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 spat on his hands, passed them over Notisa's breast and
face. "I am sleepy, my mother, oh, I am so sleepy," said the boy, when
he had passed his hands over the chief.
"He cannot do more to-night," said the father. "We will go home."
Next morning people in the sweat-house heard a man talking outside. He
came in and said, "I am well!" This was Notisa.
"We are glad," said the people. "Kol Tibichi has saved you."
The boy grew up and became a great Hlahi. When twenty years old, he
was the greatest Hlahi on Wini Mem.
One year there was a Hlahi dance in El Hakam. Kol Tibichi was a man.
He was thirty years old then. He went to the dance. Tulitot was the
great Hlahi in that place, and he thought himself better than Kol
Tibichi. While dancing, Tulitot took a snake from his mouth, a large
rattlesnake, and held it in both hands as he danced. The snake was his
own child. Kol Tibichi looked, and thought he could do better; and,
dancing forward, he blew, as Hlahis do, and threw out long burning
flames on both sides of his mouth. All present were afraid, and with
Tulitot ran back before him in fear.
When the dance was over, Kol Tibichi went to Norpat Kodi and lived on,
a great Hlahi: lived till he was a hundred years of age and more. He
could not walk any longer. He knew that he could not live. "I cannot
live any more," said he. "My yapaitu tells me this,--I cannot walk. I
cannot do anything. My yapaitu tells me that I must leave Norpat
Kodiheril. [He was not sick, but decrepit.] My yapaitu is going to
take me and leave my bones in this place with you. When I go from my
body, do not bury it. Leave it on the ground out there. Let it lie one
night. Next morning you will see a large rock in place of it. When
people are sick, let them come and take a piece of the rock, or some
earth, or some moss from it; that will cure them."
"We will not do that," said Notisa, a son of the first chief; "we bury
every body, and we will bury yours like all others."
"Do not bury my bones," said Kol Tibichi.
"We should not like to see your bones all the time. We have no wish to
see a rock in place of them."
"Well, take my body to the black-oak tree, put it eight or ten feet
from the ground, leave it there one night; next morning you will see
water in a hollow of the oak. Any man may come and get that water, rub
it on his body, and drink some. It will cure him."
"No," said the chief, "we don't want to see the tree there every day.
We do not wish to look at it all the time."
"Dig a deep grave, then," said Kol Tibichi; "put my body in with
nothing around it. When you come to mourn, do not stand east of the
grave-mound. On the morning after my burial you will see a rainbow
coming out of the grave."
Kol Tibichi died. They did everything just as he told them. All saw
the rainbow and said, "We ought to have left his body above ground,
and to have done all that he asked of us at first. The yapaitu is
mourning for him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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