The Sia: (1894 N 11 / 1889-1890 (pages 3-158))Stevenson, Matilda Coxe
History
The Sia: (1894 N 11 / 1889-1890 (pages 3-158))
Stevenson, Matilda Coxe
Zia Indians
The elder sister was mortified at her lack of knowledge, and said,
“Come to my house to-morrow; to-day you are greater than I. I thought
the bird had gone to the house in the east, but you knew where he was,
and he came at your call; to-morrow you come to me.”
On the morrow the younger sister called at the house of the elder and
was asked to be seated. Then Now´ûtsĕt said, “Sister, a word with
you; what do you think that is?” pointing to a figure enveloped in a
blanket, with only the feet showing, which were crossed. Four times
the question was asked, and each time the younger sister said she
could not tell, but finally she added, “I think the feet are crossed;
the one on the right should be left and the left should be right.”
“To whom do the feet belong?” inquired the elder sister. The younger
sister was prompted by her grandmother, Sûs´sĭstinnako[4], the spider
woman, to say, “I do not think it is either man or woman,” referring to
beings created by Sûs´sĭstinnako, “but something you have made.” The
elder sister replied,“You are right, my sister.” She threw the blanket
off, exposing a human figure; the younger sister then left, asking the
elder to call at her house on the morrow, and all night Ût´sĕt was busy
preparing an altar under the direction, however, of Sûs´sĭstinnako. She
covered the altar with a blanket, and in the morning when the elder
sister called they sat together for a while and talked; then Ût´sĕt
said, pointing to the covered altar, “What do you think I have there?”
Now´ûtsĕt replied, “I can not tell; I may have my thoughts about it,
but I do not know.” Four times Now´ûtsĕt was asked, and each time she
gave the same reply. Then the younger sister threw off the blanket, and
they both looked at the altar, but neither spoke a word.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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