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
Ahalamila kept looking at the twigs, which rose quickly, grew up, and
became little trees. He walked around them and sang; sang and pinched
off a leaf or a bud from one limb or another as he walked. Soon the
stone began to move of itself, and it swelled and changed shape, till
at last it turned into a white fawn. Just at daybreak the fawn began
to walk around among the trees and sniff as though it smelt something.
Ahalamila picked up the little fawn; blew smoke from his mouth; blew
it around on all sides; then he put the fawn down again and it turned
back into quartz.
It was daylight then, and Ahalamila stopped singing. "I have finished
now," said he. "It will be better for us to hunt on the south side."
"I want you, my people," called Jupka, "to rise up, start out and
hunt. Howichinaipa will go ahead and make a fire."
Howichinaipa went ahead: went south for some distance; the Mapchemaina
followed soon after; went to the place where Howichinaipa had made the
fire. When they came up, there was a good large fire at a place called
Wewauna, half a mile from Hakamatu.
"Come to the fire, wait a while before we start, talk and get ready to
hunt," said Howichinaipa.
Ten men went on farther south to find deer, while the others waited at
the fire. Those ten men went south quickly; then five turned east, and
five turned west to meet again at Wewauna. They came back about the
same time, but not one of them saw deer or game of any kind. Every one
wondered that there was no game in any place. Ahalamila and
Howichinaipa began to dispute and then to quarrel because the ten men
could find no deer.
Howichinaipa was angry; he was offended because Jupka had named him
first, then changed his mind and called Ahalamila to sing for deer. He
was angry, too, and jealous because he wanted one of Ahalamila's wives
who was his own wife's sister. Howichinaipa's wife was a Chuhna, and
Ahalamila's wife was her only sister. Howichinaipa wanted to have the
two sisters as his wives; he wanted both of them. For these two
reasons the Mapchemaina could find no deer that day. Howichinaipa had
power over the deer, and had sent them all under ground. The ten men
had looked in a great many places; they had run south, east, west, and
could find no deer. Then the whole party turned to the southeast; they
went to Chupirkoto. Some said, "What is the use in going farther? We
can find no deer to-day. Ahalamila told us that we should find deer.
Where are they? We cannot see them."
"I do not know," said Ahalamila, "why we find no deer. I sang and
danced last night. I dreamed that I saw deer, that I saw them south of
Jigulmatu."
"You will not see deer or any other game to-day," said Howichinaipa;
"you cannot find deer, no matter how much you sing and dance. You are
not able to find deer, but you have a nice wife. She is very pretty."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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