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
Sehinom Chabatu remained in the sweat-house. Chir Pokaila was taking
bow and arrows to her grandson, but when she reached the door she was
killed.
Chir Chuma, who lived near by, came when he heard the uproar. He was
carried by the Siriwits, and went around fighting here and fighting
there, killing many.
Sehinom, in the sweat-house, heard some one outside asking,--
"Is this Sehinom Chabatu's house? I cannot find him. He is not among
these people. Perhaps this is not his house at all. I should like to
see Sehinom Chabatu. If he is brave, he will come out. I am Sutunut."
Others cried, "I am Hus!" "I am Chutuhl!" "I am Koip!" "I want to see
Sehinom Chabatu!"
All the people outside were killed now, except Chir Chuma. The
Siriwits had carried him home. Sehinom Chabatu was left in the
sweat-house. It was about the middle of the forenoon when all were
killed, and the strangers set fire to the sweat-house. There was a log
at each side of the door for people to sit on. Sehinom went into the
ground, and came out under the log on the left side. He dug forward,
as the fire moved, till he came near the end of the log. It was burned
out now except a very short piece. He stopped under that.
Sutunut's people stood around watching for him.
"We should like to know where he is," said they. "The sweat-house is
burned. He was not there or he would have run out." They pushed the
cinders about,--found no trace of his bones. "He cannot be under this
log," said one man; but he did not touch the burning log.
At last, about dark, when the log was burned almost to the very end,
Sutunut and all his people went away.
Sehinom Chabatu heard everything they said. When they had gone and all
was silent, he crept out from under the ground; he saw his friends
lying dead, the houses destroyed, and the sweat-house burned down. He
cried all night,--mourned for his friends, mourned until daylight. At
daylight he walked around everywhere; looked at the ruins; did not
know what to do; walked around again and again.
Just before sunrise he heard something and stopped to listen. There
was a sound like the cry of a little dog. He looked, and saw at last a
piece of bark of the yellow pine. The noise came from under that bark.
"What can be under this bark?" thought Sehinom, and turning it over he
found two little boys lying in each other's arms and crying. He
stooped down and took them up.
"Now, brother," said one of them, "we had luck. We hid here and
escaped."
They were Tsudi boys. Sehinom Chabatu took the boys to care for them.
He buried all the people he could find, took the two little boys, and
went up Pui Mem to get kopus wood for arrows. He found the wood,
brought it home, and made four hundred arrows. Then he made five bows
of yew wood.
The two boys grew very fast. Sehinom gave a bow and forty arrows to
each of them and said,--
"I wish you could do something for me, but you are so small I don't
like to send you."
"We can go wherever you send us," said the elder boy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account