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
Kol Tibichi began to sing; the Hlahi danced a few minutes. The boy
blew then, and the yapaitu left him. Kol Tibichi ate venison first and
drank water, then took other kinds of food. From that time on Kol
Tibichi was a Hlahi.
Soon after the great Hlahi dance, perhaps two weeks, Notisa, chief of
Norpat Kodiheril, fell sick; he began to have a bad feeling at midday,
and in the evening all his friends thought he would die. In the early
night people in Norpat Kodi saw a light going to Kol Tibichi's house.
"People are coming; there must be some one sick in the village," said
the boy's father and mother. "People are coming. See, there is a big
light moving this way."
Two men came to the door. "Come in," said Kol Tibichi's father. "We
thought some one was sick when we saw your light coming."
"We are here because Notisa is sick," said the men. "He got sick at
noon."
The two men spread out a marten skin and said: "We brought this to
show it to you and your son. We have heard that he is a powerful
Hlahi. The chief gave us this skin to show you. We are afraid that
Notisa will die. We want your son to go with us to see him."
They gave the skin to Kol Tibichi. It was the best skin in the chief's
house.
"We will go," said Kol Tibichi's father. "I do not say that my son is
a Hlahi, but he can do something."
They waked the boy, made him ready to go. "Come," said his mother; and
she carried him to the chief's house.
"My mother, put me down," said Kol Tibichi, when they had come near
the house.
"I do not like to put you down," said the mother.
"Put me down, put me down a moment," said the boy.
His mother put him down. Then he saw some one looking around Notisa's
house, pushing about, looking, watching in the dark, lurking around,
holding arrows. This was a yapaitu, ready to shoot Notisa and kill
him.
Kol Tibichi called his own yapaitu, who went to the one who was
watching and said: "What are you doing here? What do you want at this
house?"
"I am doing nothing," answered the yapaitu.
"You are waiting to do something. You want to do harm."
"Oh, no; I am only looking around here, just trying to find the door.
I wanted to see some one."
"You are ready to shoot a yapaitu dokos. You want to kill Notisa. You
are watching around here to kill him."
"Oh, no, I am not. I am just looking around, not doing anything."
"You are ready to kill Notisa, the chief. You are waiting to kill
him," said Kol Tibichi's yapaitu, who just took hold of the strange
yapaitu, twisted him, killed him right there, and buried him.
Kol Tibichi's mother took her son into the chief's house. The boy knew
what had been done. His yapaitu told him what he had done, and came in
with him. The boy sat down near Notisa.
People thought the chief ready to die, thought that he might die any
moment. "Let the boy put his hand on the sick man," said they.
"Put your hand on the chief," said the father. "You must do what you
can. You must try, do your best to cure him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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