Indians of North America -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Religion; Modoc mythology
At last Gáhga took the bow and arrow and shot Kówam in the heart,
killed him; then he ran, for he felt scared. Right away Kówam overtook
him, and said: “Now shoot me in the heart and tear my body to pieces.”
Gáhga did as Kówam told him to and then ran away. Again Kówam overtook
him. That time he said: “Kill me and pound my body to pieces; then mix
the pieces with dirt and stones.” Gáhga did as he was told. Soon his
brother caught up with him, and said: “Kill me, then pound my body up
and throw the pieces away.” Gágha did that, and went on; he didn’t run
that time, he just walked; he didn’t feel scared any longer. Kówam came
up behind him, and said: “Now, little brother, try again. Kill me, then
build a big fire and burn up my body and let the wind carry the ashes
away.” Gáhga did that. His brother overtook him again.
“What kind of a man are you?” asked Gáhga. “Is there any way to kill
you?”
“I wasn’t made to die,” said Kówam, “I shall live always. Now kill me
and cut off my feet and hands and carry them away. Hold them tight.”
Gáhga shot Kówam in the heart, cut off his hands and feet, held them
tight in his own hands, and traveled on, went fast. Right away his
brother called to him. Gáhga’s hands were shut, but the feet and hands
that he had been carrying were gone, and Kówam was by his side. Then he
cut Kówam’s head off and threw it away. At once the head and body came
together.
The brothers were almost home now and Kówam said: “You must take my bow
and quiver and wait on top of the house; I will go in alone. Don’t be
scared when they throw me out; they can’t hurt me.”
Kówam went in, pulled Lok’s head off from the woman’s knees, and threw
him out of the house. Lok came in, caught Kówam, killed him, and threw
the pieces on the fire.
Right away Kówam had Lok by the throat. He choked him and threw him
out.
When Kówam was killed and thrown out, his mother-in-law screamed: “I am
glad you are dead, old Black Legs!” When Lok was thrown out, she
screamed, “Now you are killed, old Big Feet, my son-in-law is a great
man!”
The fight lasted all night. Just as daylight came, Lok tore Kówam’s
head off; he kicked the body out and held tight to the head. That
moment Kówam said to his brother: “Now I am ready to fight. I was just
waiting for another sun to come up.”
He took his bow and arrows and shot at the Loks through the smoke hole,
and killed them all. Then he covered the house with dry grass, piled up
wood around it, and set it on fire.
Gáhga screamed and cried; he wanted his sister-in-law saved. Kówam
wouldn’t listen to him and wouldn’t let his wife out. Then Gáhga got
mad at his brother, and said: “Hereafter you won’t have a person for a
wife. You will be an animal. People will call you by different names,
and you will always live in the woods and make a great noise talking.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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