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
The elder went to cook, and Kele's twenty sons came hammering and
tramping.
The first ten, the smooth ones, came, as always, quietly; the second
ten came with a rush and an uproar. Sedit peeped out at them.
The younger sister pushed him back. "Be still," said she.
Sedit tried to rise; she kept him down.
The first man of the second ten cried, "Pshu! I smell Sedit."
The second said, "Pshu! I smell Sedit; throw him out!"
"Be quiet, boys; don't talk so," said Kele. "Sedit is your uncle."
"Phew! I smell Sedit," cried all the second ten.
Kele could hardly keep his sons from taking Sedit. After they had
eaten they grew more excited. "Where is Sedit?" cried they. "Let us
find Sedit!"
At last they found Sedit, dragged him out, played ball with him, threw
him around the whole night from one side of the great house to the
other. Kele could do nothing, could not stop them. He went and lay
down. About sunrise Sedit screamed. He was almost dead. Kele's ten
rough sons were covered with deer blood and shouted all night. The
smooth ten sat still, could do nothing against the rough ten.
About sunrise Sedit could hardly breathe. He had a root under his left
arm, and as he was hurled across the house it fell into the fire and
made a great smoke. The odor was very pleasant. Kele's sons liked it.
They threw Sedit back to where they found him, left him, and began to
breathe in the smoke.
"My sons," said Kele, "I told you last night not to hurt or harm
Sedit; let him alone. That root which he dropped will be good for you,
and hereafter you will like it. Future people when going to hunt will
take this root, tsarauhosi, hold it out, and say, 'Kele, give us
deer.' They will give you the root, and you will give them deer. When
they go hunting and have bad luck, they will make a fire, burn this
root, hold it out while it smokes, and say, 'Kele, will you put deer
where we can see and kill them?'" (Wintu hunters carry this root and
burn it if they have bad luck in finding deer. Kele likes the odor and
sends them deer). Kele rubbed Sedit with deer marrow, put him on the
west side of the sweat-house, and said, "This is your place; you will
stay here."
The boys went to hunt, the girls to dig roots as before.
"How did you get those sons, brother?" asked Sedit once.
"You have no need to know; I will not tell you," replied Kele.
"How did you build this house? Two old men should not live in one
house. If I had a house, your sons could visit me when they wished,
see their uncle's house, and stay all night, perhaps."
"I don't think you could have sons, Sedit, or keep a house. I don't
believe you have strength for it; these things are hard to do," said
Kele.
But Sedit talked on about sons and a sweat-house. Kele asked Sedit to
sing for his sons while they danced and sweated. He sang twice and
sang fairly. "I could sing well if I had a house and sons of my own,"
remarked Sedit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account