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
All played to see who could play best. Every kind of people played.
When any one was out of breath, he stopped playing, and received a new
color. When Murope lost breath, he was spotted. When Handokmit lost
breath, he became striped. Patkilis played three nights and two days,
and when he gave out after sundown, he was roan. Wai Hau played five
nights, and at sunrise the fifth morning he was red. Kiriu Herit
played five nights, and at the middle of the sixth night he was black,
and his breath gone.
And so for many days and nights they played, one person after another,
till one night all had finished except Hawt. Hawt was the last to
play. All were asleep now. All had lost breath, and received new
colors. Tsaroki went to his brother on the north side of the house,
and said,--
"Begin, my brother; over near the fire there is a place for you; go
under the ground, and when you come out, you will play."
Hawt went under the ground, and came out near the fireplace. He lay on
his back and began to play. He had two rows of holes in his body, one
on each side; he fingered these holes, drew in air through his
nostrils, and sent it out through the holes in both sides. Hawt was
playing on his own body. At first, all the people were asleep, except
one person, Tsudi Herit. Tsudi heard Hawt, and he heard, as in a doze,
wonderful sounds. He listened a long time, thinking it a dream. When
Tsudi found that he was not sleeping, he shook the man next him, and
said,--
"Wake up, wake up! Who is playing? All have played, but I have never
heard music like this. Many have played here, but no one played in
this way."
The person he roused was Hus. Hus said nothing, he was old and nearly
bald, he took a pipe and began to smoke. Tsudi roused other people,
one after another.
"Wake up, rise, sit up; listen to the music somebody is playing."
They woke, one after another. "Who is playing?" asked one. "Who is
it?" asked another. "We have played many days and nights, but no one
played like that. All have their own flutes. Who can this be?"
At last some one said: "I know who is playing. It is Hawt."
"How could Hawt play?" asked others. "Whose flute has Hawt? He has
none of his own. Each of us brought a flute, but Hawt brought none.
Whose flute has he now?"
Every one heard the wonderful music, and every one said, "We should
like to see the man who plays in this way."
It was night, and dark in the sweat-house. All began to say how much
they wanted light to see who was playing. Waida Werris was lying back
in the east half of the sweat-house, and heard every word. He, too,
wanted to look at the player. He sat up, pulled one hair out of his
beard, gave it to Tsudi, and said,--
"Go down near that man who is playing, and hold up this hair so that
people may see him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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