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
Hubit turned to Bohem Tehil. From the tree he rushed east to where
the sky comes down. Keriha was there before him. He rushed to the
west, to where the sky comes down. Keriha was there before his face,
barring the way. Hubit had been at all four points,--no escape at any
of them; still he wouldn't drop the salmon. He turned a fifth time to
Bohem Tehil with Keriha behind him. He flew around the tree a few
times, then rose straight in the air, carrying the salmon. He rose
quickly, went very high. Keriha stood looking at Hubit, watched him
growing smaller and smaller. Keriha shaded his eyes.
Hubit was nearly out of sight. Keriha could barely see him with the
salmon and the tuft, a little spot in the sky. He looked very hard,
strained his eyes till blood was running down both his cheeks; still
he kept looking.
Hubit thought he was out of sight now, and soon Keriha saw him turn to
the west and come down. When he was above Bohem Buli, he dropped
straight to it on the north side and went in.
"I'm glad, I'm glad. Oh, I'm so glad!" cried out Keriha, clapping his
hands. "I know now where Hubit's house is. Get ready quickly, my
brother, we will go and see Hubit. Oh, you are so slow, my brother, I
can't wait for you. Come when you can; I'll go on alone."
Keriha hurried to Bohem Buli. Norwanchakus followed, and saw Keriha
doing strange things; didn't know what he was doing; wondered at him.
He was dodging from side to side, lying down and springing up again.
Norwanchakus went toward him.
"What are you doing?" cried he. "What is the matter!"
"Don't come so near," called Keriha. "Stop, stop!"
When Hubit dropped down to his house in Bohem Buli, he began that
minute to make it bigger. He was hurling out immense rocks, and Keriha
was dodging them. They came quickly one after another (there are many
of those rocks now all around Bohem Buli, at Puitiel Ton, at Waikidi
Pom, and on the west beyond Tayam Norel). After the rocks Hubit hurled
out great showers of earth; then he stopped.
"How shall I get at that Hubit?" asked Keriha of his brother.
"Go south to a level valley where sakkus grows. Get the tops of that
plant."
Keriha brought plenty of sakkus tops quickly.
"Go now to Halat Pom, in the east, and bring the longest vines
possible."
Keriha brought ten very long vines and made a rope of them, and tied
it around a great bundle of sakkus tops, to which he set fire, and
then lowered the bundle. He stopped the door with grass and sticks.
Soon there was a great rumbling, struggling, and roaring in Hubit's
house. After a while it stopped and all was still.
"Now, my brother," said Keriha, "Hubit is dead, and I am going to have
his honeycombs."
He took a large sharp stone, drew a great circle around the entrance
to Hubit's house, and said: "You, Hubit's honeycomb, be as large as
this circle is. Now, my brother," said he, "you can go to Bohem
Tehil. I will come soon."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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