Native peoples attained to sacred spirit quests here at their
power mountain. It was customary for Indian youths entering adulthood to
undertake a special journey, or spirit quest, in order to recieve a special
guardian power from the Great Spiirit that would protect the person thoughout
their life. It was traditional to be alone on such a quest to some remote place
and remain there for several days without food until the spirit was revealed in
a sacred dream. The spirit might take the form of a bird or other animal or in
some other force of nature which coul be summoned with a special song or prayer
learned during the quest. After this defining experience the inidvidual might
choose a new name that was associated with the spirit power like, Thunder
rolling in the mountains, Yellow serpent, Pile of clouds. For this reason,
Steptoe Butte was called a power mountain. The butte was known to the local
Indians as Eomoshtoss. One of Kamiakin's sons, Skees had his name originate from
such a quest. Skees was a son by Kamiakin's third wife, Whylatspam, and when he
was a boy his parents sent him in search of a guardian spirit. He traveled for
some time and climbed the steep slopes until he came upon an abandoned campsite
on which were scattered a number of animal bones. The boy fasted throughout the
day and watched as the sunlight fell beyond a cloud-covered horizon. While
keeping his vigil late into the night, a great hailstorm suddenly arose that
assailed the slopes with ferocious winds and pelted the boy's crude shelter. A
loud voice then spoke to him out of the gale, "I give you my power of wind
and strength to withstand the force of hail that strikes against me like the
bullets of an enemy. So you shall have power to overcome the attacks of those
who ride against you. From the voice in the wind the boy learned a song with
which he could summon help in time of danger before falling off into a deep
sleep from the exhaustion of his ordeal. The next morning he arose and walked to
the place near the camp where he had heard the voice. He found a pile of elk
bones and then realized that the power of this majestic creature to withstand
enemies has been bestowed upon him. For this reason he took the name Skees which
means "Hailstorm." During the wars of the 1850s, this son of Kamiakin
distinguished himself in battle by daring raids against the soldiers. On these
occasions Skees would sing his power song and ride against the hail of bullets
fired at him and escape unharmed despite the bullet holes torn through his
buckskin clothes.
FROM: Sacred Slopes: A History of Steptoe Butte,
by John Sheuerman and the Class of 1997, St. John Public Schools.
(Emily Peone interviews, 1982)
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