cho-ri) 
 and up the coast as far as Wilson creek, which we call Ah-man. 
 We are classed in two divisions and term ourselves as Po-lick-la's 
 along the coast and up the river as far as Weitchpec, designated 
 as the lower division of our tribe. From Weitchpec on up the 
 river to its source we term as Petch-ic-la, the upper division of 
 our tribe. We intermarry to a great extent, having the same 
 marriage laws and religious ceremonies and all our traditions and 
 teachings are the same. We call God, Wah-pec-wah-moh, which 
 means in our tongue the father of all and we do not consider 
 Him as a "which has been so much of the white man's allegory, 
 but as an Invisible Omnipotent Being, who rules this great 
 universe with an all seeing eye, He is everywhere. 
 
 Wah-pec-wah-mow is the common name applied to God. 
 used by all classes of our tribe, as the real and true name of 
 God is never si)()ken. Our high priests, born of the royal 
 marriages are initiated in the Holy Lodge and are given the true 
 name of God, but they never speak it outside of the lodge, it is 
 only spoken inside after they have gone through a long and 
 
THE WANDERING TRIBE 61 
 
 secret comunion, and then the name is only whispered in the 
 lowest whisper from mouth to ear. This true name is only used 
 by the talth with profound reverence to the Great Creator, in 
 the sacred lodge and in the hallowed lonely places far back on 
 the high mountains where they go to worship in the profound 
 solitudes, away from the gaze of curious people. Our religion 
 has been too sacred, too sublime an ideal to quarrel over, hence 
 we have remained silent through the gloom of so many years 
 and borne patiently the insults on royal society as being 
 heathens. This true name of God, as great as the universe, will 
 never be spoken again. If it should be uttered in a loud and 
 harsh tone of voice, it is said that the earth will tremble, ignite 
 in mighty flames and pass away forever. Ever thus, since the 
 creation of the world, the Talth have handed down our religion 
 and traditions from the old land of Cheek-cheek-alth, from 
 generation to generation. It is the duty of every Indian child to 
 be pious and worship the Great Creatar. Our sacred religion 
 is 0-pure-ah-way (the White Deer-skin dance) where all the 
 members of the tribes in unison and w^orship, and entertain 
 our guests with much hospitality. 
 
 In our recollections of the past we left the land of our 
 birth (Cheek-cheek-alth) many thousands of years ago with our 
 leaders, the Talth, who were given the true name of God in the 
 old land, and crrried with them the forked root, or Walth-pay. 
 With this divine rod they commanded food comfort and peace 
 during their long years of weary wanderings. After we left the 
 beautiful valley of Cheek-cheek-alth, for years we wandered down 
 a European land, always moving toward the south, having our 
 origin in the far north. Over this land we wandered like exiles, 
 we know not how long, as it might have been centuries until we 
 reached the roUing waves of the ocean. Upon reaching this salt 
 water we made boats or canoes, and paddled over the waves 
 until we reached the opposite shore, having crossed the straits 
 in safety. Having reached this opposite shore, upon this new 
 continent we continued our weary years of wandering, ever on, 
 far on, down this land, always going south as before. We carried 
 the memory through the long ages, the perils of the far north, 
 the huge icebergs, the regal monarchs of the North that floated 
 like ghost-ships at night on dream-land seas, the splendors of the 
 aurora borealis flickered across the snowy fields and througli 
 
()2 THE WANDERING TRIBE 
 
 this land of the mid-night sun came om- brave forefathers. In 
 this land of the frozen North some of our people were left, the 
 Esciuimau; they were given a language as they were seperated 
 from our sturdy band and emigrated over the snowy fields and 
 ha\'e long since from this tim(» on inhabited the land of perpetual 
 ice and snow. 
 
 Our tribe would often ];ccome weary with travel and 
 l)(>conie veiy dissatisfied and would quarrel much ;iinon<i; them- 
 selves. The Talth would stop after hearing so nmch !i,rumbling 
 and build a lodge where their members would hold a meeting 
 and offer up worship to God, that He would guide them aright, 
 endow tbem with power to bring peace among their people, 
 comfort them in their wants and give them food. After the 
 lodge meeting and prayer the Talth would command with the 
 rod of Walth-pay food for their people. The food came to them 
 in the form of acorn dough out of which they made bread or 
 l)op-saw. The Indians would never see pop-saw falling to the 
 ground, but they would find it where the Talth told them to 
 look, and each one would be compelled to gather up their own, or 
 they woukl go hungry. As long as they remained camped in the 
 same place the pop-saw would come to them but when they 
 would break up camp and travel on the pop-saw would cease to 
 come and the tribe would grow very hungry and begin to 
 quarrel again. The Talth would stop after days of fatigue and 
 hunger, and build another lodge where their members would 
 worship at the sacred shrine. After the worship food would 
 come again in the form of the acorn dough, commanded with 
 rod of Walth-pay. Sometimes the Talth would leave the cam]3s 
 for several days, during which time the people would become 
 very restless and discontented and some of the people would try 
 to perform the duties of the Talth in their absence, and some 
 of them would pray to the sun, some to the stars and other 
 idols. The Talth would be very nmch humiliated upon their 
 leturn to find their people so corrupt in their worship, and it 
 would take much faithful work to assure peace and order among 
 them again. The Talth would plant the herb, Walth-pay at 
 their stopping places during their travels, and it would readily 
 take I'oot and gi-ow, at almost every stopping place some of our 
 ])('opl(; were left and God would give them a language; they 
 would inhabit the locality p(>rmanently and branch out to other 
 
THE WANDERING TRIBE 63 
 
 localities, while our part of the people traveled on until they 
 reached their final earthly home on the Klamath river, which we 
 call Health-kick- wer-roy, and here we found the white race, 
 (Wa-gas) and which will be told of in anbther chapter. Thus we 
 traveled on down a great continent, leaving behind at our 
 stopping places, a portion of our people, which were given 
 different languages. Thus were our languages confounded among 
 the tribes of America, and our tribes became numerous, being 
 scattered over the land of the midnight sun of perpetual ice and 
 snow, over the continent of Nort America to the equator and 
 regions of perpetual sunshine ; and beyond the equator over the 
 continent of South America to its farthermost southern borders, 
 where we merge into the regions of ice and snow again, . our 
 tribes have been scattered. Over this great land we are all one 
 people, however some of our tribes were far superior to others. 
 We know not how many centuries we wandered, or when 
 we reached our last stopping place on the Klamath river and 
 where we decided our long journey should end, and that we 
 would make this our final home. The Wah-teck, Wah-ker-rah, 
 Cor-tep and Pec-wan villages were among our first camping 
 grounds on the Klamath river. Here we spread our camps and 
 built our first houses long- ages ago, and have resided in them 
 and kept them in repair from generation to generation. Some of 
 these primeval houses yet remain in these old villages, haunted 
 with the romance of centuries and the inspiring history of past 
 ages. Upon our first arrival there were a great many of our 
 people and we began to divide off into different villages and 
 locate along the Klamath river and down the coast as far as 
 Trinidad, (Cho-ri) and up the coast to Wilson Creek (Ah-man). 
 The other tribes were placed by Wah-pec-wah-mow in different 
 localities, that all the people might sustain themselves with 
 plenty of game and food, and be kept comfortable. 
 
 The Talth kept the Walth-pay in commemoration of 
 God's creation of woman and their travels, and planted it in a 
 few selected places back in the lonely mountains. The Talth all 
 know where to find this wonderful herb growing, but it is also 
 fading with the remote ages as there are only a few Indians left 
 who know where to find it. With them passes away the sacred 
 rites and laws of an ancient nation forever, and the primeval 
 art becomes a thing of the mystic ages. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 TRADITIONS OF THE ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 
 
 WHEN The Indians first made their appearance on the 
 Klamath river it was ah-eady inhabited by a white race 
 of jieople known among us as the Wa-gas. These white 
 people were fomid to inhabit the whole continent, and were a 
 highly moral and civilized race. They heartily welcomed the 
 Indians to their country and taught us all of their arts and 
 sciences. The Indians recognized the rights of these ancient 
 people as the first possessors of the soil and no difficulties ever 
 arose between the two people. Their hospitality was exceedingly 
 generous in the welfare of our people and all prospered together 
 in peace and happiness, in their pursuit of human cxistance. 
 After a time there where inter-marriages between the two races, 
 but these were never promiscuous. For a vast period of time 
 the two races dwelt together in peace and honored homes, wars 
 and quarrels were unknown in this golden age of happiness. No 
 depredations were ever committed upon the property of their 
 people, as the white people ruled with beacon light of kindness, 
 and our people still worship the hallowed places where once they 
 trod. Their morals were far superior to the white people of to- 
 day, their ideals were high and inspired our people with greatness. 
 After we had lived with these ancient people so long, they 
 suddenly called their hosts together and mysteriously disappeared 
 for a distant land, we know not where. We have no memory of 
 their reason or cause why they abandoned their ancient homes 
 where they had dwelt for untold centuries. Wars did not drive 
 them forth, for we loved them more than brothers, and difficulties 
 were unknown between the two people. On leaving they went 
 toward the North from whence we came, and disappeared from 
 our land beyond the northern seas. It was a sad farewell when 
 they departed from this land, for our people mourned their loss, 
 as no more have we found such friends as they, so true and 
 loyal. In their farewell journey across this land they left land- 
 
TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 65 
 
 marks of stone monuments, on the tops of high mountains and 
 places commanding a view of the surrounding country. These 
 land-marks we have kept in repair, down through the ages in 
 loving remembrance. I have seen many of these land-marks 
 myself (and often repaired them) that they left as a syml)ol of 
 the mystic ages and the grandeur of a mighty nation that passed 
 in a single season. Oh, how little we know of the depths of the 
 ages gone, how wide, how profound and deep is the knowledge 
 we seek; a monument of stone, a stone bowl, a broken symbol, 
 a hallowed unknown spot, a lodge of ruins, all this makes a 
 golden page glittering with diamonds that trills the emotions 
 with mysterious longings for truth and light in the depths 
 unknown. 
 
 When the Wag-as left this land they assured my people 
 that they would return to them at some future time. Perchance 
 thousands of years have elapsed since then, and they have not 
 returned, we have waited in vain for it seems that our cherished 
 hopes are fading. However, some of our people are still looking 
 for the return of the white man. The traditions handed down 
 leads us to believe that the Wa-gas returned to the land of their 
 birth, in the far north, the valley of Cheek-cheek-alth, as their 
 traditions were given to us that their origin was in this same 
 land of Cheek-cheek-alth, as they came clown from the North 
 when they came to this land. When the Wa-gas first arrived on 
 this continent they handed down the traditions to us that it was 
 inhabited by a giant race of people when they first came. These 
 giants were represented by the Wa-gas as being very swarthy in 
 complexion, and they used implements so large that no ordinary 
 man could lift them. It was an age when large animals roamed 
 the earth, and it seems the birds and fowls were all very large 
 in size. It appeared to be the first age, and was the age of the 
 giants. . The recollections transmitted by the Wa-gas were that 
 these giants were very cruel and wicked. It was said that God 
 became displeased with them and destroyed them and they all 
 perished from the earth. It was also said that God appeared to 
 the High Priest of the Wa-gas and told them that he was going 
 to destroy the giant race and that the Wa-gas themselves would 
 survive upon the earth as a new people. Smaller birds and 
 animals would appear upon the earth for the use of man, thus 
 the age of giants perished, but the Wa-gas do not hand down 
 
()(•) TRADITIOXS OF ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 
 
 any tradition of how they perished from the earth, as my people 
 have no recollections of over seeing giants. My mother says 
 that our people in imcient times have seen many relics belonging 
 to these prehistoric giants, such as huge stone bowls, stone slabs 
 and other implements so great that our people could not move 
 them. During the ;iges of I'ains and wearing away of the earth, 
 these implements have been buried, so deep and have sunk into 
 the earth, is the reason we cannot find them today. The Indian 
 name for the giant race is Pah-pel-ene, wdiich means people that 
 have all died and passed away. 
 
 When the Wa-gas returned to Cheek-cheek-alt h it is 
 su])i)osed they found a ladder in this l)eautiful valley which extends 
 from earth to Heaven, and climbed it to Werse-on-now, (Heaven) 
 wh(Te they dwell with God. All the half castes with the 
 exception of a few went away with the Wa-gas, and nearly all 
 those that were three quarters Indian remained with our people. 
 This is said to be the reason why some of our people are very 
 fair. Some of the Indians are still looking for their return to 
 the earth, when they come back it is believed that peace and 
 ha])piness will reign supreme again over this great land and all 
 (>vil will be cast out. When the present race of the white peo]ile 
 made their first api)earance upon the American continent, we 
 believed it was tlu^ Wa-gas returning and a hearty welcome was 
 extended to them and there was great rejoicing among our tribes. 
 But soon the sad mistake was discovered to our sorrrow, when 
 the men l)egan to debauch our women, give whiskey to our men 
 and claim our land that our fore-fathers had inhabited for so 
 many thousands of years, yet not a single family has ever been 
 driven from their house on the Klamath river up to this day. 
 We no longer termed them as Wa-gas, but as Ken-e-yahs, which 
 means foreigners, who had no right to the land and could never 
 appreciate our kindness, for they were a very different people 
 from the Wa-gas. They had coriiipt morals that brought 
 dissolution upon our people and wi'ought the horrors of untold 
 havoc. 
 
 When the Indians first reached the Klamath river there 
 were large prairies and vast tracts of grassy land, which have 
 since grown up in timber and under-brush. Many of the prairies 
 were set on fire and burnt off every year duiing the (h;v seasons 
 which kept the timbcM' from growing up very fast. 
 
TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 67 
 
 The Klamath emptied into the ocean at Wilson creek, 
 about six miles north of where it now goes into and ocean at 
 Reck-woy. There were high l)lurfs of rocks l)e;\''een the river 
 and the ocean all the way from Reck-woy to Wilson creek, 
 which kept the river in its course to Ah-man (Wilson creek) 
 where it emptied into the ocean. The river was said to have 
 kept in this course until our Christ caused the mighty rocks to 
 split open and the waters of the river rushed ahead to the ocean 
 at Reck-woy, where it has ever since flowed into the ocean. 
 
 The traditions handed down say that the land, north of 
 Redwood creek, where it goes into the ocean, extended far out 
 into the sea to the large rock that is now known to the white 
 people as Redding rock, has continually . washed away leaving 
 this rock jutting up from the ocean depths and can be seen for 
 many miles over the surrounding area of land and sea. This 
 rock is located at a distance of about ten miles from the shore 
 and is called by the Indians Sa-quan-ow. This name translated 
 into English means an acorn pestle, a conical shaped stone, 
 carved out of granite and is used to pound acorns and grass 
 seeds -into the finest flour. Long ages ago Redding rock extended 
 up from the ocean to a great height, and from a distance 
 appeared to be a huge Sa-quan, or pestle, hence its name. After 
 ages of erosion the massive rock became surrounded by water 
 and the receeding bluffs left it alone out in the ocean where its 
 greater portion has crumbled and fallen beneath the waves as it 
 is seen today. The Indians still call it Sa-quan-ow. 
 
 There has been but little change in the channel of the 
 Klamath river, except at its mouth since our arrival in this land. 
 In olden times the channel of the river was very deep and clear 
 and much narrower than it is now and large bars of alluvial soil 
 composed its banks, where luxuriant grasses grew, and upon these 
 low-lands during the winter months great herds of deer and elk 
 would graze, coming down from the snow covered mountains. 
 The channels of the large creeks and tributaries of the river, such 
 as Blue creek, (Ur-ner) Tec-tah and Pec-wan have practically 
 never changed as they still flow into the river in the same places. 
 Where the Trinity river flows into the Klamath river it has 
 made but little or no change during the passing ages as has 
 been ha|ided down to us. 
 
 We have no word of severe earthquakes in our regions, 
 
68 TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 
 
 l)iit have had sliiihl shocks from time to time throughout the 
 centuries. W'v have no tales of any great damage ever done })y 
 earthquakes and oui' i)eople never held any f(vir of tremors of 
 the earth. But my p(H)ple tell of great tidal waves that have 
 swept our country. They say a long time ago one swept up the 
 Klamath river to the mouth of the Trinity river, a distance of 
 over forty miles, and did great damage, as it swept away houses 
 and thousands of our people were drown(Hl and carried away l)y 
 the roUing waves of the ocean, so few of our tribe were left 
 tiiat they were well nigh exterminated. Many smaller tidal 
 waves have swept over the coast where the destruction was not 
 so great. 
 
 They tell of epidemics that came up the river and laid 
 us low in the devastation of life, thousands of our people would 
 pass away in a single season; they would the so fast that they 
 coukl not be buried and many of the bodies would he thrown 
 into the river. The only way we could keep the whole tri])e 
 from complete devastation by the ravages of these ch'eadful dis- 
 eases was to abandon the dead and leave the river and go l^ack 
 into the high mountains and there we built 1)ark houses and re- 
 main until the snow and cold would compell us to retreat to the 
 low-lands again. In our mountain home we subsisted on wild 
 game, berries, pine nuts, roots and herbs. Some of our people 
 would have such a terror of the fatal diseases that they would 
 refuse to return to their homes and would l)rave the fierce 
 storms of the cold winter until they were convinced that all 
 dangers had ceased. In our traditions of the passing centuries 
 many of these epidemics have almost devasted the land of 
 human life. During one of these contagions it was said that the 
 children would go down to the river to swim and would lie 
 down in I'ows from six to twelve in number upon the sand, as if 
 they were alive and had been placed there by careful hands; but 
 they would be in their eternal sleep, contagion having overtaken 
 them. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 TIME AND NAMES. 
 
 W 
 
 E Have ten months for one year, and four seasons, as 
 follows : — 
 
 "1st month: 
 
 Caw-cha-witt'h. 
 
 2nd month : 
 
 Nan-ah-wetch. 
 
 3rd month: 
 
 Nachk-sa-witch. 
 
 4th month: 
 
 Chaw-na-ah-wertch 
 
 5th month: 
 
 Mere-i-yaw. 
 
 6th month: 
 
 Cauh-chow. 
 
 7th month: 
 
 Chere-wer-sere. 
 
 8th month: 
 
 Cana-wal-a-ture. 
 
 9th month: 
 
 Cher-mick. 
 
 10th month: 
 
 Wealth-ah-wah. 
 
 Spring : Key-atch-ker. 
 Summer: Kis-sa-no. 
 Autumn : Ka-yock-ka-muck. 
 
 Winter : Cah-mah . 
 
 We lose time in our count each year, so we throw in or 
 stop counting until the time comes around to start again. The 
 Klamath Indians are good in counting and can count up into 
 the thousands. We count ten, and ten - t -o n s for one thousand. 
 All of our counting is done by whole numbers; we have no 
 fractions. All the women have to count and count closely in 
 weaving baskets in order to make the designs come out correct- 
 
'{) 
 
 TIME AND NAMES 
 
 1}-. We have astronomers, called Haw-getch-iieeiis, and they 
 keep close observaion of the sun, which we call Ca-chine-wan- 
 now-slay. Da}^ we call Ca-chine; the moon, Nas-cha-wan-now- 
 sloy, this means the night sun. 
 
 English names. 
 
 An old woman 
 
 Young women 
 
 Little girl 
 
 Baby 
 
 Boat or canoe 
 
 House 
 
 Come in the house 
 
 How do you do my friend 
 
 Me or I 
 
 Yes 
 
 Fire 
 
 Mother 
 
 Father 
 
 Grandfather 
 
 Grandmother 
 
 Old man 
 
 Young man 
 
 Large boy 
 
 Small boy 
 
 Mother-in-law 
 
 Father-in-law 
 
 Sister-in-law 
 
 Brother-in-law 
 
 L'ncle 
 
 Aunt 
 
 Klamath river 
 
 Redwood timl)er 
 
 Mermaids 
 
 Silver Salmon 
 
 Steelhead Salmon 
 
 King Salmon 
 
 Hook-bill Salmon 
 
 Grizzly Bear 
 
 Sea or Ocean 
 
 Klamath Indian. 
 Ca-par-a 
 
 Way-jam 
 
 Wer-j^es 
 
 Oaks 
 
 Yacht 
 
 Och-Ium-ilth 
 
 ( )ch-la-may 
 I-ya-quay Nec-tor-mer 
 
 Neck 
 
 A 
 
 Metch 
 
 Calk 
 
 Tat, or Tat us 
 
 Peach 
 
 Gooch 
 Ma-we-mer 
 Pay-girk 
 Che-na-mouse 
 May-wah 
 Cha-win 
 Par-ah 
 Netch-nah 
 Weitch-tay, or Tay 
 Jim 
 
 Tool - 
 
 Health-kick- wer-roy 
 Keilth 
 Scjuer-tuck 
 Nep-puoy 
 Squalth 
 All-pus 
 C'ha-goon 
 Nick-witch 
 Pis-calth 
 
TIME AND NAME 71 
 
 The Bald Hills we call Cho-lu, contains many hundreds 
 of acres of open land, high up where one can see as far as the 
 eye can reach in all dii'ections. 
 
 There is another specie of the Salmon caught in the 
 Klamath river, the English name of which I do not know but 
 we call it Ra-gawk. 
 
 In the year 1850 my people had never heard of the 
 present white race and we were then making our fires with two 
 pieces of wood, one the willow and the other of hardwood. 
 
 My mother and father never leraned to talk English, so I 
 talk to them only in our own language. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND. 
 
 'HERE is a large and silent river that flows through the 
 shadowy vale of death. On the banks of this awful and 
 mysterious liver dwells an old woman, called Sye-elth, and 
 she keeps at her side a large dog, Chish-yah, (the common name 
 for dog). 
 
 When an Indian dies, if he has led a dishonorable and 
 wicked life, a l)road path leads his soul down to the banks of 
 the river to the very door where the old woman lives in her 
 house. When the wandering soul reaches her door, the Chish- 
 yah tries to drive it l)ack to the dead body, but the old woman 
 fights the dog off and if she is successful in her efforts she takes 
 charge of the miseral)le soul and sends it on to the opposite 
 side of the river, in the shadowy land of endless anguish. If the 
 dog is successful in fighting the soul back it returns to the dead 
 body where life is regained and the person lives again. This 
 seldom occurs, and only where the body lives in a state of coma 
 and is supposed to be dead, but after a few hours comes out of 
 that state and revives into life again. The Chish-yah is seldom 
 successful, as a case rarely occurs. This is why the IncUan 
 never likes to scold or treat the dog badly. 
 
 The old Indians tlo not like to look at a photograph or 
 to have their photographs taken, because they say it is a 
 reflection or a shadowy image of the departed spirit, O-quirlth. 
 They do not like to see spirits, but they say they have often 
 seen them. This is the reason they tui'n their backs on the 
 camera and object so strongly to having their pictures taken. 
 Often have my people been ridiculed for their strange actions, 
 but they have a reason for every one of them. If the civilized 
 man could only respect the reasons and simj^le ways of the 
 
DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 7:^ 
 
 highest type of priiniti\-e man, as mueh as primitive man 
 venerates his civilization. 
 
 When the spirit comes back to the tired and weary body, 
 and that body lives again, tliat person is said to meet a very 
 unfortunate existence. It is said he is never satisfied with 
 eartdly things again. He is very restless and unhappy as 
 nothing can satisfy his longing soul, and always meets death 
 suddenly. 
 
 On the shore of this mysterious River of Death awaits a 
 young man, Pa-ga-rick. in his canoe; he is always ready to 
 receive the soul from the old v,-oman as she hands it into his 
 care. His canoe is similar in shape and size to the earthly 
 Indian canoes, with the exception that if one may note carefully 
 that all the canoes contain in the bow a knob in the center, 
 some three feet back from the bow, which is the heart, and 
 they say it is the life of the boat. Also the canoe the Indians 
 use is burned inside and out, and poHshed smooth. The canoe 
 that Pa-ga-rick uses for the crossing of the souls is neither 
 burned or polished and has no heart, therefora it is called the 
 dead boat, merm-ma. In olden times no Indian would venture 
 out in a boat upon the water that did not contain a heart, as 
 they said it was lifeless and would be sure to sink or some 
 disaster befall it. We call our canoe here on earth, Yatch. 
 
 Sye-elth just on bank of this dark River of Death, Char- 
 reck-quick- werroy, where she gets the souls away from the dog. 
 She takes it to the water's edge and gives it to the man in the dead 
 boat. He takes the soul into his canoe, paddles it across those 
 silent waters, the awful stillness, the aw^ul fear of death. When 
 the canoe, Merm-mo or Nee-girk, either name, touches the 
 opposite shore, Po-ga-rick, takes the soul, o-quirlth, and banishes 
 it into exile, exile without an end or example in story, and leaves 
 it in a wilderness. In this wilderness it is damp, a constant 
 gloom is cast, dark and fearful clouds forever flit, cold winds 
 forever howl and shriek the agonies of hell. 
 
 In this terrible wildness, the souls of the condemned men 
 and women sustain their misery up on bitter berries, bitter 
 grasses and roots, and cannot die. They had never lived but a 
 wasted life upon earth, therefore they can wait to die, as souls 
 never die. These wretched souls since Time began, and I think 
 the time is sad and heavy through all the weary ages, since the\- 
 
74 DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 
 
 j;o warulciiiig, hallowing, inotniug, weeping and wailing, giieving 
 gi-i(>i" with out an end and suffering pain, intense pain that know's 
 no ending. Thus, Wah-])ec-wah-mow, the Great God has seen 
 fit to punish his disreputable children until the judgment day. 
 
 Sye-elth, this old woman, is the satan of my people, 
 Ghish-yah, the dog, is our Guardian Angel. This old womon is 
 our evil doer- who is always trying to influence the Indians away 
 from the path of rectitude. She hovers about them in life unseen, 
 seeking out their weak points, that she may lead them evil ways 
 and vindicate her cruel wants upon their death by taking their 
 souls down the broad path to the wilderness of anguish. Fearing 
 her powers, fearing the Unhappy Land, the Indians struggle to 
 live simple and peaceful lives and never cjuarrel over their 
 religion. 
 
 The wretched souls banished into the wilderness of anguish 
 tlo not quarrel with one another, as they are to wretched in 
 their own agony to concern themselves about others. 
 
 The Indian seeing a vision of the unhappy land tries "to 
 live the simple and honest life, near to nature, and their nature's 
 God. However, there is not a tril)e however well guarded but 
 some and sometimes many stray afar from the path of rectitude 
 and is lead into the wilderness of anguish by their cruel Satan, 
 Sye-elth. 
 
 My people believe that there will sometime come a chance 
 for them to become regenerated, or reborn, so that many of them 
 will be given the opportunity to recompensate for the wickedness 
 of their former lives and given a chance to live good clean lives 
 in their second birth. Thus given the opportunity by God when 
 they die again, they will be rewarded in going to Heaven, 
 Werse-on-now. However, if the ones given the opportunity of 
 Ixing saved, do not live lives of integrity after their second birth, 
 they are cast off and (k^stroyed forever. 
 
 The Indians wiio had always lived the life of integrity on 
 earth when they die their souls or spirit travels a narrow and 
 winding ti-ail which takes the soul to noiih, to a land far away 
 from their native haunts. This far northern clime is said to be 
 the old land of Cheek-cheek-alth, wiiere the spiiit finds a ladder 
 that reaches from earth into Heaven. As the spiiit (iimbs the 
 ladder to Heaven it reaches God on that infinite shore where it 
 thvells forever in flowery fields of light, straying together witli 
 
DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 7o 
 
 the Master in peace and love, and joining the spirits of those 
 that have gone before them. 
 
 Can you of the Christian faith comprehend why we take 
 so kindly to your own belief ? Yet we think that ours is the 
 most perfect and yet you call us savage. We love our God 
 almost akin to sadness and are always ready with a prayer-offer- 
 ing, be it mid lay hour or in the h3urs of the silent 
 night. The Indian in all his savagery, could never blaspheme 
 the sacred name of his Creator in man's builded houses, or in 
 his daily life as he is a child of nature, akin to nature's God, 
 that the Divine Being is the beacon light of his soul, showing 
 him life beyond the grave and into the flowery fields of light 
 and love, on that infinite shore, into the glories of Heaven. 
 
 The Indian through his long centuries of ])arbarism battled 
 with the environments of barbaric man. In his child-like nature 
 he taught his sons and daughters to be kind, courageous, self- 
 denying, industrious and above all integrity that could not be 
 ciuestioned. Fathers, brothers and cousins guarded the mothers, 
 daughters and sisters, that not one of them may stray into a life 
 of shame by the passions of designing men. Woman was man- 
 ifestly the upholder of her race, loved as the unassuming creature, 
 who gave to the race clean limbed and vigorous men. But ah, 
 the sad knell, the approach of civilized man, and his crushing 
 hand of debauchery to the sorrow of our race, and our laws 
 have long since been demolished, and with it our true religion, 
 our life blood, our all. Out of the gloom of saddened years, 
 rising in scattered remnants, who like the children of Israel that 
 have lived without a country for many weary centuries, we are 
 struggling to gain our own once more. Freedom to worship God 
 in our own way and to be allowed to become citizens of this our 
 own glorious country. 
 
 When a illigitamate child is born, mother and child lived 
 in disgrace and after death could never reach the kingdom of 
 Heaven, but traveled that broad road which leads to the wild- 
 erness, being forever lost. During their life the mother is 
 always addressed as Caw-haw, a name that reminds her always 
 of her disgrace every time she is spoken to, and the child is 
 always reminded of its unwedded mother. Sometimes the 
 unfortunate mother may marry, but she is always known as 
 
76 ]:>EATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 
 
 Caw-haw as long as she hves and can not take the name of the 
 man she marries. 
 
 Those who sought unseruptilous hrawls were low and <hs- 
 graoed, all traveled after death the broad road to Satan and are 
 nt^ver gi\'en an opportunity to go to Werse-on-now. There are 
 many of the miseral)le souls who lived a wasted life on earth, 
 only to enter in the Si)irit Land, the wilderness of anguish. 
 
 In marriage the wife takes the husljand's name and the 
 husband takes the wife's name, just as an exchange of names 
 and the family names are handed down from one generation to 
 another. This is done by giving the name to a daughter, son, 
 cousin, etc., either the mother or father's name on l^oth sides of 
 the family. Sometimes the generation dies out and there are 
 none left of a near kindred, in this case they sometimes give the 
 name to a close fiiend and this custom is followed more by the 
 high families. As an example, some years ago an old man lived 
 in the Pec-wan village, his name was Ta-poo-sen. He died 
 some thirty years ago, and at this writing a middle aged man 
 is living in the Cor-tep village who adopted his name after his 
 death, and he is known to every one as Ta-poo-sen. There are 
 quite a number of Indians living at the present time who have 
 taken the names of deceased relatives or friends, The deceased 
 has been laid at rest for at least one year before any one takes 
 his or her name. 
 
 The Klamath Indians are very much prejudiced against 
 one taking their own life. They look down on the act, and if 
 one should take his own life, which we call o-motch-ser-mer-yer, 
 there is no chance for them to be saved and they go down the 
 broad road that leads to the old woman and she gives them over 
 to the man in the boat and he takes them over and leaves them 
 in the wilderness where they live in misery until the judgement 
 day and then are destroyed forever, there being no salvation for 
 them and the family will be looked down upon for many 
 generations to come and held back in taking i)art in any of 
 their social functions. The children will ])o. shunned by their 
 playmates. The Indian seldom commits suicide and will avoid 
 self-destruction by wishing that some wild animal will take them 
 while they sleep, and of such cases they tell some very weiid 
 and touching tales. There was a girl taken by a wild animal of 
 which reference is made in another chapter. Another was a 
 
DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 77 
 
 young man of good family belonging to the Pec- wan village and 
 he wanted to marry a girl of the uppei' division. The young 
 woman refused him and this nearly broke his heart, so he went 
 back into the mountains all alone and there he busied himself 
 by trapping and hunting until he had accumulated great riches 
 of valuable furs and other things and was there for a number of 
 years when he returned to his home. He never married and 
 lived to be an old man and all the children called him grandpa. 
 As he became old he also became blind but the children all loved 
 him and any of them were always ready to lead, him wherever 
 he wanted to go, and he was always ready to give blessings to 
 the newly married couples and to newly born babies. He always 
 wanted to visit where there was a new born baby. This old 
 man would sweep and keep clean the vallage, even down to the 
 creek and river, feeling and sweeping the whole day long and 
 when he was tired some of the children would lead him home, 
 and he thus lived to a good old age. So this is the way it 
 would go in accordance with their belief in the hereafter. A 
 Klamath Indian would never commit suicide if there was any 
 way to prevent it on account of the stigma it would place 
 on the family. 
 
 The Klamath Indian grave is made about two and a half 
 feet deep. They take redwood or Douglas spruce boards which 
 they place in the oblong square as they never nail or fasten the 
 boards together. Placing one wide board in the bottom and 
 iDoards on each side with short ones fitted in across the ends, 
 the coffin is made ready to receive the corpse. 
 
 At the time of death the body is washed with the branches 
 of the wormwood dipped into a basket of water and brushed 
 over the entire body, never allowing their hands to touch the 
 body at any time if it can be avoided. After the body has been 
 bathed in this manner it is clothed in the regular clothing and 
 laid out for burial, wrapped in a blanket and placed on a wide 
 plank where it is left for twenty-four hours. After it has been 
 laid out friends and relatives gather around it in prayer, and the 
 director of the funeral is given a large bunch of flag grasses, 
 which he takes in his hand and holds over the blaze of the fire 
 to ignite and with flaming grasses he stands over the body wav- 
 ing it back and forth sprinkling the falling ashes over thebody. 
 
78 DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 
 
 This is the final blessing <;i\i'ii with solemn j^rayer, the same as 
 anointing the body with holy watei'. 
 
 The Indians remove the corpse from the house (the reasons 
 being explained in another chapter) by making an opening in the 
 wall on the left hand side of the door by which they go out, as 
 they never carry a corpse through the door. The personal be- 
 longings and bedding, also the dishes he has used during his ill- 
 ness arc taken out through this opening ujion the removal of the 
 l)ody and everything is burned in a large fire made outside of 
 the house. 
 
 With great ceremony and mouining the corpse is cai'ried 
 out of the liouse on the same plank it was laid out on. At the 
 grave they unroll the corpse from the l)lanket, the clothing being 
 cut open down the front, the body washed again, this time with- 
 out the removal of the clothing. This final bath is a solution 
 of the Ho-mon-nah roots pounded fine as powder and then i)ut 
 into a basket of water. This shrub or plant is much different 
 from the wormwood, and it is considered one of their best herbs 
 for fumigation and disinfecting i)ui'poses. After the l)ath is com- 
 pleted the body is again wrapped in the blanket and laid care- 
 fully down in the gi'ave. The funeral director, as before, burns 
 a bunch of flag grasses over the body, allowing the ashes to fall 
 over the remains. Articles they wish to place in the grave with 
 the body are put into the grave and the plank that the body 
 was carried out on is fitted into the top of the coffin as the top 
 covering. Three or four persons take part as pall-bearers in tak- 
 ing the body to the grave. The body is laid with the head 
 directly to the west as they say when the judgement day comes 
 all the Indians will rise up out of their graves facing the rising 
 sun, and those who are worthy will rise in glory to the splendors 
 of glory to the Heavenly Father al)0ve. 
 
 In this grave things of little value are placed, things 
 usually belonging to the deceased. When things of value are 
 placed in the grave it is l)roken up which desti'oys the vahu^ of 
 the article. 
 
 The coffin is covered over with earth, and after this b(>ing 
 completed they take two stones about eighteen inches long by 
 twelve inches wide, one is placed at the head and the other one 
 at the foot of the grave. On the top of the stones dii'ectly in 
 the middle of the gi'ave they ])lace another wide i)lank al)out six 
 
DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 79 
 
 feet long and eighteen iuchc-i wide. Stakes are driven on each 
 side of this phmk in the middle and with a rope of Indian make 
 they tie the board to the stakes so it can not be removed with- 
 out some difficulty. After this has been completed some dry 
 sand is sprinkled around the grave and covering it completely to 
 the sides of the wide board, this is done so the Indians can 
 immediately detect if any one has molested the . grave. The 
 reason why the Indians always have their grave-yards near the 
 village or dwelling places is to keep the wild animals away from 
 the grave. Sometimes the mourners place large baskets on the 
 grave, sometimes two and often many more, there is no certain 
 number to use. They are turned upside down, close up to the 
 sides of the plank and on the ground around the grave. These 
 basket;' are made secure by driving a stake through the center 
 of them and into the ground. On top of the plank they lay 
 basket plates, also acorn baskets. Around the grave a picket 
 fence is made by driving the pickets into the ground, a strong 
 hazel withe is tied around them about twelve inches below the 
 tops. At the middle of the head and the foot of the grave a 
 strong post is driven into the ground that stands much higher 
 than the tops of the pickets. To these posts a cross-beam is 
 fastened or tied and on this a number of deer-skins are hung. 
 These skins are dressed whole with the hair left on and the body 
 and head are stuffed with weeds. The head is elevated almost 
 perpendicular with the liody and the legs are left hanging straight 
 down. Some of the clothes that have been worn by the deceased 
 are also hung on this cross-beam which makes cjuite a display 
 and would lead one to believe very strongly that many valual)les 
 were also placed in the grave. 
 
 During and after the burial is completed all the close 
 relatives of the deceased weep and wail mournful songs, saying 
 good-by child, or calling out whatever relationship they were to 
 the deceased. The mournful wail of an Indian mourner is so in- 
 tensely sad that the surrounding sky and earth seem weeping 
 with the sorrowful ones. 
 
 After the burial rites have been completed those who had 
 taken part in the burial go into the family sweat-house where 
 they wash their entire bodies from the basket of water containing 
 the ho-mon-nah solution and sweat themselves in the sweat-house. 
 After this they all go to the river taking the basket of solution 
 
80 DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 
 
 with them and I)athe with it in the river. Upon returning to 
 the house they all change their clothes except the one who dug 
 the grave and he puts on the same clothing and wears it for 
 five days longer I^efore he is free from the burial rites. His duty 
 now is to kindle a fire which he keeps Innning about a couple 
 of hours each evening close by the foot of the grave. This fire 
 is made between the hours when the first long shadows are cast 
 and the twilight gathers into the darkness of the night. They 
 say the flickering of the fire-light keeps them from seeing the 
 o'quirth, the spirit of the departed one, which is said to hover 
 over the grave and around the home for five days after death. 
 After five days have elapsed the spirit departs either to Heaven 
 or to the wilderness, according to what kind of life the deceased 
 has lived. The friends and relatives of the deceased will weep, 
 wail and pray that his spirit will go the narrow road, to the old 
 land, Cheek-cheek-alt h, where it will find the ladder and climb 
 to Werse-on-now (Heaven). Sometimes a bitter enemy of the 
 deceased will pray and hope the departed spirit will go the road 
 to Sye-elth where she hands him over to the man in the dead 
 boat where he takes the spirit across the river and banishes it 
 into the wilderness. 
 
 The light of the fire keeps the Indians from seeing the 
 spirit when it leaves the grave as they never wish to behold 
 spirits. However, they claim, in spite of their caution, the spirit 
 is sometimes seen by the Indians. They say when it leaves the 
 body it looks like a shadow image of the person passing off. 
 They claim a photograph resembles the spirit of the dead and 
 the old Indians never want to look at it as they never wish to 
 be reminded of the spirit. 
 
 The walls and the floor of the room which the person used 
 is scrubbed every day with the ho-mon-nah solution, also what- 
 ever furniture there is in the room is gone over very i-arefully 
 with the disinfecting process and is kept up for five days until 
 the spirit departs. The family lives in the same room as usual, 
 but Cah-ma-tow, the grave digger has his own seperate bed in 
 the room. He fixes a small board for himself on which his meals 
 are served separate from the family and din(>s by himself. 
 The morning of tlie fifth day he arises earlier than usual, mak- 
 ing a broom of the boughs of the Douglas spruce and sweeps the 
 
DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 81 
 
 floor of the house nice and clean. He burns the roots of the 
 ho-mon-nah which fumigates the house and with solution made of 
 the same plant he scrubs the floor and goes over all the wood- 
 work in the house for the last time. After this is finished he 
 gathers up all the things he has used during the five days, the 
 baskets of solution, his small board table, etc., and takes them 
 all to the sweat-house. Here he takes the solution and washes 
 his hands and entire body and after he has finishetl loathing he 
 takes the baskets and clothes he has worn up the hill away from 
 the river to a thicket and hangs them all up in a small tree, 
 where he leaves them to the elements to decay. He then comes 
 back and sweats himself thoroughly, afterwards plunging into the 
 river and comes out cleansed of any foul disease he may have 
 contracted in handling the dead body. 
 
 The Indians get or hire any one who is willing to do the 
 burial as it is not necessary to be a relative or even a well 
 known friend of the family. 
 
 During the five days the opening in the house where the 
 dead body was taken out is left open as the family and friends 
 never use or go near the regular door of the house during this 
 period. After five days have elapsed the opening in the wall is 
 ceiled up tightly leaving no trace that an opening was ever made 
 in the wall. They never leave the gap for another case as the 
 Indian never wants to be reminded that another death may 
 occur in his household. 
 
 It has often been expressed by the white man that when 
 a funeral is held every man, woman and child in the village 
 attends the funeral, this is far from being true, not any more 
 than the funeral of a white man. Near friends and relatives of 
 the deceased may attend while a great many others in the 
 village will go about as usual, not even pretending to know that 
 a funeral is being held. Of recent years the white man is allowed 
 to help with the burial if he chooses. Valuable articles of the 
 dead are not buried with them as is generally believed by the 
 white theologist, instead only mere trifles of either little or no 
 value placed in and upon the grave. 
 
 When an Indian is very wealthy or rich, and has a family 
 of several children he sometimes divides his fortune equally 
 among them, of course always making provision for his wife as 
 as long she lives and remains single. Sometimes he has a favorite 
 
82 di:ath and the spirit land 
 
 son or daughter to whom he leaves his entire fortune, disinherit- 
 ing liis other ehihhcn. The Indian legacy is bequeated to whom 
 he chooses and his will cannot be broken. In some cases the 
 wife's wealth is just as great or even greater than her husljand's. 
 She divides her wealth among her children as she choosers, the 
 same as her husband. 
 
 When husband and wife have been wedded a num])er of 
 years and have reared a large family, upon the tleath of the 
 husband the wife cuts her hair close to her head and burns it. 
 She keeps her hair cut close to her head and is called Ca-win 
 until some one proposes marriage to her when she lets it grow 
 out to its natural length again. If she refuses the offer of 
 marriage, after her hair has grown over two inches in length, 
 she is addressed as Care-rep. This name explains itself, that she 
 is a widow and has had an offer oi marriage but has refused it. 
 The sisters and daughters of a deceased man sometimes cut off 
 a part of their hair during their period of mourning for him. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN. 
 
 LONG time ago a mother and father resided in Cor-tcp village, 
 in the house of Metch-cher-rau, located about a half-mile 
 up the river from the old Klamath Bluffs store. They 
 had two good children, a boy and girl, the girl being the eldest. 
 Brother and sister loved each other divinely; their devotion was 
 more divine than human hearts had ever known. Their parents 
 were very wealthy, and were married of a good marriage cere- 
 mony of the wealthy class. Metch-cher-us-ah-may, the sister, 
 was the most lovely of all the girls of the tribe; besides her rare 
 beauty she possessed a kind and loving disposition beyond com- 
 parison. When she had grown to womanhood, she went to the 
 Talth, or High Priests, and asked them if she might join the 
 sacred lodge. But the High Priests sadly shook their heads, 
 and said they could never admit her to the sacred lodge, as her 
 parents were not of high birth, and that she was not of the 
 Talth marriage. Her pleadings were in vain, and she turned 
 away from the lodge deeply grieved, realizing that she 
 had been barred forever from the sacred altar of the High Priests, 
 and that she could never become a Talth, or mix with the 
 Priests. It would be useless to plead again; she was denied 
 their solitary ways of worship and she could never sit in their 
 lodge and kindle their sacred fires. Her proud spirit was grieved 
 and wounded almost beyond human endurance; a great battle 
 now waged within her heart, that God Himself might take her 
 above herhumble birth and station in life, that she might rise in 
 greatness beyond the glories of the High Priests, as she would 
 walk in Heaven, and they on earth until death claimed its own- 
 She would rise from her bed about four o'clock every 
 morning while the villages where yet dark and sleeping and go 
 
84 THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 
 
 to gather wood, pni^'ing as she gathered the branches in her 
 basket, and when it was filled she would return to her house, 
 praying all the while, and leave the wood there long before any 
 one was astir to see her at work. After this task was done she 
 would go to a high rock on the hill-side in a small creek, a short 
 distance from the Cor-tep village, where she would spend the entire 
 day on top of this rock, praying to God and weaving l)askets. 
 There was a small basin of water in this solid rock close by 
 where she sat, which she used to keep her basket materials wet 
 as she worked them. The rock was very high when she sat upon 
 it long ages ago, but it is nearly covered with earth at this 
 present writing. At evening-tide she would return to her home. 
 So earnest were her prayers, so patient was her humble soul in 
 waiting that she prayed a number of years on top of this rock, 
 ere her prayers where answered in Heaven. Praying in the great 
 solitudes of a vast creation she never faltered, but prayed on to 
 the Heavenly Father that he might give her strength and courage 
 to become far more pure than any that had ever lived on earth 
 before her, that she might rise as a virgin of purity above her 
 people, leaving in her footsteps the holy halo when she had pass- 
 ed from the earth away to the realms of Heaven above. 
 
 This beautiful woman, made far more l)eautiful in hei- 
 purity, the sublime whiteness of her soul shining forth, transfigur- 
 ed beyond the glories of womanhood. After these years of faith- 
 ful prayer, dark suspicions and intrigues rose from the people of 
 the villages, as her actions seemed so strange and why one so 
 beautiful should always be solitary. No doubt some youth was 
 yearning for the beauty of her arms to encircle him, the sweet- 
 ness of her smile had fasinated all, as her sweetness was so per- 
 fect. She was always alone, and there did not seem to be any- 
 thing to prevent it. Day by day the village felks giew more 
 restless in their surmises of their doubts and fears for her safety. 
 and they brought the tale to her parents who accused her of 
 clandestine meetings with some unscrupulous man who no doubt 
 had ruined her virtuous woman-hood, and that they would soon 
 cast her from the village in disgrace if she persisted in her lone 
 walks to the woods in the early morning and kept solitary place 
 on the rock during the day. 
 
 How unjust we sometimes accuse the innocent; how deep 
 the wounds we thrust that we mourn in after years in sad regret 
 
THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 85 
 
 of our cruel words spoken when God has taken them away and 
 they no longer soothe our dark atTlietions. Rising in wounded 
 pi'ide once more she proclaimed her innocence, that her soul was 
 free from this preposterous accusation. So long she had been 
 patient and true, so long she had denied herself the pleasures 
 and passions of earth, directing her thoughts to lofty ideals she 
 could proudly verify when the time came for her to go to the 
 Throne on High, when the Heavenly Father would call her to 
 the Eternal Home. She said she could not tell her parents and 
 the people her reasons and account for her actions now; why she 
 would always get up so early in the morning to get her wood, 
 and why she spent the entire days upon the rock. But she 
 assured them that thej^ would all know at a future time why 
 she spent so many hours of solitude, this time would be when 
 God called her Home, and they would vepent for their cruel ac- 
 cusations. 
 
 During these years of patient prayer, brother and sister 
 met in loving companionship of sympathy and exchanging the 
 praj^er of their ambitions. Metch-cher-us-ah-chene, the brother, 
 knew the secret prayers of his devout sister, and by them his 
 thoughts were directed to higher ideals. Pledged by solemn 
 vows, he would never make kncnvn her secret prayers, until she 
 herself was ready for him to do so. They prayed together, he 
 alone at his fishing, she alone on the high rock at her basket 
 weaving, their prayers united. However, his faith in God was 
 
 not so strong, and his prayers were not so earnest as his sister's, 
 that the future years left him alone on earth to mourn her 
 loss. 
 
 Metch-cher-us-ah-may heeded not the warnings of her 
 people as she continued to rise in the early morning hours to 
 gather her wood before the light of day, so that no one would 
 feast their unscrupulous eyes upon her while she was at work. 
 After this task Was done she would go as usual to the high rock 
 and weave baskets the whole day through until evening, saying 
 her prayers all the while. 
 
 Spring time had come when all the leaves of the trees and 
 shrubbery had grown up, and the sap of the maple tree was full. 
 Metch-cher-us-ah-may peeled the maple tree of its bark and took 
 the inner layers that grow upon the surface of the hard wood of 
 the tree and out of this bark she made a dress of beautiful 
 
86 THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 
 
 frinsos. softer than silk itself, as it hung; in ripples about lier 
 body. From the yellow-hammer she plucked its beautiful gold- 
 en featliers and made a cape in which she w'rapped hei" shoulders 
 and arms. Spring-time waned and mid-summer came; it was 
 the last Summer that she would spend on earth, as her faithful 
 prayers had been answeied and she was now ready to be taken 
 to Werse-on-now (Heaven). Ah, she could now mount to the 
 
 glories of Heaven without passing through that dark and shadowy 
 vale of death. The High Priests, who had turned her away 
 from the scared lodge, together with the other people, would all 
 have to die and the earth would give them a gi'ave. Their 
 hands would never touch her body, the earth woukl give her no 
 grave, but instead, her body would be cari'ied through the winds 
 and storms until she reached that Infinite Shore where she would 
 dwell in the flowery meadows of Heaven. 
 
 The evening before the day of her departure she brought 
 all of her baskets she had made to her home and gave all of 
 her wealth to her brother, telling him to watch for her in the 
 early morning, as she was departing for a far l)etter throne than 
 slie had ever known upon earth. In the early morning hours, 
 ere the sun was shining over the mountains of the Klamath, she 
 bathed her body with sweet scented herbs, put on her new^ maple 
 dress and draped her shoulders with the gorgeous dyes of the 
 yellow-hammer feathers, her long raven locks were combed and 
 left flowing about her shoulders. Bidding her brother good-bye, 
 he beheld her mount the rock where she had sat so many years 
 in devout prayer; he alone saw her rise from the earth to go to 
 the realms above. Swift as the lightning from Heaven she mount- 
 ed the rock, bowing to the great creation of the world with her 
 arms outstretched and her beautiful hair flowing, she stood erect 
 with her face to Heaven in the north with her eyes closed. Out 
 of the north, on his mighty wings, rose the red eagle and came 
 to her feet on the rock. Dipping her hand to the west, to the 
 land of the setting sun, sh(^ bade the world fare-well and mount- 
 ed the eagle's l^ack. With outstreched wings, gorgeously tipped 
 in crimson, he rose from the rock with his fair j^rincess mounted 
 securely upon his back, and flew with her to the far north from 
 whence he came. In the early dawn of tlie rising sun, in all the 
 glories of Indian sununer, her brother saw her movmt the eagle 
 
THTOUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN S7 
 
 and fly away to the Kinji;(lom of Heaven, passing not through 
 the gates of death. 
 
 She sat on the eagle's back through the long journey, 
 with her eyes always closed, her arms raised above her shoulders 
 and her hands folded at the l)ack of her head and neck. The 
 eagle on his long journey north to the land of Cheek-cheek-alt h, 
 commanded her not to open her eyes, though the storms from 
 Heaven may feel severe against her face and body. Rising from 
 the earth she felt the heat of the still Intlian Summer beat like 
 fire upon her. Far away they soared and the eagle said, "You 
 will now feel the mighty winds of Heaven sweep around you in 
 piercing gales, but do not open your eyes." Far up through the 
 winds they soared and she opened her eyes not. Far on they 
 flew and he said again, "You will feel the rain pouring in tor- 
 rents upon you, but you must never open j^our eyes." Through 
 the rain they went until he again said, "You will feel the now cold 
 fall like piercing blades of ice but you must never open your 
 eyes." Through the piercing cold they flew, her eyes always 
 shut, until he said again, "You will now feel the snow fall thick 
 and fast upon you, but you must not open your eyes." Through 
 the mighty winds and the cold, fierce storms of Heaven they had 
 flown, until the eagle at last exclaimed, "You will feel the warmth 
 of pleasant summer again, open your eyes and I will leave you 
 in that sublime land of Cheek-cheek-alth." She opened her eyes 
 for the first time during her long flight through the airy regions 
 and beheld the beautious land of Cheek-cheek-alth, the old land 
 that gave birth to our people long ages ago. She now stood up- 
 on the banks of the most sublime river the world has ever 
 known, with its hallowed charms and brillant gems of fortune, 
 its mystic waters of transparent brillancy flowing sweet and 
 peaceful through the valley of Cheek-cheek-alth. On the shores 
 of this wonderful river she beheld millions of the dead turk-tum 
 (short shells of the Indian money) shining from the sands of the 
 water. From this river long centuries ago, when the Indians 
 first left their native land in search of the new world they 
 brought with them the cheek, or Indian money. They say this 
 money is found in no other clime except in the old land of 
 Cheek-cheek-alth, the land of their birth. They do not use the 
 dead turk-tum washed upon the banks of the river for money, 
 but fish for the live cheek in the river which they catch the 
 
88 THR()U(^,H THE PEARLY (lATES ()F HEAVEN 
 
 same as fish, and out of these Hve shells make their cheek or 
 money. This money thiough the long evolution of centuries has 
 been handed down from one generation to another. 
 
 In the land of Cheek-cheek-alth, this divine princess found 
 the ladder tliat goes to Heaven anrl climbed it, round by round, 
 until she reached Heaven. All of her tribulations of earth were 
 finished, the false accusations of cruel friends could no longer 
 thrust their wounds into her l)lameless soul as she now sat 
 glorified on a Throne of Eternal Splendors, truly a Saint in 
 Heaven. 
 
 Several days had elapsed since the departure of Metch- 
 cher-us-ah-may and the people began to inciuire why she return- 
 no more to the house at night-fall. They went in search of her 
 and found the wood baskets she had used here on earth, left on 
 top of the high rock where she had taken her flight. Her brother 
 then informed them that his sister had gone to Werse-on-now as 
 he had beheld the vision himself. The parents recalling to mind 
 the harsh words spoken of their dark suspicions concerning their 
 saint-like daughter, wept and wailed most bitterly, and were 
 l>owed down with heavy hearts and sad regrets, that one so true 
 could no longer stay on earth; that God should so early call the 
 divine and true to His Eternal Home. 
 
 The brother who had loved his sister so devotedly, recalled 
 to memory the tender devotion of her trying years of patience. 
 Heart wrung with the strange pathetic life of his sister and the charm 
 of its beautiful ending, he wept until his proud heart seemed 
 broken asunder. Weeping tears of blood it seemed, from the 
 heart that loved so much, for the gentle hand that touched his 
 brow, the hallowed form, the low voice antl cheering smile was 
 gone forever. 
 
 After a few days, the bitter wailing of her parents and the 
 intense grief of her brother was answered by the gentle Saint 
 heieself. Her spirit came earthward in a shatlowy image, or 
 o'(iuirlth, and appeared before her loved ones, soothing them 
 with gentle words of compassion in their dark hours of grief and 
 sad regrets, assuring them that she dweltli safely beyond the 
 Pearly Gates of Heaven, in the infinte meadows of beauty and 
 liglit. Their misgivings no longer wounded, for her spirit survived 
 in peace and happiness and for them to weep bitterly no more. 
 
THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 89 
 
 Her spirit faded i'rom the earth, leaving her parents assured of 
 the eternal years of her greatness, a Saint in Heaven. 
 
 Her brother, Metch-cher-us-ah-chene, could not be comfort- 
 ed long, as he had only known a sister's love and tender devo- 
 tion. Day by day he grieved more and more in his lonliness, a 
 sorrow that knows no comfort when the loved one has gone to 
 realms beyond. His grief became so great that he could not 
 long endure it, when her spirit answered him in his lonliness 
 once more. This time she appeared before him in her living 
 form as she had lived on earth, and brother and sister met in 
 sweet earthly communion for the last time as she would return 
 to comfort them no more. She lifted that heavy veil of sorrow 
 from his heart and gave him courage in earthly things again. 
 She instructed him go to to a riffle on the Klamath river, opposite 
 the old Klamath Bluffs store and fish there for twelve days, at 
 the end of which he would catch a small fish about the size of 
 one's little finger, and that this fish would have many white rings 
 encircling its body. This fish as soon as it was caught was to 
 be put in an elk-horn Indian purse, which is beautifully carved 
 out of the elk's horn and polished smooth on the internal and 
 external surfaces. They sometimes carve and color very artistic 
 designs upon them, cutting out a small oblong lid in the middle 
 of the purse which they fit on it after putting the money in and 
 wrap the lid on securely with a strip of buck-skin, 
 
 Metch-cher-us-ah-chene fished on the riffle for twelve days 
 as directed by his sister and at the closing of the twelfth day 
 he caught the small fish, which he put in the elk-horn purse, 
 and then the raven, or qua-gawk, came to him and said for him 
 to mount his back, which he did and then the raven command- 
 ed him to close his eyes and keep them tightly closed until he 
 was told to open them. The raven flew with him through sunny 
 regions, rain, cold, sleet, snow and over icy fields, taking the 
 same route that the red eagle had flown with his sister. Over 
 the icy fields he could feel the ice with his hands, then after this 
 the raven sat him down in a warm place and commanded him 
 him to keep his eyes closed, and the raven flew on and left him 
 alone for a short time. While alone he began to feel around as 
 he could not open his eyes, he felt in the sandy soil around him 
 and felt that it was covered with cheek, (the shell of the Indian 
 money) and he began to rake it up in heaps around him. When 
 
90 THROrC.H THE PEARLY (lATES OF HEAVEN 
 
 the I'avcn rctunu'd he said that he must leave the cheek where 
 it was fouiul, as ii was too heavy to carry so fai'. Metch-cher- 
 us-ah-cheiie niouiited the raven's hack again and away they flew 
 to the land of Cheek-cheek-alt h, whicli was only a short distance 
 from where raven had first left him. Upon arriving in this land, 
 the raven set him down on the banks of the wonderful river, 
 Wer-roy, where the climate is always warm and pleasant, the 
 valley forever gi-een and the fi'uits and flowers forever blomed 
 through one long peri)etual summer day. On the hanks of this 
 glorious river the raven said for him to open his eyes and fish 
 in its brilliant waters for one of the living cheek, oi' little shell 
 fish. Fishing in this river of sublime l>eauty he caught this rare 
 and precious shell fish which the raven said he must put in the 
 elk-horn purse with the other fish his sister had told him to 
 catch in the Klamath ri\'er. He put the two fishes together as 
 he had been instructed, and lo, vast riches soon followed. The 
 fish he had caught in the Klamatk was the female fish, while 
 the one he had caught in the river of ( 'heek-cheek-alth was the 
 male fish. 
 
 ]\Ietch-cher-us-ah-chene mounted the raven's l)ack again, 
 the raven instructing him to keep his eyes closed as l)efore, and 
 they flew Imck to the Klamath river, back to the Cor-tep village. 
 When they reached the Klamath river the raven instructed him 
 to make twelve of these elk horn purses as large as the horns 
 would permit and he made twelve of the largest kind that he 
 could, and as the male and female cheek would l)reed little cheek 
 in the small purse he would take the young cheek just as soon 
 as they were large enough and place them in one of the larger 
 purses. He kept on bn^eding cheek in this way until he had all 
 of his large purses filled with money, or cheek, and he now 
 began putting the cheek in a large basket. His riches were 
 gi'owing so large that he did not kncnv what he was going to lio 
 with so nuich money. Finding liimself so lonely in the midst 
 of his vast riches he wooed a wife from the Pec-toolth village 
 where the Trinity river flows into the Klamath. Following the 
 custom of marriage his name was changed to Pec-tow, adopting 
 his wife's name, and she taking his name. After they had been 
 married but a short time his ambitions died within him and he 
 lost interest in his work and n(>glected the teachings of his sister. 
 Now the two fishes made their escape fi'om the breeding jiurse 
 
THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN <)1 
 
 and turned into a worm or bug, about an inch long, with white 
 and black stripes on their bodies and two long horns on their 
 heads. These worms can be found along the river banks around 
 the large rocks, and the Indjans always consider it good luck to 
 find one of them, as they catch and ])ut them away in a purse 
 to keep them for good luck. After the escape of these fishes he 
 no longer had the power to accumulite vast riches and ill luck 
 followed. 
 
 His wife gave birth to a handsome l)oy, but it was said 
 that God was displeased and caused the child to die. A second 
 child was born to them, this time a beautiful bal)y girl, but it 
 died also. A third child was born, another ])eautiful babj^ girl, 
 but God too took it away as he had taken the others. A fourth 
 child to this unhappy couple was born, a boy. it was still said 
 that God was displeased with his marriage, and the handsome 
 babe followed its brother and sisters in Heaven. At the death 
 of the fourth child, Metch-chei--us-ah-chene bee uiie very sad and 
 thoughtful. So sad and heavy w^as his heart that earth seemed 
 to him but dreary waste \\ithout the noise and prattle of his 
 beautiful babies. He thought long and could not understand 
 why God took the innocent and pure away to His Heavenly 
 Rome so soon. 
 
 Rising in the early morning he would weep as he went up 
 the mountain side to gather a load of sweat-house wood, and 
 with this on his shoulders he started to the sweat-house in the 
 village, singing and weeping as he went, "I-a-quay. tus," saj'ing 
 he was very sorry for his children. The mourner sat dowai to 
 rest, putting the load of wood on the ground and resting his 
 back and shoulders against the load. When he had re.sted 
 sufficiently, he tried to rise mth his load in the usual manner 
 but there was a heavy weight on his load and he could not rise; 
 as if some one was holding him down. He looked around but 
 saw no one, so he tried again and was able to rise with the 
 wood. He sat dowm a second time and rested with his W'Ood 
 and as before when he began to rise up he could not, but after 
 looking around and seeing no one, he was able to get up all 
 right. He sat down and rested a third time wiien the same 
 thing happened and upon reaching home he made a fire in the 
 sweat-house and sweated himself in the usual mannei-, after 
 
92 THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 
 
 wliich he went to the river and took a cold plunge in the water. 
 Coming out of the plunge he went back to the sweat-house and 
 seated himself in front of the door, and gazed far off in the dis- 
 tance, imagining that he could see the spirit, O'quirlth, 
 and at the same time his wife was calling him to dinner. He 
 continued to sit there gazing far beyond the earth. He did not 
 answer her calls, his spirit had gone to join his sister in Werse- 
 on-now, where she resided in Heaven with God. There you may 
 see brother and sister straying together in the infinite meadows 
 of Heaven and about them his l)eautiful babes, the pure buds of 
 the blooming meadows. 
 
 After the death of Metch-cher-us-ah-chene his wife returned 
 to her native village at Peck-toolth where the Trinity and the 
 Klamath rivers come together. She took with her the large 
 basket with cheek, (money) and after a time married a man of 
 the Weitchpec village which is located on the north side of the 
 Klamath river opposite the mouth of the Trinity river. From 
 her second marriage she had one son, and all the cheek she had 
 brought with her made these two villages very rich from this 
 time on. 
 
S#i^ S#4? S@45 S#^ S#45 S^cTiS 1^^ 
 ^^ ^^ Wm W^ ^^ ^Mi ^^ ^^ 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 BURIAL CUSTOMS: 
 
 WHY THE DEAD ARE NEVER TAKEN 
 THROUGH THE DOOR 
 
 MANY generations ago, there was a woman })orn and rear- 
 ed at a village called Os-sa-gon and which is located 
 some six or seven miles south of the mouth of the 
 Klamath river, on the ocean shore. Some years ago this place 
 was a very large village of the Klamath Indians. 
 
 When this woman had grown into beautiful womanhood 
 she was wooed and won by a young man of the Wah-teck village, 
 which is located near the old Klamath Bluffs store and near 
 the White Deer-shin dancing grounds. They were both of 
 wealthy families, and celebrated their nuptials of good ceremony 
 of the middle class. During their wedded life they were very 
 happy together, three little ones came to bless this happy union, 
 one boy and two girls. After the third child was born the hus- 
 band became very ill and entered into the shadowv valley of 
 death, leaving his young widow and children to mourn his un- 
 timely departure. 
 
 Up until his death, it had always been the custom of the 
 Indians to take the dead body out of the house through the 
 door, and as they carried it through they would take the ashes 
 from the fire-place in the house and throw them through the 
 door as the body was carried out. The ash dust was allowed to 
 remain until the wind had swept it away. This had been their 
 custom from generation to generation. They had performed the 
 same rite with him but in this a strange coincidence happened 
 which changed their custom in removing the dead from the house. 
 
 After his burial was over and his wife had once more be- 
 come reconciled to her daily routine of work, she would sit and 
 weave baskets with her face toward the door, which was contrary 
 to the Indian teachings, as one should never sit facing the door 
 
iU BURIAL CUSTOMS 
 
 hut must always sit with their l)a('ks turned upon it. She did 
 not think this teaching of any importance and always sat with 
 her face toward the door while at work on her baskets, and at 
 short intervals slu> would look up from h(n- liasket and glance at 
 the dooi'. 
 
 Nearly a year had elapsed, when one day while slie was 
 sitting weaving her basket, thinking intently of her husband, how 
 happy their wedded life had been, how d(>votediy she had lo\'(^(l 
 liim in life and how deeply she mourned his loss, seemingly his 
 departed spirit answered her from the unknown world, (ilancing 
 up at the door she belield his spirit, and dropped her l>asket 
 with a sudden cry of joy and sprang to the door that she might 
 take him in her arms, that he might never more leave her in 
 her lonlinness. Instead of her husband, the loved on(\ she 
 
 caught in her arms the post which stand- as a suppoi'ting col- 
 umn on the outside of the inner door, or between the inner and 
 outer door of the Inthan house. Her conscious self left her as 
 she thought he w^as trying to get away from her, and, thinking 
 that she had fastened her hold upon his leg, instead she was 
 cUnging to the post. Her onee supple body and limbs became 
 as rigid as iron when her chilch'en and folks gathered around her 
 and tried to make her let go of the post, luit theii' efforts were 
 of no avail for she only clung the tighter. At last they were 
 compelled to cut away the post before they w'ere al)le to move 
 her to a bed, where they did everything possi]:»le to restore her. 
 She remained in this state of unconcsiousness for several days. 
 when they decided to take her down to th(^ ri\er and put hei 
 into a canoe. They took her down as far as Blue Creek (Ur- 
 ner), some eight miles, and then turning back and coming uj) 
 the river to Notch-co, some eight miles above the Wah-teck 
 village, making sixteen miles in all. In these sixteen miles the 
 river changes its course from due north swinging around in the 
 different bends, west to nearly south. They kept taking the 
 woman up and down the rivei' the whole Sunnner, until late in 
 the Autumn, and kept hei- alive during this ])ei'iod by nourishing 
 her with the marrow fat from the leg bones of the deer, of 
 which they apj^lied to her lips and l)reasts by rubbing. When 
 she had fully regained her consciousness she would, during all 
 her spare time, weave l)askets. The main frame or rib work of 
 the basket are hazel switches which is called ho-lealth. In draw- 
 
BURIAL CUSTOMS 95 
 
 ing or weaving the work in and out over the switches tiiey tvn-n to 
 the left-hand side and the basket-maker always keeps a basket 
 of water within her reach, and at short intervals dips her hand 
 into the water, moistens the switches and straightens them back 
 into their proper places, ihiis building the basket up sti'aight. 
 This woman never straightened back the switches of her basket, 
 therefore, they were made into a round twist. The childi-en 
 would say to their mother, (Calk) "Why don't you straighten the 
 switches on your basket ?" She would always reply, "Never 
 mind, that is alright", and tell them to stop talking so much 
 about her basket weaving. She kept on weaving baskets in this 
 manner until all of her children had grown up into man and 
 woman-hood. 
 
 One evening as the tv.'ilight was fast gathering into dark- 
 ness, she was sitting working on her baskets as usual, with her 
 basket material around her, she simply said, "My time has come 
 my husliand is waiting for me." She picked up her basket she 
 was weaving and placed it on the fire, saying her spirit, O'quirlth, 
 would have it to use while she was leaving for the world beyond 
 the grave, and died. Her children and her husband's folks had 
 gathered around in her last chdng moments. 
 
 The Indians now keep the dead body for one whole day, 
 (twenty-four hours) to satisfy themselves that life has actually 
 departed. They bury the body and after it is laid in the grave, 
 they say that the spirit, O'quirlth, remains hovering around the 
 living and near the newly made grave for five days. When five 
 days have elapsed the spirit departs, and if the individual has 
 lived a good moral life, his spirit goes to Cheek-cheek-alth, there 
 finds the ladder and climbs to God, where he dwells forever in 
 eternal happiness. If he is a mean and degraded wretch his 
 spirit goes the l)road road to the old woman and the dog, where 
 she hands him over to the man in the dead boat and he takes 
 the wicked spirit across the river and leaves him to wail in the 
 wilderness of anguish until the judgement day. 
 
 When that woman died they did not take her through the 
 door, but made an opening in the wall on the left hand side of 
 the door as one stands on the inside of the house facing the 
 door. From this time on they have never taken a dead body 
 through the door, but always make an opening in the side of the 
 
96 BURIAL CUSTOMS 
 
 house on the left haiul side, through which they take the body. 
 The IncUans teach their children never to stop or stand in the 
 door-way, in going or coming in. One will never see any one, 
 old or yovnig, stop, stand or sit in the door of an Indian house. 
 Since the death of this woman they always burn the l)asket 
 matei'ial of the deceased, or any unfinished work that belongs to 
 the one that has just died. 
 
 There is a course grass, a sort of saw grass, tliat grows 
 on the ridges and under the tan-oaks and fir timl)er which they 
 use in nearly all their l)askets, and this grass we call ham-mo. 
 When one dies and the body is taken out of the house, they 
 place some of this woven grass over the door on the inside, in a 
 manner that one would not notice it, unless it was shown to 
 them. The family will wear strands around their necks, and 
 this is done to prevent them from seeing or meeting the spirit 
 which hovers around and near the body for five days before de- 
 parting for the unknown realms beyond. 
 
 The custom of cutting the hair on the death of a near 
 kindred extends back to the time when they were in the old 
 land, Cheek-cheek-alth. 
 
9il ^^OJ^ 9)1 ^^y J^ ^JL W'^9 r/*^ ^ii^iD,X^ ^h-i^iDJ^ ^li^^nC^ ^A-Z^Wr!^ ^ll^SDri^ 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE INDIAN DEVIL. 
 
 THE Klamath Indians in bringing down their legends from 
 the creation of man until the present day, say that some 
 were made to be good and honorable, some bad and some 
 were real bad and mean, which they termed devils, or Oh-ma-ha. 
 We have the conception of the invisable Satan, (Sey-elth, or 
 wicked old woman) and a real living devil such as walks the 
 earth, and we fear them as they will harm us if they get the 
 opportunity. We have had these living Indian devils (living 
 human beings) all through the long and weary centuries, ever 
 since the creation of man-kind, such devils as we find in every 
 race and nation of the earth. Our Indian devils are Indians who 
 for some reason or cause leave the tribe and go far away into 
 the lonely mountains, and into the depths of the forests, where 
 thej' live near the streams and places almost inaccessible. In 
 their loneliness they roam through the forests and over the 
 mountains like some wild animals of prey. They forget the 
 language of their mothers and become something like wild 
 beasts, fleeing from the sight of human beings. 
 
 In olden times, the women, especially were always careful 
 to keep together on their camping trips when they were gather- 
 ing the acorn crop, grass seeds, pine nuts, etc., for fear of 
 these Indian devils. These Indian devils would sometimes watch 
 the camps of the Indians very closely and follow them about as 
 they moved from place to place, watching for an opportunity to 
 seize one of the young women and carry her off to make her his 
 wife. If a young woman strayed away too far by herself, she 
 was often made a captive by one of these devils. The women 
 
98 THE INDIAN DEVIL 
 
 of the tribe had great fear of them as they liad great horrors of 
 l)e('oining the wife of a wild man. 
 
 Sometimes the women would ])e captivated by the Indian 
 devils and would be gone away from their tribe for years, when 
 they would return and tell of their wild life and experiences. 
 They would become the mother of children and the children would 
 inherit the wild habits of their father, as they would always be 
 whistling, making strange noises, romping wildly about and al- 
 ways on the go, roaming everywhere in the wilds. These women 
 were never happy when they came back to their people, as after 
 a time they would long to go back to their devil husbands and 
 children. They always managed to get away and return to the 
 old wild life, as it held such a fascination for them, when they 
 once ex])erienced the wilds that they could not resist the calling 
 of such a life. 
 
 When the Indians would go on their hunting and camping 
 trips into the mountains, as soon as they heard an owl screech 
 or hoot, they would stop and listen, and try to distinguish if it 
 was an Indian devil imitating the owl or the cry of a wild 
 animal. The Indians would stop at once, kindle a fire and hallo; 
 this was given as a warning to the devils that they were awake 
 and ready to fight them if necessary. 
 
 When the Indians go camping far back into the mountains, 
 and even if a white man accompanies them, they always insist 
 on making the first camp fire, when a camping place is selected. 
 In building the fire the first stick of wood they lay down points 
 directly north and .south, on the north end of this stick of 
 wood they place another stick some eight or twelve inches back 
 from the north end, placing this branch east and west, thus 
 making a cross. When the cross is made they proceed to kindle 
 the fire, and during the whole time they are offering up a prayer 
 to God in a low tone of voice. This prayer is earnestly offered 
 up to the Almighty asking Him to protect them from the Indian 
 devils and wild animals, while they are in the wilds and to keep 
 them from accidents. After the first worship has been offered 
 up any one can build the camp fire as long as they camp in the 
 same place, and the Indians do not repeat this form of worship 
 until they move away to a different camping plac(\ Tiie Indian 
 places his soul in the care of God, and worships at his shrine 
 under the open Heavens and boundless skies, and not at the 
 
THE INDIAN DEVIL 99 
 
 alter of man's made houses. In all his ba})arism he worships hsi 
 God sincerely and devoutedly to a degree something akin to sad- 
 ness, and not in the throngs that gather to mix hypocrisy at the 
 sacred altar. With our invisible devil, also the one that the 
 Indian can meet face to face, as man to man and conquer him 
 as a man can. There is no such thing in our tribe as worship- 
 ing the devil and fearing him in offering up worship to him. 
 Most of the frontiersmen thought of us as blood-thirsty, cruel 
 and heartless savages. Perhaps they were right to judge us so, 
 when our warriors struck to wound and kill and defend the land 
 of our fore-fathers, in the countless ages of primeval man. It 
 has often been written in history and books of fiction that the 
 American Indians were devil and sun worshipers without even 
 a soul to worship God, branded, "The fallen race." Ah! what a 
 tangled tale they weave when they practice to deceive the 
 religion and traditions of another race that has a tradition from 
 the beginning of the creation of a living man, and down through 
 the long centuries of thousands of years. If this is true, 
 
 let me quote from the so called civilized races, for instance, 
 Rome had its Ceaser, oft writ in history, "Great and brave," 
 but all the world knows that he lived the heartless conqueror, 
 crushing out the lives of men, his hands were dipped in human 
 blood and he died the tyrant's death. All the world knows that 
 France had its monarch, his name is writ on Fame's record as 
 the mighty conqueror of Europe. The winding rivers of Europe 
 were once red with the blood it shed, there were gory battle 
 fields left in his wake, to say nothing of broken hearted mothers 
 and children who went weeping under cheerless skies without a 
 home to shelter them. For example, our own United States, in 
 1861-65, cities went down in ruins, homes were destroyed, human 
 blood flowed like wine, thousands sleep in unknown graves, they 
 died martyr's for a great cause, and the Redman was just as 
 much of a martyr for his cause as they. 
 
 Truly our tribes were not blood-thirsty, for the love of 
 blood or the lust of glory, but instead were compelled to yield 
 to a superior race, and our noblest men sleep in narrow graves 
 with the best, the proudest of the race, dead around them. Ex- 
 terminated rather than educated until the noblest of our race are 
 gone, and out of the miserable remnant comes a feeble cry to- 
 day, that for nearly four centuries the redman has merely exist 
 ed without a country. Love for the child-race of a bygone age, 
 
100 THE INDIAN DEVIL 
 
 tears for the infant race, in all its infancy a type of primitive 
 manhood, reserved and poised, courageous, enduring, master of 
 self and above all self controlled, a proud vanishing figure in a 
 nation of uni-est. Love for the adult race saddened with regrets 
 hanging heavy and the stain of blood on their hands from the 
 infant tears for the superior race, for who can tell what this 
 child race might have been when they were full grown and edu- 
 cated. Tears and love, love and tears, sweetly mingled when in- 
 fant and adult meet in one great brotherhood of forgiveness. 
 Always thus, since time began, someone must die a martyr for 
 the begining of every cause, and it has ever been thus, since the 
 dawn of history, among all races and nations, the heathen, the 
 barbarian and the civilized nations of the world. 
 
 Educated man to-day through his long evolution of 
 centuries know there is only one God, and all are seeking one 
 goal and the soul of man cannot be lost just because he wor- 
 ships a little different from his fellow man. Every race has its 
 own creed, and one race has no more of a right to say another 
 race is lost forever and eternally just because they differ in their 
 form of worship, and the rising generation of the present century 
 knows better. So at least let the tradition of the noble type be 
 just, as he is being fast absorbed into another race and even at 
 this day all that remains of him is tradition of his past existence, 
 and usually that tradition is of a mongrel type, rather than the 
 true. 
 
 We are always afraid of the visible devil, (oh-mah-ha) that 
 is the living devil here on this earth, as we are compelled to 
 guard continually against these monsters in keeping ourselves 
 from being harmed. We are at all times at peace with God, we 
 love Him as the Great Ruler and we are aways ready to offer a 
 praj^er and to worship him. 
 
 When an Indian sits down to smoke, he fills his pipe, 
 lights it and takes a deep breath filling his lungs with smoke, 
 and then expells it slowly through his nostrils and mouth with a 
 low grunt. Then in a low and solemn voice he offers up a 
 prayer to (iod, asking Him for good health, long life and good 
 luck. This good luck is in earning money, accumulating vast 
 riches, success in fishing and securing wild game, and in fact all 
 the success in the pursuit of an Indian life. 
 
 The devil is termed as key-mol-len, which means a low 
 miserable person or animal. And God is in the Heavens an in- 
 visible Being to living man, he is evervwhere and He rules over 
 all. 
 
/(U^imht,!, 7(Uc^mhj.Ij i(K>^^Tt-T Ziv^^ir A mK^!T\^j mK^Tx^j mK^1Sn>-!) /(^^^Tx/'b 
 
 CHAPTER X, 
 
 THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE. 
 
 THE fish dam being completed, all except the ones that are 
 to stay there, Lock-nee, Nor-mer, the Wah-clures and the 
 Char-rahs now move down the river and go to their differ- 
 ent homes to prepare for the White Deer-skin Dance. This dance 
 is held about ten miles down the river from where the fish dam 
 is put in, and this place they call Wah-tec and is a pretty place 
 containing about fifty acres, of a nearly level place, being a high 
 bar or flat so that no water ever gets over it, and situated on 
 the north side of the river, just down under the village on gentle 
 sloping place. There is a large spring of cold water flowing 
 from under the upper flat or high bar, while some forty steps 
 below the dance ground there is another spring, larger than the 
 other, clear and cold, which is used for part of them that camp, 
 all being some three hundred yards down the river below the 
 old Klamath Bluff's or Johnson's store, that was put there in 
 the year 1855 or 1856 by a man named Schneider, and 
 owned so long by Bill McGarvey. Before the dance starts two 
 that are of high birth, one girl and one man, the man can 
 be young or old but they must be of high birth, and sometimes 
 one of them is a Talth, goes first and cleans off the ground, (all 
 of which parts I have taken) by taking the grass off, then sweep 
 it clean, then three smooth stones that are set well down in the 
 ground but extending above the ground some eight or ten inches. 
 These stones have been there for a long time and are for the three 
 in the center of the row of dancers, which are fifteen and seventeen 
 in number; the girl makes a small fire and then places her in- 
 cense roots on it to burn so as to please Wah-pec-wa-mow, she 
 remains there to keep up the fire while the dance is in progress. 
 This man and girl are called May-wa-lep, and eat their regular 
 
102 
 
 THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 
 
 meals each day. When all is in readiness for the dance to starr 
 in the evening of the first tlay, the tw(j first villages up the river 
 from the dan( ing place, all dressed in their robes and regalia, go- 
 down to the river hank and get into a largo l)oat or canoe, one 
 sits in the stern to paddle and keep it pointed down the river 
 until they come to where they have prei)are([ their camping place 
 for the dance. The first village uj) is called Cor-tep, and the 
 n(^xt one ahove it is Pec -wan, Pec-wan is where the big Talth 
 Lodge is situxited for the Po-lick-las <livision, and is very wedthy. 
 This village is my birth-place and always conies in strong with 
 
 f-^'"-^' m-x^:r':::Tr --i^'Tj^^^ig^r'^^'^^.^^ 
 
 Bi:(;iNM.\(; of tiif. wnfTK drkr skin dancp: 
 
 the finest of regalia and the most beautiful (h'splay of deer skins. 
 Now each village dances separate and one at a time, as the Cor- 
 tep village dancers come up and form themselves into line, the 
 three in the center are the leaders and the nn'ddle one of the 
 1hi-ee is the one that lowers the pole that has the deer skin on 
 it. He raises his i-ight foot and stai'ts to sing, letting his foot 
 down at the same time, and the rest all follow. Now there 
 stands at each end of the row of dancers those who in their 
 
THE WHH^E DEER SKIK DAKCE 103 
 
 Tight hand hold a hirge Hint which they call Ne-gam, this 
 has a strong Inick skin string tied tightly around it and then 
 looped around the wrist so as to keep it from slipping off the 
 hand, and as the dancing starts they go back and forth in front 
 of the row of dancers passing each other at middle of the row 
 of dancers, and they have a whistle in progress. After dancing 
 until they are all tired out, they stop and the three in the 
 middle of the row sit down on the stones while the rest stand, 
 all raising the pole on which the deer skins are held, letting the 
 butt end of the pole rest on the ground. After the Cor-tep 
 village has danced out they retire to their camp, and in from 
 fifteen to thirty minute.*; the Pec-wan village dancers come up 
 and go through the same performance. The regalia and deer 
 skins are the common kind, and the count of the days that the 
 dance is to run has not yet commenced as these two villages 
 may dance two dances for each day, after the first evening, for 
 three or four days before the rest of them can get ready to come, 
 there are five of them in all. Next above Pec-wan to come is 
 Ser-e-goine then Mo-reck and the next is Cap-pell where the fish 
 dam is, when they all get to the dancing place they dance ten 
 days and each village dances in its turn. They start the first 
 dance about nine o'clock in the morning and it is fully twelve 
 o'clock, mid-day, before the last one ha.s finished. Now bear in 
 mind that there are two or three men all the time in the differ- 
 ent camps asking the men, one and all to come in and dance, it 
 does not matter from where they come or to what tribe they be- 
 long, they are asked to come in and take a part in this great 
 festival, so that the dancers are changing all the time, and from 
 one village to the other and which ever village they dance in, 
 they are invited to eat at their camp all is free and no one is 
 allowed to go hungry, and there would be some from far off that 
 could not speak a word of the Klamath tongue only by signs 
 with, the hands, yet they were carefully looked after, shown 
 around, fed and asked to get in and dance, the others carefully 
 guiding them through so they would make no mistake and it 
 was considered the worst of ill manners to make light of their 
 mistakes anywhere in their presence, they were guaranteed pro- 
 tection and courtesy and seen to get home \\ithout being harmed 
 or molested. 
 
 The different dance camps have a number of women, 
 
J 04 THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 
 
 sonK'timcs ciRlit ten or twelve and they work like beavers, cook- 
 inp; and preparing the food, these women are the sisters, aunts 
 and other relatives. Some of them may own one half of all the 
 valuable parts of what they are daneing with and all may own 
 some part. As with the Klamath Indians the women own by in- 
 heritance or accumulation all of their own wealth just the same 
 as the men do and a wealthy woman is just as much sought for 
 a wife by the Klamath Indians as they are by the whites and 
 just the same a wealthy man is sjught for by the women as they 
 are by the whites. 
 
 The girl kee])s her fii-e burning while the dance is going 
 on and the man assists her at all times. Now the village to 
 which the dance belongs starts about dark in the evening and 
 goes through the s ime perfonnance, each giving a dance, keeping 
 it up till about nine o'clock at night, when they retire to their 
 different camps when they all take their evening meal, after this 
 they all prepare to sleep for the night, and the most of them 
 sleep until full day-light in the morning, when they lise to go 
 through the same routine. On the last day at this place, or the 
 tenth day of the dance, (oh-pure-ah-wah) this being the great day, 
 all that are to be thei-e have come, and this day they bring out 
 the white deer skins, the longest of the flints, some of which 
 were red while others were streaked with red and white, the 
 white being the most valuable, some of them are twenty and 
 twenty-two inches in length and from four to five inches wide in 
 the center of the blade and quite heavy to handle; at this the 
 Pec-wan village leads all others in white deer skins, they having 
 five that are white and many that are light or nearly white, all 
 being dressed softly and nicely with the whole skin, nose, ears 
 and the hair left on, even the hoofs are white and the nose and 
 ears are decorated with the red feathers of the wood-cock or In- 
 dian hen takcni from the scalp of the bird and i)ut on 
 stripes of l)uck-skin with small pieces of the abalona shell hang- 
 ing down in front of the nose of the deer some four inches long. 
 Scr-e-goine comes ne.xt with the longest flints, the most valuable 
 belonging to a family of sisters, and the other villages that make 
 u]) the five comes in, in rotation as to liches in valuable articles 
 for the dance, now the upper river or Pech-ic-las comes in to the 
 (liffeicnt dances with their valuables as to the line of relution- 
 shij) or old time friendship, and the women i)ut in their wealth 
 
THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 
 
 105 
 
 and take their places and help to cook and wait on all just the 
 same as the Po-lick-las, yet they speak a different language but 
 are so closely mixed in marriage and so many of them speak 
 both tongues and the whole meaning of the big dance being just 
 the same to both that there is no mistake between them in any 
 part of the management of the dance. The men all wear a buck- 
 skin blanket made of two and three deer skins, dressed with the 
 hair on and made very soft, these are sewed together with the 
 
 VIEW OF THE KLAMATH RIVER NEAR PEC WAN. 
 
 sinews of the deer, used for thread, with a bone needle and to 
 the lower part of the blanket they sew the tails of the civit or 
 ring tail cat. This blanket is fixed so as to be tied around the 
 waist and hangs down below the knees with the cat tails dang- 
 ling at the bottom, if clear dry weather they wear these blankets 
 with the hair side next to their skin, Which leaves them looking 
 very white, but if it turns damp or commences to rain the 
 blankets are turned with the hair side out so as not to get the 
 flesh side wet and soiled. All of the dancers have great rolls of 
 
106 THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 
 
 shell beads, called Turk-turn, strung; around the neck, hanging 
 down over the breast and reaching to the waist. These shells 
 are the same species of shells as the cheek, only they are shorter 
 and do not have the value by from fifty to one hundred times 
 as much, and all have head dresses but no feathers only the one 
 bald eagle or other eagle feather that is stuck in the back of 
 the hair and stands up perpendicular. The four men that stand 
 at the end of the row of dancei-s and which carry the large flints 
 and whistles in their mouths have for a head-dress a close 
 woven cloth which we make ourselves from the small tread fibers 
 of the flag, these are twisted into strands and woven into a thick, 
 heavy cloth, these are some eight inches wide by three feet in 
 length, or more, and are ornamented with the tusks or teeth of 
 the sea lion, fastened at the upper edge of the piece and this 
 cloth in placed center of forehead, then back to the back of the 
 head and tied, leaving the ends floating with the tusks sticking 
 out in front. This head gear is called cher-wer-ner, and the 
 blankets are called cah-ane. This white deer skin place is called 
 Wah-tec and the village that sits just back of the dance place 
 at the brow of the high flat, or bar, is of the same name. 
 The Wah-tec village is north of the dancing place and is just 
 north of the village is the level ^flat where they play their 
 stick game which is as rough as the white mans' foot ball 
 game. This game is called werlth-per and I have seen 
 them pile in heaps at this game and many get hurt, there must 
 be no fighting, yet they take a deceptive way of hurting one 
 another if there is a dislike between them, just like the whites 
 do. The white deer skin dance at the end of ten days comes to 
 an end at this place and the whole place is alive with Indians 
 from all parts. Now the whole thing comes to a halt and all 
 that are managing the dance return to their villages for more 
 supplies. This stop is for one day only and now the stick game 
 starts, and they may have several games l)etween the up river 
 and lower rivers, during the next few days. After the one day 
 stop, so as to replenish provisions, they all start very early on 
 the morning following and first go down the river from Wah-ker- 
 ah about one mile to where a small creek enters into the river, 
 this creek known as Bloxer Creek, but we call it Hel-le-gay-ow, 
 this is on the norte side of the river where this creek comes into 
 
At every place where my people 
 hold the White Deer Skin Dance, 
 (Oh-pure-ah-wah) we have this 
 same way, that we separate the 
 Talth and high birth from the 
 other classes. 
 
 Che-na.wah Weitch-ah -wah. 
 
108 THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 
 
 the river, now when tliey get to creek, they being on the south 
 side and close to the entrance of the creek to the river, here all 
 halt, this ])eing where there are two trails, one goes down next 
 to the rivei', crossing the creek and up to a small flat just at the 
 foot of the hill, with the large pepperwood trees hanging it, is a 
 place w^here the dance starts, and this trail and to this place, 
 none can go uuless they are born of the highert marriage. The 
 girl and man that are of high birth have already gone and clean- 
 ed off the grounds, made the fire and are })urning the incense. 
 When the host arrives here they must give all their valuable art- 
 icles that are to be used at this place, over to the poorest and 
 shabby looking ones, if they have the right l)irth to take them 
 over this piece of road or trail, to this place, Hel-le-gay-ow, and 
 all from all parts know whether they have the birth, as this is 
 kept close track of l)y the full blooded Klamath Indians. And 
 if any persists or offers to go over this ti-ail. to this place, they 
 will be told very firmly to keep back and if needs be they will 
 tell them that they are not born good enough to pass this way, 
 but wait and go the other way. There has never been one of 
 mixed blood of any part with the white man or any other mixt- 
 ure of blood, that they would let go this way. ()nly pure Klam- 
 ath Indians are allowed. There was never a white man (ken-e-ah) 
 that they would consent to let pass this way, for they did not know 
 what kind of people the whites were and that the white marriages 
 were not such as to give them the birth. 
 
 I can pass and have passed many times and have the train- 
 ing to know which can, and those that are not allowed, and the 
 powerful in liches have to stop and take the upper trail, such as 
 Pec-wan Colonel and Captain Sur-e-goine Jim and others whose 
 wealth and influence that the white man thought would allow him 
 to any part or place. I am one that knows that the birth is the 
 one great event that gave to my people more honor, more power 
 and more of everything in this life than all the riches in the 
 whole world could buy. My people do not talk and tell of this 
 for many reasons, they do not tell the white man thinking that 
 they might wish to disobey the rule or right to stop them, and of 
 all the white men that have married the Indian women, we do not 
 think that a single one of them ever told their husband of this 
 for the reason that they themselves did not have the birth to pass 
 ov(ir this part of the trail, and was therefore ashamed to let their 
 
THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 100 
 
 luon know that such was the case, and the whil(> men tlnnking 
 nothing of it stopped and did not notice that such was the case, 
 it is kept from the mixed bloods where their fathers raised them 
 in the same way, not even their own mothers teUing them, asham- 
 ed for her children to know of her birth, and the mixed bloods 
 that are raised among the Indians know that their birth does not 
 admit them, so keep in their right place and are also ashamed 
 to say anything about it, and so it has been kept until I told 
 my husband, we being duly and truly married in the high 
 marriage of my law and married in his law, mv husband being 
 a Free and Accepted Mason, how it was and for him to look 
 and see for himself, but to stay back and that we would 
 take the upper trail and go with the rich, the warrior and the 
 throng that could not go the lower trail, where my father (ATalth) 
 and sisters could and did go, yet they were poor and other that 
 could go, there being few that could go while many went the way 
 we did. This I never could have and which was very easy to 
 see when once told and shown. Now after the Talth and them 
 that have the birth, have done their dancing at this Hel-la-gay-ow, 
 the girl and man slip out and go on up the hill through the timb- 
 er into the other trail for a short distance and there clean off an- 
 other place, make a small fire and place on it the incense to burn 
 and the girl sits down in front when the dancers come following 
 up and as they come into the trail. 
 
 Now all the rich, the proud of all but their birth, comes in 
 behind, and as they come up to the next dance place and form 
 into line to dance, all can look on and see, soon this is done, and 
 the same is done in two more places until the whole of them finally 
 arrive at a large prairie that they call Bloxer, meaning wide in 
 shape, as they come to the opening they cross a small branch and 
 turn to a flat between two small branches or creeks that contain 
 about two acres, at the foot of the raise from the flat is a large 
 spring of cold, clear water flowing, here they halt for the final 
 wind-up. They have been at this all day and the girl and the 
 man (May-wa-lep) have the fires burning the incense, in the even- 
 ing they dance, each one dances their turn, using here the white 
 deer skins and all of the finest of their regalia and valuable, s after 
 the dance is over they have their supper and retire, tired out. 
 Early the next morning all is astir and they dance the five dances 
 in the forenoon and eat dinner in the after part of the day. The 
 
no THE WfllTE DEER SKIN DANCE 
 
 last and final dance is to conui when this is finished late in tlie 
 nifiiit, alont nine o'clock, then all take their meal, when many 
 of them depart and the ^reat White Doer 8kin Dance is closed 
 for two years at least, or maybe more, and all go home. Now 
 when we sj)(>ak of the dance Ix'ing closed for two years or more, 
 we mean by this of the old and ancient laws, l)y which it was 
 conducted, for it has already IxH'n carried through in a spurious 
 or farcial way by them that are of low birth, not having a single 
 one that was a Talth to take the lead and carry it through in 
 in proper foi-m, but the white man sees it and does not know the 
 difference. 
 
 Those of high birth come to the remaining Talth to ask a 
 few {juestions while the Talth answers them in a smooth tone of 
 voice, which is their gift and lets it ])ass on in quiet, knowing 
 that it is forever done. The Talth that now live make only one 
 last request of the living, that is, that when they come to give up 
 this life, that before they are laid away, when being prepared for 
 l)urial, that the emblem or mai'k of the Talth be placed on them. 
 This is four black sti'ipes placed on the l)reast eight inches in 
 length, one half inch wide and one inch apart, and on each 
 arm between the shoulders and elbow, there is to l)e three stripes 
 four inches long, same width and one inch apart, which are the 
 marks or emblem of the Talth. 
 
 When they are prepared for the last resting place, the gi'ave, 
 and these emblems or mai'ks are never pnt on any of them un- 
 less they have l)een put through the secrets of the Lodge, and 
 carry in their breast that true name of Wah-pec-wah-mow, (God) 
 there are only two of these left, one is myself and the other my 
 father. This chapter now closes and we take up the greatest pf 
 all, the Lodge dance, (Wah-nec-way-la-gaw) called by the whites 
 by many different names. 
 
Uhs^nih iK'^nA iiK^-^rJ\ iiK'-J^rv'i CiH\^r^\ uk^-J^rA ( ktMHA (lUvj^'rQi, 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE LODGE DANCE. 
 
 THE white man calls this dance the jump dance and this has 
 caused the Indians to call it thus when they speak of it in 
 the white mans tongue, but we call in our language Wah- 
 neck-wel-la-gaw, and which has no meaning as to a dance. This 
 dance is held at the Pec-wan village, and it is about one mile up 
 the river from where the "White Deer Skin Dance" is held. This 
 festival is held one year after the White Deer Skin Dance, or is 
 held altenately. This is the most sacred festival that we have, 
 and like the fish dam, we start preparations for the festival some 
 two months ahead and all differences and disputes are settled be- 
 fore this starts. If there are any who can not or will not settle, 
 they must not come to see or take part in the festival, and by 
 this the reader can see that this once powerful and numerous trilx* 
 of Indians, by making these complete settlements among all of 
 their people once a year, one year for the Fish Dam and the next year 
 the Lodge Dance. And could be managed bj^ the High Priests 
 and be well governed without the aid of a chief, as they never 
 had a chief. The Pec- wan village was in olden times a very large 
 and wealthy village. This is where the lodge of the lower Klam- 
 aths is situated, and this lodge and the house where all the tools 
 of the Talth are kept, is the only one now at this writing left of 
 the whole tribe. In the times when the white man first came 
 there was one of these lodges at Big Lagoon, which we call Ah- 
 ca- tah, and one at the mouth of Redwood Creek which we call 
 Orick, one at the mouth of Klamath River which we call Reck- 
 woy, and one at Pec-wan. Four these lodges belonging to the 
 lower division of the Klamath River, and the upper rivers had a 
 number of lodges, but there is not one of them left. There are 
 
112 THE LODGE DANCE 
 
 IK) Indians left to t(>ll of them, or how and what they were used 
 for, so making it at are time only one that is left, and only two 
 of the Talth are left to tell of the use and meaning of the grand 
 good that come from them to the proud people. When all is reatly 
 the three Talth start very early in the morning and select the 
 timbers for putting uj) a complete new frame of the lodge, not leav- 
 ing a single piece of the wood-work of the old lodge, but replac- 
 ing it with new. Upon their return from selecting the timbers 
 the Talth then go into the house, where the tools are kept and 
 take them out. Those that are used for getting i)ost and the frame 
 with all the sidings, they put these in a very nicely knit sack 
 which is made of good and lasting material and and kept for this 
 purpose, then they take it on the outside of the house and le-ive 
 it there for the niglit. Now the Talth return to their homes and 
 family, always bathing themselves, for they are as near perfect in 
 their cleanliness as it is given human being to Ix'. They go into 
 their homes with smiles for their wives and children, and all others 
 that they may come in touch with. These Talth are very firm 
 in their manners, very witty in jokes, but slow to speak in matters 
 of decision. After supper they retire to their sweat-house to sleep. 
 There they fii'st take a smoke and then go to sleep. Now the 
 ones that are the workers have already been selected for getting 
 out the material to put up the wood jiart of the lodge, and the 
 whole of the work must b(^ done in one day. Every piece is made 
 to fit in its place, where it is gotten out in the woods, so that 
 when it is Inought in, which is done the same day, all fits into 
 its j)lace. The whole stiucture is set up without the use of tools; 
 no noise and no words are .spoken, only by the three Talth, and 
 by them only in a low voice. 
 
 Those that work to get out these timbers nmst all be of 
 good l)irth, not necessarily of the highest l)irth, but of good birth 
 of the wealthy and well to do class. Some of the ones of the 
 highest births are not considered to l)e of the right minds, with 
 good l)ehavior to be made a Talth. No one of the low V)irths or 
 slaves are allowed to take i)art in the making of the old lodge, 
 Talth-ur-girk. We have degrees in this lodge woik, some are all- 
 owed to go in and learn a small part of it and are never given 
 any more, while other are allowed to learn a greater part, and 
 they are never given the true name of Clod. 
 
 This highest marriage takes twelve strings of cheek, twelve 
 
THE LODGE DANCE ll.i 
 
 pieces to each string, and out of the few marriages there was very 
 few that was good to he made a Talth, and by this they were 
 compelled to choose from the girls as well as the boys. The ones 
 that were right for the Talth, to keep from loosing the workings 
 of the order, as well as to keep the sacred name of Clod from l)e- 
 ing lost. If through famine or epidemic it would be lost in some 
 of the places or lodges, they could get some that were Talth to 
 come from Ah-ca-tah, Orick, Reck-woy or from some of the lodges 
 from the Pech-ic-las, so that they could fix up the lodges and take 
 some of the ones of the -right birth and initiate in to the secret 
 workings of the order, and make them Talth, and build the ordei- 
 up again. These things have happened many times in there long 
 history and occupation of this land. Now all the old lumber that 
 is taken from the lodge when it is to be made anew, is taken to 
 the house which the Talth use for there preparations, and to keep 
 the working tools in, and there it is used to renew the weak parts, 
 and the rest is used for fire wood in this house, so that none of 
 it is wasted. 
 
 The dance, after everything is fixed and all in readiness, 
 will last for ten days, and when all is ready the Talth and all the 
 workers, which are called Wer-ner-ger-ee, go to their different homes 
 or friends and eat their supper, and after this is finished, all the 
 workers with two of the Talth go out and gather wood, which is 
 the small limbs and twigs of the huckleberry, which we make use 
 of by keeping a small fire through the night in the lodge, and 
 on the fire we burn incense roots which give off a pleasant odor. 
 Now the other Talth, who is the master of the ceremonies, goes 
 straight from the house to the lodge, and with him the one, or 
 the two girls. These girl are not always a Talth, but sometimes 
 one of them is and has the whole secrets of the orner, even to the 
 real name of God. These girls must be born of the highest birth 
 to even help. The master, when he goes in, talks or prays while 
 the girl or girls sweep it and place things in shape, which keeps 
 them busy, if there is only one girl, she does not have time to 
 leave the lodge. About nine o'clock the Talth with all the work- 
 ers come out in line, single file, with a bunch of wood, each one 
 with his bundle on his shoulder, all singing, and this in the night 
 or evening sounds most beautiful, as it is most perfect in time 
 and tune and makes one feel the love for the great Greater of all 
 things. 
 
114 THE LODGE DANCE 
 
 When they arrive with the wood, all lay in around the to|) 
 of the house or lodge, then either one of the two Talth takes 
 some insitle of the lodge and makes a small fire inside. The floor 
 of the lodge is made of marble, and they have a large bowl made 
 of marble in which is placed clean, pure water, and in this water 
 is placed the roots walth-pay. Now when the time is ready, all 
 will come inside of "the lodge and bath in the marble bowl with 
 the walth-pay in it. This bowl is kept secreted and only the 
 Talth knows where it is; the master of the lodge has taken the 
 })0wl out from its hiding place and put it in its proper place, and 
 put the water and walth-pay roots in it. Now when the workers 
 and the two Talth comes with the wood and after the fire is 
 started, the two Talth remain and all the others go outside, and 
 the three Talth bath themselves, also the one or to girls, as the 
 case maybe. If one of them is not a Talth then she too has to 
 go outside. Then the Talth go through all the secret part of the 
 work in the lodge, while the girl that is a Talth remains inside 
 of the lodge, and takes part in the secret workings. The lodge is 
 now opened, and all the workers are invited to come inside. 
 Some of the workers are Talth, sometimes nearly all of them, if 
 not, they are high born. They all wash themselves in the marble 
 bowl and all have the Indian comb, the men's being longer than 
 the ones the girls have. After washing, each one washes and 
 combs their hair until it is clean and glossy, leaving the hair 
 hang down loosely, using the combs to stroke the hair back, and 
 careful not to touch it with their hands. 
 
 The men are perfectly naked, while the girls have a maple 
 bark dress fastened around the waist, hanging down to the knees, 
 otherwise they were nude. Now the master takes his place in the 
 south-east corner of the lodge, sitting on his Indian chair and in 
 his hand he holds his staff, or rod, which is the stalk of the 
 walth-pay. This staff is the stalk which grows from the herb or 
 root that God made women from in the first creation, and the 
 staff is so old that it is black with age. The next one in author- 
 ity sits in the north-east cornor of the lodge, while the third one 
 sits in the north-west corner of the lodge. The lodge sits north 
 and south, the entrance is at the south end, the west side being 
 left dark. The Master in managing the ceremonies, has a helper 
 (this was my part and the emblem I wear is the Dove) who sits 
 on the right hand side of the Master, and if there is no girl that 
 
THE LODGE DANCE 115 
 
 is a Talth, then ii man that is a Talth has to fill th(! place, and 
 this one has to place and move the chair of the Master as he 
 rises and sits down, and if there is only one girl, then she has to 
 preform a double duty of removing and placing the chairs of all 
 three officers of the lodge, and when this happens is keep her on 
 the move all night until five o'clock in the morning; when she 
 comes out very tired, yet light hearted and very proud of her birth, 
 her standing and the gaeat knowledge she has of the secret his- 
 tory of her people. \'ery few there be that has ever been admitt- 
 ed to her high plane, and none has ever excelled her. She knows 
 that she and all the other Talth are full blooded Klamath, and 
 no mixture of any other blood in their veins. This secret organ- 
 ization dates back to the very beginning of God's creation of man 
 and woman, as this staff of the walth-pay is what God made 
 woman out of. This wath-pay they have preserved in this land 
 in selected places ami it still grows here, and we still use it in all 
 of our secret work. It only grows in a few places, and all of us 
 know where to find it. They brough this with them, from the 
 old land, and on down through the ages to commerate the first 
 creation of woman. 
 
 I have offerd to go to the lodge and teach one or more when 
 there was enough of the Talth left to do so, but now there 
 are none left, and they could not pick out girl that was eligble to 
 give it to, until now there is no chance left, and what ever is 
 done towards the meeting of this old and ancient order is only 
 a farce, and done by the low births, the low class and the slave 
 class. When I first told my father that I was going to marry a 
 white man, my people objected, saying that if I had children they 
 could not be admitted to the order. It was then I told them to 
 select one that I might teach the secret part of the lodge to. It 
 is sad for me to write of the inside working of the lodge, and 
 who can blame me. My people are passing away, being absorb- 
 ed by the white race. 
 
 Now all are inside of the lodge and they give the whole 
 night to chanting and praying to God, to please the Creator, to 
 give them health, wealth and to watch over them, keeping them 
 safe from disease. They keep this up until about five o'clock in 
 the morning and then they all go down to the house where the 
 dance is to be held, and this house is called Ah-pure-way. They 
 build a small fire and place some roots on it. Now during this 
 
IK) THE LODGE DANCE 
 
 time the wealthy families have moved from their homes, bring 
 their wives sisters and daughters to cook and prepaie food. 
 
 The first dance is hurriedly gotten ready and then the 
 dancers come up to the house, going in and taking their places. 
 The dance starts and will last for ten days. As soon as the 
 first dance is over the Talth go to their homes to eat and rest, 
 and the tired but proud little girl goes to her home and eats, 
 after which she takes a much needed sleep. All have bathed, 
 which they never fail to do, and dressed their hair and combed 
 it cleanly. There are five villages that take part in the Po-lick- 
 las dance, l)eing the same ones that took part in the White 
 Deer Skin Dance. All Indians are invited to come, rich or poor, 
 from any and all tribes, from far off and near by. Far away 
 tribes are looked after, fed and asked to take part in the dance, 
 even if they cannot speak their language. They will motion to 
 them and show them how and give them full protection at all 
 times and under any circumstances, so that they may enjoy it 
 to the fullest. This is the time that the very , poor and slave 
 class of our own people are made jolly and contented, proud to 
 be known and called a Klamath Indian. They are here allowed, 
 both men and women, to put in whatever they may possess 
 that is of value, that is used to dance with. The wealthy ones 
 that own lands, hunting territory, fishing places, slaves, flints,^ 
 white deer skins, fisher skins, otter skins, silver grky fox skins 
 and fine dresses made of dressed deer skins, with fringes or shells 
 knotted and worked in the most beautiful styles, that clink and 
 jingle as they walk and makes one have a feeling of respect and 
 admiiation for them. The eyes will strain to look on this mcjst 
 pleasant sight, which can never leave one's memory that has 
 seen it in its flowery days. ' ■> 
 
 They take the scalp of the woodpecker, which they sew 
 together from sixty to one hundred in number, on a piece of 
 nicely dressed buck skin, the edge\s also being buck skin, it looks 
 like a plug hat. They let the ends hang as streamers at the 
 back of the head. These are valued at from one to two hundred 
 dollars, having red and white fringes, whicli makes them look 
 very pretty. Th(?se head dresses are called Rah-gay and the 
 scalps are called chee.se, whether one or many of them. They 
 have great strings of the long hollow shells, called cheek and 
 
v^iwv',^i,:-?rr':Vfv 
 
 * ? 4>?-'"*^"v " 'j''^yf^ w^i 
 
THE LODGE DANCE 117 
 
 turk-tum, around their necks, hanging down over th(> breasts to 
 the waist. This, the most sacred of all their festivals, is held in 
 a house and more of their wealth is displayed at this time than 
 on any other occasion. The wealth of the whole tribe of the 
 Klamath Indians, even the Hoopas and Smith River, and any 
 other tribe can put in and help in this dance. Here in this dance 
 the rich ones will turn over to the poorest of them their display 
 of wealth and go away, leaving it in their care, our people do 
 not use feathers but very little, less than the white people. 
 
 In the evening of the second days dancing, the Talth go back to 
 the lodge and the Master with the girl who is a Talth, go into 
 the lodge, and the Master puts fresh clean water into the bowl, 
 pounds and places the walth-pay roots into it and it is ready for 
 use. The other girls remaining in the perparation house or goes 
 to other parts to preform when they have things fixed for them. 
 The Master gives prayers to God while the other two Talth in 
 authority will take the same ones, the workers, and go out for 
 more wood, the same as the first time, coming in about nine 
 o'clock, all in single file, led by the two Talth singing the song 
 as they come and place the wood the same as before. Now the 
 two Talth go inside and the lodge is opened, the Talth girl help- 
 ing until all is in readiness, then the workers are called in and 
 the Talth each take their place, the Master with his staff of the 
 walth-pay, and the girl in her place by the Master and the work- 
 ings of the lodge are gone through with as before, and kept up 
 all night until five o'clock in the morning, when they come out 
 and go to their homes and camps to eat. Now the dancers take 
 up the dancing and the whole thing moves along smoothly, with- 
 out a thing to mar the good times. The Talth do not take any 
 part in the dancing, and are but seldom seen to take a look at 
 it, and the Master does not come to see any part of it, but if 
 he does, he just passes on, laughing joking and jesting \nih all 
 the men and women and they are more than glad to see him. 
 
 The Talth call each other brothers, and the girls sisters, 
 and the word brother and sister is used a great deal among these 
 people. 
 
 When the lodge is working in its secret part of the order, 
 there is a guard stationed at the door on the outside to keep 
 others from hearing or entering. In the evening of every second 
 
118 
 
 THE LODGE DANCE 
 
 (lay they open the lodge until the dance has run for eight days, 
 when they open the lodge in the same way, in the evening for 
 the fifth an<i last time. The Master and the girl go into the 
 lodge, while the two Talth and the workers go and get the wood, 
 coming hack at nine o'clock, then the same preformance is gone 
 through with, ending about five o'clock in the morning, then all 
 the worker are exp(41ed from the lodge and go to the dance 
 house and make the fire, burn the incense roots, sweep and clean 
 the house for tli*' last two days of the festival. The three Taltli 
 and the girl remain in the lodge and finish the winding up cerem- 
 
 THK L()D(^,E DANCE 
 
 onies of the lodge for the dance, after wliicli the bowl, staff and 
 other emblems and tools are placed in their secret hiding places 
 so that them who are Talth know where to find them, then they 
 come out and go to their homes to eat, sleej) and rest. Now the 
 last two days of tiie dance commences, and the finest of dresses 
 and the most valuable of articles are used, [all the i-iclies are ])rought 
 out, showing which aic the most wealthy of family, some of which 
 have long records dating back for generations, telling how the 
 family first started in prominence, and up to the present time. 
 
THE I.()D(;E dance lU) 
 
 Tlii^ festival is held for the purpose and e(iiiality of tlie whole 
 people together, the rieh, the poor ami the slave, make themselves 
 come together in peace and harmony as one family and to make 
 the poor and the slave feel tluit there is some good to live for, 
 and more and above all to make them warriors, that none dare 
 scorn. That if any other tribe daie to violate the laws of human- 
 ity, such as to mutilate the dead by scali)ing and other ways, 
 which the Klamaths would not tolerate for a moment, and by the 
 Talth to keep and preserve their old and ancient teachings of the 
 sacred order which has been handed down to them through the 
 ages, which they say has never been, through it all, down to 
 where it is now. They say that a number of times it has been 
 low, yet there was enough to revive and bring is l)ack to its prop- 
 er place, so as not to loose it in its secret parts and keep it up, 
 At the end of ten days the dance, late in the evening closes and 
 the people scatter in all directions, while the rich families, that 
 have so many women to help in preparing the food, and some 
 with children, and so much wealth to move, will keep their camp 
 open until the next day, and some for two days longer, until they 
 can get everything ready for moving home. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 OUR C^HRIST 
 
 AYOUNCJ woiiiun of the Ptn-li-ic-la'^;, the upi:)('f division of the 
 Klainatli tribe, Vwod at Caw-iih-inan, now known as Orieans 
 Bai'. Slie was the mother of Po-lich-o-quare-iek, our Christ, 
 and never niari'ied nftei- the birth of Uqi son, and hved single all her 
 life, residing with her folks ;it ()rle:ins Bar. Caw-ah-mis-o-nia, the 
 mother of oui' ('hiist, during the yeai's of her womenhood, would 
 go alone daily to a high rock, not heeding the lemonstrances of 
 her parents and kindred, and would nseend the sides of this I'oek 
 to its to]), where she would seat hei'self and weave l)askets every 
 day. She went alone every day for ntvirly three years to this 
 rock and made baskets, and one tlay Wah-pec-wah-mow (God) 
 appeared to her and said that she would l)ear him a male child, 
 which would be His Son, and this Son would be our Christ, or 
 Savioi', who would be a viMy wise and talented man of the two 
 triltes and would rule our people. 
 
 rj)on reaching her h(jme that (^'ciiing she told her parents 
 and the i)eople of the tribes that slu> soon W(juld give birth to 
 the Son of (iod, that (lod himself, having ajjpeai'ed l)cfoi-e her, made 
 facts known to her, and that she should not be looked upon in 
 disgrace by hei' people. Her i);uenls and a great many of the 
 pe(jple of the Klamath tribes believed hei' story to be true and 
 they made ready to it>ceive the Child. 
 
 Caw-ah-mis-o-ma gave birth to a son as she had said, and 
 cai'ed for the infant in hei- father's home, giving it the name of 
 Po-lick-<)-(iuare-ick, pioclaimiug the child to the tribes as and Sou 
 of (Jod. Hei' parents and a great many of the people of the tribe 
 believed in the infallabilily of the child, while a number of the 
 peo])le did not believe in him as infalable, and regarded him as 
 ;i bastard child. Some of our Taltli, or High Priests, did not 
 
OUR CHRIST 121 
 
 believe in his divine birth ami considered him as the bastard son 
 of man, however, they recognized his great powers and wisdom 
 as an ordinary man. Most of my people worshiped the child as 
 divine. 
 
 During the childhood and boyhood years of Po-lick-o-ciuare- 
 ick he sought the solituck^s of a great ci'eation, as he nevei- play- 
 ed with other children, and never mingled in the social gatherings 
 of his people. As a little child he jilayed alone, and when he 
 had reached the age of about two years, he had a little canoe 
 that he would play with and sail it in the waters at Orleans Bar. 
 This little toy boat was one of his earliest playthings, and when 
 he left his early childhood scenes he left this boat at Orleans Bar 
 on the south bank of the river in a rift or crevice of a large rock. 
 There, to this day the Indians say you can see the little boat that 
 he played with and which has turned into a solid stone, and is 
 still the perfect shape of a small boat. (This I have not seen). 
 
 While yet a small boy of tender years, Po-lick-o-quare-ick 
 came down to the river to Ca-neck, alone, where he spent a great 
 deal of his earlj' boyhood years in restless wandering, as he was 
 never still. He would never go with his mother, or with any one 
 else as he went from place to place alone. On the south side of 
 the river at Ca-neck is a small lake at the foot of the hill back 
 from the river, and is surrounded on the outer banks by marshy 
 lands. This lake cannot be observed from the river or village, 
 and its existence might never be known except by coming upon its 
 very banks. He spent a great deal of his time playing in his 
 solitary ways about the lake. Just back of this lake is a rock 
 that our Christ used as a place where he would continually be 
 sliding down its side, he wore away one large and some small 
 groove with his heels, in this solid stone, which can be seen to 
 this day. (This I have seen many times and my people rub their 
 fingers on these grooves and then rub the fingers on their eyes, 
 to cure weak or sore eyes) About half a mile below the lake, 
 located on the same side of the river, is another rock, where the 
 young man went for prayers which he offered up to his father, 
 (God) to bless him with great powers and wisdom. As he knelt 
 at the top of this rock in prayer he left the sunken imprint of 
 his knees and feet in the rock, which is still visible. 
 
 Another rock concerning our Christ is located a short dis- 
 tance above the lake on the bank of river, which was his special 
 
122 OUR CHRIST 
 
 fishing place, where he would sit on the rock and fish. Here also 
 in the solid stone is the sunken imprint of his Ijare feet and knees, 
 and also the pool of water, close by, that he cast his fish in; 
 all of which are left as his written memoirs of his past existence. 
 These are his written annals left upon the rocks; the traditions 
 handed down through the long centuries when the Christ himself 
 had passed away, far out on the ocean waves, perchance to a 
 I)etter land than that, which had given him birth. (This place I 
 have been close to many times, yet I never went to see itj He 
 could speak the language of any tribe or nation without teaching, 
 and could peer into the darkness of the past, telling the events 
 of bygone times. He could gaze into the future and tell of the 
 events to be, so great was his wisdom; he could also command 
 anything he wanted, and his commands would be answered, to 
 his every wish. 
 
 When he was in the prime of his years he took a lot of 
 valuable things, such as cheek, cheese (the scalp of the woodcock) 
 and other things, got into his canoe and started down the river 
 and when he arrived where Bill Mc Carvey's store afterwards was 
 built, he stopped and took a rest in the early morning sunshine^ 
 This is the reason this place is the warmest and most sunny the 
 year rountl, that is to be found in any pai't of our whole territory. 
 After resting as long as he wished he started on tlown the river. 
 Many of the Indians followed after him, and as they were crowd- 
 ing c}uite close he commanded that an opening be made through 
 the lock Ijluff at Reck-woy, which was done and this turned the 
 Klamath river into the ocean at that place, some six miles south 
 of where it went into the sea before, at Ah-man. (Wilson Creek) 
 Thus they never caught up to him but could see out in the 
 ocean, gliding gently on towords the west. He had previously 
 told them that he was ready to go and was going, that in some 
 future time he would come back. He was the wisest man that 
 we have evei- had among our people, he knew all things and could 
 do all things and we hold his name with great reverence. It is 
 the custom of oui' young wonieti to use the expi'ession ; "when we 
 get mariied and if we have children, we wish they can talk all 
 languages like Po-lick-o-quare-ick." My people for many generat- 
 
OUR CHRIST 121^ 
 
 ions look for him to come back, but since the coming of the 
 Ken-ne-ah's, the white people, they are loosing trace of his name 
 and the things that he did, and it will soon be lost. It is now 
 my desire, after many years of thinking, to write it all out so 
 it may be preserved for the American Indians, that they may 
 know something of the religion and teachings of our forefathers* 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE SAMPSON OF THE KLAAIATH INDIANS 
 
 KAV-KAY-MY-ALTH-MAY. the Sampson of the Po-lick-la's, 
 (the lower Khiniatli Indians) and the Pech-ic-la's (upp(>r 
 Khimath Indians), was l)orn at the village of Auh-leek-kin 
 on the river. This village is about twelve miles down the river 
 from the old Klamath Bluffs store, and about the same distance 
 from the mouth of the river at Re(|ua. It was onee a large and 
 flourishing village, a long time ago at the time of Sampson's 
 birth, and long after he was dead. 
 
 This Indian Sampson was a tall and handsome fellow, 
 with sinewy arms and a body of muscle. His hair w\as extreamly 
 long, such flowing tresses of beauty and strength, wherein his 
 wonderful ph^'sical powers lay. This man of wonderful physic 
 was a Klamath Indian, a lone and mighty wari-ior for all who 
 ()l)posed him; and it mattered little how many in number were 
 against him, they were always defeated. This warrior did not 
 use bow and arrows, spears or shields to defend himself in his 
 contjuests, but used instead the sling and pebbles. He would 
 raid whole villages in the quest of wealth and none dared 
 combat him but what were defeated. The tribes feared him for 
 his great sli'ength, as they knew not where he , got his super- 
 natural power. 
 
 The tribes of the Smith Kiver, II()oi)a and Klamath feared 
 
 him gieatly as he reached the dizzy heights of his powers and 
 and massacres. He I'efused to pay tribute to any of the tribes. 
 
 One day this wai'rior bold, emboldened by his triumphs, 
 met a beautiful and shy maiden of another tribe, witii whom he 
 fell desperately in love. Her people were the Smith River tril)e 
 
THE SAMPSON OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 125 
 
 (He-na's) with whom ho was fighting at the time. He defeated 
 them and took her captive, and alas, love after a time proved 
 his utter ruin. Ah, what monarch of earth that love will not 
 conquer wath her soothing hands! After he captured the maiden 
 he married her so she could hold herself respected before all, 
 and took her to his home at Auh-leek-kin, giving her the name 
 of Auh-leek-kin-on. No children came to bless this union; no 
 childish prattle or laughter to lift the gloom of the coming years. 
 
 This Sampson's dwelling place was in a house where he 
 had made a cellar in the claj- and in this cellar he always 
 retreated at night that he might not be suddenly surprised and 
 taken by his enemies. His wife yealded to his love, seeking the 
 secret of his great strength, and alas, mighty man and warrior, 
 the conqueror of tribes fell before the weak hands of the woman 
 he loved. Day by day, so gentle and sweet her endearing words 
 of affection fell like balm on his troubled soul, soothing the 
 afflictions of a dark and turbulent career. Patiently as the 
 months past by she gained his confidence. Ah, 'tis sweet to 
 yield to woman's wiles, though she leads you to the grave, 
 yawning with the grim jaws of death. In this woman's feeble 
 arms, this powerful man revealed his secret, that his mighty 
 strength was in his long and flowing hair, the beauty of night 
 and the strength of nations. 
 
 False woman came to dwell in his life as she gained the 
 secrets of his mighty powers; siren like was the touch of her 
 fingers upon his troubled forehead. Fascinated in the comfort 
 of one he loved so passionately he fell asleep, and one fatal day 
 with his head laid lovingly upon her lap, the cruel woman of 
 destiny arose stealthily and stole from the fire embers a flaming 
 torch and l^urnt the raven locks off closely to his head, as he 
 slept soundly on. 
 
 Upon awakening, to his great alarm and grief, he found 
 that his super-human strength had left him. The pride of his 
 life, his long and flowing locks w'ere gone, and with it his fate 
 was sealed. The powerful warrior lay vanquished at the feet of 
 his enemies, to grieve his loss as only great men can grieve. 
 
 After his enemies had captured him they decieed to put 
 out his eyes that be might never more be able to fight them. 
 
126 THE SAMPSON OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 
 
 Thus, at last, the great and strong Kay-kay-my-alth-may was 
 defeated by the weak hands of a woman he had loved and 
 trusted so much. 
 
 After he had been captured and tortured, his proud spirit 
 gave grief so intense that only a great physical strength could 
 long endure. He lived a few short years, in his native 
 village, but the time seemed long in his blindness. He could 
 no longer behold the splendors of the sunrise on the mountain 
 tops or the splendors of the sunset on yon Pacific Ocean. The 
 wunderlust of his life had set in dismal gloom as he pined 
 away and died of a broken heart. His faithless wife returned 
 to her people, where she also died, leaving no one to mourn her 
 and only the memory of his great strength. 
 

 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE DELUGE OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 
 
 IT has been handed down from long ago that the people became 
 so wicked, no good was found in anything, and human progress 
 retrograded into destruction. Unwedded women became 
 the mothers of a host of bastard children as the men led a life of 
 debauchery, and the women a life of shame. Crimes and murd- 
 ers lurked in every corner, plunder and the greed for riches follow- 
 ed each other in a terrible way. Men sought not honest lives, 
 but sought the greed and plunder of riches. Those who command- 
 ed their self-respect and cherished their family pride became few 
 and far between. Profane language became the rule, laws became 
 corrupt and unheeded, and whole communities swerved downward 
 in utter ruination. 
 
 God became angry upon looking down. He saw the people 
 growing more corrupt, year by year, where human beings eked 
 out a miserable existence in their greed. God appeared to one 
 of the good men, (a Talth) a man who had always lived an honest 
 and upright life, respecting his fellow men, and observed above all, 
 God's moral laws. He appeared to this man, Gus-so-me, who 
 possessed in his secret breast the true name of God, and God said 
 unto him that He was going to destroy everything on earth with 
 a great flood, as the people had become so wicked that He would 
 no longer endure the sights of such wickedness. Gus-so-me plead- 
 ed with God not to destroy the people by flooding the world, 
 and God then told him to go forth among the people and see 
 how many good ones he could find, he could find but one more, 
 so God told him to prepare a raft, as He was going to destroy 
 
128 THE DELUGE OF THE KLxVMATH INDIANS 
 
 the world with a flood. This one man that had the abiding faith 
 of an honorable man was Haw-gon-ow, also a Talth. God now 
 appeai'ed before their two High Priests and bad them j^repare for 
 the final dehige as there was no good people to be found on earth, 
 except the two Talth and their wives. He bad them to build a 
 large raft ujion which they would float while the rest of the creat- 
 ion would sink beneath the rising waters and perish. 
 
 Gus-so-me the Haw-gon-ow began at once to l)uild the raft, 
 (men-up) while the people continued in their wild revelries, jeer- 
 ing in contempt at the two builders, but they heeded them not 
 and worked steadily on. When the two Talth completed the raft 
 He caused it to begin raining, and it rained steadily, causing the 
 waters to rise higher and higher, until the o-plah-peck (flood) 
 waters covered the entire world. When the waters came up 
 around the raft the two Talth took their wives, Ger-ke-er and 
 Ca-wa-mer onto the raft, where they remained and floated upward 
 as the water rose. These two wives where also Talth, and our 
 holy order was kept intact over the great deluge. They carried 
 with them upon the raft, the herb, or walth-pay, which as before 
 kept perfectly green and bloomed, they also took with them the 
 raven and the dove, but all the other species of the earth were 
 left, and they were destroyed in the great flood. It rained stead- 
 ily for many days and nights upon a terror stricken world, until 
 all the valleys and lowlands were one continuous sea, and only 
 tops of the highest hills and mountains remained uncovered, where 
 the people stood huddled together, as they had been steadily 
 driven up the mountain sides by the water. And still it continu- 
 ed to rain, the people running hither and thither, piercing wails 
 went u]i as the terrible apprehension of destruction was upon 
 them, their piteous cries were only answered by the rising waters 
 as theii- bodies were tossed a moment upon the angry waves and 
 then sank to their graves in the unknown depths. Soon all the 
 highest mountain peaks were covered with watei- and the world 
 was one continuous sea. All living creatures had perished from 
 the earth, as they had sank beneath the waves to live n& mor(\ 
 
 When the rain stopped, Gus-so-me sent the raven (bua-gawk) 
 forth from the raft to see if it could bring any tidings of dry 
 land. He flew away over the waters until he found some dead 
 fish and never returned. This is the reason the raven ever since 
 has lived on carrion and always rcMuained so wild, inhabiting 
 
THE DELUGE OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 129 
 
 the far off crags of the mountains tliat command a view of the 
 surrounding country, so they can see any one approaching, and 
 fly away. After a few days had passed and no ticUngs of the 
 raven came, Gus-so-me sent forth the dove, (aw-rah-way) and 
 after it was gone a short time, it returned to the raft with a 
 twig of the pepperwood. Gus-so-me now knew that the waters 
 on which he floated were going back, and soon there would be 
 dry land, and from that time on, the Indians have had a great 
 reverence for the dove. We carry the symbol of the dove in our 
 sacred lodge, and teach the children from childhood never to 
 harm the dove, and we never harm it in any way. 
 
 After the return of the dove the raft floated on the waters 
 for a few days longer and finally rested on the top of a very 
 high mountain, known as Ne-gam-alth, which is located in the 
 far north-east on this continent and not across the ocean. This 
 lofty peak glistens in the sunlight and can be seen from a great 
 distance. The raft as it rested on this mountain, turned to 
 white flint, and when the sun shines this flint glistens brightly. 
 In our traditions only one man has ever climbed this mountain 
 and returned to our people since the flood, bringing with him a 
 piece of the flint, and since this time we have used the white 
 flint at our festivals, it being the most valuable of all other kinds. 
 
 When the waters went down sufficiently, God commanded 
 Gus-so-me and Haw-gon-ow, with their wives, to go down from 
 the mountain and re-populate the earth. From these two Talth 
 and their wives came our present people, and they again scatter- 
 ed over the continent. In coming down from the mountain top 
 the Talth carried with them the walth-pay, the same as they 
 did when they first made their long journey from the land of 
 Cheek-cheek-alth. This divine herb bloomed perpetually again, 
 and Gus-so-me, with the assistance of Haw-gon-ow, in using the 
 correct words of their prayer to God, could command with the 
 herb anything they needed for human existance, as their prayers 
 would be granted by God. 
 
 God now created the animal and plant life that was destroy- 
 ed during the flood, with the exception of the raven and the dove, 
 which the High Priests carried with them upon the raft. When 
 the re-creation was made, God first made the white deer, then 
 the red eagle, the same as in the first creation. He also placed 
 the rain bow in the heavens as a promise to Gus-so-me and Haw- 
 
130 THE DELUCJE OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 
 
 .^on-ow, that he would n(>ver again destroy the people by flood, 
 hut if the people ever become so corrupt again He would destroy 
 them with a gi-eat fire burning the world. When the Indians see 
 the rainlx)w in the heavens, they always look upon it with the 
 assurance that it is the promise of God, that He will destroy the 
 world no more with rain. When the heavy rains fall they always 
 say that it will not continue to rain very long, for the next time 
 all the world will pass away in flames. 
 
 The Talth Ijring down the traditions that when they first 
 arrived in this land, the w'hite race which they found here were 
 a highly moral race. They livetl in peace and happiness and 
 Climes were things unknown. With the passing of this white 
 race, passed the age of inno^^nce and psac?. 
 
 Upon the arrival of the present white race, the Indians 
 first believed that it was the anci(nit white people returning. The 
 tribes rejoiced as they thought peace and happiness would reign 
 again, for the Wa-gas had given them their faithful promise that 
 they would some day return. Alas, the sad mistake and identity 
 of these people for they were foreigners who took advantage of 
 our hospitality, and soon wanted to claim the land of our fore- 
 fathers. Crimes followed in their foot-steps of extermination, to- 
 gether with race hatred has cov(>red nearly sixty-five years of 
 their annals. Wor.-e than the shot and shell, it brought the pride 
 of our race to their graves long ago. The introduction of whiskey 
 brought desolution and ruin upon us, without an example story 
 to tell. They ruined the splendid morals of our women, and led 
 them to prostitution, which they had never known since the re- 
 creation of our kingdom. They filled their l)odies with loathsome 
 disease that we had never known since the world liegan, and our 
 Indian doctors gave up in desi)air for they could not find any 
 cure for these diseases. When our loyal good men rose up and 
 remonsti-ated against these outrages, these foreign white men were 
 wont to abuse us and call us savages, and sent some of the tribes 
 away to distant reservations to starve and die. They called our 
 women "Squaws", and our men "Bucks". It seems they had an 
 idea that we did not possess human souls, cherished with the 
 human love of devotion. They claimed our lands and their hist- 
 orians termed us as, "the wild d(>nizens of the forest," as if we 
 were foreigners in the remote ages of a vast antiquity. Fortune 
 seekers, gamblci's and cut-throats lived with our women in adultery 
 
THE DELUGE OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 181 
 
 until they grew weary of them and left them with children. Poor 
 little children of their own flesh and blood, children without a 
 birth and without a parent to legalize them as his own. The 
 fathers of the animal kingdom are proud to fight for their young 
 and will not abandon them, even in the jaws of death. Can 
 such a class of people as this have a soul, when they have com- 
 niited such outrages upon my people and have disgraced the 
 living by their deeds? The origin of our race was proud, the 
 proudest that ever walked the earth, and when these children 
 find their pride forever robbed by no fault of their own, their 
 proud hearts break down in the sorrowful years that follow, as 
 their fallen parentage leads them to unhonored graves. Such sorrow- 
 ful processions as these follow each other under the gloom of 
 oppression. I have today looked among my tribe of the Po-lick- 
 la's and the Pech-ic-la's and am deeply grieved to find but very 
 few babies born of good pure blood, that is not tainted with the 
 virus of venerial diseases. Where do these pathetic conditions 
 arise? We are reluctant to point again to the white man. In 
 some instances a large family of brothers and sisters do not know 
 their true relationship. I dare say, perhaps each one came from 
 a different father, and the father comes from God knows where, 
 and has gone they know not where, but such a father will un- 
 doubtly answer at the Throne of the Almighty God. I pray that 
 God may have mercy upon such children who are left to suffer 
 the disgrace of an unworthy parent. Today where the Klamath 
 rears its regal monarchs of the forests, where it rears its lofty 
 mountain peaks from its rugged shores, and mingles its waters 
 with the Pacific Ocean, this glorious country once in its beauty 
 and pride, I have scanned its hostage and find not one, whose 
 birth will admit them to that holy lodge, not one who can burn 
 its sacred fires at the sacred alter. The Talth are waiting ever, 
 for no more will answer their piteous pleadings, to save and cher- 
 ish a sublime religion. A precious few of the middle aged have 
 the birth, but their morals in a larger sense, have been corrupted, 
 their integrity has been undermined until they think a promise 
 broken is better than a promise kept, therefore, while the world 
 lasts they can never be admitted to this sacred lodge. Some of 
 the ken-ne-ah men have been honest enough to wed our women 
 under their laws, and some of them have married under both the 
 white man's and the Indian's marriage laws. Most of these men 
 
132 THE DELUGE OF THE KLA:MATH INDIANS 
 
 have' hrouglit uj) larjie families, and the children from the^e unions, 
 on an average, make men and women that the American nation 
 might well be proufl of. 
 
 The High Priests say today, that from their ancient teach- 
 ings, and their ancient religion, that the corruption of the ken-ne- 
 ah's (whites) among themselves, and the demorahzation of their 
 own race, that the two races are !)ecoming very wicked. Men 
 and women alike use profane languages, men debauch their women 
 into prostitution, the whiskey and wine from the saloons pierce 
 the hearts of young men and women alike, breaking up the ties 
 of peaceful homes, and tearing asunder the love of human hearts, 
 thus leaving de.solation as it goes on. The greed for riches by 
 trickery and descension in general leads the Talth to believe very 
 strongly, that ere long God will send the great conflagration that 
 will consume all the world in flames, and that its people will 
 pass away. Over their ashes God will create another people, 
 where they will build their stately mansions, of the soul unto God. 
 Over the ashes of the ol)literated ages, will prosper a new people 
 with new governments, and new laws, and the ages of peace and 
 happiness will dawn again, shedding its radiance of glory over the 
 entire world. Thus have pro]ohesied our High Priests. 
 
!^® [{ffi W^Si W^Si ?^^c^ 2k^c(iffi Sk^rf^ SK^^c^ SK® c^ 
 ScS?3 tx^#f 3 i^2#?3 ShWj ixhW3 1\!#?3 i\M#3 i^kw3 
 S?i)^ S>i^ Svj)^ S?j^ Sv?j^ Svj)^ wJ)^^ SvJ^ 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE HIGH PRIESTS. 
 
 THE Talth are born under the highest marriages, and there 
 has been at no time but very few of them, on account of 
 the scarcity of cheek (money) to make the marriage. There 
 had to be twelve pieces to make one string, (caw-ton-a) they count 
 them only as ten pieces, and it makes twelve strings, so that 
 when it is counted there will be one hundred and forty-four pieces. 
 The woman that a Talth may marry does not have to be of a 
 Talth family, but can be born of the middle or wealthy class. 
 Her people can match back, or nearly so, in valuable articles for 
 the twelve strings of cheek, that he gives. Under such a marriage 
 as this there may be several children. Now if the mother and 
 father are full blooded Klamath Indians, then their children are 
 of the right birth, yet there may be one, and perhaps two of 
 them, which is not often the case, that might be of the right 
 disposition, close of tongue and bright of mind, so as to weigh all 
 matters of whatsoever kind intelligently, giving a broad minded 
 and liberal decision in any case. This appUes the same, both to 
 man and woman, and if all is satisfactory, either he or she, un- 
 der the birth can be admitted to the Talth lodge, and sometimes 
 they are taken through only one part and cannot go further, and 
 sometimes they are taken through two parts and are not taken 
 any further, and but few sfct-e taken through the whole and be- 
 come a Talth. And no less a number tha,n three can act in the 
 
 lodge, and make a fourth to be a Talth. 
 
 Now all 
 
 these other children are of the high birth, and are put to act in 
 many important places to fill at the festivals and in other ways. 
 Many of them never make an application to become a Talth, and 
 
134 THE HIGH PRIESTS 
 
 many of them are rejected, and not allowed to even make a 
 start if their conduct is not proper. There never has been one 
 i)orn that is half white, or any part of any other tribe, that was 
 ever admitted to the lodge. They must be full blooded Klamath, 
 of the upper or lower division of the tribe, and down the coast 
 from Ah-man to Trinidad. The upper rivers from the junction 
 of the Trinity speak a different language, and inter-marry verj' 
 freely, and have the Talth lodge in which they work together. 
 Up the river they have entirely lost it all now, and have not one 
 lodge left. At the mouth of the Klamath the old lodge has 
 tumbled down, but not one of the Talth is left. At Pec-wan, 
 twenty-five miles from the mouth of the river is the Talth house, 
 where all of their working tools are kept, and it is yet in a good 
 .state of preservation, the lodge is left but it is old the dilapidated. 
 We have in our breast the feeling of love for the present 
 white race, which love was instilled in us by the cherished re- 
 membrance of our Wa-gas. We loved this race and this is the 
 reason our women are so willing to marry the white man, and so 
 easy to be deceived by them. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 LAWS OF THE FISH DAM 
 
 WHEN the fish dam is put in, they have very strict laws 
 governing it. There are nine traps which can be used, one 
 belongs to Lock and his relatives, one to Lock-nee and 
 his relatives, one to Nor-mer and her relatives, and so on down the 
 line. These famihes come in the morning and each one takes 
 from the trap that which belongs to them, as many salmon as 
 they need, by dipping them out with a net that is made and 
 used for this purpose, and they must not let a single one go to 
 waste, but must care for all they take, or suffer the penalty of 
 the law, which was strictly enforced. After all these get their 
 salmon, then comes the poor class, which take what they can 
 use, some of which they use fresh and the rest they cut up, smoke 
 them lightly then they are dried. When they are dried they are 
 taken down and packed in large baskets with pepper wood leaves 
 between each layer, so as to keep the moths out of them, and 
 then they are put away for the winter. The Indians from up 
 the river as far as they are able to come, can get salmon, and 
 down the river the same. In these traps there get to be a mass 
 of salmon, so full that they make the whole structure of the fish 
 dam quiver and tremble with their weight, by holding the water 
 from passing through the lattice work freely. After all have taken 
 what they want of the salmon, which must be done in the early 
 part of the day, Lock or Lock-nee opens the upper gates of the 
 traps and let the salmon pass on up the river, and at the same 
 time great numbers are passing through the open gap left on the 
 south side of the river. This is done so that the Hoopa's on up 
 the Trinity river have a chance at the salmon catching. But they 
 
m\ LAWS OF THE FISH DAM 
 
 keep a close watch to see that there are enough left to effect the 
 spawning, by which the supply is kept up for the following year. 
 Tli(> whites have often said that the Indians ought not to be all- 
 owed to put in the fish dam and thei-el)y obstruct the run of 
 salmon to their spawning ground, and it has been published in 
 the ]:)apers tliat the fish dam ought to l)e torn out. One year 
 it was published in the county papers that it had been torn out 
 by the wardens, this was a false pui^lication as it was never torn 
 out by Indians or whites. On the other hand after the salmon 
 cannery was established at Reck-woy, which is at the mouth of 
 the river, the whites and the mixed blootls commenced to fish 
 for the cannery; the whites have laws that no one is allowed to 
 let a net extend more thtin two thirds the distance across the riv- 
 er, and wardens are paid to see that the law is obeyed, yet the 
 whites set one net from one side two thirds across, and then just 
 a few steps up another net from the other side, and which extends 
 two thirds across in distance, and in a distance of sixty 
 yards, there will l)e from eight to ten nets, making so complete 
 a net-work that hardly a salmon can pass. Will the whites pre- 
 serve the salmon through all the ages, as the Klamath Indians 
 have done, if they should survive so long? Not unless they en- 
 force the laws more strictly. 
 
 While the fish dam stands against the strain of the press- 
 ure of the water and salmon, Lock, Kock-nee, Nor-mer, all the 
 girls (wah-clure) and the boy (char-rah) remain and watch things 
 until the water raises and washes the dam out, which often takes 
 two and three months, and then they all go to their homes, glad 
 that the dam is washed away. Lock and Lock-nee, during all 
 this time at the fish dam, use the utmost care and precaution 
 to see that they are all kept in good health, bathing dail}^ and 
 keeping clean, so as not to soil their beautiful buck skin dresses 
 that has taken the most skillful and patient work to make, and 
 the most patient and skillful work to clean if soiled. All this 
 whole ceremony of putting in the fish dam has been carried 
 through so precisely with the teachings that have been handed 
 down to them through many generations as (lod's laws, that a 
 white man, to see it and understand the meaning of the differ- 
 ent parts, and then not have a decent respect for it and carry 
 himself accordingly, has not been l)()i-n of a God-loving mother. 
 The writei- has helped as a Nor-mer in jiutting in the fish dam 
 
LAWS OF THE FISH DAM 137 
 
 and knows the meaning of every move that is made. 
 
 These sacred laws were given to us by the white race of 
 people that inhabited this country when my people first came to 
 this land. The Wa-gas in ancient times first put in the fish dam 
 some twenty-four miles farther down the river, at a place called 
 by the Indians as Tu-rep, which is a flat bar containing some 
 eighty or a hundred acres, and is located on the south side of 
 the river, the north side which is steep, being nearly a bluff, the 
 same as it is at Cap-pell. The Wa-gas changed it from Tu-rep 
 to Cap-pell, saying that Tu-rep was to close to the ocean. At 
 that time the river went into the sea at Ah-man, six miles north 
 of the present mouth of the river at Reck-woy. Cap-pell gave 
 more of a chance for the people to get to the fish dam, and 
 therefore benifit a greater number of them. They taught my 
 people to put in the fish dam, and gave them all the secret and 
 sacred teachings of the laws governing it. This was done before 
 the great deluge that covered the world, and drowned all 
 but the two Talth and their wives, who went through it all. The 
 present site where the fish dam is built has been there for long 
 ages, and the laws governing the fish dam are very ancient, and 
 are now lost forever. They may put it in, but not by the sac- 
 red laws and regulations that was used so many generations, as 
 they are lost, and no one can get them. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE ANCIENT HOUSES 
 
 M 
 
 "ANY of the liouscs of the Klamath River Indians date 
 hack to the pre-historic centuries of the long, long ago, 
 and have been re[)aired and rebuilt many generations. 
 Some of them are hallowed with alluring traditions and inspiring 
 history, when our people \V(>re powerful and ruled a mighty 
 nation. The Indian name of these houses is Oc-lo-melth. One 
 of these houses is situated at Wah-tec, less than two hundred 
 yards from where the White Deer Skin Dance is held, and is 
 my mother's house, where she was boi'u and where she first 
 looked out upon the light of a strange world. The surroundings 
 of this house are filletl with the romance of centui'ies, together 
 with the wonderful history of the passing ages, as it dates back 
 before the Indians came to this land from Cheek-cheek-alth. 
 They say the house first belonged to the Wa-gas, the white 
 ])eople tliat were here when they fii'st arrived. The Wa-gas 
 were very fond of pets and while they lived in this house they 
 kept a number of deei- as pets. 
 
 When the Wa-gas left this land, they left behind at this 
 place a young man that was half Indian and half white. He 
 remained for som(> time and cared for the pets, as the Wa- 
 gas cherished them. The young man became lonesome for his 
 p<H)ple, inspite of the fact that he was very devoted .to the deer, 
 and one day he aiiswei-ed the call of the Wa-gas and followed in 
 their footsteps, to join them in the far north. As he was 
 leaving he asked the Indians of my ancient l)l()od to care for his 
 pets, as Ik; would be absent and never return. This my people 
 have done according to the recpiest of the yoimg man and out 
 of theii" great friendship between the two races. This ancient 
 
THE ANCIENT HOUSES 139 
 
 liouse became a hallowed spot where vsacred memories fill its 
 every surroundings of a people that have passed away in silence 
 long ago. 
 
 In one corner of this dwelling, within its walls, is a large 
 stone trough which was made and placed there by the Wa-gas 
 untold centuries ago, so they could feed their deer. The deer 
 were fed upon the stalks of tolmcco and the walth-pay, the 
 stalks being pounded into fine meal, mixed together and then 
 placed in the stone trough for the deer to eat. It was said for 
 ages, and up to the advent of the present white race, that the 
 spirits of the departed Wa-gas would come earthward in the 
 deep shadows of the evening time and open a door, which was 
 made in the corner of the house for that purpose, so the deer 
 could come in at night and feed upon the meal. The deer 
 would stealthily emerge from their forest homes at night and 
 upon finding the door open would enter the house and eat the 
 meal, then just before the break of day they would silently 
 vanish into the forests, and the door would be closed when 
 morning came. My mother has seen the deer coming toward 
 the house in the dark shadows of evening, but she has not seen 
 them for a good many years, as they have become hunted beasts 
 of prey. 
 
 Through the memory of the passing ages the Wa-gas left 
 this land before the world was covered with water, and accord- 
 ing to these traditions this house goes back for hundreds of 
 centuries. This house has survived, with its long line of 
 descendents, but it is now fading in the storm of years that are 
 passing, and the place of its ruins will soon be forgotten. 
 
 There are a number of these old houses in the different 
 villages along the Klamath river, from its source to its mouth, 
 and on the coast from Ah-man to Trinidad. At the present day 
 most of them are deserted, and are left to sink into ruins and 
 oblivion. 
 
 The rattlesnake is called May-yep-pere, and they make 
 their dwelling places under the ground and in the dark recesses. 
 The children born in this house are not afraid of these snakes, 
 as they never harm them. The snakes crawl out and over the 
 house without restraint. I had no thought of fear, as the blood 
 of ages had made me akin to these fierce reptiles, where my 
 people had sheltered them and fed them for thousands of years. 
 
140 THE ANCIENT HOUSES 
 
 In okleii times the whole family would go away and leave the 
 house alone for several days, sometimes for two or three weeks, 
 and during their al^sence the snakes would creep out over the 
 house and lie about in numerous places. If a stranger tried to 
 approach the house they gave him warning, and if he attempted 
 to enter they would at once be aroused into a fury and would 
 attack him. My mother says that strangers have attempted to 
 enter the house while the family was away and have been 
 severely bitten by the rattlers. Therefore, the door of this house 
 was always left unlocked, as no one would ever attempt to enter 
 it that knew its strange history. If the family was at home, 
 strangers could come and go at their will, as it was never 
 known that the snakes ever attempted to harm any one while 
 some member of the family was present. 
 
 When the family would return from their sojourn, the 
 head of the household, or someone who was born in this house, 
 would preceed the rest. I remember it was always my mother's 
 duty upon reaching the door of the house, and she would begin 
 talking in a low tone of voice, saying: "We are coming home, 
 we are here now and you must all go out of the way." Upon 
 hearing her voice the snakes would immediately begin to creep 
 away to their hiding places. Upon entering she would begin to 
 tap lightly upon the floor with her cane and would keep talking 
 until all the snakes would disappear, after which the rest 
 of the family would enter the house, talking, laughing and 
 playing without any thought of the snakes ever harming them. 
 
 This historical house is now owned by my mother, and in 
 which she has not lived for fifteen years, but up until about five 
 years ago she would go almost every day and build a fire in it 
 and sit around the house and weave baskets. In the past five 
 years it has not been repaired and has racked into ruins, so bad 
 that she does not care to enter it any more, except on special 
 occasions when she wants to break up something. For the past 
 twenty years she has been breaking and pounding to pieces the 
 stone bowls, trays and all the ancient implements that were left 
 l)y the Wa-gas. She is endeavoring to destroy all these sacred 
 reminis(;nces of the pre-historic days that they may never be ruth- 
 lessly handled and curiously gazed upon by the present white race. 
 The stone trough that the deer fed out of, is so large and heavy 
 that she cannot break it to pieces, but is letting it sink into the 
 
MRS. THOMPSON'S MOTHKR AND iATHKK, AND IIKR MOlllKR'S HOUSE 
 
 NOW DESERTED. 
 
THE ANCIENT HOUSES 141 
 
 ground, and it is being covered with rubbish, together with its 
 strange charm and facinating history, where my pen has failed to 
 impress, this deep sentiment, therefore its wonderful tradition 
 has faded ^^^th the closing of this chapter where a new era has 
 dawned. My mother gave my husband two of the small stone 
 bowls, as relics of the days that are gone forever, and he keeps 
 them as cherished memories. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE WARS OF KLAMATH INDIANS. 
 
 THE Klamath Indians as a tribe, are like all other people 
 that have a history dating back long before the great flood 
 as their legends plainly tell. They have had wars and plenty 
 of them, through all the ages, and never have laid down their 
 bows antl spears at any time to any other tribe or tribes, and 
 have at different times had to fight every tribe, and sometimes 
 combinations of tribes. They have many times been nearly ex- 
 terminated at different phices of habitation. It was at the junct- 
 ion of the Trinity River, that the Hoopa's (Ar-me-musees) would 
 come down the Trinity River and strike them in the center of 
 the tribe, and kill, l)urn and scatter them before they could gath- 
 er, and at times they would patch up the cUfferences with the 
 Hoopa's, and let it go by without war. Thus the Hoopa's be- 
 came morc^ l)old and cruel, and began the tactics of mutilating 
 the bodies of the slain, or cut off the hair of the dead and wear 
 it when dancing their war dance. These things when carried to 
 a certain point would not be tolerated, so the Klamaths would 
 gather in gi'eat numbers, strong enough to throw a force against 
 them that they could not resist, burn their villages and drive 
 them back, taking both men and women as prisoners, until they 
 would beg for peace and things would be settled, sometimes for 
 a long period. In these settlements they gave women for marriage 
 on both sides, so as to make relationship between them, which 
 would keep long and everlasting peace periods. The Klamath 
 Indians would take Hoopa men for slaves and give their own 
 men for slaves, but at all times these were of the low birth and 
 slave class that was given in this mannei', and never of the 
 wealthy class. 
 
WARS OF THE KLA:\1ATH INDIANS 143 
 
 Our tribe extended to the mouth of the Klamath and six 
 miles north to Ah-man, and here they had to figiit back the 
 treacherous Crescent City and Smith River Indians, these He-nas 
 were hard fighters, brutal in every way, killing women and child- 
 ren, and when they took a fancy to a fine looking young woman 
 they would exterminate her people, and take her and try to kill 
 her by being abusive and starving her. The Klamaths would 
 fight the tribe for such deeds, and they would fight on and on 
 for many years, and settle and patch up until the He-nas would 
 do some unbearable act, when the Klamaths would gather a strong 
 force and go after them. On several occasions they nearly exter- 
 minated the whole tribe of the He-nas. They were married and 
 mixed in relationship ^^ith the Klamaths for over one hundred 
 miles up the river, but the Klamath women dislike to marry 
 among them on account of their cruelty. On the other hand the 
 He-na women were pleased to get the opportunity to marry Klam- 
 ath men. Our tribe extended down the coast as far as Trinidad, 
 a distance of over fifty miles, and here they had to fight back 
 the Mad River and Humboldt Bay IncUans, which we call the 
 Way-etts. The Way-etts were a large tribe, fat and lazy, living 
 mostly on clams, shell fish, mussels and other fish. They were 
 not good wariors, but strong in numbers, and the Klamaths eas- 
 ily held them to the line of their own territory, and with the Way- 
 etts they would not mix in marriage, claiming that they were to 
 low in morals and did not make and live in permanent homes, 
 all the time moving and camping here and there. 
 
 The Klamaths had some wars with the Redwood Creek 
 Indians and some with other small tribes, and held themselves 
 all through the ages, so as to have many that could call them- 
 selves pure blooded Klamath Indians 
 
 The worst of all the wars was, that the Klamath Indians 
 were almost continually fighting among themselves, village against 
 village, sometimes close together and sometimes far apart, one 
 rich family and their slaves against another rich family and their 
 slaves. The great festival, one of which was held each year un- 
 less prevented by some great calamity, would bring about an al- 
 most complete settlement of their differences, and bring them to- 
 gether on as near friendly terms as could be had, and caused the 
 fighting to be stopped for nearly half the time, in many cases 
 stopping it for all the time. In this way the Klamath Indians 
 
144 WAR8 OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 
 
 were kept from exterminating themselves, and were held together 
 as a powerful tribe, there being several thousand of them when 
 the first white men came. Our tribe was governed by the Talth 
 and without ever having a chief. 
 
 My people wore hats or caps that we made with our own 
 hannds by weaving them out of our basket material, with the 
 different marks or designs wove into them, for many generations 
 before the coming of the present white people. No woman would 
 wear a hat that she would make herself, believing that it was 
 unlucky for her to do so. 
 
 It is a pleasure for me to say that my people never had 
 a war with the present white people, for in the first coming of 
 Ken-e-ahs we took up all differnces of a serious nature between 
 us and settled it ourselves, so as to make it satisfactory with 
 them and forced it to be satisfactory with my people. Thus we 
 kept down those of our people that were disposed to go to bloody 
 w^ars, and only for this we might have held the whites back for 
 a long time on account of the roughness of the country. It is 
 only about seventy years since we first knew of the white people 
 that are here now. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE MARRIAGE LAWS. 
 
 THE Klamath Indians intermarry to some extent vrith the 
 surrounding tribes. The upper and lower divisions of the 
 Klamath tribes marry very freely, being the same tribe, 
 with the exception that their language is different. The two div- 
 isions are so closely associated with each other that many of our 
 people speak both languages fluently. It was always considered 
 a good marriage for a man of the lower division to marry a wom- 
 an of the upper division, or a man of the upper division to marry 
 a woman of the lower division, but they always preferred to marry 
 outside their own division if possible, as they were not so liable 
 to marry relations. It was not considered good to marry relat- 
 ions, even to fifth and sixth cousins, as their law taught them 
 that marrj'ing blood relations was a crime against posterity. It 
 was considered a crime for parents to bring demented or deform- 
 ed children into the world. By marriage they keep a close trace 
 of their relationship, the woman never loses her identity by 
 marrying, as she takes the name of her husband and the hus- 
 band takes the name of his wife, as the following will illustrate: a 
 Trinidad woman marries a man of the Pec-wan village, the Ind- 
 ain name of which is Cho-ri, therefore the woman is Cho-ri wom- 
 an, and they call her husband after marriage Cho-rosh; the hus- 
 band is a Pec-wan man, therefore they call the wife after him 
 and call her Pec-wish-on. The children are called Pec-wan-alth, 
 and are always addressed by these names which remind them 
 that their mother is a Cho-ri woman, and their father a Pec-wan. 
 This custom is followed so that they can trace out their relation- 
 ship exactly for generations. 
 
146 AFARRTACE ].A\VS 
 
 ()c'('a>ionally a Talth will nuiiiy the daughter of a wealtby 
 family, however, they are very careful in selecting their wives, 
 as they usually marry into the Talth families, if they can marry 
 where tluM-e is no relatioriship. Some of the veiy rich men had 
 l)lural wives, or as many wives as they cared to supi)ort, l)ut the 
 a.verage Indian liad l)\it one wife. There has been some instances 
 of plural marriages since the white man made his appearance 
 on the Klannith River, one of which I will make special mention 
 of. This Indii'.n who had nrade i'le\ en women his wives, was 
 horn under the very lowest marri; ge laws, at the Wah-teck vill- 
 age and was known as Ca-vv-ah-ter; his parents were extremely 
 poor, living in poverty and s.'iu ior a.t the Wah-tec village, where 
 they raised a lai-ge family of childi-en. The romance of his par- 
 ents was v(M-y pathetic as they had nothing to give in exchange 
 of the marriage vows, excei^t sonu^ manzanita l)erries. The exch- 
 ange of food stuffs in the marriage ceremony is considered the 
 very lowest of marriages that could be called a marriage. From 
 this lowly marriage were born several biothers and one sister, 
 (la-wah-ter and his b^rothers, when they had grown into manhood. 
 were all industrious and 1:e('anie good managers in securing wealth, 
 as the bittca- taunts of the pov(-,-ty of their parents urged them 
 on to greater aml)itions. While they were children, the children 
 of the middle antl wealthy class would not associate with or play 
 with them, always })eing coldly shunned l)y the other children 
 and looked down ui)on as unworthy of resjjcct. Children of the 
 wealthier class would always make insinuiitions that the brothers 
 and sister of tliis family were l)orn under the very lowest of 
 marriage, Ihat their parents were nothing, hardly worthy of notice. 
 These children grew \ip almost in desperation, being despised so 
 nuich foi' their poverty, and the storms of insinuations were con- 
 tinually hurled at them in defitmce. to l)ecome anything better, 
 where their birth was so lowly. WluMi they reached manhood, 
 they were stricken with lemorse Isecause of their lowly birth right, 
 their parents were botli boi-n of good birth, their families having 
 at one time a good deal of wealth Ix^fore they were married so 
 imfortuiiately. With that remorse of jxivca'ty s\nds.en deep into 
 tlieir hearts these young men started out in the pursuit of the 
 Indian lif(> to hunt, trap, fish and accumulate all the wealth they 
 could i)ossibly get. b^arly and late the brothers were always at 
 work, as grc^at ambitions spurned them on to accunuilate vast 
 
MARRIAGE LAWS 147 
 
 riches, and I'ise up from the h)wly depths, where they had been 
 so despised They worked and banked their wealth together until 
 they l)ecanK' very rich, then they separated and married, each 
 taking his portion of the wealth as they went to different places 
 to make homes for their families. 
 
 Ga-wah-ter, with renewed energies everytime he thought of 
 the bitter stingy of his early boyhood years and struggles, deter- 
 mined to become one of the richest men on the lower Klamath 
 River. His prayers were so sincere, his ambitions so great, his 
 toil so earnest, that his reward came after the weary years of 
 struggle, for he was now one of the richest men the Klamath 
 River had known for generations. He rose to power and great- 
 ness from a miserable down-trodden child. Now his triumphs 
 were supreme, for he had crowned himself with success and ever- 
 lasting power, and could now look down upon those who had 
 scorned him so much in his youth, for they could never be so 
 rich as he. When his vast fortune was made, eleven wives shar- 
 ed his home at Ser-e-goin village, where he spent most of his 
 wedded life. His first wife belonged to the upper division of the 
 Klamath Indians, and was the romantic bride of his life, as he 
 had given to her the love of his young manhood, and his tender 
 devotion was hers throughout the years of their wedded life. 
 When the ten other brides had come to dwell in their home, she 
 remained his constant companion and counselor of the household. 
 One to five children were born to all the wives except the first 
 wife. Sometimes the wives would all get to cjuarreling and be- 
 come very insolent to one another, when the husband would appear 
 upon the scene and whip them all, except his first wife, he never 
 punished her as he loved her more than all the rest. 
 
 For many years, with riches, wives and children around 
 him, he was a powerful member of the Klamath Indians. As he 
 grew old, family troubles arose among his relatives and sons, 
 which resulted in blood-shed and loss of lives. One day, under 
 the excitement of all these troubles, he started to swim across 
 the river as no canoe was at hand, and while swinmiing across 
 at Ser-e-goin village severe cramps overtook his already tired 
 body, and he met the tragic death of drowning. A very large 
 family of children were left fatherless, and the wdves separated off 
 from the home at Ser-e-goin, each one taking her own children. 
 Some of these childi'en are alive yet and have a great deal of 
 
148 IVIARRIAGE LAWS 
 
 \V(\ilth. This closer the summary of one of the plural marriages 
 of the Klamath Indians. 
 
 Some of the Talth had j)lural wives, but they always married 
 the first wif(> Ity the hij;hest marriage ceremony, so that the 
 children horn under this marriage would be eligible to be admitt- 
 ed to the sacrtMl lodge. As l)efore, the husband takes the wife's 
 name and is always addressed by her name, while the wife is 
 addi-essed by the hus])and's name, an exchange of names as well 
 as the exchange of marriage vows. The other women that may 
 be married to a Talth, under the i)lural marriage, are not mar- 
 ried by the highest marriage laws, therefore, their children can 
 never be admitted to the sacred lodge. Plural marriages among 
 the Talth are very seldom, and a Talth under no circumstances 
 will marry a slave, or any one of the low class. The Talth usually 
 select their wife oi' husband with great care from the families of 
 high birth. When they marry they live very happily, and are 
 devoted to their families, Tney were never known to gaml)le or 
 drink the white man's whiskey, their soul l)eing free from all temp- 
 tations. I will here illustrate the devotion of one of the Talth 
 marriages. This Talth was of a very we:dthy family of the Pec- 
 wan village, who married a w )m m of th;' Tii-rep vilLige. Under 
 the Indian laws of marriage, the husl)and took his wife's name 
 and was known as Tur-rep-ah-wah and the wife was known as 
 Pec-wish-on. After they had been married for two or three years 
 the wife contracted a chronic illaess, which made her almost a 
 helpless invalid for a number of years, and the devoted husband 
 would cook, wash. swe(>p and attend to all the household duties. 
 He I'cmained by th(> side of his sick wife day and night, admin- 
 istering to her ever}' want, lead her tenderly about, take her in 
 his c'lnoe foi' lon'^' boat rides on the river, that she might get 
 the fresh aii' and grow strong again. He secured the very best 
 Indian Doctors for her, and payed all the doctor bills during all 
 the these years of liei' illness. His kind patience and attentions 
 towards her, lunca- failed him, as ]\v contimied in this way, giv- 
 ing up all his time to his wife foi- a mnnber of yeai's, until at 
 last, with all his effoi-t, he succeeded in almost making her well, 
 and she is yet alive. He livini for a fi^w years, then died leav- 
 ing her a widow. 
 
 The Talth marriage is a long ceremony, where a great deal 
 of wealth is exchang(M{ between the two families of the bride and 
 
MARRIAGE LAWS 149 
 
 groom. This ceremony is principally performed by the Indian 
 money, cheek, which is a long slender shell, conical in shape and 
 is inclined to be curved. It is about one and a half to two and a 
 quarter inches in length, and is valued according to its length, 
 and longer the shell the more value it is. This money is meas- 
 ured by the rings of the joints of the middle finger from the in- 
 side of the left hand, and it takes twelve pieces of cheek to make 
 one string, which is called cor-ton-a. In stringing the cheek 
 they put the two large ends together and the two small ends to- 
 gether, this is done to prevent the shells from cupping inside. 
 In estimating the value of a string of cheek, we hold one end of 
 the string between the fore-finger and thumb-nail of the left hand, 
 drawing it tightly up the arm tow^ards the shoulder, keeping the 
 arm extended straight. Ten of the cheek on the string are measur- 
 ed in this way, not measuring the two which makes twelve on 
 the string, as the twelve only make ten, according to our numer- 
 ation; we do not count the extra two cheek on the string as we 
 wish to give full value, so that no one will be able to find any 
 fault as to the value of the string. In measuring the cheek a 
 tattoo is made on the arm where the end of the string comes, so 
 they can easily detect if any of the cheek has been exchanged, 
 should it happen to be handled by different persons. In marriage 
 the young Talth gives twelve strings of this cheek to the parents 
 of his bride, as it is the real Indian money that we brought from 
 the old land of Cheek-cheek-alth, the parents give in exchange 
 other valuable articles to their son-in-law. The elder Talth al- 
 ways attend these high marriages, bringing with them the herb, 
 walth-pay, ■with which they give the benediction to the bridal 
 couple, in wishing them peace, love, happiness and success. 
 
 The children born under these marriages are selected by 
 the Talth and are given the opportunity to become a Talth. A 
 Talth is very reserved and never advances to meet anyone who 
 is a stranger that is inquiring into our traditions. Our traditions 
 and religion are too sacred to be expounded before strangers of 
 another race, therefore the white man has received most of his 
 allegory from the lower classes of the Indians. This type of In- 
 dian readily gives the fairy tales of the tribe, such as mothers 
 and grandmothers tell to the little children for their amusement, 
 and these are the stories that the white man is made to believe 
 as the true traditions and religion of the Indian. These stories 
 
i:.o MARRIAGE LAWS 
 
 are no more like tlic traditions aiul religion of the India.n than 
 daylight is like night. 
 
 'I'here is another marriage law that is termed among the 
 Indians a«. "half mai'ried." The prospective husband gives but 
 a small sum of ai'ticles, of little value, and receives in i-eturn a 
 f(>\v articles of little value. In this mtirriage the husl:)and is tak- 
 en to the wife's home to live, or in the same house with her par- 
 (Mits, and the wife, in this maii'iage, is the iiead of tlie house- 
 hold and the husband is comi)elled to olx'v her in whatever she 
 commands him to do. He is compelled to fish, hunt, work and 
 support her folks just as much tis he supjiorts his wife, while the 
 wife teaches the children and rules them al;)solut(>ly, as the hus- 
 l)and has no right to correct his own children or make them 
 mind in any way. When these childi'cn become men and women 
 they must marry according to their mother's wishes, as the hus- 
 liand has nothing to say as to their conduct, or pursuits of 
 happiness in life. However unpleasant it may seem to him, he 
 must bear it all with patience and silence. If he refuses to obey 
 his wife and children, she can make his surroundings in home 
 life very unpleasant for him, and if he wishes to dissolve the 
 marriage vows and she is willing, he has nothing to do l)ut to 
 walk out of the house, as his wife guides the children and rules 
 the household, and owns e\'er3^thing that belongs to him, except 
 his own individual life, even his ow^n children acknowledge him 
 as their father in flesh and blood, but no more. 
 
 There is a slave marriage where, they being absolute paup- 
 ers, having no home of their own and no articles to exchange in 
 in the marriage ceremony, they are married by the exchange of 
 food-stuffs, and this is considered to be the lowest marriage that 
 could be called a marriage. When they have a divorce they do 
 not have much trouble in separating as articles are given back 
 by their masters and a settlement is usuall}^ made easy. 
 
 In some of the Indian marriages, they do not mate hapi)ily. 
 After they have been married a short time, or even a number of 
 years, serious, trouble arises and results in a final separation, and 
 when such a separation is agreed upon, and there are no child- 
 ren, all the valuables exchanged at the marriage alter are re- 
 turned accordingly. If there are children and the father wants 
 them to remain legitamate he must be very cai'eful in counting 
 out the valuables or the wealth that he wants returned from 
 
MARRIAGE LAWS 151 
 
 his wife's pc()i)Ie, Ho nuisl divide a poi'tion of the weahh tliat 
 he gave to his wifes people on his wedding day, to each child, 
 the remaining portion is given back to him. If all the valuables 
 of exchange between the contracting parties are returned to him 
 or his people, this leaves the children as bastards, without a law 
 to protect them from slanderous tongues and no rights to a leg- 
 itimate ])irth. Thase children are forever looked down upon by 
 the Indian society, as bastards without a marriage to legalize 
 them as the off-spring of respectable parents. I can truthfully 
 say that in the past twenty-five years, and more, since the advent 
 of the white man among the Klamath Indians, that most of the 
 white men have married under the half married system, until 
 there are no Indian marriage laws. The "squaw" gives her "white 
 buck" her home and supports his low born half breed children, 
 while he idles his time away on the Indian ranches or lies about 
 in a drunken stupor. Yet these same white men cry, is there no 
 redress for the Indain, has he no soul to save? Oh, not a soul 
 to save under these conditions. But why do these white men 
 hang around the Indian ranches and reservations, living off the 
 toils of the Indian? There is a pathetic story in this nefarious 
 business of human lives. The Indian himself has followed pur- 
 suit after his white brethern in the half marrietl system, or not 
 mai'rying at all, until there is no sacred marriage tie. This shows 
 positively, that the Indian laws are forever lost. Education is 
 the only way out of these difficulties, for those who have had an 
 opportunity to attend the schools have married under the laws of 
 the United States, and these laws must be enforced, since all the 
 Indian laws have been abolished by the degenerate white men. I 
 trust the day is not far distant when the degenerate white man 
 will no longer be tolerated to camp on the reservations and leave 
 in his path the ruination of human lives. 
 
 Before the appearance of the white man, the marriage of 
 the middle and wealthy classes were considered sacred, the most 
 sacred ties that could bind a human being for the cause of the 
 future generation. Divorces were considered a disgrace upon pos- 
 terity and a shame upon moral society, therefore, divorces were 
 few and far between. When a divorce cause was pleaded, usually 
 trouble ensued that resulted in l)loodshed before the case would 
 ])e settled. These divorces sometimes left the birth of the child- 
 
152 mahkia(;e j.aws 
 
 ren for slanderous tono-ues to assail, and when these children be- 
 cjinie of age they would resent bitterly the a(;tion of their father 
 and mother, and the feud would be rf^iewed, sometimes for several 
 j>;enerations before a final settlement would be made. Divorces 
 among the Indians were very difficult to obtain, as is was ruin- 
 ous to posterity, and a menace upon society. Among the Talth 
 divorces were unknown. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES. 
 
 THE Indians play a game that is similar to the white man's 
 football game, with the exception that the Indians use sticks 
 and the white man a ball, therefore this game has been 
 termed in English as the "stick game", the Indian name for it 
 is oh-wetlth-per. They select the giants, or the greatest athletes 
 of the tribe to make up the two teams. In this contest one div- 
 ision of the tribe will offer a challenge to the surrounding tribes, 
 and the challenge is contested by any division, who think they 
 are capable and strong enough to make the meet. The Klamath 
 tribe usually played games with the upper division of the tribe 
 and often plays against the Honpa Indians, and sometimes the 
 Smith Rivers. Each side would put up large sums of money and 
 valuable articles for their chosen team, which would cause much 
 excitement in betting and gambling upon the games. The side 
 of the victorious team would win large sums of Indian money, 
 which would add to the wealth of their division and make them 
 more powerful. Therefore, each division would be very careful in 
 selecting their giant athletes. The tallest, quickest, strongest and 
 the most splendid physiques of men were chosen. 
 
 The Indians selected a level piece of ground, upon which 
 to play the game. There is one of these famous play grounds 
 but a few yards from the Wah-tec village. This game it very 
 ancient as the Indians say that it goes far back into the ages, 
 and through the memory of evolution they have carried it forward 
 down to the present day, where it will soon be lost forever un- 
 less the advent of the new race revives the old spirit of the game 
 again. Upon the play ground they draw a very large circle with 
 
154 TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 
 
 liiK's across it. then stepi)ing to the center of this circle they 
 make a small round hole which is about ten inches across at the 
 surface, anil from this hole they draw several other lines out to 
 the larjie circle, thus mapping out the different points of the game, 
 as on a tennis coui't. They take two little sticks, about three 
 inches in length and carve out a nob at each end, then they 
 fasten these two sticks together with a stiong buck skin string 
 and spread the untied ends apart about two inches, then they 
 ])lace the two tied sticks in the holes in the center of the court. 
 Each team consists of twelve men, and they have an umjiire to 
 give the signal to start the g;ime, and to see that no foul or un- 
 fair means are taken i)y either side of the team. The men in 
 (nich team have round sticks about twenty inches in length and 
 are straight witti the exception that a hook is made or carved on 
 one end, wdiich is used for the purpose of hooking the tied sticks 
 antl tossing them alxjut. There are twelve points to be played 
 in this game. 
 
 When the two teams are lined up on the court, the um- 
 pire give-; the signal for them to start, and the game is on. The 
 leaders of the teams are watched from both sides, and scramble 
 to see which side liooks the tied stick first from the middle of 
 the court with his stick, and toss it as far as he can over his 
 o])l)onent's side of the court. Both teams now make a wild scram- 
 ble, and pile up on one an(jther in theii- effort to hook the sticks 
 again with their sticks, and toss them back into their opponents 
 territory. If one of the teams can manage to toss the tied sticks 
 out over the large circle of the court, on their opponent's side, 
 they are the ones wdio win the point in the game. The team 
 that can win the largest score in the numl^er of points played in 
 the game, are the winneis. The chami:)ion team is applauded 
 and praised loudly by the immense crowds that gather to witness 
 these interesting games. The players in their wild enthusiasm 
 for the glorious laurels of victory usually clash together so rough- 
 ly in their efforts to rescue the sticks from the (jther players, 
 that occasionally some of their number get hurt, and often crip- 
 pled for life. There are some instances where a player has been 
 killed outright u])()n the court, in his desperate struggles against 
 the on-rushing crowd. 
 
 In olden time when this game was played so nmch, there 
 lived a young Indian by th(! name of Su-me-ah-chene, who Ix;- 
 
TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 155 
 
 came one of the greatest atlilet(>s that the trihe ever had. He 
 became so skilled in the game that he woukl never lose- a single 
 point His dwelling place was on top of a high mountain that 
 rose up in it majestic grandeur from the north-east l)anks of the 
 Klamath River, and this place was over a distance of five miles 
 from the village of Ca-neck, and this mountain was named in 
 honor of the great champion and still bears his name to this day. 
 being known among the Indians as the mountain of Su-me. Su- 
 me-ah-chene became very proud of his accomplishments in this 
 favorite game, and issued a challenge to all the young men of 
 the surrounding tribes, as he was anxious to match himself against 
 any of their champions. His challenge was finally taken up by 
 a 3^oung man who lived back of Trinidad and whose dwelling 
 place was also located on a high mountain, east of Trinidad, to- 
 ward Redwood Creek. The grandeur of this mountain can be 
 seen many miles away, up and down the coast and from many 
 places far back on the surrounding mountains. This mountain is 
 covered with a huge growth of pine and redwood timber, and is 
 known among the Indians as Cay-way-ett mountain, being nam- 
 ed after the famous athlete who lived upon its summit. Su-me- 
 ah-chene hearing of Cay-way-ett 's intentions of taking up the 
 challenge, sent him word that he was ready to play. Cay-way- 
 ett at once accepted the challenge, and they made arrangements 
 to play the game on the Klamath River, at the village of Ca- 
 neck. The court was selected at the lower end of the high river 
 bar, which made an ideal place to play the game. The two 
 youthful giants both belonged to the lower divisions of the Klam- 
 ath tribe. Together they made arrangements for the day when 
 the big meet should be held. They had now won the distinct- 
 ion of being the two leading athletes of the tribes, and they sent 
 their invitations far and near, to all the people of the tribes to 
 come and witness the great feat for the championship. Inspired 
 with a great enthusiasm the people assembled around the play 
 ground, in a vast multitude, that was eager, restless and talking, 
 as the two giants appeared upon the court with their teams. 
 Striding upon the court with the spring and step of the greatest 
 of athletes, they represented two handsome figures as were ever 
 seen among the tribes. They proudly met as superb beings in 
 stately birth and tawny muscles, and many a maiden's heart was 
 thrilled with emotion, when they beheld these champions, the 
 
!:><) TWO FAAKirS ATHLETEvS 
 
 handsoincst of men. The two champions had as yet been proof 
 against the arrows of matrimony, and all the pretty and wealthy 
 maidcnis of the tribes had assembled to behold the everlasting 
 conrage and enduranee of these two strong youths. 
 
 As the umpire gave the signal for the game to start, the 
 crowds watched with keen interest. Su-me-ah-chene and his team 
 played hard and fui'ious as their opponents were close upon them 
 and after a long and d(\sperate struggle he and his team succeed- 
 ed in tossing the tied sticks over the outer circle of the court, 
 and won the first point amid the applauding and shouting of the 
 spectators. An intermission for rest is always held after each 
 point, and Su-me-ah-chene glowing in the fii'st ti'iumphs left the 
 court, and walked among the maidens to make their acciuaintance 
 and hear their words of praise. As he spoke to many he linger- 
 ed in a crowd of up river girls, where his attention was attract- 
 ed to three dark eyed beauties, who had come from Cah-ah-man 
 or known to the white people as Orleans Bar, lie at once made 
 their accpiaintance and lingered, talking with them until it was 
 time for him to join his team and play for the second point. Re- 
 newed with strange emotions, something akin to love, the gallant 
 champion played furious and won point after ]ioint, until the 
 game was finished. He had not lost a single point in the game. 
 During the intermission of each point, he would seek out the 
 three pretty maidens, and linger in their company until he fan- 
 cied himself desperately in love with one of them. Laiu'eled with 
 fame and wealth, at the close of the game he proceeded at once 
 to the girls, and walked with them as they mingled with the de- 
 parting crowds. Walking at the side of the maiden he 
 was loath to i)art with her at all, as he extendeded to the three 
 girls a hearty invitation for them to come and visit his home, in 
 the village of Su-me. They eagerly accepted his invitation as 
 they were highl>' honored to get the opportunity to visit him, and 
 they incjuired of him how they would find his house from the 
 rest of the houses in the village. He assured them that they 
 would make no mistake in finding the house, as he described to 
 them that there was a large pine tree standing just in front of 
 ills home. There were no green branches on this tree as it had 
 died a long time ago, and the small sap-suckers had l)ored into 
 the ti'unk of the tree and built their homes there as they could 
 be seen flying about the tree. He gave them such a vivid do:^- 
 
TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 157 
 
 cription of the tree, that he assured them they could not possibly 
 miss his house. The girls were delighted with him and departed 
 with bright anticipations in visiting the champion in his home. 
 Say-gap, or the Coyote who lived in his home at the lower west- 
 ern end of the Su-me village, was near the happy group and 
 over heard Su-me-ah-chene's invitation and discription of the dead 
 pine tree, so he planned to entertain the girls himself, that they 
 may not go to visit Su-me-ah-chene in his home. 
 
 The day that the girls had planned to visit Su-me-ah-chene, 
 Mr. Coyote moved the pine tree down in front of his house, and 
 when the girls ari'ived at the village of Su-me, they began at once 
 to look for the tree Su-me-ah-chene had described to them. After 
 they had looked about for a short time, one of them pointed 
 down the hill to the lower western end of the village, to the tree, 
 and said that must be the place they were looking for, delighted 
 upon seeing the tree, they rushed down the hill to Say-gap's house. 
 Say-gap met them at the door with a cordial welcome, and ask 
 them in, they all entered the house and seated themselves while 
 he was planning how he could best entertain the girls and make 
 himself appear very attractive to them. He summoned his grand- 
 mother and asked her to spread a banquet for the young ladies, 
 and told her she must prepare the very best of food-stufTs they 
 had in the house for the evening meal. The grandmother began 
 to move about in the ajoining room in the rear of the house, as 
 if she was preparing the food for supper. She had a large basket 
 of acorn mush already cooked and hid away, so her nephew (he 
 was her nephew instead of her grandchild) would not eat it all 
 himself, as he would always eat up everything that was good and 
 let her go hungry. This acorn mush she kept hid and did not 
 bring it out for Say-gap and his guests to feast upon. She pre- 
 tended to look among the shelves for awhile and fumbled through 
 them, when she at last brouht out a large Indian plate of shrimps, 
 or some sort of worm, that looked very much like shrimps. She 
 came into the room where Say-gap was entertaining the girls and 
 began to roast the worms on the coals. The worms would twist 
 about on the coals, pop and fly all over the house. The girls 
 looked at one another in dismay, and wondered if this was the 
 best food that his house could afford, they became very angry 
 and said that they had been deceived. Rising from the seats they 
 told their host that they now did not believe him to be Su-me- 
 
158 TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 
 
 ah-chene, l)ut he was an impostor. They fled from the house in 
 a rage and returned to their homes at Orleans Bar. Say-gap 
 followed them home and kept pleading, saying he was Su-me-ah- 
 ehene, their nuicli admired champion of the "stick game." This 
 made the girls more peeved than ever, so they made a resolution 
 among themselves, that they would not accept Su-me-ah-chene's 
 attentions or consider any excuses that he might ol^'er, if they 
 chanced to meet him again. 
 
 After a few days the girls received word that Su-me-ah- 
 chene was going to play again at another hig meet, so they all 
 agrec^d to go and see it as before. At the meet Su-me-ah-chene 
 in his usual good spirits was animated with glory upon winning 
 the first point, so during the intermission he resolved to find the 
 three girls and inquire why they did not keep their promise to 
 visit him, as he felt very much disappointed. Upon finding the 
 girls he greetetl them in his usual good humor, but they drew 
 themselves up haughtily and refused to speak to him, as they be- 
 lieved that he was making light of them and having a lot of 
 amusement among his friends at their e.xpense. As before he won 
 all the points, and during the intermissions he would return to 
 the girls, thinking perhaps he could find out what was wrong and 
 win their friendship again. The girls as before treated him very 
 coldly, and were so haughty that they would not listen to any 
 of his excuses. Toward the closing of the game the three girls 
 moved over on Cry-way-ett's side of the court, which provoked 
 Su-me-ah-chene. When the crowds started for their homes after 
 the game, Su-me-ah-chene said he would go down to the 
 mouth of the river, at Reck-woy village to visit for a few days, 
 as he had been turned down by the three girls. Upon reaching 
 the village, a host of pretty girls were glad to meet the much 
 talked of champion, and all greeted him with a royal welcome. 
 When his visit ended, he announced to the girls his intentions of 
 playing another game at Ca.neck with the Cay-way-ett team, and 
 gave them all an invitation to come. 
 
 Again another game was being held at Ca-neck, for the 
 championship between Su-me-ah-chene and Cay-way-ett. All the 
 Reck-woy girls were to be present, and were highly honored to 
 think that Su-me-ah-chene himself had invited them. Su-me-ah- 
 chene and his team as usual won the first point and during the 
 intermission for rest he went among the Reck-woy girls to visit 
 
TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 159 
 
 \\ith them. They were all pleasetl to he honored with his company 
 and marveled over his great athletic feats, and he soon fancied 
 that he was falling in love again. This time with one of the 
 pretty little Reck-woy girls. 
 
 Su-me-ah-chene won every point as he had in the previous 
 games, and after receiving the cheering congratulations of the 
 Reck-woy girls, together with the maiden of his choice, he invited 
 some of them to come and visit him at his home. The girls were 
 pleased over the invitation to visit him, and promised to visit 
 him in a few days. He described to them the dead pine tree, 
 where the sap-sucker would be flying about, so they could easily 
 find the house, which was located near the center of the village. 
 Four of the girls came to vist the champion as they had promised, 
 they crossed the river and climbed the hill to Su-me village, 
 where following his directions closely they easily found the tree 
 and the house. They found him home, and entered, he appear- 
 ing handsomer than ever, as he greeted them with a hearty 
 welcome, and said he was glad they had kej)t their promise. He 
 entertained them so nicely that the time went by quickly, and 
 he was loathe to have them depart so soon. They were having 
 such a splendid time tliat he suggested they spend the night at 
 his home, to which the girls readily agreed. The next morning 
 the girls returned to their homes at Reck-woy, very tired and 
 happy after being so pleasantly entertaind by the young champion. 
 A few days after the departure of the girls Su-me-ah-chene decided 
 he would go to Reck-woy and return the visit, and during this 
 visit a romance developed into matrimony, as he wooed for his 
 bride the pretty maiden of his choice. After the wedding the 
 proud little bride accompanied her husband to his home, where 
 she began housekeeping in an elegant fashion. Meanwhile his 
 rival Cay-way-ett and the maid of Orleans Bar had married 
 
 After the wedding of the giants, they were ver}^ happy with 
 their brides only for a short time, and they challenged each other 
 for another game, to which they both agreed. The multitudes of 
 people had assemblnd to witness the big meet as usual, to applaud 
 and praise their favorite champion. While the two giants were 
 engaged upon the court ^vith their powerful teams, the wife of 
 Cay-way-ett stole aw'ay from the crowd to the home of Su-me- 
 ah-chene, upon reaching it she entered, and selected one of the 
 beautiful dresses of Mrs. Su-me-ah-chene and gowned herself in it. 
 
100 TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 
 
 She dolloel luM'sclf up very luiiulsoniely in the ch'ess and ornaments 
 and seated herself in the seat of honor, as being the lady of the 
 household. Su-me-ah-chene approached Mrs. Cay-way-ett believ- 
 iiiii her to he his wife, as she assured him that she was his Reck- 
 woy wife instead of the bride from Orleans. Mrs. Su-me-ah- 
 chene saw her husband, to her great in<lignation, caress the other 
 woman and at once believed him to be unfaithful to her. She 
 at once recognized the beautiful dress that Mrs. Cay-way-ett 
 wore to be her own, and all this leading her to believe stronger 
 than ever that this strange \voman had stolen the affection of 
 her husband, and that he had allowed her to usurp her of her 
 household. Believing this all to be true, Mrs. Sur-me-ah-chene 
 assailed her husband to his great surprise, with a hot torrent of 
 angrj' words, and fled from him, back to her home in Reck-woy. 
 The truth dawned upon the broken hearted champion that Mrs. 
 Cay-way-ett had deceived him in making him believe that she 
 was his wife, and at once sought his girl bride at Reck-woy, and 
 pleaded at her feet to return with him to their home at Su-me. 
 But her pride had been wounded beyond endurance, and she 
 haughtily turned from the greatest of champions, and the great- 
 est of men, and left his stately form bowed dow^n with greif, a 
 sense of a deep loss, and the sorrowing presence of loneliness. 
 Thus the true sweet bride of his affections had been ruthlessly 
 borne by the wings of fate, away from the love of his mighty 
 manhood. Grieved and hurt by this great blow, he refused the 
 attentions of Mrs. Cay-way-ett. This treacherous woman had 
 sought revenge, as she believed that Su-me-ah-chene had deceiv- 
 ed her for his own amusement, when she first visited him at 
 Su-me, and the Say-gap had followed her to her home at Orleans 
 Bar. As the wife of the other giant, Cay-way-ett, she became 
 enarmored with the mightyest of athletes, Su-me-ah-chene, as she 
 remembered he was once her lover. Having lost his love after 
 he })ecame the champion, she was thrilled with passions for his 
 great victories, and determined to deceive him. She falsely de- 
 clared to her husband that she was going on a visit to her people 
 at Orleans Bar, and he readily consented to her going. For a 
 time he believed that his wife was visiting her people, but to his 
 great disappointment he found her to be unfaithful to the marriage 
 vows, as she was attempting to win the love and admiration of 
 Su-me-ah-chen(\ Thus the greatest of men were robl)ed of the 
 
TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES Uil 
 
 affections of their young liiides. the cheer and comfort in their 
 homes of fame and wealth, and the love of a glorious womanhood 
 had faded. The moral of this story is to impress the fact upon 
 the mind of a young bride that if she is fickle with the love of 
 a great man, and plans to deceive him, in the belief that she 
 will win a greater man, and a greater love, she will most likely 
 to her great sorrow lose them both. Far better to love the 
 truely great, who love you in return, than to lose that love in 
 plotting and planning, for the greatest who love you not. 
 
UK'Lit/'r'A i K'^-^n/.'i iiK^-^rA iK^^r/^T ik^-^rA I k^^rVn 
 
 <xM? yw cxj^yy cXhl?Vv cXhWy cXhlr^J C>IJ#^J 
 
 V^SSv^S ?^'5Sv^5 V^SSiA-5 V\Ss\*-7 WSSJ^-^ V^KsJ^^^ 
 
 "^^f^^^ (^^/^^^vJ i^u^^^ (^^d^^H p^C^^^ (^^/^^vj 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 PEC-WAN COLONEL. 
 
 PEC-WAN Colonel (his Indian name was M^-quin) had been 
 for the last fifty or sixty years, the richest Indian among 
 the lower Klamaths. When standing erect he was probably 
 a little over six feet, of medium build and was very graceful in 
 his movement. He was a fine looking man, and every inch an 
 aristocrat. He was a decendant of a very wealthy family on 
 both sides of the house, and his mother was born in the Cor-tep 
 village, about one hali mile below Pec-wan village. There was 
 five boys and two girls of his mother's family, his Uncles, Aunts, 
 and Grand-mother on his father's side, l)elonge(l to the upper 
 division of the tribe, and the}' too were a wealthy family. Pec- 
 wan, s mother was from a family of doctors, his mother and her 
 two sisters being doctors, his mother was without question the 
 most noted and prominant woman doctor that the lowei' rivers 
 had among them, for the past seventy-five years or more. When 
 she married his father, whom they called Cor-tep-pish, by his 
 being married to a Cor-tep woman, she married a man of a very 
 wealthy family, and when her mother and father died they cut 
 her off, and did not give her any part of the riches of her own 
 family, but divided it among the four sisters and two l^rothers. 
 She had five children, three girls and two boys, the Colonel 
 being the third child, and he followed close in his mother's ways. 
 She would go out and sit on her door-steps of the front porch, 
 stoop over with her elbows on hnr knees, and comb her hair over 
 her face with her fing(^rs, then rest her chin on her hands, and 
 sit gazing into the distance, and other ways, thereby causing all 
 to be afraid of hei' except the Talth and their families, over 
 
PEC-WAN COLONEL 1G3 
 
 whom she had no control. AH the wealthy and slave classes be- 
 cam(; sorely afraid of her. Whenever the peojile would see her 
 sitting thus, they began to nuirmur among themselves, saying 
 that she was trying to make some one sick, and that some body 
 would be sick. If some one should become sick anywhere within 
 a distance of a number of miles from her, their first thought was 
 that she had made them sick, and she was the one that could 
 cure them. These doctors are paid in advance for their services, 
 and when they came after her, instead of accepting what pay 
 they brought and offered to her, she would talk with the great- 
 est of shrewdness, comment on the case and demand of them 
 the most valuable articles which she knew they had, and would 
 scheme to get all she could. She seemed to have a magic power 
 to cure, and did cure in most cases as she had perfect confidence 
 in herself, and gave perfect confidence to the sick one of her 
 ability to make them well; somewhat on the same principal of 
 the Christian Scientist among the people of to-day. But for this 
 pay the doctor has to cure the sick person, and if the patient 
 should die within a year from the time, the doctor prescribed for 
 them, she is compelled to give back all that was given to her. 
 This doctor seldom had to return her fee and gathered wealth in 
 abundance, and succeeded in her shrewd practice. Taking from 
 her brothers and sisters the entire fortune that her mother and 
 father had left them, she had power and influence among her 
 people. She tried to make doctors of her three daughters, but 
 they became the most commonest kind. She turned nearly all 
 of her fortune wealth over to her son, the Colonel, and while he 
 did not have the shrewdness of his mother, he managed in the 
 long run by deaths and otherwise, to get possession of the great- 
 er part of the wealth of so many rich relations, that he too had 
 power and influence above his people. His walk, manner and 
 very actions, were very impressive to any one that met him. He 
 would never eat in a white man's house, my house was the only 
 white man's house he was ever known to stop in over night, and 
 eat at the table. He was very liberal in his own house, and the 
 white man has had many meals at his table. Pek-wan Colonel 
 was born at Pec-wan village, where the Talth lodge is located. 
 A full blooded Klamath Indian, born of wealthy parents 
 but of the middle class, and with all of his wealth and influence 
 could not become a Talth, therefore he could at all times and on 
 
164 PEC-WAN COLONEL 
 
 all occasions keep his place; he knew where he could come in, 
 and where to keep hack with perfect ease. He was closely relat- 
 ed to the Talth families, and when it came to festivals, he could 
 and did lead them all with more deer skins, silver grey fox skins 
 and other kinds, with enough strings of turk.tum and cheek to 
 cover the breast of all who danced, besides long and valuable 
 flints, both red and black and all kind of dancing fixtures. He 
 always kept a large camp with plenty of provisions, and plenty of 
 women to cook and wait on the crowds, he was very liberal and 
 fed many. 
 
 He was mean to his slaves and cared nothing for visiting 
 Indians of other tribes, only his own Klamath people, and to all 
 of these he was closely related to, far up the river, and he visit- 
 ed them as far up as they lived. In the large festivals he could 
 draw on the Pech-ic-la's, his relatives, for whatever he wanted to 
 keep him at all times in the lead. He had but one wife, she was 
 also of a wealthy family, and when he thought at one time to 
 take another wife she told him plainly, that there would be no 
 two wives for her, that she could and would go to her father's 
 home and not return, so he gave up the notion and remained 
 with her. 
 
 She was a good woman, very kind of disposition and pleas- 
 ant of manner; she never had any children, and has been dead 
 now for about twelve years. There is a nephew of his named 
 Pec-wan Harry, he married a woman who lived close to the mouth 
 JO the river at Wah-kell village and he is now called Wah-kell 
 Harry, and they have quite a famil}^ of children, and to him 
 went nearly all of the wealth. He too is a fine looking man of 
 the same build as Pec-wan Colonel. 
 
h\^1I\^j /iv^lj\kb /iK^Slr\^j /(K^^N^j /(K^Slit^j Jiv-^ExA Jiv-^ri-T Jrv^rZS 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A NARRATIVE OF THE HUMBOLDT INDIANS. 
 
 THE following is a true narrative of the way that the Hum- 
 boldt Indians (Way-yets) have been treated and almost 
 exterminated by the white man. Humboldt Bay being a 
 harbor where vessels could come in and make a safe landing, was 
 the place where the whites would naturally first make a settle- 
 ment, and make a base from which to supply the miners and cattle 
 raisers, therefore it soon became a town. First it was called 
 Bucksport and afterwards named Eureka, and the whole surround- 
 ing country was at the first coming of the white man thickly 
 populated with Indians, there being hundreds of them, and even 
 up into the thousands. These Indians, the Klamath River Indians, 
 called in their language the Way-yets, and the country in which 
 they lived or around Humboldt Bay, they called We-ott. They 
 also had names for the different places, such as Ar-ca-tah, (Areata) 
 Per-wer (Eureka), and at times they would call the whole of the 
 country Per-wer. 
 
 As the whites became more numerous they began to crowd 
 the Indians back more and more, never at anytime willing to 
 concede that the Indians had any right to any thing that they 
 wanted, until the Indians began to rebel at being drove from 
 their homes, where they had lived for thousands of years. When- 
 ever they made the least resistence, the whites were up in arms, 
 until finally the Humboldt Indians were moved to a reservation 
 at Smith River and kept there for a time, among the Smith River 
 Indians. The Smith River Indians were not friendly with them, 
 not treating them kindly and many of them died there for the 
 want of food as they did not know the country and could not 
 gather food supplies. W^hen some of them would go out to get 
 
166 HUMBOLDT INDIANS 
 
 fish or giither supplies the Smith River Indians, being jealous of 
 them, would follow and kill them, and the soldiers would never 
 say a word or reprimand them and only laugh at them. They 
 had no medicine case when sick and had no way of treating the 
 sick ones in their way. They had no sanitary provisions and 
 could not keep themselves clean, which they were strict in their 
 own homes. The young girls had no rights with the soldiers or 
 white men and were diseased, and if an Indian made any object- 
 ion to the white man's treatment, they were in return kicked and 
 abused, and often killed, in this way many of them died at Smith 
 River. 
 
 The Klamath Indians called Crescent City, Caw-pay, and 
 Smith River, He-na, and all the Indians are one tribe and they 
 call them He-nas, but sometimes designate the certain part in 
 which they live, by calling them Caw-pay Indians, So after they 
 had been kept on Smith River reservation for awhile, they were 
 driven like a lot of hogs, only wath less care as to whether they 
 lived or died, to the Klamath River Reservation, which extended 
 from the Pacific up the Klamath River for a distance of twenty 
 miles, extending out one mile on either side of the river. When 
 they were driven to the Klamath River Reservation they were 
 treated by the lower Klamath Indians in a more humane way, 
 as a part of the Klamath Indians were good to them and tried 
 to see them get something to live on, and would doctor the sick 
 ones, helping them as much as they could, that is, a certain part 
 of them would. They kept the ones that were disposed to be 
 unfriendly to the poor Humboldts from doing them harm, yet 
 many of them died while on the Klamath. After keeping them 
 for a while the order came to move them to the Hoopa Indian 
 Reservation, which is situated on the Trinity River, and comes 
 down the Trinity to its junction with the Klamath River, and 
 into Humboldt County; so the Humboldts were gathered together 
 again by the soldiers, and were kicked and clubbed, the children 
 thrown into boats, and when killed they were cast into the river. 
 While this murdering was going on, the head men of the lower 
 Klamath Indians, went to the Humboldts and told them to make 
 a break and run and hide in the })rush, for they might just as 
 well perish in that way as be all killed by the brutal soldiers. So 
 a good many of them made good their escape, wandering through 
 the woods and the Klamath Indians picked up many of them 
 
HUMBOLDT INDIANS 167 
 
 and took care of them for a number of years, while manj' of them 
 died from exposure and starvation. I have seen the bone of quite 
 a number where they had (Hed in the heavy redwood timber, and 
 the soldiers took what Inbians were left to the Hoopa Reseration. 
 The Indians here did not like them and they had no way to 
 gather provisions on which to live, and no way to doctor or take 
 care of the sick, no sanitation by which to keep clean. Once a 
 week two or three pounds of flour was given out to each family 
 to hve or die on. The Klamath Indians would buy beef from 
 the agent and give it to them to keep them from starving, and 
 when things became more C}uiet, the Klamath Indians took the 
 most of them that they had picked up, and took them to Hoopa, 
 to their own people, and left them there. After thisy had dwindled 
 down to a mere nothing, by the help of the lower Klamaths a 
 few got back to Humboldt Bay, their ancient home. To finish 
 them up, as they were having a festival on what is now called 
 Gunther Island, just north of Eureka, a crowd of six or eight 
 white men, took a canoe and slipped over there in the night with 
 axes, club and knives and murdered innocent men, women and 
 children, which nearly exterminated the once great and numerous 
 tribe of Indians, known as the Humboldts, and by the lower 
 Klamath Indians, as the Way-yets. One influential Humboldt 
 Indian and his family, was kept safely at Pec-wan village, by 
 Wetch-ah-wah, (my own father) and after everything was quiet 
 on Humboldt Bay, Wetch-ah-wah brought him and his family 
 back to their home, where he lived peaceably for many years, 
 having died only a few years previous to this writing. To-day 
 there are not more than twenty or less Indians living, and what 
 are left, have lost completely all their old and ancient customs 
 and teachings. They never had only the most spurious ideas of 
 the Talth Order, when they were placed here by Wah-pec-wah- 
 mow (God), and given their country and language. Sometimes 
 it seems hard to think of man's inhumanity, but as sure as the sun 
 goes down, the white man will suffer for his wicked treatment of 
 the Humboldt Indians. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII.- 
 
 THE ROMANCE OF A WILD INDIAN 
 
 THIS liajipened during the eurly years of my grandmother's 
 hfe, and concerns principally ti family at Reck-woy village, 
 at the mouth of the river. On the south side of the river 
 is a village named Wealth-quow, and at this place the Indians 
 gave a large entertainment, where many guests had assembled to 
 take part in the dance. This dance is commonly known in the 
 English language, as the "Brush Dance." The Indians always 
 begin dancing these dances after sundown, and sometimes dance 
 until late at night. Large crowds had gathered at this dance, and 
 among the guests were three girl friends from across the river at 
 Reck-woy, who joined the dancers in their usual custom of hold- 
 ing a bunch of brush over their faces, so no one would know 
 who they were. All the dancers, both men and women hold the 
 bunch of brush over their faces, after the fashion of a rnascjuerade 
 ball. While the dancers were making merry two wild Indians 
 came in and joined them, with the brush over their faces and no- 
 body knew who they were. When the dancers finished for a short 
 intermission, the three Reck-woj' girls left the room and went 
 down . to the foot of the hill, about thirty yards away where a 
 spring gushed out of the hill-side. Laughingly they had gone to 
 get a drink of nice cold water from the spring, and wash their 
 faces in the cool refreshing water. As they left the house the 
 two wild Indians followed them down to the spring, and upon 
 reaching it, they sprang upon one of the girls, named Os-slook-o- 
 may and captured her, covering her mouth ^\^th their hands so 
 she could not scream for help, and the other two girls made their 
 escape back to the house to give the alarm. Everything being 
 
ROMANCE OF A WILD INDIAN 169 
 
 favorable for tlie wild Indians, as the thickets grew high and 
 dense, and the forests being near, they were soon lost in the inky 
 shadows of the big trees, where they carried their captive. The 
 two Indians traveled with the girl all night, going in a southerly 
 direction away from the river, and as they went along through 
 the darkness, she would take small pieces of her buck skin apron 
 and tie them to the bushes, thus making a trail which aided her 
 followers for a long distance. When the alarm was given that 
 Os-slock-o-may had been captured by the wild Indians, the guests 
 did not dance any more, and all the men who were able, went 
 in pursuit of the wild Indians, to rescue the girl. They lost her 
 among the dark shadows of the trees, as they could not find any 
 trail to follow that night, and the next morning they all started 
 out in hot pursuit, soon finding the trail she had left, The girls 
 supply of strings had become exhausted and therefore had no 
 means of leaving any further trace of the direction her captors 
 were taking her. However, they searched the hills, creeks and 
 mountains for several days, but never found her trail again, and 
 she was given up to the wilds, and the procession turned home- 
 ward, very sad and heart broken. 
 
 Somewhere in the depths of a dark canyon among the 
 redwoods, the wild Indians had carried Os-slock-o-may. When 
 they reached their hiding place, one of the Indians made her his 
 wife, after the fashion of a primeval wedding. The wild Indians 
 are always very rich in all kinds of Indian wealth, and this wild 
 Indian dressed his bride in the most beautiful of Indian dresses, 
 made of buck skin and ornamented with shells, and lavished 
 wealth upon her. A little son came to their home in the wilds, 
 of which they were both very proud, and they watched the little 
 baby grow^ into a robust, handsome little fellow, who by nature 
 inherited the ways of his father, as soon as he was big enough 
 to walk and talk. He would run away from his mother and skip 
 among the trees, romp among the bushes and seemingly never 
 grow tired of his wild revelry; he would talk and whistle to him- 
 self, and this grieved his mother very much, as she had tried 
 every plan to subdue him from his wild romping but of no avail. 
 When the boy was about six years of age, his mother became 
 very lonesome for her people, and wushed very much to see them 
 again, so one day she summoned up the courage to ask her hus- 
 band to allow her to return to her home on a visit, as she said 
 
170 ROMANCE OF A WILD INDIAN 
 
 her folks were mourning for her as lost, having given up hopes 
 of seeing her nlive. He consented to let her go home on a visit, 
 and that she could take her little l)oy with her, so they began to 
 make ready for the journey as it was a long distance, and the 
 country was ver^' rough. The 0-nia-ha (Devil) husband who was 
 immensely rich, dressed his wife in one of the most beautiful of 
 Indian dresses, and the little l)oy was also richly clad, and so 
 they started on their journey to Reck-woy. The wild man guid- 
 ed and accompanietl them until they neared the villnge of Wealth- 
 quow. the village from which he had stolen her on the night of 
 the dance, and here as they came into a small open space over- 
 looking the village, he parted from his wife and little son, and 
 they crossed the river and went into her native village. As she 
 entered the village she was most beautiful to behold, dressed in 
 the most gorgeous Indian dress, with her little son by her side, 
 and startled friends and relatives, who had mourned her as dead, 
 greeted her with much surprise as they had mourned her loss for 
 nearly nine years. Her folks were over-joyed to find their long lost 
 child restored to them, and with hearty greetings and a royal 
 welcome, she found herself back in the village of her birth. With 
 breathless interest they sat listening to her wonderful tales con- 
 cerning her life in the solemn wilds, how she had been carried 
 over mountain and crag, and through the huge forests, to a 
 strange home in the cave in a cliff of rocks, where one of the 
 wild men had made her his wife. In this strange cave she had 
 enjoyed the comforts of a luxuriant home, for her husband was 
 exceedingly rich and was very kind to her and their child. From 
 her description it seemed this cave was located at the source of 
 Redwood Creek, which we call Cho-lu-wer-roy, in a dark canyon, 
 which is perhaps over a distance of sixty miles from Reck-woy, 
 off in a southerly direction. In a cave of this dark canyon, 
 surrounded on every side by the giant redwoods, she had spent 
 nine years of her life, listening to the sigh of the wind among the 
 trees and strange enchantment of the babel of the brooks down 
 the rocky canyon. Safe in her cave and lonely, with nothing l)ut 
 nature and a wild man to comfort her, she had grown more lonely 
 as the years crept by in her desire to see her people once more. 
 How they had traveled on their journey back along the creek 
 beds for a long distance, over high mountains and around sheer 
 walls of great bluffs, and through the awful calm of dense forests 
 
ROMANCE OF A WILD INDIAN 171 
 
 and overhanging thickets, she had at last reached the home of 
 her birth. Parting from her devoted husband for the first and 
 last time, she faithfully promised to meet him again at the close 
 of her visit, and return with him again to the cave in the wilds. 
 During the first days of her visit she encouraged her boy to 
 associate with the children of the village. But he could not re- 
 sist the calling of that wild nature he had inherited from his 
 father, and all of his mother's pleadings proved of no avail in 
 changing his character. He would watch his opportunity and run 
 away from the other children and play by himself, among the dense 
 bushes, jumping and whistling as he would go. His mother gave 
 up in despair in her efforts to change his ways. 
 
 She remembered the day and place where she had promised 
 to meet her husband, and return with him to their home, but she 
 refused to go and meet him at the appointed time and place, as 
 she said she never intended to return, and had merely made him 
 the promise in order to get back to her people, and now that she 
 was with them she would never leave them again. 
 
 He waited in vain at the appointed place as she came not 
 to meet him, and after waiting a long time he came to the con- 
 clusion that she had made him a false promise, so he crept cau- 
 tiously down to the river, and swam across to Reck-woy village, 
 where he knew his wife was staying. When he reached the other 
 side, he crept up the hill-side and concealed himself in a dense 
 clump of bushes, where he could look down upon the house where 
 he knew she was staying, and watched for her. His wife seldom 
 ventured out of the house, as she was afraid that he would get 
 her again, so she kept close indoors that he might not have any 
 chance of getting her away again. One day he managed to attract 
 the attention of his little son, and he came up to his father and 
 they talked together, he directed the son to go and tell his 
 mother to come to him, as he was waiting for her. When the 
 son delivered the message to his mother, she replied that she did 
 not believe this to be true, so he returned to his father, telling 
 him what his mother had said. He immediately sent him back 
 to her, imploring that she come to him, the mother looked puzzled 
 at the boy, and said that he must be mistaken, but he said that 
 he knew his father, and pleaded earnestly for her to return to 
 their home in the canyon. Studying the boy's eager face a few 
 moments, she replied by saying that he could choose between her 
 
172 ROMANCE OF A WILD INDIAN 
 
 antl liis fatluT, he could rcinaiii with her, or go with his father, 
 back into the lonesome wilds. The boy at once preferred his 
 father and bade his mother farewell. Father and son returned to 
 their hiding place, and the mother, who had once cheered them 
 in the lonesome wilds, never saw them again, they had gone out 
 of her life forever, like a dream that had come and gone, and 
 faded again, with the closing day, back into the primeval redwoods, 
 where you may see father and son straying together among the 
 mystic shadows of dreamland mountains. 
 
 When the Indians are dancing for pleasure, such as they 
 did in the brush dance, and any one wants them to dance faster 
 and harder, they shout to the dancers: "hal-o-may-yah," which 
 means dance harder. In this kind of dancing the word "dance" 
 is called "o-may-like." But in the sacred dances, such as the 
 Lodge Dance, it is called, Wah-neck-wel-la-gaw, and has a differ- 
 ent meaning altogether. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE PROPHET WHO FAILED. 
 
 THIS Indian was a Smith River, and the Klamath Indians 
 in their tongue, called him, He-na Tom. In the year about 
 eighteen hundred and sixty five, this He-na Tom, while liv- 
 ing at his home on Smith River, which is north from the Klamath 
 River, his wife became sick and died, and he mourned her loss 
 greatly. In the fall he had a prophetic dream, which caused him 
 to commence a sort of revival among the Smith River Indians, 
 telling them to destroy everything they had ever received from 
 the white people, discard all the clothing, houses and in fact, burn 
 all and everything, and go back to their old Indian way of living 
 entirely, and in a short time all the dead Indians would come 
 back to life, to this world. As it happened He-na Tom had a 
 sister, that was married to a Klamath River man, and they had 
 a family of grown sons and daughters, and this family lived in a 
 village called Ni-galth, which is situated on the west side of the 
 Klamath River, opposite the mouth of Blue Creek, some eight 
 miles down the river from where the Klamaths hold their White 
 Deer Skin Dance. So in the fall, after the Klamaths had finish- 
 ed putting in the fish dam, and the Indians from all parts of the 
 country had been invited to come and see the ceremony, and the 
 White Deer Skin Dance was going on, He-na Tom made his 
 appearance among them with his sayings, telling them to destroy 
 all their white man's goods, burn all the houses that were made 
 in the white man's way, and tear down all their Indian houses, 
 but not to burn the lumber of the Indian houses, thus leaving a 
 clear opening, and for all of them to bring all their Indian money 
 and wealth of all kinds, and hang it up in plain view, around 
 
174 THE PROPHET WHO FAILED 
 
 him where he was lying, covered with Indian blankets made of 
 deer skin. He told them to go ahead with the White Deer Skin 
 Dance, so when the dead ones appeared, they would all dance 
 ^^^th them and make a big jubilee, and all of them who failed 
 to comply with his holy orders, and not bring their valuables, 
 that it would all turn into rock or rocks, and those that disbe- 
 lieved and did not come, would themselves turn to rock. He had 
 a great many of the Klamath Indians of the wealthy class, all of 
 the poor class, and a few of the high class that was wild and 
 willing to follow, and there was a lot of valuable property and 
 things destroyed, while the shelves or tables were loaded with 
 provision for the dead when they came, so they could eat, dance 
 and all be joyful, while all the white people were to turn to rocks. 
 Some of the wise ones of the high class, that were versed in the 
 secret mysteries, hung back saying no, that they wanted to see. 
 While they were claiming that He-na Tom had gone to meet the 
 dead Indians, and that he would be back with them that night, 
 three or four of the doubtful ones went over to where the large 
 piles of Indian blanket were by a fire, and on lifting up the 
 })lankets behold, there was He-na Tom. They spoke to him, call- 
 ing him by name, but he did not answer, his followers claimed 
 that his body was there, but that his spirit had gone to meet the 
 dead ones. When the old ones who were so highly versed in the 
 mysteries as not to be hoodwinked, had seen enough to convince 
 them that there was no truth in it, they shook their heads, quiet- 
 ly moved back and retired to their camps or homes, saying that 
 He-na's prophesies were a fake, and that he was a humbug. As 
 it 'turned out, that night He-na Tom slipped down the Klamath 
 River, to the mouth, and up the coast, back to Smith River, his 
 home. So when the Klamaths came to gather back their valual)les, 
 there was considerable of it that the rightful owners could not 
 find, and never did get back, which made many of them very 
 angry. 
 
 He-na Tom's brother-in-law was afterwards killed, and all 
 of his Klamath relations w(>re compelled to leave the Klamath 
 River, and go to Smith River to live for a number of years ])e- 
 fore they dai-ed to return to the Klamath again. I have long 
 since found that the Klamatli Indians are bad fellows, for any 
 <jne to try to play fake on. Tlu^y liave, or used to have, their 
 wis(^ ones, tiiat watched the different j)()sitions of the i)lanets, at 
 
THE PROPHET WHO FAILED 175 
 
 tlifferent seasons of the year, and (ell of hard whiters, of eoid or 
 warm summers, and of different harvest famines. They sometimes 
 had dreams that they int(Mpeted for good or bad. Other than 
 this I have never heard of them ever having prophets. 
 
 Since the white race of people, that they found inhabiting 
 the Klamath when they first arrived there, which we call the 
 Wa-gas, which must have been thousands of years ago, they do 
 not tell of ever having come in contact with any kind of a white 
 race, or of any other race ever coming among them until the 
 present white race came, which we call Ken-ne-ah. The Klamath 
 River is so inaccessable, winding its way through high mountains, 
 with no valleys, that to this day it is a wild country with lots of 
 game and fish. And there never has been a Preacher of any kind 
 among us to this day. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 TEACHINGS OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS ON CHILD 
 
 BIRTH. 
 
 THE Klamath Indians say that a child born at the time the 
 sun is at the fartherest north and on the point which it is 
 to turn back south, or as the white man counts time, wcjuki 
 be in the month of December and which we count the tenth 
 month, and call Cah-mo, is the worst and most objectionable 
 time we have for a child to be born, most of them die young or 
 in infancy, and if they live they are of little use to themselves 
 or the tribe. A child born in the time in which the acorns fall, 
 which would l)e from the tenth of October to the twentieth of 
 November, and which time or month we call Can-na-wal-at-tow, 
 is the best or one of the best times, as these children are nearly 
 all bright, healthy and prosperous, and make the leading ones. 
 While children born in April, May and June, as we count the 
 time, also make good, healthy and bright men and women, and 
 also the leading ones. Children born between the twentieth of 
 July and the first of September, which we call Cher-wer-ser-a, are 
 weekly and do not live long, most of them dying young, but if 
 they do live they are foolish and not of any use to their people. 
 Those that are born in the time the white man designates as 
 October, May and June, are the ones that receive the prayers of 
 the mother, grand pai-ent and wise old heads of the tribe, and all 
 look forward to their being useful to the tril)e, particularly those 
 tliat are of the high families. The Klamath Indians are a people 
 that are at any, and all times, praying to the great father of all, 
 and are pleased when a new I)aby is born. They take the best 
 
CHILD BIRTH 177 
 
 of care of the mother in ehild-hirth, hut if a woman brings into 
 the world a child that is dead or still-born, she is looked down 
 upon and is ahiiost cast aside, and has a hard time to pull through. 
 If she dies in the struggle, there is but little sympathy for her 
 loss, and if she lives, she is ever after called Cam-ma-gay, so 
 that any and all may know her, and if she is a married woman 
 and has had children and saved them, and afterwards brings one 
 into the world dead, she is always afterwards called Quirk-ker- 
 alth. 
 
 In all my life among them I have never seen but few of 
 these women, but do know some that have met with this mis- 
 fortune. The Klamath Indians are the best in the world at 
 handling their women in child-birth, in the old Indian way. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE WILD INDIAN OF PEC-WAN. 
 
 THIS happened at my birth place and about one mile up the 
 Klamath River from my mother's birthplace, at Wah-tec 
 village l)oth places being on the north side of the river At 
 Pec-wan village, there comes down from the east and north, a 
 creek that enters into the Klamath River, at or near Pec-wan 
 village, and is called Pec-wan Creek. This creek has three forks, 
 the north, middle and south forks, the south fork being the larg- 
 est one. The mountain rises to a height of about four or five 
 thousand feet at the head of the south fork, and nearly the whole 
 of the country of Pec-wan, is covered with a dense growth of 
 large timber and thick brush. In this vast forest of timber, there 
 are sloping flats on the creek, and up the sides of the mountain 
 there is oak timber, the acorn, from which we make our bread, 
 and which we call pop-saw. In the Fall, which is the last part 
 of October, and on through the month of November, sometimes 
 later, there was a family moved l)ack on the south fork, to a 
 picking place. At these camps they most always have houses, 
 sometimes they are made of cedar bark and sometimes of boards, 
 l)ut they are made tight and comfortable, so if there comes a rain 
 they can keep dry and warm, particularly the women and chil- 
 dren. After they had been there for sometime and had gathered 
 a quantity of acorns, ther(^ came some wild Indians (Oh-mah-hah) 
 around on the outside of the houses, and as there was quite a 
 number of young men in the camps, the girls were closely watch- 
 ed by the men, and were not much afraid of the wild men. The 
 men would go outside and holler at the Oh-mah-hahs to come 
 into the house, so that they could see them, but they were afraid 
 to come in, only watching a chance to steal one of the girls, and 
 
THE WILD INDIAN OF PEC-WAN 171) 
 
 take her away for a wife. After the Indians had slithered as 
 many acorns as they thought they wanted, they conchided to go 
 back to their homes, but two of the large, strong and athletic 
 young Pec-wans, said they were going to remain in the camp, 
 and hide in one of the houses. The rest all got ready and started 
 home, leaving the two young men, who climbed up to the frame, 
 where the platform is fixed, that they put the large basket plates, 
 filled with the acorns on, that are hulled, so as to dry them, over 
 where they make the fire to cook and warm by, the heat going 
 up through the platform and plates, drying the acorns; so the 
 young men secreted themselves up there for they could not be 
 seen, and kept very still. In the evening the Wild Indians came, 
 and not seeing or hearing anyone, supposed that all had left the 
 camp, and after spying around awhile, an Oh-mah-hah ventured 
 into the house and sat down by the fire-place, and opened a 
 buck-skin sack, which we call ac-gure, and which has sticks inside 
 to act as stays, to hold it in shape, it being twelve or fourteen 
 inches long, and carry it under the arm, each one of these wild 
 men had one of these sacks, which is a sort of a magic wand, 
 and in this, they carry different kinds of herbs. Some of which 
 are very good for a person's health, and some act like magic for 
 poison, and with it they can kill any one they wish. Now this 
 wild man after sitting down, opened his sack, and took out each 
 kind of herbs or roots, saying as he lifted each one out, what it 
 was good for, and after he had taken part of them out and laid 
 them by the side of the ac-gure, he thought he heard a noise, so 
 leaving his ac-gure and the roots, he ran outside, at this the 
 young Pec- wans jumped down from their hiding place, and grabbed 
 up the ac-gure and put the roots back into it, immediately after 
 this the wild man returned and begged and pleaded with them, 
 to give them back, but they refused to do so. He told them 
 they could not use it unless they were taught the art, by which 
 to use it. Then they wanted him to teach them, but he said he 
 never would, so they told him they would keep it. After he had 
 begged and talked for awhile, they started home taking the ac-gure 
 with them, and the wild man following and pleading in every way 
 for them to return the sack to him. As they kept on towards 
 home, the Oh-mah-hah told them if they would return it to him, 
 he would cause any one that they might wish for, to die, and 
 would give them half of all he had, but they refused, and kept 
 
180 THE WILD INDIAN OF PEC-WAN 
 
 on until they reached home. The wild man went with them in- 
 to the house, and they fed him, and every time they went out, 
 he went with them. Sometimes they would go for wood for the 
 sweat house, antl he would follow them closely, always pleading 
 for his ac-gure and acting so simple, that it seemed this ac-gure 
 was his whole life. They were determined never to give it back 
 to him, and so one morning they concluded to make a big fire 
 in the sweat house, put him inside, fasten the door, and smoke 
 him to death. They kept the ac-gure, and they say this family, 
 was ever after, very lucky in getting deer and other game, as 
 they had the Wild Indian's devil. 
 
 This is the only time, where they caused a Oh-mah-hah to 
 die, that I know of. These sweat-houses, are sure an ideal place, 
 to smoke a person to death in. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 HOW THE RICH TRIED TO BE A TALTH. 
 
 I will give the history of one Indian that was very wealthy, who 
 belonged to the He-na's. (Smith Rivers) This Indian while 
 yet a very young man, had by inheritance, been left so much 
 wealth that he felt there was no part or place, but what he had 
 the right and power to go, and being closely related to some of 
 the wealthy families of the lower Klamath, and among the i-est 
 to a family of one of the Talths, which lived at Wah-tec village, 
 close to where the White Deer Skin Dance is held. When it 
 came time for this dance, he took with him a great many of his 
 most valuable articles to use in the dance. He went up to Reck- 
 woy, the mouth of the Klamath, and on up to Wah-tec to visit 
 with his relatives, and take part in the dance, by putting his 
 valuables in. Everything went along merrily to his satisfaction 
 until the dance was finished at Wah-tec village. The day all was 
 in readiness to move down to the place where they all make a 
 stop, and only those that have a high birth are allowed to travel 
 on the lower trail and go to the place that is held sacred ground, 
 and here, when he was told not to go, he said, "why I am richer 
 than any one here, I can go any place," then when some of his 
 lelatives told him to stay back, that he could go on the upper 
 trail with the others that were rich, he protested strongly and still 
 persisted in going, but was told plainly that his riches counted 
 for nothing at this time and place. That with all his riches, he 
 w^as of low birth, that his mother and father were mari'ied in the 
 low marriage, and that he was of the He-na tribe, and that he 
 could give his riches to one that was born right, to take thei-e 
 for him if he wished to do so, or he could take his riches A\ith 
 
182 HOW THE RICH TRIED TO BE A TALTH 
 
 him on the upper lotul, to be used on up the hill, and at the 
 finishing place. At this he cowed down like a child and wept, 
 leaving all of his wealth and started back into the mountains, 
 back to the very highest mountains where the bear, panther and 
 wolves were plentiful. All alone he went to where there is a large 
 rock which we call Hah-i-o-claw, and he remained there for three 
 days singing and praying, then with nothing to eat he wandered 
 on through the wild timber and brushy country, back to Crescent 
 City, (Caw-pay) and proclaimed himself a doctor, and always 
 was known afterward as Caw-pay or Crescent City Doctor and 
 lived to be old, and all of the old time white inhal)itants of 
 Crescent City well remember this Indian that went by the name 
 of Crescent City or Caw-pay Doctor, He was an odtlity and 
 many are the jokes that the old time white men, and some of 
 the white women played on him. I am related to him and knew 
 him well, and the place where he claimed he went to the large 
 rock, and I will say that it is a wild country, in which there are 
 plenty of wild animals. I have been on this mountain often and 
 seen the land marks that were left there by the white race on 
 going north. 
 
•\ng3i\to cx^i^'STiV'j cxr\s55ivv cH.r\^5?^J cxr\s>upo ?xr\®?^J c\^i^?^vv cXr\'§?SK5 
 
 >-rHf/l^^TVi /0-r^/r-/ir T\\ j^^tt^^^ ^\^^n^J^^ A*T*o/r^.^^T\\ /Vl^/r^^iCr 5\\ ,'^3/r^^^T\\ A^7^/^>^i^^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE SLAVES. 
 
 AMONG the Klamath Indians there were many slaves, which 
 we called Ki-elth, when the white man first came to our 
 country. These slaves came about in many ways. Some 
 were mixed blood of Klamath and Hoopa's, some were all 
 Hoopa's, and some were mixed blood of the Klamath and Smith 
 River's, and consisted of both men and women, but most of 
 them were Klamaths themselves. Slavery was brought about by 
 wars, famines, and contagious diseases. In case of a famine 
 there would be a shortage of acorns, and no run of salmon in 
 the river for two or three years, and sometimes longer, when 
 the winters were long and cold, or dry, with but little rainfall. 
 All the land and fishing places belonged to the wealthy families, 
 who would gather it all for themselves, leaving little or none for 
 the poor families, which would leave whole families hungry and 
 starving. They would go to some rich man's house and offer 
 themselves as slaves, and these offers were usually accepted. 
 In other cases there would be sickness start in a well-to-do 
 family, and often be a death or doctor bills to pay, and no 
 chance to gather acorns or fish or hunt until they would be 
 reduced to poverty and become hungry and offer themselves as 
 slaves to some rich family or some big doctor, which was most 
 of the time accepted. (This is something like what the white 
 doctor is doing today among his own people.) Sometimes in 
 war or fighting they would take them and let them be slaves 
 in other ways. Now these wealthy families would have very 
 large and commodious houses, and a house would be full to 
 over-flowing in numbers and all would be mixed up in conver- 
 
184 THE SLAVES 
 
 nation, and at the time of eating the shive.s were first waited on, 
 while their own cinUlren sat hack or helped to attend to their 
 wants, and they were served with as good as their own family 
 liad, and were treated in a way that made them feel at perfect 
 ease in every way. Often times when the houses would become 
 too crowdetl they would build another house and let them move 
 into it, as these wealthy families kept close touch with their 
 relations or kindred so as not to marry those that were theii- 
 own kindred. Semetimes there were families that had slaves 
 tliat wei-e not good to them, fed them poorly and refused to 
 doctor them. These are not hard to select, as one will hear it 
 mentioned at all times. I have seen and known many of them 
 that were slaves and were born of slave parents, and some of 
 these slaves were so well treated by their masters that they at 
 this time claim kindred with the children of the masters and the 
 families of the masteis are so tender in speaking to them of it 
 that they do not let them know, unless they become too 
 familiar or make the claim too bold, when a few, very few 
 words will halt them in their claim for all time. These slave 
 children are the kind that are mostly the Indians that are left 
 totlay, and trying to make themselves and the white man believe 
 that they know the tiue legends of the Klamath Indians, when 
 in truth they do not know, and what they do know, such as 
 not being allowed in certain places, and their birth and so on, 
 they deny to the whites so as to hide their once low standing. 
 These slaves were married off, and any and all were 
 allowed to redeem themselves, to buy their freedom. Many in 
 wai' times, for bravery and daring deeds gained their liberty, 
 and after gaining it would be successful, become rich and buy 
 back their- brothers and sisters, or a part of them that they 
 liked best; and after a long time, by good marriage, they could 
 get their family back to a good standing among the people, but 
 they are kept close track of through the generations and can 
 never get to where one of them can become a Talth and go 
 through the secrets of the lodge or order. They must l)e of free 
 born parentage for all time before they are admitted to be a 
 Talth. By this the reader can understand that only the learned 
 ones are competent to give the true legends of their people, just 
 as it is with the whites or other people. 
 
ftvftS^ ?4\^^^ ?vkW^ 1^£M\ M^M) I4wS ^25^3 liwB 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE WILD INDIAN OF MO-RECK. 
 
 THIS happened many years ago at the village of Mo-reck, 
 which is situated on the north bank of the Klamath River, 
 just below where we put in the fish dam. Up to within a few 
 years ago there lived in this village a family named Plats who 
 had three boys, one of which became sick and died, and in bury- 
 ing him they followed out the old and ancient custom. 
 
 The house in which the family resided was very old, and 
 the name of the house was Plats-ah-chene, the boys were called 
 Plats-ots-ene, and the family was very rich. When the rich burj" 
 their dead they often put more less valuables in and on the 
 grave, and they did in this case. The sand is put over the grave 
 and kept dry by a board, so they can at any time by looking at 
 the grave, see if any one has been meddling wth it, or robbing 
 the grave of the valuables, which has been done many times. So 
 the other two brothers of the dead boy noticed one day that things 
 did not look just right, and on a close examination thej' discovered 
 that it had been robbed, and after fixing the grave they kept 
 watch for the person or persons that done it, as there was left 
 a part of the valuables in and on the grave. So early one night 
 as they were sitting close to the grave, they heard a noise and 
 kept very still, soon they saw a man moving along like a shadow 
 in the dark. This wild Indian seemed to feel the presence of the 
 watchers and kept moving stealthily around, but was afraid to 
 come up to the grave. So finally the wild Indian (Oh-mah-hah) 
 left and went down to the river and swam across to the other 
 side, landing just below the Cap-pell village. One of the brothers 
 cautiously followed behind, telling the other brother to go up the 
 
186 THE WILD IN]:>IAN OF AIO-HECK 
 
 river on the north, and k(H>p on the old trail, and keep a close 
 watch and s(m^ if the wild Indian tried to swim back somewhere 
 above Cap-pell, while he took a boat, crossed the I'iver and kept 
 close to the Indian, who went up the river and swam back to 
 the north side just below the villaji;e of Wah-say. So the brother 
 on the north sid(» went to > far up the river and missed the Indian, 
 so when he ari'ived at the villaf>;e of Ma-reep and took a boat 
 and crossed over to the south side just below Ma-reep, and re- 
 mained there on the south side Ijy a large lioUow fir tree, which 
 is called Ta-po, and close to the trail, tluis the two l)rothers were 
 both on the south side. The Indian on the north side became 
 afraid and worked his way up the river until he came nearly 
 opposite Ca-neck, and then swam across to the south side again. 
 As he w^as dodging from tree to tree, as was the way of these 
 wild Indians, he came up to the large fir tree. The brother that 
 was in the hollow of the tree made a quick grab and caught 
 him with a firm hold, and as he was wrestling with him the other 
 brother came to his assistance and together they held and tied 
 him fast to the fir tree. This Indian was painted all l)lack with 
 some kind of a mixture of pitch and other ingredients. He 
 begged to l)e let loose and offered to give them half he had, also 
 if they had any enemies to tell him and he would cause them to 
 become sick and die. This Indian had the ac-gure sack which 
 he carried under his arm but refused to give it to them, telling 
 them that they would soon die as they did not know how to 
 handle it, and he would sooner die himself than tell them how to 
 handle it. So the two brothers left him tied to the tree after try- 
 ing to persuade him to give them the sack, and in the morning 
 they went home, thinking that their folk might become alarmetl 
 at their long absence. Upon their arrival they told what they 
 had done, and after cniting they went back to the Indian and 
 began another bargain with him. At this he agreed to give them 
 all the wealth he had if they woultl let him go, but he still re- 
 fused to give up the ac-gui'e sack, as it contain(>d poison, and a 
 charm which they could nevei' use unl(>ss he told them how, and 
 this he would nev(n- do. So they finally agreed to take his wealth 
 and let him go, so he led them to his home which was west and 
 south to a place on Redwood Creek, where there was a cave in 
 a cluni]) of lai-ge rocks, some twenty-five miles from their home. 
 
THE WILD INDIAN OF MO-HECK 187 
 
 When they went into this cave-house they found that he had 
 great wealth stored there, and they took it all home, leaving him 
 there with his Ac-gure to gather up more wealth with, and he 
 was never seen again, 
 
 The Klamath Indians never kill these Wild Indians, but in 
 many cases where they had caught them, they most always found 
 that they were rich by robbing graves of wealthy people, and 
 that they always had the ac-gure. The wealth that these two 
 Mo-reck Indians received from this Wild Indian made the Mo- 
 reck village so rich that it never afterwards had to ask help from 
 any one to carry their part through any of the great festivals. 
 These Wild Indians are evidently a former part of our own cast- 
 off people and of late years have entirely disappeared and the 
 Indians are wondering what has become of them. Some think 
 they have gone back into the tribe in other places or went out 
 and mixed with the present white people so as not to be known 
 by them. 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 HOW A COR-TEP GIRL HAD HER WISH GRANTED. 
 
 ABOUT sixty years ago there lived a girl in the Cos-tej) 
 village by the name of IMee-cher-us-o-may, and her parents 
 urged her to marry a young man who lived farther up the 
 rivei- at the village of Mor-eck. (I have forgotten his name) 
 The girl did not like the man, yet her parents kept urging her 
 to marry him against her ^vill. There was two of her girl friends 
 that was going down the river to Reck-woy, so she got into the 
 boat or Indian eanoe with them and started down the river. As 
 they glided along Mee-cher-us-o-may kept wishing that some wild 
 animal would take her, kill her and eat her. When they got to 
 a place called Hay-way-gaw they all camped out on the bank of 
 the river, back some twentj^ yards or more from the waters edge. 
 The canoe was pulled up on the sloping sand so as to make it 
 safe for the night, then they made a fire, cooked their evening 
 meal and then talked vmtil it was time to go to bed. All this 
 time Mee-cher-us-o-may was wishing some harm would come to 
 her. The three girls made their bed for the night so that all three 
 could sleep together and when they went to bed Mee-cher-us-o- 
 way slept in the center, so all went to sleep. In the morning 
 she was missing, she got her wish. She had been taken from be- 
 tween the other two girls, and on examination they could see 
 very })lainly where a wild animal had dragged her over the diy 
 sand, down to the edge of the water, into the river and disappeared 
 with her, and she was nevei' seen again. They thought an animal 
 of the leopard s])ecie took her as some of the animals have been 
 
HOW A (M)R-TEP GIRL HAD HER WISH GRANTED 189 
 
 seen a number of times on the lower Klamath, and the Indians 
 are very much afraid of them. This happened when I was a 
 little girl. 
 
Wli ^J/J W^J ^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 OVR TOBACCO. 
 
 THE white race of people that the Khimath Iiidian.s found 
 in this land had a weed they called tobacco, which we call 
 Hah-kooni, and taught them to use it by smoking it in the 
 pipe and to cultivate it by selecting a proper place, pile brush 
 over the ground and then burn it, which would leave the ground 
 with a loose layer of wood ashes. Over this, while the ashes 
 were yet dry and loose, they would sow the seed and protect the 
 crop by putting around it a brush fence. From year to year 
 they would select from the best stalks seed for the next year 
 and at times to hold the seed for a number of years if necessary, 
 for if kept properly it will grow after being kept for a long time. 
 The only thing that will bother or destroy the crop of tobacco is 
 the deer and they often jump over the bi'ush fence and eat every 
 part of the crop, even to the roots. 
 
 When an Indian takes his pipe to smoke he inhales the 
 smoke and keeps it in his luugs for ten or fifteen seconds and then 
 blows it out through his nose mostly, some through the mouth 
 and then he gives a slow grunt, saying a few words in a plain 
 audible tone. These words are to the Wa-gas the white peoi)le 
 we loved so well, wishing that the Wa-gas, would give them good 
 luck, long life, that they could see them come back or that they 
 themselves could go to sec them and be with them, and many 
 other kinds of wishes for the Wa-gas. The old women doctors 
 use tobacco very freely and have pii)es that hold a handful of 
 tobacco at a single smoking, and they ask the Wa-gas to give 
 
OUR TOBACCO 101 
 
 them good luck in curing a sick person. The doctors are about 
 the onl}' ones of the women that smoke. The Indians have the 
 most complete control over themselves and can smoke one, two 
 or three times a day, or (piit for a week or longer without a 
 murmur. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 OUR MERMAIDS. 
 
 THE Klamath Indians tell of the Mermaid that they said 
 could be seen at night come and sit on a rock out in the 
 middle of the river, at a place called Ca-neck. This rock 
 is in a rocky and rough place in the river, some thirty miles up 
 the river from its mouth, and some nine miles above where the 
 White Deer tSkin Dance is held. This rock is in the middle of 
 the river and the water in the Summer time, at the low stage, 
 just covers the top of it. On each side are whirls and eddies 
 which the Indians have used for fishing with dip nets for many 
 generations. There was never more than two of these Mermaids 
 seen at a time, but they have been seen many times in the 
 generations gone. They had very long hair, and were half fish 
 and half women, but it is not known whether they were male or 
 female. They looked like women and would sit there combing 
 their long hair for hours at a time, and as they went ;iway one 
 could see their long hair floating in the water. The Indians say 
 that for tlui past tw(^nty years or more, they have not seen them 
 and think they have l)een washed away, or that the river has 
 been filled by the gravel and debiis from the mines, which have 
 destroyed them. They also say that they never had any fear of 
 the Mermaids, l)ut looked upon them as a freak of nature. They 
 could se(^ them i)lainly in the Summer months while fishing, when 
 the moon was full and sometimes they would be only a few yards 
 away from them. These Meiniaids we call S(iuerth-tucks. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 FAIRY TALES 
 
 THE WOMAN OF SIN. 
 
 HUNDREDS of years ago a young man and his wife resided 
 at what is called Tu-rep village, which is located on the 
 south side of the Klamath River about six miles from its 
 mouth. The Tu-rep bar on the river is very large, consisting of 
 fifty or a hundred acres of rich and productive soil. This man's 
 wife before her marriage belonged at the Si-elth village, across 
 the river from Tu-rep on the north side. They lived very happy 
 together for a number of years, he being very kind to her in 
 every way and never spoke in a cross manner at any time. As 
 the years went by he began to drift away from her and their 
 home, neglecting her more and more. It seemed that a soul 
 affinity had come into his life, a woman at the Reck-woy village, 
 at the mouth of the river, was enticing him away from his wife 
 and home. He found a resistless charm in her serpent-like arms, 
 and as the days went by he would tarry longer in her company 
 and he would be loath to part with her at all. At last his wife 
 was being left alone so much and neglected that she became 
 .suspicious that another woman had robbed her of his love. She 
 found her suspicion to be true as her husband was now giving all 
 of his attention to the woman at Reck-woy. The wife became 
 very sad and broken hearted over her husband's actions and un- 
 faithfulness, and went about her work in a dispirited manner 
 and her attitude and appearance became one of profound sadness. 
 
194 ' FAIRY TALES 
 
 In company slit> always seemed down hearted, as the same sad 
 look was always upon her face, making her appear to the visitors 
 as wretched and lonely. 
 
 As the miserable wife s])ent the lonely days at Tu-rep 
 villase, the people decided to give a large entertainment a host 
 of guests gathered to make merry. Among the crowd was a man 
 from the Ur-ner village, which is nine or ten miles up the river at 
 the mouth of Blue Creek. During the entertainment the Ur-ner 
 man was attracterl to the lonely Tu-rep wife who appeared to 
 him to be very sad and lonely in the midst of such gaiety. He 
 came over to where she was seated and began a conversation by 
 exchanging a few remarks. He thought he might be wrong in 
 addressing here so boldly, and started to walk away but some- 
 thing stirred his inner emotions strangely, so much so that he 
 could not resist the temptation to return to her. This time after 
 a few remarks he summoned up courage to inquire into her 
 troubled life, as he said she seemed very lonely. Deeply impressed 
 by his winning manner and kind words her confidence was easily 
 won and she readily related to him her unhappy marriage and 
 how unfaithful her husband had grown. He at once became 
 more interested and listened patiently to her story of sorrow, and 
 with his sympathetic words of comfort, strange emotions that had 
 long been dead within her breast thrilled into life once more. 
 .She had become a victim of his beguiling words of comfort as 
 he drew her into his arms of passionate love. Alone and together 
 they planned a secret meeting place that her husband and 
 the village folks might not know of their clandestine meetings. 
 
 When tlie Tu-rep husl)and would go down the river to 
 Keck-woy to bask in the love of the woman of his affections, his 
 wife would wait until the darkness of night had cast its gloom 
 over the village, when she would creep carefully forth from her 
 dwelling and meet her lover. She had a long way to go up the 
 Tu-rep bar from her house, and each step she would take, she 
 would cover her foot-prints with stones. In this manner she 
 would cover her t lacks f)vei-, for a distance of at least one mile 
 along the river bar and when she reached the upper end of the 
 bar she would step out into the watei', and as before she covered 
 ovfi- IxT tracks with stones until she st(>j)pe(l into her lovcM-'s boat. 
 
FAIRY TALES 195 
 
 The Ur-nor Indian would come across the ri\-er from the opposite 
 bank and take her into his canoe and paddle back to what is 
 known as Stah-win l)ar. This is also a larjie bar covered with 
 huge redwoods. Together they would wander into the inky black- 
 ness of the huge redwoods where they would enjoy each other's 
 company until a late hour at night, when the Ur-ner man would 
 again take his soul affinity into his canoe and return her to the 
 upper end of Tu-rep bar, where she would leave him and proceed 
 down the bar to her home, as before covering over her foot-prints 
 with stones. She held these clandestine meetings with the Ur-ner 
 Indian in that manner every time her husband would leave her 
 and go to Reck-woy. After a while her husband became suspicious 
 of her action, as when he returned home at night he never found 
 her at home, yet he was very kind to her. He made everj- 
 attempt to trace her foot-steps but they were always lost upon 
 the bar and all his efforts were futile. At last in desperation he 
 made up his mind to try other plans to detect her mysterious 
 W'hereabouts. He would start down the river on a pretence 
 of going to Reck-woy, but would hide where he could see his 
 wife's movements around the house. This was kept up for some- 
 time but he could not find out which way she had gone, but in 
 his earnest endeavors to discover her whereabouts, one night he 
 saw her covering over her foot-prints with stones as she went to 
 meet her lover. Her shame and sin was at last discovered in 
 spite of all her efforts and precaution to hide her disgrace from 
 human knowledge. This covering of foot prints with stones is 
 called in our language, "Way-nah-mah way-lap-po-lah hah-elth- 
 werm-chelth," which means covering the tracks of sin and shame 
 with stones. To this day there can be seen at Tu-rep bar in the 
 Summer months when the waters of the river is low, the rows of 
 stones that this sinful woman used to cover up her foot-prints of 
 shame, and they stand out in strange relief along the waters edge 
 where they were supposed to have been placed centuries ago by 
 the woman of sin. The Indians point to these stones as a warn- 
 ing to all married women that no matter how- secretly they sin 
 against the marriage vows, they will be discovered sooner or later, 
 and their sins will be reflected upon them throughout their lives. 
 The moral of this story is to keep women from sinning and when 
 they are tempted into sin that they are forever burdened with 
 the heavy stones of disgrace that points to their sins and time 
 cannot efface it. 
 
mi FAIRY TALES 
 
 WHAT HAPPENED TO TWO MA-REEP GIRLS 
 
 A nuinhei- of gcnenitiuns back there lived in Ma-reep 
 village a man and his wife with their three girls. The oldest of 
 them was a good dutiful child, helped her mother in every way 
 she could, while the other two were naughty, idle, cross and 
 pouty. When it came time for their meals the oldest would eat 
 and act like a perfect lady but the other two girls always kept 
 up their naughty ways. They would go away in a corner and 
 pout for more of this or that thing, and their mother kept tell- 
 them that if they did not stop being naughty, and act in a 
 better manner and eat their meals properly, that a big owl 
 would come and carry them oti'. They kept on until one night 
 sure enough, a large owl came and took them and carried them 
 about a mile down the river and placed them on a large, high 
 rock, where they could not get down. They sat there and 
 turned to stone, and are sitting there to this day and look like 
 too little girls sitting up there. This rock we call Hoaks-or- 
 reck and Klamath Indian mothers have been pointing to these 
 two little stone girls, telling them this fairy tale to keep them 
 from being naughty and to have them conduct themselves in a 
 good, mannerly way. This rock is close to the river on the 
 north bank at the lower end of Ma-reep Rapids. 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF A COYOTE. 
 
 Long ages ago a Coyote \\ith his family resitled at Htv 
 melth, which is a place on the Klamath River that is famous in 
 Indian lore. One lovely day in early Spring Mr. and Mrs. Coyote 
 with all their chidren journeyed over the hills of the Klamath from 
 He-melth to a place on the mountain side known as On-a-gap. 
 This was a place where they went annually to gather green 
 grasses upon which they would feast during the Spring months. 
 The family was camping out and having a good time. They k(>pt 
 on moving toward the mountain top when there suddenly came 
 (juite an unexpected snow storm, the weather turned freezing cold 
 and ]\Ir. and Mrs. Coyote did everything possible to save the 
 lives of their children, but of no avail. One by one they perished 
 in the cold snow as it kept snowing and falling very fast. The 
 
FAIRY TALES 197 
 
 fond parents were left desolate and grief-stricken in the gloom of 
 the storm, as they never could call l)ack their loved ones. (The 
 Coyote we call Say-yap.) As they laid the little bodies in their 
 graves of snow, Mr. Coyote grew desperate over his great loss, 
 and determined to seek revenge against the Sun. The Sun he 
 argued, heartlessly murdered his children, because it had refused 
 to shine and give them warmth, so he started out at once upon 
 one of the longest journeys ever made by any living animal. He 
 chased the Sun over mountains, hills, through canyons, across 
 vast plains and valleys, and past rivers and lakes, until he at last 
 came to the ocean. Here he lost it, for it sank into the waves 
 with a mocking laugh and left him standing alone upon the shores 
 of darkness. Darkness closed around him with its mighty arms 
 and he stood there on the shores of the restless ocean for several 
 minutes in utter despair. Weary in body and limbs, and sad at 
 heart for his great loss, the truth flashed upon him that he could 
 never in this world get his revenge, as the being of his wrath 
 was swift in its flight through space. Thus on the shore he 
 stood, when he suddenly turned his back on the west with a kick 
 of contempt in that direction, where the Sun (his great enemy) 
 had sank. In silence he gazed towards the east and then away 
 towards the northern horizon, and there in the far north he saw 
 a more pleasing scene where he buried his great burden of sorrow. 
 While he still stood there gazing he saw the seven stars winking 
 down through the heavens at him, and they kept winking for 
 him to join them. Suddenly he felt himself rising from the earth 
 as if he had been transformed into an Angel with wings, and he 
 rose far away to the Kingdom of Heaven. Up he soared, ever up, 
 until he was at last flying among the seven stars and when he 
 reached them, he began to dance and sing, as they were all girls 
 and also sisters. They ask him not to keep on singing as they 
 said he did not know how to sing properly and said they would 
 teach him how to sing, so he could join them in some of their 
 songs. So he became flattered to think that the sisters were tak- 
 ing so much interest in him and he became very vain at once, 
 as some narrow minded people do, when they become associated 
 with a superior circle. He was rather enthusiastic now, to think 
 what a good escape he had made from the cruel earth to a 
 beautiful abode in Heaven. He flattered himself so much in his 
 
198 FAIRY TALES 
 
 wild enthu.siiisiii that he thought himself very wi.se, and he would 
 display some of his talent hefore the sisters. As they offered to 
 teach him he replied to them. "I can sing l)e;uitifully: I used to 
 sing for my wife and children down on the earth, they always 
 said my voice was good and I l)elieve I know a good ileal about 
 singing, and do not need any training. So ne-^er mind girls 
 about teaching me for my voice is just splendid and I can sing 
 perfectly." The sisters looked at each other and f(>lt very disap- 
 pointed to think that the Coyote persisted in knowing all about 
 the fine arts, when he practically did not know the first step. 
 After some persuasion they decided they would never be able to 
 teach him any of the fine arts of singing, for the stars of Heaven 
 were much different from those on earth. They reasoned too, 
 that perhaps he was out of his natural mind, after traveling so 
 many millions of miles through space. The sisters replied as 
 good naturedly as thej^ could: "very well kind sir, we are deeply 
 grieved to find that by our Ijillion of years of experience and 
 knowledge we are not able to teach you anything, and you may 
 proceed as you like." The Coyote began to dance and sing again 
 among his friends until he grew very tired and when he could 
 no longer sing and dance he began to talk to them in a broken 
 tone. His head grew dizzy as his mind wandered from the songs 
 and drifted into thought about himself. He kept repeating the 
 words as he danced until he lost his pipe, tobacco pouch, belt 
 and deer skin trousers, which caused the sisters to smile and wink 
 among themselves. They tried to persuade him not to talk so 
 much but he kept right on and would not heed them. They 
 became very weary and bored over this stupid nonsence ami the 
 elder sister said they would join him in his revelry. One on each 
 side of him took his hand in their's, formed one large circle and 
 began to dance and sing around him. They dragged him faster 
 and faster until they whirled him as fast as they could go. His 
 poor head was in a dizzy whirl and he began to fear for his safety, 
 not knowing when they would let him rest, as it seemed they had 
 been whirling him for centuries. They might go on whirling him 
 for a thousand years, and he felt so famished and weak that he 
 could not endure this treatment nmch longer. "Ouch!" he ex- 
 claimed in a terrible voice, "I say girls I cannot glide your fast 
 whirls any longer, I am afraid I will fall down in a heap and 
 die, or else my bones fly to pieces." So you shall fall in a heap 
 
FAIRY TALES 199 
 
 Mr. Coyote," exclaimed the girls in a loud chorus, "down with you 
 to the earth from whence you came, as you are not a bright 
 pupil here in heaven. Up here you must be very brilliant and 
 you have always been stupid enough to think that you knew it 
 all. We are weary of your revelry, so farewell, we wish you 
 many happy days down on the earth and again we say farewell," 
 and they pushed him down from his place in Heaven. He fell so 
 rapidly through space that he found it impossible to keep him- 
 self together and the bones of his body fell to pieces and went 
 flying and whizzing in each direction, but some how they managed 
 to fall in a heap at Ca-neck, which is a very ancient village and 
 the most famous among my people for stories, as so many wonderful 
 tales begin there. The Coyotes bones laid bleaching in the sun 
 for a short time near this village when a heavy rain storm caused 
 the river to overflow its banks. The rising waters of the river 
 took the Coyote's bones and carried them down to the mouth of 
 the river at Reck-woy where they were washed upon the sand 
 beach. After being planted there in the sand for several days, 
 a slender shoot sprang up and unfurled its green foliage above 
 the sand. In time this slender shoot grew into a tall alder tree 
 and the Coyote and his bones were now transformed into a tree. 
 One day an old woman with her wood basket on her back and 
 a stone hatchet in her hand came along the beach looking for 
 some wood. She took a great fancy to this alder tree as she 
 thought it would make good wood for the fire, it was just the 
 kind of a tree she had been looking for, for some time, and was 
 pleased upon finding it. So she began to chop it and to her great 
 surprise the tree sprang from the earth and vanished in a flash 
 and then took up the shape of a Coyote which stood before her. 
 "Ouch!" he yelled in a loud voice, "go away, old woman, how 
 dare you cut me to pieces like that?" The old woman became 
 more frightened than ever, as she dropped her hatchet and ran 
 for her life back to the village. She could not find any reason 
 for such a strange encounter and came to the conclusion that it 
 was some of the Indian devils trying to frighten her. The 
 Coyote, to his great relief, was once more in his own natural body 
 and he set out to travel upon the earth again. He ventured to 
 the rabbits as he had a desire to visit them. Upon reaching the 
 rabbit's home he found Mrs, Rabbit away and only her small 
 children there, upon entering the house he asked the children to 
 
200 FAIRY TALKS 
 
 give him something to tvit as he was \i'ry hinitiiy, not having 
 had anything to eat for a long time. The cliihh'cMi were too young 
 to undei'stand what he was saying and all of them became 
 frightened and ran out of the h;>ase. When they were all safely 
 outside they set fire to the house in hopes of burning the Coyote 
 to death, and he was busy inside, going through the shelves look- 
 ing for something to eat. But as fortune favored him this time 
 he heard the flames crackling in time to make his escape from a 
 dreadful death. After his narrow escape he decided to go and 
 stay with his grandmother at Weitchpec and he journeyed slowly 
 up the river until he reached her home. As soon as he arrived 
 there he had a long story to tell her, he said he was almost dead 
 from hunger, as he had been on a long journey without an}' food 
 and asked her to cook the best she could afTord as he needed it to 
 build up his strength again, and he also informed her that many 
 of his cousins were coming to visit her. He explained to her 
 that he had left them a few miles down the river to camp for 
 the night and they had sent him ahead to tell her they were 
 coming and for his grandmother to prepare a feast and be ready 
 for them. She told him there was nothing to eat except Tur-perks, 
 which are blighted acorns that fall to the ground and are worm 
 eaten, that she was sorry for her guests but it was the best she 
 could do. She at once set about cooking great basket-fulls of 
 the tur-perks, as she never doubted but what her grandson was 
 telling the truth. When these were cooked she placed the baskets 
 on the table before the Coyote, never doubting but what he 
 would leave plenty for his cousins to eat. She never dreamed 
 that one small being could eat so much at one time, and was 
 greatly disappointed and humiliated when she found that he had 
 eaten all the acorns, even licking the baskets clean and dry. As 
 he finished this large meal he heaved a sigh of relief, as it was 
 the first meal he had eaten for over a hundred years, just how 
 long ago he first left the earth to go to Heaven he could not 
 remember. His cousins were not coming, he just wished to de- 
 ceive his grandmother, that she might cook a great quantity so 
 he could feast by himself. He deceived her for the first time 
 very cleverly as she did not doubt the stor}' of his cousins coming. 
 After this meal the Coyote called to her and said, "I am going to 
 fish tonight and if my luck is good oui- baskets will be filled by 
 day-break, now my dear you may cook tonight another large 
 
FAIRY TALES 201 
 
 ■xiuantity of tur-pecks and tomorrow I will hcli) you prepare the 
 fish for cooking as I think my cousins will arrive at sunset. His 
 grandmother still believed his story to be true but she was very 
 tired and after he had gone to fish she decided to go to bed, 
 thinking she would have plenty of time on the morrow to cook 
 the tur-perks for the cousins, as they were not coming until even- 
 ing of the next day. When the Coyote reached the bank of the 
 river he did not even pretend to fish but jumped from boulder 
 to boulder and bruised his head and face as much as he could. 
 Some time in the night he returned and repeated to her a pitiful 
 tale of how some one had attacked him and given him a severe 
 beating- of how some of the other people would not allow him to 
 fish, etc. She listened patiently to his tale of woe and realized 
 for the first time that he was telling her falsehoods. After he 
 had finished his story she became very angry and gave him a 
 ■severe scolding for being so deceitful. The Coyote did not stay 
 with her very long as he wearied and annoyed her so much she 
 planned to get rid of him. One day she hired a young man to 
 take him across the river to the village of Peck-toolth where she 
 instructed him to camp for the night. That night after dark the 
 young man asked the Coyote to sleep at his feet, which the 
 Coyote gladly did as he was somewhat tired from tramping 
 through the woods that day and he was soon fast asleep. Then 
 the young man quietly left the bed and rolled a log in the place 
 he had been lying in. He did this to deceive the Coyote when 
 he awoke, as he would most likely see the log and think he was 
 still sleeping there, then he hurried away and left him asleep and 
 alone at Peck-toolth. The Coyote woke up during the night and 
 looked about him and soon discovered the log and that the young 
 man had left him alone. He jumped to his feet hastily and ran 
 down to the banks of the river, and when he arrived there he 
 saw the young man standing on a high rock on the opposite side 
 of the river, he yelled until he was hoarse for him to come over 
 in his canoe and take him across to his grandmothers. The 
 young man refused to help him which made him very angry and 
 he called him all the names he could think of and begged him in 
 a pleading manner, but of no avail. At length the Coyote be- 
 came so enraged that he yelled at the top of his voice that he 
 would murder him if he ever reached him and he seized a sharp 
 stone and ran up and down the river for a long time, swearing 
 
202 FAIRY TALES 
 
 as fast as he could utter his woi'ds. The man stood still on the 
 rock with a mocking smile on his face and watched the frantic 
 efforts of the Coyote, when he thought he was getting pretty 
 tired the young man called out tO' him to swim across the river, 
 he dared him and said it was easy to swim across. The Coyote 
 at once took up the dare and plunged into the river and began 
 to swim with all his nn'ght as he was compelled to swim against 
 the current. He was almost successful in getting across when the 
 young man shouted to him to look back across the river as there 
 was something coming down the bank. The Coyote was foolish 
 enough to look back over his shoulder, and as he did so the 
 strong current swejit him back on the same side he started from. 
 He immediately made another despei'ate attempt to swim the 
 river. He swam and swam, fighting against the strong current 
 until he became exhausted and it was impossilile for him to swim 
 any longer. Realizing he would soon drown he called again and 
 again to the young man to rescue him a boat, but the other 
 stood immovable on the rock and calmly replied, 'T cannot help 
 you for your last day on earth has ended." The Coyote, crying, 
 the mournful wail of death, sank into the waters of the liver to 
 rise no more' 
 
 A BEAR STORY. 
 
 Many years ago the Indians were warring among them- 
 selves at the village of Hoj)-])a\v, near the mouth of the river. 
 A ])ortion of them whipped the others and those who were 
 defeated in the battle mcn-ed awiiy from there and went back in 
 the mountains to live, while the victorious warriors also left the 
 village for a few day's stay at a place known as Si-alth. 
 
 While tlie Indians were all away, a bear strayed into the 
 village and went into one of the Indian houses where he 
 discovered a very large basket filled with beautiful Indian 
 dresses and strings of Indian money and other Indian ornaments. 
 He was very happy when he discovered this basket and began 
 to take the things out and look them over carefully. As he 
 
FAIKY TALES 203 
 
 ■came to the dresses he would try each one on and then dance, 
 but he could not seem to find one that suited his idea of 
 fashion. He kept on throwing the dresses aside as he pulled 
 them off. He wanted one that rattled as he danced. At last 
 he found the one he wanted, for when he put it on and danced 
 the shells began to rattle, as there wer€ a great many on the 
 ■dress. As he danced, to his great delight, the shells rang like 
 music in his ears, and well satisfied vnth the dress he pulled it 
 off and put it back in the basket with all the other articles. 
 After he had finished storing them away in the basket he began 
 to tear up the earthen floor, and scatter things all over the 
 house. After doing all the damage he could he shouldered the 
 large basket and started for the woods, and traveled some 
 distance to a large hollow redwood tree. He decided to stop 
 here and put on the dress with many shells and put it on, and 
 began to dance and sing, having a glorious time all by himself, 
 as he had no comrades to join him in the fun. This is the song 
 he sang while he danced: Ho-wen-ah-a, ho-wen-ah-a, nah-hay, 
 nah-hay. After he had danced for some time, he became so 
 tired that he could no longer sing. The dress began to weigh so 
 heavily upon him that he became exhaustad but he managed to 
 keep on dancing, he loved to hear the music of the shells as he 
 danced about. 
 
 After visiting for several days at Si-alth the Indians 
 returned to their homes at Hop-pow. When they reached the 
 village they discovered that everything had been turned topsy- 
 turvey in one of the houses, and that the large basket of Indian 
 dresses were missing. They at once suggested that some of their 
 enemies had returned while they were away and stolen the 
 things, and they all followed in hot pursuit to recover the 
 stolen articles. But they could find no trace of them, and in 
 despair gave up the chase. Some of them made a closer in- 
 spection of the house and this time they were sure they saw 
 bear tracks in the soft ground. The Indians now followed the 
 bear tracks closely, which led them to the large redwood tree, 
 and as they approched it they could eee that it was hollow and 
 had a large roomy place inside, and glancing in they saw the 
 bear dancing, dressed in one of the dresses. One of the smaller 
 boys became tired watching the bear and asked if he might go 
 up near the tree and the older Indians decided to let him go 
 
204 FAIRY TALES 
 
 and asked hiin t(j try to s^i't the dresses away from the bear.. 
 The boy agreed, and went up until he was afraid to go nearer. 
 The bear's attention v/as now attracted to the boy, and he saw 
 at once tliat the Inflians had discovercnl liis hiding place, and 
 stopped dancing and left the tree, carrying with him the Indian 
 dresses, determined to take them to his own home, which was 
 in a tree top near by. This tree was hollow up its trunk and 
 in the top of this hollow the bear made his home. He tugged 
 with all his might at the huge l)asket but it was so l;u'ge he- 
 could not pull it through the hollow to his nest, and when he- 
 saw that he could not pull it through ic made him mad and he 
 tried to dig th(^ t'/ee up l)y the roots. Ke dug so rapidly that 
 he soon found lie had dug a cave under the tree, and being fa- 
 tigued from his strenuous efforts he siezed the basket and pull- 
 ed it after him into the cave. (3nce in there he thought him- 
 self secure from the Indians. As the liear disappeared into the 
 cave with, the basket, all the Indians ventured up no ir the tree 
 they began talking as to what they would do, being very an.dous 
 to recover the things as it meant a great loss of i-iches if they 
 could not recover them again. Th(\v fiinally agreed they would 
 kindle a fire at the mouth of the cave and smoke the bear out 
 of his den, so they gathei'ed up a large ])ile of wood and dry 
 branches and made a fire. The Indians lined up ready for him 
 when he came out. The owner of the articles was an old man. 
 and he took his |)lace near the cave, with his bow drawn, ready 
 to shoot the bear, but his arrow did not wound the bear fatally 
 and the bear seized him and ciusIumI him to death. The enrag- 
 ed bear then turned upon the other Indians, but at last he sank 
 to the ground riddled with arrows. They recovered the l)asket 
 of dre.sses and returned home in a mournful procession, for one 
 of their members had d(>parted to the spirit land. Th(> bear 
 in his wild revc^lry had also lost his life. 
 
 THE WOOIXC; OF R()F,IX RED-BREAST. 
 
 Long centm-ies ago befoi'c the world was inhabited by very 
 many jx'ople. Robin Red-breast liv(Ml as a handsome young man 
 by himself in a magnificent mansion on the Klamath Rivei'. This 
 skeptical young man always laughed mockingly at the suggestion 
 of niatiimony. as he wa.- vei'v I'ich and kept many servants al)Out. 
 
FAIRY TALES 205 
 
 In fact he kept a servant for each room of his splendid mansion. 
 
 He would often go by himself on moonlight strolls by the 
 river or walk in the sunrise in early morning through the woods. 
 The young maidens would catch a ghmpes of him as he passed 
 their windows, or as they peeked from out the bushes at him, 
 admiring all the charms of his physical manhood. But proud 
 young Red-breast would walk haughtily by them whenever he 
 chanced to meet them and positively refused to accept any of 
 their attentions that they were so eager to bestow upon him. 
 Every maiden that chanced to catch a glimpse of him imagined 
 herself in love with him, and her lonely heart would invariably 
 yearn for his love that he might make her happy. 
 
 The laws of olden times were very different from the laws 
 of today. It was the rule then that when a young maid fell in 
 love v^-ith a youth, it was her place to go and call on him first 
 at his home, also to propose matrimony, unless the young man 
 preferred to do so himself, then it was proper that he should. 
 This was true in the case of Red-breast, as in the days of yore, 
 when a young man returned a woman's affections he would accept 
 her love and make her his wife. And if he did not return her 
 affections he would refuse to consider her proposal of marriage. 
 
 Many young ladies oalled each day at Red-breast's home, 
 seeking the loving devotion that he might bestow upon them. 
 He always kept a door usher to announce the arrival of any 
 young lady that would call to seek his acquaintance, and desire 
 to unite her fortune ^vith his. The later was usually her purpose 
 in view wishing a private interview. Red-breast gave strict orders 
 to the usher not to admit any young lady that might call inside 
 the door of his mansion, and besides he could never show her 
 into his presence without consulting him first. When the usher 
 would announce to Red-breast that a young lady was at the 
 door to wishing to interview him. Red-breast would always ask 
 the kind and color of her dress, if the usher replied that she 
 wore a suit of teach-ah-me-tah, he was told to send her away as 
 he did not wish to see her. 
 
 One by one the girls came to the mansion in hopes of se- 
 curing an interview, but to their great disappointment they were 
 all turned away from the door. One can imagine how many 
 poor broken hearts followed each other as they had been dismissed 
 from the door of love to go forth into the lonely world to weep. 
 
206 FAIRY TALES 
 
 Some of these <i;iils were fooli.sh enougii to shut themselves in 
 dark cells, that they might never be seen by the man who ruined 
 their hopes of a happy wedded life. Other compassionate souls 
 threw themselves into the sea, that their early sorrows and 
 disappointments might be ended forever. Poor deluded girls, if 
 the}' had only known how little Red-breast cared for their miseries 
 and how he mocked them in his mansion they would never even 
 have considered him as worthy of notice. However, m:iny of the 
 girls were not so foolish as to destroy all their future happiness 
 but forgot the mocking Red-breast and sought other lovers whom 
 they married and were very happy. 
 
 It had now come to pass that all the girls in the world 
 had called at the mansion of Red-breast for the purpose of wooing 
 him for a husband, except one. All these girls had agreed among 
 themselves that each take their turn in calling upon Red-breast 
 until he selected one of them for his wife. Now all the girls in 
 the world had called with exception of one, and all the other girls 
 were restless and wondering what her fate would be. She was a 
 sweet young thing with cheeks as red as cherries, eyes that sparkled 
 like dew-drops and hair that hung in ringlets. It was an ideal 
 Autumn morning when this maid called at Red-breast's mansion, 
 the madrone berries were ripe and hung in crimson clusters from 
 the branches of the tree, filling the atmosphere with a dewy scent 
 of sweetness. Heaven and earth seemed blending together and 
 then fading away into the melancholy shadows of Autumn. Such 
 was the appearance of the surrounding world when this shy sweet 
 maiden came tripping lightly up the long wooded avenues to the 
 door of Red-breast's mansion with her heart all a flutter. The 
 usher greeted her with a pleasant "good morning," as her ap- 
 pearance was very stunning, and he bade her wait at the door 
 until he returned with his message from his master. Upon announcing 
 her arrival the haughty Red-breast said, "ah! I don't care the 
 snap of my fingers for the prettiest and sweetest maiden that ever 
 walked the earth, it is not for her love and comj)anionship that I 
 cai-e, but for what slu; might weai', her beautiful gown if it is 
 made of the right material is all I want. I say again that they 
 are all foolish young things to seek my love, for I iiave none to 
 waste upon them, it is all concentrated ujion myself and no one 
 else." Then he asked the usher the same (lucstion, as to what 
 kind of a dress she wore. For the first time the usher replied 
 
FAIRY TALES 207 
 
 that she did not wcvir a dress of the teach-ah-iiie tah hke all the 
 other girls had worn, but she wore a gown of pretty red, bedewed 
 with clustering ornaments of its same gorgeous hues. My! ex- 
 claimed Red-breast, you can show her in at once, and he 
 jumped to his feet in delight, his eyes sparkling with false pride. 
 Go tell her quick that she is the only girl that ever had the 
 honor to be admitted into my pr(>sence. Now I will woo her 
 with all my heart and flatter her very soul away for the purpose, 
 but not for my wife you know. You know what I am, so mind 
 you don't put her wise. Poor little girl, poor little foolish girl, 
 it is a shame to treat her so cruel but I cannot help it when 
 she wears such a tempting gown of red, red at last, my favoi'ite 
 color, and that color I am going to have. 
 
 A minute later a sweet shy maid of scarce three seasons 
 old was ushered into his halls and the magnificent apartments in 
 which she stood before Red-breast. Her heart had cea^^ed to beat 
 for a few moments as he rose and greeted her in an elegant 
 manner. He was far handsomer than she ever dreamed a man 
 could be, and for the first time in her life she fancied that she 
 was deeply in love. Breathlessly she recollected the stories of 
 the other girls that had been before her, and now she could hardly 
 blame them for their mad actions of self-destruction over such a 
 striking personality. Red-breast received the maiden with a 
 hearty welcome of flatteiy as he cHsmissed the usher from the 
 apartment, that they m^ight be alone to plan out the future. 
 Gallantly he knelt at the fair maiden's feet and poured out to 
 her full measures of his love, in his elegant and commanding 
 language he pictured in her mind how he had turned away so 
 many other girls from his door who had come to seek him as 
 their lover. How he had done because he could never love and 
 knew that some day he would find his only true love which he 
 behaved to be her, as he had never felt the emotion of love until 
 he first gazed into her bright eyes. His sweet voice sounded in 
 her ears so soft and the touch of his fingers was as magical as 
 Heaven it's self. Her cheeks blushed redder than ever as she 
 listened to his tender words of devotion. She shyly whispered, "yes" 
 as he rose and pressed her against his breast, and they planned 
 together for the marriage vows. They both agreed they would 
 exchange the wedding vows on the following morning, then he 
 held her by the hand and showed her into a nice room where 
 
208 FAIRY TALES 
 
 he said she could spend the night in peaceful dreams, and then 
 he took his h^ave, leaving her alone in her room, and he told her 
 that this room would always be her own private room, where 
 she could retreat and find solace in being alone. Once alone she 
 sat still for a long time, dreaming of the blissful future she would 
 enjoy with a husband that so many had tried to woo but could 
 never win because he loved her only. 
 
 Night came with its shadows and sh(> found herself very 
 tired as her poor brain had been kept in a constant whirl since 
 meeting Red-breast. Wearily she took off her beautiful gown 
 and laid it carefully on a chair beside her bed and then hid her 
 face under the silken covers. Soon in slumberland she did not 
 waken until morning and the sun was already high in the sky. 
 The gown she wore was the beautiful spangles of the madrone 
 berries that blushed in their tint of the deepest vermillion red. 
 While the maiden was sleeping Red-breast stole softly into the 
 room and devoured the beautiful gown and all that night he 
 feasted upon the berries and ornaments of the gown . As he gulped 
 down the last berry he crept softly to the side of the sleeping 
 beauty and gazed a farewell look upon her innocent face. He 
 then changed his mansion into a dreary isle of Autumn dampness 
 and flew away as a bird. Henceforth Red-breast never again 
 appeared on earth as a man, but has ever since been on earth 
 as a bird. 
 
 Sad was the maiden that woke up that morning to find 
 only a terrible disappointment awaiting her. She found in her 
 heart no solace, but grief, bitter grief that had no compassion 
 upon her bitter soul. Looking about her in her lonhness she saw 
 that Red-breast had deceived her, and that he had selfishly eaten 
 her pretty gown, all that she could find of it was the ugly strips 
 that had held the oi'naments in their place, and lo, this maiden 
 so young and fair, and once so beautiful, fled down the damp 
 aisles weeping for the chill of winter was upon her and had left 
 hei' desolate, without her cl(»thiiig. 
 
 The moral of this story is that young women should have 
 a care in pursuing handsome young men, lest they be deceived 
 and left in desolation. 
 
FAIRY TALES 209 
 
 DR. BEAR AND MRS. SKUNK. 
 
 Once upon a time a father and mother skunk (wah-chelth) 
 were rearing a family of two children and there was no food for 
 them to eat. The old folks were in great distress about what to 
 do as they were all starving. The mother was very anxious for 
 her family, and one day she happened to think of a good plan 
 to secure something to eat. So she announced to her family 
 that she would play sick and have the bear (chee-ur-ra) come 
 and doctor her. Her husband and children wei'e delighted with 
 her plan and Mrs. Skunk warned her children to keep very quiet 
 when Mr. Bear came to doctor her, so she went to bed, feigning 
 to be very ill while Mr. Skunk went after Dr. Bear and found 
 him at home. The Doctor accompanied Mr. Skunk at once to 
 the bedside of his wife and walking into the room began asking 
 Mrs. Skunk about her illness and she replied in a very weak 
 voice, pretending to feel very miserable and asked her children to 
 go to one side of the room and be very quiet as she wanted Dr. 
 Bear to examine her. The children went to one side of the room 
 at once as they had been cautioned by their mother to keep very 
 still, as she was going to throw musk in the Bear's face and 
 ])lind him. The Bear began to get things ready to doctor Mrs. 
 Skunk and as he was about ready to examine her the children 
 became very anxious and restless, and began whispering to each 
 other and indulging in a big tete-a-tete, about what a large dinner 
 they were going to have when their mother killed the Bear. They 
 kept whispering so much that the Bear became suspicious of their 
 actions and listened closely and his sharp ears caught a few words 
 of their conversation about what their mother was going to do. 
 He began moving towards the door to make his exit, when the 
 mother Skunk saw that he was about ready to get away and 
 threw the musk with all her might at the Bears face but it 
 missed his eyes and he escaped safely. Mrs. Skunk became very 
 angry with her children who had spoiled her plans, by being over 
 anxious and whispering too much. Instead of getting the bear 
 meat as they had anticipated, they both received a good sound 
 thrashing from their mother which taught them a lesson for the 
 future. 
 
210 ' FAIRY TALES 
 
 HOW THE ANIMALS CONQUERED THE MOON. 
 
 Many years ago there was a total eclipse of the moon 
 which lasted for several days and nights. The night continued 
 so dark that the people and animals were not able to see to go 
 al)Out, so all the animals of the animal kingdom held a council 
 and decided to devour the moon, as it had become a useless 
 planet and would not give them light at night. The animals 
 journeyed from the earth up to the moon and began a fierce 
 battle to conquer and devour it and after a long struggle the 
 moon lost its balance in the heavens and fell earthward. It struck 
 the earth at Ca-neck on the Klamath River where the waters 
 whirl and rush into fearful rapids. At the lower terminations of 
 these rapids where there is a large round depression in the land, 
 on the south and west side of the river, is the place where the 
 moon is supposed to have struck the earth when the animals 
 threw it down from the heavens. While the animals and snakes 
 were wrestling with the moon at Ca-neck it was then the frog 
 stepped forth and objected, saying that they should not devour 
 the moon completely, as they would need it to light the world at 
 night in the future. Listening to the frog's wise council they all 
 agreed to allow him to restore the moon to its proper place. So 
 the frog l)egan at once to gather all the blood of the moon and 
 fuse it together with its other remnants, and when he had com- 
 pleted the task all the reptiles and animals rendered their assistance 
 in trying to throw the moon back into the heavens so it would 
 shine again. The great multitude of animals became exhausted 
 in their mighty efforts as they could not even move it from its 
 resting place on earth. They were all so tired that they were 
 ai)out ready to give it up in despair, when the little ant (hah-pooth) 
 came forward and suggested that he was able to do it. The 
 multitude roared with laughter at the ant and taunted him with 
 jeers, saying: "you little hah-pooth, what can a little insignificant 
 thing like you do with the great big moon?" However, the little 
 ant saw the opportunity to show his power of great strength, even 
 
FAIRY TALES 211 
 
 if he was little and lushed in anujng the crowd and made his 
 way right under the moon, the moon began at once to raise from 
 the earth, and with one mighty effort the little hah-pooth threw 
 the moon back into the heavens where it has ever since remained. 
 The Klamath Indians always remark when the moon is 
 full, that the dark place on its face (known to the white man as 
 the "man in the moon") is the frog in the moon. Whenever 
 there is an eclipse of the moon in is said that a huge frog is 
 trying to swallow the moon. 
 
 THE ACORN. 
 
 Many years ago several families were out camping in the 
 Fall, in the last part of Octol)er or November gathering acorns 
 for food. (When the families get all fixed up in there acorn 
 camps all go forth to pick the acorns each day as they drop from 
 the tree, using the large baskets to put them in and carry to 
 ciimp, in the evening when all have gathered at the camp house 
 anfl the evening meal is over, all the family men, women and 
 children take their places and commence taking the hulls off so 
 as to get the meat or kernel out. This is done by the teeth and 
 it is wondei'ful how expert we become at it, and it is seldom a 
 kernef is mashed or bruised. These kernels are nearly always in 
 halves, sometimes in three pieces and once in a great while there 
 will be four pieces, and to find one that is divided into four 
 pieces just as it grew in the shell is not a common occurance. 
 There is on the inside of the outer shell a very thin skin that 
 covers the kernel or meat of the acorn.) There was a young 
 Indian girl out with her basket picking acorns, and as she went 
 along with her basket picking up acorns she would as often as 
 she could, place some in her mouth and crack the hull and take 
 the kernel out and put it in the basket with the ones that were 
 not hulled. As she was going along she happened to open one 
 where the kernel was in four parts which at once became very 
 amusing to her, so she set her basket down and on taking a look 
 at it she took the outer hull off and made a neat little cratUe 
 out of it, then she took the inner skin part and made a nice set 
 of baby clothes, after she did this she took the whole of the 
 kernel and covered with the clothes and placed it in the cradle 
 
212 FAIKY TALES 
 
 that she had made of tlie hull. After all was finished she looked 
 at it and then put in the hollow of an oak tree and went on 
 picking her acorns until time to ^o hack to the camp house. 
 When it came time for them all to return to tlieir homes she had 
 forgotten what she had done. One day while she was preparing 
 some acorn flour she heard a noise behind her. some one saying 
 mother, mother, and on looking behind her she beheld a little boy 
 and as soon as she saw him she knew that he was formed from 
 the acorn that she had fixed and left in the hollow oak tree. She 
 raised the Sa-quan or pestle in her hand and tried to catch the 
 boy but he ran from her and she followed after him and the race 
 k(>pt up until the l)oy got to the edge of the ocean, where there 
 was a man in a boat, so the l)oy jumped into the boat, the man 
 pushed the boat off and together they started out to sea, and 
 had got Well out when the girl arrived at the sea shore, she hurled 
 the stone pestle at them and it fell into the sea and the top of 
 it stuck up and is there to this day. 
 
 Any Indian will tell his white brother this stoiy as a true 
 part to their religion, as calmly and seriously as if it was the 
 truth and perhaps some of the lower class really believe it, yet 
 it is onh' a fairy tale. 
 
 This is the rock that sits out in the ocean some eight or 
 ten miles from the land, at the present time from Orick or the 
 mouth of Redwood Creek. This rock the white man calls 
 Redding Rock, the Klamath Indians call it Sa-cjuan-ow. The 
 true facts concerning this rock are told in a preceeding chapter. 
 
 THE BLUE JAY. 
 
 There was an old mother deer making mush for her family's 
 l)reakfast one morning and while she was cooking it she broke 
 her leg and siie then allowed the marrow from the l)one to run 
 into the mush as she stirred it. This made the mush very 
 palatable and oily. The Blue Jay who happened along at the 
 time, watched the deer cooking the mush and saw her break her 
 leg and mix the marrow fat with the nnish and when the mush 
 was cooked the Blue Jay tasted it and found it very delicious. 
 That day when the Blue Jay went home she decided she would 
 make her acorn mush in the same way, so after fixing her mush 
 she broke her leg to get the marrow which she stirred into the 
 
FAIRY TALES 218 
 
 iiiush, but to lier ii,iviii disappointment the substance she took 
 from her leg was not oil l)ut blood and when she saw how bloody 
 it made her mush and which spoiled it, she became very mad 
 for being so simple, so she at once turned upon herself and plucked 
 out all her tail feather and stuck them in the top of her head 
 and ever after the Blue Jay has worn a top-knot of feathers on 
 the head. 
 
 THE MOURNFUL COO OF THE DOVE. 
 
 The Dove (Ah-row-wee) since the deluge of the world 
 has been considered by the Klamath Indians as the sacred bird. 
 They carry the symbol of the dove in their ceremonial worship 
 in the sacred lodge, and worship the bird as divine. Around this 
 little bird is woven a pathetic tale of why he coos so much and 
 always seems so sorrowiul. 
 
 Long, ago a family of doves made their home and nesting 
 place on a level bench of land, about half a mile up from the 
 Pec-wan village on the north-east side. On this bench-like piece 
 of land on the hill side stood a very large live oak tree and close 
 by the vicinity of this tree is a small spring of water which 
 gushes forth, the rest of the flat being covered with grasses. In 
 a little sheltered cove of this flat the Doves would make their 
 nests and rear their families. When the baby doves grew strong 
 and large enough to fly they would all fly up into the Hve oak 
 tree. There they would hide among the branches when danger 
 was near and all the families would roost among the branches of 
 the trees every night. At this time there was a handsome young 
 male Dove who announced his intentions of taking a trip up the 
 river to Weitchpec, and while visiting among friends went with 
 shiftless companions who taught him how to play Indian cards, 
 which are made of small sticks and called pair-cauk, and the 
 game wah-choo The game became so fascinating that he spent 
 the remainder of his time gambling and did not realize that he 
 had left a sick grandmother at home and that she wished him 
 to come back home at once. He was so deeply interested in the 
 game that he did not take any heed of the message and continued 
 to play cards. Later he received a message that his Grandmother 
 was dead, but in the revelry of the game it seemed to him but 
 
214 FAIRY TALE.S 
 
 folly and played on, not heeding the word.^ of the messenger who 
 kept repeating the words that his grandmother was dead until 
 he succeeded in diverting the attention of the youthful gambler. 
 The young gaml)ler looked up sadly from his cards and said, "I 
 will now shuffle the cards again and again, yes, shuffle them 
 again and again. My grandmother is dead, and to let the world 
 know that I mourn her loss deeply, I will coo among the lone- 
 some bushes the mournful coo of a l^roken heart, the piteous coo 
 of a grief that knows no ending while I live." 
 
 The l)eautiful moral of this story is to teach and imi)ress 
 upon the minds of the children that they should not drift into 
 shiftless ways, neglecting to respect and cherish their grandmothers 
 and to love them as dearly as their own mothei-s and even more 
 in respect to old age. Indian mothers repeat the stoi-y to their 
 children and mourn as the doves, by repeating the words: Wee- 
 poo-poo, wee-poo-poo-j)oo-poo, whee-whee-whee-poo-poo. Thus ill- 
 ustrating that they might become very sad and mournful l)y not 
 being kind and thoughtful to the aged, and making theii- sunset 
 years bright and cheerful. 
 
 I could give enough of these Fairy Stories to make a book. 
 All classes of my people, can on meeting his white biother sit 
 down and tell him these Fairy tales, as a part of our religion, 
 with a twinkle in his eye, and let him pass on. Some of our 
 fairy stories are partly founded on truth and then carried oft' 
 into an imaginary sense, so as to make them long. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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