Indians of North America -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Religion; Modoc mythology
Wus started. He traveled fast. Each pair of new moccasins lasted ten
days. When there was a hole in the heel of one moccasin, he threw the
pair away. He wore out five pairs; then he was near the house where the
strangers lived. He climbed a high mountain and stayed there all day,
watching the people in the valley. He saw his sister; she was almost
dead. Men were throwing captives back and forth across a fire; their
bodies were burned and black with smoke. At dark the men began to whoop
and scream, and to dance around the fire.
Wus thought hard, and made something long and bright. When he raised it
up, it blazed like fire. He called it golóbis. When he held it and
looked far off, he could see everything. He saw the people throwing his
sister back and forth like a ball, across the fire. The pole his
brothers’ hearts were on was stuck in the ground near the fire. He
cried when he looked at his sister and his kin. He said: “I want to
have long hair, and I want it covered with nice beads and bones, and I
want a blanket, and leggings covered with porcupine quills.” Right away
his hair touched the ground, and he had a blanket and leggings covered
with beautiful quills. At midnight he went where the people were and
stood looking at the fire.
“Who is that?” asked one of the men.
“Maybe that is Wus,” said another.
Wus took his bow and arrow and began to whip the bow string with the
arrow. It made nice music. Right away the long-necked girl knew that
the man was her brother. When he went nearer to the fire, people called
out: “Wus! Wus! That man is Wus!” and they were frightened.
“Why do you call me Wus?” asked he.
“I feel as if Wus were looking at me,” said the chief’s son. “Where did
you come from? We have never seen a man dressed as you are. Who are
you?”
“You mustn’t ask such questions,” said Wus. “Everybody has heard of me.
I live near you. My house is among the rocks. I have come to visit you.
Where did you get those hearts and those young women?”
“Off in the south, where there are two lakes together. They are the
hearts of the chiefs of that place. We killed nine of the Wus brothers,
and all of the Kaiutois brothers, and took their wives and sisters.”
“I am glad those men are dead,” said Wus. “They made me an orphan, and
they almost killed my old grandmother, who lives north of here.” Wus
began to cry.
The people didn’t quite believe him; they said: “You are Wus.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Wus. “You make me feel badly.”
“We missed the youngest Wus brother; maybe you are he.”
“I will tell you about that young man,” said Wus. “He can do anything
he wants to. He can change into different things. He can turn people
into rocks, or old stumps, or ashes. He wouldn’t come here and talk to
you; he would turn you into birds, or trees, or anything else he wanted
to. He doesn’t talk to people. I wish I could kill him, but I haven’t
power enough. I am afraid to go near him. I am glad you have killed his
brothers.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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