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 did so, and flicker feathers were in his hands. He counted them,
and found five hundred. "These are nice feathers; I will keep them,"
said the boy.
"Kol Tibichi is your name," said the yapaitu. "You will be the
greatest Hlahi on Wini Mem, but you must obey us. You must listen to
our words, you must do what we tell you."
Kol Tibichi took the flicker feathers and walked westward, walked
across a wide gulch till he came to a black-oak tree above Norpat
Kodiheril.
"I like that oak-tree," said Kol Tibichi. "I think that is a good
place for my mother to get acorns." He blew then, and said: "You must
be very big, wide, and high, give many acorns every fall. I will call
your place Olpuhlchiton" (blowing upward place, _i. e._ wishing
place).
He went home then, and gave the flicker-tail feathers to his mother.
"Now, my mother," said he, "I wish you to keep these feathers for me."
"Where did you find them, my son?" asked she. "You are always doing
something. You did not find these yourself; the yapaitu got them. I
will keep them. I am sorry for you, but I cannot stop what you are
doing. You cannot stop it yourself. But I will keep these feathers for
you; I will keep them safely."
All the people talked much of Kol Tibichi now.
Once there was a doctor's dance, and the boy remained at home till one
night when the yapaitu came to him and he began to hlaha. His father
and mother did not know what the trouble was.
"Bring him here," said the oldest doctor.
"He is a Hlahi," said the doctors, when they saw him. "Sak hikai [the
rainbow] is his yapaitu. You must give him to us till the yapaitu
leaves him. While the yapaitu is with him, let him stay inside."
They were five or six days making Hlahis (doctors). The boy stayed in
the sweat-house six days, never eating, never drinking; some others
ate and drank, but Kol Tibichi neither ate nor drank.
"Something must be done to make that yapaitu leave him. You must put a
band around Kol Tibichi's head," said the chief, "and the yapaitu will
leave him."
They got a white wolf-tail headband. The yapaitu did not go. "This is
not the right kind of a headband," said the doctor, after a while.
They tried fox, wildcat, coyote, a white-deer band, without effect.
"We don't know what he wants," said some Hlahis.
Next they tried otter, fisher, coon, badger, black bear, grizzly bear,
silver-gray fox, mink, beaver, rabbit, red-headed woodpecker.
"What does he want?" asked some.
"Now," said the old doctor, "you ought to know that this boy should
have food and drink, and he cannot have them till the yapaitu goes.
You should know that the headband that his yapaitu wants is a tsahai
loiyas" (woman's front apron made of maple bark, painted red).
They brought this apron, made the headband, and tied it on his head.
"This is the one," said the yapaitu.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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