What is The Legend Behind Multnomah Falls?
Waterfalls are beautiful natural scenery, and of course they can provide peace of mind and body for travelers.
Multnomah Falls is the most visited natural attraction in the Pacific Northwest, with more than two million visitors each year to enjoy the scenery. (usda.gov)
Multnomah Falls is located a short distance from Portland in Oregon. This waterfall is a local tourist spot where great views can be found. Many people visit this place to see the cool and clean water rushing down from the 611 feet high cliff, forming a waterfall that is mentioned in almost all the World Books and Almanacs as one of the “tallest waterfalls in the world”.
A legend is associated with its creation, telling stories of love, loyalty, trust and sacrifice. Multnomah Falls is without a doubt the best and most stunning waterfalls in Oregon.
The Legend of Multnomah Falls
Many years ago, there was an Indian village headman named Multnomah who had a beautiful daughter whom he loved very much. Due to the abandonment of her sons who died in the war, the daughter became very dear to Multnomah and she wanted to make sure that when the time came, her daughter would find the best husband.
To achieve this goal he spent time searching for the youths from the nearest village. In the end she decided that the best husband for her child would be a young village head from the Clatsop people who were a neighboring tribe. It turned out that the two of them matched and then ran a deep relationship that fell in love with each other.
Multnomah is very happy and is planning to have a big celebration for her daughter and her partner. He invited people from distant villages to celebrate his daughter's wedding, and took part in many of the activities organized. There will be singing and dancing events, and the young men will compete, against each other in archery, wrestling, swimming, canoeing, and there will also be banquets. The event was certainly huge and fun, but it's a shame that it didn't go as planned.
Terrible disease came and suffered many village members. First the children and the old people died, then the young and strong people also caught the plague. The village chief became very worried and summoned a large council of his members and sent them to the wisest and most experienced shaman in the tribe who lived as a hermit on the mountain.
The shaman seldom left his home in the mountains, but when a message came from Multnomah begging to come down to visit the village, he knew a great time had long foretold. The old shaman told the Multnomah Village Chief and the councils that what he had to say was a very grim and terrible thing, but that there was no other way to resolve the situation.
The shaman recounted a prophecy that had long been conveyed to him when he was young by his father. His father said that one day there would come a plague that would be experienced by the people. There will be no survivors of the plague except for a daughter of the village head who voluntarily sacrificed her life to the Great Spirit. This is the only way to save the villagers. The old shaman then begged to leave the council because when the prophecy had been revealed, it was time he died and he went back to the mountain.
Upon hearing the prophecy, many young girls from the tribe offered themselves to the Multnomah Village Chief to be sacrificed, including his dearest daughter. Multnomah was flabbergasted, she didn't want any of the girls to be sacrificed, and she was thinking hard about what she should do. In the end he made a decision and called a village community meeting and explained the situation. He said he wouldn't ask any of the girls to be sacrificed.
Princess Multnomah went to her father to ask permission to sacrifice herself, so that the villagers could be saved. But Multnomah refused and daughter Multnomah complied. When illness hits the man she loves, she knows what she has to do. After caring for the man she loved with affection, she quietly left the village and walked to the highest cliff.
Princess Multnomah walked to the edge of the cliff and summoned the Great Spirit to give her a sign as evidence that her sacrifice would stop the deadly plague. Then she opened her eyes and looked up at the whole sky, for a sign. She saw the sun and the clouds, then she saw the full moon rising in the afternoon. She takes this as a sign and jumps off the cliff.
The village people who contracted the disease became cured. Then the people wondered why they could recover from the plague.
Multnomah called all the girls and everyone was present except for her daughter. Then he ran down the road leading to the cliff. Peeked from the top of the cliff, and he was devastated to see the body of the daughter he loved lying lifeless among the stones below.
The villagers were sad and wept. In gratitude they built a pyramid from the pile of stones on top of his body. Multnomah called the Great Spirit to ask for a sign that her daughter had been accepted by her side. Then they heard the sound of the water and then the stream of water gushed down the cliff to form a waterfall that has been pouring down ever since.
Some say that they saw the spirit of a princess in white clothes walking up a cliff. There he stood beside the waterfall which is now called Multnomah Falls which was bestowed by the Great Spirit to show that he, who had sacrificed his life for love, was happy at the side of the Great Spirit.
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