Creation Myths of Primitive America: In relation to the Religious History and Mental Development of MankindCurtin, Jeremiah
Religion
Creation Myths of Primitive America: In relation to the Religious History and Mental Development of Mankind
Curtin, Jeremiah
Creation -- Mythology; Indian mythology -- North America; Indians of North America -- Folklore
"What can that be?" asked they. "What awful noise is that?" Waida
Dikit knew what the noise was, but he never told any one.
Lutchi went straight east from the other side of the sky, and never
stopped till he found Patkilis and Sedit. They were in another world,
another sky came down to their world, and they lived almost at the
edge of that second sky. Lutchi went into their sweat-house. They were
sitting just inside the door, one at one side, the other at the other;
the door was on the east side. When Lutchi had sat a little while,
Sedit rose and said,--
"My grandson, which way have you come?"
"I come here for you and Patkilis," answered Lutchi. "Waida Dikit sent
me to invite you to a flute-playing at his sweat-house. Nobody else
could come to you, so he asked me to come."
"We are glad," answered they. "We will go. You go ahead. But how shall
we pass the sky?"
"I will wait at the edge for you," said Lutchi; and he went on.
When Sedit and Patkilis were ready, Sedit said, "I wish this road on
which I must travel to be short, very short."
They started, and found the road so short that Lutchi was waiting at
the edge of the sky only a little while when they were with him.
Lutchi pried up the sky a second time, and the three passed under to
the western side. Again there was an awful noise, and the whole world
trembled.
"Now I am going quickly; you can move as you like," said Lutchi. He
went west like a flash, and just as the sun was peeping over the
mountains he was back at Waida Dikit's.
"Have you heard what is going on in this world that makes such a
noise?" asked Waida Dikit. "These people heard an awfully big noise."
"That was my travelling," said Lutchi. "Kinus, whom you sent first,
could not go to those three people. I went. They are on the road, and
will be here in a few days."
All the people heard this and were glad.
"Now we shall hear great music," said they.
While travelling along together, Patkilis spoke to Sedit and advised
him. "When we are in Waida Dikit's house," said he, "don't talk much.
Sit down like a wise man and look on; be silent; don't act like a
little boy."
Sedit was talking all the time. He told Patkilis what he was going to
do. He would do this and do that, he said.
Two days passed, and the two men had not come. On the third day, near
the middle of the forenoon, people saw a beautiful little arrow come
down just by the door of the sweat-house,--a bright arrow. When it
struck the ground, it made a grating noise, and they said,--
"That is a nice arrow. Who sent such an arrow?" And all liked it.
There were crowds of people in the sweat-house. Some of them wanted
the arrow. "Let's pull it up!" said they, "and see who made it;" but
Waida Dikit would not let them touch it. "Let it stay where it is. Do
not touch it," said he, for he knew that it was Patkilis's arrow, and
that it meant: "I am coming. I shall be there soon."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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