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
"I am sorry for my girls," said Sedit, "I want them back; I was fond
of them."
"You may try for sons, but those girls will not come back."
Sedit tried a third time. The beating was so hard that he almost
screamed; but he held out this time, and had twenty sons. Sedit's
house was full of sons, but he had no daughters; the sticks would not
turn to girls again, though he did with them as he had the first time.
Sedit sent his sons to hunt. "Go wherever you like," said he. "On the
west side is a ridge; go on that ridge, keep in one line, and when you
turn some one may see you and think, 'What a crowd of nice boys!'"
Kele's boys were hunting that day, and saw Sedit's sons in a long
line. "Look at that row of men on the ridge," said they. "Those are
our cousins," said one of the smooth ten; "those are Sedit's sons."
Sedit's sons went to a flat, danced and played all the day, took
yellow clay, made paste of it, painted themselves yellow--that is why
coyotes are yellow to this day; the paint would not wash off. All went
home in a line. Sedit had supper for them.
"Why do you come without deer?" asked Sedit.
"We danced on the flat and painted."
Sedit said nothing. All ate; then Sedit thought, "I wish you boys to
sleep." All fell asleep. Sedit went to Kele, woke him up, and said,--
"My sons went to hunt, but came home without deer. What shall I do
with them?"
"Let them hunt birds. Let them hunt gophers and grasshoppers in the
meadows. Gophers are as good as deer."
"All right," said Sedit; and he went home and slept.
They brought grasshoppers and gophers from the hunt next day, and
Sedit was satisfied.
"Let them live on that kind of food," thought he.
They told of their hunting that day. "We wanted water," said one of
them, "and met an old woman. 'We are dry and cannot find water,' said
we to her. 'I will give you water,' said the old woman; 'come with
me.' We followed her a while. I was afraid and said to my brothers,
'Do not drink the water she gives.' One of my brothers shouted at the
old woman and frightened her. She fell back and turned into a swamp
with a spring in the middle of it. We didn't go near the spring, but
were nearly lost in the swamp."
"That is a wicked old woman," said Sedit. "That is Tunhlucha Pokaila.
She drowns people often. I met her once and she came near drowning me.
Don't you go near her again. Hunt gophers and grasshoppers elsewhere."
"Now, my sons," said Sedit, some days later, "go and scatter around
through this country. Whenever you want to see me come here to my
sweat-house."
Sedit's sons scattered north, south, east, and west. They were at
every ridge and point, in every valley and meadow, at every spring and
river.
Kele's sons stayed at their great mountain sweat-house, doing the
same things, living in the same way. The two sisters never married,
and all Kele's people are in that mountain now. When they go out they
look like wolves; but when inside, when at home in the mountain, they
are people.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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