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 Haka Lasi put all the hearts which she had caught on a string,
hung them around her neck, and went to a lake east of Jigulmatu. She
wanted to live at the bottom of the lake, but could not find a place
deep enough. So she went northwest of Klamath Lake to Crater Lake,
where she could live in deep water.
Two Tsanunewa brothers lived near the lake with their old grandmother.
One morning early these brothers were out catching ducks, and just at
daybreak they heard some one call.
"Who is that?" asked the elder brother.
"I don't know," answered the younger.
Soon they saw Haka Lasi spring up on the water and call. She had a
large string of hearts around her neck. Then she sank again in the
water. Again she came up at some distance and called a second time.
Now Tsore Jowa came down from the sun and went to the old sweat-house,
where she found nothing but a heap of bones and ashes. Putting pitch
on her head and on her arms, and strips of deerskin around her neck
with pitch on them, she cried and went around mourning. After a time
she began to look for her sister. She went everywhere; went to Klamath
Lake.
For some time the two Tsanunewa brothers had heard a voice singing,--
"Li-wa-éh, li-wa-há,
Li-wa-éh, li-wa-há."
This was old Juka. He was lying in the ground where he had fallen, and
was crying.
Tsore Jowa searched, inquired, asked every one about Haka Lasi, and
told what she had done,--that she had killed her own brothers and
father.
Tsore Jowa came at last to the house of the two Tsanunewa brothers one
day about sunset, and spoke to their grandmother. "My sister, Haka
Lasi, has killed all my brothers and my father," said she; and she
told the whole story.
The old woman cried when she heard what Tsore Jowa told her. The two
brothers were away hunting; they came home about dark with a large
string of ducks. "This woman," said the grandmother, "is looking for
her sister, who has killed all her people."
The two brothers cried when the story was told to them. When they had
finished crying, they said to the old woman, "Cook ducks and let this
woman have plenty to eat."
When all had eaten, the two brothers said to Tsore Jowa: "Tell us what
kind of a person your sister is. Which way did she go?"
"I don't know which way she went," said Tsore Jowa.
"Three days ago," said the elder brother, "just as daylight was
coming, we saw a woman jump up in the lake where we were fishing. She
seemed to have large beads around her neck. That woman may be your
sister."
"Catch that woman for me. I will give you otter-skins and beads. I
will give bearskins. If you wish, I will stay with you here, if you
catch her."
"We want no beads nor otter-skins nor bearskins," said the brothers.
"What do you want?"
"We want red deer-bones and green deer-bones; small, sharp ones to
stab fish with."
"You shall have all you want of both kinds," said Tsore Jowa.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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