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
The people looked down. All were afraid except Jupka. They thought
she would kill them right there in a moment. When Jupka saw the fire,
he took tobacco from a small pouch which he kept in his ear, and while
lying stretched out he began to smoke without putting fire on his
pipe. The tobacco burned when he drew his breath through it. The smoke
rose and then settled down. It grew dark in the sweat-house, and the
fire from Hehku's body died away. She stopped her mouth and nose so as
not to breathe Jupka's smoke.
"Go to sleep," said Jupka to Hehku Marimi.
She would not obey. She kept her mouth and nose closed, sat awake and
would not sleep.
"Lie down; let us talk," said Tsanunewa. He thought, "If she lies down
the smoke will kill her."
"I will not lie down," said Hehku.
"Why not? Lie down. We will talk together."
"I never sleep," said Hehku. "I am Mapchemaina. I never sleep at
night, I never sleep in the day. I do as my father does; he hunts at
night and hunts during daylight."
Jupka filled his pipe again with another tobacco which he kept in his
ear, and again he puffed smoke which was very strong, the strongest
smoke of all. "This will do," said he, "this will make her sleep, I
think."
The smoke rose first, then came down and settled like a thick cloud
right on Hehku's head.
"Why this woman tries to trick me?" thought Jupka; "I know more than
she does."
When this strong smoke settled down, Hehku began to nod; her head
went first to one side, then to the other; soon it turned backward
little by little. Jupka took a large roll of gray wolfskins, slipped
it behind her, and she dropped on it sound asleep; lay as though
lifeless.
["We have never seen this tobacco here," said the narrator of the
story. "It was turned to rock long ago; this was done far in the East,
way off where the sun rises. The rock is there now, and it is called
Talpapa--white tobacco rock. This is Mapchemaina tobacco." The first
tobacco Jupka used was moiyu, the Yana tobacco that we have in our
time.]
"If Hehku dreams, she will beat me when she wakes, if she is wise; but
I will not let her dream," said Jupka. He blew his breath on her face;
she could not dream after that.
Hehku used to dream bad things which came to pass later on. She used
to dream of killing people, but after Jupka blew his breath on her
face she could not dream in his sweat-house. Next day, when she woke,
she was very angry at Jupka. She stood up, walked out of the
sweat-house, went to the east; went quickly, went to that same rocky
mountain where Tsanunewa had set his mousetraps.
"Make a good fire and sweat," said Jupka to the Mapchemaina.
All sweated and bathed in the river, and that day Hehku became a
Putokya, a skull person. She stayed one night at the rocky mountain;
dreamed of gambling with Jupka and all the people at Jigulmatu.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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