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
"Where are the two brothers?" asked Haka Kaina, when he missed the
Tsoplaina boys. No one had sent these young men to Hwipajusi's.
Now, the Tsoplaina brothers worked hard, worked all night. They went
through more than half the houses, and destroyed a great many
bow-strings. At daylight they went back and told Haka Kaina what they
had done.
Hwipajusi's people saw Haka Kaina's great army coming; they ran for
their bows, but many were destroyed. Those who had bows left fought
well. But Haka Kaina's men had arms of flint and arms of all kinds,
and they beat down everything before them. At midday Hwipajusi's
people were destroyed and he himself was killed.
Haka Kaina took the three girls and set out for Wahkalu again, taking
everything that Hwipajusi and his people had. Now there were two
brothers, Mini Auna, who lived with their sisters at Wamarawi, near a
trail which Haka Kaina had not used before, but he started home on it
this time.
When Haka Kaina's forces came in sight of Wamarawi, the two sisters
were out husking acorns. They were frightened and ran home. One of
them ran to her brothers and cried,--
"Come, brothers, hurry out and look. A great many people are coming. I
do not know where they come from nor where they are going. Perhaps
they will kill us."
Each of Haka Kaina's men had a great pack on his back holding all that
he could carry. They were taking home everything from Hwipajusi's
village.
The two Mini Auna brothers ran quickly to their sweat-house; each of
them caught up a great piece of fire. The two sisters ran into the
sweat-house and hid there. The two brothers went to the top of the
sweat-house, and when Haka Kaina's great army was near enough, they
hurled fire around it, north, south, east, and west. All were
surrounded. They looked to every side, tried to get out, but there was
no escape anywhere. The great fire closed in around them, and every
man perished. All were burned to death. Hwipajusi's three daughters
died with the others. As soon as all were dead, the fire went out and
disappeared; the two brothers went back into their sweat-house.
When the Mini Aunas were going to hurl the fire, Haka Kaina sent two
swift runners to Wahkalu to let his women know that all were coming
with great plunder, and bringing Hwipajusi's daughters. Sooner than
these men were out of sight the fire was around the whole army, which
perished before the eyes of the two swift runners.
When the swift runners reached Wahkalu, all the women were dancing;
they thought that their husbands were fighting yet against Hwipajusi.
When the swift runners were coming near, the women stopped dancing,
and when both came up and said that Haka Kaina and his army were dead
at Wamarawi, burned by the Mini Aunas, the women raised a cry of
sorrow such as no one had ever heard in Wahkalu before. Soon some
women said,--
"We must go down to Wamarawi, we must go a good many of us, and beg
the two brothers to bring our men to life again."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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