The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., September 15, 1975, page 5 of the insert.   Photographs

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPING BEAUTY

     The most well-known of the legends of Pa-toe and Wy-east is one chronicling their feud over the beautiful Squaw mountain. It too, takes place long, long ago. At this time, there was a great inland sea that covered most of the land from the Cascades to the Coeur D'Alene's (a point that is supported by recent geological study). The Indians then lived in peace, fishing on the great sea, and hunting on its shores. All the people would make two pilgrimages a year, one in spring and one in fall, to the base of Mt. Multnomah (theoretically a huge mountain once existing in the area of Brokentop and the Three Sisters). At these gatherings, the Indians would talk, feast, hold games and tell legends. And into this peaceable setting, the greatest legend of them all was about to be cast. The two brothers, Pa-toe and Wy-east, also lived in harmony here, working and sharing together, until a certain beauty came into their midst. She was called Squaw Mountain, and she was a beautiful flirt. She was in love with Wy-east, the smaller of the two brothers, but she liked to flirt with Pa-toe, for the attention it got her. Pa-toe was big and loveable, and easy-going, and if Squaw Mountain had made known her true feelings, and had given up the flirt in herself, Pa-toe would have been content to see her with Wy-east. But Squaw Mountain was enjoying the rivalry between the brothers too much to listen to reason. The feud grew from a little grumbling and calling of names to stamping of feet, and then to black clouds of smoke and ashes. Now the two brothers truly had blood in their eyes. They shed their beautiful white coats amid the steam and ash, and painted their naked bodies with fire. They began throwing huge stones at one another, the smoke from their fires darkened the skies. The earth shook as the brothers hurled masses of stone back and forth. The forests died, and all the animals and people who couldn't escape the devastation died with them. As the earth quaked from the struggle, a crack broke in the mountains. The waters from the inland sea found the tunnel, and they too rushed to escape the awful battle. When the fighting was over, and the brothers were exhausted (there was no clear victor, a peace with honor was established), they looked at what they had done, and were ashamed to have let a woman come between them. Here, where there had been such harmony and happiness were now blackened forests, and burned villages, and drying mud flats in the sun. And death. The great Spirit was not at all pleased with what the two brothers had done to this land. In order to ensure peace enough for the people and the land to recover, he banished Squaw Mountain to a cave where she had hidden when the battle had raged. She was guarded by bats and was not to be seen by the brothers for fear the feud would rekindle itself. In their great rush to the sea through the tunnel in the mountains, the waters from the inland sea had formed an arch linking the two halves of the Cascade Range. It was to be a symbol of brotherhood between Pa-toe and Wy-east, and the Great Spirit placed Loo-wit, an old woman (Mt. St. Helens) by the bridge to help maintain order. This worked as a plan for some time. With the aid of Koyoda and the gulls (another interesting legend), the Indian people got the salmon to return to the river, and were able to rebuild their homes. With the passage of years, the battle between Pa-toe and Wy-east became only a legend. But it was a living legend. For although Squaw Mountain had been banished to the cave, she managed with the aid of the bats, to steal away nightly and meet with Wy-east. They carried on thus for many months, until one night Wy-east stayed too long on the other side of the bridge. In his panic to return to his proper place, and innocence, he had to run. His running shook the earth (although he was the smaller of the two brothers, he was still quite heavy), which not only awoke old Loo-wit and Pa-toe, but loosened a great boulder that roared down out of the mountains and lodged in the entrance to the cave in which Squaw Mountain should have been. Of course, Squaw Mountain was not in her cave, and this displeased the Great Spirit very much. He was angry, not with the woman, but with her guardians, the bats, and he punished them severely. This is why they are the ugly, nocturnal creatures they are, rather than the beautiful birds they once were. Now that she had the chance, Squaw Mountain pleaded with the Great Spirit to be able to stay out, to be free of captivity. Evidently the passage of time had caused some forgetfulness, for the Great Spirit consented to allow it. It wasn't long, however, before she was up to her old tricks. Squaw Mountain professed her love to Wy-east, and flirted with his brother. The brothers contained themselves for as long as they could, but once the Great Spirit was off in another part of the world, the feud broke loose. Again off came the white robes, to be replaced by streams of molten rock. Again the earth shook and the stones were hurled. Loo-wit, an old frail woman, died trying to stop the fighting. Her bridge, the Bridge of the Gods, came crashing down into the waters below, the last link between the two brothers severed forever. The fight was won by Pa-toe. By virtue of his size, he simply wore his smaller brother out. As according to the laws of war, to the victor went the spoils. Squaw Mountain got a punishment worse than banishment in the cave. She could never be with Wy-east, and she did not care at all for Pa-toe. In her misery, she laid down at the foot of Pa-toe, to sleep forever. Pa-toe, seeing this, and the misery of his brother, and observing the havoc they had wrecked upon the land, hung his head in shame.

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©  Jeffrey L. Elmer