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 went to them, he sat on a stone. He had but one arrow, and that
without a point. This was a staff which his uncle had given him. The
playground was beyond a hill at some distance from the sweat-house.
"Stand up and play," said the sons-in-law; and they pushed Juiwaiyu to
throw him, but he did not fall. All went to the playground. Juiwaiyu
caught the bones on his club at the middle point, then hurled them;
ran and caught them the second time, ran again, put the bones beyond
the barrier. He did the same a second time, and won the first game. He
won two games; no one else could win.
"Well," said the western brothers-in-law, "we have never seen any one
play bone like him. We will try him in some other way."
Next they gave him a start in racing. The race was to a mountain
opposite. Juiwaiyu was to get there first if he was able. They thought
to strike him from behind, kill him easily, but they could not come
near him. He was at the mountain before they had run half the
distance. In the afternoon they played bone a second time. They
thought to kill him surely in this way. Between the middle of the
playground and Juiwaiyu's barrier they put a great poison spider right
on the path where Juiwaiyu was to run, Jupka knew their plan, and
pointed out the spider to his nephew. Juiwaiyu jumped on the spider,
crushed it right away before it could turn to poison him; then he took
the bones beyond the barrier.
He went back to the middle of the playground. Kechowala's men said
nothing, made no mention of the spider. Juiwaiyu took the bones beyond
the barrier that time, and won the second inning. This made the first
game of the afternoon. While they were making ready for the second
game, Kechowala had flint knives and spear-points put on the path so
that Juiwaiyu should fall and kill himself.
They commenced the second game. Juiwaiyu took the bones from all and
ran ahead, ran quickly. When near the knives and spear-points, Jupka
told him where they were; he came down between some, sprang over
others, took the bones beyond the barrier, came back as if nothing had
been put upon his path; went a second time and won the second game.
He had beaten all who had played against him. They were very angry.
"We must kill him surely in another way," said Kechowala.
The playground was far from the sweat-house, and when Juiwaiyu had won
the second game he turned to go back to the sweat-house. Kechowala
sent a rattlesnake to meet him at one place and a grizzly bear at
another. Juiwaiyu jumped on the snake, and crushed his head. When he
came to the bear, he struck him one blow with his foot and killed him.
He skinned both, took the skins, and hung them up before the
sweat-house.
When Kechowala's men saw the skins, they were angry, terribly
excited; they stopped before the sweat-house, jumped, and shouted,--
"We want to look at Juiwaiyu. Let Juiwaiyu come out here; we want to
see him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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