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
piece of hide; but he had advanced only a short distance when he fell
dead. The youths then came up from the house of the mole and cried out,
“See! the antelope is dead.”
Ma´asewe said, “Younger brother! let us go and get the flesh of the
antelope.” U´yuuyewĕ remarked, “perhaps he is not yet dead.” The mole
said, “you boys wait here; I will go and see if he still lives,” and
after examining and passing around him, he found that the body was
quite cold, and returning to the boys said, “Yes, boys, the antelope
is dead.” “Perhaps you do not speak the truth,” said Ma´asewe, but
the mole repeated “The antelope is dead.” Ma´asewe insisted, however,
that the mole should again examine him and the little animal made a
second visit. This time he dipped his hands into the heart’s blood
of the animal and rubbed it all over his face, head, body, arms, and
legs, for Ma´asewe had accused him of lying and he wished this time to
carry proof of the death of the antelope; and returning to the boys he
cried, “See, boys, I am covered with the blood, and I did not lie.”
Then Ma´asewe proposed that the three should go together; and when
they reached the antelope, Ma´asewe cut the breast with his stone
knife, passing the knife from the throat downwards. The boys then
flayed the antelope; Ma´asewe cut the heart and the flesh into bits,
throwing the pieces to the north, west, south, and east, declaring that
hereafter the antelope should not be an enemy to his people, saying,
“His flesh shall furnish food for my people.” Addressing the antelope
he commanded, “From this time forth you will eat only vegetation and
not flesh, for my people are to have your flesh for food.” He then said
to the mole, “The intestines of the antelope will be food for you,” and
the mole was much pleased, and promptly replied, “Thank you; thank you,
boys.”
The boys now returned to their home and their mother, who, on meeting
them, inquired, “Where have you been? You have been gone a long time;
I thought you were dead; where have you been?” Ma´asewe answered, “We
have been to the house of the antelope who eats people.” The mother
said, “You are very disobedient boys.” Ma´asewe continued, “We have
killed the antelope, and now all the giants who devoured our people are
destroyed, and all the people of the villages will be happy, and the
times will be good.”
After Ma´asewe and U´yuuyewĕ had destroyed the giant enemies of the
world the people were happy and were not afraid to travel about; even
the little children could go anywhere over the earth, and there was
continual feasting and rejoicing among all the villages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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