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
Now, there was a deadly quarrel between the Hakas and the Tennas, who
lived near them, and it began in this way: The Tennas invited the
Hakas to a hunt in the mountains; ten of each people were to make a
party of twenty. One Tenna went early the first morning to make a fire
at some distance from the sweat-house, at a meeting-place for the
hunters of both sides. Ten Hakas went out early, were first at the
fire; but the Tennas came, and then the twenty stood around to warm
themselves,--the Tennas on the north and the Hakas on the south side
of the fire.
The Hakas had flint arrow-heads, good ones; the Tennas had arrow-heads
of pine bark. While they were warming themselves, a Tenna said to a
Haka, "Let me see your arrow-point."
"Here it is," said the Haka; "look at it."
"He, he, he!" laughed the Tenna; "that point is no good!" He held it
out, looked at it, and laughed again. "If I put it down my throat, it
won't hurt me."
"Let me see your arrow-point," said the Haka.
"Here it is," said the Tenna.
The Haka looked at the pointed pine bark, laughed, and said: "That is
no arrow-head; that is nothing but pine bark. If I stab myself behind
with your arrow-head, it won't hurt me. I shall not die."
"Let me see you stab yourself," said the Tenna.
"Look at me. I'll stab myself behind with it."
The Haka stabbed himself, and the Tenna's arrow-head broke; it did not
hurt him a bit. "You see," said he, "I am not dying."
"Let me see your arrow-head," said the Tenna.
He gave the arrow-point, and the Tenna stabbed himself in the same way
that the Haka had. The arrow-head was very sharp and went into him,
cut him,--cut his intestines. He fell over and lay on the ground, lay
there groaning.
"You see that my arrow-head is good; it will kill any one," said the
Haka.
Right away the Tenna was dying; very soon he was dead. When the Tennas
saw that their brother was dead, they rushed at the ten Hakas and
killed them hand to hand before they could use arrows, before they
could save themselves.
The Tennas went home, but the Hakas did not go home that evening.
Next morning early one of the Tennas came to the house of the Hakas,
and called out,--
"Come to the fire, cousins; come to the fire. We will meet you there.
Oh, cousins, it is time to go hunting; be up. Your brothers who went
yesterday are going again to-day."
"We will go," said the Hakas, who did not know that their brothers
were killed.
The Tennas had a fire in the same place as the first day, and were
there waiting. After a time the ten Hakas came and stood at the fire
in the same way as their brothers had stood a day earlier. They did
not quarrel now, but went to the woods soon. The Tennas had everything
ready for hunting; other Tennas were hidden in the woods, and ten more
Hakas were killed by them that day.
On the third morning a Tenna came to the Hakas and called,--
"Cousins, it is time to be up, time to hunt. Your brothers of
yesterday and the day before are all waiting."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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