mooney] DESCRIPTION OF SMOHALLA 717 



the government. Among his own people and his disciples in the neigh 

 boring tribes he is known as Shmoqula, "The Preacher." ' He is also 

 frequently called Yu'yunipi'tqana, ''The .Shouting Mountain," from a 

 belief among his followers that a part of bis revelation came to him 

 from a mountain which became instinct with life and spoke into his 

 soul while be lay dreaming upon it. Still another name by which he is 

 sometimes known is Waip-shwa, or " ltock Carrier,'' the reason for which 

 does not appear. The name which belonged to him in youth, before 

 assuming his priestly function, is now forgotten. For more than forty 

 years he has resided at the Wanapuni village of P nii on the west bank 

 of the Columbia, at the foot of Priest rapids, in what is now Yakima 

 county, Washington. The name 1' na signifies "a fish weir," this point 

 being a great rendezvous for the neighboring tribes during the salmon- 

 fishing season. These frequent gatherings afford abundant opportunity 

 for the teaching and dissemination of his peculiar doctrines, as is suffi- 

 ciently evident from the fact that, while his own tribe numbers hardly 

 two score families, his disciples along the river are counted by thousands. 



Smohalla was born about 1815 or 1820, and is consequently now 

 an old man, although si ill well preserved, and with his few scattering 

 locks unchanged in color. At the time of theXez Perc6 war he was in 

 the full vigor of manhood. His appearance in ISS-lis thus described by 

 Major MacMurray : "In person Smohalla is peculiar. Short, thickset, 

 bald headed and almost hunchbacked, he is not prepossessing at first 

 sight, but be lias an almost Websterian head, with a deep brow over 

 bright, intelligent eyes. He is a finished orator. His manner is mostly 

 of the bland, insinuating, persuasive style, but when aroused he is 

 full of fire and seems to handle invectives effectively. His audience 

 seemed spellbound under his magic manner, and it never lost interest 

 to me, though he spoke in a language comprehended by few white men 

 and translated to me at second or third hand.'' By another writer who 

 met him a year later he is described as rather undersized and inclining 

 toward obesity, with ''a reserved and cunning but not ill-natured coun- 

 tenance, and a large, well-shaped head. His manners were more suave 

 and insinuating than is usual with Indians." He had a comfortable 

 appearance, his moccasins and leggins were new, and he rode a good 

 pinto pony. {Hugging, 1.) 



In his youth he had frequented the Catholic mission of Atahnam 

 among the Yakima, where he became familiar with the forms of that 

 service and also acquired a slight knowledge of French. Whether or 

 not he was a regular member of the mission school is a disputed point, 

 as it is asserted by some that he has never worn the white man's dress 



'Bureau of Ethnology alphabet. Like most Indian names, it appears in a variety of forms. Other 

 spellings art-: Imoholla (misprint). Smawhola. Smohaller, Smohallow, Smohanlee, Smohollie, Smoke- 

 holer, Sniok.ller. Suiuxale, Snohollie. Snooholler, Somahallie. As tiie correct pronunciation is difficult 

 to English speakers. I have chosen the popular form. In one official report he is mentioned as "Smo- 

 hal-ler. ..r Big-talk, or Four Mountains:" in another, probably by misprint, as "Big talk on four 

 mountains." 



