Show A SEVEN DAY TRIP WITH BOY SCOUTS ACROSS UTAH The Ancient Indian Worshiped Rain That which these Indians worship as far as wee can learne is the water for they say it their corn com to grow and their life and they know none other reason but that their ancestors did so From the writings of Coronado about 1540 Sixth Day Dav Nine Mile Canyon And Its Glyphs on Rain x In a few miles the bus passed over the Price River and soon came to the city of Price in Carbon Carbon Carbon Car Car- bon County Here again the boys were told to buy what few needed things were wanted and an hour or orso orso orso so was taken in looking at the city From Price the road was taken to Wellington and and then onto the dirt road leading into the hills After After After Af Af- ter a few miles the divide was crossed and the descent begun in into into into in- in to Nine Mile Canyon the creek is named Minnie Maud on p part rt of its course and Nine Mile Creek CrecK on an an- other As As' As the descent required slowing down the boys began calling calling calling call call- ing for stops as gl glyphs phs were seen on the rocks But as most of them in the upper stretches were of deer only but a moment was given to each In a short time the pilot called for a stop and taking the boys a short distance e from the bus PILOT SPEAKING SPEAKING- Boys you now see an outstanding example of Toh kobe Toh-kobe Toh a a is the Ute word for rattlesnake A pope means moans thing done by So the combination Toh kobe pope signifies Thing done by rattlesnake I Some Utes hold a superstition that I have run across that the cut I glyph you see there there thereof of a rattlesnake rattlesnake rattle rattle- snake was done by his magic rattle rattle-I for does he not carry death in his tooth tooth tooth- that the rattlesnake projects projects pro pro- pro pro-I his form WHOOSH upon the rocks in a twinkling of or an eye and there it is not cut by man but the magic of the snake makes his own image on th the rocks Not all Utes hold that superstition But it is in interesting interesting interesting in- in to know that the glyph for the arrow which brings death and the glyph for the snake who carries death in his tooth and again again again a- a gain the glyph for lightning it also carries death are basically similar similar similar- The arrow is a straight barbed line t the e snake a sinuous line almost exactly the same and the lightning Is a zig-zag zig line very nearly identical All AU are based on the common concept death in the tooth of each each each- barbed death So now you have seen a Moki pope chee in Millard County in Clear Creek Wee Vee j i pope a-pope and here a kobe Toh pope In my office I kobe Toh have a She pope a Come in and see It And you saw an excellent example example example ex ex- ex- ex ample of a natural face eroded in inthe inthe inthe the rocks at the Gap which h is a sa sacred sacred sacred sa- sa cred pope a deeply reverenced reverenced reverenced rev rev- by the Utes On this rock alongside the Toh- Toh pope kobe-a-pope you see a pair of oC sandhill cranes one standing one sitting down They are no doubt ancient clan marks as often orten among tribes they take a name from rom some J natural object the sandhill crane the the eagle etc On this same rock is a small figure figur which I take to have been intended intend intend- ed to represent a khan or bab baby cradle though I will not insist upon upon upon up up- on it It is very similar to U the e Ut Ute baby carrying case If so It Is th the only glyph of its kind I have see seen in Utah The bus drove on At Gateway Canyon a fine glyph of a man wita with wit witha a full s set t of antlers as a headdress was seen it represents a man mai impersonating impersonating impersonating im im- im- im personating a deer in the Indian India dance Around the point of the hi hia hill hilla a game of shinny was seen cu cuon cut cuton cuton on the rocks the players grouped around with sticks to hit the bal ball Another game for amusement amusement- w we saw the Hoop and Stick game i in Millard At Cave the pilot pilo said In digging here several years year ago a mummy of a child was encountered encountered encountered en en- countered perfectly a word for dried and in good pres pres- Near another mummy was found with a beautiful necklace necklace necklace neck neck- lace of polished stones with it it- it a marvelous find i Yonder is what is often called a I fort more properly it should b be called a n lookout station Th The boys clambered to it and gave i ithe it the once over It was found to tobe tobe tobe be a small stone enclosure nearly square on a point of a hill where approaching enemies could be mos most easily seen and itself defensible Eager eyes spotted others on vantage vantage vantage van van- tage points The pilot led ledI I t I the way to a arock arock rock on which was a very fine I RAINBOW V YOUTH glyph with sun rainbow snake a abear abear abear bear paw and the a perfect perfect perfect per per- combination The pilot said Now boys what are th conditions for a rainstorm of the kind when a rainbow ap ap- ap- ap pears Bill Mizuno replied The su sun n must be shining and rain must be actually falling Pilot And here Bill is the ancient ancient ancient an an- mans man's answer There is the sun plainly in sight shining merrily merrily merrily mer mer- rily rily- rily the rayed disc And here is the rainbow And when the rain rainfalls rainfalls rainfalls falls the Rainbow Youth standing there dons the gorgeous of the colors in falling water Pah- Pah ra in Ute Below him Is the present ever-present snake always associated associated associated with rain rites rites' Can you beat it All there Not a thing is miss- miss Ing And then to cap it all the bear paw Is dr drawn drawn drawn- wn- wn such a rain that when Seldom Mad walks over the land he leaves the imprint of i his foot in the thc softened soil Isn't it fine Arent Aren't you glad you made this long trip to see such a wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- glyph We Ve saw rainbows and a bear bearpaw bearpaw bearpaw paw in Iron County near Ferron we saw the Rainbow Youth shooting shooting shoot shoot- ing in arrows of lightning hero here he is I with snake and bear paw paw paw- every factor It is as though the ancient I leaders of thought vied with each other as to who could be the more expressive of the sacred theme of at RAIN The pilot said Quite Quito a distance from here in fact Q a pack horse journey journey journey jour jour- ney Is 18 another excellent group that I will tell about about about a- a bout it shows the rainbow most excellently done with dr dropping lines lines lines lin lin- es of oC rain falling from It it a small thunderbird sits on the arc a bigsnake big bigsnake bigsnake snake is present close cloe below is a scroll or spiral Its use here is un un- known Many conjectures but lit lit- little lit little tle tie fac fact The pilot drew the design adding Below this men animals all creature creature creature crea crea- ture kind even to frogs that depend der depend depend de de- pend upon upon r rain Many men one holding a snake on one side and another holding a snake on theother the theother theother other side Then on a rock face right by it some figures of high merit The pilot conducted the boys toa to toa toa a fine glyph of a man shooting a buffalo and said he had asked a aUte aUte aUte Ute Indian what it meant and the Ute said You ought to know that It told in old books when you a boy Man Manget Manget Manget get down on hands and knees put on wolf hide hide hide- make him look like wolf Crawl around Pretend wolf Buffalo no care if he keep wind between em not to carry smell Get close rise up and shoot two arrows Here it is just as the Indian In Indian Ir- Ir dian told it On the way back to camp the plot pi pilot pilot pi- pi lot caused the car to be brought to toa a stop LOUDSPEAKER Boys in that ledge is a cist house or granary often mis-called mis a Moki Mold house There are eleven of them easily found boys got o out and inspected every part of oC this one one one- small plastered over with mud no way for rodents to get In and corn put into it when harvest harvest- ed After the buse started up again it had not gone far when when- when when- on that rock is a group of figures The are the spirits of our dead ancestors grown big with added power lustre reverence They are arethus arethus arethus thus giants in form The dead are superior attain greated wisdom in inthe inthe inthe the in direct contact with the rulers god-rulers of that realm whence comes all our nourishment and food for even the animals have to eat the grass Mother Earth provides and other animals eat them in turn eaten by us The dance at Zuni New Mexico Mexico Mexico Mex Mex- ico Is one of the most sacred festivals festivals festivals fes fes- fesI I they hold It symbolizes the return up here for six months of the spirits of our dead to live here half the year and then return Itis It Itis Itis is a time of great festivities unbounded unbounded unbounded un un- bounded hospitality good will yet mixed with the deo c i l seriousness and profound reverence It honors the departed who in spirit form are for six again with us The pilot spoke in a n low tone to the driver driver- the bus pulled into a aside aside aside side canyon and by a large boulder at a signal came to a stop Boys I wish you would get out I have something of interest I 1 want to show you The boys assembled in a group facing the far side of the rock Here boys for the first time this entire trip is a thunderbird glyph of of the bird connected with rain As our study Is rain we must stop and study It First we see an arc of a rainbow over the birds rain Then below the birds bird's head with eyes and beak A large oval below below below be be- low for the body from the upper portion of the body Six 6 zig-zag zig zag lightning marks one for each cardinal point From the lower portion of the body Six 6 lightning marks one for each of the Sacred Six Space Regions i Below the body the swallowtail of the bird When the Sun Father gives consent blessed clouds gather gath gath- er roll into form grow deeper and blacker then the thunderbird sits sitson sitson sitson on the cloud and as he snaps hi his eyes jagged lightning flashes and andas as he ruffles his wings life-giving life rain aln falls You know the story too well for further remarks Nine Mile Canyon furnishes the best ancient design of the ThunderbIrd Thunderbird Thun Thun- found in Utah Is not our reaping a rich reward We find Ind everything connected with water water wa- wa ter er and rain the most vital thing needed by ancient man Nor are we ve less fr free e from that need altho we ve meet it not with Thunderbirds but ut with cored concrete-cored dams and canal anal systems Further along the bus came to another another anther an an- other ther stop this time before a deer Ute life size cut c cut t on the rock LOUDSPEAKER Boys you are now looking coking at a target animal Primitive Prim Prim- tive lUv man believes In magic he thought that by going to the keeper keep keep- er of the and getting a proper hunting fe fetich ch performing the necessary rights and praying to it he could be helped in hunting game for food So after going thru all an this he then went straight to this target animal animal ani- ani mal and tried his hand If he hi hit ohen often with his well-directed well arrow his medicine was good If he missed buy another fetich and do doit doit doit it all over again If he got good medicine then reassured reassured reassured re re- assured he went out in the hills hillsand hillsand hillsand and surely came back successful If the arrow scars where the flint lint tips struck this rock became too numerous to spot your shot easily easily easily ily merely paint the rock freshly and presto presto- a brand new target That night at the talk the pilot told the boys that such was the importance of Nine Mile I Canyon in archeological work that thata a party form the Peabody Museum In Massachusetts had worked a whole summer in it and published the findings The rest of the evening until taps was spent in telling Indian le legends legends legends le- le and particularly giving the present-day present rites which are exemplified exemplified exem exem- by the drawings dra on the rock walls in ancient time Everything Every Every Everything Everything thing that happen to Indian on the rocks if you know where to look for it says the Ute friend and helper who tells the pilot more of the meanings of the glyphs than any whiteman book issued We have drawn strongly from his fund of information in these six days The seventh and concluding article article article ar ar- will follow as space and time permit Frank Beckwith Notary Public |