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
Wokwuk at the time of the great water lost the middle and longest
finger on one hand; it went far north, and after a time became a deer,
and from that deer came all the deer in the world after the fire.
When Kahit and Mem Loimis went east on the way home, Wokwuk lost a
small feather from above one of his eyes. It went west and was turned
into the beautiful shells tsanteris. He also lost two neck feathers.
They went west and became kalas, and from that came all pearl shells.
He lost the tip of his little finger. It went west and became the
Wokwuk bird down here. He lost some spittle. It went east on the water
and turned to blue beads, such as people wear now around their necks.
Wokwuk lost a small bit of his intestines. It went south on the water
and became mempak; from that come all mempak (water bone). He lost a
piece of his backbone. It went east on the water and became an elk,
and from that elk came all elks.
One day Sedit said to Olelbis, when all were telling Olelbis what they
were going to do: "Grandson, I am going to take off my skin and let it
go to the world below."
"Do so," said Olelbis.
Sedit took off his skin as he would a coat, and threw it down to this
world.
"Now there will be Sedits all over down there," said he.
While Olelbis was gathering into Olelpanti all the people from every
place outside this sky above us, Min Taitai and Hessiha were disputing
and throwing red mud at each other.
Olelbis gathered people from every side till he had gathered them all
at his house. They were there in crowds and in thousands, singing and
talking inside and outside, everywhere in Olelpanti.
One morning Olelbis said to the old women,--
"My grandmothers, I cannot tell what to do nor how to get what I want,
but far west of here is a ridge that stretches from the south to the
north, and on that ridge people of some kind come from the south and
hurry north; they do that every day; they go north along that ridge,
and I do not know what kind of people they are. When they are on the
top of the ridge, they run north very swiftly. As soon as Klabus and
Yilahl finished the level ground and the hills and mountains in the
world below, these people began to travel along the ridge in this way,
and they have been going north ever since."
"You do not know those people," said the old women, "but we know them,
the Katkatchila brothers know them; they are Kahsuku, the cloud dogs,
the cloud people. If you wish to know more about these cloud people,
ask the elder Katkatchila; he knows them; he lives far west at this
time; go and ask him, go yourself."
Olelbis set out next morning early, and just before he reached
Katkatchila's house in the west he came upon some one who was stooping
and looking toward the south. It was the elder Katkatchila, who was
watching the cloud people.
"Stop, my brother," said Katkatchila, "and watch with me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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