Indians of North America -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Religion; Modoc mythology
Kówam said: “Punch a stick in where your sister-in-law was sitting.”
She was dead, but a voice spoke out of the fire and said to Kówam: “You
will always stick your bill up in the sun and look off on the water.
And you, my little boy, will be like your brother.”—Ningádaniak.
MINK AND WEASEL
CHARACTERS
Blaiwas Eagle
Gäk Crow
Gapni Louse
Kāhkaas Stork
Kaiutois Wolf
Kaltsik Spider
Kéis Rattlesnake
Kékina Lizard
Kówe Frog
Kûlta Otter
Leméis Thunder
Lok Bear
Moi Squirrel
Näníhläs Bat
Skóŭks Woodtick
Súbbas Sun
Sukas
Tcûskai Weasel
Tskel Mink
Tusasás Skunk
Wŏn Elk
Two brothers, Tskel and Tcûskai, lived together not far from Klamath
Lake. Tskel’s wife was Skóŭks. Tcûskai was a little fellow. One day
when Skóŭks was outside cooking deer meat and was blowing the fire to
make it burn, she saw Tcûskai watching her; that made her mad and she
threw the meat into the fire. Tskel hit Tcûskai and told him to stay in
the house when Skóŭks was cooking; then he said to Skóŭks: “Cook more
meat; Tcûskai and I are going to the mountain to hunt for deer. If I
kill a big deer, we will camp and stay all night.” Tskel never killed a
deer; no matter how many he saw, he always let them get away.
When they got to the mountain, they saw a large deer; Tcûskai killed
it, and they camped in sight of a big hole between the rocks. Tskel
wouldn’t camp very near the hole, for he was afraid his brother would
go into it and get hurt. Tcûskai would go anywhere, he wasn’t afraid of
anything.
Tskel cut up the deer; then he and Tcûskai lay down, one on each side
of the fire. As soon as Tcûskai was asleep, Gopher came and ran across
him, just to tease him. Tcûskai woke up and called his brother: “Come
here! Come and see this little fellow! I will give him a piece of our
meat, and we will catch him.”
Tskel didn’t move; he was asleep. Tcûskai gave Gopher a small piece of
meat. He took it and ran off to the rocks, then came back for more,
carried that off and came back again. Each time he came Tcûskai gave
him a larger piece. At last all the deer meat was gone; then Tcûskai
went to Tskel, shook him, and said: “Get up! Get up! This little fellow
has carried off all of our meat.”
Tskel didn’t move or say a word. Tcûskai gave Gopher all the roots
Tskel had brought from home; then he took off Tskel’s belt and gave it
to him. Gopher carried it under the rocks. He gave him Tskel’s deerskin
cap and his rabbit-skin blanket.
In the morning when Tskel woke up, the north wind was blowing and he
was almost frozen. He asked Tcûskai where the blanket was. Tcûskai
said: “Gopher took it.”
“Then you gave it to him,” said Tskel; “Gopher couldn’t unwrap me.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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