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
"He will go to it, he will go to it!" cried some.
"He is at the sky," said Tsiwihl. "He is there, he is there! He has
his hand on it--he is on the top of it--he is there!"
There was plenty of rope on the ground yet.
"Well," said one of the old men, "he is on the sky. He never talked
much, that little boy, or seemed to know much, but he has gone to a
place where we could not go."
The sun was almost half-way up in the sky. Tsiwihl lay watching,
watching, looking hard. Sas had passed the middle of the sky when
Tsiwihl said: "I see the boy. He is coming down, he is coming nearer
and nearer."
Soon all could see him. At last he was standing on the ground.
"Now, my cousin," said Norwanchakus, "tell me. Let me know what you
saw and what you heard. What do you think of that country up there?"
"I went to the top," said the boy. "The country up there is good. I
saw a road from east to west. I went east a little, and at the south
of the road saw a tobacco tree. I sat under the tree and looked east.
Far off I saw an old man coming with a pack on his back. I sat
watching him. At last he came to where I was and passed without
looking at me, went forward a little, stopped, put down his pack on
the south side of the road, and then came toward me. I was sitting
with my face to the north. He sat down at my left side, looked at me,
looked at the headband, the fire-drill, and the straightener, and
laughed. 'What are you doing here?' asked he. 'From what place are
you? How did you come up to this land, where no one ever travels but
me, where I have never seen any one? You are small. How could you come
here?' 'I am here,' answered I, 'because Norwanchakus sent me. He sent
me because he has lost his brother, Keriha. He has looked for him all
over the world, has asked every one, and no one knows about Keriha. He
sent me here to ask you about Keriha. He said that you must know, for
you look over the whole world, see all people, see everything.' I put
the three things down before him and said, 'Norwanchakus told me to
give you these things for your trouble in telling about Keriha.' Sas
smiled again, took up the headband, the fire-drill and straightener,
held them in his hand, and said: 'These are good--I know all that is
passing in the world. I know where Keriha is. I have seen him every
day since he went from his brother--I know where he is now. The
Supchit woman took him one night, took him under the ground, came out
on the top of Bohem Puyuk, went down again, came out, travelled by
crooked roads westward, crossed the bridge made of one hair, went
under the sky to the other side, to the middle house in a large
village. She put Keriha in a little room in that house; he has been
there ever since, he is there now. He is very weak and will die
to-morrow unless some one saves him. Tell Norwanchakus to start
to-night and be there in the morning if he wants to save Keriha.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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