Indians of North America -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Religion; Modoc mythology
Limālimáas sprang up and ran after the boy. Ever so many times he
almost caught him, but each time Nul-we dodged and got away. At last
they came to a dried up river-bed where there were big rocks and deep
holes. Limālimáas was getting weak; he stumbled and fell into a hole.
Nul-we ran across the river-bed; then he turned and called to
Limālimáas: “You shall not live in this world and kill people.
Hereafter you will make a great noise, but you will not have the power
to harm anybody. When another strikes, you will shout for him; that is
all you will be able to do.”
Nul-we took the heart off the end of his arrow, blew it up into the
sky, and said: “You can go up there and live; you can’t live down here
any longer.”
Now Nul-we could dig roots and carry them to his grandmother; he was
glad, and he didn’t cry any more.
The old man-eater became Thunder.
WIND AND THUNDER
CHARACTERS
Galaíwa Mouse
Káwhas Blackbird
Leméis Thunder
Mówas Sléwis South Wind
Tániäs Sléwis North Wind
Tcûskai Weasel
Tskel Mink
Tcûskai and Tskel lived together on North Wind Mountain (east of
Klamath marsh). Tskel thought it was time to have a wife. He knew there
were women off in the north, so he said to Tcûskai: “Go to Sycan and
get two women.” When Tcûskai got to the place, the women were digging
roots. He snatched their caps and ran home with them. All the women
followed him. In that old time this was one way of getting a wife. A
man stole something a woman was wearing; then she knew he wanted her,
and she followed him home.
When Tcûskai brought so many caps, Tskel was angry. He said: “Why do
you always make trouble? I sent you for two women, and you have brought
a great many. What will you do now?”
Tcûskai kept two of the caps and threw the other ones away. When the
women came, they picked up their caps and went home; only two women
stayed. After a while each woman had a little boy. They rubbed the
children with ashes, and they grew fast.
As soon as the boys could run around and play, they began to quarrel.
Tcûskai made them arrows to shoot birds and squirrels with; after that,
when they got angry, they shot at each other. Then Tcûskai made them
arrows with poisoned points, and one day when they were fighting, they
killed each other.
Tcûskai stayed in the house, but he knew what had happened; he always
knew everything. Tskel was away hunting for deer. As soon as he came
home, he looked around for his boys; when he found that the two boys
were dead, he called Tcûskai and they burned the bodies. Then Tskel
said to his brother: “I want you to travel in the mountains and swim in
the ponds. After that you can go south and cut off Mówas Sléwis’ head.”
Tcûskai wanted to go north.
Tskel said: “If Tániäs Sléwis should put out his head, you would die.
He would cover everything with ice, and you would freeze to death.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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