Indians of North America -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Religion; Modoc mythology
Lok and other people lived on a flat where there were wild cherry trees
and plum trees. Wus was in love with Lok’s daughter. When she went with
the other women to get cherries, he turned into a nice-looking young
man and tried to get near her. Sometimes he braided his hair and put a
big feather in it, but Lok’s daughter always knew him, for she could
see hair between his toes, no matter how he was dressed. (Wus had toes
like a man’s toes, but between the toes were long hairs. He could never
hide his feet.)
One day, when Wus had on a blanket and leggings covered with beads and
porcupine quills, and looked like a rich young man, he tried to talk
with Blaiwas’ sister, but she saw his feet and knew he was Wus. When he
caught hold of her, she pulled away, and said: “I know you. You are
Wus.”
“How do you know that I am Wus?”
“I can see the hair between your toes.”
Wus was mad; he left her and went back to the mountain, to Piéamtcir,
where he and his mother lived.
Wus never bothered Kaiutois’ daughter, for he called Kaiutois brother.
One day she said to him: “You should go away from here. The girls don’t
like you; they always see the hair between your toes.”
That night Wus’ mother said: “If you don’t stay at home, you will get
into trouble with the chief. He doesn’t want you to bother those
girls.”
“I want Blaiwas’ sister for a wife,” said Wus.
“Don’t think about her,” said his mother. “Blaiwas has given her to a
man who lives in the lake.”
“I don’t care if he has; I will have her.”
His mother told him to let the girl alone, but he was so mad he
wouldn’t listen to her. The next morning he said: “I am going to catch
Blaiwas’ sister to-day. After I have caught her, I will go to Blaiwas’
house. If he don’t like me, he can throw me out.”
His mother said: “That young man has taken her away.”
“If he hasn’t more power than I have, I will get her,” said Wus.
When he came to the flat where the girls were picking cherries, he
asked: “Where is Blaiwas’ sister?”
“She has a man now,” said Kaiutois’ daughter. “She has gone away with
him.”
“Who is he?”
“He is the youngest of the five Kûlta brothers. He lives in the East,
far from here.”
The next day Wus told his mother he was going to travel around to see
people, and he started off.
As Wus traveled, he sang his love song. One day a Kûlta girl heard him
and told her father that some man was coming. “You must stay in the
house,” said the father. “That is Wus. He feels badly because my nephew
has taken Blaiwas’ sister.”
Old Kûlta was fishing. He called to the fish, and said: “I want to feed
that young man.” Then he put his basket at the edge of the water, and
said: “Come now, come into my basket!” Right away his basket was full
of fish. When Wus came to the river, Kûlta said: “This is the first
time you have visited me. You feel badly because my nephew has taken
Blaiwas’ sister away from you.”
Wus was mad, but he didn’t say a word.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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