But twice this tradition was broken, once by a father and once by his son. The father was the chief and medicine man of the mighty Nez Perce; his son was Timpanac, a fierce young brave, and this is the story of how he defied his people and found a bride outside his tribe.

When he was but one-day-old Timpanac's mother left this Earth. She was from the Yosemite tribe of California. While she had been among them, the Nez Perce had snubbed her and refused to have anything to do with her. On her death bed she made her husband, the chief, promise he would never let a woman take care of the boy on account of how she had been treated. Thus, the chief soon earned the nickname "Squaw Man" as he took over the baby's care and carried him around on his back. Timpanac and his father were constant companions until he became twenty-one.

When he was grown his father became very ill. He was so ill that he could not go up on the mountain, Sawtooth, to pay tribute to the Great Spirit. There had been no rain, snow or moisture of any kind for many moons. The trees and grass were dying and the cattle too. For seven years there had been no storms. The crops were failing and the tribe was slowly starving to death. The chief had to go to the Great Spirit to get help from Him. The time set for this praying was during the Harvest Moon. Then as the incense started to burn and rise to the sky he could talk to the Great Spirit.

The chief said to his son, "The Great Spirit is very angry because I broke the tradition and went to Yosemite for a wife. You must go and tell him to release me and not punish my people by taking their food."

Timpanac went up the mountain side. Reaching the top he knelt and prayed, pleading for relief for his people. He stayed up there talking to the Great Spirit for three days and the Great Spirit gave him wisdom. When Timpanac came down he told the people the Great Spirit was not angry because of his father's marriage, but because the people were proud in their hearts and haughty. He said that they must humble themselves. Then Timpanac told them he would go south to the silver lake. With him he must take their finest horses and all the best furs to get some food for the tribe.

Going over the mountains three men accompanied him. They traveled as fast as possible until they finally reached Provo Bench. Looking over the valley they saw many tepees and evidence of many people all around. Reaching the river they went upstream to cross at the mouth of Provo Canyon, entering the valley from above.

Timpanac knew the chief of this tribe would drive a shrewd bargain, because he and his companions were outsiders. He did not have any experience in trading. Hunting he could do well, but his people did not trade. Timpanac prayed that he would he able to drive a good bargain so his people would not starve. The Great Spirit put wisdom inside his mind to help him.

As the four men came down the ridge, Timpanac picked out the Ute chief's tepee with the horse tail sticking from the top. All the people from the tepees came out to see the newcomers as they had never seen any of the Nez Perce before.

On reaching the chief, Timpanac bowed low and said, "Oh Great Chief I come to get food for a great people who are dying from hunger, with a token--presents from my people. To you I give these fine furs." Now the chief could see they were wonderful furs and worth a great deal. It rather amazed him to be given these costly things when he usually had to bargain for them and this pleased him very much.

The chief commanded his braves to take the tired horses and feed them green grass and take good care of them. Also, he had his braves take good care of the men and give them food and rest. Then the chief of Silver Lake did a strange thing. He invited Timpanac into his tepee, a thing seldom done as the Council Tepee was usually not used for this purpose. Timpanac then started to tell the chief the story of his life and all about his people while a beautiful maiden came to serve the food. She was the chief's daughter, Ucanogos.

Timpanac was very surprised at her beauty. He could do nothing but sit and stare. His heart seemed to skip a beat and then he started shaking. He realized this must have been the way his father felt about his mother the minute he saw her. Timpanac decided then he must have this beautiful maiden for his wife. Now, the only way he could express his feelings for her was to give her a gift. The only present he had with him was a lovely headpiece made by the Yosemites and given to him by his mother--on her deathbed she had given it to his father and told him to put it over Timpanac's heart and she would always be with him to guide and direct him. Regardless, he laid the piece at Ucanogos' feet and bowed low. He hated to part with it because he knew his mother would no longer be with him.

When she came in with the second course she turned and blushed as he looked at her. This made him feel much better and so he went on with his story. Then she came in the third time and laid a beautiful pair of beaded gloves at his side. This was a sign to let him know that she felt the same about him as he felt about her.

After Timpanac finished his recitation the chief said he was much impressed, that he had plenty and would help Timpanac's people. The next morning the horses were loaded so heavily with food that they had trouble walking. Slowly they went over the mountains. The journey seemed very long.

Upon reaching his own country, Timpanac paused and stood on the mountain overlooking the tepees of his people. The thought came to him that his people being as near starved as they were, would gorge themselves and become ill. The Great Spirit gave him wisdom and instead of taking the men and horses down, he went alone.

Timpanac told his people to build a house so high and then to station a guard on the outside to keep the people from getting too much food at once. With all the people working, it took but one day to do this. That night when all were asleep, he brought the food in and stored it. During the night it snowed. Timpanac knew then that the Great Spirit was no longer angry with his people.

Day by day each man got his portion and each day it was increased a little. Soon the tribe was just about well again.

About February, the old chief of Silver Lake called his daughter before him and said, "You are very beautiful. Many braves want you. I could get many horses for you. The Apache, Sioux, Navajo and all the rest of the tribe chiefs want you." Then he said, "I will sell you to the brave who will give me the most horses."

Ucanogos replied, "I don't want any of these braves. The Sioux has a crooked nose, the Navaho are poor; all have something wrong with them. I want a man who can run fast in case I need help, and one who is strong enough to protect me in case of danger. Then he will have to be a good hunter so my papoose will not starve." Only one brave would satisfy her heart: the Nez Perce's Timpanac.

She knew that her father would make her marry a brave that would offer him the most horses. Kneeling down privately, she prayed to the Great Spirit and he gave her wisdom. She went back to her father's tepee and said, "Father, I know how I can still get more horses than before. You can give a contest, and, in order to enter, each brave must bring twenty horses. The contest will be to see who can run the fastest, who is the strongest, and who is the best hunter. Of course, the winner can have me for his bride."

So the chief sent out many runners to inform the tribes of the great contest. Now Ucanogos was afraid that Timpanac would not get the message before the contest because of the deep snow so she sent her own slave to tell him, promising him her beautiful horse and his freedom if he would deliver her message to the Nez Perce. He didn't want to go, but she persuaded him. He loved horses and he had a family to think about. He was a hearty brave and he knew how to travel quickly. When he arrived he found the tepees all covered with snow. Finding the chief's tepee, he delivered the message to Timpanac, who was at his sick father's bedside. The brave told him about the contest and what Ucanogos had said. His father told him to put him in a tree and leave him to die as was the custom of the tribe and to go.

But Timpanac said to his father, "You did not leave me when I was a baby, instead you took care of me and were laughed at because you carried me on your back. You were both father and mother to me. I will break the tradition of putting old folks in a tree to die. I will not leave you." Then he returned to the messenger and said, "Tell Ucanogos I can't come until my father is better."

The spring came and the old chief became anxious to get the contest over with. Ucanogos, however, said not until the pussy willow bloomed. Now, she said the only pussy willow that would count was the one by her tepee near the river. Then she hired runners to carry snow down from the mountains to keep the pussy willow covered so that it would not bloom. But all of this was to no avail. The pussy willow broke through the snow and blossomed.

The old chief immediately announced that the first feat would be a race around the lake. Now the braves who had been there for many weeks waiting for the opening of the contest had gorged themselves on food, and they were not in good running condition.

As the sun came over the mountain the next morning, everyone was ready for the race to begin. The braves were in line waiting for the signal. Ucanogos knew she could not stand to marry one of these fellows. Just at the sign to start was given Timpanac rode up. He was tall and very thin. He entered the race and the braves were off.

All day and night the people waited. Early the next morning Timpanac staggered in before the judges--winner of the first feat. A great cry of joy rose from Ucanogos. It astonished everyone to see the young princess act up so.

During the following two day, all the contestants returned but one. A search party was sent out to find the brave. His body was found; someone had murdered him.

One of the runners accused Timpanac of doing it. He said, "I was running behind the Nez Perce. There was one man in front of him. The Nez Perce picked up a rock and hit the other brave on the head, killing him. Then he threw the body into the lake."

Now this was a very grave offense and the tradition of the tribe was to burn the offender. The judges decided that Timpanac should be burned the next morning. Timpanac was put into a tepee, his hands and feet tied with green bark. He kept insisting, however, that he didn't do it. He began wishing he had the token from his mother so that she could guide and direct him. At that moment he felt warm hands on his face and knew it was Ucanogos. She untied him and told him there were horses at the gate and to hurry. She would meet him there.

But Timpanac answered, saying that he had not committed the crime and he would stay and face everyone. The Great Spirit would not let her people kill an innocent man.

The next morning the tribe found Timpanac untied and dressed in his best chief's regalia. This amazed everyone. So he was able to persuade the judges to tie all the contestants up for seven days. He told them they would find him free every morning. He also said that at the end of the seven days they would know who the guilty brave was.

Each morning they found him free and dressed in different regalia. He would look each of the contestants in the eye and pass on. On the third day one man would not return his gaze. The fourth day the guilty man could stand it no longer and he confessed.

The time for the burning of the guilty brave was set, but Timpanac said no, the guilty man should not be burned but turned loose to wander over the world with a brand on his forehead. He said the Great Spirit should be the one to decide the brave's punishment.

Ten days later the old chief declared the second event. This was to be a wrestling match. Timpanac won this feat also.

It was now late spring and the bears had come from their winter sleeping holes. They were hungry. This seemed a good time to declare the third feat. Each man had to go out in the morning and kill a bear barehanded and bring it back to the tribe.

The next evening all of the contestants came in with some small game, but Timpanac, he did not return. Ucanogos became very worried, thinking that perhaps a bear had killed him. However, he returned the next morning with a huge elk head.

The braves were sent out to bring in the rest of the kill. The other men did not like it that Timpanac had won so easily. They told the chief that they wanted their horses back. They said Timpanac was a god and not a man. They said that the second man should be the winner.

The chief did not like to lose the horses, so they decided to have another contest. The braves were to climb by night a mountain without using the trail. Ucanogos and some of the Ute maidens would be waiting on the top of the mountain.

Timpanac studied the mountain trying to figure out the best way to climb it. He knew the braves would be waiting on the trail to kill him.

When night came he started out. He went all the way up without once using the trail. On reaching the top he found that he was at a point north of the ridge on which the maidens were waiting. The connecting ridge between the two mountain points was very narrow. Timpanac started across it. When he was about halfway across he saw three men on each side of him. They grabbed him and threw him down on the east side of the mountain. The thunder began to roar and the mountain split. The glacier today is where the split occurred. At the bottom of the split where Timpanac hit, a beautiful pool formed that is now Emerald Lake. Ucanogos, upon seeing what had happened to her beloved, laid herself down on the mountain top and died of a broken heart. Today we call her the "Sleeping Woman."