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Mesa Verde
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Mesa Verde
STONES FROM SUN TEMPLE COVERED WITH GEOMETRICAL AND EMBLEMATICAL DESIGNS
Photograph by T.G. Lemmon
THE MESA'S LITTLE PEOPLE
MANY Indians to-day shun the ruins of the Mesa Verde. They believe them inhabited by spirits whom they call the Little People. It is vain to tell them that the Little People were probably their own ancestors; they refuse to believe it.
When the national park telephone line was building in 1915 the Indians were greatly excited. Coming to the Superintendent's office, they shook their ominously.
The poles wouldn't stand up, they declared. Why? Because the Little People wouldn't like such an uncanny thing as a telephone.
But poles were standing, the Superintendent pointed out. All right, the Indians replied, but wait. The wires wouldn't talk. Little People wouldn't like it.
The poles were finally all in and the wires strung. What was more, the wires actually did talk and are still talking.
Never mind, say the Indians, with unshaken faith. Never mind. Wait. That's all. It will come. The Little People may stand it—for a while. But wait. The Superintendent is still waiting.
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Last Modified: Mon, Oct 31, 2002 10:00:00 pm PDT
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