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
Though the story is long, it needs, I think, no explanation beyond
what is stated in the introduction and in preceding notes, except some
remarks touching the character of Hawt.
Hawt, the great musician, is identified with water; he is, as it were,
the spirit of water made visible.
In this myth, only the musical powers of Hawt are exhibited; but in
the Yana Tirukala, which means the same thing as Hawt (lamprey eel),
we see the active side of the same personage, we see him as a worker.
Original is Hawt indeed,--a living flute fingering his own body as he
would an instrument; inhaling air and blowing it out through the
apertures in his sides.
The present lamprey eel has marks, as it were, of holes in his sides.
NORWANCHAKUS AND KERIHA
This tale contains actions and a number of personages difficult to
identify, because their names are merely epithets. Eltuluma means "he
swims in;" but who it is that swims in we know not. Keriha seems
connected with ducks, from the fact that he wore a duck-skin all his
life on earth, and, when he threw off this skin, all ducks were
produced from it.
Norwanchakus means the southern end of that staff or stick to which
was attached the net with which these two brothers dragged Pui Mem and
Bohema Mem, and named each place from the thing which came into the
net in front of it.
Nodal Monoko (the little man who ate so many salmon and sturgeons, and
carried so many away in his bag) means "sweet in the south." He has
another name, Nodal Wehlinmuk, which means "salt in the south." At
first he is hostile to grizzly bears, but later has intimate relations
with them and marries one. His acts point strongly toward electricity
or lightning. His bag, in which the whole world could be put away, may
well have been a cloud bag.
Norwinte means "seen in the south;" but, again, we have no knowledge
of the person seen. Poni Norwanen Pitchen, the full name of Norwan, is
also an epithet meaning "daughter of the land on the southern border,"
and would convey no information if it stood alone; but as Norwan, in
addition to many other details, is also the dancing porcupine and the
food-producing woman, we know who she is.
The existence of Puriwa and Sanihas (darkness and daylight) before the
sun was in the world, is most interesting. This is one of many proofs
that every phenomenon was considered to be independent. Daylight is a
personage quite apart from the sun, who is merely that old Sas who
fought with Tulchuherris, and who travels through the sky every day
from east to west in utter loneliness. He carries that glowing torch
which we see as he moves on his way through the sky; but the light of
day is a separate personage. Similar considerations apply to Puriwa,
darkness or night, who is also a distinct and independent entity.
The struggle between Keriha and Hubit has much charm for Wintus; they
laugh heartily at the recital of it.
KELE AND SEDIT
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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