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
One morning, when she thrust her stick into the ground deeply, she
heard a cry like that of a little child. She stopped and listened;
heard the cry far down in the earth. She didn't know what to make of
it, but thought: "Whatever this is I will dig it out."
She thrust her root stick down as far as she could at one side of the
spot where the noise was, and worked hard, took much earth out; then
she heard the cry a little forward, and dug forward. She went next to
the opposite side and dug all around the cry, dug till the middle of
the afternoon, but found nothing. Then she dug around again, thrust
the stick deeper in the first spot, and said, "I must find that, I
must have it."
She thrust the stick down deeper,--got nothing. She went on the other
side, pushed the stick still deeper, and turned over the great lump of
earth that was in the middle. Under this she found a little boy. The
moment she saw him she heard a noise like thunder far off in the east,
at Saskewil, the place where Sas lives. When she raised him to the
surface, she heard this noise a second time.
The baby's head, as she raised him to the surface, was to the east,
his feet to the west; underground his head was to the south, and his
feet to the north.
"Tsok tso, tsok tso!" (good baby, good baby), said the old woman,
fondling him in her arms. She took the buckskin apron from her back,
laid it on the ground, put the little boy on it, and wrapped him up
carefully. Then she fondled him again, saying, "Tsok tso, tsok tso!"
and said, "I am old, I am your grandmother;" and she carried him to
her house. She took water and washed him, washed all his body. Every
morning she washed him. She could not sleep at night, she was so
anxious. She watched him all the time. All night, all day she
watched, never put him on the ground, but washed him much, saying,--
"I wish you to grow quickly. You are the only person seen here. I wish
you to walk soon."
In five weeks after she had found him he could walk a little and talk
some. When he was able to talk well, the old woman said,--
"Now, my grandson, I will tell you a thing which you must remember.
When you play around outside the house, never go to the east, never go
toward Saskewil, where Sas lives. Play in the north or the south or
the west, but never go east."
The boy grew fast and was able to play. As his grandmother was telling
him always not to go east, he said to himself,--
"I wonder why my grandmother tells me not to go east. I'd like to know
why."
One morning the boy went to play, went south from the house a short
distance, and heard a voice, heard some one shouting, calling from
some place, he didn't know where this voice was. He listened, and soon
heard it a second time. It came from above, from the sky. He saw no
one, but the voice said,--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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