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
"You, Klak, and you, Wima, when you see people you will bite them, and
people will take Dokos to kill you, and Dokos will go into your
bodies, and you will die. Wima, you will be sorry that you would not
let me change your teeth. You, Klak, will be sorry. You will bite
people, and they will kill you because you cannot run away from them.
Your dead body will lie on the ground, and buzzards will eat it.
"Dokos, you will go to your place and increase. People will go there
and get you to kill your sisters and others for them, and when you
have pleased them and killed all the people they wished you to kill,
when they want you no longer, they will throw you down on a rock and
break you to pieces, then you will be nothing. You will be dead
forever. Now go!"
To all those who let their teeth be made innocent, Olelbis said: "You
will go to where I send you,--one here, another there." And he gave
their places to all. To some he said: "After a while the new people
will use you for food," and to the others he said: "The new people
will use your skins, and you will be of service to them, you will be
good for them."
The first person taken up to Olelbis's sweat-house was Tsurat; and now
Olelbis spoke to Tsurat last of all and said,--
"Pluck one feather from your back."
Tsurat plucked it.
Olelbis threw the feather to the earth and said,--
"The place where this falls will be called Tsurat-ton Mem Puisono.
This feather will become woodpeckers, and their place will be there.
Their red feathers will be beautiful, and every one will like their
red scalps and will use them for headbands. The woodpeckers will be
also called Topi chilchihl" (bead birds).
All people that were good on this earth only, of use only here,
Olelbis sent down to be beasts, birds, and other creatures. The
powerful and great people that were good in Olelpanti and useful there
he kept with himself, and sent only a feather or a part of each to
become something useful down here. The good people themselves, the
great ones, stayed above, where they are with Olelbis now.
OLELBIS AND MEM LOIMIS
One character in this myth is of great importance in actual Indian
belief, the Hlahi or doctor, the sorcerer. The position and power of
the Hlahi are explained at length in the notes to this volume. Sanihas
Yupchi, the archer of Daylight, is Tsaroki Sakahl, the messenger sent
by Torihas to invite Katkatchila to hunt; he appears also as the
friend and messenger of Waida Dikit, who assembled the world concert
in which Hawt proved the greatest musician.
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the beast, bird, or thing into which
the personage was changed subsequently.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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