Crater Lake
Historic Resource Study
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IV. Indian Perceptions of Crater
Lake (continued)
D. Legends Surrounding Crater Lake
The most common of the legends centering around
Crater Lake involve two powerful mythological beings, Skell, lord of the
Under-world, and La-o (Llao), god of the Above-world. Their theme is
basically good versus evil. One of the most often repeated stories is
referred to as the Klamath Legend of La-o:
According to the Mythology of the Klamath and Modoc
Indians, the chief spirit who occupied the mystic land of Gaywas, or
Crater Lake, was La-o. Under his control were many lesser spirits, who
appeared to be able to change their forms at will. Many of these were
monsters of various kinds, among them the giant crawfish (or dragon),
who could, if he chose, reach up his mighty arms even to the tops of the
cliffs and drag down to the cold depths of Crater Lake any too
venturesome tourist of the primal days.
The spirits or beings who were under the control of
La-o, assumed the forms of many animals of the present day, when they
chose to go abroad on dry land, and this was no less true of the other
fabulous inhabitants of Klamath land who were dominated by other chief
spirits, and who occupied separate localities; all these forms, however,
were largely or solely subject to the will of Komoo'kumps, the great
spirit.
Now on the north side of Mt. Jackson, or La-o Yaina
(La-o's Mountain), the eastern escarpment of which is known as La-o
Rock, is a smooth field, sloping a little towards the north, which was a
common playground for the fabled inhabitants of Gaywas and neighboring
communities.
Skell was a mighty spirit whose realm was the Klamath
Marsh country, his capital being near the Yamsay River, on the eastern
side of the marsh. He had many subjects who took the forms of birds and
beasts when abroad on the land, as the antelope, the bald eagle, the
bliwas or golden eagle, among them many of the most sagacious and active
of all the beings then upon the earth.
A fierce war occurred between Skell and La-o and
their followers which raged for a long time. Finally Skell was stricken
down in his own land of Yamsay and his heart was torn from his body and
was carried in triumph to La-o Yaina. Then a great gala day was declared
and even the followers of Skell were allowed to take part in the games
on Mt. Jackson, and the heart of Skell was tossed from hand to hand in
the great ball game in which all participated.
If the heart of Skell could be borne away so that it
could be restored to his body, he would live again, and so with a secret
understanding among themselves the followers of Skell watched for the
opportunity to bear it away. Eventually, when it reached the hands of
Antelope, he sped away to the eastward like the wind. When nearly
exhausted he passed it to the Eagle, and he in his turn to Bliwas, and
so on, and although La-o's followers pursued with their utmost speed,
they failed to overtake the swift bearers of the precious heart. At last
they heard the far away voice of the dove, another of Skell's people,
and then they gave up the useless pursuit .
Skell's heart was restored and he lived again, but
the war was not over and finally La-o was himself overpowered and slain
and his bleeding body was borne to the La-o Yaina, on the very verge of
the great cliff, and a false message was conveyed to La-o's monsters in
the Lake, that Skell had been killed, instead of La-o, and when a
quarter of the body was thrown over, La-o's monsters devoured it,
thinking it a part of the body of Skell. Each quarter was thrown over in
turn, with the same result, but when the head was thrown into the lake,
the monsters recognized it as the head of their master and would not
touch it, and so it remains today, an island in the lake, to all people
now known as Wizard Island. [17]
This version does not seek to provide a detailed
explanation of the destruction of Mount Mazama and the subsequent
formation of Crater Lake, but does try to explain the origin of the
volcanic cone known today as Wizard Island. This story contains
virtually no hint of the volcanic activity that startled the surrounding
countryside several thousand years ago.
Another legend attributes the formation of Wizard
Island to a battle waged between two mortals--a tale heard from a
Klamath Indian but revolving around members of the Shasta tribe of
northern California and southern Oregon:
Wimawita ["Grizzly Bear," a Shasta brave] was the
pride of his family and tribe. He could kill the grizzly bear and his
prowess in the fight was renowned even among those fierce braves who
controlled the entrance to the Lake of the Big Medicine, where the black
obsidian arrow-heads are found. But the chase no longer had pleasure for
him and he wandered far up the slopes of Shasta, where the elk and deer
abound, and they passed slowly by him down into the heavy growth of
murmuring pines, as if knowing that his mission was of peace. Above was
the line of perpetual snow, where the tamarack was striving hard for
existence in the barren rock. From this great height Wimawita gazed upon
the lodges in the prairie amongst the huge trees far below and then,
suddenly descending, disappeared into the forest, advancing towards the
east, where springs the great gushing sawul [large spring], the sources
of the Wini-mim [McCloud River].
There, in a little hut, dwelt old Winnishuya
[Forethought]. "Tell me, O mother," he said, "what can I do to regain
the love of Tculucul [The Lark]? she laughs at me and the dog Tsileu
[Red Flicker] wanders with her over the snow-clad mountain." "'tis
well," answered the old woman; Tculucul still loves you, but since your
brave deeds among the Klamaths your thoughts are far away and you long
for further perils to chant your great exploits in the councils of the
brave. Tculucul has noticed your neglect and distaste for the exploits
in which you formerly took pleasure. Why, 0 Wimawita, do you not seek
for greater glory? Know you not of the great lake far away and deep down
in the mountain-top? The way is long and difficult and but few reach its
rocky slopes. If you have the strength and courage to climb down and
bathe in its crystal waters, you will acquire great and marvelous
wisdom, Tculucul will look upon you with favor, and none will equal you
among your own people. The Llaos (children of the Great Spirit) guard
the lake, and far in the past one of our own tribe reached it, but not
propitiating the spirits, they killed him and his body was sunk into the
depths of the blue water."
As she spoke the old woman's strength increased.
Wimawita, listening, caught her energy and said: "'tis well, my
mother;--tomorrow, while all sleep, will I start upon this journey far
away over the fields of lava, to the river where the Klamaths dwell.
Then will I find the way to the wondrous lake and bathe in the deep
water." While speaking, he noted not the parting of the brush, where
Tculucul was concealed and in her fright almost betrayed her presence.
Nor was Tsileu visible behind the granite rocks near by, eagerly
watching and hearing all that happened.
[Wimawita started off at at dawn the next day,
followed closely by Tculucul, dressed as a brave, and further behind by
Tsileu, gliding stealthily in the tracks of the others. The three
marched for many long days "over the prairies of Shasta and the dreary
lava fields of Modoc, until Wimawita reached the great river of the
Klamaths." Here Tculucul revealed herself and proposed to accompany him
to "the great lake in the top of the mountain." Tsileu, "inwardly
raging, cast a look of hate upon them and sped northward through the
land of the Klamaths."]
. . . At last, after many weary days, they reached
the lake and made camp upon the edge of the precipice. All night
Wimawita chanted his song and early, when the sun was just lighting up
the circular wall on the opposite side of the lake, fully seven miles
away, he clambered down the steep and rocky walls and plunged into the
deep, clear water. His spirit seemed to soar from him; but it required
all his strength to climb back to the rim of the crater. Again the next
day he attempted the same difficult feat, and on returning said: "Once
more only, Tculucul, will I have to bathe in the crystal water. Then
wisdom and strength will be mine, our tribe will be the grandest in the
land, and you the greatest squaw among us. Thus will your faith and help
to me be rewarded."
On the third morning he started. Just as he reached
the last descent, near the water's edge, he beheld Tsileu, "Dog of
Wimawita, we will here find who is the greater man. Defend yourself!" he
cried. They swayed to and fro on the edge of the cliff, advancing and
retreating, where a false step would cause death. Tculucul from the
cliff above, powerless to aid, beheld the mighty encounter. Suddenly
Wimawita slipped on the mossy rock and Tsileu, exerting all his
strength, raised and hurled him far out into the lake. Then the Llaos
rose and bearing fiercely down upon Tsileu tore his body to pieces and
cast them upon the water. Before the ripples had subsided where the lark
disappeared, the waves parted and the lava burst out with a mighty
noise. The Island of Llaos Nous [Wizard Island] rose up as a gasp of the
dying crater, and here, 'tis said, dwells the spirit of Wimawita, the
brave, and Tculucul, the lark." [18]
Another legend not only explains the creation of
Wizard Island but also suggests the manner in which the Crater Lake
caldera became filled with water. Some new romantic elements have been
added:
Llao, the master of everything living under the earth
and water, dwelt in the fiery pit where Crater Lake now lies, and this
was the only place he could come to the surface of the earth. Skell was
master of all the animals that lived on the earth. Both were in love
with the daughter of the chief of the Klamath Indians and both asked for
her hand in marriage and were refused because her father was rearing her
to be chief of the tribe when he died. Llao felt wronged when he was
refused her hand and returned to his home on Llao Rock and brooded.
Skell understood and pledged his help to the Indians if they needed
it.
Then Llao commanded the chief to deliver his daughter
to him in three days, or seven days of death and destruction would be
launched against the Indians. The girl wanted to sacrifice herself for
her people, but they wouldn't let her. They tied her in her tent and lay
face downward awaiting destruction. Skell started to help the Indians,
but Llao, seeing him go, hurled a flaming boulder across the skies and
struck him dead. Then Llao's children took Skell's heart from his body
and brought it to their father.
All of Skell's children gathered at a fountain where
he drank and bewailed his fate. Llao sent a messenger to them
proclaiming himself lord of everything above earth as well as underneath
it.
After he left, the coyote said, "Since it is
proclaimed that Skell's heart will live and his body live if his heart
be returned, let us proceed to the home of Llao and declare ourselves
his loyal subjects, awaiting the chance to restore the heart to our
master."
Taunts greeted them as they arrived, and the weasel,
brother of Llao, ran to the ballground with Skell's heart and began to
toss it into the air. The coyote followed him to the ballground and
began to chide him for not being able to throw it far. Other animals
tried to toss it too but the coyote chided them all for not being able
to throw it high into the air. Finally, Llao became angry at his taunts
and stalked out and hurled it far into the air. It soared and soared and
finally came to the ground on the far end of the baseball ground. The
fox, who was hidden near, snatched it and rushed into the forest. As
Llao's children were about to catch the fox, the antelope burst through
the throng and took the heart and rushed on with it. The eagle swooped
down and, taking the heart from the antelope, flew out of sight with it.
A voice of a dove, sounding from a great distance, told them Skell lived
again.
Brooding over this, Llao went to Skell's land and
challenged him to a wrestling match. Skell knew that Llao was stronger,
but decided to wrestle rather than appear cowardly before his children
and the other gods. Llao threw him across his shoulder and started
toward his home. When they were only a short distance from Llao's home,
Skell said that a louse was biting him and he wanted to scratch. Llao
taunted him saying, "What matter a little bite when I am soon going to
cut you into pieces and feed you to my children?"
"But you will grant me this one last wish," pleaded
Skell. Llao freed one of his hands and Skell pulled out his knife and
cut off Llao's head. Then he sent word to Llao's children that Skell had
been killed. They gathered around the pit beneath Lao's throne and ate
the pieces of their master as they were thrown down to them. But when
their master's head was tossed over, they were grieved and would not
touch it. It remains today where it was thrown and is known as Wizard
Island. Then the pit grew dark and the children wept, their tears
falling into the dark pit which is today known as Crater Lake. [19]
Another explanation for the formation of the cavity,
its flooding by water, and its inhabitation by demons involves
internecine warfare among members of the Klamath tribe:
Long before the white man s coming, there was
rebellion among the Klamath Indians. For days the battle raged fiercely
until finally the weaker side took refuge on the highest mountain for
miles around. Firmly entrenched among the rocks, they were able to
withstand the assaults of the entire tribe. One attack after another was
made, each ending in a repulse. Finally a council of war was held by the
besieging party, and the medicine men were told to invoke the aid of the
Great Spirit. For two days and two nights they kept up their chant; on
the third morning their prayers were answered. A fearful rumbling shook
the earth and with an awful roar the entire top of the mountain sank
from sight, pulling with it every one of the rebellious braves. Scarcely
had this disturbance ceased than water began rushing into the recess
from a hundred crevices, and when finally the victorious party ventured
near the rim they saw a vast lake lying before them. Then, as if to make
amends for the fearful punishment, the Great Spirit converted the ghosts
of the victims into huge, long-armed dragons which could reach up to the
crater's rim and drag down any venturesome warrior. [20]
More graphic details of volcanic activity have been
added to another version of the Crater Lake legend, where, in addition
to the good against evil thesis and the romantic ingredient, there are
allusions to volcanic eruptions and lava flows. This story also credits
another spirit, Snaith, and mortal men with a hand in the formation of
Crater Lake:
In the beginning--long-ago-time--according to Modoc
myth and story, there was a high mountain, where now in a deep gulf
reposes Crater Lake. It was La-o-Yaina, mountain of Llao, the mythical
God, who with his Below-world subjects and terrible creatures rules
these regions. About and upon this mountain was the land of Gay-was,
where Llao resided and looked down upon the land of the Klamaths. But in
fact Llao was discovered by three old religious men--medicine men--and
revealed by Skell, the Upper-world god, to be no other than Kee-Kwil-ly
Tyee Tah-o-witt, the Down Below-world Chief of fire and smoke and
darkness in the middle of the earth never lighted by the sun. The
destruction of La-o Yaina was the result of a terrible conflict between
Llao and Skell, when Skell came to the defence of the daughter of a
great Klamath chief, with whom both had fallen in love. The fire-curse
of the smoking mountain was only abated by the sacrifice of the three
religious men, who knew the secrets of the gods, and afterward Skell
caused Snaith, the storm, rain and cold chief, to fill up the caverns of
the earth made by the bursting of Llao's throne, extinguishing the fires
forever and thus was made the Lake. With the sacrifice of the three
ancient men, the knowledge of the gods disappeared from among the
Klamath tribes. [21]
This next version incorporates the sacrifice of the
medicine men and also depicts violent activity by both Mount Mazama in
Oregon and Mount Shasta in California. This suggests that there might
have been a violent eruption of Mount Shasta at approximately the same
time as Mazama's activity that caused the two volcanoes to become
associated in one legend. [22] The entire
process of the mountain falling in upon itself is clearly explained in
this paraphrase of the story: before Crater Lake was formed, the
volcanic mountain called Mazama served as the passageway between the
domain below the earth and the world above. When La-o, chief of the
world below, visited the surface, he could be seen as a dark form
towering above the white snow. When Sahale Tyee, chief of the world
above, appeared on earth, he rested atop Mount Shasta, south of Mazama.
The day came when these two deities quarreled, and the anger of La-o
shook the ground, sending thunder and burning ashes into the sky and
spilling lava down the mountainside. The medicine men interpreted La-o's
violence as a curse directed at least in part toward the tribe for their
wickedness and errors. To make atonement they climbed to the top of
Mount Mazama and threw themselves off as a sacrifice. The chief of the
world above was so impressed by this that he renewed his war with La-o
and finally drove him underground. As the chief of the world below
retreated and disappeared, the mountain top fell in upon him and his
door to the surface was sealed. Never again did La-o frighten the
Indians. The crater of his mountain then filled with pure waters and
became a scene of peace and tranquility. [23]
A long time ago, he [Chief Lalek] said, the spirits
that live in the mountains and in the water, in the earth and in the
sky, used to come and talk with the Klamath people. One time the chief
of the spirits that lived deep in the mountain where the lake is now
became angry with the people on the earth. Muttering with wrath he came
up from his home, stood upon the summit of the mountain, and vowed that
he would destroy the earth with the Curse of Fire. Hearing him, the
chief of the sky spirits came down and stood on the summit of Mount
Shasta. From their mountaintops the two powerful spirit chiefs began a
furious battle, in which all the spirits of earth and sky took part.
Mountains shook and crumbled. Fire pouring forth from
the mouth of the chief of the below-world spirits swept through the
forests and reached the lodges of the people. Red-hot rocks and burning
ashes fell for miles and miles. The people rushed into Klamath Lake and
there prayed to the chief of the sky spirits to save them from the Curse
of Fire. To appease the angry below-world spirits, two old shamans of
the tribes offered themselves as a living sacrifice, and their sacrifice
was accepted. One last time the mountain-that-used-to-be broke open and
all the earth trembled. The below-world spirits were driven back into
their home and the top of the mountain crashed down upon them.
Then came the spirit of storms. Rains that fell for
many years wiped out the fires and partly filled the hole that was made
when the mountaintop collapsed. Never again were the Klamath people
visited by the chief of the below-world spirits, but through this story
they were warned to keep away from the old mountain and the new lake.
[24]
Evidently the warning was heeded, for this next
legend concerns Crater Lake's "rediscovery"" by the Indians, who had
been avoiding it for many years. This version describes the lake's
frequent use as a quest site:
A long time ago, long before the white man appeared
in this region to vex and drive the proud native out, a band of
Klamaths, while out hunting, came suddenly upon the lake and were
startled by its remarkable walls and awed by its majestic proportions.
With spirits subdued and trembling with fear, they silently approached
and gazed upon its face; something within told them the Great Spirit
dwelt there, and they dared not remain but passed silently down the side
of the mountain and camped far away. By some unaccountable influence,
however, one brave was induced to return. He went up to the very brink
of the precipice and started his camp fire. Here he laid down to rest;
here he slept till morn--slept till the sun was high in air, then arose
and joined his tribe far down the mountain. At night he came again;
again he slept till morn. Each visit bore a charm that drew him back
again. Each night found him sleeping above the rocks; each night strange
voices arose from the waters; mysterious noises filled the air. At last,
after a great many moons, he climbed down to the lake and there bathed
and spent the night. Often he climbed down in like manner, and
frequently saw wonderful animals, similar in all respects to a Klamath
Indian, except that they seemed to exist entirely in the water. He
suddenly became hardier and stronger than any Indian of his tribe
because of his many visits to the mysterious waters. Others then began
to seek its influence. Old warriors sent their sons for strength and
courage to meet the conflicts awaiting them. First they slept on the
rocks above, then ventured to the water's edge, but last of all they
plunged beneath the flood and the coveted strength was theirs. On one
occasion the brave who first visited the lake killed a monster, or fish,
and was at once set upon by untold numbers of excited Llaos (for such
they were called), who carried him to the top of the cliffs, cut his
throat with a stone knife, then tore his body in small pieces, which
were thrown down to the waters far beneath, where he was devoured by
angry Llaos. [25]
And finally, we have in the following the most
pictorial representations of the spirit world of Crater Lake:
Tradition tells how two hunters, brave and skillful
Nimrods of the Klamath tribe, ventured far beyond the realm of the
living. Went where, the ancient doctor told, dwelt the Great
Spirit--where he had, when yet the nation was in its infancy, given vent
to his rage in sending forth spouts of flame and smoke. The very fathers
of the tribe had been issued from the land of spirits through a mighty
cavern, which they said led into the regions of the uncanny. Here did
they believe and teach that all men returned to dwell in spiritual form
with their Maker. They described it as a place deep and bottomless as
the very sky--a place where the mountains sank into the bottomless depth
of the spiritual world. A peak, they said, arose from near the center of
this unbounded depth, and this was the throne of the Almighty. Within
this dome there was a furnace, from which issued the flame and smoke.
About the glowing cloud at the mouth of the crater struggled winged
salamanders, or "fire spirits," attempting to escape from their fiery
prison, but bound by the will of the Great Spirit. These were the
spirits of evil men doomed to suffer an eternal penalty of torture for
their earthly wrongdoings. In the bottom of the abyss was a sheet of
water as blue and deep as the sky which it reflected. Over the surface
of this lake and on its surrounding banks sported the spirits of the
departed good. They sailed in gilded canoes over the glossy depths of
the lake and in the tranquil shades of the surrounding forest they
roamed in search of game; they sailed like birds from one pinnacle to
another, and fished in the balmy blue waters. Here was the paradise, and
in the crater the infernal regions.
The doctors of the tribe only were allowed by the
Great Spirit to visit this holy retreat. Here they came and counseled
with him; here they met the dead of the tribe and bore messages from
them to the living; here did they procure medicine for the sick and
charms to guide the fate of men. So did the doctors tell the people, and
so did the people and do many yet believe. They said that it was the
decree of the Great Spirit that any living man who should dare to
intrude upon the sacred presence of the dead should die in consequence,
and be doomed to the infernal furnace. Yet these warriors were brave.
They feared not even the Great Spirit himself. They wore the scalps of
mighty warriors at their belts. They had vanquished the fiercest beasts
of the forest; they had overcome all enemies they had chanced to meet;
they longed for fresh adventures--for more thrilling dangers, and they
rivalled each other's courage. They at last determined to invade the
realms of the supernatural. They entered the forest and traveled toward
the sky-towering pinnacles of Crater lake. On they pressed, dauntless in
their courage. They reached the regions of the uncanny. They climbed
nearer and nearer the great abyss. At last they came to a break in the
forest, and there before them lay the awful spectacle. It was as it had
been pictured to them. They stood fixed to the spot. There, as the
doctors had described, lay the lake. There before their eyes, with wings
like birds, sported the spirits, and from the crater far below them in
the lake burst forth flames and smoke and the agonizing cries of
suffering men. The screams of the tortured mingled with the happy songs
of the peaceful spirits. There the birds which once had fallen, pierced
by lightning arrows, flew in spirit flocks. Fish once victims to the
fraudulent fly sported in the lake, and deer and bear, whose skins had
long since been worn for garments, browsed in the forest. Dogs followed
their masters through space. Here they stood and gazed, unable to tear
themselves away, till at last the Great Spirit, ever conscious of the
movements of all men, issued from the fiery depths of the crater, and,
summoning a huge monster from the bed of the lake, pointed to the two
men on the shore. The great dragon, wont to do the bidding of his grim
master, cut the tranquil surface of the lake with his thousand fins,
and, clearing the high precipice with a gigantic leap, caught one of the
warriors in his mighty arms and returned with him to the crater. The
other warrior fled at the approach of the monster, and ran wildly down
the mountain. Myriads of spirits, now disturbed, dashed after him, but
he ran desperately on and reached safely the settlements on the Upper
Klamath. He told them of what he had seen, of his adventures, and of the
fate of his companion, and then, fulfilling the stern decree of the
Great Spirit, yielded up his soul to undergo the tortures awaiting him
in the fiery crater. But the Indians have not to this day forgotten his
experience, and they still tell their children of that happy hunting
ground where "their dogs shall bear them company." [26]
crla/hrs/hrs4a.htm
Last Updated: 14-Feb-2002
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