The Myths of the North American IndiansSpence, Lewis
History
The Myths of the North American Indians
Spence, Lewis
Indian mythology -- North America; Indians of North America -- Folklore
The next morning the people made themselves ready and launched their
canoe. The chief's son stayed in bed and did not attempt to accompany
them. After sunrise he rose and called the women and children and
said: "Wash yourselves; be quick." The women obeyed and washed
themselves. He continued: "Comb your hair." Then he put down a plank,
took a piece of meat out [from under his blanket, showed it to the
women, and said]: "Every day your husbands eat this." He put two
pieces side by side on the plank, cut them to pieces, and greased the
heads of all the women and children. Then he pulled the planks forming
the walls of the houses out of the ground. He sharpened them [at one
end, and] those which were very wide he split in two. He sharpened all
of them. The last house of the village was that of the Raven. He did
not pull out its wall-planks. He put the planks on to the backs of the
women and children {347} and said: "Go down to the beach. When you go
seaward swim five times round that rock. Then go seaward. When you
see sea-lions you shall kill them. But you shall not give anything to
stingy people. I shall take these children down. They shall live on
the sea and be my relatives."
Then he split sinews. The women went into the water and began to jump
[out of the water]. They swam five times back and forth in front of
the village. Then they went seaward to the place where Blue Jay and
the men were boiling. Blue Jay said to the men: "What is that?" The
men looked and saw the girls jumping. Five times they swam round Blue
Jay's rock. Then they went seaward. After a while birds came flying
to the island. Their bills were [as red] as blood. They followed [the
fish]. "Ah!" said Blue Jay, "do you notice them? Whence come these
numerous birds?" The Raven said: "Ha, squint-eye, they are your
children; do you not recognize them?" Five times they went round the
rock. Now [the boy] threw the sinews down upon the stones and said:
"When Blue Jay comes to gather mussels they shall be fast [to the
rocks]." And he said to the women, turning toward the sea:
"Whale-Killer will be your name. When you catch a whale you will eat
it, but when you catch a sea-lion you will throw it away; but you shall
not give anything to stingy people."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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