Pontiac 1955 Owner's Manual page 66

INDIAN LEGENDS (Continued)
MISSISSIPPI RIVER—The Father of Waters, and the largest
river system of the continent.
The unwritten history of the Choctaws and the Chickasaws identifies
the Mississippi as one of their discoveries in their eastward migration
from Old Mexico. They were following a symbol given them by the
Great Spirit. The greatest body of water they had ever seen, their
medicine men named it "Misha Sipokni," meaning "Beyond the ages—the Father
of all its kind."
SPANISH MOSS—The trailing tendrils of Spanish Moss on southern
trees is a reminder of an ancient Seminole story involving a blood
feud between the Creeks and the Seminoles. Tradition relates the
tale of a sorrowful Indian maiden whose bridegroom was killed in
the feud before their marriage. Cutting off her long raven hair as
a mark of her grief, she is reputed to have hung the tresses upon the
tree branches. Today, her long hair, now gray with age, still waves in the breeze
as Spanish Moss.
NATURAL BRIDGE—Scenic highlight in Virginia's mountains. An
ancient Indian story relates the trials of Indian villagers suddenly
attacked by a much larger war party and trapped at the edge of a
200-foot ravine. The Great Spirit, in his constant watch over the
weak and helpless, bridged the chasm with a solid stone causeway
over which the trapped Indians were able to get to safety. Ever
since, Indians have related the story of the Great Spirit's solicitude for the "little
people."
Standing 215 feet high and 90 feet across, the Natural Bridge is a visiting "must"
for tourists in the valley between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies.
WHITE MOUNTAINS—In Indian tradition, the White Moun
tains were raised by the Great Spirit as an ever-plenty garden for
the Indians to protect them from famine and suffering. Game was
always to be found there provided they took only what was needed.
However, it was understood that no Indian was ever to climb the
heights where the Great Spirit resided. Tradition has it that trespassers
never returned and wandered forever with their mourning cries heard in the wailing
winds of winter storms.
The White Mountains, a natural wonder of New Hampshire, is an ever popular
scenic spot for motor travelers in New England.
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