The Indians of California were possessed of many strange superstitions when the Franciscan Fathers established missions among them.
The Fathers called it “devil worship,” but to the simple childlike mind of these primitive people it was a sort of hero worship, and the wild child worshiped on despite the Fathers.
The worship of a god known as Kooksuy was one to which the Indians held with great tenacity. The monks had forbidden the worship of this deity, so Kooksuy had to be worshiped in secret.
A lonely, unfrequented place in the mountains was chosen, and a stone altar was raised to Kooksuy. This consisted of a pile of flat stones five or six feet in height.
It was the duty of every worshipper to toss something onto the altar as an act of homage. This act was called “poorish.”
A Kooksuy altar was a curious affair. The foundation of stone was frequently hidden under a mass of beads, feathers and shells. Even garments and food found their way to the throne of this strange deity. Thus the altar continued to rise for no Indian would dare touch a “poorish” offering.
The priests destroyed the altars and punished the worshipers, but that did not destroy their faith in their god.
At the missions every Indian retired when the evening bell rang. When the good alcalde made his rounds they had counted their beads and shut their eyes. Ten minutes later half a dozen dusky forms might be seen creeping stealthily along in the shadows of the buildings. Arriving at the chosen spot a big fire was built around which the faithful Indians danced calling on their god in a series of weird whistles.
Kooksuy never failed to appear in the midst of the fire in the form of a huge white dragon, but with the destruction of his altars, the neglect of his worshipers and fear of the white man Kooksuy appeared less frequently and finally his visits ceased entirely.
According to the Indians the Great Manitou threw up the Sierra Nevada range with his own hands. Then he broke away the hills at the foot of the lake and the waters drained into the sea through the Golden Gate.