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
"Why do you want to hide him, why do you deny? You must have seen him
plainly."
"I did not see him, and you did not. I saw all who were there, but I
saw no stranger."
"I saw him sitting between the two girls," said Kechowala.
"He is there," said the father. "I will see that man to-morrow."
"My son-in-law," said Damhauja, "you must be careful to-morrow. I have
a great many daughters besides your two wives; their husbands will try
to kill you." Then Damhauja said to his sons: "We will go to sleep and
rise early; take good care of your brother-in-law to-morrow."
All went to rest; Juiwaiyu and his wives as well as others.
When all were asleep, Juiwaiyu took Jupka out of his hair and rose up.
"I wish for daylight quickly," said he.
Thunder roared then, and some rain came; Juiwaiyu wished to let his
mother know that he was well. He went out, took one step and went from
the sweat-house to the other side of the nearest mountain, with the
second step he went to the top of a mountain beyond.
Jupka was angry because Damhauja had tried to kill Juiwaiyu with the
poisonous pipe. Now he took vengeance. He put the two sisters on a
high place in the sweat-house, made a great storm of wind and rain.
Soon the whole place was filled with water. It rolled and swept
through the sweat-house, drowned Damhauja and his wife; washed their
bodies out through the door away.
Juiwaiyu on the mountain took his yaiyauna flute and began to play.
All the world heard him, all people went to hill-tops and
mountain-tops, all stretched their heads up and listened, all said,
"That must be Juiwaiyu; no one plays in that way but Juiwaiyu." Deer
began to come from the east along the same way over which Juiwaiyu had
come, and all stood before him.
"Let one stand in front of me and look this way," said Juiwaiyu, "let
all the others stand behind that first one."
They stood in the line, a fawn in the first place. He shot them all
with one arrow, hundreds of them. The arrow entered the mouth of the
front deer and went out near the tail of the last. Then Juiwaiyu took
the little fawn and opened it, made the deer very small, put them all
inside the fawn's body, took that home in one hand, threw the fawn
down on the sweat-house. The deer inside the fawn became as big as
ever, rolled down, filled the whole place around the sweat-house.
Juiwaiyu now saw Damhauja and Pahnino Marimi lying cold and dead. He
ran then to Jupka in the sweat-house. "Bring them to life, my uncle;
bring them to life again!"
Jupka whipped both with a rose-twig and brought them to life. Damhauja
shook himself and said, "I slept too hard."
"You would not have waked up at all but for my nephew. You wanted to
kill him. I punished you."
Damhauja knew Jupka now. "Oh, why did you not let me know that you
were here? I would not have tried to hurt Juiwaiyu."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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