SCPR: Tahquitz legend comes alive in new exhibit in California

Wednesday, January 4, 2012  

"Deep in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains there is said to lurk a creature right out of the pages of gothic horror master H.P. Lovecraft. Native Americans call him "Tahquist" and they say he’s a primordial beast who steals the souls of humans. The creature comes alive in a new exhibit at Riverside’s Culver Center of the Arts.

Tahquitz is said to live in the cold womb of a giant boulder. Stray too close to his hunting ground and he may harvest your very soul.

Artist Lewis deSoto learned the Tahquitz legend from Alvino Silva, an elder of the Cahuilla Indian tribe based in the rocky foothills of Riverside County between Palm Springs and Banning. Silva died several years ago, but recordings of him recounting the Tahquitz myth are included in deSoto’s installation. There will also be an operatic interpretation of the tale and wax cylinder recordings of Cahuilla bird singers."

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Native American soul-stealing beast 'Tahquitz' comes alive in Riverside art exhibition (Southern California Public Radio 1/3)