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
After Po´shaiyänne’s talk with the ti´ämoni, and learning his wish for
game, he said: “Father, what have you for me to do?” And the ti´ämoni
replied: “My children have looked everywhere for deer, and they can
find none; they see many tracks, but they can not catch the deer.”
“Well,” replied Po´shaiyänne, “I will go and look for game.” He visited
a high mountain in the west, from whose summit he could see all over
the earth, and looking to the north, he saw on the top of a great
mountain a white deer. The deer was passing toward the south, and he
said to himself, “Why can not the Sia catch deer?” And looking to the
west, he saw a yellow antelope on the summit of a high mountain. He,
too, was passing to the south, and Po´shaiyänne said to himself, “Why
can they not catch antelope?” And he looked to the south, and saw on
the great mountain of the south a sheep, which was also passing to
the south, and he looked to the east, and there, on a high peak, he
saw the buffalo, who was passing to the south; and then, looking all
over the earth, he saw that it was covered with rabbits, rats, and all
kinds of small animals, and that the air was filled with birds of every
description. Then, returning to the ti´ämoni, he said: “My mother, my
father, why do your children say they can catch no game? When I first
looked to the mountain of the north I saw the deer, and to the west I
saw the antelope, and to the south the mountain sheep, and to the east
the buffalo, and the earth and air were filled with animals and birds.”
The ti´ämoni inquired how he could see all over the earth. He doubted
Po´shaiyänne’s word. Then Po´shaiyänne said: “In four days I will go
and catch deer for you.” “Well,” said the ti´ämoni, “when you bring the
deer I will believe. Until then I must think, perhaps, you do not speak
the truth.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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