The Indians of the Yosemite Valley and vicinity have a great fund
of mythological lore, which has been handed down verbally from
generation to generation for hundreds of years, but they are very
reluctant to speak of these legends to white people, and it is
extremely difficult to get reliable information on the subject.
Moreover, the Indians most familiar with them have not a
sufficient knowledge of the English language to be able to
express their ideas clearly.
Many Yosemite legends have been published at different times and
in various forms, and it is probable that most of them have had
at least a foundation in real Indian myths, but many are
obviously fanciful in some particulars, and it is impossible to
tell how much is of Indian origin and how much is due to poetic
embellishment. When asked about some of these legends, many years
ago, one of the old Yosemite Indians remarked contemptuously,
"White man too much lie."
On the other hand, red men as well as white men are sometimes
given to romancing, and I have known of cases where "legends"
would be manufactured on the spur of the moment by some young
Indian to satisfy an importunate and credulous questioner, to the
keen but suppressed amusement of other Indians present.
It will therefore be seen that this subject is surrounded with
some difficulty, and it must not be understood that the legends
here given are vouched for as of wholly Indian origin. Some of
them, notably those of the Tul-tok´-a-na and the second legend
of Tis-sa´-ack, have been accepted by eminent ethnologists, and
are believed to be purely aboriginal, while others have doubtless
been somewhat idealized in translation and in the course of
numerous repetitions.
The legend of To-tau-kon-nu´-la and Tis-sa´-ack is made up of
fragments of mythological lore obtained from a number of old
Indians at various times during the past fifty years. It varies
somewhat from other legends which have been published regarding
these same characters, but it is well known that the Indians
living in Yosemite in recent years are of mixed tribal origin and
do not all agree as to the traditional history of the region, nor
the names of the prominent scenic features, nor even of the
Valley itself. And this largely accounts for the fact that some
of the legends do not harmonize with each other in details or in
sentiment. All of them, however, are picturesque, and they
certainly give an added interest to the natural beauties and
wonders with which they are associated.