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
A great many followed and repeated,--
"I-no-hó, i-no-hó no-há, i-no-hó!"
They went on all day, went quickly, and at sunset they were on a
smooth plain, not far from Kedila's place. Kedila had a large, rich
sweat-house, and it was full of people. The old chief had a great many
sons-in-law, and a great many people to serve him.
Jewinna and his men reached the place some time before nightfall, and
Kedila went to the top of his sweat-house and said to the strangers,--
"I want you all to come in and enjoy yourselves. Perhaps my house is
small; we will make it bigger."
He blew toward all the four sides then, and said, "Be bigger, my
sweat-house, be bigger!"
The sweat-house stretched out and was very large. There was room for
every one, and all came in.
"Bring food, my sons-in-law, for Jewinna and his people," said Kedila.
They brought in all kinds of good food, and fed every one gladly.
"Bring your beads, otter-skins, and red-headed woodpecker scalps, and
put them down here at this side of the sweat-house," said Jewinna to
his people.
All were brought in and given to Kedila. He took these rich things
gladly, and put them away.
Kedila put down on his part wolfskins with deerskins and gave them to
Jewinna.
"Let ten of you go out and hunt squirrels," said Jewinna to his people
next morning; "let others fix heads on their arrows."
One of the ten saw a squirrel on a tree; he took a club, climbed after
the squirrel, and killed it; he saw another and another; the tree was
filled with squirrels. A second man saw squirrels in a second tree,
and then a third and a fourth in other trees. Right away the ten were
killing squirrels on ten trees, and soon they had ten piles of
squirrels, each pile as large as one man could carry.
The two chiefs were delighted when they saw the ten loads of game, and
there was a great feast of squirrel flesh that day at Kedila's.
Both sides sat down then to gamble, played with sticks, gambled all
day, played till sunset. They bet all kinds of skins. Jewinna's men
won a great many things, and won more than the presents.
Next morning Kedila's sons-in-law wanted to win back the beautiful
skins and other things which they had played away, but before noon
they had lost everything. When all was gone, Kedila's men were angry.
"You don't play fairly," said they to Jewinna's men; "you shall not
have these things."
"We have won everything fairly," said Jewinna's men, "and we will take
these things home with us."
They began to fight at once. Kedila's sons-in-law attacked Jewinna's
men as soon as they were outside the sweat-house.
"We are here to fight if there is need," said Jewinna; "go ahead, my
men, you are likely to die, every one of you."
Jewinna's men fought, going westward, fought carrying with them what
they had won. Jewinna fought bravely, and sang as he fought. Kedila's
people followed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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