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 hurried down the mountain, crossed a creek, and went straight up
another mountain; was just at the top, when he saw a very big man
coming toward him on the right hand as Sedit was going east. Sedit
stopped, looked, was afraid somewhat. The two stared at each other.
The stranger was very tall and very thick. Sedit was frightened. The
big man never stopped, went straight ahead westward. Sedit looked at
him a long time, didn't move, watched him going down the mountain.
After he had gone Sedit stood a long time, and then sat down.
"Why did he not speak to me?" thought Sedit. "He is the first person
I have met who wouldn't speak to me. Who is he? I should like to
know."
Sedit sat and thought all that day about the big man. He heard the
song always, at times very near him, but he thought so much about the
big man that he didn't follow it. He wondered if the big man would
come again, and said to himself, "I will wait and see."
About night Sedit thought, "If he comes and will not speak to me, I'll
kill him." All night he waited. He rose very early, had not slept any.
About sunrise he saw a man coming from afar, from the east, moving
westward. Sedit watched, had his bow and arrows ready. It was he who
would not speak the day before. Sedit shot him in the breast, shot
again. The big man paid no heed, passed right along. Sedit shot twenty
arrows. The stranger looked all the time at Sedit, said nothing. Sedit
shot twenty arrows more--spent all his arrows.
After he had shot away the forty arrows, and the man had passed right
close to him, Sedit sat down and thought, "Who is this that I cannot
kill him?" He thought a long time, and then knew that he must be Sas
Kiemila.
It was old Sas. Sas had been fooling Sedit, just as Kele's daughters
had fooled him.
Sedit heard the song again, and followed it. He went to the Bohema Mem
at Sawal Pom, went up Norken Mem till he came to Hin Pom where he
heard a great noise. Many people were dancing there.
"Oh, there is Sedit coming," said they. "Where is he going so fast?"
"Uncle, where are you going in such a great hurry?" asked one of the
men. "What news have you? Tell us what you have seen on your journey."
"I am travelling this country to look at it. I saw no one, can give
you no tidings of any one. I shall not pass this way again."
The man who spoke and the dancers were Hinwa people. Sedit rushed on,
came to a flat, saw a spring, and many persons drinking water.
"My grandsons, what are you doing, why do you drink so much water?
Water is bad for young people" (these people were birds of all sorts).
Sedit called the place Chilchil balus (bird drinking). He went on
without stopping or talking,--had no time for either. He listened,
heard the singing near a hill, ran there; heard talking of many
people, the Tsurats arguing about acorns.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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