Pima Flood Legend

PIMA FLOOD LEGEND

Superstition Mountain stood alone and uninhabited in the vast desert for centuries before man made his way into its fertile interior. Around 900 AD the Hohokams emerged as a cultural group. Hohokam means "those who have gone". The Hohokam culture was gradually replaced by the Salados, who like their predecessors, were farmers, raising crops of beans, corn, squash and cotton in irrigated fields. The broken terrain and scarcity of water kept most of their villages and the few cliff dwellings quite small. One of the largest and best preserved Salado cliff dwellings is at Tonto National Monument near Roosevelt Lake.

By 1400 various economic and political stresses caused the downfall of prehistoric civilizations throughout most of Arizona. For the next century or so, the wilderness was abandoned. The Pima Indians of south central Arizona continued to hunt and visit the area, however. They called Superstition Mountain Kakatak Tamai or "Crooked-Top Mountain"

The following is a translation of a Pima legend:

As men grew in numbers, they became selfish and greedy.
As the situation on Earth became worse, the Earth Maker
decided to drown all evil men from the face of the Earth,
but not without warning. He asked all men to listen to
the voice of the north wind as it called to them to be
honest and live in peace. Few listened to the north wind.

The next night another warning echoed from a distant
thunderstorm to the east. When the prophet Suhu spoke,
he was called a fool, and the people continued to ignore
the warning of the wind.

On the third night, the wind came from the west. They
were cautioned again to listen to the voice of the
prophet Suhu.

On the fourth night, the wind came from the south,
and only Suhu heard its mournful cry. 'Suhu,' said
Earth Maker, 'take your people who are good to
the summit of Kakatak Tamai, for all the land will
soon be covered with water, and all the evil will perish.'

The prophet Suhu gathered the good from all corners
of the land and led them to the top of'Crooked-Top
Mountain.' Then the roar of thunder and lightning
enveloped the land. From the east the rains came,

and for two moons it fell. All of the land except
'Crooked-Top mountain' was covered with water.
The Earth Maker spoke once again from the thunder clouds
atop Kakatak Tamai. 'All good men will
return to the desert valley to till the fertile soil,
and all evil men will be turned to stone,' he said.
And so it was.

The stone people are clearly visible in the mountains, giant rock structures imploring the gods for release from their fate. And the white stratum line which appears near the top is the high water mark from the flood.

PIMA FLOOD LEGEND

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