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 started at the east side of the sweat-house and went northward,
tried the first bow, broke it; went on, took another, broke that. Then
he went around the whole house, breaking every bow that he came to,
till on the south side he reached the last bow. It was made of deer
sinew. He bent that, tried his best, tried again and again, could not
break it. "What kind of a bow is this?" thought he. "It is the
ugliest, the oldest, but I cannot break it." He took the bow and a big
stone to crush it. The bow flew out of his hand, and the stone fell.
"How did the man die who used this bow?" asked the boy.
"Gowila killed him, and those who had the other bows," answered the
old woman.
"I will go for wood now and sweat."
"Do not go far," said Tsore Jowa.
The boy ran off to the east, seized a big pine-tree, tore it up with
one pull, and took it home in one hand. He made a big fire and put
stones on it.
"Bring water, my grandmother," said he; "then I will tell you what to
do." The old woman filled a great basket with water. The stones were
dropped in when red-hot, and the water boiled quickly.
"Grandmother, put me into the boiling water."
The old woman was frightened, but did what he told her.
"Cover me closely," said the boy.
She covered him with another tight basket. He lay in the water till
the cover flew from the basket, and he was thrown through the opening
in the top of the sweat-house and dropped on the roof outside. He ran
down, swam in the river close by, and then went back and talked with
the old woman.
"You will be very strong," said she. "You will be called Ilhataina."
He ran east a second time; brought sugar-pines. He did not sleep, he
sang without stopping. Rocks were made hot as before, and dropped into
a bigger basket. The old woman put in Ilhataina, and covered him with
four closely woven baskets. He was in the boiling water till the four
covers burst off, and he flew up through the opening in the top of
the sweat-house. He ran down again to the river, and while swimming
talked to himself, saying,--
"I will meet Gowila to-day, I will meet Gowila to-day."
At sunrise he went home. "Grandmother, I am going out a short way,"
said he, taking down his old bow and one arrow.
"Oh, grandson, you must not go far; you must not leave my sight," said
the old woman.
He counted twenty otter-skin quivers filled with arrows, and said, "I
will take these."
She cooked roots for his breakfast, and brought a small basket full
for him to take with him. He went west to a grove of trees, made a
fire there, and caused salmon to hang all around on the tree branches.
Crowds of men and women were heard talking and laughing near by. He
made it so. There were no people in the place. He made the noise to
entice Gowila.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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