New Fedora 3 install gives: relation "pg_catalog.pg_user" does not exist

I'm trying to install PG 7.4.6 (from Fedora rpms) and
keep getting stuck with psql refusing to do anything
useful.  As a simple example:

-----------------------------------
bash-3.00$ createdb postgres
CREATE DATABASE
bash-3.00$ psql
Welcome to psql 7.4.6, the PostgreSQL interactive terminal.

Type:  \copyright for distribution terms
        \h for help with SQL commands
        \? for help on internal slash commands
        \g or terminate with semicolon to execute query
        \q to quit

postgres=# \l
ERROR:  relation "pg_catalog.pg_user" does not exist
-----------------------------------

The only reference I could find on this error all dealt
with copying a database, and suggested using REINDEX.
However, the instructions in REINDEX say that I have
to start a standalone server with the -P option.  This
option isn't documented (in the postgres man page)
and I cannot get pg_ctl to startup a server with
this option - it returns w/o error and no server is
running.

I don't see any errors when starting with
"service postgresql start" - and if I empty out
/var/lib/pgsql, the command initializes the database
with no errors.

Can someone give me some pointers on what I'm doing
wrong and what I can do to fix it?

Thanks!
Steve

--
Steve Wampler -- swampler@noao.edu
The gods that smiled on your birth are now laughing out loud.