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
"My brother's daughter," called Kar Kiemila from Olelpanti when she
was starting, "go and dance. I will sit here and look at you."
Sweat-house doors look toward the south usually, but the great one
above, made by Olelbis, on which Kar Kiemila was sitting, had its door
in the east, because Olelbis took most of his beautiful things from
the southeast, and he could look down in that direction from the door
of his house in Olelpanti. The door in Hlihli Pui Hlutton was toward
the west, because from that door they could see the great house in
Olelpanti. The house built by Olelbis was the best in all the world,
above or below. Kopus Kiemila's house was second to it, and the best
in the lower land.
Norwan went at the time appointed, and Hessiha stayed behind at Norwan
Buli. When Serin Dolite brought the invitation, Norwan made him
promise to meet her on the road.
"You must come," said she, "to give me news before I reach the
sweat-house."
Just at the edge of a place called Pui Toror, Serin Dolite ran out and
met Norwan.
"Oh, my sister," said he, "Kopus Kiemila sent me to say to you to come
quickly, to hurry. The people from every place are there now. All
those have come of whom I told you, except Norbis and your brother
Waida Werris; they have not come yet. Besides others, Boki Kiemila
from Hlop Henmenas has come. You must hurry as much as you can, and
come quickly."
When he had given the message, he rushed back and left Norwan to
travel at her own pace. She went along the top of Pui Toror, and came
to a spot where she heard much laughing and talking. Soon she saw a
large crowd of children playing. The ground was smooth,--no rocks, no
grass, just level land. When she came up, the children said to her,--
"Our elder sister, we want to see the dance. We want to go to the
sweat-house, but we have nothing to wear; we have no clothes and we
can get none."
The girls were all of the Tsudi people, the boys, Patkilises. Norwan
looked around and saw at some distance a great many sunflower leaves.
"We took leaves like those," said one of the boys, "and tried to put
them on as ears, but we could not make them stay."
Norwan stretched her hand southward, and gray fog which rises from
water came on it. She put this fog on a Patkilis boy to wear. She
stretched her hand to the east, and red and yellow feathers came to
it. Of these she made ears for that Patkilis boy. She put her hand
south and found willow catkins, white ones, and made a tail and put it
on the Patkilis boy. She gave him shoes made of the catkins. When that
one boy was dressed, she said, "Let all the others be like this one;"
and that moment all Patkilis boys were like him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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