Aw-aw-tam Indian nights ; being the myths and legends of the Pimas of Arizona

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Aw-aw-tam
Indian
Nights

by

J. William Lloyd

LIBRARY

OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.

Class

ERRATA

in this book of Pima legends, various errors with regard to Indian words have
occurred which will be corrected in a second edition. These are principally as follows:

The rule was made that all Indian words should be printed the firs! time in italics,
with hyphens to facilitate pronunciation; afterwards in roman type, without hyphens.
This rule has many times been violated.

There is a lack of uniformity in the spelling, etc., of many of the Indian terms.
Thus the name of the old seeneeyawkum has been spelled in different ways, but should
always be Comalk Hawkkih. The name of the Creator should always be Juwerta
Mahkai. The name of his subordinate should be Eeheetoy. Gee-ee-sop should be
Geeheesop. Cheof should be Cheoff. Vah-kee-woldt-kee, as on page 8, should be
Vahf-kee-woldt-kih as on page 1 12. Sah-kote-kee, on page 183, should be Sah-kote-kih,
and Chirt-kee should be Chirt-kih. On page 224, vahs-shroms should be vahs-hroms.
Tcheuassat Seeven (page 237) should be Tcheunassat Seeven. Stchenadack Seeven
(page 238) should be Stcheuadack Seeven. Scheunassat Seeven, on page 239, should
be Tcheunassat Seeven. In the story of the Turquoises and the Red Bird (page 99)
the name of the chief who lived in the Casa Grande ruins should have been spelled
with a u, instead of a w, to secure uniformity; also the Indian name of the turquoises.
The name of the Salt River Mountain, wherever it occurs, should always be
Moehahdheck.

LIBRARY

OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.

Class

ERRATA

In this book of Pima legends, various errors with regard to Indian words have
occurred which will be corrected in a second edition. These are principally as follows:

The rule was made that all Indian words should be printed the firrfl time in italics,
with hyphens to facilitate pronunciation; afterwards in roman type, without hyphens.
This rule has many times been violated.

There is a lack of uniformity in the spelling, etc., of many of the Indian terms.
Thus the name of the old seeneeyawkum has been spelled in different ways, but should
always be Comalk Hawkkih. The name of the Creator should always be Juwerta
Mahkai. The name of his subordinate should be Eeheetoy. Gee-ee-sop should be
Geeheesop. Cheof should be Cheoff . Vah-kee-woldt-kee, as on page 8, should be
Vahf-kee-woldt-kih as on page 112. Sah-kote-kee, on page 1 83, should be Sah-kote-kih,
and Chirt-kee should be Chirt-kih. On page 224, vahs-shroms should be vahs-hroms.
Tcheuassat Seeven (page 237) should be Tcheunassat Seeven. Stchenadack Seeven
(page 238) should be Stcheuadack Seeven. Scheunassat Seeven, on page 239, should
be Tcheunassat Seeven. In the story of the Turquoises and the Red Bird (page 99)
the name of the chief who lived in the Casa Grande ruins should have been spelled
with a u, instead of a w, to secure uniformity; also the Indian name of the turquoises.
The name of the Salt River Mountain, wherever it occurs, should always be
Moehahdheck.

AW-AW-TAM
INDIAN NIGHTS

BEING

THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE PIMAS
OF ARIZONA

AS RECEIVED BY

J. WILLIAM LLOYD

FROM COMALK-HAWK-KIH (THIN BUCKSKIN)

THRU THE INTERPRETATION OF

EDWARD HUBERT WOOD

PRICE $1.5O POSTPAID
THE LLOYD GROUP, WESTFIELD, N. J.

Copyright, 1911, by John William Lloyd

January 20th, 1904.
This is to certify that the myths and
legends ot the Pimas derived by J. Wil
liam Lloyd from my granduncle, Thin
Buckskin, thru my interpretation, are
correct and genuine to the best of my
ability to interpret them.

Edward H. Wood,

Sacaton, Arizona. (Pima Indian)

224471

COMALK-HAWKIH (THIN BUCKSKIN)
The old Seeneeyawkum

THE STORY OF THESE STORIES

I was at the Pan-American Fair,
at Buffalo, m July* 19°1 > I one day
strolled into the Bazaar and drifted
naturally to the section where Indian
curios were displayed for sale by J.
W. Benham. Behind the counter, as salesman,
stood a young Indian, whose frank, intelligent,
good-natured face at once attracted me. Finding
me interested in Indian art, he courteously in
vited me behind the counter and spent an hour
or more in explaining the mysteries of baskets
and blankets.

How small seeds are ! From that interview
came everything that is in this book.

Several times I repeated my visits to my In
dian friend, and when I had left Buffalo I had
learned that his name was Edward Hubert Wood,
and that he was a full-blooded Pima, educated
at Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Afterward we came into a pleasant corres
pondence, and so I came to know that one of
my Indian friend's dreams was that he should
be the means of the preservation of the ancient
tales of his people. He had a grand-uncle,
Comalk-Hawk-Kih, or Thin Buckskin, who was
a see-nee-yaw-kum, or professional traditional
ist, who knew all the ancient stones, but who
had no successor, and with whose death the

Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

stories would disappear. He did not feel him
self equal to putting these traditions into good
English, and so did not quite know what to do.

We discussed this matter in letters ; and finally
it was decided that I should visit the Gila River
Reservation, in Arizona, where the Pimas were,
and get the myths from the old seeneeyawkum
in person, and that Mr. Wood should return home
from Pyramid Lake, Nevada, where he was
teaching carpentry to the Pai-utes, and be my
host and interpreter.

So, on the morning of July 31st, 1903, I step
ped from a train at Casa Grande, Arizona, and
found myself in the desert land of which I had
so long dreamed. I had expected Mr. Wood to
meet me there, but he was not at the station and
therefore I took passage with the Irish mail-
carrier whose stage was in daily transit between
Casa Grande and Sacaton, the Agency village of
the Pima Reservation.

We had driven perhaps half the distance, and
my Irish friend was beguiling the tedium by an
interminable series of highly spiced yarns, cal
culated to flabbergast the tenderfoot, when my
anxious eyes discerned in the distance the on
coming of a neat little open buggy, drawn by two
pretty ponies, one of which was a pinto, and in
which sat Mr. Wood. Just imagine: It was the
last day of July, a blazing morning in the open
desert, with the temperature soaring somewhere
between 100 and 120 degrees, yet here was my

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 3

Indian friend, doubtless to do me honor, arrayed
in a "pepper-and-salt" suit, complete with under
clothes ; vest buttoned up; collar and necktie,
goggles and buckskin driving gloves. And this
in an open buggy, while the Irishman and I, un
der our tilt, were stripped to our shirts, with
sleeves rolled above elbows, and swigging water,
ever and anon, from an enormous canteen swathed
in wet flannel to keep it cool. Truly Mr. Wood
had not intended that I should take him for an
uncivilized Indian, if clothes could give the lie ;
but the face was the same kindly one of my
"Brother Ed," and it did not take me long to
greet him and transfer myself to his care.

We came to Sacaton (which Ed said was a
Mexican name meaning "much tall grass "-
reminding me that Emory, of the "Army of the
West," who found the Pimas in 1846, reported
finding fine meadows there — but which the Pimas
call Tawt-sit-ka, "the Place of Fear and Flight,"
because of some Apache-caused panic) but we
did not stop there, but passed around it, to the
Northwest, and on and over the Gila, Akee-mull,
The River, as the Pimas affectionately call it,
for to them it is as the Nile to Egypt. The famous
Gila is not a very imposing stream at any time,
and now was no stream at all. but a shallow dry
channel, choked with desert dust, or paved with
curling flakes of baked mud which cracked like
bits of broken pottery under our ponies' feet.
But I afterwards many times saw it a turbid

Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

torrent of yellow mud, rushing and foaming from
the mountain rains; perilous with quicksand and
snag, the roaring of its voice heard over the
chapparal for miles to windward.

The Pimas live in villages, each with its sub-
chief, and we were bound for the village of
Lower San-tan. But in these villages the houses
are now seldom aggregated, as in old days of
Apache and Yuma war, but scatter out for miles
in farm homesteads.

Brother Ed had lately sold his neat farmstead,
near Sacaton, and when I came to his home I
found he was temporarily living under a vach-
toe (pronounce first syllable as if German), or
arbor-shed, made of mezquite forks, supporting
a flat roof of weeds and brush for shade. Near
by he was laying the foundations of a neat little
adobe cottage, which was finally completed dur
ing my stay.

Ed introduced me to his mother, a matronly
Indian woman of perhaps fifty-five, who must
have been quite a belle in her day, and whose
features were still regular and strong, and his
step-father, "Mr. Wells," who deserves more
than a passing word from me, for his kindness
was unremitting (bless his good-natured, smiling
face!) and his solicitude for my comfort constant.
These were all the family, for Ed himself was a
widower. Fifty yards or so to the northwest
were the huts of two old and wretchedly poor
Pimas (the man was blind) who had been allowed

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 5

to settle there temporarily by Mr. Wood, owing
to some difficulty about their own location on
their adjoining land. One or two hundred yards
in the other direction were two old caw-seens>
or storehouses, square structures of a sort of
wattlework of poles, weeds and brush, plastered
over with adobe and roofed with earth. In one of
these I placed my trunk, and on its flat roof
I slept, rolled in my blankets, most of the nights
of the two months of my stay. I came to know
it as "my Arizona Bedstead/1 and I shall never
forget it and its quaint, crooked ladder.

My Indian brother was not slow in shedding
his dress-parade garments, and in getting down
to the comfort of outing shirt and overalls, neck
handkerchief and sombrero. Then I had my first
meal v/ith Indians in Arizona. Mrs. Wells, or
as I prefer to call her, Sparkling-Soft-Feather
(her Indian name) was a good cook of her kind,
and gave us a meal of tortillas^ frijole beans,
peppers (kaw-awl-kull), coffee, and choo-oo-
kook or jerked beef. Ed and I were given the
dignity of chairs and a table, but the older In
dians squatted on the ground in the good old
Pima way, with their dishes on a mat. There
were knives and spoons, but no forks, and the
usefulness of fingers was not obsolete. A wag
gish, pale-eyed pup, flabbily deprecative and good-
natured, and a big-footed Mexican choo-chool,
or chicken, were obtrusively familiar. Neither
of the older Indians could speak a word of Eng-

Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

lish, but chatted and laughed away together in
Pima. The hot, soft wind of the desert kissed
our faces as we ate, and off in the back ground
rose the stately volcanic pile of Cheoff-skaw-mack,
the nearest mountain, and all around the horizon
other bare voldanic peaks burned into the blue.
Sometimes a whirlwind of dust travelled rapidly
over the plain, making one ponder what would
happen should it gygrate into the vachtoe.

The old woman from the near-by kee slunk by
as we ate, going to the well. She wore gah-kai-
gey-aht-kum-soosk (literally string-shoes), or san
dals, of rawhide, on her feet, and was quite the
most wretched-looking hag I ever saw among the
Pimas. Her withered body was hung with in
describable rags and her gray hair was a tangled
mat. Yet I came to know that that wretched
creature had a heart and a good one. She was
kind and cheerful, industrious and uncomplain
ing, and devotion itself to her old blind husband;
who did nothing all day long but move out of
the travelling sun into the shade, rolling nearly
naked in the dust.

After dinner we got our guns and started out
to go to the farm of old Thin Buckskin ("Wil
liam Higgins," if you please!) the seeneeyaw-
kum I had come so far to see. Incidentally we
were to shoot some kah-kai-cheu, or plumed
quails, and taiv-up-pee, or rabbits, for supper.

We found the old man plowing for corn in his
field. The strong, friendly grasp he gave my

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 7

hand was all that could be desired. Tall, lean,
dignified, with a harsh, yet musical voice; keen,
intelligent black eyes, and an impressive manner,
he was plainly a gentleman and a scholar, even
if he could neither read nor write, nor speak a
sentence of English.

The next afternoon he came, and under Ed's
vachtoe gave me the first installment of the
coveted tales. It was slow work. First he would
tell Ed a paragraph of tradition, and Ed would
translate it to me. Then I would write it down,
and then read it aloud to Ed again, getting his
corrections. When all was straight, to his satis
faction, we would go on to another paragraph,
and so on, till the old man said enough. As
these Indians are all Christianized now, and
mostly zealous in the faith, I could get no tra
ditions on Sunday. And indeed, when part way
thru, this zeal came near balking me altogether.
A movement started to stop the recovery of these
old heathen tales; the sub-chief had a word with
Comalk, who became suddenly too busy to go
on with his narrations, and it took increased
shekels and the interposition of the Agent, Mr.
J. B. Alexander, who was very kind to me, be
fore I could get the wheels started again.
Sometimes the old man came at night, instead of
afternoon, and I find this entry in my journal:
"Sept. 6. — We sat up till midnight in the old caw-
seen getting the traditions. It was a wild, strange
scene — the old cawseen interior, the mezquite

8 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

forks that supported the roof, the poles overhead,
and weeds above that, the mud-plastered walls
with loop-hole windows; bags, boxes^ trunks,
ollas, and vahs-hrom granery baskets about.
Ed sitting on the ground, against the wall, nod
ding when I wrote and waking up to interpret;
the old man bent forward, both hands out, palms
upward, or waving in strange eloquent gestures;
his lean, wrinkled features drawn and black eyes
gleaming; telling the strange tales in a strange
tongue. On an old olla another Indian, Miguel,
who came in to listen, and in his hand a gor
geously decorated quee-a-kote, or flute, with
which, while I wrote, he would sometimes give
us a few wild, plaintive, thrilling bars, weird as
an incantation. And finally myself, sitting on a
mattress on my trunk, writing, fast as pencil
could travel, by the dim light of a lantern hung
against a great post at my right. Outside a cold,
strong wind, for the first time since I came to
Arizona, bright moonlight, and some drifting
white clouds telling the last of the storm."

Again, on Sept. 12th: "Traditions, afternoon
and until midnight. I shall never forget how the
half-moon looked, rising over Vah-kee-woldt-kee,
or the Notched Cliffs, toward midnight, while the
coyotes laughed a chorus somewhere off toward
the Gila, and we sat around, outdoors, in the
wind, and heard the old seeneeyawkum tell
his weird, incoherent tales of the long ago."

My interpreter was eager and willing, and well-

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 9

posted in the meaning of English, and was a
man of unusual intelligence and poetry of feeling,
but was not well up in grammar, and in the
main I had to edit and recast his sentences; yet
just as far as possible I have kept his words
and the Indian idiom and simplicity of style.
Sometimes he would give me a sentence so force
ful and poetic, and otherwise faultless, that I
have joyfully written it down exactly as received.
I admit that in a very few places, where the
Indian simplicity and innocence of thought caused
an almost Biblical plainness of speech on family
matters, I have expurgated and smoothed a little
for prudish Caucasian ears, but these changes
are few, and mostly unimportant, leaving the
meaning unimpaired. And never once was there
anything in the spirit of what was told me that
revealed foulness of thought. All was grave and
serious, as befitted the scriptures of an ancient
peopie.

Occasionally I have added a word or sentence
to make the meaning stand out clearer, but other
wise I have taken no liberties with the original.

As a rule the seeneeyawkum told these tales
in his own words, but the parts called speeches
were learned by heart and repeated literally.
These parts gave us much trouble. They were
highly poetic, and manifestly mystic, and there
fore very difficult to translate with truthfulness
to the involved meanings and startling and ob
scure metaphors. Besides they contained many

10 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

archaic words, the meaning of which neither see-
neeyawkum nor interpreter now knew, and
which they could only translate by guess, or
leave out altogether. But we did the best we
could.

The stories were also embellished with songs,
some cf which I had translated. They were
chants of from one to four lines each, seldom more
than two, many times repeated in varying ca
dence; weird, somber, thrillingly passionate in
places, and by no means unmusical, but, of
course, monotonous. I obtained phonograph
records of a number, and the translations given
are as literal as possible.

As to the meaning of the tales I got small sat
isfaction. The Indians seemed to have no ex
planations to offer. They seemed to regard them
as fairy tales, but admitted they had once been
believed as scriptures.

My own theory came to be that they had been
invented, from time to time, by various and suc
cessive mah-kais to answer the questions concern
ing history, phenomena, and the origin of things,
which they, as the reputed wisest of the tribe,
were continually asked. My chief reason for
supposing this is because in almost every tale
the hero is a mahkai of some sort. The word
mah-kai (now translated doctor, or medicine-man)
seems to have been applied in old time to every
being capable of exerting magical or supernatural
and mysterious power, from the Creator down;

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 11

and it is easy to see how such use of the word
would apparently establish the divine relation
ship and bolster the authority of the medicine
men, while the charm of the tale would focus
attention upon them. The temptation was great
and, I think, yielded to.

I doubt if much real history is worked in, or
that it is at all reliable.

All over the desert, where irrigation was at all
practicable, in the Gila and Salt River valleys,
and up to the edge of the mountains, among the
beautiful giant cactus and flatbean trees, you will
ride your bronco over evidences of a prehistoric
race; — old irrigating ditches, lines of stone wall;
or low mounds of adobe rising above the grease
wood and cacti, and littered over profusely with
bits of broken and painted pottery, broken corn-
mills and grinders, perhaps showing here and
there a stone ax, arrowhead, or other old stone
implement. These mounds (vah-ahk-kee is the
Pima word for such a ruin) are the heaps caused
by the fallen walls of what were once pueblos of
stone and clay. In some places there must have
been populous cities, and at the famous site of
Casa Grande one finds one of the buildings still
standing — a really imposing citadel, with walls
four or five feet thick, several stories high, and
habitable since the historic period.

Now according to these traditions it was the
tribes now known as Pimas, Papagoes, Yumas
and Maricopas, that invaded the land, from some

12 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

mythic underworld, and overthrew the vahahk-
kees & killed all their inhabitants, and this is the
most interesting part of the tales from a historic
point of view. Fewkes, and other ethnologists,
think the ancestors of the Pimas built the Casa
Grande & other vahahkkees, but I doubt this.
Is it reasonable to suppose that if a people
as intelligent & settled as the Pimas had once
evoluted far enough in architecture & fortifica
tion to erect such noble citadels and extensive
cities as those of Casa Grande & Casa Blanca,
thai they, while still surrounded by the harassing
Apaches, would have' descended to contentment
with such miserable £ indefensible hovels as their
present kees and cawseens? To me it is not.
They are as industrious as any of the pueblo-
building Indians, not otherwise degenerate, and
had they once ever builded pueblos I do not
think would have abandoned the art. But it is
easy to understand that a horde of desert cam
pers, overthrowing a more civilized nation, might
never rebuild or copy after its edifices. So far,
then, I am inclined to agree with the traditions
and disagree with the ethnologists.

But these traditions are evidently very ancient.
They appear to me to have originated from the
aborigines of this country; people who knew no
other land. Every story is saturated with local
color. From the top of Cheoffskawmack, I be
lieve I could have seen almost every place men
tioned in the traditions, except the Rio Colorado

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 13

& the ocean, and the ocean was to them, I be
lieve, little more than a name. They never speak
of it with their usual sketchy £ graphic detail,
and the fact that in the ceremony of purification
it is spoken of as a source of drinking water
shows they really knew nothing of it. The In
dian is too exact in his natural science to speak
of salt water as potable. And these stories cer
tainly say that the dwellers in the vahahkkees
were the children of Ee-ee-toy, created right here.
And that the army that carried out Ee-ee-toy's
revenge upon his rebellious people were the
children of Juhwerta Mahkai, who had been
somewhere else since the flood, but who were
also originally created here.

Now, for what it is worth, I will give a theory
to reconcile these differences. I assume that
their flood was a real event, but a local one,
and the greater part of the people destroyed by
it. A minority escaped by flight into the desert,
and neither they nor their descendants, for many
generations, returned to the place where the ca
tastrophe occurred. Another remnant escaped
by floating on various objects & climbing moun
tains. The first were those of whom it is fabled
that Juhwerta Mahkai let them escape thru a
hole in the earth. These became nomadic, des
ert dwellers. The second remained in the Gila
country, became agricultural & settled in habit,
irrigating their land & building pueblos, growing
rich, effeminate & inapt at war. At length the

14 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

desert fugitives, also grown numerous, and war
like & fierce with the wild, wolf-like existence
they had led, and moved by we know not^what
motives of revenge or greed, returned & swept
over the land, in a sudden invasion, like a swarm
of locusts; ruthlesaly destroying the vahahkees
and all who dwelt therein; breaking even the
ma-ta-tes & every utensil in their vandal fury;
dividing the region thus taken among themselves.
According to these traditions the Apaches were
already dwellers in the outlying deserts & moun
tains, and were not affected especially by this
invasion.

Is it now unreasonable to suppose that some
of the invaders kept up, to a great extent, their
old habits of desert wandering (Papagoes for in
stance), and that others adopted to some extent
the agricultural habits of those they had con
quered, and yet retained, with slight change, the
little brush & mud houses & arbors they had
grown accustomed to in their wanderings? These
last would be our present Pimas.

If it is considered strange that these adopted
the habits, to any extent, of those they sup
planted it may be urged that they almost certainly,
in conquering the vahahkkee people, spared
and married many of the women, and adopted
many of the children; this being in accordance
with their custom in historic times. And this
infusion of the gentler blood may have been very
large. And these women would naturally go on,

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 15

and would be required by their new husbands to
go on, with the agricultural methods to which
they were accustomed & wou4d teach them to
their new masters. And their children, being
wholly or partly of the old stock, would have a
natural tendency to the same work, to some
extent.

This theory not only explains & agrees with
the main parts of the old traditions, but seems
confirmed by other things. Thus the Pimas,
Papagoes, Quojatas, and the " Rabbit-Eaters "
of Mexico, speak about the same language, which
would seem to prove them originally the same
people. But some have kept the old ways, some
have become agricultural, and some are in man
ners between, and thus have become classed as
different tribes. And, judging from the remains,
the life of the old vahahkkee dwellers was in
many ways like that of the modern Pima, only
less primitive.

But the real value of these stories is as folk
lore, and in their literary merit. They throw a
wonderful side-light on the old customs, beliefs
and feelings. I consider them ancient, in the
main, but do not doubt that in coming down thru
many seeneeyawkums they have been much
modified by the addition of embellishment, the
subtraction of forgetfulness. As proof I adduce
the accounting for the origin of the white people,
who use pens & ink, in the story of Van-daih.
The ancient Pimas knew neither white men, nor

16 Aw~aw-tam Indian Nights

pens, nor ink, therefore this passage is clearly an
interpolation by some later narrator, if the story
is really ancient, as I suppose it is. In the story
of Noo-ee's meeting the sun, the word used by
old Comalk, for the sun's weapon, was vai-no-
ma-gaht (literally iron-bow) which is the modern
Pima's name for the white man's gun, and it was
translated as gun by my interpreter. But iron
and guns were both unknown to ancient Pimas,
therefore this term must have been first used by
some seeneeyawkum after the white man came,
who thought a gun more appropriate than a bow
for the sun's shooting.

How much has been lost by forgetfulness we
can never know; but at least I found that the
meaning of many ancient words had disappeared,
that the mystic meaning of the highly symbolic
speeches seemed all gone, and I felt certain that
the last part of the Story of the Gambler's War
had been lost by forgetting; for it stops short
with the preliminary speeches, instead of going
on with a detailed account of the battles as does
the Story of Paht-ahn-kum's war.

Another proof that these tales were changed by
different narrators is afforded by the variants of
some of them published by Emory, Grossman,
Cook, and other writers about the Pimas.

As to the mystic meaning I can only guess.
The mystic number four, so constantly used,
probably refers to the four cardinal points, but
my Indians seemed not aware of this. In the

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 17

stories, West is black, East is white or light,
South is blue, North is yellow, and Above is
green. Of course the west is black because there
night swallows up the sun, and the east is light
because it gives the sun, but why south is blue
and north is yellow I do not know. But south
is the nearest way to the ocean, and as in one
story the word ocean seems used in place of
south, I infer the blue color was derived from
that. And the desert lying north of the ocean
may suggest the desert tint, yellow, as the color
of the north. As to the sky being green, I find
this in my journal: " August 29 — Last evening,
after sunset, there were the most wonderful sky
effects — there was a line of light clouds across
the sky, in the west, about half way up to the
zenith, and suddenly the white part of these was
washed over, as tho by a paint brush, with a
strong but delicate pea-green, while under this
spread a mist or haze of dainty pink, changing
to a rich, delicate mauve. Lasted quarter of an
hour or more. Never saw anything like it in
nature before." Again, on September 6, I saw
nearly the same phenomenon. The green was
very strong and vivid, and could not fail to at
tract an Indian's eye, and something of the sort,
I fancy, made him make the strange choice of
green for the sky color.

Those who like to compare myths and folk
tales and ancient scriptures will find a rich field
here. And the interesting thing is that these

18 Aw-aw~tam Indian Nights

tales come straight from a line of Indians who
could neither read nor write nor speak English,
therefore adulteration by white man's literature
seems improbable.

As to the literary merit of these tales, after all
that is lost by a double interpretation, I consider
it still very high. You must come to them as a
little child, for they are intensely child-like, and
to expect them to be like a white man's narra
tive is absurd. But they are sketched in such
clear, bold lines, with such a sure touch and deli
cate expressiveness of salient points; there are
such close-fitting, shrewd bits of human nature;
such real yet startling touches of poetry in meta
phor; such fertile and altogether Indian imagina
tion in plot and incident, that the interest never
fails. No two stories are alike, and if surprise
is a literary charm of high value, and I think it
is, then these tales are certainly charming, for
they constantly bring surprise.

And the poetry, in Eeeetoy's speech for ex
ample, is so rich and strong; and in such parts
as the story of the Nah-vah-choo the mysticism
seems to challenge one like a riddle.

When these old tales were told with all proper
ceremony and respect, they were told on four
successive nights. This could not be in the giv
ing of them to me, for many practical reasons,
but I have endeavored to give them that form for
my reader and hence the title of my book. But
I did not discover how many or what ones were

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 19

told on any one night, so my division is arbi
trary, and only aims at reasonable equality. The
naming, too, of the different stories is- my own,
for the old man did not appear to have any set
names for them. I fancy the old man was rusty
and out of practice, and forgot some of the tales
in their proper sequence, and brought them in
afterward as they recurred to him. For instance,
the story of Tcheu-nas-set Seeven's singing away
another chief's wives evidently belongs among
the early stories of the vahahkkee people, and be
fore the account of his death, when the vahahk-
kees were destroyed. But I have given the
stories in the order in which they were told to
me, leaving all responsibility on the old seenee-
yawkum's shoulders.

I lived a little more than two months with these
Indians, collecting these stories, enjoying their
kindly hospitality, living as they lived, eating
their food, riding their ponies, sleeping on their
roofs under the splendid Arizona stars.

I shall never forget that day, before I left,
when Ed and I saddled our ponies in the early
morning and rode twenty miles to the Casa Grande
ruins. On the way we crossed the dry bed of
the Gila; and passed thru the Agency village of
Sacaton and the village of Blackwater; skirting
the Maricopa Slaughter mountains, where once
some unfortunate Maricopias were waylaid and
massacred by a band of Apachts, almost in sight
of Sacaton. The Casa Grande ruins are impos-

20 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

ing enough, but sadly belittled in effect by the
well-meant roof which the government has erected
over them to preserve them. This kills all the
poetry and gives them the ludicrous aspect of a
museum specimen. Had the old walls been skill
fully capped with a waterproof cement and the
walls coated with some weatherproof and trans
parent wash, all necessary security could have
been effected with perhaps less expense than this
absurd roof, and all the romance of impression
preserved. Let us hope the genial and manly
young custodian, Mr. Frank Pinckly, to whose
warm-hearted hospitality and that of his parents
I owe grateful thanks, will consider this sugges
tion favorably and earn the blessing of future
travellers. A storm broke on us while we were
at the ruins, and riding home that evening we
found the Gila flooded. I shall always re
member how its muddy torrent looked to me,
plunging along at my feet, where that morning I
had crossed dry shod; its yellow waves shot with
blood-red reflections from the last colors of sunset.

44 You better see that Pinto's cinch is tight, or
she may try to get you off in the river," warned
Ed, in my ear, as he jumped off to cinch up
"Georgie."

It was always exciting to me to ford the treach
erous Gila, the tawny waters were so sweeping,
and the ponies plunged so when their feet felt
the quicksands, but we got across all right, and
galloped home on the slippery, muddy roads.

The Myths and Legends of the Pirn as 21

When I left these people it was with a genuine
regard for their virtues. I found them in the
main kind, honest, simple-minded, industrious,
surprisingly clean, considering their obstacles of
scant water and ever-present dust, and the calm
est tempered people I have ever known.

I remember the second day of my stay we
were going to ride to the Casa Blanca ruins. In
watering the ponies at the well, "Georgie's" loos
ened saddle turned and swung under his belly.
Such bucking and frantic kicking as that half-
broken colt indulged in for a few moments would
have made a congress of cow-boys applaud, and
when it was over the beautiful colt stood ex
hausted on the far side of a twenty acre field,
with the saddle fragments somewhere between.
Now to poor Indians the loss of a saddle is not
small, and I fancy most frontiersmen, under the
provocation, would have made the air blue with
oaths, but Ed only sadly said: 4Tm afraid that
spoils Georgie," and the stepfather laughed and
started patiently out on the trail of the colt "to
save the pieces,'" while the mother took one of
her bowl-shaped Pima baskets, with beans in it,
and coaxed the colt till she caught him. Then he
was patted and soothed and fed with sugar, the
saddle patched up and replaced, and we rode
eighteen miles that day and never another mis
hap. And from first to last never a harsh or
complaining word.

I at no time encountered a beggaramong the Pimas,

22 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

and tho they were mostly very poor I had not
a pin's worth stolen. I never heard an oath, or
saw a brutal or violent act, or a child slapped or
scolded, or a woman treated with disrespect or ty
ranny, nor any drunkenness or cruelty to animals.
Perhaps I was especially fortunate, but I can only
speak of what I saw. Their self-respect and
serenity continually aroused my admiration.

I must say that they appeared to me to excel
any average white neighborhood in good be
havior.

It is a strange land, that in which the Pimas
dwell; a desert overgrown with strange soft-
tinted weeds, "salt weeds," pink, red, green,
gray, blue, purple; the rich-green yellow-flower
ing greasewood ; odd cacti, and all manner of
thornbearing bushes. The soil is inexhaustibly
rich, were there water enough, but the white
people, settling above the Indians, on the Gila,
have so withdrawn the water that crop failures
from lack of sufficient irrigation are the rule,
now, instead of the exception, and the once ever-
flowing Gila is more often a dry channel, as sun
baked as the desert around it.

All around their valley, and rising here and
there from the plain, are low volcanic peaks, mere
dead masses of rock except where in places
a giant cactus stands candelabra-like among the
slopes of stone. About the feet of these moun
tains, and along the channels where the torrents
rush down in times of rain, are weird forests of

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 23

desert growths, mesquite, cat-claw, flat-beans,
screw-beans, greasewood, giant-cactus, cane-cactus,
white-cactus, cholla-cactus, and a host of others,
almost everything bristling with inumerable thorns.

On this strange pasture of weed and thorn the
Indian's ponies & his few cattle graze.

Here in summer the sun beats down till the
mercury registers 118 to 120 degrees in the shade,
and dust storms & dust whirlwinds travel over
the burning plain.

STORIES OF THE FIRST NIGHT

THE TRADITIONS OF THE PIMAS

old man, Comalk Hawk-Kih, (Thin
Buckskin) began by saying that these
were stories which he used to hear his
father tell, they being handed down from
father to son, and that when he was
little he did not pay much attention, but when
he grew older he determined to learn them, and
asked his father to teach him, which his father
did, and now he knew them all.

THE STQRY OF THE CREATION

In the beginning there was no earth, no water
—nothing. There was only a Person, Juh-wert-
a-Mah-kai ( The Doctor of the Earth).

He just floated, for there was no place for him
to stand upon. There was no sun, no light, and
he just floated about in the darkness, which was
Darkness itself.

He wandered around in the nowhere till he
thought he had wandered enough. Then he rub
bed on his breast and rubbed out moah-haht-
tacky that is perspiration, or greasy earth. This
he rubbed out on the palm of his hand and held
out. It tipped over three times, but the fourth
time it staid straight in the middle of the air and
there it remains now as the world.

28 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

The first bush he created was the greasewood
bush.

And he made ants, little tiny ants, to live on
that bush, on its gum which comes out of its
stem.

But these little ants did not do any good, so
he created white ants, and these worked and en
larged the earth; and they kept on increasing it,
larger and larger, until at last it was big enough
for himself to rest. on.

Then he created a Person. He made him out
of his eye, out of the shadow of his eyes, to
assist him, to be like him, and to help him in
creating trees and human beings and everything
that was to be on the earth.

The name of this being was Noo-ee (the Buz
zard).

Nooee was given all power, but he did not do
the work he was ^created for. He did not care
to help Juhwertamahkai, but let him go by himself.

And so the Doctor of the Earth himself created
the mountains and everything that has seed and
is good to eat. For if he had created human
beings first they would have had nothing to live
on.

But after making Nooee and before making the
mountains and seed for food, Juhwertamahkai
made the sun.

In order to make the sun he first made water,
and this he placed in a hollow vessel, like an
earthen dish (hwas-hah-ah) to harden into some-

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 29

thing like ice. And. this hardened ball he placed
in the sky. First he placed it in the North, but
it did not work; then he placed it in the West,
but it did not work; then he placed it in the
South, but it did not work; then he placed it in
the East and there it worked as he wanted it to.

And the moon he made in the same way and
tried in the same places, with the same results.

But when he made the stars he took the water
in his mouth and spurted it up into the sky.
But the first night his stars did not give light
enough. So he took the Doctor-stone (diamond),
the tone-dum-haw-teh, and smashed it up, and
took the pieces and threw them into the sky to
mix with the water in the stars, and then there
was light enough.*

And now Juhwertamahkai, rubbed again on his
breast, and from the substance he obtained there
made two little dolls, and these he laid on the
earth. And they were human beings, man and
woman.

And now for a time the people increased till
they filled the earth. For the first parents were
perfect, and there was no sickness and no death.
But when the earth was full, then there was no
thing to eat, so they killed and ate each other.

But Juhwertamahkai did not like the way his

* Many doubt that the Indians of North America knew
anything about the diamond, but my interpreter insisted
that the Doctor-stone was the diamond, therefore I have
taken his word for it. Perhaps it was crystal.

30 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

people acted, to kill and eat each other, and so
he let the sky fall to kill them. But when the
sky dropped he, himself, took a staff and broke
a hole thru, thru which he and Nooee emerged
and escaped, leaving behind them all the people
dead.

And Juhwertamahkai, being now on the top of
this fallen sky, again made a man and a woman,
in the same way as before. But this man and
woman became grey when old, and their children
became grey still younger, and their children be
came grey younger still, and so on till the babies
were gray in their cradles.

And Juhwertamahkai, who had made a new
earth and sky, just as there had been before, did
not like his people becoming grey in their cradles,
so he let the sky fall on them again, and again
made a hole and escaped, with Nooee, as before.

And Juhwertamahkai, on top of this second sky,
again made a new heaven and a new earth, just
as he had done before, and new people.

But these new people made a vice of smoking.
Before human beings had never smoked till they
were old, but now they smoked younger, and
each generation still younger, till the infants
wanted to smoke in their cradles.

And Juhwertamahkai did not like this, and let
the sky fall again, and created everything new
again in the same way, and this time he created
the earth as it is now.

But at first the whole slope of the world was

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 31

westward, and tho there were peaks rising from
this slope there were no true valleys, and all the
water that fell ran away and there was no water
for the people to drink. So Juhwertamahkai sent
Nooee to fly around among the mountains, and
over the earth, to cut valleys with his wings, so
that the water could be caught and distributed and
there might be enough for the people to drink.

Now the sun was male and the moon was fe
male and they met once a month. And the moon
became a mother and went to a mountain called
Tahs-my-et-tahn Toe-ahk (sun striking mountain)
and there was born her baby. But she had du
ties to attend to, to turn around and give light,
so she made a place for the child by tramping
down the weedy bushes and there left it. And
the child, having no milk, was nourished on the
earth.

And this child was the coyote, and as he grew
he went out to walk and in his walk came to the
house of Juhwertamahkai and Nooee, where they
lived.

And when he came there Juhwertamahkai knew
him and called him Toe-hahvs, because he was
laid on the weedy bushes of that name.

But now out of the North came another power
ful personage, who has two names, See-ur-huh
and Ee-ee-toy.

Now Seeurh'jh means older brother, and when
this personage came to Juhwertamahkai, Nooee
and Toehahvs he called them his younger bro-

32 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

thers. But they claimed to have been here first,
and to be older than he, and there was a dis
pute between them. But finally, because he in
sisted so sirongly, and just to please him,
they let him be called older brother.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 33

JUHWERTA MAHKAI'S SONG OF CREATION

Juhwerta mahkai made the world-
Come and see it and make it useful !
He made it round-
Come and see it and make it useful !

34 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON STORY OF CREATION

The idea of creating the earth from the perspiration and
waste cuticle of the Creator is, I believe, original.

The local touch in making the greasewood bush the
first vegetation is very strong.

In the tipping over of the earth three times, and its
standing right the fourth time, we are introduced to the
first of the mystic fours in which the whole scheme of
the stories is cast. Almost everything is done four times
before finished.

The peculiar Indian idea of type-animals, the immortal
and supernatural representatives of their respective ani
mal tribes, appears in Nooee and Toehahvs, and here
again the local color is rich and strong in making the
buzzard and the coyote, the most common and striking
animals of the desert, the particular aides on the staff of
the Creator.

Might not the creation of Nooee out of the shadow of
the eyes of the Doctor of the Earth be a poetical allusion
to the flying shadow of the buzzard on the sun-bright
desert?

In the creation of sun and moon we find the mystic
four referred to the four corners of the universe, North,
South, East and West, and this, I am persuaded, is really
the origin of its sacred significance, for most religions
find root and source in astronomy.

In the dropping of the sky appears the old idea of its
solid character.

In the "slope of the world to the Westward" there is
something curiously significant when we remember that
both the Gila and Salt Rivers flow generally westward.

Nooee cuts the valleys with his wings. It would al
most appear that Nooee was Juhwertamahkai's agent in
the air and sky, Toehahvs on earth.

The night-prowling coyote is appropriately and poetically
mothered by the moon.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 35

And here appears Eeeetoy, the most active and myster
ious personality in Piman mythology. Out of the North,
apparently self-existant, but little inferior in power to Juh-
wertamahkai, and claiming greater age, he appears, by pure
"bluff" and persistent push and wheedling, to have in
duced the really more powerful, but good-natured and
rather lazy Juhwertamahkai to give over most of the real
work and government of the world to him. In convers
ing with Harry Azul, the head chief's son, at Sacaton,
I found he regarded Eeeetoy and Juhwertamahki as but
two names for the same. And indeed it is hard to fix
Eeeetoy's place or power.

a *. >;
NI

THE STORY OF THE FLOOD

OW Seeurhuh was very powerful, like
Juhwerta Mahkai, and as he took up his
residence with them, as one of them,
he did many wonderful things which
pleased Juhwerta Mahkai, who liked to
watch him.

And after doing many marvelous things he, too,
made a man.

And to this man whom he had made, Seeur
huh (whose other name was Ee-ee-toy) gave a
bow & arrows, and guarded his arm against the
bow string by a piece of wild-cat skin, and pierced
his ears & made ear-rings for him, like turquoises
to look at, from the leaves of the weed called
quah-wool. And this man was the most beauti
ful man yet made.

And Ee-ee-toy told this young man, who was
just of marriageable age, to look around and see
if he could find any young girl in the villages
that would suit him and, if he found her, to see
her relatives and see if they were willing he
should marry her.

And the beautiful young man did this, and
found a girl that pleased him, and told her fam
ily of his wish, and they accepted him, and he
married her.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 37

And the names of both these are now forgotten
and unknown.

And when they were married Ee-ee-toy, fore
seeing what would happen, went & gathered the
gum of the greasewood tree.

Here the narrative states, with far too much
plainness of circumstantial detail for popular
reading, that this young man married a great
many wives in rapid succession, abandoning
the last one with each new one wedded, and
had children with abnormal, even uncanny swift
ness, for which the wives were blamed and for
which suspicion they were thus heartlessly di
vorced. Because of this, Juhwerta Mahkai and
Ee-ee-toy foresaw that nature would be convulsed
and a great flood would come to cover the world.

And then the narrative goes on to say:

Now there was a doctor who lived down to
ward the sunset whose name was Vahk-lohv Mah
kai, or South Doctor, who had a beautiful daughter.
And when his daughter heard of this young man
and what had happened to his wives she was
afraid and cried every day. And when her father
saw her crying he asked her what was the mat
ter? was she sick? And when she had told him
what she was afraid of, for every one knew and
was talking of this thing, he said yes, he knew
it was true, but she ought not to be afraid, for
there was happiness for a woman in marriage and
the mothering of children.

38 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And it took many years for the young man to
marry all these wives, and have all these child
ren, and all this time Ee-ee-toy was busy making
a great vessel of the gum he had gathered from
the grease bushes, a sort of olla which could be
closed up, which would keep back water. And
while he was making this he talked over the rea
sons for it with Juhwerta Mahkai, Nooee, and
Toehahvs, that it was because there was a great
flood coming.

And several birds heard them talking thus -
the woodpecker, Hick-o-vick; the humming-bird,
Vee-pis-mahl ; a little bird named Gee-ee-sopy
and another called Quota-veech.

Eeeetoy said he would escape the flood by
getting into the vessel he was making from the
gum of the grease bushes or ser-quoy.

And Juhwerta Mahkai said he would get into
his staff, or walking stick, and float about.

And Toehahvs said he would get into a cane-
tube.

And the little birds said the water would not
reach the sky, so they would fly up there and
hang on by their bills till it was over.

And Nooee, the buzzard, the powerful, said he
did not care if the flood did reach the sky, for
he could find a way to break thru.

Now Ee-ee-toy was envious, and anxious to
get ahead of Juhwerta Mahkai and get more fame
for his wonderful deeds, but Juhwerta Mahkai,
though really the strongest, was generous and from

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 39

kindness and for relationship sake let Ee-ee-toy
have the best of it.

And the young girl, the doctor's daughter, kept
on crying, fearing the young man, feeling him
ever coming nearer, and her father kept on re
assuring her, telling her it would be all right, but
at last, out of pity for her fears & tears, he told
her to go and get him the little tuft of the finest
thorns on the top of the white cactus, the haht-
sahn-kahm,* and bring to him.

And her father took the cactus-tuft which she
had brought him, and took hair from her head
and wound about one end of it, and told her if
she would wear this it would protect her. And
she consented and wore the cactus-tuft.

And he told her to treat the young man right,
when he came, & make him broth of corn. And
if the young man should eat all the broth, then
their plan would fail, but if he left any broth
she was to eat that up and then their plan would
succeed.

And he told her to be sure and have a bow
and arrows above the door of the kee, so that he
could take care of the young man.

And after her father had told her this, on that

* What the Pimas call the haht-sahn-kahm is the
wickedest cactus in Arizona. The tops of the branches
fall off, and lie on the ground, and if stepped on the
thorns will go thru ordinary shoe leather and seem to
hold with the tenacity of fish-hooks, so that it is almost
mpossible to draw them out.

40 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

very evening the young man came, and the girl
received him kindly, and took his bows & arrows,
and put them over the door of the kee, as her
father had told her, and made the young man
broth of corn and gave it to him to eat.

And he ate only part of it and what was left
she ate herself.

And before this her father had told her: "If
the young man is wounded by the thorns you
wear, in that moment he will become a woman
and a mother and you will become a young man."

And in the night all this came to be, even so, and
by day-break the child was crying.

And the old woman ran in and said: "Mos-
say /" which means an old woman's grandchild
from a daughter.

And the daughter, that had been, said: "It is
not your moss, it is your cah-um-maht^ that is
an old woman's grandchild from a son.

And then the old man ran in and said:"£a/i-
ahm-ah-dah!" that is an old man's grandchild
from a daughter, but his daughter said : " It is
not your bah-ahm-maht, but it is your voss-ahm-
maht" which is an old man's grandchild from
a son.

And early in the morning this young man (that
had been, but who was now a woman & a mother)
made a wawl-kote, a carrier, or cradle, for the
baby and took the trail back home.

And Juhwerta Mahkai told his neighbors of what
was coming, this young man who had changed

The Myths and Legends. of the Pimas 41

into a woman and a mother and was bringing a
baby born from himself, and that when he ar
rived wonderful things would happen & springs
would gush forth from under every tree and on
every mountain.

And the young man-woman came back and by
the time of his return Ee-ee-toy had finished his
vessel and had placed therein seeds & everything
that is in the world.

And the young man-woman, when he came to
his old home, placed his baby in the bushes and
left it, going in without it, but Ee-ee-toy turned
around and looked at him and knew him, for he
did not wear a woman's dress, and said to him:
"Where is my Bahahmmaht? Bring it to me.
I want to see it. It is a joy for an old man to
see his grandchild.

I have sat here in my house and watched your
going, and all that has happened you, and fore
seen some one would send you back in shame,
although I did not like to think there was anyone
more powerful than I. But never mind, he who
has beaten us will see what will happen. "

And when the young man-woman went to get
his baby, Ee-ee-toy got into his vessel, and built
a fire on the hearth he had placed therein, and
sealed it up.

And the young man-woman found his baby
crying, and the tears from it were all over the
ground, around. And when he stooped over to
pick up his child he turned into a sand-snipe,

42 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

and the baby turned into a little teeter-snipe.

And then that came true which Juhwerta Mahkai
had said, that water would gush out from under
every tree & on every mountain ; and the people
when they saw it, and knew that a flood was
coming, ran to Juhwerta Mahkai; and he took his
staff and made a hole in the earth and let all
those thru who had come to him, but the rest
were drowned.

Then Juhwerta Mahkai got into his walking
stick & floated, and Toehahvs got into his tube
of cane and floated, but Ee-ee-toy's vessel wss
heavy & big and remained until the flood was
much deeper before it could float.

And the people who were left out fled to the
mountains ; to the mountains called Gah-kote-kih
(Superstition Mts.) for they were living in the
plains between Gahkotekih and Cheoffskawmack
(Tall Gray Mountain.)

And there was a powerful man among these
people, a doctor (mahkai), who set a mark on the
mountain side and said the water would not rise
above it.

And the people believed him and camped just
beyond the mark; but the water came on and
they had to go higher. And this happened four
times.

And the mahkai did this to help his people, and
also usecl power to raise the mountain, but at
last he saw all was to be a failure. And he
called the people and asked them all to come

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 43

close together, and he took his doctor-stone (mah-
kai-haw-teh) which is called Tonedumhawteh
or Stone-of-Light, and held it in the palm of his
hand and struck it hard with his other hand, and
it thundered so loud that all the people were
frightened and they were all turned into stone.

And the little birds, the woodpecker, Hicko-
vick; the humming-bird, Veepismahl; the little
bird named Ge-ee-sop, and the other called Quota-
veech, all flew up to the sky and hung on by their
bills, but Nooee still floated in the air and in
tended to keep on the wing unless the floods
reached the heavens.

But Juhwerta Mahkai, Ee-ee-toy and Toehahvs
floated around on the water and drifted to the
west and did not know where they were.

And the flood rose higher until it reached the
woodpecker's tail, and you can see the marks
to this day.

And Quotaveech was cold and cried so loud
that the other birds pulled off their feathers and
built him a nest up there so he could keep warm.
And when Quotaveech was warm he quit crying.

And then the little birds sang, for they had
power to make the water go down by singing,
and as they sang the waters gradually receeded.

But the others still floated around.

When the land began to appear Juhwerta Mahkai
and Toehahvs got out, but Ee-ee-toy had to wait
for his house to warm up, for he had built a fire
to warm his vessel enough for him to unseal it.

44 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

When it was warm enough he unsealed it, but
when he looked out he saw the water still run
ning & he got back and sealed himself in again.

And after waiting a while he unsealed his ves
sel again, and seeing dry land enough he got out.

And Juhwerta Mahkai went south and Toehahvs
went west, and Ee-ee-toy went northward. And
as they did not know where they were they
missed each other, and passed each other unseen,
but afterward saw each other's tracks, and then
turned back and shouted, but wandered from the
track, and again passed unseen. And this hap
pened four times.

And the fourth time Juhwerta Mahkai and Ee-
ee-toy met, but Toehahvs had passed already.

And when they met, Ee-ee-toy said to Juhwerta
Mahkai "My younger brother !" but Juhwerta
Mahkai greeted him as younger brother & claimed
to have come out first. Then Ee-ee-toy said
again: "I came out first and you can see the
water marks on my body." But Juhwerta Mahkai
replied: "I came out first and also have the
water marks on my person to prove it."

But Ee-ee-toy so insisted that he was the eldest
that Juhwerta Mahkai, just to please him, gave
him his way and let him be considered the elder.

And then they turned westward and yelled to
find Toehahvs, for they remembered to have
seen his tracks, and they kept on yelling till he
heard them. And when Toehahvs saw them he
called them his younger brothers, and they called

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 45

him younger brother. And this dispute continued
till Ee-ee-toy again got the best of it, and although
really the younger brother was admitted by the
the others to be Seeurhuh, or the elder.

And the birds came down from the sky and
again there was a dispute about the relationship,
but Ee-ee-toy again got the best of them all.

But Quotaveech staid up in the sky because
he had a comfortable nest there, and they called
him Vee-ick-koss-kum Mahkai, the Feather-Nest
Doctor.

And they wanted to find the middle, the navel
of the earth, and they sent Veeppismahl, the hum
ming bird, to the west, and Hickovick, the wood
pecker, to the east, and all the others stood and
waited for them at the starting place. And Vee-
pismahl & Hickovick were to go as far as they
could, to the edge of the world, and then return
to find the middle of the earth by their meeting.
But Hickovick flew a little faster and got there
first, and so when they met they found it was
not the middle, and they parted & started again,
but this time they changed places and Hickovick
went westward and Veepismahl went east.

And this time Veepismahl was the faster, and
Hickovick was late, and the judges thought their
place of meeting was a little east of the center so
they all went a little way west. Ee-ee-toy, Juhwerta
Mahkai and Toehahvs stood there and sent the
birds out once more, and this time Hickovick
went eastward again, and Veepismahl went west.

46 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And Hickovick flew faster and arrived there
first. And they said : 'This is not the middle. It
is a little way west yet."

And so they moved a little way, and again the
birds were sent forth, and this time Hickovick
went west and Veepismahl went east. And when
the birds returned they met where the others
stood and all cried "This is the Hick, the Navel
of the World!"

And they stood there because there was no dry
place yet for them to sit down upon; and Ee-ee-
toy rubbed upon his breast and took from his
bosom the smallest ants, the 0-auf -taw-ton, and
threw them upon the ground, and they worked
there and threw up little hills; and this earth was
dry. And so they sat down.

But the water was still running in the valleys,
and Ee-ee-toy took a hair from his head & made
it into a snake — Vuck-vahmuht. And with this
snake he pushed the waters south, but the head
of the snake was left lying to the west and his
tail to the east.

But there was more water, and Ee-ee-toy took
another hair from his head and made another
snake, and with this snake pushed the rest of the
water north. And the head of this snake was
left to the east and his tail to the west. So the
head of each snake was left lying with the tail
of the other.

And the snake that has his tail to the east, in
the morning will shake up his tail to start the

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 47

morning wind to wake the people and tell them
to think of their dreams.

And the snake that has his tail to the west, in
the evening will shake up his tail to start the cool
wind to tell the people it is time to go in and
make the fires & be comfortable.

And they said: "We will make dolls, but we
will not let each other see them until they are
finished."

And Ee-ee-toy sat facing the west, and Toe-
hahvs facing the south, and Juhwerta Mahkai
facing the east.

And the earth was still damp and they took
clay and began 'to make dolls. And Ee-ee-toy
made the best. But Juhwerta Mahkai did not make
good ones, because he remembered some of his
people had escaped the flood thru a hole in
the earth, and he intended to visit them and he
did not want to make anything better than they
were to take the place of them. And Toehahvs
made the poorest of all.

Then Ee-ee-toy asked them if they were ready,
and they all said yes, and then they turned about
and showed each other the dolls they had made.

And Ee-ee-toy asked Juhwerta Mahkai why he
had made such queer dolls. "This one," he said,
"is not right, for you have made him without
any sitting-down parts, and how can he get rid
of the waste of what he eats?"

But Juhwerta Mahkai said : " He will not need to
eat, he can just smell the smell of what is cooked."

48 Aw-aW'tam Indian Nights

Then Ee-ee-toy asked again : "Why did you
make this doll with only one leg — how can he
run?" But Juhwerta Mahkai replied: "He will
not need to run; he can just hop around."

Then Ee-ee-toy asked Toehahvs why he had
made a doll with webs between his fingers and
toes — "How can he point directions?" But
Toehahvs said he had made these dolls so for
good purpose, for if anybody gave them small seeds
they would not slip between their fingers, and they
could use the webs for dippers to drink with.

And Ee-ee-toy held up his dolls and said :
"These are the best of all, and I want you to
make more like them." And he took Toehahv's
dolls and threw them into the water and they be
came ducks & beavers. And he took Juhwerta
Mahkai's dolls and threw them away and they all
broke to pieces and were nothing.

And Juhwerta Mahkai was angry at this and be
gan to sink into the ground; and took his stick
and hooked it into the sky and pulled the sky
down while he was sinking. But Ee-ee-toy spread
his hand over his dolls, and held up the sky, and
seeing that Juhwerta Mahkai was sinking into the
earth he sprang and tried to hold him & cried,
"Man, what are you doing ! Are you going to
leave me and my people here alone?"

But Juhwerta Mahkai slipped through his hands,
leaving in them only the waste & excretion of his
skin. And that is how there is sickness & death
among us.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 49

And Ee-ee-toy, when Juhwerta Mahkai escaped
him, went around swinging his hands & saying:
"I never thought ail this impurity would come
upon my people!" and the swinging of his hands
scattered disease over all the earth. And he
washed himself in a pool or pond and the im
purities remaining in the water are the source of
the malarias and all the diseases of dampness.

And Ee-ee-toy and Toehahvs built a house for
their dolls a little way off, and Ee-ee-toy sent
Toehahvs to listen if they were yet talking. And
the Aw-up, (the Apaches) were the first onts
that talked. And Ee-ee-toy said : "I never meant
to have those Apaches talk first, I would rather
have had the Aw-aw-tam, the Good People, speak
first/'

But he said : "It is all right. I will give them
strength, that they stand the cold & all hardships."

And all the different people that they had made
talked, one after the other, but the Awawtam
talked last.

And they all took to playing together, and in
their play they kicked each other as the Maricopas
do in sport to this day; but the Apaches got
angry and said : "We will leave you and go into
the mountains 'and eat what we can get, but we
will dream good dreams and be just as happy as
you with all your good things to eat."

And some of the people took up their residence
on the Gila, and some went west to the Rio
Colorado. And those who builded vahahkkees,

50 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

or houses out of adobe and stones, lived in the
valley of the Gila, between the mountains which
are there now.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 51

JUHWERTA MAHKAI'S SONG BEFORE THE FLOOD

My poor people,
Who will see,
Who will see
This water which will moisten the earth!

THE SONG OF SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS

We are destroyed!

By my stone we are destroyed!

We are rightly turned into stone.

EE-EE-TOY'S SONG
WHEN HE MADE THE WORLD SERPENTS

I know what to do;
I am going to move the water
both ways.

52 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON THE STORY OF THE FLOOD

In the Story of the Flood we are introduced to Indian
marriage. Among the Pimas it was a very simple affair.
There was no ceremony whatever. The lover usually se
lected a relative, who went with him to the parents of the
girl and asked the father to permit the lover to marry her.
Presents were seldom given unless a very old man desired
a young bride. The girl was consulted and her consent
was essential, her refusal final. If, however, all parties
were satisfied, she went at once with her husband as his
wife. If either party became dissatisfied, separation at
once constituted divorce and either could leave the other.
A widow or divorced woman, if courted by another suitor,
was approached directly, with no intervention of relatives.
Of course, on these terms there were many separations,
yet all accounts agree that there was a good deal of fidel
ity and many life-long unions and cases of strong affection.

Polygamy was not unknown.

Grossman says that the wife was the slave of the hus
band, but it is difficult to see how a woman, free at any
moment to divorce herself without disgrace or coercion,
could be properly regarded as a slave. Certainly the men
appear always to have done a large part of the hard work,
and as far as I could see the 'women were remarkably
equal and independent and respectfully treated, as such a
system would naturally bring about. A man would be a
fool to ill-treat a woman, whose love or services were
valuable to him, if at any moment of discontent she could
leave him, perhaps for a rival. The chances are that he
would constantly endeavor to hold her allegiance by
special kindness and favors.

But today legal marriage is replacing the old system.

So far as I saw the Pimas were very harmonious and
kindly in family life.

The birds, gee-ee-sop and quotaveech, were pointed out
to me by the Pimas, and as near as I could tell quota
veech was Bendire's thrasher, or perhaps the curve-bill

The Myths and Legends of the Pirn as 53

thrasher. It has a very sweet but timid song. I did not
succeed in identifying gee-ee-sop, but find these entries
about him in my journal: "Aug. 5 — 1 saw a little bird
which I suppose to be a gee-ee-sop in a mezquite today,
smaller and more slender than a vireo, but like one in
action, but the tail longer and carried more like a brown
thrasher, nearly white below, dark, leaden gray above, top
of head and tail black." Again on Sept. 1: "What a dear
little bird the gee-ee-sop is! Two of them in the oas-juh-
wert-pot tree were looking at me a few minutes back.
Dark slate-blue above and nearly white below, with beady
black eyes and black, lively tails, tipped with white, they
are very pretty, tame and confiding."

The faith of the Aw-aw-tam in witchcraft appears first
in this story and afterwards is conspicuous in nearly all.
Almost all diseases they supposed were caused by be
witching, and it was the chief business of the medicine
men to find out who or what had caused the bewitching.
Sometimes people were accused and murders followed.
This was the darkest spot in Piman life. Generally, how
ever, some animal or inanimate object was identified.
Grossman's account in the Smithsonian Report for 1871
is interesting. In the stories, however, witchcraft appears
usually as the ability of the mahkai to work transforma
tions in himself or others, in true old fairy-tale style.

Superstition Mountain derives its name from this story,
It is a very beautiful and impressive mountain, with ter
races of cliffs, marking perhaps the successive pausing
places of the fugitives, and the huddled rocks on the top
represent their petrified forms. Some of the older Indians
still fear to go up into this mountain, lest a like fate
befall them.

What beautiful poetic touches are the wetting of the
woodpecker's tail, and the singing of the little birds to
subdue the angry waters.

The resemblances to Genesis will of course be noted
by all in these two first stories. Yet after all they are
few and slight in any matter of detail.

54 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

In Ee-ee-toy's serpents, that pushed back the waters,
there is a strong 'reminder of the Norse Midgard Serpent.

The making of the dolls in this story is one of the
prettiest and most amusing spots in the traditions.

The waste and perspiration of Juhwerta Mahkai's skin
again comes into play, but this time as a malign force
instead of a beneficent one. It would also appear from
this that the more intelligent Pimas had a glimmering of
the fact that there were other causes than witchcraft for
disease.

I have generally used the word Aw-aw-tam (Good Peo
ple, or People of Peace) as synonymous with Pima, but
it is sometimes used to embrace all Indians of the Piman
stock and may be so understood in this story.

And perhaps this is as good a place as any to say a
few descriptive words about these Pimas of Arizona, and
their allies, who have from prehistoric times inhabited
what the old Spanish historian, Clavigero, called "Pime-
ria," that is, the valleys of the Gila and Salt Rivers.

Their faces seemed to me to be of almost Caucasian
regularity and rather of an English or Dutch cast, that is
rather heavily moulded. The forehead is vertical and in
clined to be square; and the chin, broad, heavy and full,
comes out well to its line. The nose is straight, or a
little irregular, or rounded, at the end, but not often very
aquiline, never flat or wide-nostriled. Th'e mouth is large
but well shaped, with short, white, remarkably even teeth,
seldom showing any canine projection. The whole face
is a little heavy and square, but the cheek bones are not
especially prominent. The eyes are level, frank and di
rect in glance, with long lashes and strong black brows.
In the babies a slight uptilt to the eye is sometimes
seen, like a Japanese, which indeed the babies suggest.
Th^ head of almost all adults is well-balanced and finely
poised on a good neck.

Another type possesses more of what we call the Indian
feature. The forehead retreats somewhat, so does the
chin, while the upper lip is larger, longer, more convex

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 55

and the nose, above is more aquiline, with wider nostrils.
Consequently this face in profile is more convex thruout.
The cheek-bones are much more prominent, too, and the
head not generally so well-balanced and proportional.

.While I have seen no striking beauty I believe the
average good looks is greater than among white men,
taken as they come,

The women as a rule, however, do not carry themselves
gracefully, are apt to be too broad, fat and dumpy in fig
ure, with too large waists, and often loose, ungracefully-
moving hips. This deformity of the hips, for it almost
amounts to that, I observe among Italian peasant women,
too, and some negresses, and, I take it, is caused by
carrying too heavy loads on the head at too early an age.
There seems to be a settling down of the body into the
pelvis, with a loose alternate motion of the hips. There
are exceptions, of course, and I have seen those of stately
figure and fine carriage Sometimes the loose-hip motion
appears in a man.

A slight tattooing appears on almost all Pima faces not
of the last generation. In the women this consists of two

blue lines running down from each corner of the mouth,
under the chin, crossing, at the start, the lower lip, and

a single blue line running back from the outer angle of

each eye to the hair.
In the men it is usually a single zigzag blue line across

the forehead.

The pigment used is charcoal.
The men are generally erect and of good figure, with

good chests and rather heavy shoulders, the legs often a

little bowed. Strange to say I never saw one who walked

"pigeon-toed." All turned the toes out like white men.

The hands are often small and almost always well-shaped;

and the feet of good shape, too, not over large, with a

well-arched instep.

Emory and his comrades found the Pimas wearing a

kind of breech-cloth and a cotton scrape only for garments;

56 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

the women wearing only a scraps tied around the waist
and falling to the knee, being otherwise nude. Today the
average male Pima dresses like a white workman, in hat,
shirt, trousers and perhaps shoes, and his wife or daughter
wears a single print gown, rather loose at the waist and
ruffled at the bottom, which reaches only to the ankles.
Both sexes are commonly barefooted, but the old san
dals, once universal, are still often seen. These gah-kai-
gey-aht-kum-soosk, or string-shoes, as the word means,
were made in several different ways, and often projected
somewhat around the foot as a protection against the fre
quent and formidable thorns of the country.

Sometimes a wilder or older Indian will be seen, even
now, with only a breech-cloth on, and some apology for
a garment on his shoulders.

The skin is often of a very beautiful rich red-bronze
tint, or perhaps more like old mahogany.

Except the tattooing both sexes are remarkable for their
almost entire absense of any marked adornment or orna
ment of person. Even a finger-ring, or a ribbon on the
hair, is not common, and the profuse bead-work and em
broidery of the other tribes is never seen.

The exceedingly thick and intensely black hair was
formerly worn very long, even to the waist, being banged
off just over the eyes of the women and over the eyes
and ears of the men and allowed to hang perfectly loose.
But the women seldom wore as long hair as the men.
This long hair is still sometimes seen and is exceedingly
picturesque, especially on horseback, and it is a great
pity so sightly a fashion should ever die out. I have seen
Maricopas roll theirs in ringlets. Sometimes the men
braided the hair into a cue, or looped up the ends with
a fillet. But the Government discourages long and loose
hair, and now most men cut it short, and women part
theirs and braid it. Like all Indians, the men have scant
beards, and the few whiskers that grow are shaved clean
or resolutely pinched off with an old knife or pulled out
by tweezers.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 57

Their hair appears to turn gray as early as ours, tho
I saw no baldness except on one individual. In old times
(and even now to some extent) the hair was dressed with
a mixture of mud and mezquite gum, at times, which was
left on long enough for the desired effect and then thoroly
washed off. This cleansed it and made it glossy and the
gum dyed the gray hair quite a lasting, jet black, tho
several applications might be needed.

Women still carry their ollas and other burdens on their
heads and are exceedingly strong and expert in the art,
balancing great and awkward weights with admirable dex
terity.

The convenient and even beautiful gyih-haw (a word
very difficult to pronounce correctly), or burden basket,
of the old time Pima woman, seems to have entirely dis
appeared. It was not only picturesque, but an exceed
ingly useful utensil.

The wawl-kote, or carrying-cradle for the baby, is ob
solete, too, now. Strange to say, tho in shape like most
pappoose-cradles, it was carried poised on the head, in
stead of slung on the back in the usual way.

The Pimas are fond of conversation and often come to
gether in the evening and have long talks. Their voices
are low, rapid, soft and very pleasant and they laugh,
smile and joke a great deal. They are remarkable for
calmness and evenness of temper and the expression of
the face is nearly always intelligent, frank, and good-
natured.

They are noticeably devoid of hurry, worry, irritability
or nervousness.

Unlike most Indians these have not been removed from
the soil of their fathers and, indeed, such an act would
have been cruelly unjust, for, true to their name, the
Pimas have maintained an unbroken peace with the whites.

Lieutenant Colonel W. H. Emory, of "The Army of the
West," who visited them in 1846, was perhaps the first
American to observe and describe these people. He says:
"Both nations (Pimas and Maricopas) cherished an aver
sion to war and a profound attachment to all the peace-

58 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

ful pursuits of life. This predilection arose from no in
capacity for war, for they were at all times able and wil
ling to keep the Apaches, whose hands are raised against
all other people, at a respectful distance, and prevent de
predations by those mountain robbers who held Chihua
hua, Sonora and a part of Durango in a condition ap
proaching almost to tributary provinces."

As observed by Emory and the other officers of the
"Army of the West" they were an agricultural people
raising at that time "cotton, wheat, maize, beans, pump
kins and water melons." I found them raising all these
in 1903, except cotton, and I think he might have added
to his list, peppers, gourds, tobacco and the pea called
-cah-lay-vahs.

Emory says: "We were at once impressed with the
beauty, order, and disposition of the arrangements made
for irrigating the land . . . the fields are subdivided by
ridges of earth into rectangles of about 200x100 feet, for
the convenience of irrigating. The fences are of sticks,
matted with willow and mezquite." I found this still com
paratively correct. The fields are still irrigated by ace-
quias or ditches from the Gila, and still fenced by forks
of trees set closely in the ground and reinforced with
branches of thorn or barbed wire. Some of these fences
with their antler-like effect of tops are very picturesque.

From the description given by Emdry, and Captain A.
R. Johnson of the same army, of their kees or winter
lodges, they were essentially the same as I found some
of them still inhabiting. There is the following entry in
my journal: "I have been examining the old kee next
door, since the old couple left it. It is quite neatly and
systematically made. Four large forks are set in the
ground, and these support a square of large poles, covered
with other poles, arrow-weeds, chaff and earth, for the
roof. The walls are a neat arrangement of small saplings,
about 10 inches apart curving up from the ground on a
bending slant to the roof, so that the whole structure
comes to resemble a turtle-shell or rather an inverted

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 5£

bowl. These side sticks arc connected by three lines of
smaller sticks tied across them with withes, all the way
around the kee. Against these arrow-weeds are stood,
closely and neatly, tops down (perhaps thatched on) and
kept in place by three more lines of small sticks, bound
on and corresponding to those within. Then the whole
structure is plastered over with adobe mud till rain-proof.
No window, and only one small door, about 2£ feet
square, closed by a slat-work."

This kee of the Pima was not to his credit. The most
friendly must admit it dirty, uncomfortable and unpictur-
esque. It was too low to stand erect in, the little fire
was made in the center, the smoke escaping at last from
the low doorway after trying everywhere else and .fes
tooning the ceiling with soot.

The establishment of the Pima was most simple. He
sat, ate and slept on the earth, consequently a few mats
and blankets, baskets, bowls and pots included his furni
ture. A large earthen olla, called by the Pimas hah-ah,
stood in a triple fork under the shade of the vachtoe
and being porous enough to permit a slight evaporation
kept the drinking water cool.

The arbor-shed or vachtoe pertains to almost every
Pjman home and consists of a flat roof of poles and ar
row-weeds supported by stout forks. Sometimes earth is
added to the roof to keep off rain. Sometimes the sides
are enclosed with a rude wattle work of weeds and bushes,
making a grateful shade, admitting air freely; screening
those within from view, while permitting vision from with
in outward in any direction. Sometimes this screen of
weeds and bushes, in a circular form, was made without
any roof and was then called an o-num. Sometimes after
the vachtoe had been inclosed with wattle work the
whole structure was plastered over with adobe mud and
then became a caws-seen, or storehouse. All these struc
tures were used at times as habitations, but now the
Pima is coming more and more to the white man's
adobe cottage as a house and home. But the vachtoe,

Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

attached or detached, is still a feature of almost every
homestead.

Under the vachtoe usually stood the matate, or mill
(called by the Pimas mah-choot) which was a large flat
or concave stone, below, across which was rubbed an
oblong, narrow stone (vee-it-kote), above, to grind the
corn or wheat. Other important utensils were a vatchee-
ho, or wooden trough, for mixing, and a chee-o-pah, or
mortar, of wood or stone, for crushing things with a pestle.
The nah-dah-kote, or fire-place, was an affair of stones
and adobe mud to support the earthern pots for cooking
or to support the earthern plates on which the thin cakes
of corn or wheat meal were baked. These were what the
Mexicans call tortillas. Perhaps the staple food of the
Pima even more than corn (hohn) or wheat (payl-koon)
is frijole beans— these of two kinds, the white (bah-fih)
the brown (mohn). A sort of meal made of parched corn
or wheat; ground on the mahchoot and eaten, or perhaps
one might say drank, with water and brown sugar (pano-
che) was the famous pinole, the food carried on war trips
when nutrition, lightness of weight and smallness of bulk
were all desired. It has a remarkable power to cool and
quench thirst. Taw-mahls, or corn-cakes of ground green
corn, wrapped in husks and roasted in the ashes, or boiled,
were also favorites. Peppers (kaw-aw-kull) were a good
deal used for seasoning and relishes.

Today the country of the Pima is very destitute of large
game but he adds to the above bill of fare all the small
game, especially rabbits, quail and doves, that he can
kill. In the old days when the Gila always had water it
held fine fish and the Indians caught them with their
hands or swept them up on the banks by long chains of
willow hurdles or faggots, carried around the fish by
waders. I could not learn that they ever had any true
fish-nets or fish-hooks ; nor any rafts, canoes or other
boats. But owing to the frequent necessity of crossing
the treacherous Gila the men, and many of the women,
were good swimmers.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 61

The Toe-hawn-awh Aw-aw-tam, or Papagoes, whose re
servation is in Pima County, near Tucson (and called
St. Xavier) are counted "blood brothers" of the Pimas,
speak essentially the same language, are on the most
cordial terms with them, and are under the same agency.

The Maricopas are a refugee tribe, related to the Yumas,
who once threatened them with extermination because of
an inter-tribal feud. They were adopted by the Pimas
and protected by them, and have ever since lived with
them as one people, having however a different language,
identical with that of the Yumas.

The Quojatas are a small tribe, of the Piman stock,
living south of the Casa Grande.

The total number of Pimas, Papagoes and Maricopas
in the U. S. is now estimated at about 8000, the Pimas
alone as 4000.

I am not a linguist, or a philologist, and my time was
short with these people, and I did not go to any extent
into their language, or study its grammar. Their voices
were soft and pleasant, and I was continually surprised
at the low tones in which they generally conversed and
the quickness with which they heard. But their words
were most awkward to my tongue. There were German
sounds, and French sounds, too, I would say, in their
language, and there were letters that seemed to disappear
as they uttered them, or never to come really forth, and
syllables that were swallowed like spoonfuls of hot soup.

But I trust that I am substantially correct in the words
that I have retained in the stories and that I have writ
ten them so that the English reader can pronounce them
in a way to be understood.

The accent is generally on the first syllable.

THE STORY OF AH-AHN-HE-EAT-TOE-PAHK
MAHKAI

A K

was an orphan named Ah-ahn-
he-eat-toe-pahk Mahkai (which means
Braided- Feather Doctor) who lived at
a place called Two Reservoirs (Go-awk-
Vahp-itchee-kee) north of Cheoff-Skaw-
mack, or Tall Gray Mountain.

And his only relative was an old grandmother.
And she used to go and get water in earthern
vessels, a number of them in her carrying basket.
And when she neared home she would call to her
grandson, saying: "Come, help me wrestle with
it!" meaning to help her down with her load.
And he would jump and run, and wrestle so
roughly he would break all the vessels in her
basket.

And thus was he mean and mischievous, a bad
boy in many ways. And one day his grandmother
sent him to get some of the vegetable called "owl's-
feathers," which the Awawtam cook by making
it into a sort of tortilla, baked on the hot ground
where a fire has just been. And he went and
found an owl and pulled its feathers out & brought
them to the old woman, and she said: "This is
not what I want! It is a vegetable that I mean!"
And so he went off again and got the vegetable
owl's-feathers for her.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 63

After that she sent him for the vegetables named
"crow's-feet" and "blackbird's-eyes," saying to
him that they were very good cooked together.
And the mischievous orphan went & got the feet
of some real crows and the eyes of real black
birds and brought them to her. And she said :
"This is not what I mean! I want the vegetables
named after these things!"

And the boy, who was then about twelve years
old, went and got what she wanted and she cooked
them.

And this orphan boy had a dream which he
liked and wished to have come true, and went to
a dance that was being danced in the neighbor
hood, a ceremonial dance such as is celebrated
when a young girl arrives at womanhood, and he
went to see it, hoping it would in some way be like
his dream, but when he saw it he was disgusted.

And he went to hear the song of a singing doc
tor, a mahkai or medicine-man, but when he heard
his singing he was disgusted with that too.

And he left his home and on his way found a
little house, or kee, made of rough bushes. And
the one who lived therein invited him to stay
awhile and see all the different people who would
arrive there.

And he did so, and in the early evening they
came — all the fiercest animals, cougars, bears,
eagles, and they were bewitching each other, but
nobody bewitched him, and in the morning he
went on.

64 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And he went along until he Came to another
kee, and the owner invited him to stay over night
and see all the people who came there. And he
did so, and in the early evening came the same
creatures and did the same as before, but he was
not bewitched.

And he went on again till he came to a desert
place, utterly barren, without trees or bushes and
there a wind came to meet him, a whirlwind, Seev-
a-lick, and it caught him up and carried him to
the East & then back again; and to the North and
back again; and to the West & back again; and then
South & back again. And so it got possession of
his soul and carried it off to its own place.

And Seevalick, the whirlwind, said to him: "You
shall be like me."

And there his dream came true and he said:
"This is what I was looking for; this it is for
which I was travelling."

And he wished to go back, and the wind took
his soul back again into his body, and so he re
turned to his home.

And after his return he was the best young man
In the country, kind to everybody, and everybody
liked him. But he did not care to be with boys
of his own age, but liked better to be with the
wise old men, and went where they came together
at nights. And he would sit and listen to them,
but did not attempt to make any speeches him
self. His reasons were that the young were often
vicious, thieves, beggars, murderers, and he would

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 65

rather be with the old who followed what was
better.

And in the evening he would often hear the
the old people say: "We will go rabbit-hunting
in such a place," but he stayed at home and did
not go with them.

But one night, after a while, when they said:
"Tomorrow we will go jack-rabbit hunting," he
went home as they did, but the next morning,
when they went hunting, he went and made him
self a bow & arrows, as Seevalick had told him
and placed them where he could find them.

And the next evening they were talking again
of hunting, and appointed a place to meet, and
the following morning, when they were getting
ready, he got his bows & arrows, but he did not
come quite up to the meeting place, but sat a
little way off.

And as he sat there the people came up to him
and made fun of him and asked him if he ex
pected to kill anything with his weapons, for he
had made a big bow & arrows as the Whirlwind
had done. And the people handed these about
among themselves, laughing, and when they were
thru ridiculing them they brought back the bow
and arrows and laid them down before him. But
he said nothing, and when the people were thru
he left the bow & arrows there, and went home
and went again to look for a suitable stick to
make a bow from.

And he made a new bow & arrows and left
them where he could find them, and went home.

Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And again he went in the evening to the old
people's gathering and heard them appoint a place
for the hunting, and went home when they did.
And in the morning, when he heard the signal
cry for hunting, he went and got his bow & ar
rows and followed after them again, but again
stayed some distance off. And again the people
came about him and handled his bow & arrrows
and laughed at them. And again he left them ly
ing there on the ground and went home to make
a new bow & arrows.

And the fourth time this happened he was late
at the place of meeting, and before he came the
one at whose house the meeting was said to the
others: "There is a young man who has been
several times with us to the place where we come
together for the hunting, and I suppose he has
made a new bow & arrows today, for he has to
do that whenever you handle his weapons. Now
I want you not to handle his weapons any more,
but to let him be till we see what he will do, for
it appears to me that he is some kind of a pow
erful personage (mahkai).

And Toehahvs, who was listening, said : "You
yourself, were the very first to handle his weap-
ons."

And the next morning when Ahahnheeattoe-
pahk Mahkai heard the signal yells for the hunt
ing, he went to the meeting place, with his bow
and arrows, and sat away off, as before, but this
time nobody came to him.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 67

And then the hunting began, and in it some
one called to him : "There is a jack-rabbit (choo-
uff) coming your way!'* and he shot the rabbit
with his arrow; but when he came to it he did
not pick it up, but grasped the arrow and with
a swinging motion threw the rabbit from it to
the man nearest him.

And thus he went on all day, killing rabbits and
giving them to others, keeping none for himself.

And again he was late at the place of meeting,
and the man who had spoken the night before
said: "Now you see what he has done! This is
the fourth bow that he has made. If you people
had left him alone before, he would, before this,
have been killing game for you. And now if you
do not disturb him I am sure he will go on, and
you will have jack-rabbits to eat all the time."

And so he killed rabbits at every hunt, and
gave them away, especially to the old. Whenever
he killed one he would pick it up and give it to
an old man, and keep on that way.

And one night at the place of meeting the
spokesman said: "Tomorrow we will surround
the mountain and hunt deer, and we will put him
at the place where the deer will run, and we will
see how many he will kill!"

And in the morning, at the mountain, they
placed him at the deer-run, and told him to "shut
the valley," meaning for him to head-off and kill
any deer which might run toward him. But the
young man began to get big rocks and try to make

Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

a wall to close the valley up, and paid no atten
tion to the deer running past him, and when the
people came and asked him about his shooting
he said: " You did not tell me to kill the deer,
you told me to 'shut the valley.' "

(Not but what he understood them, but he was
acting again as he had once done with his grand
mother.)

And the next day they tried another mountain
and said: "We will see if the young man will
kill us any deer there." So when they came to
this mountain they told him to go to a certain
valley, on the other side, and hang himself there.
This is a form of speech which means to hang
around or remain at a place; but the young hun
ter went there and left his bow & arrows on the
ground, and hung himself up by his two hands
clasped around the limb of a tree.

And after they had chased many deer in his
direction they said : "Let us go now & butcher-up
the deer the young man has killed, for he must
have killed a good many by this time."

But when they came to where the young man
was, there he hung by his hands, and when they
asked him how many he had killed, he said: "I
have not killed any. You did not tell me to kill
any, only to hang myself here, which I did, and
I have hung here and watched the deer running
past."

And they tried him again, on another morning,
at another valley, and this time they told him if

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 69

he saw a doe big with fawn, "snon-ham" which
is also the word used for a woman soon to be
come a mother, he should kill her. And he went
to his place, and there came by such a woman
and he shot her down and killed her.

And the next day they took him to another
mountain and told him to kill the "/rur/y," which
means the old, but they meant him to understand
old deer. And when they came to him later to
butcher-up the deer he had killed, and asked him
where they were, he replied: "I have not killed
any deer, you did not tell me to kill deer, but to
kill the kurly, and there is the kurly I have killed!"

And it was the old man who goes ahead whom
he had shot with his arrow.

And after they had buried the old man they
returned to the village, and that night the man
who owned the meeting place said: "Tomorrow
we must give him another trial, and this time I
want you to tell him straight just what you want.
Tell him to kill the deer, either young or old, and
he will do it. If you had done this before he
would have killed us many deer. You should have
understood him better by this time, but you did
not tell him straight, and now he has killed two
of us."

And the next morning they took him to another
mountain, and placed him in a low place, and told
him to kill all the deer which came his way. And
when they went after a while, after chasing many
deer toward him, they asked him where the deer

70 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

were which he had killed, and he replied: ''Down
in the low place you will find plenty deer."
And they went there and found many dead deer
of all kinds, and butchered them up.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 71

NOTES ON THE STORY OF
AH-AHN-HE-EAT-TOE-PAHK MAHKAI

In the story of Ah-ahn-he-eat-toe-pahk Mahkai we are
introduced to the Indian faith in dreams and to more
witchcraft. We come, too, to the national sport of rabbit-
hunting, with its picturesqueness and excitement.

In the transaction between Seevalick and the boy we
have a reappearance of the world-wide belief that there
is a connection between the wind and the human soul.

The strange quality of savage humor, labored, some
times gruesome, and often tragic, appears in the latter
part of the tale.

It is noticeable that they buried the old man, but no
mention is made of burying the woman who was shot.
The Pimas of old time buried their dead in a sitting pos
ture, neck and knees tied together with ropes, four to six
feet under ground, and covered the grave with logs and
thorn-brush to keep away wolves. The interment was
usually at night, with chants, but without other ceremony.
Then, immediately after, the house of the deceased was
burned, and all personal effects destroyed, even food; the
horses and cattle being killed and eaten by the mourners,
excepting such as the deceased might have given to his
heirs. After the prescribed time of mourning (one month
for a child or distant relative, six months or a year for
husband or wife) the name of the dead was never more
mentioned and everything about him treated as forgotten.

The Maricopas burn their dead.

It is noticeable, too, that no one appears to have pun
ished the slayer for his murderous practical jokes. In
deed, while the Awtwtam appear to have been people of
exceptionally good character, it also appears that they
seldom punished any crimes except by a sort of boycott
or pressure of public disapproval.

THE STORY OF VANDAIH, THE MAN-EAGLE

ND thus Ahahnheteatoepahk Mahkai be
came famous for the killing of game; and
there was another young man, named
Van-daih) who wanted to be his friend,
So one day Vandaih made him four tube-
pipes of cane, such as the Indians use
for ceremonious smoking, and went to see the
young hunter. But when he entered the young
man was lying down, and he just looked at
Vandaih and then turned his face away, saying
nothing,

And Vandaih sat there and when the young
man became tired of lying one way and turned
over he lit up one of his pipes. But the young
man took no notice of him. And this went on
all night. Every time there was a chance Van
daih tried his pipe, but Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai
never spoke, and in the morning Vandaih went
away without the friend he desired having re
sponded to him.

The next evening Vandaih came again and sat
there all night, but the friend he courted never
said a word, and in the morning he went away
again.

And he slept in the daytime, and when even
ing came he went again, and sat all night long,
but the young man spoke to him not at all.

And the third morning that this happened the
wife of Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai said to him:

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 73

"Why are you so mean to Vandaih as never to
speak to him? Perhaps he has something im
portant to say. He comes here every night, and
sits the whole night thru before you, and you
do not speak to him. And maybe he will come
tonight again, and I feel very sorry for him tnat
you never say a word to him when he comes."

And the young man said: "I know it is true,
what you have said, but I know, too, very well,
that Vandaih is not a good man. He gambles
with the gains-skoot, he is a liar, a thief, licen
tious, and is everything that is bad. I wish some
other boys would come to see me instead of him,
and better than he, for I know very well that he
will repeat things that I say in a way that I did
not mean and raise a scandal about it."

And the next night Vandaih came again and
sat in the same place; and when Ahahnheeattoe-
pahk Mahkai saw him he just looked at him and
then turned over and went to sleep. But along
in the night he awoke, and when Vandaih saw
he was awake he lit one of his pipes. Then Ah-
ahnheeattoepahk Mahkai got up. And when he
got up Vandaih buried his pipe, but the other
said : "What do you bury your pipe for? I want
to smoke."

Vandaih said: "I have another pipe," and he*
lit one and gave it to Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai,
and then he dug up own pipe, and relighted it,
and they both began to smoke.

And Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai said: "When

74 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

did you come?" And Vandaih replied: "O just
a little while ago."

And Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai said: "I have
seen you here for four nights, now, but I know
you too well not to know you have a way to fol
low," ["a way to follow" means to have some pur
pose behind] "but if you will quit all the bad habits
you have I will be glad to have you come; but
there are many others, better than you, whom I
would rather have come to see me.

And now I am going to tell you something, but
I am afraid that when you go away from here
you will tell what I have said and make more of
it, and then people will talk, and I shall be sorry.

I will tell you the habits you have — you are a
liar, a gambler with the dice-game and the wah-
pah-tee, a beggar, you follow after women and
are a thief.

Now I want you to stop these bad habits. You
may not know all that the people say about you:
They say that when any hunter brings in game
you are always the first to be there, and you will
be very apt to swallow charcoal* if you are so
greedy.

Wherever you go, when the people see you
coming, they say: 'There comes a man who is a
thief,' and they hide their precious things. When
you arrive they are kind to you, of course, but
they do not care much about you.

*"To swallow charcotl" implies the swallowing of meat
so greedily it is not properly cleansed of the ashes of its
roasting.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 75

I don't know whether you know that people
talk thus about you, but it is a great shame to
me to know, when I have done some bad thing,
that people talk about it.

Now if you quit these things you will be hap
py, and I want you to stop them. I am not angry
with you, but I want you to know how the peo
ple are talking about you.

Now I want you to go home, but not say any
thing about what I have told you. Just take a
rest, and tomorrow night come again."

And the next night Vandaih came again, and
Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai was in bed when he
came, but he got right up and received him, and
said : "Now after this I mean to tell you what is
for your good, but I want you to keep quiet
about it. There are many people that gamble
with you. If they ask you again to gamble with
them, do not do it. Tell them you do not gamble
any more. And if they do not stop when you
tell them this, but keep on asking you, come to
me, and tell me, first, that you are going to play.
And if I tell you, then, that I do not want you
to gamble, I want you not to do it, but if I tell
you you may gamble & you win once, then you
may bet again, but I do not want you to keep on
after winning twice. Twice is enough. But if
the other man beats you at first, then I do not
want you to play any more, but to quit gambling
forever."

And after this a man did want to gamble with

76 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

Vandaih, but Vandaih said : "I have nothing to
wager, and so cannot play with you.'*

And still another man wanted to gamble with
him, and he made him the same answer, but this
man kept on asking, and at last Vandaih said :
"Perhaps I will play with you, I will see about
it. But I must have a little time first." And he
came to Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai and said:
"There is a man who keeps on asking me to
gemble with him, and I have come to tell you
about it as you told me to do."

And Anahnheeattoepahk Mahkai told him to
gamble, and gave him things to wager on the
game, but said: "If he beats you I do not want
you to gamble any more."

And Vandaih took the things which had been
given him, and went & played a game with this
man who was so persistent, and won a game.
And he played another game and won that, and
then he said, "That is enough, I do not want to
play any more;" but the other man kept on ask
ing him to play.

But Vandaih refused & took the things which
he had won to Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai and
gave them all to him.

And the next morning he gambled again, and
won twice, and he stopped after the second win
ning, as before.

And thus the young man kept on winning and
Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai made gainskoot (dice-
sticks) for him, and this was one reason why he

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 77

won, for Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai was a pow
erful doctor & the dice were charmed.

And he beat every one who played against him
till he had beat all the gamblers of his neighbor
hood, and then distant gamblers came & he beat
them also. And so he won all the precious things
that were in the country and gave all to Ahahn
heeattoepahk Mahkai & kept nothing back. But
one man went to Ee-ee-toy, who was living at the
Salt River Mountain (Mo-hah-dheck) and asked
him to let him have some things to wager against
Vandaih. And Ee-ee-toy said : "You can have
whatever you want, and I will go along to see
the game."

But when Ee-ee-toy got there he found the dice
were not like common dice, and it would be dif
ficult for any one to win against them, they were
made by so powerful a man.

And Ee-eetoy went westward and found a pow
erful doctor who had a daughter, and said to the
father: "I want your daughter to go around to
all the big trees and find me all the feathers she
can of large birds, not of small birds, and bring
them here. And I will come again & see what
she may have found."

And her father told her, and the very next
morning she began to hunt the feathers, and when
Ee-eetoy came again she had a bundle, and Ee-
eetoy took them and took the pith out of their
shafts and cleansed every feather which she had
brought him.

78 Aw-aw~tam Indian Nights

And Ee-ee-toy threw away the pith and cut the
shafts into small pieces and told the girl to roast
them in a broken pot over a fire; and she got
the broken pot & roasted them, and they curled
up as they roasted till they looked like grains of
corn. And then he told her to roast some real
corn & mix both together and grind them all up
very fine, And Ee-ee-toy told her to take some
ollas of this pinole in her syih-haw to the reser
voirs.

And she did so, and passed by where Vandaih
was going to play, and Vandaih said: "Before I
can play I must drink. " But the man who was
playing with him said: "Get some water of some
one near," but Vandaih said, "I would rather go
to the reservoir,"

And Ee-ee-toy had prepared the girl before this,
telling her that when she passed the players Van
daih would follow her to the reservoir and want
to marry her. "Be polite to him," he said "and
ask him to drink some of the pinole, and to see
your parents first."

And the man who was going to gamble with
Vandaih asked him not to go so far, for he wanted
to gamble right away, but Vandaih replied: "I
would rather go there. I will come right back.
You be making holes till I get back."

So the girl went to the reservoir, and Vandaih
followed her and asked her to be his wife, and
she said: "I want you to drink some of this pinole,

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 79

and in the evening you may go and see my folks
and ask them about it."

So Vandaih mixed some pinole and drank it,
and it made him feel feverish, like one with a
cold; and the second time he drank the goose-
flesh came out on his skin; and the third time
he drank feathers came out all over him; and the
fourth time long feathers grew out on his arms;
and the fifth time he became an eagle and went
and perched on the high place, or bank of the
reservoir.

Then the girl went to the place where the other
man was waiting to play the game and told all
the people to come and see the terrible thing
which had happened to Vandaih.

And the people, when they saw him, got their
bows and arrows and surrounded him and were
going to shoot him.

And they fired arrows at him, and some of them
struck him, but could not pi6rce him, and then
all were afraid of him. And first he began to
hop around, and then to fly a little higher, un
til he perched on a tree, but he broke the tree
down; and he tried another tree and broke that
down; and then he flew to a mountain and tumbled
its rocks down its side, and finally he settled on
a strong cliff. And even the cliff swayed at first
as if it would fall, — but finally it settled and
stood still.

And this was foretold when the earth was be
ing made, that one of the race of men should be

80 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

turned into an eagle. Vandaih was a handsome
man, but he had a bad character, and ever since
the beginning parents had warned their children
to practice virtue lest they be turned into eagles;
because it had been foretold that some good-look
ing bad person should be thus transformed, and
it was to be seen that good-looking people were
often bad and homely ones good characters.

And Vandaih took that cliff for his residence
and hunted over all the country round about,
killing jack-rabbits, deer and all kinds of game
for his food. And when the game became scarce
he turned to men and one day he killed a man
and took the body to his cliff to eat. And after
this manner he went on. Early in the morning
he would bring home a human being, and some
times he would bring home two.

Then the people sent a messenger to Ee-eetoy,
to his home on Mohahdheck, asking him to kill
for them this man-eagle. And Ee-ee-toy said to
the man: "You can go back, and in about four
days I will be there." But when the fourth day
came Ee-eetoy had not arrived, as he had prom
ised, but Vandaih was among the people, killing
them, carrying them away to the cliff.

And the people again sent the messenger, say
ing to him: "You must tell Ee-ee-toy he must
come and help his people or we shall all be lost."

And the man delivered his message and Ee-
ee-toy said, as before, that he would be there in
four days.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 81

And this went on, the people sending to Ee-
ee-toy, and Ee-ee-toy promising to come in four
days, until a whole year had passed. And not
only for one year, but for four years, for the
people had misunderstood him, and when he said
four days he meant four years, and so for four
years it went on as we have said.

(Now Ee-ee-toy and Vandaih were relatives, and
that was one reason why Ee-ee-toy kept the people
waiting so long for his help and worked to gain
time. He did not want to hurt Vandaih.)

But when the fourth year came Ee-ee-toy did
go, and told the people to get him the "seed-
roaster."

And the people ran around, guessing what he
meant, and they brought him the charcoal, but
Ee-ee-toy said: "I did not mean this, I meant
the 'seed-roaster'!"

So they ran around again, and they brought
him the long open earthen vessel with handles at
each end, used for roasting, and with it they
brought the charcoal which is made from iron-
wood. But he said: "I did not mean these. I
mean the 'seed-roaster.' "

And they kept on guessing, and nobody could
guess it right. They brought him the black stones
of the nahdahcote, or fire place, and he said: "I
do not want these. I want the 'seed-roaster. '"

And the people kept on guessing, and could not
guess it right, and so, at last, he told them that
what he wanted was obsidian, that black volcanic

82 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

stone, like glass, from which arrow heads are
made. And this was what he called the "seed-

roaster."

So the people got it for him.
Then he told them to bring him four springy
sticks. And they ran and brought all the kinds
of springy sticks they could find, but he told
them he did not mean any of these.

And for many days they kept on trying to get
him the sticks which he wanted. And after they
had completely failed Ee-ee-toy told them what
he wanted. It was a kind of stick called vahs-iff^
which did not grow there, therefore they had not
been able to find it. And beside vahsiff sticks
were not springy sticks at all, but the strongest
kind of sticks, very stiff.

So they sent a person to get these, who brought
them, and Ee-ee-toy whittled them so that they
had sharp points. And there were four of them.
And Ee-ee-toy said: "Now I am going, and I
want you to watch the top of the highest moun
tain, and if you see a big cloud over it, you will
know I have done something wonderful. But if
there is a fog over the world for four days you
will know I am killed."

When he started he allowed one of the dust
storms of the desert to arise, and went in that,
so that the man-eagle should not see him.

For many days he journeyed toward the cliff,
and when sunset of the last day came he was still
a good way off; but he went on and arrived at

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 83

the foot of the cliff after it was dark, and hid
himself there under a rock.

About daybreak the man-eagle got up and flew
around the cliff four times and then flew off.
And after he was gone Ee-ee-toy took one of his
sticks and stuck it into a crack in the cliff, and
climbed on it, and stuck another above it and so
he went on to the top, pulling out the sticks be
hind him and putting them in above.

And when he got to the home of the man-eagle,
Vandaih, on the top of the cliff, he found a woman
there. And she was the same woman who had
given Vandaih the pinole with eagles' feathers in
it. He had found her, and carried her up there,
and made her his wife.

When Ee-ee-toy came to the woman he found
she had a little boy, and he asked her if the child
could speak yet, and she replied that he was just
beginning to talk; and he enquired further when
the man-eagle would return, and she said that for
merly when game was plenty he had not stayed
away long, but now that game was scarce it usu
ally took him about half a day, so he likely would
not be there till noon.

And Ee-ee-toy enquired: "What does he do
when he comes back? Does he sleep or not?
Does he lie right down, or does he go looking
around first?"

And the wife said: "He looks all around first,
everywhere. And even the little flies he will kill,
he is so afraid that some one will come to kill

84 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

him. And after he has looked around, and fin
ished eating, he comes to lay his head in my lap
and have me look for the lice in his head. And
it is then that he goes to sleep. "

So Ee-ee-toy turned into a big fly and hid in
a crack in the rock, and asked the moman if she
could see him, and the said: "Yes, I can see you
very plainly."

And he hid himself three times, and each time
she could see him, but the fourth time he got into
one of the dead bodies, into its lungs, and had
her pile the other dead bodies over him, and then
when he asked her she said: "No, I cannot see
you now."

And Ee-ee-toy told her: "As soon as he goes
to sleep, whistle, so that I may know that he is
surely asleep."

At noon Ee-ee-toy heard the man-eagle coming.
He was bringing two bodies, still living & moan
ing, and dropped them over the place where Ee-
ee-toy lay. And the first thing the man-eagle did
was to look all around, and he said to his wife:
"What smell is this that I smell?" And she said:
"What kind of a smell?" And he replied: "Why,
it smells like an uncooked person!" "These you
have just brought in are uncooked persons, per
haps it is these you smell."

Then Vandaih went to the pile of dead bodies
and turned them over & over, but the oldest body
at the bottom he did not examine, for he did not
think there could be anyone there.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 85

So his wife cooked his dinner, and he ate it
and then asked her to look for the lice in his
head. And as he lay down he saw a fly pass
before his face, and he jumped up to catch it,
but the fly got into a crack in the rock where
he could not get it.

And when he lay down again the child said:
"Father! come!" And Vandaih said: "Why does
he say that? He never said that before. He must
be trying to tell me that some one is coming to
injure me!" But the wife said : "You know he
is only learning to talk, and what he means is
that he is glad that his father has come. That is
very plain." But Vandaih said: "No, I think he
is trying te tell me some one has come."

But at last Vandaih lay down and the woman
searched his head and sang to put him to sleep.
And when he seemed sound asleep she whistled.
And her whistle waked him up and he said: "Why
did you whistle! you never did that before?" And
she said: "I whistled because I am so glad about
the game you have brought. I used to feel bad
about the people you killed, but now I know I
must be contented & rejoice when you have a good
hunt. And after this I will whistle every time
when you bring game home."

And she sang him to sleep again, and whistled
when he slept; and waked him up again, and said
the same thing again in reply to his question.

And the third time, while she was singing, she
turned Vandaih's head from side to side. And

86 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

when he seemed fast asleep she whistled. And
after she had whistled she turned the head again,
but Vandaih did not get up, and so she knew
that this time he was fast asleep.

So Ee-ee-toy came out of the dead body he had
hidden in, and came to where Vandaih was, and
the woman laid his head down & left him. And
Ee-ee-toy took the knife which he had made from
the volcanic glass, obsidian, and cut Vandaih's
throat, and beheaded him, and threw his head
eastward & his body westward. And he beheaded
the child, too, and threw its head westward and
its body eastward.

And because of the killing of so powerful a
personage the cliff swayed as if it would fall down,
but Ee-ee-toy took one of his sharpened stakes and
drove it into the cliff and told the woman to hold
onto that; and he took another and drove that in
and took hold of that himself.

And after the cliff had steadied enuf, Ee-ee-toy
told the woman to heat some water, and when she
had done so he sprinkled the dead bodies.

The first ones he sprinkled came to life and he
asked them where there home was & when they
told him he sent them there by his power.

And he had more water heated and sprinkled
more bodies, and when he learned where their
home was he sent them home, also, by his power.

And this was done a third time, with a third
set of bodies.

And the forth time the hot water was sprinkled

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 87

on the oldest bodies of all, the mere skeletons.,
and it took them a long time to come to life, and
when they were revived they could not remember
where their homes were or where they had come
from. So Ee-ee-toy cut off eagles' feathers slant
ing-wise (pens) and gave them, and gave them
dried blood mixed with water (ink) and told them
their home should be in the East, and by the sign
of the slanting-cut feather they should know each
other. And they are the white people of this day.
And he sent them eastward by his power.

And in the evening he & the woman went down
the cliff by the aid of the sharpened stakes, even
as he had come up, and when they reached the
foot of the mountain they stayed there over night.
They took some of the long eagle feathers and
made a kee from them, & some of the soft eagle
feathers and made a bed with them. And they
stayed there four nights, at the foot of the cliff.
And after a day's journey they made another
kee of shorter eagle feathers, and a bed of tail
feathers. And they staid at this second camp four
nights.

And then they journeyed on again another day
and build another kee, like the first one, & stayed
there also four nights.

And they journeyed on yet another day and
built again a kee, like the second one, and stayed
there four~nights.

And on the morning of each fourth day Ee-ee-
toy took the bath of purification, as the Pimas

88 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

have since done when they have slain Apaches,
and when he arrived home he did not go right
among the people but stayed out in the bushes
for a while.

And the people knew he had killed Vandaih,
the man-eagle, for they had watched and had seen
the cloud over the high mountain.

And after the killing of Vandaih, for a long
time, the people had nothing to be afraid of, and
they were all happy.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 89

NOTES ON THE STORY OF VANDAIH

In the story of Vandaih we are given a curious glimpse
into Indian friendship. The reference to smoking, too, is
interesting. The Pimas had no true pipes. They used
only cigarettes of tobacco and corn-husk, or else short
tubes of cane stuffed with tobacco. These I have called
tube-pipes. They smoked on all ceremonial occasions,
but appear to have had no distinctive pipe of peace. The
ceremonial pipes of cane had bunches of little birds'
feathers tied to them, and in my photo of the old seenee-
yawkum he holds such a ceremonial pipe in his hand.

"He gambles with the gain-skoot:" The gain-skoot were
the Pima dice — two sticks so marked and painted as to
represent the numerals kee-ick (four) and choat-puh (six),
and two called respectively see-ick-ko, the value of which
was fourteen, and gains, the value of which was fifteen.
These were to be held in the hand and knocked in the
air with a flat round stone. At the same time there was
to be on the ground a paralellogram of holes with a sort
of goal, or "home," at two corners. If the sticks all fell
with face sides up they counted five, If all fell with
blank sides up it was ten. If only one face side turned
up it counted its full value, but if two or three turned
up then they counted only as one each. If a gain was
scored the count was kept by placing little sticks or stones
(soy-yee-kuh) in the holes as counters. If the second
player overtook the first in a hole the first man was
"killed" and had to begin over. Among all Indians gam
bling was a besetting vice, and there was nothing they
would not wager.

Sometimes instead of the gain-skoot they used waw-
pah-tee, which was simply a guessing game. They guessed
in which hand a certain painted stick was held, or in
which of four decorated cane-tubes, filled with sand, a
certain little ball was hidden and wagered on their guess.
These tubes were differently marked, and one was named
"Old Man," one "Old Woman," one "Black Head," and

90 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

one "Black in the Middle." Sticks were given to keep
count of winnings.

The moral advice which Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai
gives Vandaih, is very quaint, and the shrewd cunning
with which he loads the dice, pockets the proceeds, and
yet finally unloads all the blame on poor Vandaih, is quite
of a piece with the confused morals of most folk-lore in
all lands. On these points it is really very hard to un
derstand the workings of the primitive mind. Here is
certain proof that the moderu conscience has evoluted
from something very chaotic*

It will be noticed that Vandaih drinks the pinole, which
bewitches him, five times instead of the usual four.
Whether this is a mistake of the seeneeyawkum, or
significant I do not know. Perhaps four is a lucky and
five an unlucky number,

Another variation in the numerical order is in the wom
an whistling only three times, in putting Vandaih to sleep.

As I have before pointed out the reference to white
men, and pens and ink, is evidently a modern interpola
tion, not altogether lacking in flavor of sarcasm.

There are suggestions in this story of Jack the Giant
Killer, of the Roc of the Arabian Nights, of the harpies,,
and of the frightful creatures, part human, part animal,
so familiar in all ancient folk-lore.

The latter part of this tale is particularly interesting, as
perhaps throwing light on the origin of that mysterious
process of purification for slaying enemies, so peculiar to
the Pimts.

It seems to have been held by the Awawtam that to
kill an Apache rendered the slayer unclean, even tho the
act itself was most valiant and praiseworthy, and must be
expiated by an elaborate process of purification. From
old Comalk Hawk Kih I got a careful description of the
process.

According to his account, as soon as an Apache had
been killed, if possible, the fact was at once telegraphed
to the watchers at home by the smoke signal from some

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 91

mountain. This custom is evidently referred to in E-ee-
toy's cloud over a high mountain as a signal of success.
The Indians apparently regarded smoke and clouds as
closely related, if not the same, as is shown in their faith
in the power of tobacco to make rain.

As soon as the Apache has been killed the slayer be
gins to fast and to look for a "father." His "father" is
one who is to perform all his usual duties for him, for
he is now unclean and cannot do these himself. The
"father," too, must know how to perform all the cere
monial duties necessary to his office, as will be explained.
If a "father" can be found among the war-party the slayer
need only fast two days, but if not he must wait till he
gets home again, even if it takes four or more days. It
appears that this friend, who has charge of the slayer, is
humorously called a "father" because his "child" is usu
ally so restless under his long fast, and keeps asking him
to do things for him and divert him.

If there is no "father" for him in the war-party, as soon
as possible a messenger is sent on ahead to get some one
at home to take the office for him, and to make the fires
in the kee, that being a man's special duty. And the wife
of the slayer is also now unclean by his act, and must
purify herself as long as he, tho she must keep apart from
him. And she also must have a substitute to do her us
ual work. She must keep close at home, and her husband,
the slayer, remain out in the bushes till the purification
is accomplished.

For two days the fast is complete, but on the morning
of the third day the slayer is allowed one drink of pinole,
very thin, and no more than he can drink at one breath.
The moment he pauses he can have no more at that time.

When presenting this pinole, the "father" makes this
speech:

"Your fame has come, and I was overjoyed, and have
run all the way to the ocean, and back again, bringing
you this water.

On my return I strengthened myself four times, and in

92 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

the dish in which I carried the water stood See-vick-a
Way-hohm, The Red Thunder Person, the Lightning, and
because of his force I fell down.

And when I got up I smelled the water in the dish,
and it smelled as if something had been burned in it.

And when I got up I strengthened myself four times,
and there came from the sky, and stood in the dish, Tone-
dum Bah-ahk The Eagje of Light. And he turned the
water in the dish in a circle, and because of his force I
fell down, and when I rose up again and smelled the water
in the dish it was stinking.

And when I had started again I strengthened myself
four times, and Vee-sick the Chicken Hawk, came down
fromthe sky and stood in the dish. And by his force I
was thrown down. And when I stood again and smelled
the water in the dish, it smelled like fresh blood.

And I started again, strengthening myself four times,
and there came from the East our gray cousin, Skaw-mack
Tee-worm-gall, The Coyote, who threw me down again,
and stood in the dish, and turned the water around, and
left it smelling as the coyote smells.

And when I rose up I started again, and in coming to
you I have rested four times; and now I have brought
you the water, and so mauy powerful beings have done
wonderful things to it that I want you to drink it all at
one time."

After the third day the "father" brings his charge a little
to eat every morning and evening, but a very little.

On the morning of the fourth day, at daybreak the
slayer takes a bath of purification, even -if it is winter
and he has to break the ice and dive under to do it. And
this is repeated on the morning of each fourth day, till
four baths have been taken in sixteen days,

The slayer finds an owl and without killing him pulls
long feathers out of his wings and takes them home. The
slayer had cut a little lock of hair from the head of the
Apache he had killed, (for in old times, at least, the Pi-
mas often took no scalps) and now a little bag of buck-

\The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 93

skin is made, and a ball of grease-wood gum is stuck on
the end of this lock of hair which is placed in the bag,
and on' the bag are tied a feather of the owl and one from
a chicken hawk, and some of the soft feathers of an eagle,
and around the neck of the bag a string of blue beads.

(And during this time the women are carrying wood in
their giyh-haws to the dancing place.)

Now the Apaches are contemptuously called children,
and this bag represents a child, being supposed to con
tain the ghost of the dead Apache, and the slayer sits on
the ground with it, and takes it in his hands as if it were
a baby, and inhales from it four times as if he were kiss
ing it. And when it is time for the dance the slayers
who are a good ways off from the dancing place start be
fore sunset, but those who are close wait till the sun is
down. And the "father" goes with the slayer, through
woods and bushes, avoiding roads. And before this the
"father" has dug a hole at the dancing place 'about ten
inches deep and two feet wide, just big enough for a 'man
to squat in with legs folded, and behind the hole planted
a mezquite fork, about five feet high, on which are hung
the weapons of the slayer, his shield, club, bow, quiver
of arrows, perhaps his gun or lance.

(The shield was made of raw hide, very thick, able to
turn an arrow and was painted jet black by a mixture
of mezquite gum and charcoal, with water, which made it
glossy and shiny. The design on it was in white, or red
and white. The handle was of wood, curved, placed in
the centre of the inside, bound down at the ends by raw
hide, and the hand fended from the rough shield by a
piece of sheepskin.)

In this hole the slayer sits down and behind him and
the fork lies down his dancer, for the slayer himself does
not dance but some stranger who represents him perhaps
a Papago or a Maricopa, drawn from a distance by the
fame of the exploit. Nor do the slayers sing, but old
merTwho in their day have slain Apaches. These singers

94 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

are each allowed to sing two songs of their own choice,
the rest of the veterans joining in. And as soon as the
first old man begins to sing, the dancers get up, take the
weapons of the men they represent, and dance around the
fire, which the "fathers" keep burning, keeping time with
the song.

And the women cook all kinds of good things, and set
them before the singers, but the bystanders jump in and
snatch them away. But sometimes the wife of an old
singer will get something and save it for him.

And the relatives of the slayers will bring presents for
the dancers, buckskin, baskets, and anything that an In
dian values. And as soon as presented some relative of
the dancer runs in and takes the present and keeps it for
him.

And while this big war-dance is going on the rest of
the people are having dances in little separate groups, all
around. And as soon as the dance is over the weapons
are returned to the forks they were taken from.

By this time it is nearly morning, and the slayers get
up and take their bath in the river, and return and dry
themselves by the expiring fire. Then returning, to the
bushes they remain there again four days, and that is the
last of their purification.

As this dance is on the eve of the sixteenth day, there
were twenty days in all.

Grossmans account differs considerably from this, and
is worth reading.

During the time of purifying, the slayers wear their
hair in a strange way, like the top-knot of a white woman,
somewhat, and in it stick a stick, called a kuess-kote
to scratch themselves with, as they are not allowed to
use the fingers. This is alluded to in the Story of Paht-
ahn-kum's War. A picture of a Maricopa interpreter,
with his hair thus arranged, is in the report of Col. W.
H. Emory, before alluded to. This picture is interesting,
because it shows that the Maricopas, when with the Pimas,
odopted the same custom. When I showed this pictnre

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 95

to the old see-nee-yaw-kum he was much interested, say
ing he himself had known this man, who was a relative
of his, there being a dash of Maricopa blood in his fami
ly, and that he had been born in Mexico and had there
learned Spanish enough to be an interpreter. His Mexi
can name, he said, was Francisco Lucas, but the Pimas
called him How-app-ahl Tone-um-kum, or Thirsty Hawk,
a name which has an amusing significance when we re
call what Emory says about his taste for aguardiente, and
that Captain Johnston says of the same man, "the dog
had a liquorish tooth."

STORIES OF THE SECOND NIGHT

THE STORY OF THE TURQUOISES
AND THE RED BIRD

mm

ND at the vahahkkee which the white
men now call the Casa Grande ruins
was the home of Seeollstchewadack
Seeven, or the Morning green Chtef.
And one morning the young women at
that place were playing and having a good
time with the game of the knotted rope or balls,
which is calhd toe-coll. •

And in this game the young g rls are p'aced at
each end, near the goals, and at this time, at the
west end, one of the young girls gradually sank
into the earth; and as she sank the earth around
her became very green with grass

And Sseollstchewadack Seeven told the people
not to disturb the green spot until the next morn
ing; and the next morning the green spot was a
green rock, and he told the people to dig around
it, and as they dug they chipped off small pieces,
and the people came and got what they wanted
of these pieces of green stone. And they made
ear-rings and ornaments from these green stones,
which were tchew-dack-na-ha-gay-awh or tur
quoises.

And after the turquoises were distributed, and
the fame of this had spread, the chief of another
people, who lived to the east, whose name was
Dthas Seeven (Sun-Chief) thought he would do
something wonderful, too, being envious, and he
opened one of his veins and from the blood made

100 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

a large, beautiful bird, colored red.

And Dthas Secven told his bird to go to the
city of Seeollstchewadack Seeven and hang a-
round there till that chief saw him and took him
in. And when they offered him corn he was not
to eat that nor anything else they gave him, but
when he saw his chance he was to pick up a bit
of the green stone and swallow it, for when it
should be seen that he would swallow the green
stones then he would be fed on turquoises.

So the bird was sent, and when it arrived at
the city of the turquoises the daughter of See
ollstchewadack Seeven, whose name was Naw
itch) saw it and went and told her father. And
he asked, "What is the color of the bird?" and
she answered, "Red;" and he said, "I know that
bird. It is a very rare bird, and its being here
is a sign something good is going to happen. I
want you to get the bird and bring it here, but
do not take hold of it. Offer it a stick, and it
will take hold of it, with its bill, and you can
lead it here."

And Nawitch offered the bird a stick, and it
caught hold of the end by its bill, which was like
a parrot's bill, and she led it to her father.

And Seeollstchewadack Seeven said : "Feed
him on pumpkin seed, for that is what this kind
of bird eats,"

And Nawitch gave the bird pumpkin seed, but
it would not eat. And then she tried melon seed,
but it would not eat. And then she tried devil-

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 101

claw seed, but it would not eat. And her father
said, then: "Make him broth of corn, for this
kind of bird eats only new dishes!" And she
did so, but it would not eat the broth of corn.

And the old man told her to try pumpkin seed
again; and she tried the pumpkin seed again, and
the melon seed again, and the devil-claw seed,
and the broth of corn, but the bird would not
touch any of these.

But just then the bird saw a little piece of tur
quoise lying on the ground and it sprang and
swallowed it. And the daughter saw this and told
her father that the bird would eat turquoises. And
her father said: "This kind of bird will not eat
turquoises, but you may try him." And she gave
it some turquoises and it ate them greedily. And
then her father said: "Go and get some nice,
clean ones, a basket full." And she did so, and
the bird ate them all, and she kept on feeding it
until it had swallowed four basketful.

And then the bird began to run around, and
the girl said: "I fear our pet will leave .us and
fly away" but the old man said: "He will not fly
away. He likes us too well for that," but after a
short time the bird got to a tittle distance and
took to its wings, and flew back to the city of
Dthas Seeven.

And Dthas Seeven gave it water twice, and
each time it vomited, and thus it threw up all
the turquoises.

And so Dthas Seeven also had turquoises.

102 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON THE STORY OF THE TURQUOISES

Turquoises seem to have been regarded by all Arizona
Indians as magical and lucky stones, and the Story of the
Turqoises professes to give their origin.

Of the g-ime, toe-coll, here spoken of, Whittembre gives
this account in Cook's "Among the Prmas:" "One of
the amusements of the women was that of tossing balls.
They had two small ones, covered with buckskin, and tied
about six inches apart. Young women and married, from
thirty to seventy-five in a group, assembled as dressed
f jr a ball, their hair carefully manipulated so as to be black
and glossy. Each had a stick of willow six feet long.
With these they dextrously tossed the balls high in the
air, running after them until one party was so weary that
they gave up the game from mere exhaustion.

In order to make the excitement a success they had cer
tain active women, keen of wit and quick of action, practice
weeks in advance."

Sometimes the balls were formed by two large knots
in a short piece of rope.

THE STORY OF WAYHOHM, TOEHAHVS
AND TOTTAI

N D Seeollstchewadack Seeven won
dered what this action of the bird meant,
and he studied about it till he found out
who it was that had sent the bird and
for what purpose.

And he sent a cold rain upon the home of
Dthas Seeven. And it rained a heavy rain for
three days and three nights, so hard that it put
out all the fires in the city of Dthas Seeven, and
Dthas Seeven was dying with cold.

And the people came about him to witness his
dying, and they said: "Let us send some one to
get the fire!" And they sent Toehahvs.

And Toehahvs went, and at last came to a
house where he heard the fire roaring within.
And he looked in, and there was a big fire. And
he sat in the doorway holding out his paws to
ward the heat.

And the owner of the house, whose name was
Way-hohm^ or the Lightning, sat working within
with his face to the fire and his back to Toehahvs.
And Toehahvs wanted to dash in and steal some
fire, but he did not dare, and he went back and
told the people he had seen the fire but he could
not get it.

On the fourth day it was still raining, and they
sent another person. And this time they sent
Tot-tal, or the Road Runner, for they said he
could run almost as fast as Toehahvs.

104 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And Tottai came to the same house, and heard
the fire, and peeped in the door to warm him
self. And there sat the owner of the fire, Way-
hohm, working with his face to the fire and his
back to Tottai. And Tottai dashed in and caught
hold of a stick with fire at one end and ran out
with it.

And Wayhohm caught up his bow, the Bow-
of-the-Lightning, Way-hohm-a-Gaht, and fired
at Road Runner, and struck him on the side of
his head, and that is why the side of Tottai's
head is still bare; and Tottai ran on, and Way
hohm shot at him again and struck the other side
of his head.

And Tottai whirled around then so that the
sparks flew every way, and got into all kinds of
wood, and that is why there is fire in all kinds
of sticks even now, and the Indian can get it out
by rubbing them together to this day.

But Tottai kept on, and got to the house of
Dthas Seeven all right, and they made a fire, and
Dthas Seeven got better again.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 105

NOTES ON THE STORY OF WAYHOHM

There is a suggestion of Thor in the Story of Way-
hohm, and also of Prometheus. Wayhohm's house must
have been the hall of the clouds.

How true to nature, here, is the touch describing the
Coyote-person, Toehahvs. The exessive caution of the
coyote, making it impossible for him, however eager, to
force himself into any position he suspects, here stands
out before us, contrasted in the most dramatic way with
the dashing boldness ,of the road-runner.

When we reached the end of this story Comalk Hawk-
Kih took two pieces of wood to rub them together to make
fire. But he was old and breathless, and "Sparkling-Soft-
Feather," the mother of my interpreter, took them and
made the fire for me. I have the implements yet.

There were two parts to the apparatus. Gee-uh-toe-dah,
the socket stick was of a soft dry piece of giant cactus
rib, and a notch was whittled in one side of this with a
small socket at the apex, that is on the upper side.

This was placed flat on the ground, with a bit of corn
husk under the notch, and held firmly in position by the
bare feet. The twirling stick, eev-a-dah-kote, was a hard
arrow weed, very dry and scraped smooth. The end of
this was engaged in the little socket, at the top of the
cactus rib, and then, held perpendicularly, was twirled
between the two hands till the friction rubbed off a powder
which crowded out of the socket, and fell down the notch
at its side to the corn-husk. This little increasing pile of
powder was the tinder, and, as the twirling continued, grew
black, smelled like burned wood, smoked and finally
glowed like punk. It was now picked up on the corn husk
and placed in dry horse dung, a bunch of dry grass, or
some such inflammable material, and blown into flame.

It looked very simple, and took little time, but I never
could do it.

THE STORY OF HAWAWK

ND when Dthas Seeven had gotten bet
ter he meditated on what had happened
him, and studied out that Seeollstchew-
adack-Seeven was the cause of his trou
ble, and planned how to get the better
of him.

Now the Indians have a game of football in
which the ball is not kicked but lifted and thrown
a good ways by the foot, and Dthas Seeven made
such a ball, and sent a young man to play it in
the direction of the city of Seeollstchewadack-
Seeven. And the young man did so, and as he
kept the ball going on it came to the feet of a
young girl, who, when she saw the ball, picked
it up and hid it under the square of cloth which
Indian girls wear.

And the young man came up and asked her if
she had seen the ball, and she answered no, she
had not seen it, ^nd she kept on denying it, so at
last he turned back and said he might as well go
home as he no longer had a ball to play with. But
he had not gone far before the girl called to him:
"Are you not coming back to get your ball?" And
he went back to her, and she tried to find the ball,
but could not.

But the ball was not lost, but it had bewitched
her.

And after a time this girl had a baby, a tall baby,
with claws on its hands and feet like a wild animal.

And the people did not know what this meant,

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 107

and they asked Toehahvs, and Toehahvs knew
because this had been prophesied of old time.
And Toehahvs said: "She is Haw-awk."

And Hawawk grew and became able to crawl,
but people were afraid of handling her because of
the scratching of her claws. Only her relatives
could safely handle her. And as she grew older,
still, she would sometimes see other children and
wish to play with them, but in a short time they
would get scratched by her in her gambols and
would run home crying and leave her alone. And
it got so that when the children saw her com
ing they would tell each other and run home and
she could get none of them to play with her.

She claimed Ee-ee-toy as her uncle, and when
he had been rabbit-hunting and came in with game
she would run and call him "uncle!" and try and
get the rabbits away from him; and when he cleaned
the rabbits and threw away the entrails she would
run and devour them, and the bones of the rabbits
the people threw away after the feasts she would
eat, too.

And when Hawawk grew older she would some
times complain to Ee-ee-toy if he icame in with
out game. "Why is it you sometimes come in
without rabbits?" she would say, "And why do
you not kill a great many?" And he would re
ply: "It is not possible to kill a great many, for
they run very fast and are very hard to shoot
with a bow and arrow." "Let me go with you,"
she would say, "and I will kill a great many."

108 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

But he would tell her: "You are a girl, and it is
not your place to go hunting. If you were a boy
it would be, but as it is you cannot go."

And she kept on begging in this way, and he
kept on refusing, she saying that she could kill a
great many, and he saying that only a man or a
boy could shoot many rabbits, because they ran
so fast.

But as she grew older still she began to follow
the hunters, and when the hunting began she
would be in the crowd, but she tried to keep out
of her uncle's way so that he would not see her.
And sometimes when she would thus be following
the hunt a rabbit would run in her direction, and
she would run fast and jump on it and kill it, and
eat it right there; and after a while she could do
this oftener and caught a good many; and sshe
would eat all she wanted as she caught them, and
the others she gave to her uncle, Ee-ee-toy, to
carry home. And Ee-ee-toy came to like to have
her with him because of the game she could get.
But after a time she did not come home anymore,
but staid out in the bushes, living on the game
she could get. But when the hunters came out, she
would still join them and after killing and eating
all she wanted she would give the rest of her kill
to her uncle, as before.

And so she contrived to live in the wild places,
like a wild-cat, and in time became able to kill
deer, antelopes, and all big game, and yet being
part human she would tan buckskin like a woman

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 109

and do all that a woman needs to do.

And she found a cave in the mountain which
is called Taht-kum, where she lived, and that cave
can be seen now and is still called Hawawk's Cave.

But she had been born near where the ruins oT
Casa Grande now are and claimed that vahahk-
kee for her own. And when she knew a baby
had been born there she would go to the mother
and say, "I want to see my grandchild," But if
the mother let her take the baby she would put
it over her shoulder, into her gyih-haw, and run
to her cave, and put the baby into a mortar, and
pound it up and eat it. And she got all the babies
she could in this way; and later on she grew
bolder and would,- find the larger children, where
thy were at play, and would carry them off to eat
them. And now she let all the rabbits and such
game go, and lived only on the children she caught,
for a long time.

And Ee-ee-toy told the people what to do in this
great trouble. He told them to roast a big lot of
pumpkin seeds and to go into their houses and
keep still. And when the people had roasted the
pumpkin seeds and gone into their houses, Ee-
ee-toy came around and stopped up the door of
every house with bushes, and plastered clay over
the bushes as the Awawtam still do when they
go away from home.

After a time Hawawk came around, and stood
near the houses, and listened, and heard the peo
ple cracking the pumpkin seeds inside.

110 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And she said: "Where are all my grandchildren?
They must have been gone for a long time, for
I do not see any tracks, nor hear any voices,
and I hear only the rats eating the seeds in the
empty houses. "

And she came severartimesv and saw no one,
and really believed the people had gone entirely
away. And for a while she did not come any
more, but after a time she was one day running
by the village and she saw some children play
ing. And she caught two and ran with them to
her cave. And from that day she went on steal
ing children as before.

And Ee-ee-toy made him a rattle, out of a wild
gourd, and went and lay on the trail on which
Hawawk usually came, and changed himself into
the little animal called "Kaw-awts" And when
Hawawk came along she poked him with a stick
of her gyih-haw and said. "Here is a little kaw-
awts. He must be my pet." And then Ee-ee-
toy jumped up and shook his rattle at her, and
frightened her so that she ran home. And then
Ee-ee-toy made rattles for all the children in that
place and when they saw Hawawk coming they
would shake their rattles at her and scare her
back again.

But after a while Hawawk became used to the
rattles and ceased to fear them, and even while
they were shaking she would run and carry some
of the children off.

And one day two little boys were hunting doves

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 1 1 1

after the manner of the country. They had a little
kee of willows, and a hole inside in the sand
where they sat, and outside a stick stuck-up for
the doves to light on. And when the doves came
they would shoot them with their bows and ar
rows. And while they were doing this they saw
Hawawk coming. And they said "What shall
we do! Hawawk is coming and will eat us up."

And they lay down in the hole in the sand and
covered themselves with the dove's feathers. And
Hawawk came and said: "Where are my grand
children! Some of them have been here very
lately." And she went all around and looked for
their tracks, but could find none leading away
from the place. And she came back again to the
kee, and while she was looking in a wind came
and swept away all the dove-feathers, and she
sprang in and caught up the two boys and put
them in her gyih-haw and started off.

And as she went along the boys said: "Grand
mother, we like flat stones to play with. Wont
you give us all the flat stones you can find?"
And Hawawk picked up all the flat stones she
came to and put them one by one over her shouder
into the basket.

And the boys said, again, after the basket be-
gain to get heavy, "Grandmother, we like to go
under limbs of trees. Go under all the low limbs
of trees you can to please us." And Hawawk
went under a low tree, and one of the boys
caught hold of the limb and hung there till

112 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

she had gone on. And Hawawk went under
another tree, and the other boy canght hold of
a limb and staid there. But because of the
flat stones she kept putting into her gyih-haw
Hawawk did not notice this. And when she got
to her cave and emptied her basket there were
no boys there.

And when Hawawk saw this she turned back
and found the tracks of the boys, and ran, follow
ing after them, and caught up with them just be
fore they -got to their village. And she would
have caught them there, and carried them off £-
gain, but the boys had gathered some of the fine
thorns of a cactus, and when Hawawk came
near they held them up and let them blow with
the wind into her face.

And they stuck in her eyes, and hurt them, and
"She began -to rub her eyes, which made them hurt
worse so that she could not see them, and thtn
the boys ran home and thus saved their lives.

After that she went to another place called Vahf-
kee-wohlt-kih, or the Notched Cliffs, and staid
around there and ate the children, and then she
moved to another place, the old name of which
is now forgotten, but it is called, now, Stchew-
a-dack Vah-veeuh, or the Green Well. And
there, too, she killed the children.

And the people called on Ee-ee-toy to help them,
and Ee-ee-toy said, "I will kill her at once!"

And Ee-ee-toy, being her relative, went to her
home and said: ''Your grandchildren want some

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 113

amusement and are going to have dances now
every night and would like you to come."

And she replied: "You know very well I do
not care for such things. I do not care to come."

And Ee-ee-toy returned and told the people she
did not care to come to their dances, tho he had
invited her, but he would think of some other
way to get her to come where they were, that
they might kill her.

And he went a second time, and told her the
people were going to sing the Hwah-guff-san-
nuh-kotch Nyuee, or Basket Drumming Song,
and wanted her to come. But she said: "I have
heard of that song, but I do not care to hear it.
I care nothing for such things, and I will not
come."

So Ee-ee-toy returned and told of his second
failure, but promised he would try again. And
in the morning he went to her and said: "Your
grand-children are going to sing the song Haw-
hawf-kuh Nyaee or Dance of the Bone-trimmed
Dresses Song and they want you to come. "But
she said: "I do not care for this song, either,
and I will not come."

And Ee-ee-toy told of his third failure, but
promised the people he would try once more,
and when the morning came he went to Haw-
awk and said: "Your grandchildren are going to
dance tonight to the song which is called See-
coll-cod-dha-kOi,ch Nyuee" (which is a sort of
ring dance with the dancers in a circle with joined

114 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

hands) "and they want you to come."

And she said: "That is what I like. I will
come to that. When is it going to be?"
And he said: "It will be this very night."
And he went and told the people she was com
ing and they must be ready for her.

Hawawk got ready in the early evening and
dressed herself in a skirt of soft buckskin. And
over this she placed an overskirt *of deerskin,
fringed with long cut fringes with deer-hoofs at
the ends to rattle. And then she ran to the danc
ing place; and the people could hear her a long
way off, rattling, as she came. And they were
already dancing when she arrived there, and she
went and joined hands with Ee-ee-toy.

And Hawawk was a great smoker, and Ee-ee-
toy made cigarettes for her that had something
in them that would make folks sleep. And he
smoked these himself, a little, to assure her, but
cautiously and moderately, not inhaling the smoke,
but she inhaled the smoke, and before the four
nights were up she was so sleepy that the people
were dragging her around as they danced, and
then she got so fast asleep that Ee-ee-toy carried
her on his shoulder.

And all the time they were dancing they were
moving across country, and getting nearer the
cave where she lived, and other people at the
same time were ahead of them carrying lots of
wood to her cave. And when they arrived at her
cave in the mountain of Tahtkum they laid her

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 115

sleeping body down inside, and placed the wood
in the cave between her and the door, filling it
all to the entrance, which they closed with four
hurdles, such as the people fasten their doors
with, so that she could not run out.

And then they set the wood on fire, and it
burned fiercely, and when the fire reached Haw-
awk she waked and cried out. "My grandchil
dren, what have I done that you should treat me
this way!"

And the fire hurt her so that she jumped up
and down with pain, and her head struck the
ceiling of the cave and split the rock. And when
the people saw it they called to Ee-ee-toy, and
he went and put his foot over the crack, and
sealed it up, and you may see the track of his
foot there to this day.

But Ee-ee-toy was not quick enough, and her
soul escaped through the crack.

And then for a while the people had peace, but
in time her soul turned into a green hawk, and
this hawk killed the people, but did not eat them.

And this made the people great trouble, but
one day a woman was making pottery and she
had just taken one pot out of the fire and left
another one in the furnace, on its side, when this
hawk saw her and came swooping down from high
in the air to kill her, but missed her, and went
into the hot pot in the fire, and so was burned
up and destroyed.

And one day they boiled greens in that pot,

116 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

the greens calle'd choo-hook-yuh, and the greens
boiled so hard that they boiled over, and splashed
around and killed people. And they boiled all
day and stopped at night, and at daybreak began
again to boil, and this they did for a long time;
boiling by day and stopping at night.

And the people sent for Toehahvs who lived in
the east, and Gee-ah-duk Seeven, or Strong Bow
Chief, who lived where is now the ruin of Aw-
awt-kum Vah-ahk-kee, to kill the pot for them.

And when they arrived Geeahduk Seeven en
quired if the pot slept. And the people said.
"Yes, it sleeps all night." Then said Geeah
duk Seeven, "We will get up very early, before
the pot wakes, and then we will kill it."

But Toehahvs said; "That is not right, to go
and kill it at night. I am not like a jealous wo
man who goes and fights her rival in the dark
ness. I am not a woman, I am a man!"

And Toehahvs said to Geeahduk Seeven: "I
will go in the morning to attack the pot and I
want you to go on the other side, and if the pot
throws its fluid at me, so that I cannot conquer it,
then do you run up on the other side and smash it."

Then' Toehahvs took his shield and his club,
in the morning, and went to attack the pot. But
the pot saw him, and, altho he held up his
shield, it boiled over, and threw the boiling choo-
hookyuh so high and far that some of it fell on
Toehahvs' back and scalded it. And Toehahvs
had to give back a little. But at that moment

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 117

Geeahduk Seeven ran in on the other side and
smashed the pot.

And there was an old man with an orphan
grandson, living near there, and when the pot
was smashed these came to the spot and ate up
the choohookyuh. And at once they were turned
into bears, the old man into a black bear, the boy
into a brown bear.

And these bears also killed people, and tho
the people tried to kill them, for a long time they
could not do so. When they shot arrows at the
bears, the bears would catch them and break them
up. And so the people had to study out other
ways to get the better of them. There is a kind
of palm-tree, called o-nook, which has balls where
the branches come out, and the people burned
the trees to get these balls, and threw them at
the bears. And the bears caught the balls, and
fought and wrestled with them, and while their
attention was taken by these balls the people shot
arrows at them and killed them.

And thus ended forever the evil power of Haw.
awk.

118 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON THE STORY OF HAWAWK

The Story of Hawawk opens with an interesting reference
to the favorite Pima game of football. The ball was a-
bout two and one half inches in diameter, merely a heavy
pebble coated thick with black greasewood gum. Some
times it was decorated with little inlays of shell. It was
thrown by the lifting of the naked or sandaled foot, rather
than kicked. Astonishing tales are told of the running
power and endurance of the older Indians. White and
red men agree in the testimony.

Emory says of the Maricopa interpreter, Thirsty Hawk,
before alluded to, that he came running into their camp
on foot and "appeard to keep pace with the fleetest horse."
Whittemore, the missionary, says: "Some young women
could travel from forty to fifty miles in sixteen hours,
and there were warriors who ran twenty miles, keeping
a horse on a canter following them." G. W. Mardis, the
trader at Phoenix, told me he had known Indians to run
all day, and my interpreter told me of Pimas running
forty to seventy miles in a day, hunting horses on the
mountains. Others ran races with horses and with a
little handicap and for moderate distance often beat them.
On these long runs after horses the men took their foot
balls and kept them going, saying it made the journey
amusing and less tiresome. And undoubtedly it was, in
the practice of this sport, that their powers were devel
oped. Beside the usual foot-races, in which all Indians
delight, it often happened that two champions would, on
a set day, start in different directions and chase their
footballs far out on the desert, perhaps ten miles and
then return. The one who came in first was winner.
The whole tribe, in two parties, on horseback as far as
they could get mounts, followed the champions, as judges,
assistants, critics and friends and there was profuse bet
ting and picturesque excitement and display.

But the fine old athletic games seem to have all died
out now.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 119

Stories of miraculous conception are not uncommon in
Indian tradition, and this story of the bewitching of the
young girl into motherhood thru the agency of the foot
ball is an instance.

This gruesome and graphic tale is full of insight into
Indian thought and fancy. In reading it we are reminded
of many familiar old nursery tales of kidnapped child,
pig or fowl ("the little red hin" of Irish legend for in
stance) and of Were-Wolf and Loup-Garou.

And here reappears the old myth of some god's or hero's
footstep printed in solid rock.

Here is a hint, too, of transmigration in the various ad
ventures of the soul of Hawawk.

My Indian hosts cooked me a pot of choohookyuh
greens, and I found them very palatable.

The reference to the pottery making reminds me of Pima
arts. Today the Maricopas have almost a monopoly
of pottery making, tho the Quohatas make some good pot
tery too. It is shaped by the hands (no potters wheel
being known) and smoothed and polished by stones, paint
ed red with a mineral and black with mezquite gum and
baked in a common fire. It is often very artistic in a
rude way, in form and decoration.

The Papagoes do most of the horse-hair work, chiefly
bridles, halters and lariat ropes, and make mats and fans
from rushes.

The Pimas make the famous black and white, water
tight baskets, which are too well known to need descrip
tion. The black in these is shreds of the dead-black seed
pod of the devil-claw and not some fibre dyed black, as
some suppose.

There seems^to have been no original bead work a-
mong Pima Indians.

THE STORY OF TAWQUAHDAHMAWKS
AND HER CANAL

KSg

Afe
1

iii

N D after this the people had long
peace, increased in numbers, and were
scattered all around. Some lived where
the old vahahkkees now are in the
Gila country, and some lived in the Pa-
pago country, and some in the Salt
River country. And those who lived where the
mound now is between Phoenix and Tempe were
the first to use a canal to irrigate their land.
And these raised all kinds of vegetables and had
fine crops. And the people of the Gila country
and the people of the Salt River country at
first did not raise many vegetables, because
they did not irrigate, and they used to visit the
people who did irrigate and eat with them; but
after a while the people who lived on the south
side of the Salt River also made a canal, and you
can see it to this day.

But when these people tried their canal it did
not work. When they dammed the river the
water did not run, because the canal was uphill.
And they could not seem to make it deeper, be
cause it was all in a lime rock.

And they sent for Ee-ee-toy to help them. And
Ee-ee-toy had them get stakes of ironwood, and
sharpen them, and all stand in a row with their
stakes in their hands at the bottom of the canal.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 121

And then Ee-ee-toy sang a song, and at the end
of the song the people were all to strike their
stakes into the bottom of the canal to make it
deeper. But it would not work, it was too hard,
and Ee-ee-toy gave it up.

And Ee-ee-toy said: "I can do no more, but
there is an old woman named Taw-quah-dahm-
awks (which means The Wampum Eater) and
she, tho only a woman, is very wise, and likely
can help you better than I. I advise you to send
for her."

And the people sent for her, and she said: "I
will come at once."

And she came, as she had promised, but she
did not go to where the people were assembled,
but went right to the canal. And she had brought
a Tog with her, and she left the fog at the river,
near the mouth of the canal. And she went up
the course of the canal, looking this way and that,
to see how much up-hill it ran.

And when she reached where the canal ran up
hill she blew thru it the breath which is called
seev-hur-whirl, which means a bitter wind. And
this wind tore up the bed of the canal, as deep
as was necessary, throwing the dirt and rocks
out on each side.

And then the fog dammed up the river and the
water ran thru the canal.

Then the old woman did not go near the people,
but went home, and in the morning, when one of
the people went to see why the old woman did

122 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

not come, he saw the canal full of water and he
yelled to everybody to come and see it.

And in this way these people got water for
their crops and were as prosperous as the others
below them.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 123
NOTES ON

THE STORY OF TAWQUAHDAHMAWKS

In this story we find proof that the oldest digging uten
sil was a sharpened stake.

Before these people became agricultural they must have
subsisted mainly on the game and wild fruits of the
desert. They showed me several seed-bearing bushes and
weeds which in old time had helped to eke out for them
an existence.

Starvation must have often stared them in the face,
and the references to hunger, and the prophecies of plenty,
and of visits to relatives whose crops were good, are
scattered pathetically all thru these legends.

And indeed, until very recently, mezquite beans and
the fruit of various cactus plants were staple articles of
food.

Mezquite beans grow in a pod on the thorny mezquite
trees. The gathering of them was quite a tribal event,
large parties going out. The beans when brought home
were pounded in the chee-o-pah, or mortar, which was
made by burning a hollow in the end of a short mez
quite log, set in the ground like a low post. A long round
stone pestle,, or vee-it-kotey was used to beat with, and
sometimes the cheeopah itself was of stone. But stone
mortars were usually ancient and dug from out the vah-
ahkkee ruins.

The beans, crushed very fine and separated from the
indigestible seeds, packed into a sweet cake that would
keep a year.

Various cactus fruits were eaten. They warned me that
for a novice to eat freely of prickly pears produced a lame,
sore feeling, as if one had taken cold or a fever. I no
ticed no symptoms however. The fruit of the giant cactus
is gathered from the top, around which it grows like a

124 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

crown, by a long light pole, made from the rib of the
same cactus, with a little hook at its end made by tying
another short piece, slant-wise, across. They called the
constellation of Ursa Major, Quee-ay-put, or The Cactus-
Puller, from a fancied resemblance to this familiar im
plement.

The giant cactus, or har-san, was eaten ripe, or dried
in the sun, or boiled to a jam and sealed away in earth-
em jars. They also fermented it by mixing with water,'
and made their famous tis-win or whiskey from it. They
had "big drunks" at this time, in which all the tribe
joined in a general spree.

A sort of large worm (larva) was also gathered in large
quantities, boiled and eaten with salt.

The confusion in the Pima thougth on religious matters
is well revealed in this tale, in which Ee-ee-toy, who may
be regarded as a god, frankly admits that in some matters
an old womaji may be wiser and more powerful than he.
Nothing appears to have been very clearly defined in their
faith except that a mahkai might be or do almost anything.

HOW NOOEE KILLED EE-EE-TOY

E-EE-TOY lived in the Salt River Moun
tain, which is called by the Awawtam
Moehahdheck, or the Brown Mountain,
and whenever the girls had ceremonial
dances because of their arrival at wom
anhood he would come and sing the ap
propriate songs. And it often happened that he
would tempt thtse young girls away to his moun
tain, to be his wives, but after keeping them
awhile he would grow tired of them and send
them back.

And the people disliked Ee-ee-toy because of
th;s. And when they had crops, too, Ee-ee-toy
would often shoot his hot arrows thru the fields,
and wither up the growing things ; and tho the
people did not see him do this, they knew he was
guilty, and they wanted to kill him, but they did
not know how to do it.

And the people talked together about how they
could kill Ee-ee-toy. And two young boys, there
were, who were always together, And as they
lay at the door of their kee they heard the peo
ple talking of sending bunches of people here and
there to kill Ee-ee-toy, and one said: "He is only
one, we could kill him ourselves." And the other
one said: "Let us go and kill him, then."

So the two boys went to Moehahdheck, and
found Ee-ee-toy lying asleep, and beat him with
their clubs, and killed him, and then came back
and told the people of what they had done. But

126 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

none of the people went to see the truth of this
and in the morning Ee-ee-toy came again, just
as he used to do, and walked around among the
people, who said among themselves: "I thought
the boys said they had killed him."

And that same night all the people went toMoe-
hahdheck, and found Ee-ee-toy asleep, and fell
upon him arid killed him. And there was a pile
of wood outside, and they laid him on this and
set fire to the wood and burned his flesh. And
feeling sure that he was now dead, they went
home, but in the morning there he was, walking
around, alive again.

And so the people assembled again, and that
night, once more, they killed him, and they cut
his flesh up into little bits, and put it into a pot,
and boiled it, and when it was cooked they threw
it all away in different directions. But in the
morning he was alive again and the people gave
it up for that time.

But after awhile they were planning again how
to kill him; and one of them proposed that they
all go and tie him with ropes and take him to a
high cliff, and push him off, and let him fall.
And so they went and did this, but Ee-ee-toy
was not hurt at all. He just walked off, when
he reached the bottom, and looked up at the
people above him.

The next scheme was to drown him. They
caught him and led him to a whirlpool, and tied
his hands and feet and threw him in. But he

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 127

;

came up in a few minutes, without any ropes on,
and looked at the people, and then dived, and so
kept on coming up and diving down. And the
people, seeing they could not drown him, went
home once more.

Then Nooee called the people together and
said: "It is of no use for you to try to kill Be-
ee-toy, for you cannot kill him. He is too power
ful for men to kill. He has power over the
winds, and all the animals, and he knows all that
is going on in the mountains, and in the sky.
And I have power something like him."

So Nooee told the people to come in, that even
ing, to his house. He said: "I will show you
part of my power, and I want every one to see it."

And Nooee lived not far from where Ee-ee-
toy did, south of the Moehahdheck mountain,
at a place called Nooee Vahahkkee, and that
was where he invited the people to come.

And so, when the people assembled at Nooee
Vahahkkee, Nooee made earth in his habitation,
and mountains on it, and all things on it, in tittle
as we say, so that the people could see his power;
for Juhwerta Mahki had made him to have power,
tho he had not cared to use it. And he made a little
world in his house for them to look at, with sun,
moon and stars working just as our sun and stars
work; and everything exactly like our world.

And when night came, Nooee pushed the dark
ness back with his hands, and spread it on the
walls, so that the people could see his little world

128 Aw-aw~tam Indian Nights

and how it worked. And he was there four days
and four nights, showing this wonder to jthe
people.

And after this Nooee flew, up thru the open
ings in the roof of his house, and sat there, and
saw the sun rise. And as soon as the sun rose
Nooee flew towards it, and flew up and up,
higher and higher, until he could see Ee-ee-toy's
heart. And he wore a nose ring, as all the brave
people did, a nose ring of turquoise. But from
his high view he saw that everything looked green
and so he knew he could not kill Eee-ee-toy that
day.

And the next day he did the same thing, only
he wore a new nose-ring, made of a sparkling
shell. And when he got up high enuf to see Ee-
ee-toy's heart he saw that the ground looked dry,
and he was very much pleased, for he knew that
now he would, someday, kill Ee-ee-toy. And he
went home.

And the third morning Nooee again put on
his nose ring of glittering shell, and flew up to
meet the Sun, and he flew up and up until he
came to the sun himself. And Nooee said to
the Sun: "You know there is a Person, on earth,
called Ee-ee-toy, who is very bad, and I want to
kill him, and I want your help, and this is the
reason I come to you."

And Nooee said to the Sun: "Now you go
back, and let me shine in your place, and I will
give just as much light 'as you do, but let me

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 129

have your vi-no-me-gaht, your gun, to shoot with,
when I get around to your home." And the Sun
said: "Moe-vah Sop-hwah, that is all right. But
I always go down over yonder mountain, and
when you get to that mountain just stop and look
back, and see how the world looks."

And Nooee took the Sun's place, and went
down, that evening, over the mountain, stopping,
as he was told, to see how wonderful the world
looked; and when he came to the Sun's home,
the sun gave him the weapon he shot with.

And the next morning Nooee rose in place of
the Sun, and after rising a little he shot at the
earth, and it became very hot. And before noon
he shot again, and it was still hotter. And Ee-
ee-toy knew, now that he was going to be killed,
but he tried to use all his power to save himself.
He ran around, and came to a pond where there
had always been ice, and he jumped in to cool
himself, but it was all boiling water.

And when it was nearly noon Nooee shot a-
gain, and it became terribly hot, and Ee-ee-toy
ran for a, rock which had always been cold, but
just before he got there the heat made the rock
burst.

And he ran to a tree, whose cool shade he
often enjoyed, but as he came near it the tree
began to burst into flame, and he had to turn
back. And now it was noon, and Nooee shot
again.

And Ee-ee-toy ran to a great post, all striped

130 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

around with black and white, which had been
made by his power, and which had a hollow that
was always cool inside, and was about to put his
arms around it when he fell down and died.

So Ee-ee-toy was dead, and Nooee went down
to his setting, and returned the weapon to the
Sun, and then went home to his vahahkkee.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 131

THE SONG OF
NOOEE WHEN HE WENT TO THE SUN

The Rising (Sun) I am going to meet.

(Repeated many times)

WHEN NOOEE KILLEED EE-EE-TOY*
(A Song)

The gun, he gave it to me as a cane;
With it I killed the Brother's heart.

*The reference to the "gun" shows clearly that this
song was made after the advent of the white man.

132 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON HOW NOOEE KILLED EE-EE-TOY

The hot arrows of Ee-ee-toy, that withered the crops,
remind us of Apollo.

The idea often comes up in these stories that a person
possessing the powers of a mahkai was hard to kill, hav
ing as many lives as a cat. It would also appear that
there was a confusion as to what constituted killing, any
way, They perhaps regarded mere unconsciousness as
death, Both Ee-ee-toy and Nooee are "killed," but after
an interval are alive again. And Whittemore relates:
"An Apache, seeing Louis, the Pima interpreter, came to
him in high glee. Taking his hand, he said: 'You are
the Pima who killed me years ago.' Louis then recognized
him as the man to whom he had dealt a heavy blow with
a warclub, and then left him for dead on the battle-field."

Is there any connection between the the fact that when
Nooee wore a nose-ring of turquoise the earth looked
green, and that when he wore a nose-ring of glittering
shell the earth looked dry to him?

Could this whole story have been a myth of some great
drouth?

EE-EE-TOY'S RESURRECTION AND SPEECH
TO JUHWERTA MAHKAI

mm

ND after Ee-ee-toy was dead he lay there,
as some say for four months, and some
say for four years; He was killed, but
his winds were not killed, nor his clouds
and they were sorry for him, and his
clouds rained on him.
And he lay there so long that the little chil
dren played on him, jumping from him.

But at last he began to come to life again, hold
ing down the ground — as a wounded man does,
moaning, and there was thunder, and an earth
quake.

And Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai's daughter
was grinding corn when this happened, and the
corn rolled in the basket, and she said: "How is
it that it thunders when there are no clouds, none
to be seen, and that the corn rolls in the basket?"
And her father said: "You may think this is
only thunder, but I tell you wonderful things are
going to happen."

Ee-ee-toy, when he got a little stronger, picked
up some stones and examined them, and threw
them away. He did this four times, throwing
away the stones each time, not liking any of them.
And the children went there to play, and found
him alive, and asked each other: "Why is that
old man doing that, picking up stones, and throw
ing them away, and picking up more?"

134 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And he began then to cut up all kinds of sticks,
four at a time, and to lay them down and look
at them, but he liked none of them. Then he
cut arrow weeds, four of them, and he liked their
look. And he lit his pipe and blew the smoke
over them, and spread his hand above them, and
he liked the light of them which came thru his
fingers.

And he put those sticks away in his pouch.
And then he rose and took a few steps, and be
gan to walk. And all his springs of water had
been dried up while he was dead, but when he
walked the earth again they gushed forth, and he
dipped his fingers in them and stroked his wet
fingers over his breast and he did the same to
the trees.

And he went on and came to the cliff where
Vandaih once was, and he did the same to it,
putting his hand to it and rubbing it. And he
went to see the Sun.

He came to where the Sun starts, but the Sun
was not there, but he could see the road the Sun
takes, and he followed it. And that road was
fringed with beautiful feathers and flowers and
turquoises.

And he came to the tree which is called The
Talking Tree. And the Tree took of its bark
thin strips, which curled as owl fethers do when
split, and tied them on a little stick, and put them
in Ee-ee-toy's hair. And it gave him four sticks,
made from that one of its branches which dipped

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 135

to the south. And from its middle branch it made
him a war club, and from a gall, or excresence,
which grew on its limb, it made him a vah-quah.
or canteen.

After that he went along the beautiful fringed
road which the Sun travels, and came to the place
where the Sun drinks. And he took a drink there
himself, putting his knee in the spot where the
Sun's knee-print is, and his hand where the Sun
rests his hand. And in the clear water he saw a
stone like the Doctors' Stone, somewhat, but of
the color of slate, with a zigzag pattern around
it. And he took his four arrow-weeds and placed
them under this stone and left them there.

And he went on, and went down where the
Sun goes down. And he went to see Juhwertar
Mahkai, to the place where he lived with his
people, those who sank thru the earth before the
flood.

And when Ee-ee-toy came to where Juhwerta
Mahkai was, he said to him:—

"There was an Older Brother, and his people

were against him;

And he had made an earth that was like your earth;
And he had made mountains that were like your

mountains;
And he had made springs of water, like yours,

that were satisfactory;
And he made trees like yours, and everything

that he made worked well.

136 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And they shot him till he bounced, four times

on the open ground;

And threw him with his face to the earth.
And he lay there, dead, but when he came to life

he used the strength of his right arm and

rose up.
But things were changed, and looked different

from the old times.

He examined the sticks, but none suited him;
He eyed along the river, that green snake, which

he had made, and found the sticks that pleased

him.

And he cut those arrow-weeds, he found there, in
to four pieces, and blew the smoke over them.
And out of them came sparks of light, that almost

reached the Opposite World, the World of

the Enemy, where things are different.
And when he saw the light from the sticks he

smiled within himself;
He was so pleased he had found the sticks that

suited him.
And he brought the Black Fog from the West,

and stroked the sticks with it, and so finished

them,
And from the Ocean he brought the Blue Fog, and

stroked the sticks with it, and finished them;
And from the East he brought the Fog of Light,

and stroked the sticks with it and finished

them;
And from Above brought the Green Fog, and put

it in hiding, and there secretly stroked the

sticks with it, and finished them;

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 137

From the West he brought the Black Snake,
which he had made, and bound the sticks to
gether, and finished them.

And from the Ocean he brought the Blue Snake,
and bound the sticks together, and finished
them;

From the East he brought the Snake of Light,
and bound the sticks together, and finished
them;

And from Above he brought the Green Snake, and
bound them together and finished them.

And then he rose up, and with the first step he
stepped on the 'great doctors of the earth and
sank them down;

The next step he stepped on the Speaker, and
sank him down;

The next step he stepped on the Slayer, and sank
him down;

And the next step he stepped on the rushing
young maid who gathers the fruit to feed the
family, and sank her down.

And then he sank down himself, and walked un
der the earth's crust a little way, and then
came out and found the Light's Road, his
own proper way, and walked in it.

Where he found his springs of water, which he
had made, with their green moss growing, and
dipped his hand in them and moistened his
heart;

And every mountain he came to, which he had
made, he entered and there he cooled his
heart;

138 Aw-aw~tam Indian Nights

And rested his hand on every tree he had made,
and so freshened his heart;

And came like a ghost to the place, the cliff, where
he had killed the man-eagle, and sat there.

And there was Someone there, whom he did not
know, who asked him what he wanted, com
ing there like a ghost;

Who said: 4I told you that you would be against
my people and the earth!'

And from there he went to the East and strength
ened himself four times;

When he arrived at where the Sun arises;

Where he came to the four notches which the
Sun uses when he is rising. .

And where the Sun steps it is full of wind;

And where the Sun puts his hands it is full of
, wind.

In spite of that he climbed the way, the way in
which the Sun rises.

And he went Westward, stopping and taking his
breath four times;

Even at the fourth time, still going, still breath
ing westward.

It was the west-bound road. he followed, the road
adorned with all beautiful fringes;

Fringes of soft feathers, and large feathers; and
flowers made from beautiful trees, and tur
quoises.

And he went along this road, pulling all the fringes,
and whenever he came to the doctors, toss
ing them up in the air.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 139

And there he came to Nee-yaw-kee-tom Gas, The
Talking Tree;

And he came to it like a ghost, and fell down
on his knees toward it;

And the Tree asked him why he came like a
ghost, and what he wanted: —

'I have told you that some day you would be
the enemy to my people and to the earth.

There the Tree pulled off its bark and stuck it
in his head, like split owl feathers;

And it was its middle branch which it cut down
in fine shape for a club and slipped under
his belt;

And it was a nut-gall from its limbs which it made
into a canteen for him.

And these two together it slipped under his belt.

And it was the branch toward the ocean which
it broke into four pieces, equally, and hand
ed to him.

And from thence he travelled on, on the Middle
Road, and where there were beautiful fringes
he examined them as he went along.

And from the Middle Road he could see the road
on either side, the Road of the Enemy.

And it was among the fringes, where he was pul
ling the flowers made from sticks, that he
reached the Speaker and tossed him, too.

And there he reached the place where the Sun
drinks.

And tho the print of the Sun's knee was full of
wind, and the print of his hand full of wind,

140 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

there he knelt and drank as the Sun drinks.
And there, in the clear water, he found the Doctor's

stone, the Dab-nam-hawteh, which is square,

and there, under it, left the arrow-weeds.
And he started on from thence and went to the

Sunset Place.
Going down as the Sun goes down, and sl:d

down from there four times, to the home of

Juhwerta Mahkai.
When he sat down there a strong wind came from

the West and carried him to' the East and

brought him back and sat him down again;
And from Above a strong wind came and tossed

him up toward the sky, and returned him

back and sat him down again.
And the Black Gopher, his pet from the West,

was rolling over;
And the Blue Gopher, his pet from the South,

was rolling over;
And the Gopher of Light, his pet from the East,

was rolling over;
And the Yellow Gopher, his pet from the North,

was rolling over;

Because of their trouble about him."
And Juwerta Mahkai picked up Ee-ee-toy like a

baby, and held him in his arms, and swept

the ground, and set him down upon it.
And blew smoke over him, till he felt refreshed

like a green tree.
One kind of smoke was the ghost-smoke, which

he blew over him;

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 141

And the other kind was the smoke of the root

called bah-wiss-dhack.
And there they built the 0-num of Light:
Which means the circle of those great ones around.

the fire.
And thence they sent the Gray Owl, to go around

the enemy and breathe over them.
Who, when they heard him, were shaking with fear;
A fear that pulled out their thoughts so that they

knew nothing and were weak in arms and legs,
And they could not remember their dreams, and

their skins became like the skins of sick people;
And their lice became many, and their hair be
came coarse, and their eyes became sore.
And they chose the little Blue Owl and sent him

to the enemy, and he breathed over them.
And he was invisible because of his blue dark
ness, and he breathed over them quietly.
And they selected a Green Road Runner, and

sent him to breathe over them.
And the people could not see him because of his

green darkness, and he breathed over them

quietly.

And they selected the small Gray Night Hawk;
And he blew a gray dust all thru the enemy's

houses and swept their ground.
And their springs of water were left dry, chocked

with driftwood and covered with cobwebs.
And their kees, their houses, were full of soot,

and their trails like old trails;
And after that the fresh foot-tracks could be seen—

142 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And they went out and found the enemy by his
fresh tracks and captured him, for he had
no weapons.

And from the sending out of the birds, even to
the end, all this is a prophecy.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 143

NOTES ON EE-EE-TOY'S RESURRECTION

The Story of Ee-ee-toys Resurrection is perhaps the
most poetic in the series, and the opening picture o7 him
lying on the ground, lifeless, with the elements lament
ing over him and the little children playing on him, might
challenge the genius of a great artist.

It is particularly rich in trie mystical element also.

I confess that I am not very confident of my rendering
of those of the opening sentences of Ee-ee-toy's speech
between "And he had made an earth" and the statement
"And they shot him," etc. My Indians seemed to get
hopelessly tangled over archaic words and other impedi
ments here and not at all sure of what they told me.
The rest I think is correct.

Here we came to the mystic colors of the four quarters,
North, South, East and West and of the zenith, the Above,
which the Pimas reckoned evidently as a cardinal point.
If their mystic power was derived from the cardinal
points, might not their inclusion of the zenith make five
also sometimes a mystic number? I think that it perhaps
was.

Brinton says that among the Mayas of Yucatan, East is
Red, West is Black, North is White and South is Yellow.

The Speaker: It was customary in the villages of the
Awawtam for some individual, perhaps a chief, or a
mahkai, or some representative of these, to mount on a
kee, or other high place, and in a loud voice shout news,
orders, advice, or other important matters to the people.
This was the Speaker, a sort of town crier.

To step on the rushing young maid who gathered the
cactus fruit was a blow at the enemy's subsistence.

It seems to have been a custom among the mahkais
to have pet animals to assist them in their magic.

A circle of bushes, stood up in the earth, forming a
screen for shelter or privacy, was called an onum. One
or more may be' found near almost any Pima hut.

144 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

To work witchcraft on a foe, so that ha be left weapon
less and helpless, and off his guard against attack, seems
to have been the favorite dream of whoso went to war.
Treachery was idolized. There was no notion of a fair
fight.

Stories of mythical beings who, tho repeatedly killed,
persist in coming to life again, are common among many
Indian tribes.

STORIES OF THE THIRD NIGHT

THE STORY OF EE-EE-TOY'S ARMY

fcw^^^d

after Ee-ee-toy was thru speaking
Juhwerta Mahkai addressed him, and
promised him his help, and that he
£| would lead out to earth again his peo
ple, who had sunk down before the
flood, that these might fight against the

people whom Ee-ee-toy had made and who now
had turned against him.

So when his people heard this they gathered
together all their property that they could carry,
to take to earth with them.

And Juhwerta Mahkai said to Ee-ee-toy: ttYou
go ahead of the people and I will follow."

And they went out in bands.

The first band was called the Mah-mahk-Gum.
These were led by Ee-ee-toy, and their color was
red.

The second band was called Ah-pah-pah Gum.
And their colors were white and yellow.

The third band was called Vah-vah Gum. And
their color was red.

The fourth band was called Ah-pah-kee Gum.
And their colors were white and yellow.

The fifth band was called Aw-glee Gum. And
their color was red.

And the sixth band was called Ah-pel-ee Gum.
And their colors were white and yellow.

And these bands were so called because it was
by these names they called their fathers.

148 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

As they were going to start they sent the Yellow
Gopher ahead to open a way for them to this
earth.

And the gyih-haws were loaded with their be
longings, and stood up beside the ranks. And the
bands went thru, one by one.

And when the fifth band was partly thru Toe-
hahvs looked back and saw the gyih-haws walk
ing beside the ranks, and he was amused and
said: "I don't think there will be enemies enuf
for us to kill, we are so many, and there are
these other things, beside us, that look so funny."
And he began to laugh.

And as soon as he laughed the gyih-haws stop
ped walking, and ever since they have never
walked, and the women have been obliged to
carry them.

And after these words, too, the earth closed
up, so that the sixth band and part .of the fifth
band were left behind. And Juhwerta Makai was
left behind, also, and only Ee-e,e-toy and Toe-
hahvs, and some other powerful men, went thru
to lead the people.

And after they had come out a little way they
came to a place called the White Earth. And Ee-
ee-toy stopped then and the others camped with
him.

And there the powerful men all sang, and the
people joined in, and all dressed themselves in
their war-bonnets, and attired themselves for war,
and had a great war dance together.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 149

And they went on again, another journey, and
camped at the place called Black Mountain, and
again sang and danced a war dance.

So they went on, slowly, camping at one place,
sometimes, for many days or several weeks, mak
ing their living by hunting game.

And whenever they stopped they sent scouts
and spies ahead to look out for the next stopping-
place, so that they might go ahead safely. And
this went on for many years.

And there were no deer in those days, and Ee-
ee-toy said to the wood-rat: "Let me make a deer
of you," And the wood-rat said: "Moevah Sop-
hwah" (all right). But when Ee-ee-toy took out
his knife and began to cut at his skin to change
him into a deer, he cried out so hard that Ee-
ee-toy let him go. And you may see the knife
mark on his chest and neck to this day.

And Ee-ee-toy asked another rat, the little one
with coarse hair, called Geo-wauk-kuh-wah-paw-
kum, if he might make him into a deer, and the
little rat said "Moevah Sophwah!" And this little
rat was brave, and let Ee-ee-toy cut and change
him, and he became a deer. And Ee-ee-toy said:
"You shall not be like some animals, that love to
roam all over, you shall love only one spot and
wish to stay there." And that is why, to this
day, the deer do not care to leave their own
places and wander as coyotes do.

So there were now plenty of deer, and the
people had something new to live upon.

150 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And there were two brothers who were especi
ally good at hunting the deer. Their names were
Hay-mohl and Soo-a-dack Cee-a-vawt. And they
hunted as the people marched, and kept them
well supplied with deer-meat.

And there was a doctor among them who took
the ears and tail of the deer and worked such
witchcraft on them that the deer could hide away
so well that the hunters could not see them. They
hunted, as the people journeyed along, but all in
vain.

'And the hunters in their trouble sought to get
help from a doctor, and they happened to go to
the very one who had helped the deer, and they
told him they wanted help to find the deer, for
the children were crying and hungry and they
wanted meat to feed them. And the doctor said:
"I guess the trouble is that you look for the deer
in the old places, where you have already killed
them, If you will hunt for them in the "cheeks'
(the outlying flanks) of our line of march, you
will find them." And the hunters hunted for the
deer in the cheeks but could not find them.

And they went that evening to the same doctor
and told him of their bad luck, and the doctor
said: "If you will look for them next time in the
little valleys between the hills, I think you will
find them, for they like to go there."

And the hunters went the next day and looked
in the little valleys, but could not find the deer,
and they came that evening and told the doctor of

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 151

their bad luck. And he said: "If you hear of
Bnyone who chances to kill a deer, even if it is
only a fawn, bring me the tips of its ears, and
of its tail, and of its nose."

And the doctor said: "I want you to bring me
these because a deer feels first with his tail that
some one is after him, and, second, hears with
his ears that some one is near, and, third, smells
danger with his nose. And that is why I want
you to bring me these."

The next day these brothers were in a crowd
and heard that a fawn had been killed, and went
to it and cut off the tips of its tail and of its ears
and of its nose and brought these to the doctor.
And the doctor took these, and then he took those
which he had used at first to hide the deer with,
and with these in his hand he began to sing.

And in his song he asked one of the brothers,
Haymohl, for the turquoise earrings which he
wore; and then he asked Sooadack Ceeavawt
for the beads which were around his neck. But
the brothers kept on listening to his song and
did not understand what he meant,

And he told them to hunt the next day near
the crowd of people, and they did so and killed
a fawn, and took it home and had meat with their
family. And then they went again to -the doctor;
who again sang his song, asking for the same
gifts. And this time the brothers understood him
and Haymohl said: "O, I never thought of these,"
and took off his ear rings and gave them to him.
And Sooadack Ceeavawt took off his necklace

152 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

of beads and gave them to him. And the doctor
told them that the next day they were to hunt
near the crowd, and they would find plenty of
deer anywhere they might hunt for them. And
he went to where the fawn skin was, and took
pieces of its skin and made medicine-bags for the
brothers, out of the cheek pieces of the fawn
stretched out and made into soft buckskin, and
filled these with the scrapings of the buckskin and
the tips of the fawn's ears and of his tail and nose
and gave one to each of the brothers.

And the brothers took these bags, and wore
them at their belts, and the next day they went
out hunting and in a little while killed a deer,
and went on a little further and killed another,
and after that found plenty of deer; and from that
time on the people had plenty of venison again.

And the people marched on in the order of
their villages; and a member of one village, a
woman, was taken sick, and her fellow-villagers
stayed with her to take care of her, and the rest
of the army marched on, leaving this village be
hind. And these remained with her till she died,
and buried her, and then journeyed on till they
overtook the others.

And as they traveled a pestilence broke out, a
sickness which spread thru all the villages and
delayed them. But a doctor told them to kill a
doe and have a big dance, the dance that is called
4tTramping Down the Sickness," that the sick
might get well. And they did this and all their
sick ones recovered.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 153

THE FIRST SONG OF EE-EE-TOY'S ARMY

The White Earth I come to and sing;

Where many war-bonnets are shaking with the

wind;
There we come together to dance and to sing.

THE DOCTOR'S SONG TO THE HUNTERS

Sahn-a-mahl! *

Haymohl give me the necklace!
Sooadack Ceeavawt give me the turquoise
ear-rings!

*This word was not translated— probably archaic and
the meaning forgotten.

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE VAHAHKKEES

(The Pima plural of vah-ahk-kee is vahp-ahk-kee, but I
have made all plurals English, as more understandable.)

ND after this they were not sick any
more, and they came to the Gila Coun
try, to Ee-ee-toy's land, the Land of the
Vahahkkees, and here they divided
themselves into four parties, of which
one went south; but the doctors united
them all by "The Light/5 so that they would
know about each other in case there was a battle
in which any needed assistance.

And as they came into this country the peo
ple there were stirred up with alarm, and the
great doctor who lived at Casa Blanca, whose
name was Tcheu-tchick-a-dah-tai Seeven, sent
his son to Stcheuadack Seeven, at Casa Grande,
to enquire if there were any prophecies that he
knew of about the coming of this great invading
army.

So the boy went, but just before he got there
he heard a frog, a big one, which Stcheuadack
Seeven kept for a pet and to assist him in his
work as a doctor, and when the boy heard the
frog he was frightened, and ran back, and when
his father asked what he had learned, he said:
"Nothing, I heard a noise there that frightened
me, so I ran home again."
And his father said: "That is nothing to be

*The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 155

afraid of, that is only the voice of his pet, his
frog," and he sent the boy orce more.

So the boy went again, and came to Stcheua-
dack Seeven who asked him what his father had sent
him for, and the boy replied that his father wan
ted to know if there were any prophecies about
the coming of this enemy, and how he felt about
it every evening.

When the boy returned his father asked him
what Stcheuadack Seeven knew, and how he felt,
and the boy said: "He does not know anything.
He says he sits out every night, and hears the
different animals, and enjoys their pleasant voices,
and in the morning he enjoys hearing the sweet
songs of the birds, and he always feels good, and
does not fear anything."

So his father said: "I am well satisfied that I
will not be the first to see this thing happen. It
will be Stcheuadack Seeven who will first see
it, and it will not be ten days before it will occur."

And in a few days Ee-ee-toy's army came to
the village of Stcheuadack Seeven and killed all
the people there.

And Geeaduck Seeven, who lived at Awawt-
kum Vahahkkee, told his people to flee : and
many did so and ran to the mountains and other
places, but the others who did not run away came
to Geeaduck Seeven's house, and he told them
to come in there.

And the enemy came, and they fought, but it
was not easy for Ee-ee-toy's warriors to fight the

156 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

men of Geeaduck Seeven, because they were
nearly all inside, but his men managed to set fire
to the house, and so destroyed it, and killed all
who were therein.

Then Ee-ee-toy's men marched on, north, to
where Cheof-hahvo Seeven, or Long Dipper
Chief, lived, and as they marched along they sang
about the places they were conquering, and they
sang of the beads that they expected to get at
this village, the beads called sah-vaht-kih, and
there was an old woman among them who said:
"When you get those beads, I want them." And
so when they had conquered that vahahkkee
they gave the beads to her.

And they went from there to the home of Dthas
Seeven, who had a cane-cactus fence about his
place, and Ee-ee-toy's men heard ,of this, and
sang about it as they went along. And they took
this place and killed Dthas Seeven.

And then they went on to where the Casa
Blanca vahahkkees now are in ruins ; and the
great doctor who lived there, the same who had
sent his boy to inquire of the prophecies, drew
a magic line before his place, so that the enemy
could not cross. And when Ee-ee-toy's men came
to the line the earth opened, and they could not
go further till one of their great doctors, by his
power, had closed it, and then they could pass it.

And they had a great battle there, for the place
was very strong, and hard to get into. And there
was a doctor among them called Nee-hum Mah-

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 157

kaij or Thunder Doctor, and they asked him to
use his magic power to tear the place down, and
he tried, but could not succeed. And they asked
another, called Tchu-dun Mahkai, or Earthquake
Doctor, and he tried and failed also. And then
they asked another, a little man, not supposed
to have much power, and he took a hair from
his head, and held it up by the two ends, and
sang a song, and turned it into a snake. And he
sent the snake, and it struck the house, and shook
it so that it broke and fell down from above.
And then Ee-ee-toy's men took the place, and
killed everybody there except Tcheutchickadah-
tai Seeven, who escaped and ran on.

And one of Ee-ee-toy's warriors pursued him,
and was going to strike him with a club when
he sank down, and the place where he sank was
filled with a fog, so that they could not see him,
and he got out on the other side and ran on.
But they had a doctor called Ku-mi-wahk Mah-
kai) or Fog Doctor, and they had him clear away
the fog and then they could see him and chased
him again.

And again, when about to be struck, he sank
down, and a mirage filled the place so that they
could not see him, for things did not look the
same. And he got out beyond, and ran on. And
they had a Sas-katch Mahkai, or Mirage Doc
tor, who cleared away the false appearance, and
again they chased him, and were about to kill
him, when again he sank.

158 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And this time a rainbow filled the place and
made him invisible, and again he ran on till
their Kee-hawt Mahkai, or Rainbow Doctor, re
moved the rainbow.

And once more they were about to strike him
when he sank, and the quivers which heat makes,
called coad-jook, filled the hole, and again he
got away. But they had a Coadjook Doctor, and
he removed it, and then they chased him and
killed him.

And they went northward again from there.

And there was a rattlesnake who had never killed
an enemy, and he asked a doctor to help him
do this, and the doctor told him he would. And
the doctor told his pet gopher to dig a hole to
the village of the doctor who lived beyond Od-
chee, where is the place called Scaw-coy-enk,
or Rattlesnake Village. And this doctor was the
speaker of his village, and every morning stood
on a big stone and in a loud voice told the peo
ple what they were to do. And the gopher dug
a hole to this stone, through which the rattlesnake
crawled and lay in wait under the stone. And
when the doctor came out to speak to his people
in the morning, the rattlesnake bit him and then
slid back into his hole again. And the doctor came
down from the stone, and went into his kee, and
fell down there and died.

And after taking this place they marched to the
place called Ko-awt-kee Oy-yee-duck* or Shell
Field, where a doctor-chief lived, named Tcheu-

•

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 159

nasset Seeven, and this place they took, and
Ee-ee-toy himself killed this doctor, this being
the first foe he had killed.

And they went on again to the place where Noo-
ee lived, called Wuh-a-kutch. And Ee-ee-toy said:
"When you come there you will know the man
who killed me by his white leggings, and when
you find him, do not kill him, but capture him,
and bring him to me, and I will do what I please
with him."

And Ee-ee-toy had the Eagle and the Chicken-
Hawk go up in the sky to look for Noo-ee, for
he said he might go up there. And the Eagle
and the Chicken-Hawk found Nooee there, and
caught him, and brought him to Ee-ee-toy, who
took him and scalped him alive. And Nooee,
after he was scalped, fell/ down and died, and the
women came around him, rejoicing and dancing,
and singing; "O why is Seeven dead!" And after
awhile be began to come to life again, and lay
there rolling and moaning.

And Ee-ee-toy's men went on again to a village
beyond Salt River, where lived a chief who had
a brother, and they were both left-handed, but
famous shots with the bow. And these brothers
put up the hardest fight yet encountered. But
when the brothers were too hard pressed they
fled to Cheof See-vick, or Tall Red Mountain,
and there they kept shooting and killed a great
many of Ee-ee-toy's men, who were short of ar
rows, after so long fighting and many of their
bows broken.

160 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

Because of this,Ee-ee-toy's men had to fall back
and surround the place.

And when this happened the band that had gone
to the south knew by the "Light" that it was so,
and came to help them. And these had many bows
and arrows, and beside brought wood to mend
the broken bows, and wood to make new ar
rows; and when they came into the place they
gave their bows^and arrows to Ee-ee-toy's men
and made themselves new bows from the wood
they [had brought. And these men were the
ancestors of the Toe-hawn-awh Aw-aw-tam, the
present Papagoes, and that is why to this day the
Papagoes are most expert in making bows and
arrows. And then the fight began again and the
two brave brothers were killed.

And from there they went on to another aw-
awtkumvahahkkee, where is now Fort Mc
Dowell, where lived another seeven whom they
fought and conquered.

And from there they went on westward thru
the mountains. But when they came to Kah-
woet-kee, near where is now Phoenix, one of
the chiefs in Ee-ee-toy's army said: "I have seen
enuf of this country, and I will take this for my
part and remain here." And he did so.

And the bands went on and came to the Colo
rado River, and there one of the great doctors,
called Gaht Mahkai,or Bow Doctor, struck Jhe
river with his bow and laid it down in the water.
And the water separated then so that the people

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 161

were able to go over to the other side. And be
yond the Colorado they came to a people who
lived in holes in the ground, whom they found it
hard to fight, and they asked help of their Thun
der Doctor, and when the people came out of
their holes to fight he struck right in the midst
of them, but killed only one. Then they asked
help of the Earthquake Doctor, and he was able
to kill only one. And these two were all they
killed. And these people were called Choo-chawf
Aw-aw-tam, or the Foxes, because they lived in
holes.

And after the army failed to conquer the Foxes
they returned across the Colorado River, near
where is now Yuma. And here again the Bow
Doctor divided the water for them. But before
all the bands were across the waters closed, and
some were left behind. And these called to those
who were across to have the Bow Doctor hit the
waters again, that they also might get there. But
those who were across would not do this, but
told them that there was plenty of land where
they were that would make them a comfortable
home. And those left there were the ancestors
of the present Yumas and Maricopas.

162 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

SONG BEFORE THE FIGHT WITH
CHEOF-HAHVO SEEVEN*

In the land where there are a great many galley-
worms —

I will get the doctor out,
It will lighten his heart.

A SONG OF THE DOCTOR WHOSE SNAKE
THREW DOWN THE VAHAHKKEE

I made the black snake;.

And he went across and wounded the vahahkkee.

*This song is evidently imperfect, for in the context it
is said that before this fight they sang about the beads,
sah-vaht-kih, but there is no mention of them here.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 163

NOTES ON THE STORY OF EE-EE-TOY'S ARMY

AND THAT OF THE DESTRUCTION

OF THE^VAHAKKEES

In the Story of Ee-ee-toy's Army we come to an amus
ing superstition of the Pimas. There is a funny little
creature in Arizona, related to the tarantula, perhaps, which
the Pimas say is very poisonous, and which is certainly
very quick in motion and the hardest thing to kill I ever
saw. It is covered with a sort of fuzzy hair, which blows
in the wind, and is sometimes red and sometimes yellow
or white. Now there seems to be a connection in the
Indian mind between this way-heem-mahl, as they name
him, and this story of Ee-ee-toy's Army. The bands, it
is related, were distinguished by certain colors — some
took red, and some yellow and white, for their badge-
color. And the Pimas of today suppose themselves de
scended from these bands, and some clans claim that the
bands of the red were their forbears, and some trace back
to the bands of yellow and white. And not many years
back there was a rivalry between these, and the wayheem-
mahls, having the same colors, were identified with the
bands, and the Pimas descended from a band of a cer
tain color would not kill a wayheemmahl of that color,
or willingly permit others to do so, but would eagerly
kill wayheemmahls of the opposite color. If, then, a Pima
of the red faction saw a yellow wayheemmahl, running
over the ground, he was quick to jump on it; but if a
Pima of the yellow stood near he would resent this at
tack on his relation, and a hair-pulling fight would result.
This custom is probably altogether obsolete now.

It will be noticed that the fantastic explanations of why
gyihhaws are now carried by the women, is contradicted
by the carrying of gyihhaws by various women in pre
vious stories.

The closing of the earth cuts down the six bands to
four and a fraction.

164 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

Wardances, and extravagant and boastful speeches
prophesying success, seem to have preceded all the mil
itary movements of the Awawtam.

The creation of deer in this story, by Ee-ee-toy, is con
trary to their presence in earlier tales, as in that of
Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai.

The careful mention of the sickness and death of an
apparently unimportant woman is curious, and hard to
explain. Perhaps this was the inauguration of the pes
tilence.

The Story of the Destruction of the Vahahkkees has
the most historic interest of any.

The uniting of the bands by the "Light" is very curi
ous. My Indians could not tell me what this was, only
something occult and mysterious by which they had clair
voyant ken of each other's needs. Its use appears in the
fight at Cheof Seevick.

The resemblance to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea
is remarkable in the exploit of the Bow Doctor, and the
crossing of the Rio Colorado.

The Choochawf Awawtam appear to have been cave-
dwellers, and my Indians were confused in memory as to
whether they were encountered on the hither or far side
of the Colorado.

The statement that the closing of the waters left the
Yumas and Maricopas on the far bank of the Colorado
is likely only a mahkai's fanciful attempt to explain their
presence there. As the Indians of the Yuman stock speak
an entirely different language from the Indians of the
Piman stock, it is unlikely they were united in the orig
inal invading army. There is no other evidence that there
ever was any alliance between them till the Maricopas,
fearing extermination from the Yumas, joined the Pimas
sometime in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Comalk Hawkkih gave me this account of the coming
in of the Maricopas: The Yumas and the Maricopas were
once all one people, but there was a jealousy between two

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 165

sons of a chief, one of whom was a favorite of his father,
and one killed the other, and this grew to a civil war.
The defeated party, the Maricopas, went first to Hot
Springs, where they staid awhile, and then to Gila Bend,
but each time the Yumas followed and attacked them and
drove them on. Fearing extermination they came to the
Pimas for protection. The Pimas adopted them. Now
began war between Yumas and Mohaves on one side, and
Pimas, Papagoes and Maricopas on the other. There were
only two battles after the Maricopas came in, but in the
second battle all the Yuma warriors engaged were killed,
and the Mohaves had to flee over the mountain, and only
a part ot these escaped. This battle was fought at what
is now called Maricopa Mountain.

So terrible was the defeat, that to this day the Yumas
hold an annual "Cry," or lamentation, in memory of it.
Their old foes are invited, and if any Pima or Maricopa
attends he is given a horse. This war reduced both Yu
mas and Maricopas to a mere remnant.

Since then the Maricopas have lived with the Pimas,
and in customs are almost exactly similar, except that
they burn their dead, and still speak their distinctive
language.

They are a taller, larger race than the Pimas, more
restless, said to be quicker witted, but more inclined to
vice, and to be rapidly dying out; while the Pimas yet
hold their own in numbers, despite recent inroads of
tuberculosis.

THE STORY OF SOHAHNEE MAHKAI
AND KAWKOINPUH

OW when the bands were going thru this
country they had selected the places for
their homes, expecting to return, and each
band, as it selected its place, drove down
short sticks so as to know it again.

And after returning across the Rio
Colorado the bands went again to these places
which they had selected and settled there.

Only the Toehawnawh Awawtam (the Papa-
goes) did not at first go to their selected place,
but went on beyond Awn-kee Ack-kee-mull, the
Salt River, to where is now Lehi.

And there was one doctor among them named
So-hah-nee Mahkai, and he had no child, but he
had found one of the children belonging to the
country, which had been left alive, and he had
adopted it for his own. And he went on and lived
by himself at the place then called Vah-kah-kum,
but now named Stcheu-a-dack-a-Vahf, or Green
Cliff.

And the Aw-up, or Apaches, were a part of
the original people of this country, and this child
which Sohahnee Makai had adopted was an Apache.
And when he had grown up to be quite a large
boy the Apaches planned to capture Sohahnee
Mahkai; but Sohahnee Mahkai knew of this^and
told the boy to go to a place where he had been
clearing lip a farm and to find the stick there with

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 167

which he had been cutting down bushes, and to dig
a hole there under the~bushes, and;Tthen to come
back home and eat his supper. And after he had
eaten his supper he was to return to the place
where the- stick was, and hide in the hole under
the bushes which were there.

And the boy's name was Kaw-koin-puh, and
he dug the hole under the bushes, as he was di
rected, and returned for his supper.

And then Sohahnee Mahkai said to him: "Now
to-night the Apaches will come to kill me, but
here is a basket-box which I want you to have
after I am dead. And when you are safe in your
hole you will hear when they come to kill me.
But don't you come out till they are far enuf
away. Then come and find my body, no matter
whether it is here or dragged away. And when
you find it, do not mind how stained and bloody
it is, but fall upon it, and put your mouth to
mine, and inhale, and thus you will inherit my
power. And when you leave my body, do not
attempt to follow after the Apaches, for they
would surely killl you, for tho you are one of
them they would not know that, because you do
not speak their language. But I want you to re
turn to where we left some people at the place
called Vik-kuh-svan-kee."

So the boy took the little basket-box, and went
to his hole, and early in the evening the Apaches
came and surrounded the house, and staid there
till near morning, and then began the attack. And

168 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

the boy could hear the fighting, and could hear
Sohahnee Mahkai yell every time his arrow
killed anyone; and he could hear the old woman,
his wife, shout out in her exultation, too.
And it was after the sun was up that the old
woman was killed; and then Sohahnee Makai
ran out and the Apaches chased him and killed
him, and said: %4Now let us cut him open and
find what it is that made him so brave, and
enabled him to kill so many of us." And
they cut him open and found under his heart a
feather of the chicken hawk.

And the Apaches took that feather, and that is
how they are so brave and even if there are only
two of them will often attack their enemies and
kill some of them.

And after the Apaches were far away the boy
came out of his hole and found the old woman,
and from there tracked till he found the old man;
and he fell over him, as he had been told, and
inhaled four times; and then he went to Vik-
kuhsvankee, but he got there at night, and did
not attempt to go into any house, but staid out
side all night in the bushes.

And in the morning a girl came and found the
boy, and went back and told the people there was
some one outside who was a stranger there, some
one with short hair. And they came and stood a-
around him, and teased him, and threw dirt at him,
until finally he cried out: "Don't you remember
me, who I am? My name is Kawkoinpuh and I was

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 169

here once, but went away with the doctor, So-
hahnee Makai. And now the Apaches have killed
him and the old woman, his wife, and I am left
alone."

And when he said this the people remembered
him, and took him by the hand, and led him to
a doctor named Gawk-siss Seev-a-lick, who ad
opted him, and he was treated nicely because he
was a good hunter and used to keep the doctor
in plenty of game.

And the doctor had a daughter, and when she
was old enuf he gave her to Kawkoinpuh for
his wife. And Kawkoinpuh staid with his wife's
people; and his wife expected a child, and wanted
different things to eat. So Kawkoinpuh left
home and went to the mountain called Vahpkee,
and there got her a lot of the greens called choo-
hookyuh. And after a while he wonted to go
again, but she said: "Do not go now, for the
weather is bad. Wait till it is more pleasant.'*
But he said, "I am going now," and he went.

And this time he was hunting wood rats in
stead of greens, and he had killed three and was
trying to scare out the fourth one, where he could
shoot it, when the Apaches came and surrounded
him a good >ways off.

He saw them and ran for home, but there were
many Apaches in front of him, and they headed
him off.

But he jumped up and down and sideways,
as Sohahnee Mahkai had done, shooting and

170 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

killing so many that finally he broke thru
their ring, and started for home. But he kept
turning back and shooting at them as he ran.
And one of them came near and was about to
kill him, but he shot first and killed the Apache.
And then another came near and this time the
Apache shot first, and so Kawkoinpuh was killed.
And when evening came, Gawksiss Seevalick
came out, and called aloud, and invjted the peo
ple to his house, and asked them if any had seen
his son, Kawkoinpuh; who had seen him last; for
he knew something had happened him, as he al
ways came home after his hunt, because he loved
his home. But nobody had seen anything of
Kawkoinpuh, because no one had been out, the
weather being bad.

But Gawksis Seevalick knew the boy was
killed, because he was a doctor, and there is a
being above, called Vee-ips-chooly who is always
sad and who mafces people sad when anything
bad has happened.

So they went out the next morning, and tracked
the boy, and came to where he had killed the
wood-rats, and then they found the tracks of the
Apaches, and then found a great many Apaches
whom he had killed, and finally they found his
body.

The Apaches had cut him open, and taken out
his bowels and wound them around bushes, and
cut off his arms and legs and hung them on trees.
And one of the men, there, told them to get wood

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 171

and to gather up these parts of Kawkoinpuh's
body and burn them. And some of the people
remained behind and did this, and then all went
home.

And in the evening Gawksiss Seevalick again
called the people together and sang them a song
to express his grief.

And the next morning he went with his daugh
ter to where Kawkoinpuh had been burned, and
there they found some blood still remaining and
buried it. And that evening again he called the
people together, and said: "You see what has
happened; we have lost one of our number. We
ought not to stay here, but to return to the place
we first selected." And the people took his ad
vice and got their things ready and started.

And they went slow because they were on foot,
and it took them four nights to get to the place
where they wanted to go. And the first night
there was no singing, but the second night there
was a doctor named Geo-goot-a-nom-kum who
sang a song for them; and the third night there
was atloctor named Geo-deck-why-nom-kum who
sang a song for them; and on the fourth night there
was a doctor named* Mahn-a-vanch-kih who sang
for them a song.

172 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON THE STORY OF SOHAHNEE MAHKAI

In this we are given a most graphic and pathetic glimpse
of Indian warfare.

Notice the bushes are "cut down" (broken off more
likely) by a stick. A glimpse of the rude old tools.

Very poetic is the conception of Veeipschool, "the be
ing above who is always sad, and makes people sad when
anything bad has happened." A personification of pre'
monition.

8 K

lill

THE STORY OF PAHTAHNKUM

when they came to their journey's
end the wife of Kaw-koin-puh had a
baby, which grew up to be a fine boy,
but the mother cried all the time, where-
ever she went, on account of her hus
band's death.

And the people, after they had settled down,
used to go rabbit-hunting, and the children too,
and this boy, Paht-ahn-kum, used to watch
them wistfully, and his mother said: "I know
what you are thinking of, but there is nothing
for you to kill rabbits with. But I will send you
to your uncle, my brother, whom I am expecting
will make a bow and arrows for you."

And the next morning, early, the boy went to
his uncle, who said: "Why do you come so early?
It is an unusual thing for you to come to see me
so early instead of playing with boys and girls of
your own age."

And the boy replied: "My mother said she was
expecting you to make me a bow and arrows."

And his uncle said; "That is an easy thing to do.
Let us go out and get one." And they went out
and found an o-a-pof, or cat-claw tree, and cut a
piece of its wood to make a bow, and they made
a fire and roasted the stick over this, turning it,
and they made a string from its bark to try it
with; and then they found arrow-weeds, and made

174 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

arrows, four of them, roasting these, too, and
strengthening them; and then they went home and
made a good string for the bow from sinew.

And then the boy went home and showed his
mother his bow and arrows.

And the next morning the children went hunt
ing and little Pahtahnkum went with them to
the place of meeting.

And they found a quotaveech's nest near them,
with young ones in it, and one of the men shot
into it and killed one of the young ones, and then
the children ran up to join in the killing. And
when Pahtahnkum came up, one of the men
threw him one of the young birds, and said:
uHere, take it, even if your mother does not
wish to marry me."

And the little boy ran home and gave his game
to his mother^ and when she saw it she turned
her back on it and cried. And he wondered why
she cried when he had brought her game and was
wishing she would cook it for his dinner.

And his mother said: "I never thought my
relatives would treat you this way. There is an
animal, the caw-sawn, the wood rat, and a bird,
the kah-kai-cheu, the quail, and these are good
to eat, and these are what they ought to give you,
and when they give you those, bring them home
and I will cook them for you." She said,
further; "This bird is not fit to eat; and I was
thinking, while I was crying, thai if your father
were living now you would have plenty of game,

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 175

and he would make you a fine bow, and teach
you to be as good a hunter as there is. And I
will tell you now how your father died. We did
not use to live here. But beyond this mountain
there is a river, and beyond that another river
still, and that is where we lived and where your
father was killed by the people called Apaches,
and that is why we are here, and why we are
so poor now.

I am only telling you this so you may know
how you came to be fatherless, for I know very
well you can never pay it back, for the Apaches
are very fierce, and very brave, and those who
go to their country have to be very careful ; for
even at night the Apaches may be near them,
and even the sunshine in their country feels dif-
derent from what it does here."

And the little boy, that night, went to his uncle,
who asked: "Why do you come to me in the
night?"

And the little boy said: "I come to you because
today I was hunting with the bow and arrows
you made me, and someone gave me a little bird,
and I was bashful, and brought it right home for
my mother to cook for me, and she cried, and
then told me about my father and how he died.
And I do not see why you kept this a secret from
me. And I wish you would tell me what these
Apaches look like, that they are so fierce and
brave."

And his uncle said: "That is so. I have not

176 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

told you of these things because you are just a
baby yet, and I did not intend to tell you until
you were a man, but now I know you have sense
enuf to wish to learn. There is nothing so very
different or dangerous about these Apaches; only
their bows, and their arrows of cane, are danger
ous."

And the little boy went on to another doctor,
who said: "Why do you come to me?: are you
lost? If so, we will take you home." But the
little boy said to him: "No, I am not lost, but
I want you to tell me one thing — why the Apaches
are so dangerous — are they like the har-sen, the
giant cactus, with so many thorns?" And the
doctor answered: "No, they are men like we are,
and have thoughts as we have, and eat as we do,
and there is only one thing that makes them dan
gerous and that is their bows and their arrows of
cane."

So the little boy went to the next doctor, and
this doctor also asked him if he were lost, and he
said: "No, but I want you to tell me just one
thing — why the Apaches are so dangerous. Are
they like the mirl-hawk, the cane-cactus, with so
many branches all covered with thorns?" And
the doctor replied: "No, they are human beings
just as we are, and think just as we do, and eat
as we do, and the only things that make them
dangerous are their bows and their arrows of
cane." And the little boy said: "I am satisfied."

But he went yet to another doctor and asked

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 177

him also why the Apaches were so dangerous,
were they like the hah-nem, the cholla cactus?
but the doctor said no, and gave the same answer
as the others had done, and the little boy said :
"I am satisfied, then," and went back to his uncle
again and began to question him about how peo
ple did when they got ready for war, and what
they did to purify themselves afterward, and his
uncle said: "It is now late at night, and I want
you to go home, and tomorrow come to me, and
I will tell you about these things."

So the little boy went home, but very early in
the morning, before sunrise, he was again at his
uncle's house, and came in to him before he was
yet up. And his uncle said: "I will now tell you,
but we must go outside and not talk in here be
fore other people."

And he took the little boy outside, and they
stood there facing the east, waiting for the
sun to rise, with the little boy on the right of his
uncle. And when the sun began to rise the doc
tor stretched out his left hand and caught a sun
beam, and closed his hand on it, but when he
opened his hand there was nothing there; and
then he used his right hand and caught a sun
beam but when he opened his hand there was
nothing there; and he tried again with his left
hand, and there was nothing, but when he tried
the second time with his right hand, when he
opened it, there was a lock of Apache's hair in
his hand.

178 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And he took this and put it in the little boy's
breast, and rubbed it in there till it all disap
peared, having entered into the little boy's body.

And then he told the little boy to get him a
small piece of oapot or cat-claw tree, but no, he
said, I will go' myself; and he went and got a
little piece of the oapot, and tied a strip of cloth
around the boy's head, and stuck the little piece
of wood in it, and then told him to go home to
his mother and tell her to give him a new dish
to eat from.

And this stick which the doctor had put into
the boy's hair represented the kuess-kote or
scratching stick which the Pimas and Papagoes
used after killing Apaches, during the purification
time; and the doctor had made it from cat-claw
wood because the cat-claw catches everybody that
comes near, and he wanted the boy to have great
power to capture his enemies.

And his uncle told the boy to stay at home in
the day time, lying still and not going anywhere,
but at night to come to him a^ain. "And before
you come again," he said, "I will make you
something and have it ready for you."

And the little boy kept still all that day, but at
night he went to his uncle again, and his uncle
had four pipes ready for him, made from pieces
of cane, and he said, "Now tonight when the
people gather here (for it was the custom for
many people to come to the doctor's house in the
evening) they will talk and have a good time, but

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 179

after they are thru I will roll a coal from the fire
toward you, and then you light one of the pipes
and smoke four whiffs, and after that slide the
watch-kee, the pipe, along the ground toward me,
as is the custom, and I will smoke it four times
and pass it to my next neighbor, and he will do
the same, and so the pipe will go all around and
come back to you. And even when it is out, when
it comes back to you, you are to take it and stick
the end that was lighted in the ground.

So that evening the people all assembled as
usual, and told all the news of the day, and about
the hunting as was their custom. And when they
were thru, and had quieted down, the uncle moved
to the fire and rolled a coal toward Pahtahn-
kum, who took it and lit one of the pipes, and
smoked it four times, and then slid it slowly (the
pipe must be slid slowly because if it were slid
rapidly the enemy would be too quick and escape,
but if it is done slowly the enemy will be slow
and can be 'captured) along the ground to his
uncle. And his uncle took the watchkee, the pipe-
tube, and smoked it also four whiffs, and passed
it on, but saying: "Of course you are all aware
that if any man among you has a wife expecting
to have a baby soon, he should not smoke it, but
pass it on without smoking to his neighbor, for
if you smoke in such case the child will not be
likely to live very long."

And so the pipe passed around, and the boy,
when the pipe came to him again, buried it as

180 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

he had been told, and then he began to make
this speech:—

"I am nothing but a child, and I go around
where the people are cooking and when they give
me something to eat I generally suffer because
it is so hot. And there was a hunt, and you gave
me nothing but a little quotaveech, and stuck it
under my belt as if it were something good to eat:
and when I took it home to my mother, and
dropped it down by her, she turned her back up-
3n it and began to cry. And when she had done
:rying she told me of all that had happened be-
;ore, about my father's death, and the story en
ured my heart; and I went for help to a respect-
ible person, a doctor, one to whom a child would
not be likely to go, and he kindly assisted me,
and told me what I asked of him.

And I wanted to be revenged on the slayers
)f my father, and in imagination a day was ap
pointed for the war, and I went ; and the first
light I feared nothing and felt good, and the
second night, too, I feared nothing and felt good,
:>ut the third night I knew I was in the land of
he Apaches, an enemy with shield and club,
md I did not feel good, and it seemed to me
he world was shaking, and I thought of what
ny mother had said, that the land of the Apaches
vas different from ours.

And the fourth day I went on and came to the
nountain of the Apaches, and I found there the
Broken arrows of my father's fight; and I sat

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 181

down, for it seemed to me the mountains and the
earth were shaking, and shook my knees, and I
thought of what my mother had said that the
land of the Apaches felt entirely different.

And the next day I went on and came to the
water of the Apaches. And my hair lay over the
water like moss. And I looked and found my
skull, and I used it for a dipper, and parted the
hair with it, and dipped up the water and drank
it. And when I drank from the skull I felt as if
I were crazy, and clutched around with my hands
at things that were not there.

And from there I went on to another water,
and that was covered with the white war-paint of
my hair, which lay like ashes on the water, and
I looked around and found my skull, and drank
from that water, and it smelled strong to me like
the smell of human flesh and of black war-paint.

And all this was caused in my imagination by
the thought of my dead father, and of how the
Apaches had gone along rejoicing because they
had killed him.

And the next place was a great rock, and I
sat down under it, and it was wet with my tears;
and the winds of the power of my sadness blew
around the rock four times, and shook me.

In the far east there is a gray cousin, the Coy
ote, and he knows where to find the Apaches,
and he was the first I selected to help me and
be my comrade, and he took my word, and joined
me; and stood up and looked, and saw the Apaches

182 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

for me and told me; and I had my band ready,
and my boys captured the Apaches, who had no
weapons ready to injure them.

And after killing them I took their property,
and I seemed to get all their strength, all their
power. And I came home, bringing all the things
I had captured, and enriched my home, strength
ening myself four times, and the fame of my deed
was all over the country.

And I went to the home of the doctor, taking
the child I had captured, and when we were
there the blue tears fell from the eyes of the
child onto my boys and girls.

And all of you, my relatives, should think of
this, and be in favor of the war, remembering
the things we have captured, and the enemies we
have killed, and should make your singing all
joy because of our past successes."

And after the speech was done, feeling it the
speech of a child, the people were silent, but at
length Toehahvs said : "I like the way of the
child, because I am sure he is to be a powerful
person, perhaps stronger than any of us, and I
respect him, and that is why I am kind to him,
and I want that we should all take a smoke, and
after that you will get over your feeling of his
insignificance."

And then they all smoked again, and began to
talk about the war, and of the things they lacked,
but the boy wanted them to get ready in four
days, telling them that was plenty of time. And

The Myths and Legends of the Pirn as 183

so they all began to get ready for the war, mak
ing and getting ready shields, clubs, bows, ar
rows, shoes, and whatever was needed.

And so the people departed for the war, and
the very day they left, the mother of Pahtahn-
kum went and got clay to make the new dishes
for the men who should kill Apaches, for she
foreknew that many would be killed, and so she
sang at her work. And a few of the people
were left at home, and one of these was an old
man, and he passed near where the mother (whose
name was Koel-hah-ah) was making her pottery,
and heard her singing her song, and he said to
the people: "It is very strange that this woman
who usod to cry all the time is singing now her
boy has gone to the war. Perhaps she is like
some wives, who when their time of mourning
is over are looking out for another man."

And the war-party went by near where Tawt-
sitka (Sacaton) now is, around the mountain
Chirt-kee, and west of the Sah-kote-kee, (Super
stition) mountains, and there they found tracks of
the Apaches, and paused, and the boy, Pahtahn-
kum, told them to wait there while he went for
ward and found, where the Apaches were.

And Toehahvs said : "I will go with you, so
we can help each other and be company, and you
will feel that you have some strength, and I will
feel the same."

So Pahtahnkum and Toehahvs went out on
their scout, and went up an arroyo, or washout

184 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

valley, In the mountains, and in making a turn
came suddenly upon some Apache children play
ing in the sand, and the children saw them and
ran up the valley to where the Apache houses
were. And the two scouts stood and looked at
each other and said: "What shall we do now! for
if we go back the people will blame us for letting
the Apaches see us first."

And Pahtahnkum said: "You go back and step
in my tracks, and I will turn into a crow and fly
up on this rock." And this was done, and when
the Apaches came they could see only the coyote
tracks, and they said: "There are no human tracks
here. It must have been a coyote the children
saw," and they went back home. And then Paht
ahnkum flew to where Toehahvs was, and came
down and took his human shape again.

And the band had been anxious about them,
because they were gone so long, and had followed
their tracks, and now came near, and when Paht
ahnkum saw them, instead of going back to them,
he and Toehahvs turned and ran toward the
Apaches, and all the band rushed after them, and
they took the Apache village by surprise, and
conquered and killed all the men, and then killed
all the women, and scalped them all.

And because Pahtahnkum had been so brave,
and had killed many, the people brought all the
scalps to him, and all the baskets, and bows and
arrows, and other things they had taken, and laid
them around him; and then they all stood around

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 185

him in. circles, the oldest in the middle next the
boy, and the others, in the order of their age, in
circles outside.* And then Pahtahnkum began to
yell, he was so rejoiced, and he threw the scalps
of the Apaches up into the air, and then, after
them, the other things, the bows and arrows, and
all things captured, because he wanted to make a
cloud; for when an Apache is killed it will rain.

And while this was happening, his mother was
rejoicing at home, knowing all that was happening
her boy.

So the people took everything the Apaches had,
and a good many children as captives, and they
returned by the same road, and before they got
home they sent a messenger ahead.

And when they got home they presented all
the property taken, and all the weapons and all
the captives to the mother of Pahtahnkum.

Now when the neighbors of those Apaches
heard of this they formed a big war-party, and fol
lowed Phatahnkum's trail, but when they came
to the place called Taht-a-mumee-lay-kote they
stopped, because they did not know where to find
water, and so they turned back, tho from there
they could see the mountains where Pahtahn
kum lived.

And after Pahtahnkum had gone thru the
prescribed purifications, and the war-dances and

The reason why the older people went inside the cir
cle was to protect the younger ones from the impurity of
anything Apache, and they went inside as more hardened
to this.

186 Aw-aw-tam Indidn Nights

rejoicing proper to the occasion, he again formed
a war-party, and again took the trail after the
Apaches, only this time he went to the other end
of the Superstition Mts. And there they saw
the lights at night on a peak, where the Apaches
lived, and went up there and killed them, except
the children, whom they took for captives.

And then they went down into an open place
in the desert, and there placing Pahtahnkum and
Toehahvs in the center, they again formed the
circles, with the older ones nearest the middle,
and again brought all their trophies to Pahtahnkum
and Toehahvs, who threw them up with rejoic
ing, as before.

And again the Apaches formed a war-party, and
pursued them; and again they, when they came
to the low mountains south west of where Tawt-
sitka now is, were frightened, as they looked
over the desert, and said: "This country is un
known to us, and we do not want to die of thirst,"
and again they abandoned the pursuit, and re
turned home. And because the place where they
made fires was found, these mountains are called
Aw-up Chert-taw to this day.

And again everything was given to Koelhahah,
as before.

And once more, after the purification, Paht
ahnkum formed a war-party; and this time they
went to the east, and there again found Apaches
at the place called Oy-yee-duck, or The Field,
because there the Apaches had cultivated fields,

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 187

and here they fought the Apaches, and defeated
them; but they had hard work to kill one Apache,
who was very brave, and who kept his wife be
fore him and his child behind him, and as the
Papagoes did mot want to kill these they could
not get at the man. But finally Pahtahnkum
killed a man near him, and some one else killed
the woman, and then Pahtahnkum killed this
man and took the little boy captive.

And again they went out to an open place, and
formed the circles, and rejoiced as before.

And a party of Apaches pursued them again
and again were discouraged, and turned back at
the red bluff to the eastward, where they dug a
well, which place is still called Taw-toe-sum Vah-
vee-uh, or the Apache's Well.

And again, in due time, a war-party was formed,
and this time it went far east, and there was
found a single hunter of the Apaches, and this
man they killed and cut up and mutilated as had
been done with Pahtahnkum's father, putting
his flesh out as if to jerk it. And they went
south-east from there and again found a single
hunter; and him they scalped and placed his scalp
like a hat on a giant-cactus, for which reason the
place is still called Waw-num, which means a hat.

And Pahtahnkum walked behind, for he was
very sad, thinking of his father.

And then Pahtahnkum returned home, having
revenged his father, and this was the last of his
wars.

188 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And once more the Apaches followed him, but
stopped at a place near the Superstition Mts.
where, as there had been rain and the ground
was wet, they stopped to clean a field, See-qua-
usk, or the Clearing, but they gave it up and re
turned, not even planting the crop.

And his mother made a large o//a, and a small
flat piece of pottery, like the plates tortillas are
baked on. And she put all the Apache hair in
the olla, and placed the flat plate on top to cover
it with grease-wood-gum to seal it up tight. And
then she went and found a cave, and by her
power called a wind and a cloud that circled it
round.

And then she returned to her people, and, plac
ing the olla on her head, led them to the cave,
and said. "I will leave this olla here, and then
when I have need of wind, or of rain, I can form
them by throwing these up, and so I shall be in
dependent."

And after this Pahtahnkum was taken ill, and
the people said it was because he had not proper
ly purified himself.

And he went to the tall mountain east of Tuc
son, and from there to other mountains, seeking
the cool air, but he got no better, and at last he
came to the Maricopa Mts., and died there, and
his grave is there yet.

And his mother died at her home.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 189

THE SONG OF KOELHAHAH ABOUT HER SON

My poor child, there will be great things hap
pen you!

And there will be great news all over the world
because of my boy.

The news will go in all directions.

190 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON THE STORY OF PAHTAHNKUM

In this, in the smoking at the war-council, appears a
curious superstition concerning the effect of a man's
smoking upon his unborn child.

Another superstition appears in the idea that the killing
of an Apache and throwing up of his accontrements or
scalp would cause rain.

I have a boy's bow and arrows just like those described
in this story, bought of a Pima child.

War arrows were a yard long, with three feathers in
stead of two, and tipped with flint or, later, with iron. But
even a wooden arrow would kill a deer.

Bows were made from Osage orange, cat-claw, or o a-pot;
or, better still, from a tree called gaw-hee. Arrows from
arrow-weeds. The Apache arrows were made of cane.

The Pimas were formerly famous for archery, and the
shooting of bird on the wing, and of jack rabbits at full
run while the archer was pursuing on horseback, were
favorite feats.

The Apache well: I am told the old Arizona Indian
wells were not walled up, and the sides were at such a
slant that the women could walk down to the water and
back with their ollas on their heads.

Wells are now obtained without great difficulty, but the
water is salty and often alkaline and none too cool.

STORIES OF THE FOURTH NIGHT

THE STORY OF THE GAMBLER'S WAR

after this, for a long time, there
$ A E>! was Peace toward the Apaches, but it

:<
s

A I

>l happened, once, that two brothers of
fc| the country went to gamble with the
Awup, playing the game called waw-
pah-tee in which the gamblers guess
in which piece of cane a little ball is hidden.

And one of the brothers, after losing all his
goods, bet his brother and lost him, and then bet
the different parts of his own body, leaving his
heart to the last, and finally wagered his heart
against all his previous bets, saying it was worth
more than they, and hoping so to recover all, but
he lost that also.

And when the game was ended the Apaches
killed his brother, but allowed him to walk away,
and he returned to his own land.

But all the way he would see his brother's
tracks, and whenever he stopped to camp he would
see his brother's body, where it lay, and how he
looked, lying there dead; and when he got home
he felt so sad he cried aloud, but no one paid
any attention to him.

And when he got home his folks gave him food
to eat, and water to drink, but he would neither
eat nor drink, feeling so sad about his brother,
and he took nothing for four days.

But on the fifth day he went out and sought

194 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

the cool shade of trees to forget his brother, and
went upon the hills and stood there, but he could
not forget; and then, in coming down, he fell
down and went to sleep.

And in his sleep his brother came to him, and
Jie seemed to know him, but when he tried to
put his arms around his brother he woke up and
found he was not there.

And he went home and ate, and then made
this speech:—

"My pitiful relatives, I will pity you and you
will pity me.

This spread-out-thing, the world, is covered with
feathers, because of my sadness, and the moun
tains are covered with soft feathers.

Over these the sun comes, but gives me no
light, I am so sad.

And the night comes, and has no darkness to
rest me, because my eyes are open all night.

(This has happened to me, O all my relatives.)

And it was my own bones that I raked up, and
with them made a fire that showed me the oppo-
side land, the Land of the Enemy.

(This was done, my relatives.)

The sticks I cut for the number of days were
my own sinews, cut and bound together.

It was my own rib that I used as an eev-a-
dah-kote, or fire rubbing stick.

It was my own bowels that I used for a belt.

And it was my scalp, and my own hair, that
I used for sandals.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 195

It was my own skull that I filled with my own
blood, and drank from, and talked like a drunkard.

And I wandered where the ashes are dumped,
and I wandered over the hills, and I found it
could be done, and went to the shadows of the
trees and found the same thing.

On the level ground I fell, and the Sun, the
Traveller, was overhead, and from above my brother
came down, and I tried to hug him, but only
hugged myself.

And I thought I was holding all sadness, but
there was a yet stronger sadness, for my brother
came down and stood on my breast, and the tears
fell down and watered the ground.

And I tried to hug him, but only hugged myself.

And this was my desire, that I should go to
the powerful woman, and I reached her quietly
where she lived.

And I spoke to her this way:

*You were living over there.

You are the person who makes a hoop for her
gyihhaw from the Apaches' bow, and with their
arrows makes the back-stop, the oam-muck^ and
with their blood you color the gyihhaw prettily;
and you split' the arrow-heads and make from
them the ov-a-nuck, and tie it in with the Apa
ches' hair, weaving the hair to the left and then
binding it on.'

And this way I spoke to her,

And then she gave me good news of the weak
ness of the Apaches and I ran out full of joy.

196 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And from there I rose up and reached the
Feather-Nested Doctor, Quotaveech, and I spoke
to him this way:
'And you belong here.

And you make the ribs of your kee from the
Apache bows, and you tie the arrows across
with the bow strings, and with the sinews of
their bows you tie them.

And with the robes of the Apaches, and with
their head-wear, and with their moccasins, you
cover the kee instead of with arrow weeds.

And inside, at the four corners, there are hung
locks of Apaches' hair, and at the corners are
the stumps of the cane-tube pipes, smoking them
selves, and forming the smoke into all colors of
flowers— white and glittering and gray and yellow.'

And this way I spoke to him, and he gave me
the good news of the weakness of the Apaches.

And I came down and went Southward to the
other doctor, called Vahk-lohn Mahkai and there
I reached him.

And this way I spoke to him;

'And here is where you belong.

The Apache bow you make into the likeness
of the pretty rainbow, and the arrows you make
into the likeness of the white-headed grass.

And the fore shaft of the arrows you turn in
to water moss, and the arrows into resemblance
of flat clay.

And the hair of the Apaches you make into
likeness of clouds.'

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 197

And this way I spoke to him, and he told me
the news of the weakness of the Apaches.

And I ran out of the house, and went west
ward, and found the old woman doctor, Taw-
quahdhamawks.

And I said to her:

lYou belong here.

And you make the bow of the Apaches into
the hoop of the game the Aw-aw-bopp, the Mar-
icopas, play, the rolling hoop that they throw
sticks after.

And their arrows you flatten up with your
teeth, and wear around your brows like a crown.

And the fore shafts of the arrows you have
split, and painted red with the Apache blood,
and made into gainskoot, the dice sticks.

And the Apache hair you make into a skirt'.

And this way I spoke to her, and she told me
the thought of the two different peoples, the Aw-
awtam and the Awup, that they were enemies,
and she told me this, and I went out from there
and strengthened myself four times.

And I spread the news when I got home, and
set the docter over it.

And there was the stump of the doctor's pipe
standing there, and smoking itself, and I imbibed
it, and smoked it toward the enemy, and the
smoke changed into different colors of flowers,
white, glittering, grey and yellow, and reached
the edge of the earth, the land of the Apache, and
circled around there.

198 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And it softened the earth, and brought fresh
grass, and fresh leaves on the trees, so that the
Apiches would be gathered together.

And my western famous enemy went and told
his son to go to his uncle, to see if it was so
that there was plenty of grass and plenty of things
to eat there.

And his son went and said: 'My father sent me
to find out about these things', and his uncle
said: llt is so what he has heard, that we have
plenty of things to eat, and all kinds of game,
and that is what I eat.

You go back and tell the old man to come, so
that I will be with him here/

So the boy went and told the old man this, and
he got up and put on his nose-ring of turquoise,
and took his cake of paint, and his locks of hair,
and his pouch.

After he got everything together he started out
and camped for one night, and arriving at his des
tination the next morning, after the sun rose,
came to his brother and called him, 'Brother!*
with a loud voice.

And the next morning the brother got up and
went hunting, and found a dead deer, and brought
it home, and called it fresh meat, and they ate it
together.

But instead of eating deer they ate themselves up.

And their skins became like sick person's skin,
and their hair became coarse, and their eyes were
sore, and they became lousy, and were so weak

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 199

that they left their hands beneath their heads
when they scratched themselves lying down.

And the brother's wife went and gathered seed
to eat, and found it easy to gather, without husks,
and thought to enjoy eating it, but when she ate
it she ate her own lice, and her skin became as
a sick person's skin, her hair became coarse,
her person lousy, her eyes sore.

And my enemy in the far east heard about
food being so plenty to eat there, and sent his
son to ask his uncle if these reports were so.

And his father got up and took his war-bonnet
of eagle-feathers, and his moccasins, and, using
his power, brought even his wind and his clouds
and his rainbow with him, and all his crops, for
tho he had plenty at home he thot to find more
at his brother's place.

And, camping one night on the road, he came
to his brother, after sunrise, and called him
'Brother' with a loud voice.

And everything happened to this enemy from
the east, and his brother, and brother's wife, that
had happened to the enemy from the west and
his brother and brother's wife.

And I found the Apache enemy early in the
morning, lying asleep, still needing his blanket,
and covering himself up, and captured him with
out trouble.

And there I captured all his property, and took
from him captives and many scalps, and my way
coming back seemed to be down hill, and I
strengthened myself and came to the level ground.

200 Aw -aw -tarn Indian Nights

And when I came to the hollow where I drank,
the water rippled from my moving it.

And J appointed messengers to go ahead and
tell those at home, the old men and women waiting
to hear of us, the good news of our victory.

And after sending on the messengers I went
on, rejoicing, carrying the consciousness of my
victory over the Apaches with me; and arriving
home at evening I found the land filled with the
news, even the tops of the hills covered.

And I told my people to send word to our
western relatives, and to our southern relatives,
and our eastern relatives, that the good news
might be known to all."

After this he called the people together for
war, and the first evening they camped a man
prophesied, and said:

"Now we have heard our war-speech, and are
on our way, and I foresee the way beautiful
with flowers, even the big trees covered with
flowers, aud I can see that we come to the enemy
and conquer then easily.

And the road to the east is lined with white
flowers, and the Apaches, seeing it, rejoice also,
with smiles, thinking it for their good, but really
it is for their destruction, for it is made so by
the power of our doctors.

And in the middle of the earth, between us
and the enemy, stood the Cane-Tube Pipe and
smoked itself.

I inhaled the smoke and blew it out toward the
East, and saw the smoke rising till it reached the

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 201

Vahahkkee of Light, and up still till it reached
the Cane of Light.

And I took that cane and punched it at the
corner of the Vahahkkee, and out came the
White Water and the White Wasps, and the
wasps flew around it four times and then they
went down again.

And then in the South I saw the Blue Vah
ahkkee, and the Blue Cane, and I took the cane
and punched it into the corner of the vahahkkee,
and there came out Blue Water and Blue Wasps,
and the wasps flew around four times, and then
sank down again.

And in the West there stood the Black Vah
ahkkee, and the Black Cane, and I took the cane
and punched at the corner, and there came out
Black Water and Black Wasps, and the wasps
flew around four times, and then went in again.

And in the North stood the Yellow Vahahkkee,
and the Yellow Cane, and I took the cane and
punched it at the corner, and there came out
Yellow Water and Yellow Wasps, and the wasps
flew around four times, and then went in again.

And on top of this vahahkkee was a Yellow
Spider, and I asked him to help me, and he
stretched his web four times, and there found
my enemy.

And there he bound his heart with his web,
and bound his arms, and bound his bow and
his arrows, and left him there in the state of a
woman, with nothing to defend himself with.

202 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And he pushed me toward where he had left
him, and I captured him very easily, and all his
property, and all his children.

You, my relatives, may not like the noise of
our rejoicing, but it is only for a short time that
we rejoice over the enemy."

And they camped out another night, and an
other one spoke, and he said;

"I was lying in ashes, and praying the dis
tant mountains for strength, and the far doctors
for power.

And there was a Sun that rose from the east
and followed the western road.

And all the four-footed animals met together
and called themselves relatives, and all the birds
met together and called themselves relatives, and
in this order followed the Sun.

And the Sun rose again, and brought me the
See-hee-vit-tah Feather, the Sunbeam, to wear
on my head, and hugged me up to him.

And the Sun rose again, and brought the Blue
Fog, and in the fog took me toward the enemy.

But instead of taking me to the enemy it took
me up into the sky, to the Yellow Crow.

And the Yellow Crow, as a powerful mahkai,
went down to the enemy and divided their land
four times, and slew the human beings, and
painted the rocks over beautifully with their blood.

And from there I went to the Yellow Spider,
living on the back of the mound at the North,
and asked him to help me.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 203

And he stretched his web four times, and found
my enemy, and bound him, and pushed me to
ward him, and I took him, and all his, captive,
and came home reioicing.

So, my relatives, think of this, that there will
be victory. You may not like the noise of our
rejoicing, but it is only for a short time that we
rejoice over the enemy. "

And they went toward the mountains where the
Apaches live, and camped there, and there were
empty Apache houses there, and one of them spoke
using himself figuratively as a type of his people:

"Perhaps these Apaches have gone from here
to my house, and have killed me and have dragged
me thru the waters we passed coming here,
and have beaten me with all the ,sticks we saw
on the road, and have thrown ashes over me,
and maybe these are my bones that lie here, and
this dry blood is my blood.

This has been done, my relatives, and there
in the East is a Vahahkkee of Light, and with
in it there is a Butcher-bird of Light.

And I asked the Butcher-bird for power, and
he followed his Road of Light, and touched the
ground four times with his tail, and came to me.

And he went on the road that is lighted by a
mahkai, and following that reached my enemy.

And my enemy thought himself a good dreamer,
and that his dreams were fulfilled for good, and
that he had a good bow with a good string, and
good cane arrows, but the Butcher-bird had al-

204 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

ready punched his eyes out without his knowing it.

And all the animals and birds of the Apaches
think they have good eyes to see with, but the
Butcher-bird has punched their eyes out without
their knowing it.

And the winds of the Apaches think they have
sharp eyes, and the clouds of the Apaches think
themselves sharp-eyed, but the Butcher-bird has
punched their eyes out without their knowing it.

So he treated the enemy like that, and left him
there as a woman, and then pushed me toward
him, and I went and captured him easily.

And I gathered all the property, and all the
captives, and, turning back, looked ahead of me
and found the country all springy with water, and
wasps flying, and I followed them.

And ahead of me was a road with many flow
ers, and a butterfly that beautifully spread itself
open and led the way, and I followed.

And I brought the dead enemy home, and from
there the news spread all over my country,

So, my relatives, think of this, that there will
be victory.

And you may not like the sound of our re
joicing, but it is only for a short time that we
rejoice over our enemy. "

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 205

NOTES ON THE STORY OF THE
GAMBLER'S WAR

In this we are .given wonderful glimpses into the strange,
fierce, sad, extravagant poetry of the Indian speeches,
which seem oftenest inspired by the passion of revenge.
Notice that in these stories, if several speeches are given
in any one story, they generally have a quite similar end
ing, a sort of refrain: "So, my relatives," etc.

This story ends abruptly, and is, I think, manifestly
only a fragment. Following the speeches, which were
mere boastful prophecies, should have been an account
in detail of the actual campaign, as in the story of Paht-
ahnkum's war.

THE STORY OF NAHVAHCHOO

E-EE-TOY was once wandering along
when he found some moss that had been
left there ever since the flood, and he
stood and looked at it, wondering how
he could make it into a human being.
And while he 'watched it the sun
breathed on it, and it became not a man, but a
turtle.

And he wandered on again and found some
driftwood, and while he stood wondering how to
make it into a human being, the sun breathed on
it, and it became a man, but he could not see its
face, which was covered as with a mask.

And the turtle and the masked man, thus created,
went westward, and came to a Blue Vahahkkee,
and they went in and staid all night.

In the morning, when the sun rose, they
were frightened at the blue beams that shone
thru the vahahkkee, and they left.

And after going a little way they came to a
Black Road, and Black Birds flew over them to
keep them from being seen.

And they came to a Black Night. In that
night was a Black Bow, which stretched as if it
were going to shoot them, so that they were afraid
to lie down all night.

And the next day they came to a Blue Road,
and a flock of Blue Birds flew over them, and
all around, striking them.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 207

After a while they came to a Blue Night,
and in the night was a Blue Bow, which stretched
itself threateningly at them, as the Black Bow had
done the night before.

And they could not sleep for fear that night,
either; and the next day they came to a White
Road, and a flock of White Birds followed them,
striking them.

And they came to a White Night, and in that
night was a White Bow, which threatened them
as the others had done, so that again they. could
not sleep.

And the next day they had a similar experience,
only it was a Yellow Road, with Yellow Birds,
and a Yellow Night with a Yellow Bow.

The next day there was no danger any more,
and they went on and came to a mountain, Co-
so-vah-taw-up-kih, or Twisted Neck Mountain,
and there the Nahvahchoo (masked man), having
run ahead, left the turtle behind, and when even
ing came sat down and waited for the turtle to
come up. But the turtle was too far behind, and
when night came stopped where he was, and made
a fire, and made corn and pumpkins, and roast
ed the corn and set the pumpkins around the fire,
as the Indians do, to scorch them before putting
them in the ashes.

And Nahvahchoo heard the popping sound of
the cooking, and came running back, and tried
to steal a piece of the fire to have one of his own,
but the turtle would net let him. And so the

208 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

Nahvahchoo went off and made a fire of his own,
and corn and pumpkins of his own, and cooked
them as the turtle had done. -

In the morning, after they had feasted on the
pumpkin and corn, the turtle, Wee-hee-kee-nee,
sank down and went under the earth to the ocean,
and made that his home, and Nahvahchoo sank
down and went in the same direction, but not so
far, coming up on the sea shore.

And Nahvahchoo went along the sea-shore, to
ward the east, till he came to a great deal of drift
wood, and many flowers, and handled all these, and
got their strength, and made his home in the east.

One day Nahvahchoo heard the earth shak
ing, and ran out of his house to try and find
where the shaking came from, and he went south
and did not feel it, and went west and felt it a
little, and went north and felt it more. And so
he ran back and put on his mask, and took his
bow, and went north. And the first time he
stopped and listened he heard it somewhat, and
the next time he heard it more, and the third time
still more, and the fourth time "he came to where
many people were singing the song Wah-hee-
hee-vee, and dancing the dance Vee-pee-nim, in
which the dancers wear gourd masks, on their
faces, pierced full of little holes to let the light thru.

And they were dancing, too, the dance Kawk-
spahk-kum, in which the dancers wear a cloth
mask, like Nahvahchoo, with a little gourd, full
of holes, over the mouth-hole, to sing thru.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 209

And they were dancing also the dance Tawt-
a-kum^ in which the dancer wears a bonnet of
cloth, and a mask like Nahvahchoo does.

And the people sitting around in these dances
had little rods which they rubbed upon notched
sticks, in time to the singing and the dancing.

At first Nahvahchoo was greatly excited by all
this dancing, for all these people, seemed to do
nothing else but sing and dance, and make the
rods and notched sticks and stand them up in
bunches; but after a few days he began to think
of game, for he was a great hunter, and he went
out and found the tracks of a deer.

And measuring these with his arrow he laughed,
covering his mouth with his hand, and said: "This
deer will not run very fast, I could catch him
myself." For a deer that measures a good way
between his tracks is long-bodied, and cannot run
fast, while a deer that measures short between
tracks has a short body, and jumps quicker.

And he followed the deer, which heard him
coming, and began to run, end when Nahvahchoo
saw by its tracks that it was running, he ran, too,
and getting on a hill saw the dust of its running
away off; and he ran after it, and when ht came
to the next hill it was close, and he ran down,
and killed ir, and took it back to the singers, and
they fell ravenously upon it and ate it all up,
not leaving him even the bones.

Nahvahchoo sat off a little way and watched
them, and one of their speakers addressed him,

210 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

and said: "We know you, who you are. You
are a great doctor, and a great hunter, and a great
farmer, and a powerful man every way. And
maybe you expected us to join in your hunt and
help you carry the game. But we want you to
join us, and become a singer, and you will have
plenty of corn and beans to eat, and you will find
that such food will last, while, as you see, the
game, when you bring it in, lasts but a little
while."

So Nahvahchoo staid with them and became
a singer, and after a while the people told him
to go to a certain vahahkkee, and said: "You
will find something there with which you will be
pleased. And then go to the opposite one, and
you will find that with which you will be still
more pleased.

And one of these vahahkkees was called See-
pook (Red-bird) Vahahkkee and the other was
named Wah-choo-kook-kee (Oriole) Vahahkkee.
—But tho they told him to go to these they
did not allow him to do so, but one day he slipped
away, when they were not looking, and opened
one, and saw in it many wonderful things, clouds
forming and sprinkling all the time; and in the
other it was the .same.

And one was covered with red flowers, and
the other with yellow flowers, and where they
came together the mingling of red and yellow was
very pretty.

At the door of each vahahkkee was a corn-

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 211

mill. And he stole one of these and went west.
But after a while he stopped and said:4' I won
der what is going to happen, for the east is all
green and the west is of the same color."

But he ran on, and the clouds came over him,
and it began to sprinkle, and then to rain, and
then the water began to run, and get deeper and
deeper, and he said;44 This is happening to me
because I stole this mill, but I am not going to
let it go, I am going to keep it."

And he ran on and came to where he had sep
arated from Weeheekeenee, and went on and over
Cosovahtawupkih, the Twisted Neck Mountain.

And on that mountain he felt rather faint, and
put his hand in his pouch and found a root and
chewed it, the root Cheek-kuh-pool-tak, and
breathed it out, and it stopped raining.

And he went on to the Quojata Mountain, and
sat there and took a smoke; and then on to Ahn-
naykum; and then to Odchee, where he left the
mill; and then to Kee-ahk Toe-ahk, where he also
rested and took a smoke; and then he went home.

And when Nahvahchoo arrived home he made
a speech:

44Where shall we hear the talk that will make
us drunk and dizzy with the flowers of eloquence?

There was near the water the driftwood lying,
and from above the sun breathed doWn and a
being was made.

And it was the beautiful daybreak that I took
and wiped its face with, and the remains of dark
ness that I painted its face with.

212 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And there were all kinds of bird's feathers that
I made a feather bonnet from.

And there were joining wasps that came and
flapped on the bonnet.

And there were many butterflies that flapped
their wings upon the bonnet, upon its feathers.

And it was from the rainbow that I made its
bow, and from the Milky Way that I made its
arrow.

From a red skin it was that I made its saw-suh-
buh, to cover its arm for the bow-string not to
injure it.

And it was a red kuess-kote that I made and
put in its hair to scratch with.

And it was the gray fog that I fastened in its
shoulders for its mantle.

And the strong wind it was that I used for its
girdle, around its waist.

In the middle of the earth lay a square water
moss, and the sun breathed on it and it turned
into a creature, a turtle.

And from there the Driftwood-Being went west
with it.

From there they went westward and watched
the sun rise in the Blue Vahahkkee, and were
frightened, and returned.

From there they came to a Black Road, and
Black Birds followed them, and to a Black Night
wherein a Black Bow frightened them.

And from there they came to a Blue Road,
with Blue Birds following, and to a Blue Night
with a Blue Bow to frighten them.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 213

And from there they came to a White Road
with White Birds following, and a White Night
with a White Bow to threaten them.

And the next day it was a Yellow Road and
Yellow Birds, and after that a Yellow Night and
a Yellow Bow.

And there was a square water full of ice, and
he went around it four times.

And there he found Seepook Vahahkkee, with
its red flowers, and Wahchookookkee Vahahk
kee with its yellow flowers, and there he got the
everlasting corn-mill, and went westward and
strengthened himself four times.

And as he went westward there came a wind
which felt good and refreshed him, and pleasant
clouds that sprinkled him with water, and then
there was rain, and the rattling of running water,
and he went on his road rejoicing.

And he reached the Twisted Neck Mountain,
and there he felt faint a little, and took from his
pouch the root Cheekkuhpooltak, and chewed
it, and breathed it out, and was refreshed and
went on.

And he refreshed himself four times and went
on, and found Tonedum Vahahkkee, the Vah
ahkkee of Light, and there he gave his power to
the people who were gathered together, and said:
'My relatives, I want you to think of this, that
our country will be more beautiful and produce
more, because you know our country will not
hereafter be what it has been'."
And he made another speech:

214 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

"It was after the creation of the earth, and
there was a mud vahahkkee, and inside of it lay
a piece of wood burning at one end, and by it
stood a cane-tube pipe, smoking, and we inhaled
the smoke, and then we saw things clearer and
talked about them.

In the West there was a Black Mocking
Bird, and from him I asked power, and he brought
the news and spread it over all the earth, and
to every hill and every mountain and every
tree, that the earth would stand still, but it did
not, it still moved.

(And you, Black Mocking Bird, take back your
Black Winds, and your Black Clouds, and stay
where you are, and your relatives may sometimes
come to you for power.)

And in the South there was a Blue Mocking
Bird, and I asked it for power, and it stretched
the news over all the earth, and over every hill
and every mountain, and to every tree, that the
earth stood still, but it did not, it still moved.

In the East was a Mocking Bird of Light, and
I asked it for power, and it stretched the news
over all the earth, and to every hill, mountain
and tree, that the earth stood still, but it still
moved. .

And Above there was darkness, where lived
the Feather Nested Doctor, who is famous for
his power, and I asked him for power, and he
spread the news, as the others had done* but
the earth still moved.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 215

And in the North lived a Yellow Spider, and
I asked him for power, and he stretched his
news, and made his web, and tied the earth
up with it, and made a fringe like a blanket
fringe at each corner, and laid his arrows over it.

The fringe at the West corner he made black,
and covered it with the Black Vahahkkee to hold
it down; and he put the blue fringe at the
South corner, and over it the Blue Vahahkkee to
hold it down, and he put the black arrows over
the Black Vahahkee. and the blue arrows over
the Blue Vahahkee.

And in the East he put the Vahahkee of Light
over the fringe and the arrows of light over it.

And after all this was done the earth stood still.

And after this is done you are carried away
like a child, and are set down facing the East, and
your heart comes out towards it, and can be seen
going up and down till it reaches it.

And over the land your seed shall spring up
and grow, and have good stalks and many flowers,
and have good wide leaves and heads of good
seeds.

And after the seed is ripe they will take it and
put it away and grind it with sunbeams, and the
boys and girls shall eat and be happy, and all
the old men and women shall eat it and lengthen
their lives."

216 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON THE STORY OF NAHVAHCHOO

The story of Nahvahchoo was celebrated till lately
among the Pimas by dancing games, resembling those
described in this story, the players wearing masks and
gourds, and rattling notched sticks, one of them imper
sonating Nahvahchoo himself.

In the reference to the earth's moving, in one of the
speeches, one might suspect a glimpse of true astronom
ical knowledge, but this is likely only a poetic figure.

The "everlasting corn will" reminds a little of the old
folk-lore tale of the everlasting salt mill whose continu
ous grinding makes the ocean salt.

THE STORY OF CORN AND TOBACCO*

HERE was a powerful mahkai who had
a daughter, who, tho old enuf, was
unmarried, and who grew tired of her
single life and asked her father to bury
her, saying, we will see then if the men
will care for me.
And from her grave grew the plant tobacco,
and her father took it and smoked it and when
the people who were gathered together smelled
it they wondered what it was, and sent Toehahvs
to find out.

But, altho the tobacco still grew, the woman
came to life again and came out of her grave
back to her home.

And one day she played gainskoot with Corn,
and Corn beat her, and won all she bad. But
she gave some little things she did not care for
to Corn, and the rest of her debt she did not
pay, and they quarreled.

She told Corn to go away, saying; "Nobody
cares for you, now, but they care a great deal
for me, and the doctors use me to make rain,
and when they have moistened the ground is the
only time you can come out."

And the Corn said: "You don't know how much
the people like me; the old as well as the young
eat me, and I don't think there is a person that

*Read before the Anthropological Society of Philadel
phia, May 1 1, 1904.

218 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

does not like me." And Corn told Tobacco to
go away herself.

There were people there who heard them
quarreling, and tho Tobacco staid on, whenever
she would be in a house and hear people laugh
ing she would think they were laughing at her.
And she became very sad, and one day sank
down in her house and went westward and came
to a house there.

And the person who lived there told her where
to sleep, saying, "Many people stop here, and
that is where they sleep."

But she said: "I am travelling, and no one
knows where I am, and if any one follows me,
and comes here, you tell them that you saw me,
that I left very early in the morning and you
do not know which way I went." And she told
him that she did not know herself which way
she would go, and at night, when she went to
bed, she brought a strong wind, and when she
wanted to leave she sank down and went west
ward, and the wind blew away all her tracks.

And she came to the Mohaves and lived there
in a high mountain, Cheof Toe-ahk, or tall moun
tain, which has a cliff very hard to climb, but
Tobacco stood up there.

And after Tobacco had gone, Corn remained,
but when corn-planting time came none was plant
ed, because there was no rain. And so it went
on — all summer, and people began to say: "It
is so, when Tobacco was here, we had plenty of

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 219

rain, and now we have not any, and she must
have had wonderful power."

And the people scolded 'Corn for sending To
bacco away, and told him to go away himself,
and then they sent for Tobacco to come back,
that they might have rain again.

And Corn left, going toward the east, singing
all the way, taking Pumpkin with him, who was
singing too, saying they were going where there
was plenty of moisture.

And th£ next year there was no water, and a
powerful doctor, Gee-hee-sop, took the Doctor's
Stone of Light, and the Doctor's Square Stone,
and some soft feathers, and eagle's-tail feathers,
and went to where Tobacco lived, asking her to
come back, saying "We are all suffering for water,
and we know you have power to make it rain,
And every seed buried in the ground is begging
for water, and likely to be burned up, and every
tree is suffering, and I want you to come."

Then Tobacco said: "What has become of Corn?
He is still with you, and corn is what you ought
to eat, and everybody likes it, but nobody cares
for me, except perhaps some old man who likes
to smoke me, and I do not want to go back, and
I am not going!"

But Geeheesop said: "Corn is not there now,
he has gone away, and we do not know where
he is." And again he asked Tobacco to come
back but she refused, but gave him four balls
of tobacco seed and said to him: "Take these

220 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

home with you, and take the dirt of the tobacco-
worm, and roll it up, and put it in a cane-
tube and smoke it all around, and you will have
rain, and then plant the seed, and in four days
it will come up; and when you get the leaves,
smoke them, and call on the winds, and you will
have clouds and plenty of rain."

So Geeheesop went home with the seed balls,
and tobacco-worm dirt, and did as Tobacco had
told him; and the smoking of the dirt brought
rain, and the seeds were planted in a secret place,
and in four days came up, and grew for a while,
but finally were about to die for want of rain.

Then Geeeesop got some of the leaves and
smoked them, and the wind blew, and rain came,
and the plants revived and grew till they were
ripe.

When the tobacco was ripe Geeheesop gath
ered a lot of the leaves and filled with them one
of the gourd-like nests which the woodpecker, koh-
daht, makes in the har-san, or giant-cactus, and
then took a few of these and put them in a cane-
tube pipe, or watch-kee^ and went to where the
people gathered in the evening.

And the doctor who was the father of Tobacco
said:"What is this I 'smell? There is something
new here!"

And one said, "Perhaps it is some greens that
I ate today that you smell," and he breathed
toward him.

But the mahkai said, "That is not it"

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 221

And others breathed toward him, but he could
not smell it.

Then Geeheesop rolled a coal toward himself,
and lit up his pipe, and the doctor said: ''This
is what I smelled!"

And Geeheesop, after smoking a few whiffs,
passed the pipe around to the others, and all
smoked it, and when it came back to him he stuck
it in the ground.

And the next night he came with a new pipe
to the place of meeting, but the father of Tobacco
said: "Last night I had a smoke, but I did not
feel good after it."

And all the others said: "Why we smoked and
enjoyed it."

But the man who had eaten the greens kah-tee-
kum, the day before, said: "He does not mean
that he did not enjoy the smoke, but something
else troubled him after ir, and I think it was that
when we passed the pipe around we did not say
4My relatives,' 'brother,' or 'cousin,' or what
ever it was, but passed it quietly without using
any names."

And Tobacco's father said "Yes, that is what
I mean."

(And from that time on all the Pimas smoked
that way when they came together, using a cane-
tube pipe, or making a long cigarette of corn-
husk and tobacco, and passing it around among
relatives.)

So Geeheesop lit his pipe and passed it around

222 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

in the way to satisfy the doctor.

And the people saved the seeds of that tobacco,
and to day it is all over the land.

And the Corn and the Pumpkin had gone east,
and for many years they lived there, and the
people they had left had no corn, and no pump
kins; but after a while they returned of them
selves, and came first to the mountain TaTitkum,
and lived there a while, and then crossed the
river and lived near Blackwater, at the place
called Toeahk-Comalk, or White Thin Moun
tain, and from there went and lived awhile at
Gahkotekih or, as it is now called, Superstition
Mountain.

While they lived at Gahkotekih there was a
woman living near there at a place called kawt-
kee oy-ee-duck who, with her younger brother,
went to Gahkotekih to gather and roast the white
cactus, and while they were doing this Corn saw
them from the mountain and came down.

And the boy saw him and said: ill think that it
my uncle coming," but his sister said," It can
not be, for he is far away. If he were here the
people would not be starving as now."

But the boy was right, it was his uncle, and
Corn came to them and staid with them while
the cactus was baking. And after awhile, as he
sat aside, he would shoot an arrow up in the air,
and it would fall whirling where the cooking was,
and he would go and pick it up.

Finally he said to the woman: "Would you

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 223

not better uncover the corn and see if it is cooked
yet?" And she said: "It is not corn, it is cactus."

Again, after a while, he said : "Would you
not better uncover the pumpkin and see if it is
done?" And she replied: "It is not pumpkin,
we are baking, it is cactus." But finally he said
"Well, uncover it anyway," and she uncovered
it, and there were corn and pumpkin there, to
gether, all nicely mixed and cooked, and she sat
staring at it, and he told her to uncover it rriore,
and she did so and ate some of it.

And then he asked about the Tobacco woman,
if she were married yet, and she said, "No, she
is not married, but she is back with us again,
now."

Then he asked her to send the little boy ahead
and tell the people that Corn was coming to live
with them again. But first the little boy was to
go to the doctor who was the father of Tobacco,
and see if he and his daughter wanted Corn to
return. If they did he would come, and if they
did not he would stay away. And he wanted
the boy to come right back and tell what answer
he got.

So the little boy went, and took some corn
with him to the doctor, and said: "Corn sent
me, and he wants your daughter, and he wants
to know if you want him. If you do he will
return, but if you do not he will turn back again.
And he wants me to bring him word what you
say."

224 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And the mahkai said "I have nothing to say
against him. I guess he knows the people want
corn. Go and tell him to come."

And Corn said: "Go back to the doctor and tell
him to make a little kee, as quick as he can, and
to get the people to help him, and to cover it
with mats instead of bushes, and to let Tobacco
go there and stay there till I come.

And tell all the people to sweep their houses,
and around their houses, and if anything in their
houses is broken, such as pots, vahs-shroms, to
turn them right side up. For I am coming back
openly; there will be no secret about it.1'

So the little boy went back and told the doc
tor all that Corn had told him to say, and the
doctor and the people built the kee, and Tobac
co went there, and the people swept their houses
and around them as they were told.

And before sunset the woman came home with
the corn and pumpkins she had cooked at the
mountain, but Corn staid out till it was evening.

And when evening came there was a black
cloud where Corn stood, and soon it began to
rain corn, and every little while a big pumpkin
would come down, bump. And it rained corn
and pumpkins all night, while Corn and his bric'e
were in their kee, and in the morning the people
went out and gathered up the corn from the swept
place around their houses.

And so Corn and Pumpkin came back again.

The people gathered up all the corn around

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 225

their houses, and all their vessels, even their
broken ones, which they had turned up, were
full, and their houses were soon packed full of
corn and pumpkins.

So Corn lived there with his wife, and after a
while Tobacco had a baby, and it was a little
crooked-necked pumpkin, such as the Pimas call
a dog-pumpkin.

And when the child had grown a little, one
day its father and mother went out to work in
the garden, and they put the little pumpkin baby
behind a mat leaning against the wall. And some
children, coming in, found it there, and began
to play with it for a doll, carrying it on their
backs as they do their dolls. And -finally they
dropped it and broke its neck.

And when Corn came back and found his baby
was broken he was angry, and left his wife, and
went east again, and staid thtre awhile, and then
bethought him of his pets, the tteckbirds, which
he had left behind, snd came back to his wife
again.

But after awhile he again went east, taking his
pets with him, scattering grains of corn so that
the blackbirds would follow him.

Corn made this speech while he was in the
kee with Tobacco:

In the East there is the Tonedum Vahahkkee,
the Vahahkkeeof Light, where lives the great doc
tor, the king fisher.

And I came to Bives-chool, the king fisher,

226 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

and asked him for power, and he heard me ask
ing, and flew up on his kee, and looked toward
the West, and breathed the light four times, and
flew and breathed again four times, and so on-
flying four times and breathing after each flight
four times, and then he sat over a place in the
ground that was cut open.

And in the West there was a Bluebird, and
when I asked him for power he flew up on his
kee, and breathed four times, and then flew to
ward the East, and he and Biveschool met at the
middle of the earth.

And Biveschool asked the Bluebird to do some
great thing to show his power, and the Bluebird
took the blue grains of corn from his breast and
then planted them, and they grew up into beau
tiful tall corn, so tall its tops touched the sky
and its leaves bowed over and scratched the
ground in the wind.

And Biveschool took white seeds from his
breast, and planted them, and they came up, and
were beautiful to be seen, and came to bear fruit
that lay one after another on the vine — these
were pumpkins.

And the beautiful boys ran around among these
plants, and learned to shout and learned to whistle,
and the beautiful girls ran around among these
plants and learned to whistle.

And the relatives heard of these good years,
and the plenty to eat, and there came a relative
leading her child by the hand, who said: "We

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 227

will go right on, for our relatives must have
plenty to eat, and we shall not always suffer
with hunger.

So these came, but did not eat it all, but re
turned.

So my relatives, think of this, that we shall
not suffer with hunger always."

And Corn made another speech at that time
to Tobacco's father:

"Doctor! Doctor! have you seen that this earth
that you have made is burning! The mountains
are crumbling, and all kinds of trees are burn
ing down.

And the people over the land which you have
made run around, and have forgotten how to
shout, and have forgotten how to walk, since the
ground is so hot and burning.

And the birds which you have made have for
gotten how to fly, and have forgotten how to sing.

And when you found this out you held up the
long pinion feathers, mah-cheev-a-duck, toward
the East, and there came the long clouds one after
the other.

And there in those clouds there were low thun-
derings, and they spread over the earth, and
watered all the plants, and the roots of all the
trees; and everything was different from what it
had been.

Every low place and every valley was
crooked, but the force of the waters strightened
them out, and there was driftwood on all the

228 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

shores: and after it was over every low place
and every valley had foam in its mouth.

And in the mouth stood the Doctor, and took
the grains from his breast, and planted them, and
the corn grew and was beautiful. And he went
on further, to another low valley, and planted
other seeds, and the pumpkin grew and was beau
tiful.

And its vine to the West was black and zig
zag in form, and to the South was blue and zig
zag in form, and to the East was white and zig
zag in form, and to the North was yellow and
zigzag in form.

So everything came up, and there was plenty
to eat, and the people gathered it up, and the
young boys and girls ate and were hsppy, and
the old men and the old women ate and length
ened even their few days.

So think of this, my relatives, and know that
we are net to suffer with hunger always. "

And the Dog-Pumpkin Baby lay there broken,
after Corn went away, but after awhile sank
down and went to Gahkotekih, and grew up there,
and became the Harsan or Giant Cactus.

And the mother and grandfather conld not find
the Dog-Pumpkin Baby, and called the people
together, and Toehahvs was asked to find it, and
he smelled around where it had been, and went
around in circles.

And he came to where the Giant Cactus was
and thought it was the baby, but was not sure,

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 229

and so came back, and told them he could not
find it.

And they wanted Nooee to go, and Toehahvs
said to Nooee: "I did see something, but I was
not quite sure, but I want you to examine that
Giant Cactus."

So Nooee flew around and around and exam
ined the Giant Cactus and came back, and when
the people questioned him said: "I have found
it and it is already full-grown, and I tell you I
think something good will happen to us because
of it."

And when the Cactus had fruit the people
gathered it, and made tis-win^ and took the seeds
and spread them out in the sun.

And the Badger stole these seeds, and when
the people knew it they sent Toehahvs after the
theif.

And Toehahvs went and saw Badger ahead of
him in the road, and saw him go out and around
and come into the road again and come toward
him.

And when they met, Toehahvs asked him what
he had in his hand. And Badger said "I have
something, but I'm not going to show you!"

Then Toehahvs said: "If you'll only just open
your hand, so I can see, I'll be satisfied."

And Badger opened his hand, and Toehahvs
hit it a slap from below, and knocked the seeds
all around, and that is why the giant cactus is
now so scattered.

230 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON THE STORY OF CORN AND TOBACCO

In the Story of Corn and Tobacco we touch the sup
erstitions about rain, the most desired thing in the desert.
The mahkais used tobacco in their incantations, both for
curing sickness and for making rain. It would appear that
the Piman mind confused clouds of smoke and clouds of
vapor, and because tobacco made clouds it was probably
supposed to be potent in begetting rain. The Pimas told
me that the Doctor's Square Stone was used in the incan
tations for rain, and there appears to have been a con
nection in Piman thought between feathers and clouds,
and therefore between feathers and rain, and it will be
noticed thut when Geeheesop went to get Tobacco's
help in making rain he took feathers and both kinds
of Doctor-stone.

This story seems to profess to give the origin of tob-
tcco, giant cactus and of tiswin.

THE STORY OF THE CHILDREN OF CLOUD

v was a woman who lived in the

$ mountains, who was very beautiful,
and had many suitors, but she never
married anyone.

And one day she was making mats of
cane; and she fell asleep and a rain
came and a drop fell on her navel.

And she had twin babies, and all the men
claimed them, but when the babies were old enuf
to crawl she told all the claimants to get in a
circle, and she would put the babies in the mid
dle, and if they crawled up to any man he would
be the father.

But the babies climbed upon nobody, And
she never married.

And when these twin boys were old enuf their
mother showed them a cloud in the east, and
said: "That is your father, and his name is
Cloud, and the Wind is your uncle, your father's
older brother."

But the children paid little attention, but when
they got older they asked their mother if they
could go and see their father. And their mother
let them go.

And they went, and came to a house, and the

man who lived there asked them where they

were going, and they said they were looking for

their father, whose name was Cloud.

And the man pointed to the next house, and

232 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

said: "That man, there, is your father.''

And they went to that man, but he said: "It
is not so. He is your father. He is Cloud."
and sent them back again.

But the first man sent them back once more
to the second, who was really Cloud.

And Cloud said, that time; "I wonder if it is
so that you are my children!"

And the boys said: "That is what they say."

And Cloud said: "I want you to do something
to prove it."

Then the oldest boy thundered loud and light
ened, and the other lightened a little, and Cloud
said, "It is true, you are my children!"

And before night Cloud fed them, and then
went into his kee and shut it up and left them
outside all night. And it rained and snowed all
night, but they staid outside.

And in the morning Cloud came out, and said:
"It is really so, that you are my children."

And the next night he took them to a pond,
where there was ice, and left them there all
night. And the next day, when he came there
and found they had staid in the water all night
he said: "It is really so— you are my children."

So Cloud aknowedged them for his children
and took them into his kee. And after a while
the boys wanted to go back to their mother, and
Cloud said: "You may go, but you must not
speak to anybody on the way. And I will be
with you on the journey."

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 233

So the boys started, and cloud was over them,
in the sky, shadowing them.

And after a while they saw a man coming,
and the younger boy said: "We must ask him
how our mother is."

But the older brother said: "Don't you remem
ber that our father told us not to speak to anyone?"

The younger said: "Yes, I remember, but
it would not be right not ask how our mother is."

So when the man came the boy asked: "How is
everybody at home, and how is the old woman,
our mother?"

And then the cloud above them lightened and
thundered, and they were both turned into cen
tury plants.

234 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

NOTES ON THE STORY OF CLOUD

In Emory's report, before alluded to, also in Captain
Johnston's, we find variants of The Story of the Chil
dren of Cloud. Thristy Hawk, the Maricopa, told Emory
"that in bygone days a woman of surpassing beauty re
sided in a green spot in the mountains, near where we
were encamped. All the men admired and paid court to
her. She received the tributes of their devotion, grain,
skins, etc., but gave no love or other favor in return. Her
virtue and her determination to remain unmarried were
equally firm. There came a drought which threatened the
world with famine. In their distress, people applied to her,
and she gave corn from her stock, and the supply seemed
endless. . . . One day as she was lying asleep with her
body exposed, a drop of rain fell on her stomach, which
produced conception. A son was the issue, who was the
founder of a new race which built all these houses" (ruins,
vahahkkees).

Johnston has it: "The general asked a Pima who made
the house I had seen. 'It is the Caza de Montezuma',
said he, 'it was built by the son of the most beautiful
woman, who once dwelt in yon mountain; she was fair,
and all the handsome men came to court her, but in vain;
when they came, they paid tribute, and out of this small
store she fed all the people in time of distress, and it did
not diminish; at last, as she lay asleep, a drop of rain fell
upon her navel, and she became pregnant, «nd brought
forth a boy, who was the builder of all these houses."

The seeneeyawkum gives her twins but knew nothing of
any story of their children or of these buildings, the vah
ahkkees.

THE STORY OF TCHEUNASSAT SEEVEN

Seeven wanted to gam
ble with Tcheunassat Seeven, who lived
at Kawtkee Oyyeeduck, and sent a man
with an invitation to come and play
against him, and bring all his wives.

And Tcheunassat Seeven said: "I will
go, for my wives are used to travelling, and we
will take food, and will camp on the road, and
day after tomorrow, about evening, we will be
there."

So .the messenger went back with this word,
and in the morning Tcheunassat Seeven got his
lunch ready, and he and his wives started; and
the first night camped at Odchee, and the next
day came to the little mountain, near Blackwater,
called Sahn-a-mik, and they crossed Ak-kee-
mull, The River, the Gila, there, and Tcheunassat
Seeven told his wives to wash their hair and
clean themselves there, and then he told them
to go ahead to Stcheuadack Seeven while he took
his bath. And while he bathed they went on
and came to Stcheuadack Seeven's house, where
he was singing and his wives dancing.

Then the wives of Tcheunassat Seeven did
not ask for invitation, but went right in and
joined the dance, and went to Stcheuadack See
ven and took hold of his hand in the dance,
pushing each other away to get it.

236 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

And Stcheuadack Seeven . thought from this
that he would get all of Tcheunassat Seeven's
wives away from him.

Tcheunassat Seeven, after his bath, cut a piece
of oapot wood and sharpened it, and split the
other end into four pieces, and bent them over
and tied the ends of crow's feathers to them,
and stuck it in his hair, and dipped his finger
in white paint and made one little spot over each
eye, which was all the paint he used, and then
he went and watched his wives dancing and tak
ing Stcheuadack Seeven's hand.

And Stcheuadack Seeven asked them if that
was their husband, and they said: "Yes, he is
our husband. He is not very good-looking, but
we care so much for him."

Tcheunassat Seeven watched the dancing
awhile and then stepped back a little and took
out his rattle and began to sing. And at once
everybody crowded around him, and all his
wives came back to him, and finally all Stcheu
adack Seeven's wives came and contended for
his hand, as his wives had been doing with Stcheu
adack Seeven.

And this went on into the night, all dancing
and having a good time, except Stcheuadack See
ven, who walked around looking at his wives
dancing.

And finally he sent a message to the most
beautiful of his wives (who had a beautiful
daughter) and told him to tell her: "I am sleepy,

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 237

and I want you home now, and I want all my
wives to go into the house."

And she said: "I will come. I will tell my
daughter, who is over there, and then we will
come home."

But she did not tell her daughter, and did
not come home, and Stcheuadack Seeven waited
awhile, and then found his messenger and asked
him: "Did you tell her?"

And the messenger said: "I did."

And he said: "Tell her again that I am wait-
iug outside here, and I want her to come to me
and we will go home."

Then the messenger told the woman again,
but she did not come, and Stcheuadack Seeven
wandered around outside till morning.

And near morning Tcheunassat Seeven sang
a beautifui song, and began to move toward his
own home, dancing all the way, and all the
women going before him.

And he did this till morning, and then stopped,
and went home, taking all his own wives and
all of Stchtuadack Seeven's wives with him.

And Stcheuadack Seeven went home, when he
saw this, and took his beautiful cloak all covered
with live butterflies and humming-birds, and lay
down, covering himself with it.

But four days after, Stcheuadack Seeven told
the messenger to take this beautiful cloak to
Tcheuassat Seeven, and ask him to send back
that beautiful wife and her daughter, and to keep

238 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

the rest of the wives; and to keep the cloak and
use that to marry more wives.

But Tcheunassst Seeven said to the messen
ger: 'Tell him I do not want his cloak. I have
one just like it, and I have all I want, and I
will not send back any of his wives. It was his
wish that we should gamble, and if he had been
the better singer and had won my wives I would
not have asked for any of them back."

And now Tcheunassat Seeven appeared as a
beautiful person, with long hair and turquoise
ear-rings, and he said: "He need not think I
always look as I did when I came to his dance.
That was only to fool him."

The beautiful daughter of the beautiful wife
grew up, and Tcheunassat Seeven married her,
too, and she had a baby.

And when Stcheuadack Seeven heard of it, he
said: "I am going to punish him." And he
made a black spider and sent it thru the air.

And in the evening when the mother wanted
to air her baby's cradle, she took it out, and
then the black spider got in the baby's cradle
and hid himself, and when the baby was put
back the spider -bit it, and it began to cry.

And its father and mother tried to pacify it,
but could not, and when they took it out of the
cradle, there they found the black spider.

And Tcheunassat Seeven sent word to Stchen-
adack Seeven to come and see his grand-child,
which was about to die, but Stcheuadack Seeven

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 239

said to the messenger: "What is the matter with
Tcheunassat Seeven? He is a powerful doctor.
Tell him to cure the child. I will not come.
The bite of a black spider is poisonous, but it
never kills anybody, Tell him to get some weeds
on Maricopa Mountain and cure the child."
And he sent the messenger back again.

And Scheunassat Seeven said: "How can I
get those weeds when I do not know which ones
are right and there are so many! I cannot go."

And he did not go, and the child died.

240 Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights

A SONG OF TCHEUNASSAT SEEVEN

There stands a dead vahahkkee

On top of it there runs back and forth the Seeven

And he has a robe with yellow hand prints on it.

THE LARK'S SONG ABOUT HIS LOST WIFE*

My poor wife!

In the West she seems to be bound by the song
of the Bamboo.

*This is a Pima flute-song, a record of which I obtain
ed for my phonograph while in Arizona. It has no direct
connection with the legends; but illustrates the Story of
Tcheunassat Seeven a little, as it is about a woman, the
wife of an Indian named the Lark, who is led away by
the seductive singing of another Indian named the Bam
boo; the Indians having an idea that women were most eas
ily seduced by music. The Pimas, when they speak Eng
lish, calling the wild cane bamboo.

The Myths and Legends of the Pimas 241

THE LEGEND OF BLACKWATER

A little off from the road between Sacaton, and Casa
Grande Ruins there is, or was in the old days, a myster
ious pool of dark water, which the Indians regarded with
superstitious awe.

They said it was of fathomless depth, that it commun
icated with the ocean, and that strange, monstrous animals
at times appeared in it. There are Indians still living
who declare they have seen them with their own eyes.

I visited this famous place once with my interpreter,
Mr Wood. After galloping a while thru a mezquite forest
we suddenly emerged upon its legendary shores Alas,
for the prosaic quality of fact! It was but a common
place water-hole, or spring-pond, a few rods across, with
bogs and bulrushes in its center.

The unkindness of irrigation ditches, withdrawing its
waters, revealed that like most bottomless pools of story
it was very shallow indeed.

It was nearly dry.

Its name of Blackwater has been given to the nearby
surounding district.

This was the only trace of the common Indian super
stition of water monsters I found among the Plmas.
Koo-a Kutch
The End

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