k 1 u k ti 1 g i — K ' m u k 4 m t c h i k s h . 1 39 



kamtch, the creator and supreme ruler of the world and of mankind in the 

 mythology of the Modocs and Klamath Lake Indians. His name means: 

 "^Z^e Old Man of the forefathers", or "the primeval Old Man". In him the 

 natives have deified the most powerful agency of nature known to them, 

 the sun. As the supreme deity of a hunting race, he is invested with all 

 the attributes of certain animals pursued by the Indian hunter: sagacity, 

 cunning, recklessness, gigantic power etc. He also appears under the 

 mask of the sagacious marten (Skdlamtch), 107, 1. 3., and as such he is 

 the elder brother of Little Weasel (Tchashg^yakj, whom he is sending out 

 from Ydmsi, his temporarj' residence, to obtain one-eyed wives for both, 

 107, 1-4. 109, 3. 4. K. creates the earth, 104, 4. 126, 1. 142, 1., and 

 gives names to all the localities made by him in the Klamath countr)-, 

 142, 1 sqq. He creates the human beings, 94, 1. 2.; the races and tribes 

 of men, 103, 1-5. 143, 2-4.; all things upon the earth and the fish in the 

 water, 94, 3—4. In concert with him some animals determine the duration 

 of human life, 103, 6-104, 6. He saves the child of a mother who is in 

 the act of leaping into the fire to destroy .herself, and hides it in his leg; 

 from there it is afterwards born miraculously and called his son, Aishish. 

 During the incessant persecutions of Aishish (q. v.), K. shows himself as 

 a tricky, treacherous, and low character, as a typical beast-god. In the 

 same light he appears in his dealings with the mother-coyote, 105, 3-16., 

 cf. 132, 1-3. He revenges himself upon the Northwind (Yamshamtch) 

 and the Southwind (Muash, Mu'shamtch) for the killing of his younger 

 brother, by cutting off their lieads, a myth describing the final victory of 

 the warming rays of the sun over the rough blasts of the wintry season, 

 111, 4-11. The extermination of the five Thundei-s and the two Old 

 Thunders is the symbolization of another meteorologic process, 113, 

 13-114, 12. From several of our Texts it becomes apparent that in the 

 popular belief K. is not alone regarded as an unapproachable, terrific and 

 demoniac power, but, like the devil of medieval Europe, has begun to 

 assume a grotesque and popularly comical character: pp. 105, 125, 126. 

 Being merely a power of nature and not a moral power, the Indians do 

 not pray to him, but worship him in their dances (yekish) only. Two 

 Modoc songs describe his unlimited power over the earth and mankind. 



