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 cut the hearts into pieces, gave them all to the Tennas. They
roasted the hearts and ate them. He gave flint bread to them, as he
had to the women on the mountain slope. All ate the bread, praised
it, asked for more, ate it very eagerly. They began soon to fall on
every side. Four Tennas only would not eat the flint bread. They
closed the ground door, fastened it outside, went to the top of the
sweat-house, and watched. Soon every Tenna in the sweat-house was
dead.
Tsawandi Kamshupa looked up and saw the four Tennas there looking down
at him. Their four heads were close together, and they looked very
angry.
"Why are you four looking down here so? What are you watching for,
what are you trying to do up there? The people down here have all gone
to sleep, and can't talk with me. I want you men to talk a while. Come
down, you, and talk with me; then I'll go home."
The four Tennas said nothing.
"You want to catch me; I know that. I will show you how I can jump."
They said nothing, watched sharply, sitting opposite each other with
their long teeth sticking out. When he saw that they would not leave
the opening, he said again, "I will show you how I can jump."
He bent to one side a little, shot up like an arrow, darted out
between the four. The next thing the Tennas saw was Tsawandi Kamshupa
in the field beyond the house.
When he had passed through the opening, the Tennas closed their jaws
with a snap, and almost bit each other's noses off. Their bite was too
late.
Tsawandi Kamshupa now sent three arrows from his old bow. They went
through the hearts of three Tennas; they dropped dead where they
stood. The fourth ran away, ran with all his strength, was never seen
in that place again. He ran northwest, and from that Tenna come all
that are in the world in our time.
Tsuwalkai Marimi could go out now and dig roots. She was free to go
anywhere. While digging one day she saw the strong stalk of shitpayu
sticking out of the ground. She dug around it and below the roots,
found a little baby. The stem was growing out of the child's navel.
She took the baby, twisted the stalk off, and bound up the child. She
had nothing to wrap around the little one; so she took her skirt made
of buckskin, the only clothing she wore, and wrapped it around the
baby. Holding it close to her breast, she fondled the child and
said,--
"Grow, little boy, grow quickly; you will be company yet for your
grandmother."
She brought the boy home, washed him, washed him many times, put him
in a wildcat skin. When Tsawandi Kamshupa came and saw Tsuwalkai with
the baby, he wondered and cried,--
"Oh, grandmother, where did you find the little boy?"
She told how she had found him in the field, dug him out of the
ground, and brought him home. That same day Dari Jowa, Tsawandi
Kamshupa's great friend, came, and, seeing the little boy, laughed
loudly.
"Oh, my aunt," said he, "that is not your baby. Where did you find
that little boy?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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