THE AMERICAS 241
See also: Cherokee creation 236–37 ■ Spider Woman 238–39 ■ Raven and the whale 242–43 ■ The first canoe 258–59large salmon no longer swam up
the Klamath River to where the
Kepel lived. They could only catch
small fish, and became upset since
the salmon were their staple food.
The cause was a dam erected near
the mouth of the river by the Turip;
the mature fish coming from the
ocean to spawn upriver could not
swim beyond that point.
One Kepel man decided they
should remove the dam and take it
to their village. With help from his
people, he pulled it from the river
and carried it off. The people of
Turip were angered by the loss of
their dam. They wanted it back
and set off toward Kepel to try
to regain it.A peaceful settlement
As the Turip people approached,
their chief saw the many Kepel
villagers at work installing their
new dam. Fearing that his people
might be killed if they attacked,
he decided not to fight the Kepel
people. As they stood on the
hillside overlooking the dam, he
told his men, “We had better giveit up and let them keep it. We will
take care of this dam also; we shall
visit now and then to see it.”
The Kepel man who had taken
the Turip dam then announced that
it would stay at his village and
declared that a Deerskin Dance
should begin “because everything
will come out well from that.” He
called on the people to dance and
to rebuild the dam every year,
warning that “much sickness”
would result if they failed to do so.Watchful spirits
Then the Woge, who approved of
the dam, began to leave the Kepel
villagers to find places from which
they could watch over all of the
people. At each place they vowed to
create a Deerskin Dance to bring
good fortune, and the people at
each of these new sites were
happy; upriver at Olar, for instance,
they said: “When it is bad in the
world, it will become well again
when they dance here.”
Some Woge stayed close to
Kepel, going up into 10 small hills
overlooking the village to watch outVery well, keep it well.
Hold to it as long as they
make the Deerskin Dance,
because it will be good
for the people.
World Renewalfor the smoke from villagers’ fires
indicating that, as promised, they
had come together at Klamath
River to remake the salmon dam.
Every year, the Yurok reenacted
the dam-building in fall, at the peak
of the salmon season. This ritual
culminated in the Deerskin Dance,
performed by men bearing poles
hung with deerskins, followed by a
Jump Dance. The event, which
Kroeber saw and described,
continued into the 20th century. ■Spiritual leaders
Men and women who take on
the role of spiritual leader in
Native American communities
still command great respect.
Although many tribes no longer
use the word “shaman,” such
leaders are said to receive power
and knowledge, primarily
through dreams, from ancestral
prehuman spirits who departed
or transformed themselves into
animals, trees, rocks, and plants
when humans arrived. Many of
today’s leaders are healers,
using their spiritual powers andnatural medicine to treat sickness.
In the past, they were often called
upon to predict the future, or to
bring good fishing or hunting.
Traditionally, spiritual leaders
of northwestern California play
a key role in the annual World
Renewal ceremonies. To prepare,
the leaders go to nearby hills to
fast and pray, and call upon the
healing powers of their ancestral
spirits. During the ritual, wearing
masks and regalia, they perform
healing rites and take part in the
sacred dances.Traditionally, Yurok and Hupa
shamans were women who received
their calling in dreams. This Hupa
shaman was photographed in 1923.US_240-241_Deerskin-Dance.indd 241 05/12/17 3:00 pm