Ferndale Union High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Ferndale, CA)

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fi il, FIM le I o , if W f A Legend ' N i It is said by the Indians that long ago when the world was one big hunting ground, there lived in the forest a little Indian maid with her father. Now every evening when this little maid went to rest, she could see shining through the branches of the redwoods a star, and night after night as she lay on her woodland bed looking up at the sky she would say, Ah! beautiful star, how 'I love you, but you, a son of the Great Chief could never' love a simple little Indian maiden like me, and then she would hide her face and weep and the giant trees would bend their heads and whisper softly, for it pained them to see their child in tears. N But the star, as he shone down through the trees, saw and heard and a great love filled his heart for the little Indian Girl and one night when all was still came down from heaven and stole her away with him. A great many moons came and went and the Indian maiden and her star husband lived happily together. But, alas! one day she became jealous of her husband and was cast from heaven by him. In vain she pleaded and begged to be allowed to return, but he shook his head and said: Nog a fallen star never returns to heaven. He then, taking pity on her, changed her into a flower and fastened her to the earth with a long slender chain, and today her story is told by the Indian chil- dren who gather her in the woods and call her the Shooting Starf'-Anne Monroe '11, 4

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Q Ode to 'Geometry Geometry! thou shouldst be with us at this hour We have ned of thee: all is a sea Of unknown waters, both algebra and trigonometry, Our Principal, the man who us with threats did shower Has seemingly expended all his power On the one branch. If only thou with us could be, There is no one but who would agree That we possessed man's greatest flower Alas we must all share a common fate And when they speak of variables look on with awe, For we were told if only this we saw He would not feel as if his work had been in vain And now you would have found us with the great lf only thou could with us have lain.

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, The Hoopa Reservation ln the northeastern part of Humboldt County the Hoopa Reservation is situated. This portion of the county has been given to the Indians as a place to live in by the United States government. The Reservation itself consists of ten square miles of bottom and hill land through which the Trinity river flows, making it one of the most beautiful valleys on the Pacific Coast. At first it was formally taken by the United States in 1859 or 1860 as a reserve. A fort, called Gaston, was then established and a small company of soldiers, with a captain in charge, was stationed there. Besides the captain an agent was appointed, who had charge of the Indians and their affairs. At first there were many outbreaks among the Indians and they had many encounters with the soldiers, but after a time they began to' be convinced of the white man's power and so settled down peacefully. At this time the Indians of the Hoopa Tribe numbered about a thousand but as years passed along this number diminished either by the aid of whites or assisted by the Indians' greatest foe, whiskey. During 1888 and 1889 the United States had the valley surveyed into ranches. These were given to the heads of the Indian families with the understanding that they could not sell or will it out of the family. In this Way the land was peaceably divided and this condition prevails today in Hoopa valley. At first the government established many small schools throughout the Reservation, but after the garrison was removed in 1890, these were all united into one large school. This school is capable of accommodating three hundred students with a superintendent and assistants at its head. The In- dians are taught to read, write and are also given practicable knowledge of figures. Farming, milling, blacksinithing and many other branches of manual science are taught to those who desire it. By these means the Indians are given advantages to become civilized and to adapt themselves to the ways of the white man. The government also appointed a doctor and fitted out a drug store and in this manner the needs and wants of the Indians are administered to. The resources of the valley are so abundant that many of the young men have bank accounts and are quite rich. They have either gained their wealth by the rich placer mining there or by packing over the rough trails of the mountains. Take it all in all the Indians are happy and contented with their lot. The customs of the Indians are still practiced, for every two years they have their national White Deer Skin Dance. Indians come together from far and near and participate in this. The dance lasts from the ninth to the fifteenth of September and it signifies their thankfulness to the Great Spirit for their bountiful harvests. It is really a harvest dance. Another dance is that of the Wood- pecker Head and it signifies the death of winter and the approach of summer. This comes in the month of May of each year. They also have their sacred animals and birds, the bear and the crow being especially sacred. The tribe even claims to trace its descent from the bear, and they call the crow the founder of their hunting grounds. A pretty legend is told of this incident and it runs like this: When the world was covered with water there was a big chief in a canoe. He sailed and sailed always trying to find land, finally he let a crow Hy away, for in this canoe there were many different kinds of animals. After a time the crow returned with a pine nut in his beak. He gave this to the chief and then took hold of the boat and steered it to land. The place where the boat landed, the Hoopa Tribe believe to be Trinity summit, a mountain peak near Hoopa Valley. -E. M. S. '08. .: . . - ' VlW'772?f E' .. .,' -.ln 1 '.. , v., .. 1- fs ' hx. V MMNF Ln Cu ' . gpm lmjgf, ,th Lrlljig ' .-- ' ' - 'ff --ft ,. 7 ' J -,gr M 'L gnff-I1 f - 'V L-'4 7 Wk 7 ' ' ,f 'ef 1, ' fffky . . ,-fix! . f' 5 -4 as .,- .- 7 ff- 1 ...- :fp-iff , ,,,g.,w Ka V -exif f lu ww!