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
Tsaik put a big load on his back and started on, while the others were
in the house. Patkilis took daylight, and Pawnit took darkness. As
soon as they were outside the house, the blind boy stood up and
screamed,--
"Who was that? Some one has stolen something!"
He felt for the bags, then ran out and screamed,--
"Some one has stolen Puriwa and Sanihas! Some one has stolen Puriwa
and Sanihas! Some one has stolen Puriwa and Sanihas!"
The people who were dancing heard him and said, "Some one is
screaming!" Then they heard plainly,--
"Some one has stolen Puriwa and Sanihas! They have run west with
them!"
When they heard this, the dancers stopped dancing and ran west. Soon
they saw the three men racing off with the bags.
They saw Tsaik far ahead with a pack of acorns on his back. They
could see him a long way, for the pack was a big one. Pawnit and
Patkilis carried their bags in their hands. The people ran fast and
shouted to each other,--
"Catch them! Catch them! Do your best! Head them off! Surround them!"
They could not overtake Tsaik. He went through under the sky before
they could come up.
When Pawnit and Patkilis were rising from under the edge of the sky,
those behind were ready to seize Pawnit and would have caught him, but
he tore open the mouth of his bag, and that instant thick darkness
spread everywhere. No one could see; all were as if blind in one
moment.
The eastern people had to stop. They could follow no farther. Patkilis
knew the country west of the sky, and he and Pawnit stumbled on, came
along slowly in the dark, and groped westward a good while. At last
Patkilis opened his bag, and that moment daylight went out of it. They
could see a great distance; they were very glad now, travelled
quickly, and were soon at Norwinte's.
Keriha and Norwanchakus lived for a time with Norwinte (it is unknown
how long), and then took their net and went up the river to fish
downward. They went up Bohema Mem and Pui Mem as far as Panti Tsarau.
"Let us fish down from this, my brother," said Keriha. "I will hold
the end of the net stick that goes out in the river, so that I may
take the fish quickly when they are caught. You can go along the
bank."
They fished down to Nomlupi, and Keriha named all the places as he
and his brother came down. He gave them the names which they have now,
the names by which we Wintus call them. The first place below Panti
Tsarau was Lorus Pom and Keriha left no place unnamed between Panti
Tsarau and Nomlupi. They stopped at Nomlupi, built a brush house
there, and lived some time in it.
One day the two brothers went to Norwanbuli to the great sweat-house
where the woman Pom Norwanen Pitchen or Norwan lived.
"My brother, you must not make this woman angry," said Norwanchakus,
when they were near Norwanbuli. "This is a very powerful woman; she
has a great deal of food, a great deal to eat, but you must not take
anything; eat nothing except what she gives; don't talk much; do just
what I tell you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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