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
Every bola heris[3] that was lying inside the sweat-house was terribly
thirsty. One old man got up and said,--
[3] Bola means "to tell one of the creation myths;" bolas means
"one of the myths;" bola heris is an actor in any of them, a
personage mentioned or described in a creation myth.
"What kind of a Hlahi have you here? What kind of a Hlahi is Kopus? He
is here five days and nights and can tell nothing, knows nothing. If
you wish to learn something, bring a Hlahi who has knowledge of
water."
"This old Kopus knows nothing of water," said Toko. "Old Kopus is a
good Hlahi for acorns and for the Tsudi and Kaisus people; that is all
he is good for. I know this Kopus well. Get a Hlahi who knows more
than he does."
"You bola herises tell us," said Olelbis, "who is a good Hlahi for
water, and we will get him. Look at my children; they are almost dying
of thirst. Tell us where their mother, Mem Loimis, is."
"Oh, daylight, come quickly; be here right away! I am almost cut in
two I am so dry. Oh, daylight, come quickly!" groaned Hubit.
No one mentioned another Hlahi. So Olelbis talked on,--
"All the people said that Kopus was a good Hlahi. That is why I got
him; but he is not a good Hlahi for water. Now we will get Sanihas
Yupchi, the archer of daylight, who lives in the farthest east, he is
the son of Sanihas. He is small, but he is a great Hlahi. Lutchi, you
must go now for Sanihas Yupchi. Here are one hundred yellowhammer-wing
arrows for him, all red, and many others."
Lutchi went to the east end of the sweat-house, danced a little,
sprang onto the sweat-house, danced a little more, and then whizzed
away through the air. Lutchi travelled all day and all night, reached
the place about daylight next morning, and said to Sanihas,--
"Olelbis sent me here to ask your son to come and hlaha for him. He
sends you all these five hundred arrows made of kewit reed and one
hundred yellowhammer-wing arrows to come and hlaha."
"You must go," said Sanihas to her son, "and I will follow you.
Olelbis is a yapaitu himself; he ought to know where that woman
is,--he thinks that he knows everything; but you go and hlaha, and
hear what your yapaitu tells you."
Sanihas Yupchi started, and was at the sweat-house in Olelpanti next
morning just as the sun was rising. He went into the sweat-house, and
Olelbis gave him many things.
"Give me tobacco," said Sanihas Yupchi. "I am going to hlaha."
Olelbis gave him a pipe with tobacco; he smoked it out and was not
possessed. Olelbis gave him another pipeful, and he smoked it out, but
was not possessed. He smoked out ten pipefuls, and then people said,--
"I am afraid that the yapaitu will not come to him."
He smoked twenty more pipefuls, still he was not possessed; then
twenty more, did not hlaha.
"He is no Hlahi," cried people on all sides; "if he were, the yapaitu
would have come to him long ago."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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