28 
SURVEY OF THE COLORADO OF THE WEST. 
of untanncd skin of some animal, to protect the hand from the flakes 
which are to be chipped off, and with a sudden pressure of the bone-tool 
the proper shape is given. They acquire great skill in this, and the art 
seems to be confined to but few persons, who manufacture them and ex- 
change them for other articles. To illustrate this branch of this subject 
we have made extensive collections, the catalogue of which embraces 
many thousand of articles. 
MYTHOLOGY. 
We have found among these Indians a large body of mythology, 
given in a vast number of stories or accounts, which purport to be the 
history and doings of their mythological personages or gods. These 
people have no conception of an all-wise, all-powerful, or all-great be- 
ing. They believe in a multitude of gods, some better than others, 
some wiser than others, some shrewder than others, some more power- 
ful than others, but no one of superlative attributes. 
The earth, at one time, was peopled by a race of beings with wonder- 
ful powers; they could transform themselves or each other; they could 
make themselves invisible, though in immediate presence; they could 
restore each other to life, and even had the power of bringing them- 
selves to life after certain periods of death. Many very wonderful attri- 
butes had these people. At last they quarrelled and fought, and for 
their sins and through their evil deeds they degenerated into the pres- 
ent species of animals which inhabit the earth. Each species of ani- 
mal — mammal, bird, reptile, fish, and even all the invertebrates — had 
its progenitor or prototype in those wonderful ancient beings. 
All the prototypes of existing species of animals are called by the 
same name as these animals themselves, but sometimes slightly modi- 
fied. Shin-av is the wolf, Shin-au'-av the progenitor of wolves. Kwl'- 
ant is the bear, Kwl'-ats the progenitor of the bear. Kwai'-nants is the 
eagle, and Kwai'-nants that mythological eagle. 
Among these ancient personages those who take the greatest part in 
their mythological history are perhaps, Ta-vwots, the prototype of the 
little rabbit, (Lepus cirtemisia ;) Shin-au'-av, the prototype of the wolf; 
KwV-ats, the prototype of the grizzly- bear ; Si-kor', of the crane; To-go'- 
av, of the rattle-snake; Ong, of the Canada jay; Mu'-tu-chats, of the 
humming-bird, and Po-a'-gunt, of the duck. 
Then there is Tum-pwi-nai'-rogwi-nuinp, signifying one who lias a 
stone shirt, who is the prototype of an animal said to be covered with 
an armor, probably the armadillo. The Indians aver that it lives to 
the south. Won'-sits, the ancient antelope, is said by some tribes to 
have been all eyes ; by others to have two eyes in the head, an eye in 
each shoulder, an eye in each hip, and an eye in the end of his tail, so 
that ho could see in every direction. Tum-pwi-nai'-ro-gwi-nump, the 
god with the stone shirt, and Won' -sits, the god with many eyes, were 
